By: Anoushka Concepcion, Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension Connecticut has an extensive agricultural industry that extends far beyond land. Hidden under its coast, lies more than 70,000 acres where one of the best protein sources is produced – shellfish (clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops). The shellfish aquaculture industry is over 150 years old and […]
Author: Stacey Stearns
Jacobs Receives 2017 Salute to Excellence
Congratulations to New Haven County 4-H volunteer Bill Jacobs, who was recently selected as this year’s recipient of the Salute to Excellence Northeast Region 4-H Volunteer of the Year Award. William (Bill) Jacobs is in his ninth year as a 4-H volunteer in New Haven County, CT. He works as a Vocational/Transition Coordinator for […]
UConn PEP Enfield Graduation
Congratulations to our People Empowering People (UConn PEP) graduates from Enfield. We had a great ceremony on Monday, and are proud of the work you have done in your communities.
Make Sure Your Farm Counts!
Make Sure Your Farm Counts! NASS conducts a census of all agricultural operations every five years as well as other agricultural surveys. We need to know about all types of agricultural operations of all sizes. The Information you provide is kept confidential by law and will not be disclosed to any other government or private […]
Got Gardening Questions?
Did you know that the UConn Extension Master Gardener program has 9 locations statewide, and our trained volunteers are ready and able to help you answer garden questions. Find a location near you at http://mastergardener.uconn.edu.
Job Opportunity
* JOB OPPORTUNITY * 2017- 2018 Part-Time Coordinator Position with the Connecticut Trail Census The Connecticut Trail Census CTTC) is seeking a dynamic multi-use trail (bike-pedestrian) enthusiast to serve as the point person and part-time coordinator for project (~17 hours/week). The CTTC is a new study and volunteer based data collection program on 15 multi-use […]
Controlling Oriental Bittersweet
Controlling Oriental Bittersweet By Donna Ellis, Senior Extension Educator This article was originally published in a longer format in the Eastern CT Forest Landowners Assn. Newsletter 39(1):1-3; 5. Connecticut’s fields, forests, suburban backyards, and urban parks are under threat, imperiled by non-native plants from the faraway continents of Europe and Asia or in some cases […]
Mulch Volcanoes: A Growing Problem
This is a re-post from October 9, 2013. As the weather gets warmer, the problem is resurfacing. UConn Extension has noticed a growing problem in Connecticut landscapes – tree volcanoes. A tree volcano occurs when mulch is piled around the base of the tree and climbs up the trunk. The shape of the mulch resembles a […]
Meat and Poultry Hotline for Food Safety Info
USDA Expands Meat and Poultry Hotline Hours to Further Provide Food Safety Information to Consumers The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that it is increasing the delivery of safe food handling and preparation information by expanding the hours of its Meat and Poultry Hotline and Ask Karen chat services. […]
Online Course Catalog of Extension Programs
There are more than one hundred UConn Extension specialists working throughout Connecticut. These educators are teaching and training in local communities, sharing their experience and knowledge with residents through a variety of programs. These instructional activities now will be easily accessible with the creation of an online extension course catalog. Extension classes address a wide range […]
Spring: Egg Safety Time
Spring: A good time to remind you about egg safety By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety Spring is here (at least officially) and it is always a good time to remind ourselves of how to safely handle eggs. Whether you are hard-boiling them for an Easter or Passover celebration, or looking […]
The Dean’s Chair
Article by Tom Worthley Sometime early in 2016 a sugar maple tree died somewhere on campus and was removed by the UConn arborist crew. Knowing that our UConn student Forest Crew runs a portable bandsaw mill on occasion, arborist John Kehoe arranged to have some of the larger logs from the tree dropped off at […]
Biological Control Short Course Offered
Xerces Society’s Conservation Biological Control Short Course 4-H Education Center at Auer Farm 158 Auer Farm Rd. Bloomfield, CT Tuesday, June 13th, 2017 9:00 am – 4:30 pm EDT Learn a science-based strategy that seeks to integrate beneficial insects for natural pest control with instructor Dr. Ana Legrand from UConn! To register and read course […]
Legal Issues and Climate Adaptation
A number of questions were raised at Legal Issues in the Age of Climate Adaptation, a conference held by UConn CLEAR’s and Connecticut Sea Grant’s Climate Adaptation Academy in late 2015. The Marine Affairs Institute & RI Sea Grant Legal Program at Roger Williams University School of Law reviewed the questions, which came from the audience […]
Where Bears Are
UConn CAHNR faculty member Tracy Rittenhouse was recently featured in the UConn Today article about bears in Connecticut. Tracy tells us: “We recently estimated the population size of black bears in the state at 427+/- 30 bears. We (with UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research) created this online story map that people can use to learn about […]
UConn Sugar House Open Today
UConn Sugar House to be open for sales of fresh maple syrup! The sap is flowing! Members of the UConn Forest and Wildlife Club and UConn Forest Crew are finishing and bottling fresh maple syrup and the Sugar House will be open for demonstration, tours and sales today, Friday, 3/24/2017 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 […]
National Ag Day
Happy National Agriculture Day! UConn CAHNR students, and Connecticut 4-H alumni Katy Davis and Katelyn Williams are in Washington DC today for National Ag Day Training – two of only 12 4-H students selected nationwide to participate. National 4-H Council is pleased to offer this agriculture leadership opportunity for college students to represent 4-H in the 2017 National Ag […]
April Classes with Lifelong Learning
CLIR classes for April, held in Vernon Cottage on the UConn Depot campus, all from 1:15-2:45 p.m. except for Memoirs and Great Decisions. Memoir Club – Thursdays, April 6, 13, 20, 27 from 10:15-11:45 Great Decisions: topics in foreign policy – Tuesdays, April 11, 18, 25 from 10:15-11:45 What is The Enlightenment? – Thursdays, April 6, 13, 20, 27 UConn President Susan Herbst – […]
Celebrate Dairy in March with Put Local on Your Tray
During the month of March, the Put Local On Your Tray program is partnering with school districts across the state to feature local dairy. Put Local On Your Tray helps Connecticut school districts serve and celebrate locally grown products. Through a combination of technical assistance and promotional materials, the program works with schools to build […]
Will Food Label Confusion Go Away?
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety When teaching consumers and those who prepare food for day care centers, food pantries, shelters, and senior lunch programs, I always spend a bit of time talking about food labels. Not the nutrition labels, which can also be confusing to the average consumer, but the […]
Adding Programs to Conservation Academy
UConn’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy Adds Two New Education Programs in 2017 Posted on February 19, 2017 by Cary Chadwick Founded in 2011, the Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) is designed to provide high school students with a structured informal learning experience focused on the environment, natural resources and geospatial technologies. In case you haven’t heard about it yet, let […]
Produce Safety Training
Bruce Gresczyk, Jr., a Connecticut farmer and Produce Safety Alliance trainer teaches CT produce farmers about ag water and food safety at an Extension sponsored Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training yesterday.
CLEAR, 20 Years Online
By Kara Bonsack Websites have come a long way since the inception of the Internet. While the Internet can be traced back to the 1960s, 1991 is considered the year the World Wide Web went live. In 1995 the last usage restrictions were lifted, clearing the path for the internet to become what we now know it […]
Connecticut Dairy Seminar
Register Today for the March 13th New England Dairy Conference Maximize your milk yield returns by understanding the role of fatty acids in dairy cattle nutrition. Maximize profits from your forages. Two timely topics; three excellent speakers! Based on research conducted over the past two years, conference speakers will tell you what you should do – […]
Tick Testing
Warmer weather months in Connecticut are the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. There are beautiful trails to hike, parks to visit with your children or dogs, and there is the simple joy of lying in the lush, green grass. Of course, with the warm weather also comes with the New England […]
Sunrise, Sunset and the Equation of Time
By Juliana Barrett Originally posted on http://blog.clear.uconn.edu The days are finally getting longer. It is always a slow, subtle and most welcome change from the days of leaving for work in the dark and arriving home again in the dark.sunset-sun-abendstimmung-setting-sun-122443 Since the winter solstice on December 21, 2016 when the North Pole is tilted furthest from […]
Going Back to Your Roots, or Tubers
Going back to your roots…or tubers…or bulbs…or corms Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator Corms? What are corms? This time of year, those of us who make an attempt to eat seasonally, “root” vegetables are a mainstay. Though most are available year round, roots are something that you can continue to find at […]
Municipal Grounds and Sports Turf Academy
Municipal Grounds and Sports Turf Academy March 14 & 15, 2017, 8 am-4 pm W.B. Young Building, 1376 Storrs Road, Room 100 University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT The registration fee is $180.00. $20 discount ($160 per person) for groups of 3 or more. Student registration is $25. Walk-in registrations are welcome, but must be paid […]
March Lifelong Learning Classes
CLIR classes for March will be held in Vernon Cottage on the UConn Depot campus, all from 1:15-2:45 p.m. except for Memoirs: Memoir Club Thursdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23 – 10:15-11:45 a.m. Water Systems of Rome through the Ages Wednesday, March 1 Cahokia: […]
New England Dairy Conference Scheduled
Join us for the New England Dairy Conference on March 13th: CONFERENCE AGENDA 9:00 am – Registration, Refreshments and Trade Show 9:50 am -Welcome Dr. Sheila Andrew, Professor, UConn, Department of Animal Science 10:00 am – “New Milk Analysis Technologies to Improve Dairy Cattle Performance’” Dr. David Barbano, Professor, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 11:00 am – “Use […]
Major New CLEAR Programs Underway in 2017
By Chet Arnold Originally posted on http://blog.clear.uconn.edu As 2017 gets underway, CLEAR folks are working hard on the early stages of major new projects that cover all three of CLEAR’s traditional program areas, and actually add a fourth! Each one of these projects will no doubt be the fodder for many blogs to come, but for […]
Attending the Inauguration with 4-H
I recently returned from Washington D.C. where I joined 4 fellow Connecticut 4-Hers to attend the first ever Citizen Washington Focus Presidential Inauguration. It was held in conjunction with the Presidential Inauguration. We were there with 500 4-Hers from all across the country who all shared the same interest in democracy and politics. We stayed […]
It’s Not Too Late for the Spring Bedding Plant Meetings
You can Register for the Spring Bedding Plant Meetings: By Email: Leanne Pundt, at leanne.pundt@uconn.edu or call 860-921-3288 You can pay at the door (cash or check), however, please pre-register by phone or email by Feb 13 for Feb 16 meeting at the Tolland County Extension Center Feb 14 for Feb 21 meeting at the Litchfield County Extension […]
Summer 2017 Internships
UConn Extension is pleased to offer internships for UConn undergraduate students again this year. Student interns gain valuable in-the-field experience in your chosen discipline at an in-state Extension office location. Internship opportunities include: • Food • Nutrition • Health • Sustainability • Research • Agribusiness • Youth Education • […]
Join Us for America Saves Week
UConn Extension has partnered with America Saves Week again this year, and we are celebrating from February 27th through March 4th. Connecticut Saves Campaign is a statewide initiative to encourage Connecticut residents to take positive financial actions and save regularly to turn their dreams into reality. Here you will find workshops and events around the state, […]
Import a Little Flavor in the Winter Months
By: Diane Wright Hirsch Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety OK, I admit it…. I just cannot eat totally “local” and “seasonal” during the winter. It’s just too hard at this time of year. And, also, so many cold weather menus and winter celebrations revolve around aromas, flavors and sensations that come from foods […]
Webinar: Innovations in Workforce Development
Innovations in Workforce Development A CEDAS Academy Webinar Thursday, February 16, 2017 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Workforce development is one of the foundations of successful local and regional economic development strategies. Local, new and emerging businesses need a well-trained and accessible labor force. In light of recent industry location decisions in the state, more […]
UConn CLEAR February Webinars
UConn CLEAR has announced their February webinars for the 7th and 14th. The first is Getting Started on Your New MS4 Permit, and the second is Road Salt Use in Connecticut: Understanding the Consequences of the Quest for Dry Pavement. Attendance is FREE! Register online now, and invest just one hour of your time in the […]
Worker Protection Standard Training
UConn Extension is hosting EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS) workshops for agricultural pesticides. This training is for agricultural employers of farm workers and or pesticide handlers on farms, forests, greenhouses, and nurseries. Also for commercial pesticide application employers. The revised worker protection standard went into effect on January 2, 2017. There will be further requirements […]
Celebrate Martin Luther King Day 2017
Join UConn this afternoon to celebrate Martin Luther King Day 2017 with a presentation by Dr. Marc Lamont Hill at 4 pm in the Jorgensen Center.