Since 1940, the District has provided assistance to agricultural producers in the Poultney and Mettowee watersheds. Along with District Managers, Hilary Solomon and Katie Stiles (Rutland NRCD), district employees, Jennifer Alexander and Whitney Burgess, currently provide agricultural water quality assistance to farmers in Rutland County. The District also provides rental equipment to area farmers including an aerator and a no-till seed drill.
Agronomy and Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) and AgCWIP
Poultney Mettowee NRCD agricultural water quality programing provides direct outreach and technical assistance to a variety of agricultural operations within Rutland County. The goal is to implement farm practices that reduce the export of soil and nutrients to minimize the potential adverse effects of agricultural operations and improve water quality in Lake Champlain and its tributaries. PMNRCD and Rutland NRCD share agricultural staff and work together to help farmers access resources to address water quality and soil health issues on their farms. Shared staff, Jennifer Alexander, CCA, and Whitney Burgess work with farms on a variety of projects.
Jennifer and Whitney help ensure that farmers understand and meet the State’s Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs). They help farms create and implement nutrient management plans and focus on implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs), such as cropping methods to reduce erosion and nutrient loss from fields, fencing to keep livestock away from water resources, reducing phosphorus runoff using soil aeration, explore alternative manure application systems, and many other identified practices. On average, the District works with 50-80 farms per year, makes 200 farm visits, and takes roughly 400 soil samples.
Nutrient Management Planning
Through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), the District provides soil sampling and planning assistance for farms developing Nutrient Management Plans. The original grant supporting this program was first offered in 2015 and continued through 2024. PMNRCD staff currently offer assistance with nutrient management planning and soil and manure sampling through their ACAP and AgCWIP grants. In 2025 and 2026, all soil and manure sampling is free of charge for our farms. In addition, during this time, we will pay the annual fee for Go-Crop for farms that are currently enrolled in or have completed a UVM/PMNRCD nutrient management class between 2015 and 2025.
The basic elements of nutrient management planning include: livestock manure management, nutrient budgeting for farm soils, and resource conservation through appropriate land management practices. Nutrient management plans are developed to address the needs of individual farmers as well as applicable regulations and other resource conservation goals.
In Vermont, guidelines, regulations, and resources exist to help encourage practices that will ensure high water quality. Please call us with your questions on nutrient management practices and the programs that may be available to you.
Rental Conservation Practice Equipment
Aerators
The District owns and manages an aerator, which is available for use by landowners. There is no charge for use of the aerator. If farmers plan to use the aerators on hay fields with liquid manure, there may be cost-share assistance from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
No-till Seeder
The District rents a Haybuster 107C No-Till drill which features 2 large seed boxes and a legume/small seed box. This unit is prioritized for farms in the South Lake (Poultney and Mettowee) watershed, followed by farms in the Lake Champlain Basin of Rutland and Bennington Counties.
Scales
The District and UVM-Extension now own scales to help farmers weigh manure spreaders and harvest carts. If you need this information for your nutrient management plan, please call us to schedule a time to borrow the scales (they even come with staff to assist you!).
Please contact Jennifer Alexander or Whitney Burgess for more information on our Equipment Rental availability and policies.
