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Pouliot Farm (Westford, VT): Don Pouliot is a long time dairy farmer who over the past few years has been steadily making improvements to his operations with help from his two sons Arlo and Tony. In January of 2010, Don installed a new manure pit to assist in waste management at the farm. Manure is dumped into the pit and then mixed with water to create a slurry. The slurry is then pumped out of the pit and used as a fertilizer for corn. In contrast to a broadcast spreader, Don is experimenting with the use of a manure injector. The injector deposits manure into the sub-surface with minimal disruption to the soil. This process has been known to reduce ammonia emissions, odor, and loss of watersoluble phosphorous as well as maintain the soil health. Additionally, Don has incorporated the use of a “frac” tank on the farm. The “frac” acts as a satellite manure tank which allows for fewer trips to the manure pit, helping to reduce compaction of soil and fuel use. |
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Arethusa Farm (Burlington, VT): The Arethusa Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm which was established in 2002 at the Intervale. Thomas Case, a Goddard College graduate, and Ben Dana are co-founders of the farm. Over the past nine years, Thomas and his cohorts have worked hard to build up a loyal network of local businesses and supporters, including UVM and many Farmer’s Market patrons. They have also worked hard to improve soil fertility, relying less on compost and manure inputs, and more on cover cropping and a scheduled crop rotation. These practices help retain nutrients in the soil and build beneficial organic material. In addition, the farm does a fair amount of work by hand, which helps to maintain soil structure. Although they focus mainly on the production of carrots and mesclun greens, they have a number of other crops available to round out the mix.
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Marshfield Inn (Marshfield, VT): Landowners Tracey Hambleton and Diana Batzel have chosen to both restore and conserve their river corridor in perpetuity. In 2008, a 35’ buffer along 2,250’ of river was planted with approximately 440 native trees and shrubs by WNRCD volunteers. In 2009, the landowners completed a corridor easement1 on 12.3 acres along 2,215’ held by the Vermont River Conservancy with funding support from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources River Management Program.
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