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Situation:
Agricultural lands in the region lie within compact, rural watersheds that contribute to drinking water supplies and high quality fresh and coastal water resources. Close proximity to high population densities, a high cost of living and a limited land base have prompted farmers throughout the region to intensify crop and livestock production as well as diversify and adopt alternative markets and practices. Agriculture in the region also has the opportunity to produce energy as ethanol and biodiesel. As farms bring Conservation Reserve Program land into production, water resources may be threatened with nutrient, sediment and pesticide inputs. A rise in organic agriculture has created a new opportunity to eliminate pesticide use but also created new challenges in managing nutrients. The need for profitable sustainable organic forage production systems is also an important regional educational and research priority. Threats to surface and ground water quality caused by agricultural intensification and diversification can be minimized by appropriate BMPs, effective nutrient and pest management and selection of water quality protective cropping systems.
Approach:
Extension and its partners train farmers on research-based nutrient and pesticide management and animal waste management encouraging farmers to adopt new management systems. Working toward economically efficient production agriculture with minimal impact on water quality, we propose to: 1) research cropping systems that produce high quality forages with sustainable inputs, require minimal energy inputs and have manageable pest pressure to reduce the risks of offsite contamination from animal agriculture; 2) develop and promote improved nutrient management planning tools; 3) develop tools to help farmers know when nutrient applications are accurate; 4) educate consultants who work directly with farmers to adopt effective cropping systems; and, 5) initiate intra-regional discussion and grower training on agricultural water conservation.
Stakeholders:
Farmers, agricultural service providers, NRCS, other agency staff, crop consultants and certified nutrient management planners.
Sampling of Programs in the Region:
In this presentation, there is a brief description highlighting accomplishments and tangible changes in
this focus area in 2007.
UVM Extension completed a 5 week curriculum and needs assessment to teach livestock farmers how to develop a Nutrient Management Plan that meets Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and VT Department of Agriculture nutrient management standards during February and March 2006. As of February 2007, 30 farms have taken the 5 week course (3 hours/week) and 28 farms have developed plans on a total of 14,342 acres. 50% of farmers will apply less nitrogen and phosphorus and 67% will save money. UVM partners with VT NRCS to conduct the courses and is developing a course curriculum that will be available for the region. UVM, URI, and RI NRCS plan to adapt the curriculum for RI livestock and turf farms. Contact Holly Burdett for more information.
UVM is a co-leader in developing eOrganic as a Community of Practice for eXtension. UVM received $200,000 along with Oregon and Illinois ($600,000) to complete this work. For more information contact Heather Darby.
To learn more about Animal Waste Management in New England, review this presentation.
The Cornell Waste Management Institute (CWMI) is a program in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. CWMI serves the public through research, outreach, training, and technical assistance, with a focus on organic residuals. The principles on which CWMI rests are to: identifying critical needs through working with stakeholders; building on the strengths of Cornell - its faculty and staff; teamwork and collaboration including on and off-campus colleagues and stakeholders; a focus on multidisciplinary work; and integration of research and outreach.
The overall goal of the Innovative Manure Management Technology in The Northeast project is to improve the productivity, profitability, and environmental performance of manure management for Northeast agriculture through a partnership that communicates research findings, and educational products, from manure projects to a broad agricultural sector. The project will use a partnership of established agricultural delivery systems such as: Cooperative Extension, the Farm Bureau, land grant universities, State Departments of Agriculture, State Departments of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and others from agricultural industries.
UMASS participates in the multi-state Hatch Project 1024: Whole Farm Dairy and Beef Systems for Environmental Quality. In 2007, UMASS coordinated a trip to New Zealand to study nutrient flows, manure and pasture management on dairy and beef farms. 13 Land Grant University and USDA scientists from the US participated.
UMASS together with MA NRCS have completed an update of the MA nutrient transport index through incorporating aspects of the Cornell P-index and tailoring it to MA conditions for use in nutrient management plans developed as part of EQIP contracts with farmers. The update places more emphasis on P as a nutrient of concern and is currently being field tested. UVM and UNH have also refined the P-index to tailor it to Northern New England soils and hydrological conditions, further protecting water resources and continue to educate about the land application management factors that reduce the potential for P build-up and runoff.
Understanding the effectiveness of buffers on agricultural lands for water quality improvement also enables farmers and agricultural service providers to estimate nutrient use on farms using on-farm residuals. Buffer research is being conducted at the Universities of Connecticut , New Hampshire, Rhode Island , and Vermont.
Regional Training Highlights:
Since 1996, UMaine Cooperative Extension coordinates and conducts an annual two-day regional collaborative workshop in southern NH. This provides New England agricultural service providers with Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) recertification credits and encourages these providers to use agricultural BMPs in addition to presenting on emerging research, technology and policy issues. Extension educators and affiliates from various agencies and organizations throughout the northeast and Canada present subject matter that is integrated across all CCA competency areas.
Annual Winter Training:
2007 Program Summary 
2006 Program Summary
Summer Field Training: UMaine coordinates a summer CCA field training program each year. The event is often combined with other organizational events such as the Northeast SARE annual summer tour and rotated around the New England States. View our 2006 summary report.
