Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

Farmer Educators To Advance Sustainability
http://www.uvm.edu/%7Enesare/news_sferel.htm

Three farmers have been chosen by the Northeast Region Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program to serve as sustainable
farmer educators for 2002. The three will attend meetings, conferences and
field days, talk to individual farmers, answer questions, make referrals
and generally support the region’s farmers as they move toward
agriculture that is profitable, environmentally sound, and beneficial to
communities.

Steve Groff of Cedar Meadow Farm in Holtwood, PA, will focus on
horticultural crops. Groff is a third-generation farmer and an advocate of
soil health, soil conservation and cover cropping. In 1999, he was named
the national No-Till Farmer Innovator of the Year by No-Till Farmer
magazine; in 2001, he received the Sustainable Agriculture Leadership Award
from the PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture. Groff can be reached
at sgroff@direcway.com or by calling 717/284-5152.

Elizabeth Henderson of Peacework Organic Farm in Newark, NY will also focus
on horticultural crops. Henderson has farmed for 21 years and has
experience presenting workshops on a range of topics, including organic
production, marketing and startup farming. She has helped found and sustain
organizations that reach out to the farm community. She says, “Having
received my agricultural education from other farmers and gardeners, I feel
an obligation to pass on what I have learned.” Henderson can be reached
at ehendrsn@redsuspenders.com or by calling 315/331-9029.

Lawrence Shearer of Colrain Dairy Farm in Colrain, MA, will focus on
grazing management for dairy cows. Shearer has been farming since 1963 and
has come to rely on intensive grazing, seasonal dairying, diversification,
and debt elimination to keep the farm profitable. He has shared his
experience by serving on producer panels and by presenting at meetings and
workshops. He is committed to sharing his experience in maintaining a
“viable, profitable and ecologically friendly dairy operation” by
expanding his presence at conferences and other gatherings. Shearer can be
reached at
ll-shear@mtdata.com or by calling 413/624-3978.