Along the Mad River Valley this fall, a green hue, not normally seen in November, covered most of the cornfields visible from Route 100B. Thanks to efforts by 7 dairy farmers and 2 organic vegetable growers, a winter rye cover crop provided soil cover within weeks after the fall crops were harvested on over 165 acres along the Mad River.

         A similar sight was evident along corn and vegetable fields in Marshfield, Middlesex, and Shelburne. While the Mad River project was experiencing additional growth in its second year of the project, over 100 acres were enrolled for the first time by one vegetable grower and two dairy farmers in the Winooski River watershed.

         The intention of the cover cropping initiative is to change land management practices historically used in the Winooski watershed by offering an incentive payment to farmers for planting cover crops in the fall. The project is part of the longer-term Mad River Buffer and Filter Strip Initiative, funded through an EPA 319 Water Quality grant. During the project’s first 3 years, the grant produced 49 acres of grass filter strips, over 7 acres of forested riparian buffers planted with native vegetation, and 1740 linear feet of stabilized streambank along the Mad River. The cover cropping initiative and its expansion to the main stem of the Winooski River in 2005 was in response to the communities’ willing adoption of these Best Management Practices (BMPs).

         Winter rye will survive through harsh winter weather and undergo vigorous regrowth in the spring. The rye can then be tilled into the soil as green manure, enhancing soil quality and producing a natural slow release nutrient supply for the growing season, or it can be chopped and removed as a straw crop and used for mulching or bedding. It prevents soil erosion from water and wind and improves soil tilth as the roots aerate the soil.

      Winter rye inhibits or slows the growth of weeds by releasing natural toxins, or allelochemicals, and takes up nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium. For most crop fields along surface waters like those in the Winooski watershed that receive manure or commercial fertilizer each year, this nutrient uptake helps keep excessive nutrients from leaching into groundwater or running off into rivers and streams. If reincorporated into the soil, the rye plant can then slowly release these nutrients to next summer's corn or vegetable crop.

         Understanding that dairy farmers often find it difficult to add an additional practice to their already busy fall season, this program is being coordinated by the Winooski NRCD, which purchased the seeds and contracted with local farmer Elwin Neill and Lawes Agricultural Services in Brandon for the planting.   The successful implementation of this project is a tribute to the dedication of agricultural producers in the Mad and Winooski River Valleys to work cooperatively with each other, Winooski NRCD, and other non-profits like Friends of the Mad River, to improve the quality of soil and water.

         The Winooski NRCD plans to work with these nine producers, and any others who are interested in participating, for the next two years in continuing the cover cropping at minimal cost to the farmers, so that the benefits will be firmly in place to encourage farmers to continue the practice on their own.

To learn more about the benefits of cover cropping, contact Abbey Willard at 828-4493 x110.

Browns River Assessment Continues  

The District continues its collaborative stream geomorphic assessment work to include a detailed river corridor plan within the Browns River watershed. Funded by three years of grants from the Lake Champlain Basin Program and one year of VT DEC River Management Division Clean and Clear funding, the District has partnered on this project with the VT Department of Environmental Conservation, Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife, Lamoille Watershed Association,VT Agency of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation Service. The goal is to prioritize land areas that need best management practices applied and design future planning guidelines in order to improve the water quality in the Browns River.

                 Using the Phase 1 & 2 Stream Geomorphic Assessment protocols we identified existing stream conditions, compared these to historical changes, verified the data collected at the remote sensing level, and eventually identified locations in the watershed where stability and human interaction conflict in order to prioritize reaches for future water quality improvement projects. The in-field Bridge and Culvert Assessment inventoried stream crossings and identified structures contributing to stream instability, sedimentation and impaired fish passage. 

                 Thirteen highly sensitive sections of the Browns River were targeted for further assessment. Currently, the Winooski NRCD and our partners are using the data to work with individual landowners and municipalities to develop river corridor protection and restoration projects. Specific projects underway include: river corridor management planning; discussions with landowners about long-term conservation easements; fluvial erosion hazed mapping for the Town of Underhill; budgeting with the towns in the watershed to prioritize undersized bridge and culvert crossings for removal or replacement; and research into the influence of the Cilley Hill Dam in Jericho on upstream streambank instability