Conservation Success on Full Moon Farm

by Andrea Brendalen and John M. Thursgood Full Moon Farm is a NOFA-Certified Organic farm run by husband and wife, David Zuckerman and Rachel Nevitt.  The farm started in 1999 at the Intervale Center in Burlington, Vermont.  The two purchased their 155-acre piece of land located in Hinesburg, Vermont in 2008 and began farming there … Read More

Happy Cows, Healthy Fish

by Carley Stein Gordon Waite, a man with a friendly demeanor and steady smile, manages twenty Herefords on his 67-acre farm situated in Granville, Vermont. Gordon cannot picture himself doing anything besides farming. “I love farming, and I love my animals,” Gordon proudly announced, an honest statement he demonstrated by calling each of his cows … Read More

Off the Ground: Conservation Program Promotes both Hay Yield and Bird Habitat

by Toby Alexander In our last two “Stewardship and Nature” columns, the National Audubon Society described the partnership they have had with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and landowners to facilitate the management of wildlife habitat to promote avian species (birds). In this article Toby Alexander explains the process used to develop an agronomic practice … Read More

Photo Feature: Remembering Summer’s Bounty

Welcome to our new photo essay feature!   For 2012, we’ll be bringing you seasonal images from the Whole Systems Design Research Farm in the Mad River Valley region of Vermont.  The farm is a demonstration site to test out regenerative food, fuel, and shelter systems that operate on current solar energy.  To learn more about … Read More

Farmscapes For Birds, Part 2

By Margaret Fowle Audubon Vermont is working with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) on two exciting programs, called the Forest Bird Initiative (FBI) and Champlain Valley Bird Initiative (CVBI). Both programs engage landowners in managing their land to protect a number of priority bird species in the region. Through these programs, forest, shrubland, and … Read More

Farmscapes for Birds

By Margaret Fowle This article is the first in a two-part series.  In the winter article I will highlight some real-life success stories of working with landowners in partnership with NRCS and Audubon Vermont. Audubon Vermont is working with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) on two exciting programs, called the Forest Bird Initiative (FBI) … Read More

The Wonder of Life

This will be the fifth and last in a series of essays penned by Bill Duesing and edited by Suzanne Duesing from the book Living on the Earth: Eclectic Essays for a Sustainable and Joyful Future.  It is fitting that we have looped around from one year to the next and have begun another as … Read More

Farm Ponds: Strategies for Multiple Functions

By Ben Falk  Ponds have been a part of the working landscape since agriculture emerged.  Since water is the basis of productive biological systems, retaining and distributing this storehouse of fertility and life within a landscape is key to the success of any operation. The climate, topography, soils, and access to machinery and cheap energy … Read More

The Reasons to Garden

The following excerpt, “The Reasons to Garden,” is the fourth of a series of essays written by Bill Duesing from the book Living on the Earth: Eclectic Essays for a Sustainable and Joyful Future. As the days get longer and the soil begins to warm — thoughts of spring and the promise of a new … Read More

The Solstice

By Bill Duesing The following excerpt, “The Solstice,” December 15, 1990 is the third of a series of essays written by Bill Duesing from the book Living on the Earth. Eclectic Essays for a Sustainable and Joyful Future. During these short days of winter, enjoy the rays of sun beaming into the south windows of … Read More

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