Vermont Research News: Farming with dynamite, e-bikes and reducing dairy wastewater

  The most libraries…
Sometimes the best thing to do on a summer day is to explore your local library. And there are a lot of libraries in Vermont to explore – 183 of them - almost one per town. Vermont, in fact, has more libraries per capita than anywhere in the country. And all of them draw their primary funding from the community you live in.

Farming by dynamite
The use of dynamite by Vermont farmers was once a common practice for increasing crop production and manipulating the landscape. A recent article details this practice, which is now strictly prohibited by Vermont law. In 1913, The Vermont Agricultural Report suggested using dynamite for increasing the depth of streams, writing,  “With the present scarcity and high cost of labor, it is practically impossible to correct this without the use of considerable amounts of dynamite” (75).
 
Summertime cyclists – powered by electricity
Summer brings more cyclists and some of them are on E-bikes. An electric bike is at least 40 times more energy efficient than the average gas-powered car and nearly 10 times more efficient than an electric car. A recent blog post from Sustainable Transportation Vermont advocates for e-bike affordability. This comes as Green Mountain Power and VBike partner up to increase access to e-bikes in Vermont cities.
Reducing nicotine and quitting smoking
In quitting cigarette smoking, how effective is reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day? New research suggests smoking cigarettes with reduced nicotine is more effective. The study, which featured Vermont subjects, found that participants smoking reduced-nicotine cigarettes in the study smoked less per day outside of the study than those who were given less standard cigarettes in the study.
 
 
Maternal depression rates increase
Vermont has some of the highest recorded rates of depressive disorders recorded during delivery hospitalizations in the country, a new study finds. Recorded rates of maternal depression have increased over recent years. The study suggests that this data may reflect variability in the identification of depression, rather than the inherent risk of depression, as non-Hispanic white women are more likely to be screened for depression at delivery than non-Hispanic black women, potentially inflating rates of depression among non-Hispanic white women. 
Connections between ALS and water pollution 
Increased ALS cases in Vermont and New Hampshire may be related to the presence of cyanotoxins in water sources, which can linger in the air, a new study suggests. With a higher number of ALS cases in Vermont, the study urges further research into the linkages between algae blooms and ALS and other diseases. 
 
December drivers get more tickets
A number of factors increase one’s likelihood of receiving a ticket instead of a warning in Burlington, a new study reports. These factors include speeding by 20 mph, driving in the month of December, and driving at 8 AM. Young drivers, male drivers, and minority drivers are also more likely to receive a ticket, demonstrating implicit bias among Vermont police officers.
Drug importation plan popular
In May 2018, Vermont enacted the first law in the nation instructing a state agency to develop a wholesale drug importation plan which could save participating Vermont commercial insurers between $1 million and $5 million dollars. A recent article details how Vermont legislation on the issue has paved the way for wider acceptance of drug importation, with 70% of the public in favor of implementing a wholesale drug importation plan.
Gardens make a difference
Huertas, a gardening project, and El Viaje Más Caro a participatory comics project, are two projects that were created with the goal of interrupting the forms of structural violence and structural vulnerability that negatively impact the wellbeing of migrant farmworkers in Vermont’s dairy industry. The study found that gardens are significant in rebuilding some sense of place and fostering practices of food sovereignty, in addition to enhancing access to fresh and culturally familiar foods.
 
Invasive thistle not yet seen in Vermont
Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), an herbaceous perennial in the Aster family, is a fast-growing invasive species in New England. It was initially spread to North America from Europe in the early 1600s via contaminated crop seed. New research reports that Vermont is one of the few northeastern states that remains unaffected by the invasive, but forest services urge Vermonters to be cautious of the plant.
 
Mail order medication
Latinx dairy workers in rural Vermont frequently utilize mail-ordered medication manufactured and sold abroad as a result of significant barriers to healthcare access, according to a new study. While the research doesn’t report on the effectiveness of these self-prescribed medications, the findings emphasize the need for safe and adequate access to healthcare in these communities.
Repeopling Vermont
Author Paul M. Searls discusses the paradox which defined Vermont in the 20th century: the desire to preserve Vermont traditions while simultaneously embracing the necessary technological advancements of the time. In Repeopling Vermont: The Paradox of Development in the Twentieth Century, Searls examines the ways in which these ideologies have carried into 21st century Vermont.
 
Vermont Podcasts
Looking for something to listen to this summer? Check out our podcast Mudseason featuring research on Vermont, or hear stories from Vermonters on Rumblestrip. Submit your own questions about Vermont to Brave Little State or listen to JOLTED, a podcast series about gun legislation in Vermont. Maybe travel back in time and hear about Vermont’s past with Before Your Time or listen directly to Vermonters in Vermont Untapped. Whatever your interests, there’s a Vermont podcast for you.
Without Qualification: Bill Dixon on Black Music and Pedagogy
Read an interview with composer, trumpeter, educator, and visual artist Bill Dixon which took place in late September 2003 in his home in North Bennington. Dixon was a Professor of Music at Bennington College from 1968 to 1995, where he founded the college's Black Music Division. The interview discusses his evolving conception of "black music" throughout the course of his career.
Standing In This Place: Growing Up LGBTQ In Rural Vermont
Vermont playwright Maura Campbell presents Standing In This Place: Growing Up LGBTQ In Rural Vermont, a play based on interviews with 18 Vermonters. The play weaves these personal stories into one narrative and includes excerpts from the 2000 Vermont Civil Union debates. Standing In This Place: Growing Up LGBTQ In Rural Vermont is being premiered as a ‘staged reading’ with the actor/readers being the actual interviewees on Friday, July 26 & Saturday, August 3 at the Chandler in Randolph. Learn more/buy tickets here.
Tiny House Living in Vermont
Listen as Evy Gray and Jake Sienkiewycz discuss living in and constructing tiny houses in Vermont.