clean and clear

agriculture

Vermont Conservation Districts

One-on-One Technical Assistance to Agricultural Producers

The more that landowners understand what needs to be done to help make the best of what their property has to offer, the more they’ll come to understand the value of the Vermont Conservation Districts. The 14 Conservation Districts of Vermont have been offering technical assistance to farmers in meeting Acceptable Agricultural Practices for years. The Agricultural Resources Specialist (ARS) program is jointly funded through the USEPA’s non-point source program and the Clean and Clear Program.

The Agricultural Resource Specialist assists farmers in the implementation of Accepted Agricultural Practices and other natural resource programs. Services include technical assistance to farmers on AAP compliance; Farm*A*Syst environmental assessments of farm practices and water testing of farm wells; assistance with AAP manure spreading exemption requests; development of educational and training materials for farmers, Districts and the public; assistance to Districts in the development and implementation of water quality workshops and programs; assistance with watershed planning, monitoring and organization; assistance to farmers on Best Management Practices applications, and Large Farm Operation applications. The Agricultural Resource Specialist brings land managers together with experts from different fields, connecting technical, financial and community resources to make things happen on the ground. Whether it is a contaminated well, a collapsing stream bank or an expanding dairy farm, the ARS can find the right match of people and programs to find a solution.

You can contact your local ARS at the locations listed below:

Bennington, Orange, Rutland, Windham, Windsor Counties
Sylvia Harris
Windham NRCD
28 Vernon Street, Suite 332
Brattleboro, VT 05301
(802) 257-5621
Sylvia.Harris@VT.NACDNET.NET

Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille Counties
Pamela Stefanek
Otter Creek NRCD
68 Catamount Park, Suite B
Middlebury, VT 05753
(802) 388-6746
Pam.Stefanek@VT.NACDNET.NET

Caledonia, Essex, Orleans, Washington Counties
Susan Alexander
Winooski NRCD
617 Comstock Road, Suite 1
Berlin, VT 05602
(802) 229-2720
Susan.Alexander@VT.NACDNET.NET

For a complete listing of Vermont’s Natural Resources Conservation Districts: http://www.vacd.org

Ottauquechee:
http://www.vacd.org/onrcd/aboutonrcd.html