Suzy Hodgson believes collaboration is a key part of sustainability

Suzy Hodgson is a strong believer in collaboration. That is evident in both the way she works and in some of her projects, including those combining forestry and agriculture.

After well over a decade of service, Hodgson recently resigned from the Charlotte Energy Committee due to time constraints.

She was reluctant to take credit for any of the committee’s work, noting that everything was a collaborative effort. The committee has been using a co-chair model to ensure that their work is not seen as a solo effort, and Hodgson said that almost all the work she has done has been in tandem with others.

Hodgson is a sustainable agriculture outreach specialist at the University of Vermont’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Last summer, the group led a solar grazing workshop at Meach Cove Farms in Shelburne.

Hodgson said that in 2024, Vermont had 85 days where the temperature rose above 80 degrees with the last day occurring on Sept. 20. For that reason, she believes Vermont farmers need to think about providing shade for grazing animals, and one way to do that is with solar panels. A by-product of that combination is eliminating the need to mow around the panels.

Hodgson’s main work at the University of Vermont is in education and outreach for climate mitigation, specifically the things farmers can do to reduce greenhouse gases without negatively affecting production. Since Vermont is known for small, diversified farms, she has been studying various forms of agroforestry.

Hodgson explained that agroforestry is a way to cultivate crops with a light touch. For some, solar grazing may solve problems, while others may turn to agritourism or forest farming. As an example of the latter, Hodgson described a farmer who planted the high value native plants goldenseal and American ginseng in a forest. Using that method, plants require less work to cultivate and co-exist with other forest functions like sugaring.

A complimentary tactic is silvopasture which entails planting trees in pastures, providing an opportunity for animals to find shade. Studies have shown that overexposure to heat for cows that don’t have access to barns, can have an adverse effect on the amount of milk they produce.

Other methods of agroforestry include alleycropping which involves thinking vertically, as well as horizontally when planting rows, riparian corridors which protect waterways from agricultural runoff, and wind breaks which help protect cropland from excessive wind and rain. Since trees can be expensive to buy and plant, there are federal grants to help farmers create wind breaks.

One of Hodgson’s first forays into agriculture was co-founding the website yourfarmstand.com. Initially, she wanted to work on hub and spoke food models to find ways to aggregate and distribute food. When that didn’t work out, she turned her attention to CSAs and attempted to create a model where consumers didn’t have to stick to the products of just one farm and could shop at times convenient to them.

Unfortunately, although the model was good for consumers, it was hard for the farmers to make it a sustainable business. Even though the project didn’t work out, Hodgson said she learned a lot about running a local business and got to know area farmers and their crops.

Over time, Hodgson has become more and more interested in trees. “Seventy-six percent of Vermont land is covered in trees,” she said. “Summers are getting hotter so it may be time to look at trees that grow in southern Vermont, Massachusetts, or even Connecticut.”

Hodgson described a process called assisted migration where people plant trees that are native to warmer climates. She tried this process by purchasing some seedlings from the oldest sycamore tree in Connecticut; one which has been growing for at least 200 years. She coddled the seedlings inside during the winter and they were growing well outside until a microburst of wind snapped them.

Hodgson notes that she and her Charlotte neighbors are lucky because they can work together to repair the damage caused by climate change, but she recognizes that not everyone has that advantage. “There are people who lose everything from climate change,” she said, “and because of a lack of funds they aren’t able to recover.”

Hodgson is hopeful about the future of the planet. “I’m optimistic because we are creative,” she said. “There are things we can do to change trendlines and the angles of our trajectory. We’re all breathing the same air. Almost everything we do for the environment is for the public good.”

Hodgson believes there is a greater understanding that people can lead a full life while still respecting the environment. “People are learning to live well with less impact,” she said.