Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
UVM Extension reports progress on hemp fiber and local grain infrastructure for Vermont markets
Loading...
Summary
UVM Extension described work on hemp fiber, local grain production and infrastructure (flour mills, bins, dryers) and efforts to keep grain local for value‑added products, including partnerships with Battenkill Fiber Mills and local mills/bakeries.
Heather Darby, University of Vermont Extension agronomist, told committee members that the Extension program is supporting farmers who are transitioning from dairy to grain and trying to build local grain and fiber value chains in Vermont.
Darby described efforts to connect grain growers with buyers such as brewers and distillers and to help farmers secure infrastructure through the Working Lands program (grants for bins, dryers and mills). She cited one example: corn from a Rutland farm that may be used by 2 Heroes Brewery in South Hero for a Mexican lager, and noted local investments such as NEK Grains and a stone flour mill manufacturer in Vermont whose owner (identified as Andrew Hein in the transcript) also runs Elmore Mountain Bakery.
On hemp fiber, Darby said Extension is working with Battenkill Fiber Mills and local clothing manufacturers to process small research‑scale harvests into yarn and fabric; the team is experimenting with combining hemp fiber and wool. She described basic harvest and processing steps for fiber hemp—sickle‑bar mowing, field retting, removing the core, combing long fibers and sending them to a fiber mill—and said the infrastructure and equipment are costly but that small‑scale processing for research and product prototyping is underway.
Darby also said acreage of soybeans has roughly doubled in the last five years in Vermont and that some farms are building local loops to keep grains in‑state for dairy feed and value‑added products. She highlighted that Extension runs about 55–60 research trials each year and hosts an annual field day that draws regional participants and federal delegates, providing farmers with demonstrations and contacts.
Ending: Darby said Extension will continue to support farmers with research, market connections and technical assistance as local grain and fiber markets develop.
