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Our Response to Vermont’s Proposed Required Agricultural Practices
I applaud Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets—herein referred to as “The Agency”—for trying to move the state’s water quality in the right direction. When our wonderful Senator Campion stood in my barnyard one morning a year or so ago and asked me my thoughts on a hypothetical program, I was all for it.…
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Hope in the Face of Climate Change…and a Quick Look Into The Science of Grass
Most people—as I did for over 30 years—overlook the importance of grass. It has been relegated by modern society to suburban lawns, soccer fields, golf courses, and strip mall embankments. Though our modern ways too often prevent grass from doing so, this unassuming little plant plays a vital role in the management of the earth’s…
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How Labels Bring Consumers into the Soil Movement
Soil is so hot right now. Between the “4 per 1000 Initiative” launched by France during the COP21 conference this year…to last Sunday’s New York Times article from Stephanie Strom, “Cover Crops, a Farming Revolution With Deep Roots in the Past,“…to the #CarbonFarmer campaign from Patagonia Provisions, it seems that soil is finally getting the…
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Our Regenerative Agriculture Bill Gets Support from Kiss the Ground and Regeneration International
I am thrilled to announce that our humble Vermont Senate Bill 159 has gained the support of two major regenerative agriculture advocacy groups: Kiss the Ground and Regeneration International. We are honored to have their help and support. They released the following joint press release today:
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The Vermont Regenerative Agriculture Certification Program
FINAL UPDATE: Friday, February 26th, 2016 I received word this afternoon that the Vermont Senate Committee on Agriculture has decided to table the bill for this session. I was given no more details than that. Sad news for the day, to be sure. But the future is bright! Throughout this process we’ve learned that support…
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2015 Winter Lamb Harvest Pickup
Hi everyone! We will be picking up the lamb orders from the butcher on Wednesday morning. Yesterday, Cally and I went and saw the meat hanging in the coolers…and it looks wonderful. I have no doubt we’ll have some tasty lamb chops for the holidays.
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Successful (and Somber) Winter Lamb Harvest
We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to do the work we do here at Studio Hill. We love the land, we love the work, we love the adventure, and we really love the animals. As you already know, we take great care in making sure that all the animals we bring to the farm…
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Regenerative Agriculture and the Dawn of Planetary Engineering
Regenerative agriculture is the dawn of planetary engineering. And that’s great news for the future of the planet. Here’s how I know. We have five hay fields on our farm. They are the kind of rolling, green, and gorgeous fields that are typical across Vermont’s pastoral green mountains. All five of the fields have been…
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Poem: The Farming Father
This poem is, of course, a (poor) tribute to Wendell Berry’s “The Contrariness of the Mad Farmer.”
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First Videos of First Successful Haying for the Year
Despite Saturday’s rain, we were able to dry the 11ish acres of hay we had down. It turned out to be thicker than we expected and cleaner than we hoped for after the rain. Overall, it was a successful haying: clean hay, no machines broke down, and no one got hurt. With the help of…
