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Since 1937, Agriview has been the flagship monthly news source of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. The new 'Agriview All-Access' email delivers a snapshot of the stories you'll find each month in the full print edition. 

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** AVIAN IFLUENZA ALERT **

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) and Departments of Fish & Wildlife and Health would like all Vermonters to be on the alert for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). This year, multiple cases of the bird virus have been detected in Canada and multiple U.S. states outside of Vermont involving both domestic flocks and migrant waterfowl.  Most recently the virus has been detected in domestic turkeys in Indiana, broiler chickens in Kentucky, wild ducks in New Hampshire, and a backyard flock of mixed species birds in Virginia, New York and Maine. It is important to note that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk to the general public from this HPAI virus to be low.

The HPAI virus is often initially introduced to domestic poultry by infected wild birds, through direct contact or contact with their droppings, and then may spread between poultry flocks due to poor biosecurity and/or unfavorable environmental conditions. While some waterfowl species can carry the disease without becoming sick, the HPAI virus is generally fatal for domestic poultry. 

USDA has materials about biosecurity, including videos, checklists, and a toolkit available here. In addition to practicing good biosecurity, all bird owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds and report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State/Federal officials, VAAFM at 802-828-2421 or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593 as soon as possible.  
 
Find more information on the VAAFM website here. 

Vermont Recognizes
National Weights and Measures Week:
March 1-7, 2022

By Marc Paquette, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

State and local jurisdictions throughout the country are celebrating Weights and Measures Week which takes place the first seven days of March every year.  The date for Weights and Measures Week commemorates the signing of the first United States weights and measures law by President John Adams on March 2, 1799.  The evolution of a uniform system of weights and measures has had a profound and necessary impact on society and government. It provides uniformity and confidence in the marketplace for both consumers and businesses. All participants in an economy are more likely to engage openly in trade if they are assured of fairness in transactions.  Weights and Measures programs contribute greatly to economic development by promoting equity in the marketplace to all stakeholders.

The Weights & Measures (W&M) program part of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.  State inspectors work diligently to ensure accurate and correct devices are used for sales of goods and services to consumers.  Staff inspect and test all types of scales, gas station pumps, meters on both oil and propane trucks, packages, and conduct price verification inspections (scanners) in grocery stores.  The program also maintains a National Institute of Standards & Technology recognized calibration laboratory.

This year we would like to highlight some of the work the W&M Metrology Laboratory does to maintain accurate instruments for the maple syrup industry. Hydrometers are instruments used for measuring the density of liquids.  When used in the production of maple syrup or sale of sap it measures the sugar content in the liquid. All maple syrup hydrometers sold in Vermont and used in the production of syrup and all sap hydrometers used to derive a selling price for sap are required by Vermont Maple Law & Regulation to be tested and approved by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. To comply with this requirement the W&M Metrology Laboratory provides testing to ensure that these hydrometers are within legally prescribed tolerances, ensuring that maple syrup meets the highest standards nation-wide for density and that sap hydrometers determine an accurate sugar content to ensure equity between the buyers and sellers of maple sap.  

The lab tests hydrometers manufactured in multiple states and several foreign countries. Distributors of maple hydrometers are located throughout the maple producing regions of North America.  Hydrometers have been submitted by distributors for testing from many states including New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, Indiana, Connecticut, and Michigan.  Vermont maple producers may submit their previously used hydrometers to the lab for tolerance testing to confirm they are still accurate for use.     

The number of hydrometers tested by the lab attest to the vibrant North American maple industry, as the submissions for testing from multiple state distributers highlight the continued leadership role the state of Vermont plays in this expanding and dynamic marketplace.  Recent numbers of hydrometers tested include: 8,832 in 2021, 7,459 in 2020, and 8,568 in 2019.   Over the last decade the Vermont lab has tolerance tested approximately 85,000 syrup and sap hydrometers.

For more information about the Agency of Agriculture’s Weights and Measures program, contact Marc Paquette, Weights and Measures Chief by email marc.paquette@vermont.gov   or by phone 802-828-2426.

Read More
Water Quality Work Continues
2021 in Review
Every year in January the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets delivers a report to the legislature highlighting the efforts that we have made to deliver agricultural water quality results in the past state fiscal year. Here are some highlights from State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2021, which covers July 1, 2020 to June 31, 2021:

28,700 acres of conservation practices were implemented under the Field Agronomic Practices Program.

  • Over 2.2 million dollars of Agency funds went out to farmers for engineered projects through the Best Management Practices program. This leveraged close to $3.5 million in federal funds, with a total cost-share contribution from Vermont farms of $690,154.
  • 27 pieces of conservation equipment were purchased through the Capital Equipment Assistance Program (CEAP). Equipment purchased under past CEAP grants have implemented over 57,300 acres of conservation practices since 2018.
  • 40 conservation practices such as fences, watering tubs, stream crossings and walkways were installed through the Pasture and Surface Water Fencing Program.
  • Vermont’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program was able to install 35 acres of riparian buffers and has many more projects lined up for SFY 2022, pending Farm Services Agency approval.
  • 111 educational events were held, reaching 3,097 participants. Over 75% of those events were held virtually, as the Agency and partners adapted their events to COVID.
  • 908 farm visits for technical assistance to farmers were conducted by Agency staff or partners.
  • Agency staff completed 256 regulatory visits and inspected a total of 2,512 acres of production area.

According to Department of Environmental Conservation figures, this implementation has resulted in over 95% of all reported phosphorus reductions in Vermont being attributed to efforts in the agricultural sector for the sixth year in a row. We have seen the phosphorus reductions from agriculture grow every year since SFY 2016. 21.6 metric tons of P reductions from agriculture were estimated in SFY 2021 in the Lake Memphremagog and Lake Champlain basins from state-funded efforts alone.

None of this work could be possible without the engagement of you, the farmers. Thank you all for your time, effort, and investment in this water quality work. It is incredible to be able to show the legislature and public how much Vermont farmers are doing to play their part in keeping our water bodies clean.

For more information on the effects of implementation efforts led by the Agency of Agriculture, visit agriculture.vermont.gov/water-quality/additional-resources-and-reports. In addition to the work funded by the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets and other state agencies, our federal and local partners from across the Vermont Agricultural Water Quality Partnership have contributed to outreach, funding, tracking, and reporting on farm water quality reductions across the state. To learn more, visit vtagcleanwater.org

Figure 1: Metric tons of estimated total phosphorus load reduction per fiscal year in the Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog basins resulting from state investments in different land use sectors. This figure comes from the 2021 Clean Water Investment Performance Report. To learn more, visit dec.vermont.gov/water-investment/cwi/reports. This figure does not include reductions from Production Area Compliance, which adds an additional 3.3 metric tons from Agriculture in SFY 2021, or from Federally, locally, or farmer-funded projects.
More March 2022 Edition Articles
Tree Stories Contest Call for School Children 

By Gwen Kozlowski, UVM Extension 

Grade K – 8 students, including homeschoolers, are invited to share their appreciation for forests and trees by creating an original story and artwork for the Growing Works of Art contest. The deadline to enter is March 11.

The theme of this year's contest is "Sharing your TREE-mendous story." Students are asked to write a short story (one to three paragraphs) about a meaningful experience or memory about trees, and then create a work of art to illustrate their story. Entries will be judged on creativity

and originality (50 percent) and how well the story is told through writing and art (50 percent).

All art must be original and no larger than 11 x 17 inches. Any medium may be used, including pen, pencil, crayon, pastels, paint, cloth, collage, photography or computer-generated art.

Entries may be submitted by mail or email but must include the official entry form, which can be found at go.uvm.edu/growingart along with contest rules and submission guidelines. Past winning entries also are available to view on this website.

The winner in each age group will receive a Vermont State Park punch pass and will appear on Across the Fence, UVM Extension's weekday program on WCAX-TV (if possible in 2022). Winning entries will be announced on Vermont's Arbor Day, which is May 6 this year, and will be featured on the contest website.

The contest is sponsored annually by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program, a partnership between University of Vermont Extension and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, as part of its Arbor Day activities.

For more information, contact Gwen Kozlowski at gwen.kozlowski@uvm.edu or (802) 651-8343, ext. 506.

More Articles
MORE IN THE FULL MARCH 2022 ISSUE OF AGRIVIEW

View From 116
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Best Management Practices Program Applications Due April 1, 2022
Dairy Agritourism News
Strengthening Vermont's Forest Economy
A Look at Listeria
​FDA Proposed Changes to Agricultural Water Requirements for Produce Farms
Governor's Commission on the Future of Agriculture Action Plan
Future of Agriculture Initiatives and the Governor's Proposed Budget
Grant and Funding Opportunities
Vermont Agriculture & Food System Plan 2021-2030: Beer
Meet Deputy Director David Huber
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
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