ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS 



New Product*— Vermont 



A new series of growing mixes is 

 now available for New Hampshire 

 Growers. The series, called 

 "Nutripeat," was developed from 

 agriculhiral compost by Vermont 

 Natural Ag Products, Inc., from 

 Middlebury. These mixes simulate 

 the texture of peat moss and when 

 combined with peat moss, "give 

 growing performances comparable 

 to the most highly regarded com- 

 mercial mixes on the market to- 

 day." The products are "generally 

 more wetable than peat moss and 

 therefore require less water and 

 fertilizer than other peat-lite mix- 

 tures on the market and can reduce 

 the cost of production." 



Five mixes are offered. There is 

 a germinating and transplant mix 

 (a blend of vermiculite, peat moss, 

 and composted cow manure) and 

 two perennial mixes. The more- 

 fmely textured of these (cow ma- 

 nure compost and New Hampshire 

 brown peat humus) is recommend- 

 ed specifically for outside container 

 production; the second — lighter — 

 mix (horse manure bedding and 

 ground bark finished compost 

 blended with Canadian spagnum 

 peat moss) is designed for general 

 greenhouse use. 



There are two nursery mbces. 

 Bulk loads and big bags of the first 

 (composted horse manure and New 

 Hampshire brown peat humus) can 

 be individually blended to include 

 washed sand and/or slow-release 

 fertilizer. The second (horse ma- 

 nure bedding, woody yard waste, 

 and "high quality, high nitrogen 

 food and municipal residues") is a 

 media that, when mixed with peat 

 humus and washed sand, will be 

 heavy enough to keep tall stock 

 upright in a strong wind. 



Vermont Natural Ag Products, 

 Inc., has an interesting history. 

 About a decade ago, Foster Broth- 

 ers Farm, Inc., a dairy operation in 

 Middlebury, Vermont, looking for 

 ways to keep the family business 

 strong, started producing electricity 



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■c<te. 



from cow manure. The electricity 

 produced was used to run the farm 

 and the rest was sold to a local util- 

 ity. To do this, the Fosters built an 

 "aneorbic generator," which is de- 

 scribed as "a large incubator for 

 methane-producing bacteria which 

 thrived on the cow manure the Fos- 

 ters put into the digester on a daily 

 basis." The methane gas produced 

 was used a source of fuel for elec- 

 trical generation. 



The innovations continue. When 

 the manure was done cooking, the 

 Fosters removed it, and separated 

 the liquids from the solids. They 

 began using the liquid as plant food 

 and spreading the solids on their 

 crop land. Both were nearly odor- 

 less, weed-free, and without the ni- 

 trogen toxicity associated with 

 fresh manure. 



Vermont Natural, beginning 

 where the Foster family left off, 

 created a variety of digester 

 byproducts and began marketing 

 them as the "Moo" line — Moo Doo, 

 Moo-Nure, Moo Mix, Moo Start, 

 etc., in retail-size 10, 20, and 40- 

 pound bags. They've recently be- 

 gun producing Moo Juice, a liquid 

 plant food. 



The most recent development 

 has been the production of the 

 Nutripeat line of mixes in commer- 

 cial quantities. Nutripeat is a new 

 product and "although we at Ver- 

 mont Natural have tested and/or 

 are testing the comparative com- 

 mercial performance of Nutripeat, 

 not all cultivars have been tested in 

 all circumstances. Unforseen prob- 

 lems may develop. Because we 



cannot be responsible for damages 

 of any kind, we recommend that 

 the user trial a free sample prior to 

 using it on an entire crop. If that is 

 successful, we recommend the user 

 trial a larger amount on part of his 

 crop before using Nutripeat on an 

 entire crop." 



Sounds fair. For more informa- 

 tion, call Don Brumfield at (802) 

 388-0156. Or write him at Vermont 

 Natural Ag Products, Inc., 559 

 Lower Foote Street, Middlebury, 

 Vermont 05753. 



UMass Cooperative Ex* 

 tension 1993 Landscape 

 and Nursery Integrated 

 Pest Management (IPM) 

 Worksliop Series 



Three workshops ("Conmion In- 

 sects & Mites on Woody Ornamen- 

 tals," "Common Diseases of Woody 

 Ornamentals," and "Managing Soils 

 Today") and one twilight meeting 

 ('IPM Scouting Techniques") are 

 being offered by UMAss Coopera- 

 tive Extension. Each is offered 

 three times, each time in a different 

 part of the state. 



The January meeting dates have 

 already passed, but "Insects" is be- 

 ing offered March 15 in Waltham 

 and March 24 in East Wareham; 

 "Diseases" on March 16 in 

 Waltham and March 17 in East 

 Wareham; and "Soils" on March 16 

 in Waltham The $60 fee for each 

 9:30-3 workshop includes coffee and 

 a box lunch. 



The twilight meeting is being 

 held 5-7 on May 12 in East 

 Wareham, May 19 in Waltham, and 

 May 26 in Amherst. Pesticide 

 credit is offered; the fee is $30.00. 



For information, contact 

 Kathleen Carroll at (413) 545-0895. 



Methyl Bromide Update 



(from AAN Update, December 14, 

 1992) 



An EPA proposal which would list 

 methyl bromide as an ozone deplet- 

 er under the Clean Mr Act appar- 



February & March 1993 

 13 



