The Highlights of Extension showcase our program achievements from the past year. Learn more about our various programs and how they tie research to real life.
Agriculture & Farming
Ensuring a vibrant and sustainable agricultural industry and food supply
Late Blight Now in CT
Article and update by Joan Allen for UConn Extension. Tomato and potato growers and gardeners: Protect your crops NOW from late blight infection. The disease has been reported in Litchfield County, Connecticut on July 18, 2015. With moist weather conditions the pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, will sporulate prolifically and spread rapidly on wind currents. Fungicide products can […]
Sugaring Manure
Connecticut has more manure nutrients than we need for our crops. UConn Extension Educator Rich Meinert and two summer interns spent Friday “sugaring” manure. Just like maple growers sugar sap by boiling away the water we will be sugaring liquid dairy manure from a screw press separator to remove the water so that we […]
Windham Extension Council
The Windham County Extension Council hosted their Annual Meeting in May, and included a presentation from UConn Extension’s Joyce Meader on livestock.
10 Tips for the July Gardener
Do not prune rhododendrons and azaleas after the second week of July as they will begin setting their buds for next year’s blooms. Put netting on fruit trees and bushes a few weeks before the fruit begins to ripen to protect it from birds and squirrels. Fertilize roses for the last time in mid-July. Pinch […]
UConn Extension Interns Tie Research to Real Life
Each year, UConn students apply and compete for paid internship opportunities with UConn Extension, whose mission is to connect the power of UConn research to local issues by creating practical, science-based answers to complex problems. This summer, 13 students are tying research to real life in our UConn Extension offices across the state. Santiago Palaez […]
IPM at Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford
Through its offices located throughout Connecticut, UConn Extension connects the power of UConn research to local issues by creating practical, science-based answers to complex problems. Extension provides scientific knowledge and expertise to the public in areas such as: economic viability, business and industry, community development, agriculture and natural resources. This post, written by Mary Concklin […]
The Untimely Death of a Worm
By Catherine Hallisey Connecticut FoodCorps As I was kneeling by a raised garden bed, planting snap peas with a couple of students, I heard a third grader scream “NOOOOOO!” from the other side of the garden. An array of thoughts immediately sped through my mind in the split second it took me to get over to […]
Deformed Spinach? Could be Crown Mites
By Joan Allen for UConn Extension Some spinach cultivars are expected to have pretty bumpy, puckered leaves. If your plants are not that type, but the leaves look like that or have small holes in them when they expand, crown mites (Rhizoglyphus sp.) are a possible cause. Conditions that favor mite activity and damage are […]
Mmmm…Strawberry Season
By Diane Wright Hirsch, Extension Educator, Food Safety One of the best things about early summer in Connecticut is strawberry season. I will never understand why folks buy California berries at the supermarket in June. I recently saw a post on a local farm’s Facebook page where a customer shared a picture of two […]
Microbes Make the Cheese
Dennis D’Amico of the Department of Animal Science and his colleagues produced the booklet, Microbes Make the Cheese. It contains useful information such as the art of making cheese, history, and the use of microbes.
10 Tips for the June Gardener
Control and reduce aphid numbers on vegetables, roses, perennial flowers, shrubs and trees with a hard spray from your garden hose or two applications of insecticidal soap. Plant seeds of bush beans every three weeks for a continuous harvest. Heavy rains encourage slug problems. Check for slugs during rainy periods and hand pick the pests. […]
Biological Control Programs for Ornamentals
Proven Biological Control Programs for Indoor and Outdoor Production of Ornamentals UConn Extension and UMass Extension are sponsoring, Proven Biological Control Programs; for indoor and outdoor production of ornamentals. This one day educational program will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015 in Room 100 of the WB Young Building, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. The […]
Grow a Safe Salad
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator – Food Safety Year round farmers markets are already selling early spring greens to those of us who have been craving the fresh, locally grown stuff during the long winter months. The use of greenhouses, cold frames and hoop houses and other season-extending contraptions make it possible for […]
Volunteers Needed for Research Project
Lily Leaf Beetles – UConn Looking for CT Volunteers to Assist with Biological Control Study Just last week, as I peered into my tiger lily bed, a splash of red caught my eye. Even though I squashed every lily leaf beetle and larvae I found last year, some had apparently been missed and they overwintered to […]
10 Tips for the May Gardener
Thin or compacted turf will benefit from core aeration and over-seeding. Keep new seed moist until germination. Remove spent blooms on tulips, daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs to focus its energy on growing new bulbs rather than producing seeds. Plant tomatoes, peppers and melons after the danger of frost is past and the soil […]
Meet Our Summer Interns
Each year UConn students apply to and compete for paid internship opportunities with the UConn Cooperative Extension Service. Through its offices located throughout Connecticut, UConn Extension connects the power of UConn research to local issues by creating practical, science-based answers to complex problems. Extension provides scientific knowledge and expertise to the public in areas such […]
On Farm Food Processing
Processing Food for Sale from Your Connecticut On-farm Residential Kitchen Are you a farmer interested in processing jams, jellies, acidified foods (pickles, relishes), or maple syrup from your on-farm residential kitchen? Connecticut regulations allow farmers, using the fruits and vegetables they grow, to manufacture these foods in their home kitchen with the intent to sell them […]
Avian Influenza
Hello small flock owners. Avian Influenza (AI) is still a major threat to our poultry. With more cases being diagnosed in the Midwest, it seems it is only a matter of time before it strikes our area. The USDA has set up a new website with all the information on AI. Please go to the […]
Shellfish Mapping Tool
A new version of the Connecticut Aquaculture Mapping Atlas has been launched at: http://clear3.uconn.edu/aquaculture/. The new and improved website was built based on feedback from shellfish interest groups like yours. The latest version of this interactive map viewer includes new data layers and functions. The viewer includes updated commercial and recreational harvest areas, natural beds, […]
Extension Educator Honored
Boucher Receives 2015 AAUP Service Excellence Award It was recently announced that Jude Boucher will be receiving the Service Excellence Award from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) on April 6th at a ceremony in the Old Appropriations room of the State Capitol building in Hartford. Jude is the Extension Educator for vegetable crops […]
Get Ready to Guac and Roll!
By Catherine Hallisey FoodCorps Connecticut Service Member It all started with me holding up an avocado, screaming enthusiastically, “WHO IS READY TO GUAC AND ROLL?!” Unfortunately, my quirky pun did not elicit the response I had hoped for— instead students started groaning, “ewww that’s green” and “where’s the ranch?!” even “I am not touching that!” Although […]
Price Study of CSAs in CT
2014 Price Study of Community Supported Agriculture Operations in CT By Molly Deegan and Jiff Martin, UConn Extension extension.uconn.edu *For more information about this study, contact jiff.martin@uconn.edu Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): an arrangement whereby customers pay growers in advance of the growing season for a guaranteed share of the season’s harvest. Background: In summer 2014 […]
Connecticut Seeds for Connecticut Gardens
Photo and Article By Dawn Pettinelli About now, many of us gardeners have a stack of seed catalogs several inches high and have started combing through them acquiring all kinds of ideas and a long wish list. Before finalizing you orders, spend a bit of time going through any leftover seeds from the previous year. […]
Reducing Storm Damage to Your Greenhouses
By John W. Bartok, Jr. Agricultural Engineer, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. 2013 39 pounds per square foot – That’s the weight of snow I had in my yard in Ashford after the January 2011 snow and rain storms. The Connecticut Building Code calls for a design load of 30 pounds per square foot (psf) […]
Soil Workshop
UConn Extension‘s Richard Meinert and Dawn Pettinelli attended a soil workshop on the west coast in November. Dawn writes: the 2014 International Annual Meeting of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) was in Long Beach, California. The theme of this year’s […]
Greenhouse Vegetable Workshop
UConn Extension hosted a workshop on December 16th on Growing Container Grown Greenhouse Vegetables. Over 65 attendees listened to five University speakers and two farmers share their insights on greenhouse vegetables.
The Science of Cheese-Making
UConn Extension‘s Dennis D’Amico recently traveled to England to focus on the science of making cheese. Listen to his interview with NPR.
International Year of Soils
The U.S. Department of Agriculture kicked off its celebration of the International Year of Soils to highlight the importance of healthy soils for food security, ecosystem functions and resilient farms and ranches. “Healthy soil is the foundation that ensures working farms and ranches become more productive, resilient to climate change and better prepared to meet the challenges of […]
The Hickories
UConn Extension’s Scaling Up Program created a video series on farmers in Connecticut. This film features Dina Brewster of the Hickories in Ridgefield.
Three Connecticut Projects Selected for RCPP Funding
“More than 600 pre-proposals were submitted nationwide. With so many strong proposals, the project selection process was extremely competitive,” said Lisa Coverdale, Connecticut State Conservationist for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. “We are so very proud that three from Connecticut have been selected for funding. This is such an amazing opportunity to work with some […]
Massaro Community Farm
UConn Extension’s Scaling Up Program created a video series on farmers in Connecticut. This film features Steve Munno of Massaro Community Farm in Woodbridge.
Provider Farm
UConn Extension’s Scaling Up Program created a video series on farmers in Connecticut. This film features Kerry and Max Taylor of Provider Farm in Salem.
Beltane Farm
UConn Extension’s Scaling Up Program created a video series on farmers in Connecticut. This film features Paul Trubey of the Beltane Farm in Lebanon.
10 Tips for the January Gardener
1. Check out the Garden Master classes that are available throughout the state at http://mastergardener.uconn.edu/. Most classes are open to both Master Gardeners and the general public. 2. If driveways or sidewalks have been treated with a de-icer that contains sodium chloride do not pile this snow on plants or in areas where the melting […]
Vegetable Workshops
UConn Extension will offer two workshops on pests and diseases of vegetable crops this February. These workshops will cover common and important pests and diseases of four vegetable families: Cucurbitaceae (cucumber, squash, melon and pumpkin), Brassicaceae (cabbage family), Solanaceae (tomato, potato, pepper and eggplant), and Fabaceae (legumes/beans and peas). The emphasis will be on identification […]
State’s Aquaculture Industry Nets Benefits from Changes in Federal Plan
By Sheila Foran for UConn Today Commercial shellfish farmers who use the ocean to grow their crops off the nation’s coastline now have the same kind of protection against crop losses as do people who farm on land, due to a recent change in federal policy. The new language providing coverage was added to the […]
A Fair To Remember
Does the winter weather have you missing 4-H Fair season? Relive the 2014 Middlesex-New Haven County 4-H Fair with this video created by Connecticut 4-H volunteer Marianne Beckman and Cheshire Public Access.
Put CT Grown On Your Tray
UConn Extension is excited about the #PutCTGrownOnYourTray campaign. Mary Concklin, Extension Educator for Fruit IPM and farmer at Raspberry Knoll Farm poses with her life-size farm cutout at Extension’s Build Your Network, Grow Our Future conference earlier in December.
Invasive Worm Survey
We Need Your Help – Take Our Invasive Worm Survey Some of you may be aware of the problems our forest ecosystems, and in some cases our gardens, are experiencing due to the arrival of the invasive earthworm species, Amynthas, also known at the crazy snake worm or Alabama jumper. Here is a link […]