Commodities

Industrial Hemp In Vermont

While farmers are interested in diversifying crops by growing hemp for fiber, they lack information on the best strategies to grow and process hemp fiber in Vermont, and access new markets. The guide, Industrial Hemp in Vermont, and the videos on this page help close this knowledge gap and overcome barriers for a variety of […]

Winter Cattle Lice

Lice infestations during winter housing represent a significant challenge for cattle producers, particularly organic operations raising cattle without chemical inputs. This series of fact sheets from University of Vermont Extension describes the life cycle of cattle lice, control strategies based on integrated pest management (IPM) principles, and the use of essential oils as alternative controls. […]

Johne’s Disease Fact Sheets

Johne’s disease is an infectious disease of ruminants that reduces profitability of infected herds and is difficult to control. These University of Vermont fact sheets (combined into a 16-page PDF) answer questions about what Johne's disease is, how it spreads and how to control the disease.

Strawberry Production Guide

Strawberry Production Guide for the Northeast, Midwest and Eastern Canada is intended as a comprehensive resource for both novice and experienced strawberry growers in northeastern North America. It provides information on all aspects of strawberry culture. The second edition has been updated and revised throughout, and includes expanded and new information on variety selection (Ch. […]

Optimizing the Economic Return of Pasture-Raised Broilers

This set of publications were developed by Cornell University and are intended to help producers of slow-growth and conventional broilers understand their costs of production and track the performance of their flocks. A third fact sheet shares guidance on breaking down a carcass into desired cuts. Calculating Costs of Production Farmers must figure out their […]

Growing Seed Crops

Northeastern farmers and seed keepers are interested in increasing seed production for on-farm, community, and commercial use. This series of Cornell University fact sheets shares useful production information for a range of vegetable crops. Growing of Lettuce Seed Crop Fact Sheet Basics of Growing Carrots, Beets and Onions for Seed in the Northeast Timing of […]

Guide to interseeding cover crops into corn systems in the Northeast

Although substantial gains in cover crop acreage have been seen across the northeast, proper establishment of cover crops continues to be challenging for dairy operations which rely heavily on corn silage. Farmers are interested in exploring the concept of solar corridors that integrates row crops with solid-seeded cover crops in broad strips. The broad strips […]

Implementing a Food Safety System for Small-Scale and Raw Milk Cheese Plants

The purpose of this guide is to assist small-scale and raw milk cheesemakers in conducting Hazard Analyses of their processes to ensure they are producing the safest product possible and to meet the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The author, Dr. Kerry E. Kaylegian of the Pennsylvania State University, created this resource […]

Forage Brassicas

Forage Brassicas are annual crops that can grazed during the spring, summer and fall to extend the grazing season. This fact sheet provides an overview to establish and graze kale, rape, radish, swede and turnip.

Considerations and Recommendations When Establishing Custom Grazing Relationships

This guide and set of recommendations are intended for organic dairy farmers and other livestock graziers interested in starting a custom grazing relationship with a neighboring farmer or landowner. Successful custom grazing can provide or increase grazing acreage for those farmers who need it and can also provide opportunities for smaller, beginning, leased, and diversified […]

Managing Staph aureus on the Organic Dairy

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that causes mastitis in dairy cattle. Staph aureus mastitis is highly contagious and can easily spread among the herd. Organic dairy farmer Katie Webb Clark conducted a Northeast SARE Farmer Grant project to test milking hygiene and preventative management protocols used in the U.S. and New Zealand, trialed Manuka honey […]

Livestock Marketing Channel Assessment Tool

This tool provides livestock producers with a way to identify the most profitable marketing channels.

New York Cover Crops Decision Tool

This is an online tool to help you quickly narrow the choices of cover crop for your situation. In a few seconds, you will have growing instructions for the cover crop that will do the job you need. Access the Cover Crops Decision Tool now. It is designed for the soil, climate, cropping practices and […]

Nutrient Management in Corn Production

The following Cornell University agronomy fact sheets were developed during a 2009 SARE grant to help farmers and educators better evaluate nutrient cycling in corn production, thereby equipping them with information to make improved whole-farm management decisions: Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test for Corn, fact sheet 36 Fine-Tuning Nitrogen Use on Corn, fact sheet 63 Adaptive […]

Dried Flowers, Herbs and Cover Crops Sold as Seasonal Decoration

Monica Drazba of Chickadee Creek Farm in Pennington, New Jersey conducted a Northeast SARE Farmer Grant to study the production costs, required labor, marketability, and profitability of growing specialty cut flowers and grasses specifically for wreath production. As a result, she created a series of five fact sheets, below, that contain an analysis of the […]

Pastured Rabbit for Profit

Pastured Rabbit for Profit is a guide written by New York farmer Nichki Carangelo. It is a practical resource intended to guide farmers through the start-up phase of a pasture-based rabbitry. It includes a full enterprise budget along with housing plans, sample breeding schedules, feed guidelines and other rabbit husbandry basics. Chapters include:

Log-Based Shiitake Cultivation

A 57-page guide to producing these gourmet mushrooms.

Native bees and flowering cover crops

While managed colonies of European honey bees are most frequently used for crop pollination, wild or native bees commonly provide the same pollination services for ‘free’ without the costs of renting or maintaining honey bee hives.

Small-scale Oilseed Processing Guide

Oilseed crops present an opportunity for farmers in the Northeast to diversify with a crop typically grown in the Midwestern and Great Plains regions. Many of the crops are adaptable and have been grown in the Northeast--some for a number of years, and others only recently.