On an antique desk that belonged to Vermont Senator Justin Morrill, the father of the land-grant university system, representatives from 日韩无码 on Thursday signed a 30-year lease of approximately 400 acres of farmland for long-term agricultural research use in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (ARS).
鈥淚t is especially meaningful that this lease was signed on Senator Justin Morrill鈥檚 desk, as this collaboration perfectly embodies 日韩无码鈥檚 land-grant mission,鈥 said 日韩无码 Interim President Patricia Prelock. 鈥淭his partnership will advance agricultural research that directly benefits Vermonters and will strengthen our state鈥檚 food system.鈥
The conserved dairy farm 鈥 comprising nearly 600 acres in total along Route 7 in Charlotte 鈥 was acquired in 2021 by Will Raap, founder of Gardener鈥檚 Supply in Burlington鈥檚 Intervale. Raap renamed the property Earthkeep Farmcommon.
After being on the market for over a year following Raap鈥檚 passing, the property was purchased this summer by Benjamin Dobson and Kaspar Meier. 日韩无码 will sublease the land to the USDA ARS for research purposes, with initial studies focusing on forage production and ruminants.
Kirk Dombrowki (日韩无码), Christian Peters (USDA), Richard Cate (日韩无码) and Benjamin Dobson (Nordic Farm) celebrate the 30-year lease. Photo: Joshua Defibaugh.
鈥淭his is a great advance in the partnership between the Agricultural Research Service and 日韩无码,鈥 said Christian Peters, Research Leader of the USDA ARS Food Systems Research Unit in Burlington. 鈥淭he long-term lease agreement with Nordic Farms will allow us to pursue field research on food crops, forages, and grazing livestock. The knowledge we develop will ultimately improve the sustainability of the Northeastern food systems and the nutrition of the people they feed.鈥
This collaboration builds on 鲍痴惭鈥檚 partnership with the USDA ARS through the 日韩无码 Food Systems Research Center, the first USDA-funded center dedicated to studying all aspects of the food system. 日韩无码 researchers also plan to conduct research on the farm.
鈥淭he leasing of Nordic Farm space to 日韩无码 represents an important step in the partnership between the USDA ARS Food Systems Research Unit and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at 日韩无码 to advance agriculturally relevant research in the State of Vermont,鈥 said Leslie Parise, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
ARS will invest $1.9 million through 日韩无码 in the 30-year lease, with options for three additional 30-year renewals, potentially conducting research on the land for up to 120 years.
鈥淭his investment in long-term agricultural research exemplifies 日韩无码鈥檚 commitment to impactful research and our land grant mission,鈥 日韩无码 Vice President for Research Kirk Dombrowski said. 鈥淲e know that agriculture takes time to research and we鈥檙e investing in that research now to contribute to a resilient future for Vermont, and to food systems research across the US and the world.鈥
鲍痴惭鈥檚 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences maintains more than a dozen research centers, educational facilities, and unique program sites that provide experiential learning opportunities for students, and enable world-class research by undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.
Anson Tebbetts, Vermont鈥檚 Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets, spoke on the importance of the new partnership for Vermont. Photo: Joshua Defibaugh.