One Farm’s Answer to Vermont’s Medium Farm Operation Rules
D
o you know of any threatened, endangered, or rare species
on or near your fm?” I asked Don Pouliot recently as part of the Resource
Inventory interview that begins his Land Treatment Plan.
“Yes,” he replied. I
looked up, surprised. Not many people answer yes to this question.
“Really? What species?”
“Dairy farmers!” Don
laughs, pleased that he has managed to fool me. And thus sets the tone
for all of my interactions with him… he uses his mischievous sense of
humor and deadpan expressions to catch me off guard and I try to keep
up, mostly getting snared by my own gullibility.
Though his answer was in jest, there are those out there who I am sure are nodding their heads seriously at his humor. Dairy farmers are increasingly encountering laws and regulations that limit or change the way they can manage their farms. Donald and Dale Pouliot along with their three sons, Luke, Arlo, and Tony, manage a 375 cow dairy farm in Westford. Because their farm has more than 200 and less than 699 mature dairy animals, they will be required to comply with Vermont’s new Medium Farm Operation rules. The Pouliots are very responsible stewards of their land and animals, but even so, they will need to make some changes to their farm operation.
One of the requirements of the Medium Farm Operation (MFO) rules is that farmers have a Nutrient Management Plan that meets the standard set by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The Pouliots took advantage of the Land Treatment Planning services that are offered for free by Vermont’s Conservation Districts, and a nutrient management incentive grant from Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) to complete the two parts of the Nutrient Management Plan.
Rip rap along the Browns River to stabilize the streambank put in with help from Natural Resources Conservation Service
I worked with the Pouliots over the course of several months, gathering information, creating maps, documenting their land management practices and suggesting crop rotations, and then gathered it all into a Land Treatment Plan, the first part of a Nutrient Management Plan.
The Pouliots are now working with a private consultant,
Chuck Custeau, to determine manure spreading rates, fertilizing rates
and schedules, and in general balancing their nutrient needs on the farm.
This plan will not only help the Pouliots come into compliance with the
MFO rules; it may also help them to utilize available nutrients to their
best capacity, allow for a more efficient use of fertilizer, and increase
the productivity of their cropland.
They are also working
with Soil Conservationist, Danny Peet at NRCS to apply for an Environmental
Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) contract.
If approved, this program will provide them with cost share money
to install a silage leachate collection system and to build an improved
manure storage facility. They are alternatively looking into the VAAFM’s
Best Management Practices cost share program to address their silage leachate
concern. Either of these programs can help the Pouliots avoid the contamination
of surface or ground water with excess nutrients, another requirement
of the MFO rules.
While dairy farmers may
feel like they are an endangered species, as Don jokes, there are resources
to help them comply with state and federal regulations.
For more information on any of the above-mentioned programs, contact Andrea Tursini at 802-865-7895 x15
