Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is a severe viral disease caused by the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV). The virus mainly circulates among birds, through mosquito bites, and can infect other animals, as well as humans. EEE is found primarily in the Eastern U.S., Great Lakes region, and along the Gulf Coast. EEE is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito that acquire the virus from birds. Mosquitos can then transmit the virus to humans and animals.
Toxoplasmosis Fact Sheet
Zoonotic diseases (that spread from animals to humans) are a common issue of concern worldwide. One Health, a program that prioritizes the health of humans, animals, and the environment, studies how zoonotic diseases are transmitted between animals and humans via various methods. This fact sheet provides information on Toxoplasmosis, a common protozoan zoonotic disease in the United States. The etiological (origin) agent of toxoplasmosis is a protozoan parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. It is most commonly contracted by eating infected undercooked meat, or through infected cat feces.
Sandy Eggers: 4-H Volunteer Spotlight
Sandy Eggers has been a 4-H volunteer leader in Windham County for more than 45 years. She has and continues to serve as a club leader for the CT Whiplash Teamsters 4-H club. The Whiplash Teamsters are the only working steer 4-H club in the state of Connecticut. For more than 45 years, this club […]
UConn 4-H Giving Week
Join UConn 4-H in Building a Ready Generation in a World of Change UConn 4-H equips youth with skills for the future while meeting them where they are today. We craft programs to enable youth to thrive and build confidence and resiliency based on lessons learned through years of research on positive youth development. UConn […]
Extension Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
UConn Celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month! “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together” is the 2024 celebration theme, which highlights the spirit of innovation, resilience, and unity of the Hispanic experience”. The winning theme was submitted by Yvette Delgado, Senior Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, Office of Minority and Women Federal Housing Finance Agency. Ms. Delgado […]
Does Bird Flu Affect My Food?
Bird flu (avian influenza) has become an increased concern in the health community throughout the United States. Thoughts of the potential risk of contracting the disease from foods that store bought foods prepared and consumed at home are concerning to many consumers. This fact sheet provides information on how to prevent risk from bird flu exposure and how to prepare food properly to ensure food safety.
Cleaning and Removing Mold in Your Home
Mold grows in wet, damp conditions, and in homes can form after flooding or water leaks. Mold in the home can cause health issues, and it is important to remove it quickly and carefully. Mold can grow on many surfaces, including walls, clothing, carpets, and in the spaces under carpets, between walls, attics, and basements, damaging building materials and furnishings. Look for discolored patches, including red, black, blue and green; it can also appear slimy or fuzzy. Negative health impacts from mold are common and are another reason it is crucial to avoid mold in homes, offices, and other locations.
Non-Infectious Plant Disorders – Oedema and Intumescences
Oedema (edema) or intumescences are lesions that can occur on begonia, ivy geraniums, cactus, cleome, ivy, ornamental sweet potato vine, and annual thunbergia. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and tomato can also suffer from this disorder. Houseplants with fleshy leaves, such as jade, peperomia and schefflera, may be prone to edema when the environmental conditions are favorable. The target audience of this factsheet is commercial greenhouse growers.
Job Opening: Program Assistant in Farmington
Job Opening in Farmington: UConn Extension seeks applicants for a full-time Educational Program Assistant 1 to work at the Department of Extension – Hartford County Extension Center in Farmington. The program assistant will support Extension programing in Hartford County (75%) and will provide translation support (primarily Spanish) for the Department of Extension statewide (25%). The successful […]
Protect Your Horse from EEE
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has been detected in Connecticut again this year and a horse has been infected. The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) at UConn and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station are both monitoring the disease through mosquito testing. Clinical signs in horses include continuous walking, depression, and somnolence, to aggression and excitability. […]
Second Annual Climate Resiliency Day with UConn Extension
On June 29th, 2024, the Fairfield County UConn Extension Office hosted its second annual Climate Resiliency Day at Danbury Farmer’s Market. This day is dedicated to educating the public on how they can stay safe during extreme weather events and support a healthy environment from home. Several notable programs participated, including the UConn Extension Master […]
Olivia Routhier: Intern Spotlight
Olivia Routhier, our community nutrition intern this summer, and a dietetics major in UConn CAHNR shares her experiences: This past summer, I have had the pleasure of working with Heather Peracchio, RDN at Fairfield County UConn Extension on a variety of programs ranging from summer school programs to senior center lessons to farmer’s market nutrition […]
Summer Updates from Extension
The unofficial end of summer is around the corner and students are headed back to school. UConn Extension has resources and information to help you wrap up summer and transition to the fall months, including preparing for extreme weather and access to our fact sheets. We also share updates from one of our summer interns […]
Logue Farms is Connecticut’s 2024 New England Green Pastures Winner
Logue Farms, Inc. is the winner of the 2024 New England Green Pastures Award from Connecticut. This dairy farm has been in continuous operation since 1905, with fourth generation as the current operators and 10 children in the fifth generation. David and Debbie Logue own the farm with their sons Michael and James; their daughters […]
Coastal Flooding Preparedness
Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension have a new project to help older underserved residents of New London, Stamford and West Haven be better prepared for flooding and other weather emergencies. This past week’s flooding in western Connecticut demonstrated how critical preparedness and community resilience projects are. More information on the new project is at https://seagrant.uconn.edu/?p=12147 […]
Flooding Resources
Heavy rains this week caused more flooding issues. UConn Extension has resources for residents, farmers, and communities at https://s.uconn.edu/flooding, including fact sheets on food safety for vegetable farmers and home gardeners, and information on cleaning mold in your home.
Cleaning and Removing Mold in Your Home
Mold grows in wet, damp conditions and this can happen in homes after floods or water leaks. Humid areas are another prime location for mold. It is important to remove mold quickly and carefully from homes because it causes health issues and once it is present, will continue to grow faster. Kitchens and bathrooms are […]
Free Poultry Workshop 8/23!
Join UConn Extension at the Tolland County Extension Center at TAC (Tolland Agricultural Center) in Vernon on Friday, August 23 for a free workshop on poultry production! Visit https://foodsafety.uconn.edu/ for more information. |Flyer| |Agenda| |Registration Link|
Quick Guide to Flood Food Safety for Fruit and Vegetable Farmers
Flooding on fruit and vegetable farms introduces contaminants and new food safety challenges. This quick guide covers the types of flooding, sources of contamination, guidelines, preventative measures, and recommendations for farmers.
Ag Mechanics Classes Help New and Beginning Farmers
Connecticut’s new and beginning farmers face numerous tasks and expenses when starting their farm businesses. To support these farmers, UConn Extension’s Solid Ground program offers a comprehensive suite of workshops and programming. One of the standout offerings each winter for new farmers is the Ag-Mechanics series. Ag-Mechanics workshops focus on equipping farmers with practical skills […]
Meet Diane Dorfer
Diane Dorfer (’03 CLAS) joined UConn Extension as our Farm Viability Service Coordinator in June. She’s from Mansfield Center and owns and operates Cobblestone Farm. Diane earned her bachelor of science degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from UConn. What is your area of interest? One of the goals of my new position is to […]
Meet Chelsea Erem
Chelsea Erem (’24 CAHNR) joined our Farmington office as an educational program assistant in June. She’s originally from Waterbury and earned her bachelor’s degree in Allied Health and Psychology at UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. What is your area of interest and how did you get interested in it? My academic interests […]
Meet Fanny Hernandez
Fanny Hernandez joined UConn Extension as our Evaluation Specialist in April. She is from the Dominican Republic, and before moving to Connecticut, she lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for almost nine years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC) and a certificate in education in the Dominican […]
Seniors Eating Well in Danbury
Community partnerships are a crucial part of our land-grant mission to take the university’s research to the public. Twelve years ago we started working with Elmwood Hall at the Danbury Senior Center on the Seniors Eating Well and Farm Market on the Move program in partnership with the Danbury Connecticut Farmers’ Market, and Clatter Valley […]
IPM Seminar for Home Gardeners on August 3rd
We’re pleased to offer our 3rd Annual IPM for Home Gardeners Seminar. This free event is on the Storrs Campus and will educate home gardeners on the principles of Integrated Pest Management. Join us on Saturday, August 3rd from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM to learn about garden pests, pathogens, treatments, and more! The program […]
Mosquito Borne Diseases: Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis and West Nile Virus – Prevention is Just a Vaccine Away
Mosquitoes cause three of the major diseases that affect horses today. Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis have been around for many years and can be caused by mosquitoes or arthropods, and by now you have probably heard of West Nile Virus that recently emerged and became a problem in the last few years. Knowing the cause, clinical signs, treatment and prevention of these diseases are important, since letting these diseases go untreated can lead to the demise of your favorite horse.
Invasive Plant Factsheet Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), native to China, grows quickly and can ultimately reach up to 80-100’ in height. Tree-of-heaven was first introduced into the U.S., in the Philadelphia area, in 1784. It is particularly invasive in urban landscapes and establishes quickly. The plant is resistant to pollution and can tolerate very poor soils. Tree-of-heaven is very common in the Midwest, lower northeast, as well as the west and southwest coast. Well-established tree-of-heaven stands are only eliminated through repeated monitoring and control efforts. Initial treatments often only reduce the root systems, making follow-up measures necessary.
Managing Water Use at Home During Drought in Connecticut
If I went to the desert southwest and told them that I was concerned about drought here in Connecticut, I would probably get laughed out of the room! Despite the fact that we get about 48 inches of precipitation annually, we still can experience periods that are classified as drought. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide recommendations for residential water users to prepare for drought conditions. The primary focus will be on private wells.
Biological Controls for Ornamental Growers: Aug. 15 in New Haven
We’re pleased to offer the Biological Controls for Ornamental Growers program again this year in partnership with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. The details include: Biological Control Conference for Ornamental Growers Thursday, August 15, 2024 Jones Auditorium at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), New Haven, CT Featuring: · Suzanne Wainwright Evans […]
Lighting and Your Horse
Circadian and circannual regulation in the horse refers to the internal timing in the equine athlete. A circadian rhythm lasts approximately 24 hours and exists under constant conditions. It can be synchronized by external signals (light/dark the most important) and is endogenously (within the body) generated. It is unaffected by changes in temperature. Feeding and exercise schedules are secondary cues that help synchronize circadian rhythms.
Meet Lauren Kurtz
Lauren Kurtz joined UConn Extension as an Invasive Species Outreach Specialist. She’s originally from Frankfort, Illinois, and earned her undergraduate degrees in environmental studies and geography from Western Michigan University, before coming to UConn for her masters and PhD in horticulture and plant breeding in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. Lauren is […]
Vegetable IPM Field Workshop: August 1, 2024 in Storrs
Vegetable IPM Field Workshop August 1, 2024 – 3 – 6 pm – rain or shine UConn Plant Science Research and Education Facility, 59 Agronomy Road, Storrs CT Join UConn Extension Faculty at the Plant Science Research Farm to learn about important vegetable pests and management options. Presentation topics include: UConn Plant Diagnostic Lab updates Bacterial […]
Meet Emily Picard
Emily Picard (’09 CAHNR, ’10 NEAG) joined UConn Extension as the UConn 4-H educator for Fairfield County in June. She is from Killingworth and has a bachelor of science in agriculture and natural resources from the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources. Emily has a master of arts in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in […]
Meet Halie Shea
Halie Shea joined UConn Extension as the UConn 4-H educator for New Haven County in June. She is from Windsor Locks and has a bachelor of arts in special education from Elms College and a master of science in natural science education and environment and natural resources from the University of Wyoming. What is your […]
Job Opening: New Farmer Business Specialist Program Assistant 2
Tolland County Extension is hiring! Seeking applicants for a part-time (19.25 hours per week) Educational Program Assistant 2 to serve as New Farmer Business Specialist in Vernon, CT. This position will perform customized technical assistance and group training to bolster farm business planning, financial management, access to grants and capital through established state and federal […]
Sowing the Seeds of Coaching with the Master Gardeners
The Fairfield County Master Gardeners had a successful collaboration and a fun and productive day of teaching and gardening when they recently hosted the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Connecticut Charter Chapter at their Demonstration Garden at the Fairfield County Extension Center in Bethel. This event was held during ICF’s annual International Coaching Week (ICW) in […]
Staying Safe in the Heat Wave
Out working in the heat wave? Here are some tips from the Korey Stringer Institute to help: – Hydrate/drink plenty of fluids before you go outside. – Cool your body before heading outside (cold shower, air conditioning, etc.). – Avoid direct sunlight when possible and seek shade/take breaks. – Continue hydrating/drinking plenty of water while […]
Home Food Preservation
Fresh fruits and vegetables are bountiful at farmers’ markets. The abundance can create kitchen challenges and one way to address those is with food preservation. It is important to learn and follow safe home food preservation methods. There are risks to almost every method, but canning, pickling, and fermentation carry some specific risks. Visit https://s.uconn.edu/food-preservation […]
Horse Management and the Land in the Fall
Fall can often be a busy season as temperatures drop, trees change colors and leaves fall and crisp, cool air often leads to more time outdoors. It’s also a great time for land, home and horse owners to consider dealing with not only leaves, but drainage issues, acorns, and storm preparedness. It is a great time to take a look around and assess the horse-keeping situation and be sure that acorns, leaves and drainage don’t cause issues. It is also a great time to get ready to deal with whatever Mother Nature may bring in the time and seasons to come.
Invasive Plant Factsheet: Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
The Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is an invasive, deciduous shrub or small tree. This densely branched plant can grow up to 20 feet and up to 30 of leaves. The Autumn olive is a fast grower and prolific seed producer. While roots are capable of fixing nitrogen in the soil, Autumn olive out-competes and displaces native shrubs. Autumn olive, native to China, Japan, and Korea, is found in the U.S. from Maine, south to northern Florida, west to Nebraska, with scattered infestations in the Northwest U.S. It was introduced into the U.S. in the 1830s, for erosion control and as a windbreak, and for its showy foliage, flowers and berries.