Research Webinar: Farmers’ Attitudes Towards Government Agencies and Conservation Programs in Vermont’s Lake Champlain Basin

View a recording of this webinar.

For our first research webinar this fall, we will be joined by Kate Longfield of the University of Vermont. Kate is originally from Cambridge Massachusetts, although considers Vermont home. She is completing her master’s in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont, graduating in October 2023. Her research investigated Vermont farmers’ attitudes towards conservation practices, government conservation programs, and the federal and state government agencies that oversee them. Her research also explored Vermont farmers’ trust in these federal and state agencies, as well as the United States federal government, and the Vermont state government. Kate is the Program Manager for the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition in Vermont, where she provides technical assistance and on-farm events to dairy, livestock, and crop farmers as they implement conservation practices and enroll in government conservation programs.

For her master’s research, Kate interviewed a random sample of eighteen dairy, livestock, crop, and vegetable farmers from within Vermont’s Lake Champlain Basin. The study investigated farmers’ attitudes towards the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM), as well as the agencies' conservation programs. It also explored farmers' trust in these state and federal agricultural agencies. The study compared the farmers’ agency trust ratings to their attitudes towards government conservation programs, to determine whether farmers with higher trust in government agencies would be more likely to feel positively towards government conservation programs. Kate's research also explored farmers’ attitudes towards forested riparian buffers as a conservation practice, and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which provides farmers financial and technical incentives to convert marginal pasture and cropland to buffer. 

Participants should expect approximately 30 minutes of presentation, which will be recorded, followed by a facilitated, 30-minute Q&A period. This webinar is a part of the Lake Champlain Sea Grant Research Webinar Series.

Please register in advance for this webinar.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in any of these programs, please contact Lake Champlain Sea Grant / Julianna White at 802-777-7017 or seagrant [at] uvm.edu no later than three weeks before your chosen date so we can assist you.