Qian (Rachel) Lei-Parent recently joined our Middlesex County Extension Center and UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) as an assistant extension geospatial educator. Qian has both of her B.S and M.S in Land Resources Management from Wuhan University, China. She received her Ph.D in natural resources from University of Connecticut focusing on […]
Author: Stacey Stearns
Meet MacKenzie White
MacKenzie White joined UConn Extension as our Diversified Livestock Field Based Extension Specialist on November 1, 2024. MacKenzie grew up in Shapleigh, Maine and earned her associates of applied animal science from the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture at UConn, a bachelor of science in agriculture and natural resources with a minor in animal science […]
We’re Having a Brush Fire Season – Please be Aware
By Tom Worthley Once again in today’s weather forecast, no significant precipitation is anticipated for the next week or so. Warm temperatures and breezy conditions will prevail. We have experienced such conditions before and we tend to go about our daily activities without giving it much thought. Notable now, however, as opposed to other times […]
State 4-H Program Coordinator Job Opening
Job Opening: We are hiring a State 4-H Program Coordinator. The State 4-H Program Coordinator will provide oversight and coordination of state, regional, and national administrative aspects of the UConn 4-H program, including event management, fund development and foundation account management, promotion and marketing, and compliance with UConn Minor Protection and federal civil rights requirements. […]
Managing Water Use at Home During Drought in Connecticut
Despite the fact that we get about 48 inches of precipitation annually, we still can experience periods that are classified as drought here. Although it can be said that drought is part of our natural cycle here in Connecticut, higher global temperatures have impacted our precipitation patterns. Over the last century, our annual precipitation totals […]
Apple Picking with the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program
As the air begins to get colder and fall crops become ready to harvest, apple picking is a great way to learn about food systems, support local agriculture, and engage in healthy eating behaviors. On October 15th, 2024, twenty youth and child development professionals from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN) traveled to Holmberg Orchards […]
What 4-H Means to Me
Current UConn 4-H members shared their thoughts on their experiences with UConn 4-H and what it means to them. “Through my leadership and citizenship experiences in 4-H, I have met an incredible group of people that I have built connections with. It’s been amazing to see how 4-H creates a sense of excitement and perseverance, […]
Meet Charles Krasnow
Charles Krasnow joined UConn Extension as an associate extension educator for controlled environment agriculture in September. He is originally from Newton, Massachusetts and earned his bachelor of science from UMASS Amherst and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. What is your area of interest and how did you get started with it? I love plant pathology, […]
Elote and Esquites
Over 9,000 years ago, native Mexicans began breeding a wild grass called teosinte [tā-ō-‘sin-tē]. This practice has lead to the corn we know and love today. Mexican street corn, a popular food sold by street vendors, can be served “on the cob” or as corn niblets in a bowl. In this recipe, Elote [e’lo.te] refers […]
The Diebold Family: Lifelong Supporters of 4-H and Agriculture
The Diebold Family are lifelong supporters of 4-H and youth interested in pursuing agriculture. The generosity of gifts provided by Dudley and Nonie Diebold and the Diebold Foundation to the UConn 4-H program have provided Connecticut 4-H youth with unique and exciting leadership opportunities at both the state and national level. These include conferences such […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Juneteenth 2024
“Juneteenth,” June 19th, is a Federal Holiday. The word “Juneteenth”, a combination of June and nineteenth, also known as “Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, National Independence Day and Black Independence Day.” The slaves were freed on January 1, 1863, but it took a long time for word to reach other parts of the United […]
Pollinator Week
Happy Pollinator Week! We have resources to help you support pollinators in your yard and outdoor spaces: http://s.uconn.edu/pollinators – we’ll be celebrating them again in July for our annual Bug Week activities too (http://bugs.uconn.edu).
Job Opening: Vegetable & Hemp Outreach Assistant
We’re hiring! UConn Extension seeks applicants for a full-time Extension Outreach Assistant (Educational Program Assistant 2) to provide administrative and programmatic support to the Vegetable and Hemp Extension Program. This position will perform farm scouting and consultations with growers, and report farm observations and data to Extension faculty in vegetable production to create extension publications. Details: […]
Webinar Planned on Mapping Invasive Plants in a Coastal Forest
Webinar: Mapping Invasive Plants in a Coastal Forest WEDNESDAY, June 26, 2024 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Presenters: Shelby Larubina, CT NERR & Cary Chadwick, UConn CLEAR Details & register: http://s.uconn.edu/invasive-mapping The newly designated Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses ~52,000 acres of upland, marsh, sandy beach, rocky shoreline and open water habitats in Southeastern […]