Conferences and Events

Field Day at Granite Grains

Join us for a field day at Granite Grains certified organic farm to explore the future of grain growing in New England. View the event flyer here. Learn about growing grains for malting, distilling, and developing whiskey. Gain an understanding of local and regional markets. Granite Grains farm managers will guide guests through their agronomic practices and how these impact soil fertility, variety selection, rotation, cleaning and drying the crop, and delivering the crop to market.

WHEN: Thursday, July 10, 2025, 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Granite Grains, 381 Boston Post Road, Amherst, NH 03031

COST: FREE. Lunch and beverages provided.

REGISTRATION: Email Todd Hardie at todd@champlainvalleygrain.com or call (802) 324-0354.

This field day will feature sessions with:

• Tyler Murray from Granite Grains Farm

• Joel Alex and Joe Rinaldo from Blue Ox Malt

• Heather Darby from the UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program

• Northern Grain Growers Collaborative

To register or for any questions, please contact Todd Hardie at todd@champlainvalleygrain.com or call (802) 324-0354.

Save the date for the 2026 Grain Growers Conference

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at The Essex Resort and Spa in Essex, VT.

PAST EVENTS

2025 Grain Growers Conference

Was held on Wednesday, March 12, 2025
The Links of a Local Grain Supply Chain was our theme for the 2025 Grain Growers Conference. View the full brochure here that includes the Agenda and speaker bios.

Thank you to our Conference Sponsors at the following levels: Gold Level - Le Moulin des Cedres, Red Hen Baking Co., and King Arthur Baking Company. Silver Level - Glynwood. Bronze Level - Arthur Carroll Insurance

Rice Growing Workshop Series (online via Zoom)

Learn about rice farming opportunities in NY and the northeastern U.S. included 3 online sessions via Zoom.
Friday, January 24, 2:30-4:30pm – A Feathered Fortress: the duck-rice aigamo system for flood-resilient agriculture

Friday, February 7, 2:30-4:30pm- Sourcing rice farming equipment for american small farms

Friday, March 7, 2:30-4:30pm – Growing rice as a vegetable: drip irrigation methods vs. flooded fields.

Contact Shari Romar for more information at sr369@cornell.edu. View their flyer at https://bit.ly/4jv31FG

Beans for Lunch Webinar Series (click to view flyer)

Cornell University and University of Vermont held a two-part summer webinar series to address all your in-season dry bean challenges with fellow farmers, service providers, and Extension. Webinar information and the recorded video are below:

Friday, June 21, Managing Dry Bean Insect Pests in the Field. Hear from Clark Moore, CCA of Western NY Crop Management Association about common dry bean pests to look out for, scouting techniques, and management options. Click here to view the recorded video.

Friday, July 19, Managing Dry Bean Diseases in the Field. Learn from Dr. Sarah Pethybridge of Cornell AgriTech about common dry bean diseases to look out for, how to distinguish them from each other, and your options for management. Click here to view the recorded video.

2024 Grain Growers Conference - (click to view flyer)

This conference was held on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at The Essex Resort & Spa in Essex, Vermont. Our conference theme was Growing Collaborations. 
Conference highlights included our keynote speaker Amber Lambke, founder and president of Maine Grains, Inc., as well as our lunch time speaker, Bill McDorman, cofounder of the Great American Seed Up & Heritage Grain Alliance. Other topics include managing soil health on grain farms, cover crop-based no-till and interseeding techniques, cleaning and drying seed, dry beans IPM, a sensory session, and baking sessions.

The Northern Grain Growers Association hosts an annual winter Grain Growers Conference in partnership with the UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils program. These events are typically hosted at The Essex Culinary Resort & Spa in Essex, Vermont.

2020 Grain Growers Conference

Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at The Essex Resort & Spa, Essex, VT.

Photos from past Winter Conferences below:

Field Days

Check out photos from the UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program’s Field Day, an annual event held at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT.

The NWCS Field Day is always well-attended by grain growers, dairy farmers, producers, policy-makers, and many others. Dr. Heather Darby and her team present and answer questions about their research, as well as other guests and educators. 

Workshops

The NGGA hosts summer workshops as well. See from photos from past workshops at Butterworks Farm in Westfield (VT), Gleason Grains in Bridport (VT), Aurora Farms in Charlotte (VT), Nitty Gritty Grain Company in Charlotte (VT), and more!