May 28, 2019
Vern Grubinger is the vegetable and berry specialist and
Extension Professor with the University of Vermont, and coordinator
of USDA’s Northeast SARE program. In this interview, we draw on
Vern’s several decades as an educator and extension agent and talk
about the changes, innovations, and breakthrough’s he’s seen over
the years. We discuss how he suggests new farmers get started, how
a culture of shared learning has only brought the industry forward,
and untapped resources that farmers can use to innovate and grow
their farms.
In This Episode:
>> The number one priority that Vern learned from his mentor
that he uses every day to stay on track as an educator
>> How growing vegetables is ultimately the easy part and the
real challenges that farmers face
>> How the general growing philosophy has changed from “spray
and pray” to a more holistic and systems thinking approach
>> What 1 technique that new farmers can use to assure a
strong first year of farming
About the guest:
Vern Grubinger has been working with and learning from farmers for
more than 30 years. He is the vegetable and berry specialist and
Extension Professor with the University of Vermont, and coordinator
of USDA’s Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
program (SARE) which makes grants to researchers, educators and
farmers. He authored the books 'Sustainable Vegetable Production
from Start Up to Market' and 'With an Ear to the Ground: Essays on
Sustainable Agriculture.' He co-authored ‘Farms, Food and
Communities: Exploring Food Systems.’ Over the years, Vern has
sought to enhance the viability of farms by providing actionable
information through conferences, fact sheets, a grower listserv,
newsletters, on-farm workshops, a web site, videos and, most
enjoyable and mutually beneficial, individual conversations and
farm visits. "