Saturday, January 16, 2021, 12:00 pm until 12:30 pm
Online
The conference is hosted by the Vermont Grass Farmers Association (VGFA) and coordinated by the UVM Extension Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
Join our enthusiastic group of farmers and agricultural resource providers for a deep dive into topics specific to raising pasture-based livestock in the Northeast.Thursday will feature pearls of wisdom from New England slaughterhouses, dialing in your grass finishing ration with Mike Baker and Matt LaRoux will take you through creating and marketing a standard cut sheet.
Friday workshops will spotlight non-lethal livestock protection from predators with Chris Schadler, farmer panel on the hypes and gripes of guard animals, and demonstrations of how to read and use your soil and forage test results. A conversation about soil health with our Keynote Speaker Nicole Masters will finish our day of learning.
Friday night will have an opportunity to gather virtually for farmer stories. This year we would like you to share a farm story that will be passed down to the next generation. Email co-coordinator Colene Reed at colene.reed@uvm.edu to learn more about participating with your story.
Saturday workshops will begin with Sarah Flack talking about grazing fundamentals followed by a farmer panel on water innovations for all seasons, pasture quality evaluation with Juan Alvez, silvopasture with Steve Gabriel, grazing with the insects in mind with Dr. Ryan Schmid. A conversation with our Saturday Keynote, Agroecologist and Entomologist Dr. Jonathan Lundgren will finish the conference experience.
Registration: A registration discount is available for VGFA members, $20 per person, up to 6 tickets per farm. We are offering a sliding scale ticket pricing option for everyone, but recommending a non-member ticket price of $40.*
*Why are we charging? The advantage of a virtual conference is that the costs are certainly much lower than in-person; however, there are still costs associated with hosting an online event. We hope that a sliding scale fee options make this event accessible to all, while still covering our costs.
More details about the conference as well as registration are available at www.vtgrassfarmers.org/conference. Contact Conference Co-Coordinator Colene Reed at colene.reed@uvm.edu or 802-535-7606 with any questions.