Willie Gibson, CCA

+ Small family farmer - Husband - Dad and Grampa

+ Agronomist: Soil Health, Food/Forage/Grain Crops, Grazing

+ Certified Crop Advisor (Northeastern USA, #498640)

Willie is grateful to have always been engaged in life-long love for learning about the science, arts, and mysteries of Creation: particularly the human-interface of agriculture as both lifestyle & livelihood, and how humans can grow thriving farms, local & wholesome foods, and stewardship of natural resources. 

Willie is a genuine born-and-raised Vermont farm boy, starting with his parents' Waterbury Center 30 cow dairy farm in the 1960s.  In 1988, after working on numerous Vermont farms in high school and during college at UVM B.S. Animal Sciences, '85), Willie started a 15 year venture as Extension County Agriculture Agent and Agronomy/Grazing Specialist with UVM Extension.  

He spent another 8 years with NOFA-VT as the Dairy/Livestock Advisor, building from his UVM Extension work to help transition 100+ VT family dairy farms to Certified Organic - and continuing his emphases on farmers learning together and growing their influence on the services and technical service providers in the region.

Funding for organic dairy technical assistance dried up, which sent Willie into the private agriculture sector to keep working directly with farmers.  From 2014 to 2023, the "extension agent" applied his conviction through learning all the research and nuances of organic and mineral residuals and organic-approved commercially available crops and soils products. This accelerated Willie's already keen interest in the science and practicalities of soil health and plant vigor as essentials for farm viability and ecological stewardship.

Willie has 36+ years of working with Conservation Districts partners, including forming District crop management services, conducting field research, and facilitating many farmer-to-farmer learning activities.