Excerpt from Report:

IV. Specific Conservation Practices Recommended for Focus
Wetland Restoration:
● Restoring wetlands and enhancing upland wildlife habitat along tributaries to slow down water flow into rivers and streams, will help enhance natural water management and provide environmental benefits. This is particularly emphasized for areas like the Ompompanoosuc watershed.

Riparian Area Management:
● Managing areas adjacent to water bodies to improve water quality, stabilize stream banks, and enhance wildlife habitat, again with specific focus in the Ompompanoosuc watershed. The recommendation is to include funding maintenance for riparian forest buffers using methods like mowing and flash grazing. Riparian Forest Buffers could be multi-functional and toxin free, mass producing species such as improved silver maple, bur oak, pecan, elderberry, red mulberry, yellowbud, and shellbark, would provide a safety net of local oil and flour production potential.

Agroforestry and Silvopasturing:
● Incorporating silvopasturing (integrating trees and pasture) into agricultural practices to manage water flow, reduce erosion, increase shade, and improve pasture and forage quality. Implementing agroforestry practices, which integrate trees and shrubs into agricultural landscapes, can provide diverse habitat for wildlife, increase carbon sequestration, and improve overall farm biodiversity.

Stormwater Management Practices:
● Implementation of structures or natural solutions to capture, store, and slowly release stormwater runoff from agricultural lands, helping to mitigate the impacts of stormwater.

Rotational Grazing and Deep Tillage:
● These practices are recommended to contribute to soil health by enhancing soil quality, reducing erosion, decompacting soils, and improving water infiltration.

Contour Farming and Keyline Design:
● Utilizing contour farming techniques and Keyline design to manage water usage efficiently on farms and to prevent soil erosion. These practices involve aligning certain agricultural activities like plowing parallel to contours of the land to maximize water absorption and minimize runoff.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
● A recently released study by USDA and Texas Tech University found disturbingly high levels of PFAS in the most commonly used pesticides and herbicides: //peer.org/substantial-pfas-contamination-found-in-pesticides/
● Encouraging the use of IPM to control pest populations through natural predators and biological agents rather than relying heavily on chemical pesticides. This approach helps maintain ecological balance and reduce chemical runoff. Physical controls could be promoted to reduce reliance on chemical controls.

Invasive Management:
● Invasive/noxious plants could be reanalyzed for their food and fodder potential. We should take into account outsourcing destruction, reducing externalized feeds and the embodied energy of practices. Fund approaches to managing invasive species focuses on sustainable and ecological strategies rather than destructive methods. Planting and maintaining trees is recommended to naturally phase out invasive plants by gradually increasing canopy cover that restricts their growth. Additionally, controlled flash grazing around field edges can help manage these species while building farm resilience by providing extra fodder and maintaining nutrient balance, especially beneficial during droughts. The utilization of invasive plants is also encouraged; for example, Knotweed can be used as a lemon juice substitute and its shoots marketed as "red asparagus," while also being recognized for its medicinal properties, including high levels of resveratrol for treating Lyme Disease. Autumn Olive and Honeysuckle, with their nutrient-rich profiles, offer further food and medicinal benefits.

● To effectively manage these invasive species, several management and policy recommendations are proposed. These include employing non-chemical methods such as mowing, using rhizome barriers, and chipping to control plants like Knotweed. Development of phased invasive management plans should aim for long-term suppression of these species through increased canopy coverage. Incorporating flash grazing into regular grazing schedules can help control invasives and enhance soil nutrition and drought resilience. Furthermore, it is suggested to revise policies to permit temporary grazing in restricted zones like riparian buffers, which could lead to improved ecosystem health and increased farm productivity.

Cover Cropping:
● The use of cover crops to improve soil health, enhance water permeability, increase biodiversity, and control weeds. Cover crops such as clover or ryegrass are planted during off-season times when primary crops are not being cultivated. The timing of cover crop contracts is not reflective of diversified agriculture and agroforestry systems, especially in beginning transitional years where farms are trying to build up the soil. In some cases, a
farmer would need to submit their application over a year in advance of planting. This is especially burdensome for beginning farmers.

Nutrient Management Plans:
● Developing and implementing comprehensive, holistic nutrient management plans to efficiently use manure and fertilizers, ensuring that nutrients are effectively recycled on farms and minimizing nutrient runoff into nearby water bodies.

V. Recommendations to Improve Access to Agricultural Programs
Streamlining Programs:
● There is a significant focus on streamlining agricultural programs to make them more accessible and less confusing for farmers. This includes setting consistent dates for grant deadlines and simplifying the application processes so that farmers can easily understand what programs are available and how they can benefit from them.

Direct Outreach and Communication:
● Enhancing direct outreach to farmers through personal and direct methods of communication, such as phone calls or direct mail, is emphasized. This approach is recommended over reliance on digital communications (like emails), which may not reach all farmers effectively.

Creating a Comprehensive Service Provider List:
● Developing a comprehensive list of service providers for farmers is suggested. This list would help ensure that farmers know where to go for services and help prevent confusion from receiving conflicting recommendations from different groups.

Promoting Local Food Systems:
● Suggestions include creating events like local feasts and potlucks that feature local farmers and their products. These events would not only support farmers but also build community connections and increase awareness and appreciation for local food systems.

Inclusion of Local Grocers and Retailers:
● Including local grocers, coops, and retailers in the agricultural network is proposed to enhance the connection between local food producers and retailers. This could open up new opportunities for farmers to sell their products and strengthen the local food economy.

Infrastructure and Support for Sustainable Practices:
● Improved infrastructure to support sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices is highlighted. This includes shared waste management systems that can be used by multiple farms, and mobile chicken housing for livestock rotation, nutrient management, and soil health.

Educational Resources and Initiatives:
● Expanding educational resources to include more comprehensive programs like "Agriculture in the Classroom" and workforce development initiatives, such as Regeneration Corps, Farm Force, and the Virgin Islands/Vermont partnership spearheaded by White River NRCD. These programs aim to foster a deeper connection and understanding of agriculture from a young age and to equip farmers with the skills needed for modern agricultural practices.

Enhanced Program Accessibility:
● There is a call to make all programs more accessible by reducing bureaucratic barriers and simplifying entry points into programs. This could involve centralizing information and resources from the state and federal government to make it easier for farmers to find and apply for the support they need.

Adaptive Management and Feedback Systems:
● Current "edge of field" monitoring and simplistic, shallow, random soil sampling/monitoring does not provide the level of landscape feedback required, nor do SSURGO soil maps. Implementing adaptive management practices, feedback systems, and 3D soil mapping spearheaded by LandWEB that allow for continuous improvement of agricultural programs based on farmer input and environmental monitoring. This would help ensure that programs are responsive to the needs of the community and the landscape.

VI. Recommended New Practices for Vermont
The Local Working Group requests the USDA-NRCS’ consideration to “turn on” the following practices in Vermont:

324 Deep Tillage
331 Contoured Orchard and other perennial crops
548 Grazing Lands Mechanical Treatment

Deep tillage and grazing lands mechanical treatment (or subsoiling) are beneficial for soil for several reasons, particularly in its ability to improve soil structure and enhance crop growth conditions. Deep tillage can penetrate and break up compacted soil layers, often referred to as hardpans. These layers can restrict root growth and reduce soil drainage, affecting plant health. By breaking up these layers, deep tillage enhances root penetration and improves water infiltration, which is vital for plant growth. By disrupting compact soil layers, deep tillage increases the soil's ability to absorb water. This not only helps to prevent surface runoff and erosion but also ensures that water can reach deeper into the soil profile, where roots can access it during drier conditions. The loosening of the soil improves aeration, which is crucial for root respiration and the overall health of the soil microbiome. Good aeration facilitates the exchange of gases between the soil and the atmosphere, helping roots and soil organisms to breathe more easily and perform better. Deep tillage can help mix the soil and distribute nutrients more evenly. It can bring up nutrients from deeper layers of the soil to the surface, where plant roots are more concentrated. This can be particularly beneficial for nutrients that are less mobile in the soil but essential for crop health. Deep tillage can help in preparing a better seedbed for planting.
It creates a looser soil structure, which can facilitate better seed-to-soil contact and potentially enhance
germination and early growth stages of crops.

Contour orchard planting is a valuable agricultural practice that offers several important benefits, particularly for managing water use and reducing soil erosion on sloped lands. One of the primary advantages of contour farming is its effectiveness in reducing soil erosion. By plowing and planting crops in rows that follow the natural contour lines of the landscape rather than straight up and down the slope, water runoff is significantly slowed. This reduction in runoff velocity decreases the soil's erosion potential by preventing water from gathering momentum and washing soil away. Contour lines create natural barriers to water flow, which increases the time water spends on the slope, thus enhancing the opportunity for water to infiltrate into the soil. This improved infiltration helps to ensure that more water is available to crops and less is lost to surface runoff, which is particularly beneficial in arid and semi-arid regions where water conservation is crucial. Because contour farming improves water retention and reduces soil loss, plants have better soil conditions and moisture availability. This can lead to healthier crops and potentially higher yields because the plants are less likely to suffer from drought stress and have more nutrients available to them.

VII. Local Funding Pool Requests
Beaver Habitat, Wetland Restoration and Riparian Area Plantings in the Ompompanoosuc watershed:
● This year, we are requesting a local funding pool for $200,000 for small scale wetland plantings, riparian area plantings, and upland wildlife habitat along tributaries of the Ompompanoosuc River to slow down water flow into rivers and streams.
● The Ompompanoosuc River currently has a TMDL for e-coli, and built infrastructure in this watershed has been increasingly stressed and damaged by the recent floods. Beavers are crucial in Vermont for their role in creating and maintaining wetland habitats, which support biodiversity by providing a habitat for many species and acting as natural water filtration systems. Additionally, their dam-building activities help to regulate water flow, reduce soil erosion, and mitigate flood risks, contributing significantly to the ecological health and water quality of the region. Focusing on practices that in turn create more beaver habitat would enhance natural
water management and provide environmental benefits for years to come.

Community Scale Agriculture and Agroforestry Practices:
● Last year, our $150,000 Local Funding Pool for community scale agriculture received 13 applications, totalling $405,000 in requested funding. This year, we are seeking to expand the practice list to include agroforestry practices, and are requesting $800,000 in a local funding pool for farmers and land stewards in the White River and Ottauquechee Conservation Districts.

● Agroforestry and community-scale agriculture practices are increasingly vital as they offer multifaceted benefits by integrating trees and shrubs into agricultural landscapes, enhancing biodiversity, and improving resilience against environmental stresses. These practices help in soil conservation, increase water retention in the ground, and promote sustainable land use, which mitigates the impact of agricultural runoff and erosion. Furthermore, by diversifying crop production and providing additional income sources through the sale of wood, fruit, and other by-products, agroforestry supports local economies and strengthens community ties. Community-scale agriculture fosters local food security and reduces dependency on large-scale industrial farms, encouraging healthier diets and reducing carbon footprints through minimized transportation distances, making it an essential strategy for sustainable development.