Conferences and Events

2026 Annual Crops and Soils Field Day: The Demonstration Derby

Date and Time: Thursday, July 23, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Rain or shine!

Location: Borderview Farm, 487 Line Road, Alburgh, VT 05440

Cost: $30 per person. Free for farmers. Lunch is included.

Please join us for the 19th Annual Crops and Soils Field Day! This event showcases agricultural conducted by UVM Extension’s NWCS team, led by Heather Darby. Enjoy a guided tour of Borderview Research Farm, learn about on-farm research, and connect with the local community. This year, experience more live demonstrations of cutting-edge technology and in-the-field skills than ever, including:

• Precision Ag and Autonomous weeding robots from Greenfield Robotics

• Soil health sampling with Soil Health Research and Extension Center (SHREC) team

• Forage quality, Hemp research, and Sensory tasting with vegetables

Register online at https://go.uvm.edu/2026annualfieldday or call the UVM Non-Credit Registration Office at 802-656-8407. Questions? Please contact susan.brouillette@uvm.edu or 802-656-7611.

If you require an accommodation related to a disability, please contact UVM Student Accessibility Services at access@uvm.edu or 802-656-7753.

PAST EVENTS

2026 Grain Growers Conference

Was held on Wednesday, March 18, 2026

View the conference flyer and agenda here!

Field Day at Granite Grains

This field day was held at Granite Grains certified organic farm on July 10, 2025 to explore the future of grain growing in New England. View the event flyer here. Participants learned about growing grains for malting, distilling, and developing whiskey, and gained an understanding of local and regional markets. Granite Grains farm managers guided guests through their agronomic practices and how they impact soil fertility, variety selection, rotation, cleaning and drying the crop, and delivering the crop to market.

Feature sessions included with Tyler Murray from Granite Grains Farm, Joel Alex and Joe Rinaldo from Blue Ox Malt, Heather Darby from the UVM Extension, and the Northern Grain Growers Collaborative

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!