HARTLAND A light, reddish soil covered the pastures that Stephen Leslie and his wife, Kerry Gawalt, found at Cedar Mountain Farm when they arrived in 1999.Stooping close to the ground, they could smell the same mustiness that gathers with the dust.
Pandemic shortages mean Upper Valley farmers have a need for seeds
Suzanne Long waters pea shoots at Luna Bleu Farm in South Royalton as Garbanzo the cat watches on Thursday. Anticipating potential issues with seed supply due to increased demand and the effects of drought and fire on some suppliers, Long placed her orders in December. “There’s always going to be one variety or another that’s not available,” she said. “It does bring to the fore the fragility of our seed sources.” James M. Patterson photos / Valley News
Shona Sanford-Long plants a selection of last year’s lettuce seeds to test for germination at Luna Bleu Farm. The seeds are covered in an organic material to form pellets for ease of handling.
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It was an interesting contrast to witness the horrifying events in Washington, D.C., on January 6 juxtaposed against what was happening in Montpelier that same day as Vermont legislators were freshly sworn in and settling into their new committees. In fact, work had already begun in December on a bill that would make 2021âs Town Meetings safer.
On Tuesday, we worked on and quickly passed H.48, a bill relating to alternative procedures for Town Meetings and local elections in response to COVID-19. It should be stressed that this bill does not mandate anything but is permissive in nature.