{"id":221,"date":"2015-09-09T16:11:37","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T16:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/compreader\/?post_type=chapter&p=221"},"modified":"2015-09-09T16:11:37","modified_gmt":"2015-09-09T16:11:37","slug":"vermonts-farm-to-ballet-project-shines-the-spotlight-on-conservation-by-amy-overstreet","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-readinganthology\/chapter\/vermonts-farm-to-ballet-project-shines-the-spotlight-on-conservation-by-amy-overstreet\/","title":{"raw":"\"Vermont's Farm to Ballet Project Shines the Spotlight on Conservation\" by Amy Overstreet","rendered":"“Vermont’s Farm to Ballet Project Shines the Spotlight on Conservation” by Amy Overstreet"},"content":{"raw":"[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\"Photo<\/a> Ballerina Megan Stearns dances the lead role of the farmer in Vermont\u2019s Farm to Ballet project.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nVermont\u2019s agricultural history will soon be enriched as a new Farm to Ballet<\/em><\/a> project aims to celebrate the state\u2019s farming culture and expose a new audience to the beauty of classical ballet. The endeavor is the brainchild of former professional dancer and Vermont native Chatch Pregger. His farm-based ballet tells the story of a Vermont farming operation from spring to fall.\r\n\r\nThe fertile soils of Vermont\u2019s pastoral farmland will provide the \u2018stage\u2019 for the dancers. \u201cNow that I\u2019ve seen the dancers, <\/em>in a farm environment, I realize this is how I\u2019ve always wanted to see ballet\u2013in this setting.\u00a0 In its grittiness, its reality\u2013on nature\u2019s perfect stage,\u201d he explained.\u00a0 Farm to Ballet will be presented seven times throughout August at a variety of farming operations. The performances are not financially supported by USDA, so the Farm to Ballet project initiated a fund raising campaign to cover the cost of costumes, props and sets, and many of the shows serve as fundraisers to support and honor the work of Vermont\u2019s farmers and the local food movement.<\/span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_223\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\"Man<\/a> Sam Dixon is the dairy farm manager at Shelburne Farms and oversees the farm\u2019s grass-based dairy and pasture-raised livestock.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nOne of the venues is Shelburne Farms<\/a>. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service<\/a> in Vermont has worked closely with the operation to protect and improve natural resources through participation in numerous Farm Bill programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program<\/a> and the Conservation Stewardship Program.<\/a>\u00a0 The educational nonprofit is set on a 1,400-acre working farm and campus that hosts over 150,000 visitors a year onsite. Originally created in 1886 as a model agricultural estate, today Shelburne Farms is dedicated to education for sustainability programs for educators and young people.\r\n\r\nThe farm was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from USDA\u2019s Farm to School<\/em><\/a> program to support Vermont Feed<\/em><\/a>, a project of Shelburne Farms in partnership with NOFA-VT<\/a>, which provides farm-to-school training and professional development services to schools and farmers across the Northeast.\r\n\r\nSam Dixon has served as the dairy farm manager at Shelburne Farms since 1996. He manages the farm\u2019s grass-based dairy and pasture-raised livestock. \u201cNRCS has been a great partner and resource for us,\u201d he said. Because of the farm\u2019s location along the shores of Lake Champlain, the farm\u2019s commitment to conservation is a critical step to protecting water quality. \u201cWe are very conscious of what we do on the land and how our actions impact water quality in the lake,\u201d says Dixon.\r\n\r\nShelburne Farms\u2019 conservation plan includes a rotational grazing system, riparian buffers, fencing, cover crops on vegetable gardens, wildlife habitat improvement, nutrient management planning, and more.\r\n\r\nDixon says he thinks the ballet will help the public see farming in a new light. \u201c<\/strong>It\u2019s not going to recruit farmers to be ballet dancers,\u201d he chuckles, \u201cbut I do think getting people out to a farm will help make that connection between the food they eat and where it comes from.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_224\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\"Photo<\/a> Josh Carter is the market garden manager at Shelburne Farms and worked with the local NRCS office to install a high tunnel that he says increases the value and quality of the crops.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAt the market garden at Shelburne Farms, Josh Carter manages three acres of certified organic mixed vegetables and a small fruit orchard. He emphasized that the goal is crop diversity. \u201cWe grow over 50 types of crops and 150 varieties.\u201d Utilizing EQIP assistance, he worked with NRCS to install a high tunnel which the farm uses to produce peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant, late into the fall. \u201cThe high tunnel increases the value of the crops and the quality,\u201d he explained.\r\n\r\nHe also said the structure helps protect the crops and reduces or eliminates disease issues by reducing moisture. Carter is excited that the Farm to Ballet<\/em> project will reach a new audience and help them see the farm as an integral part of the local community.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen folks come here to see the ballet, the lens is the performance, and they will understand that just like the arts, farming is also part of our community.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe ballet follows a farmer through the stages of planting, irrigating, tending and then harvesting the farm\u2019s produce and concludes with a celebratory farm share pick-up scene just before the geese fly south for the winter.\r\n\r\nPregger says his interest in local food production is what motivated him to take on this project. \u201cI am a ballet dancer \u2013not a farmer\u2013 but I think healthy food production is crucial to a healthy society,\u201d he explained. \u00a0And, he has lots of ideas for the future, and is not finished with his plan to help strengthen Vermont\u2019s local food scene. He\u2019s even brainstorming ways to bring the show to food deserts<\/a>, where local foods aren\u2019t as accessible or plentiful.\r\n\r\n\u201cMy hope is that this effort will spotlight Vermont as a place where agriculture, arts and community come together.\u201d The Farm to Ballet<\/em> project promises to be a feast for all and will help educate the public about the importance of conservation and sustainable agriculture.\r\n\r\n- See more at: http:\/\/blogs.usda.gov\/2015\/08\/10\/vermonts-farm-to-ballet-project-shines-the-spotlight-on-conservation\/#sthash.ZEavxFdk.dpuf<\/a>","rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Ballerina Megan Stearns dances the lead role of the farmer in Vermont\u2019s Farm to Ballet project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Vermont\u2019s agricultural history will soon be enriched as a new Farm to Ballet<\/em><\/a> project aims to celebrate the state\u2019s farming culture and expose a new audience to the beauty of classical ballet. The endeavor is the brainchild of former professional dancer and Vermont native Chatch Pregger. His farm-based ballet tells the story of a Vermont farming operation from spring to fall.<\/p>\n

The fertile soils of Vermont\u2019s pastoral farmland will provide the \u2018stage\u2019 for the dancers. \u201cNow that I\u2019ve seen the dancers, <\/em>in a farm environment, I realize this is how I\u2019ve always wanted to see ballet\u2013in this setting.\u00a0 In its grittiness, its reality\u2013on nature\u2019s perfect stage,\u201d he explained.\u00a0 Farm to Ballet will be presented seven times throughout August at a variety of farming operations. The performances are not financially supported by USDA, so the Farm to Ballet project initiated a fund raising campaign to cover the cost of costumes, props and sets, and many of the shows serve as fundraisers to support and honor the work of Vermont\u2019s farmers and the local food movement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

Sam Dixon is the dairy farm manager at Shelburne Farms and oversees the farm\u2019s grass-based dairy and pasture-raised livestock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

One of the venues is Shelburne Farms<\/a>. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service<\/a> in Vermont has worked closely with the operation to protect and improve natural resources through participation in numerous Farm Bill programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program<\/a> and the Conservation Stewardship Program.<\/a>\u00a0 The educational nonprofit is set on a 1,400-acre working farm and campus that hosts over 150,000 visitors a year onsite. Originally created in 1886 as a model agricultural estate, today Shelburne Farms is dedicated to education for sustainability programs for educators and young people.<\/p>\n

The farm was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from USDA\u2019s Farm to School<\/em><\/a> program to support Vermont Feed<\/em><\/a>, a project of Shelburne Farms in partnership with NOFA-VT<\/a>, which provides farm-to-school training and professional development services to schools and farmers across the Northeast.<\/p>\n

Sam Dixon has served as the dairy farm manager at Shelburne Farms since 1996. He manages the farm\u2019s grass-based dairy and pasture-raised livestock. \u201cNRCS has been a great partner and resource for us,\u201d he said. Because of the farm\u2019s location along the shores of Lake Champlain, the farm\u2019s commitment to conservation is a critical step to protecting water quality. \u201cWe are very conscious of what we do on the land and how our actions impact water quality in the lake,\u201d says Dixon.<\/p>\n

Shelburne Farms\u2019 conservation plan includes a rotational grazing system, riparian buffers, fencing, cover crops on vegetable gardens, wildlife habitat improvement, nutrient management planning, and more.<\/p>\n

Dixon says he thinks the ballet will help the public see farming in a new light. \u201c<\/strong>It\u2019s not going to recruit farmers to be ballet dancers,\u201d he chuckles, \u201cbut I do think getting people out to a farm will help make that connection between the food they eat and where it comes from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Josh Carter is the market garden manager at Shelburne Farms and worked with the local NRCS office to install a high tunnel that he says increases the value and quality of the crops.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At the market garden at Shelburne Farms, Josh Carter manages three acres of certified organic mixed vegetables and a small fruit orchard. He emphasized that the goal is crop diversity. \u201cWe grow over 50 types of crops and 150 varieties.\u201d Utilizing EQIP assistance, he worked with NRCS to install a high tunnel which the farm uses to produce peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant, late into the fall. \u201cThe high tunnel increases the value of the crops and the quality,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

He also said the structure helps protect the crops and reduces or eliminates disease issues by reducing moisture. Carter is excited that the Farm to Ballet<\/em> project will reach a new audience and help them see the farm as an integral part of the local community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen folks come here to see the ballet, the lens is the performance, and they will understand that just like the arts, farming is also part of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ballet follows a farmer through the stages of planting, irrigating, tending and then harvesting the farm\u2019s produce and concludes with a celebratory farm share pick-up scene just before the geese fly south for the winter.<\/p>\n

Pregger says his interest in local food production is what motivated him to take on this project. \u201cI am a ballet dancer \u2013not a farmer\u2013 but I think healthy food production is crucial to a healthy society,\u201d he explained. \u00a0And, he has lots of ideas for the future, and is not finished with his plan to help strengthen Vermont\u2019s local food scene. He\u2019s even brainstorming ways to bring the show to food deserts<\/a>, where local foods aren\u2019t as accessible or plentiful.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that this effort will spotlight Vermont as a place where agriculture, arts and community come together.\u201d The Farm to Ballet<\/em> project promises to be a feast for all and will help educate the public about the importance of conservation and sustainable agriculture.<\/p>\n

– See more at: http:\/\/blogs.usda.gov\/2015\/08\/10\/vermonts-farm-to-ballet-project-shines-the-spotlight-on-conservation\/#sthash.ZEavxFdk.dpuf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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