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Agriculture & Farming
Developing an IPM Plan for San Jose Scale
The San Jose Scale (SJS) compromises fruit quality and, in instances where they are allowed to establish, pose a significant risk to production. This fact sheet highlights the components of a year-long IPM plan for managing San Jose Scale populations, and provides relevant background and resources.
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Agriculture & Farming
Gene Editing: Impact and Application for Agriculture
Selective breeding of plants and animals began 10,000 years ago. Early efforts in selective breeding focused primarily on improving crops for food production. Over time, the focus expanded to enhance desirable traits in animals. Today, technological advances have made gene editing (also known as genome editing) far more precise than traditional breeding techniques. This fact sheet will explain how gene editing works, why it’s effective, and how it can benefit farmers as well as those interested in this cutting-edge technology.
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Environment, Land Use & Planning
Brush Fires in Connecticut: Be Aware, Be Prepared
In many parts of Connecticut stretches of warm, breezy weather with little rainfall can be the norm. While these conditions may seem typical and easy to take for granted in daily routines, they can become especially concerning during the spring season (before leaves have fully emerged), as well as during the autumn months (as dry leaves fall and accumulate). Drying leaves create a blanket of combustible material across landscapes. The combination of dry fuels and windy conditions increases the risk of forest and brush fires in both rural and suburban areas. Similar dry conditions are uncommon but possible during other months and can also lead to brush fires.
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Agriculture & Farming
Best Practices in Agritourism: Business Planning and Risk Management for Farmers
Agritourism is defined as a commercial activity, conducted on a working farm, that is designed for visitor enjoyment and provides supplemental income for the farmer. It offers farms a valuable opportunity to diversify their income, by welcoming visitors for unique on-farm experiences. Agritourism merges agriculture with tourism—and sometimes entertainment—while showcasing the farm’s products, people, and purpose. Before adding agritourism elements, farmers must consider two foundational components: business planning and insurance.
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Home Gardening & Landscaping
Homemade Pesticide Issues: Understanding the Science
As the gardening season gets underway, lots of homemade weed-killer ‘recipes’ crop up on social media, usually containing some combination of vinegar, Epsom salts and Dawn dishwashing soap. These are often accompanied by a comment such as ‘no need for pesticides’. It may feel good to use familiar household items to control pests in your garden, but it’s important to understand the science behind such mixes—and the potential risks.
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Livestock, Dairy, Equine, & Poultry Handling
SPRING is in the Air: Ideas of How to Prepare
After a long season with little color, when Spring arrives it’s great to see the greening of the grass and blooming flowers. Horses shedding definitely is another reminder. As a horse owner, when you think of the word SPRING, it can help bring to mind some tasks to focus on.
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Agriculture & Farming
Protecting Beehives from Bears
Whether you’re a hobbyist or a professional beekeeper, one thing is certain: bears love honey. They’re also drawn to other food sources like apples and pumpkins, especially during the fall. The right precautions can protect your bees and keep bears at bay. This fact sheet is for beekeepers and shares some important tips to help protect hives from bears.
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Home Gardening & Landscaping
Residential Gardens and Flooding
Seasonal flooding in Connecticut impacts many, including residential gardeners. Included in this factsheet are answers to some questions specifically pertaining to home gardeners.
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Agriculture & Farming
Extreme Weather Preparedness for Livestock Operations
Extreme weather poses a significant risk to animal operations. Keeping livestock and farm families safe requires preparation before an extreme weather event. Work closely with local service providers to develop a comprehensive plan. Stay alert to changes in weather and take action early to prepare for emergencies. Preparing in advance can help to mitigate the negative effects of natural disasters. This factsheet is designed for livestock owners or managers seeking to prepare operations for severe weather events.
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Food & Nutrition
Bird Flu Basics: What You Need to Know About Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
A change in egg prices and availability is a common scenario in grocery stores. These market shifts have primarily occurred because of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly referred to as bird flu. This factsheet is for anyone interested in learning more about HPAI and how they can keep themselves and their families safe.
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Livestock, Dairy, Equine, & Poultry Handling
Pasture: Planning, Seeding, and Sacrifice Areas
It is important to prepare prior to designing a pasture by considering the use of the pasture, land resources available, seeding (including what to seed), design, and location of sacrifice areas. A sacrifice lot will help prevent over-conditioned horses by reducing pasture intake as well as protecting land resources. The expression ‘Failing to prepare, we prepare to fail’ is never more true than when it comes to pasture management.
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Livestock, Dairy, Equine, & Poultry Handling
Conditioning to Prevent Fatigue, Injury and/or Lameness in the Horse
It might be observed at the end of a horse show, event or trail ride. A horse is lathered, huffing and looks exhausted. Is the horse exercise-intolerant? No, most likely it just has not been properly conditioned. Conditioning is defined as getting one’s muscles into better shape through graded exercise. Age, genetics, and nutrition play major roles in conditioning.
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Food & Nutrition
The Amazing Power of Microgreens: Easy to Grow and a Superfood
Microgreens are becoming more popular because they are easy to grow, provide flavor to dishes, and are packed with nutrients. Experiment with different types of microgreens to find a flavor that’s appealing. Microgreens are a budget-friendly and fun way to increase vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to improve health.
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Extension Program and Community Engagement
Culturally Responsive Extension Program Evaluation
Evaluating programs that engage stakeholders from distinct cultural backgrounds and realities requires intentional skill development. This factsheet, intended for professionals working in extension or nonformal education, describes practical strategies for enhancing the cultural responsiveness of evaluations in community-based, educational programs.
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Climate Adaptation & Resiliency
Building Resiliency: Climate Smart Adaptations for Fruit Growers
Extreme weather events can give fruit growers a preview of what producing food in a rapidly changing climate might entail. The general trend of increasing temperatures was solidified and reflected in the recent adjustment to the USDA plant hardiness zones. Coupled with extreme weather events, thoughtful climate adaptation strategies are essential. Included in this factsheet are some climate-smart considerations aimed at increasing the resiliency of a fruit-producing operation.
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Agriculture & Farming
Unique Fruit Crops for Farm Diversification
As climate-related production challenges continue to become more prominent, the need to develop and maintain whole farm resiliency grows. Highly diversified farms enjoy a great deal of innate resiliency, simply due to their mix of commodities. Diversification can take many forms: utilizing new varieties, expanding into a new commodity group, or employing a new production system. One unique opportunity for diversification is to explore alternative, novel, or niche fruit crops. Below is a deeper look at two of the most appealing contenders for diversification.
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Agriculture & Farming
Blueberry Weed Control and Pre-emergent Herbicides
Thoughtful weed management is essential to maintaining high yields and fruit quality in a blueberry operation. It also serves to reduce other pest issues. Growers continue to face challenges associated with weed management, including the development of herbicide resistance and challenges associated with climate change. In this factsheet is a brief overview of managing weeds in blueberries, with a special emphasis on pre-emergent materials.
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Agriculture & Farming
What do Labels Really Mean? Organic, Natural, Cage-Free, Grass-Fed, Pasture-Raised and Local
Organic, Natural, Cage Free, Grass Fed, Pasture-Raised and Local are terms on food labels and used in the news, but what do they really mean? And how important is it to buy organic and natural foods when it comes to healthy eating? Some terms are helpful, and others are misleading. This fact sheet reviews some of these terms and the meaning behind them.
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Agriculture & Farming
10 Consejos Para los Nuevos Criadores de Aves de Corral: Cómo Promover Parvadas y Familias Saludables
La cría de aves de corral domésticas puede ser una experiencia divertida y gratificante. Hay varios pasos que puede tomar para establecer y mantener la salud de su parvada, su familia y el medio ambiente.
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Agriculture & Farming
10 Tips for New Poultry Owners: Promoting Healthy Flocks and Families
Raising domestic poultry can be a fun and rewarding experience. There are several steps to establishing and maintaining the health of your flock, family, and environment.
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One Health
¿Qué es One Health?
One Health es un enfoque colaborativo e integrador que reconoce la interconexión entre los seres humanos, los animales, las plantas y el medio ambiente. Los seres vivos están estrechamente conectados con su entorno natural. Reconocer la interconexión de los sistemas humanos, animales y ambientales puede ayudarnos a promover comunidades y ecosistemas más saludables, el uso sostenible de los recursos y un mundo más resiliente. Por lo tanto, aquellos que utilizan One Health buscan aplicar una perspectiva sistémica para fomentar un cambio positivo. Esta hoja informativa es para residentes, dueños de negocios, municipios, productores agrícolas y otros miembros de la comunidad interesados en aprender cómo el enfoque de One Health puede optimizar nuestra salud colectiva.
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One Health
What is One Health?
One Health is a collaborative, integrative approach that recognizes the interconnectedness between humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Living beings are closely connected to their natural surroundings. Recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental systems can help us promote healthier communities and ecosystems, sustainable use of resources, and a more resilient world. Therefore, those who utilize One Health seek to apply a systems perspective to encourage positive change. This fact sheet is for residents, business owners, municipalities, agricultural producers, and other community members interested in learning how the One Health approach can optimize collective health.
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Agriculture & Farming
Backyard Poultry: A Quick Look at Raising Healthy Birds
Raising backyard poultry is an increasingly popular endeavor, providing fresh eggs, meat, and companionship, while contributing to a sustainable food system. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced poultry owner, it is essential to understand the fundamental aspects of poultry selection, housing, health management, and biosecurity to ensure a healthy, and productive, flock.
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Livestock, Dairy, Equine, & Poultry Handling
Colic: Its Risk Factors and Prevention
Colic refers to any type of abdominal pain. There are many things that can be done to help prevent horse colic issues. By being aware of the risk factors and implementing these preventative measures, the horse can avoid this painful and costly disorder.
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Livestock, Dairy, Equine, & Poultry Handling
Basic Equine Dental Care and How to Detect Trouble
All horses should receive a complete dental exam, at least yearly, starting from their first year of life. By the time most horse owners recognize that a horse is having trouble eating or is losing weight, that horse’s teeth may be severely abnormal. Proper dental care from the beginning of the horse’s life can help eliminate problems before they start. Seek an experienced equine dentist or equine veterinarian to undertake these necessary horse care issues.
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Agriculture & Farming
Crisis Communications Planning for Agritourism Operations
Agritourism is a viable option for farms looking to diversify their revenue streams, educate their neighbors and customers about agriculture, and share the joy that their farm offers. While optimism is preferred, preparing a crisis communications plan before it’s needed can aid in the farm’s resilience. Ideally, it becomes a practice that helps the agritourism operation prevent and mitigate threats. Good communication practices are part of any successful business, including communicating during a crisis.
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Agriculture & Farming
Developing a Biosecurity Plan for Your Livestock or Poultry Operation
A biosecurity plan is a proactive protocol for maintaining the health of animals and people that interact with production or hobby enterprises. The goal of biosecurity is to prevent the introduction and spread of disease-causing pathogens within and between groups of animals and humans. The factsheet integrates a ‘One Health’ approach and is intended for use by livestock operation managers, hobbyists, and others that work closely with poultry and livestock species. The best practices included in this resource may apply to any of the following: chickens, ducks, cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, and other domestic livestock.
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Commercial Landscaping & Turfgrass
Invasive Plant Triage for Habitat Managers in Connecticut
Invasive plants are non-native species that reduce native biodiversity, alter habitats, impact the economy, and pose significant threats to ecosystems. The task of managing invasive plants can quickly become overwhelming due to their aggressive establishment and the time, money, and persistence required to achieve positive outcomes. One practical approach is to use triage, an assessment practice that prioritizes invasive species management strategies by the degree of ecological damage to the site and the economic resources required for management. This paper explores the fundamentals of a triage approach to invasive plant management, including its components, challenges, and implementation strategies for effective invasive species management.
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Livestock, Dairy, Equine, & Poultry Handling
Insulin Resistance in Horses – Does It Matter?
Insulin resistance is defined as a reduced sensitivity of the body’s cells to insulin’s facilitation of glucose uptake. This article discusses equine insulin resistance including its causes, effects, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
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Food & Nutrition
Yogurt, Kefir and Other Choices at the Supermarket
Yogurt is one of the most popular dairy products among Americans. The yogurt section in the supermarket continues to expand, and the many choices can be confusing. Nutritionally, yogurt is a good source of protein, calcium, and potassium. Most yogurts contain added sweeteners; however, it is usually sucrose, artificial flavors, and colors. Kefir is another fermented dairy product made by adding bacterial and yeast cultures to milk. Let’s look at some yogurt and kefir options in the dairy aisle.
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Livestock, Dairy, Equine, & Poultry Handling
Strategic Deworming and Preventing Reinfestation
As spring and warm weather approaches, horse owners typically consider deworming. Recent discussion has centered around how horse owners should switch from rotational deworming–or time-based deworming with the same drug–to strategic deworming also known as targeted or selective deworming. Following that will be consideration of ways to prevent reinfestation of horses that were dewormed.
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Commercial Landscaping & Turfgrass
Invasive Plant Factsheet Common mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is an invasive perennial frequently found in high elevation areas, disturbed habitats, meadows, valleys, and roadsides. Laboratory studies have found the presence of chemicals that could potentially suppress the growth of nearby plants.
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Crop Production
FSMA Final Agricultural Rule on Pre-harvest and Post-harvest
This factsheet outlines the update on Subpart E pre-harvest agricultural water releases in 2024 and requirements for post-harvest activities, according to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, published in 2015. Pre-harvest agricultural water refers to water used during growing activities, such as for irrigation, and crop protection sprays.
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Crop Production
Some Regulations and Codes Related to Commercial Greenhouse Construction in Connecticut
Under Section 1-1(q) of Connecticut General Statutes, greenhouses and other structures, used primarily for the production of horticultural commodities, are considered agriculture and farming. This fact sheet explores some Regulations and Codes related to commerical greenhouses in Connecticut.
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Food & Nutrition
Pasta Alternatives
Pasta is one food that many Americans use as a daily, weeknight and weekend, staple. It is easy to prepare and well-liked by everyone, including kids. A decade ago, the only options were regular and whole wheat. Now options abound and the choices can be confusing to consumers. Which pastas are the most nutritious? Pasta has often been maligned because of its carbohydrate content. Many fad and Keto diets recommend avoiding traditional white pasta, due to the refined grains and carbohydrate content. However, pasta remains a key component of many healthy eating patterns.
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Food & Nutrition
The Health Benefits of Chickpeas
Americans have dramatically increased the use of chickpeas in their diets, over the past few years, particularly in the form of hummus. Chickpeas have so many nutritional and health benefits – adding them to the diet is a big nutritional boost. They are inexpensive and versatile to add to many dishes. This article looks at chickpeas and their health benefits.
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4-H & Youth Development
Cultivating Civil Discourse: A Guide for Adults and Youth
Civil discourse is crucial for fostering understanding and collaboration in a diverse society. Challenges with civil discourse can arise in homes, workplaces, and communities. Extension professionals use science-based information, create spaces where diverse perspectives can be used, and encourage active listening among program participants.
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Crop Production
Rainfall and Root Rots in Commercial Fruit Operations
In orchards, excessive rainfall can lead to oversaturated soils, flooding, and standing water. As a result, observations of plant disease caused by soilborne pathogens often coincide. The excessive free moisture in water-logged soils is problematic for many reasons, the first being stress brought on by the plant roots not having access to oxygen.
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Crop Production
Wind Loads on Greenhouses
In most sections of the United States, the ‘wind load’ is the greatest force that a greenhouse will be subject to. Wind load can occur from hurricanes, tornados, or a sudden squall from a passing weather front. The wind forces that act on the greenhouse are influenced by numerous factors, including the basic wind speed, building orientation and exposure, height and shape of the greenhouse, and doors or vents that may be open at the time of the wind occurrence.
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Crop Production
Getting Zoning Commission Approval for a Greenhouse
Whether expanding a greenhouse operation, or building a new one, zoning approval is required. In some communities, especially smaller ones, this may be easy to obtain. In others, a considerable expenditure in time and money may be required. This usually depends on the level of preparedness (including paperwork), the complexity of the regulations and the feelings of neighbors toward the business.