Research hub officially opens to help farmers across Vermont and northeast
The Food Systems Research Station at Nordic Farm has been two years in the making and officially opened Thursday.
CHARLOTTE, Vt. —
The Food Systems Research Station at Nordic Farm officially opened Thursday after two years of preparation.
The University of Vermont and the USDA have spent that time developing research projects and preparing the farm for long-term studies.
The goal is to test ideas here first, before bringing what works to farmers.
“Thanks to mutual respect, common purpose, and pooling our expertise, we have made progress getting this idea off the ground,” said Chris Peters, the ARS research leader for the Food Systems Research Unit.
At the opening, researchers gave a first look at some of that work.
One current project uses GPS collars to track how cows move and behave, including which forage they prefer.
Other research will look at grazing systems, crop production and how farms can adapt to changing conditions.
“Basically, our job is to make mistakes, so that farmers don’t. [That] is one way to think about our role. We are making some of these mistakes and some of them will work out great. We’re choosing what we do based on what farmers are interested in,” said Patrick Ewing, a research agronomist with USDA Agricultural Research Service.
UVM said partnering with the USDA allows them to bring more resources to Vermont, with the hope that what they learn here can also reach beyond the state.
“Our goal right now is to bring resources, talent, connections to Vermont to help create that new level of economic development that I think everyone in the state is looking for, but we haven’t figured out how to do yet,” said Kirk Dombrowski, the vice president for research and economic development at UVM.
Officials said much of the country’s grazing research has historically focused on the south, Midwest and west. Here, they can study conditions specific to Vermont and the northeast.
“It’s huge. There’s so many questions with this heavy clay soil in Vermont that we work with, the forages that we grow, and best way to raise livestock. And having some research specific to the local area I think can be really valuable,” said Ed Pitcavage, who manages land & livestock at Philo Ridge Farm.
UVM and the USDA signed a 30-year lease for the research site, giving them a place to continue that work long-term.
The next step is to complete renovations on the barn, so they can bring in animals over the next few months.
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