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Lake Champlain Farm Award
Contact Colleen Hickey for a nomination form and more details at 800-468-5227. The deadline to send in nominations is December 30, 2008. Past Award Recipients (2005-2007)2007 Awards Ferme des Colombettes Inc., St-Alexandre ,Québec Over the past decade, the Dupasquier’s have demonstrated their farm leadership by participating in a major windbreak planting effort involving six landowners, and planted 3 kilometers of trees along Lareau brook, a tributary to the Pike River. In 2007-2008, the Dupasquier’s also participated in the Ministry of Agriculture’s buffer strip project, planting a 9 meter wide buffer strip along three kilometres on their farm. They are members of the sustainable agriculture club Montérégie Sud. The Dupasquier’s developed and utilize a nutrient management plan, paying particular attention to the phosphorus needs within each field. They also have an agroenvironmental plan, a management tool used by many Quebec farmers. Eric and Noël are also members of la Coop de Solidarité du basin versant rivière aux Brochets. Noël Dupasquier also serves the community as a voluntary firefighter. Remillard Farms, Peru/Plattsburgh, NY The Remillards have had the highest Dairy Herd Improvement Association herd average in Clinton County for decades. On their medium sized farm, 455 dairy cows are milked twice daily. They average 32,037 pounds of milk per cow annually, which ranks them fourth for milk production in New York State. They raise their own replacement heifers, as well. Farming 700 cropland acres in Peru and Plattsburgh, the Remillards grow their own corn silage and haylage on tile drained lands. A Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan dictates the correct manure spreading quantities, location, and timing after soils and manure nutrients are tested. Feed rations are evaluated and balanced often. A concrete manure storage system was built in 1996 utilizing the New York State Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Abatement and Control Program. Milking center waste water treatment is handled in its own separate system. The family enjoys sharing Remillard Farms with local pre-school and elementary school children. They have also hosted visits during North Country agricultural tours to share their strategies with other farmers. The farm has been a cooperator with the Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District since 1953. Monument Dairy, Weybridge, Vermont The long term investment in the processing and bottling allows Monument to serve as a direct wholesaler of Vermont milk to many regional outlets. Monument strives to be environmentally conscientious to enhance the public perception of the farm. A few years ago Monument Farms celebrated its 75th farm reunion with over 3000 people in attendance. Peter James is the head of the farming operation, responsible for herd management and all field/crop management duties. Robert heads up the commercial side of the business, working to better promote Monument's outstanding milk quality. John manages the Monument processing and bottling facility, coordinating with local retailers and improving Monuments distribution. Monument Dairy has been following a nutrient management plan for several years and strives to exceed the state’s regulations regarding water quality. Best management practices are in place for all aspects of the farms waste management systems. The farm continually rotates crops to lower soil erosion, applies manure based on calculated agronomic rates, maintains buffers on all fields along water ways, and continues to look for ways to improve on its overall soil fertility. The James family has large tracts of land conserved with the Vermont Land Trust, and has conserved development rights on their families barn areas. Peter’s son is currently receiving his bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology/management and hopes to continue the long tradition of conserving and improving wildlife habitat on all of the families' land. Many of the acres managed by the James family are dedicated to wildlife habitat, wetland conservation, and provide some of the best hunting and fishing areas in the Otter Creek watershed. 2006 Awards Four farms were recognized in 2006 for their exemplary efforts beyond regulatory programs to reduce pollution entering the Lake Champlain watershed. The farm families, nominated by agricultural organizations, were also recognized for their community leader-ship and willingness to share pollution reduction techniques.
Fermes Gasser Ltée, Pike River, Québec Gosliga
Farm, Addison, VT Burtland Farm, Georgia, VT 2005 Awards The Lake Champlain Basin Program announced the first annual Lake Champlain Farm Award recipients for New York, Vermont and Quebec in April 2006. The three farms are located within the 8,234 square mile Lake Champlain watershed which straddles the United States and Canada. The 2005 award recipients include Dimock Farms of Peru, New York, the Conant's Riverside Farm, LLC, of Richmond, Vermont and Fraisière Rougi et fils, Inc. located in Ste-Sabine, Quebec. Ceremonies were held within each jurisdiction to recognize the recipients before an audience of their peers. "We sought farms that voluntarily reduced pollution flowing to Lake Champlain and its tributaries," noted Bill Howland, Lake Champlain Basin Program Manager. "The Dimock, Conant, and Roussel families are all first rate farmers. We applaud their efforts to keep the waters of the Lake Champlain Basin healthy." Dimock Farms, Peru, NY Located in the Little AuSable watershed, the layout of the Dimock Farms has changed since the 1980's, and now includes a strip cropping system that protects the sandy loam soils. The system was installed without government cost-share funds, utilizing technical assistance from the Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District. By changing the field layout to run perpendicular to a sensitive wetland, providing grass waterways to filter runoff, and adding an additional filter at the end of the fields, the family protected the nearby wetland. The land is also an ideal location for New York State DEC's pheasant release program and is often host to many snow geese and Canada geese during migration. The Dimocks have implemented many best management practices to reduce nutrient, toxin and pathogen runoff to Lake Champlain. They provide a buffer between their tilled soils and the nearby roads and ditches. The Dimocks have a current comprehensive nutrient management plan, and have reduced the amount of phosphorus imported onto the farm through animal feed. Consequently, better management equates to lower levels of phosphorus in the soils and less phosphorus runoff to Lake Champlain. Fraisière Rougi et fils, Inc, St. Sabine, Quebec From a community outreach perspective, the Roussels are members of the sustainable agricultural club, Dura Club of Bedford, members of La Cooperative de soildarité du basin versant de la rivière aux Brochets , and participants in Open Door operations of the local farmers union. Being good neighbors, they have also offered technical assistance to other farmers for planting windbreaks. Conants Riverside Farm, Richmond, VT The Conants have implemented many practices to protect the waters of the Winooski River, including vegetative buffers along streams flowing into the river, as well as similar buffers along the riverbanks. They have a modern waste management system and control runoff from the barns and feed storage areas. They work closely with the Natural Resource Conservation Service to implement these practices. In 2005, a Comprehensive Management Plan was developed specifically for the farm that details soil, water and nutrient management practices for the farm. "We are very honored to be recognized, along with our peers, for our conservation stewardship by the Lake Champlain Basin Program," states David Conant. "Our commitment to water quality has been and will continue to be an integral part of our dairy operation. We realize the vital role we play in the health of our water quality and are encouraged that the LCBP understands, as we do, that there is a delicate balance between the health of the waters in the Lake Champlain Basin and the economic heath of the farms in this region. We feel strongly that the integrity of both need not be compromised to reach our unified goal of a healthy Vermont." Since 1991, the Lake Champlain Basin Program has been working with many organizations and agencies in New York, Vermont and Quebec to reduce phosphorus levels and other pollutants entering Lake Champlain. The three farm award recipients have taken additional voluntary measures to reduce pollutants and manage their farms using environmentally friendly methods. These practices often make sense both ecologically and economically for the farm families. Members of all three families also serve on community and agricultural boards. The LCBP partnered with the Vermont and New York Departments of Agriculture, the Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, and Parks, the Dura Club of Bedford, Quebec, the Monteregie sustainable advisory club, and the Centre de service du MAPAQ during the farm nomination process. |
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Lake Champlain Basin Program - 54 West Shore Road - Grand Isle, VT 05458 800/468-5227 (NY & VT) or 802/372-3213 - WWW.LCBP.ORG Site Design/Webmaster: Nicole Ballinger, LCBP |