UVLT and VT Agency of Agriculture Partner to Reduce Mosquito Populations

On May 29, The Upper Valley Land Trust will host “Tire Sidewalls for Your Silage Bunkers,” an educational event highlighting Vermont’s sidewall tires program, which helps farmers reduce waste and prevent mosquito breeding.

NORWICH, VT, May 14, 2024—Drive by any Vermont farm, and you’ll likely see rows of used tires studding silage bunkers—the tarp-covered mounds where farmers store their feed—and spread over plastic between row crops. 

But while tires are effective at protecting silage and preventing weed growth, they also hold water and mud, creating a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos and allowing mosquito-borne diseases to spread.

On May 29, starting at 1 p.m., farmers are invited to join the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture at the UVLT’s Brookmead Food Pantry Garden in Norwich to learn more about a simple solution to this problem — sidewalls cut from old tires.

In addition to removing mosquito breeding grounds, sidewalls offer several other advantages. They can be stacked on a post to move with a forklift and are much lighter and easier to transport and place than whole tires. Sidewalls can be overlapped to create additional weight as needed. 

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has recently purchased a SuperSlicer to generate a supply of sidewalls for interested farmers. This machine cuts two sidewalls from each used tire (treads and metal pieces are disposed of separately) and can generate 50-60 sidewalls per hour. 

Cassie Bernyk, UVLT’s Stewardship Programs Coordinator, explains that UVLT has used tires in its food pantry garden for several years. “We’ve grown tons of food for local hunger relief groups at our Norwich garden, and we’ve been using tarps and tires to hold back weeds in the fertile spaces between rows and between seasons. Moving the tires is a difficult, muddy task. Staff and volunteers were delighted to learn of Vermont’s sidewall initiative and we are eager to bring the demo to the Upper Valley.”

At the UVLT garden, event attendees will see the SuperSlicer in action, meet Vermont Agency of Agriculture staff and learn about the logistics of bringing the slicer to their farms. No registration is required, and everyone is welcome. 

Event Details:

May 29, 2024

1 p.m.

Brookmead Garden

701 Turnpike Road, Norwich, VT

Event Questions?