This year the Winooski NRCD honored two examples of outstanding farming operations in Chittenden County as Conservation Farmers of the Year.

Bruce, Mary and Tim Taft of the Taft's Milk and Maple Farm in Huntington milk 196 jerseys with a total herd of 358 including dry cows and young stock. They crop 106 acres of corn and 152 acres of grass and rent over 200 acres of farm and woodland. They constructed a new freestall barn and milking parlor facility 2 years ago through an USDA-NRCS EQIP contract. They recently finished the barn roof runoff collection system into a French drain as well as new feed bunks and a new bunker leachate collection system. They used an interesting new product from New York called Wollastinite, or garnet dust, under the bunks for a hard-packed surface. The Taft family also has a substantial sugaring operation where they ship orders of maple syrup, maple cream and sugar nearly every day all over the world.

Bruce Hennessey and Beth Whiting own Maple Wind Farm in Huntington where they have a diversified agricultural operation raising beef, chickens (hens & broilers), turkeys, lambs, pigs, and horses. They own 150 acres, 80 of which are intensively managed pastures. They also rent additional hay land in Richmond & Hinesburg. EQIP and PL-566 contracts provided cost-share dollars to roof a winter heavy use area for the organic beef cows and improve their roof runoff management practices. To further diversify the operation, Beth runs a Summer Adventure Camp out of the farm, called "On the Loose". They also have yurts along the Catamount Trail that can be rented year round.

This year the Winooski NRCD honored two examples of outstanding forestry management in Washington County as Forest Stewards of the Year.

Mike & Vivien Fritz own 520 Acres in Cabot and Marshfield known as Beaver Brook Farm. They purchased the land with the intension of developing a long-term timber management plan with a forester and logger who understand their goals. They manage for a varied age forest to encourage a variety of wildlife species and show how logging can help provide recreation trails for the local community for cross country skiing, horseback riding, VAST use and orienteering, their true passion. Currently they have over 15 miles of cross-country ski trails that all originated as skidder trails. They have taken great efforts to produce one of the most detailed orienteering maps in the Northeast as well as to host professional orienteering challenges for worldwide enthusiasts.

The Motyka family is committed to land preservation & working on their 230 acres of open & wooded land in Northfield. They run a maple sugaring operation in partnership with Paul Olander where they tap 1400 maples with a potential of over 2200. Connie and his family also thin their plantation white pine and Norway spruce for family-use lumber sawn on a portable sawmill. They also manage their hardwood stand as a sugarbush, for firewood and some premium logs. They log only in the winter and improve wildlife habitat through managing a varied-age forest. The family's land management goal is to cover their costs of production (taxes, fuel, equipment) from word products taken off the land.