UConn Extension’s Scaling Up Program created a video series on farmers in Connecticut. This film features Bill Stuart Jr. of Stuart Family Farm in Bridgewater.
UConn Extension
Sweet Acre Farm
UConn Extension’s Scaling Up Program created a video series on farmers in Connecticut. This film features Charlotte Ross and Jonathan Janeway of Sweet Acre Farm in Lebanon.
School IPM Workshops
Learn more about the School IPM Workshops presented by UConn Extension through this YouTube video. Our programs work with school turf managers, landscapers and more.
New Program Leaders
UConn Extension has four major program areas: 4-H youth development, agriculture and food systems, family and community development, and land use and water. Each of these areas has an Extension educator that serves a two-year term as program leader. New program leaders were recently announced for the Family and Community Development and 4-H teams. German […]
New Greenhouse Teaches Science of Gardening
New Greenhouse helps 4-H Center at Auerfarm Teach Youth the Science of Gardening By Sarah Bailey, Master Gardener Coordinator, Hartford County Extension Center Winter may have been unusually cold and long this year, but there was a sunny and green oasis at the 4-H Center at Auerfarm. Spinach and herbs grew throughout the winter, […]
Lynn & Marjorie Brown: Promoting & Supporting 4-H for a Lifetime
Lynn & Marjorie Brown: Promoting and Supporting 4-H for a Lifetime By Nancy Wilhelm, Program Coordinator, 4-H Youth Development Marjorie and Lynn Brown have spent a lifetime promoting and supporting UConn Extension and the 4-H Program. Both grew up on farms in Iowa where they were 4-H members – Marjorie participated in home economics […]
International Experience at Auerfarm
UConn Students from UConn’s Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders on Social Entrepreneurship and participants from either North or Sub-Saharan Africa came out to 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm camp in July. After a morning in the garden, everyone ended up in the shade sharing information about themselves and showing the campers where they came […]
CT Sea Grant Awarded Grant to Grow Aquaculture and Shellfisheries
Tessa Getchis, Connecticut Sea Grant/UConn Extension aquaculture educator at the University of Connecticut, has been awarded a grant totaling $315,240 to enhance the growth of Connecticut aquaculture and shellfisheries. The project, titled “Listening, Learning and Leading to Support Shellfish Aquaculture Growth in Connecticut and the Nation” is funded by the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program’s […]
Post-Harvest Handling Workshop
In June, UConn Extension hosted a Small-Scale, Low-Cost Facility Design for Post-Harvest Handling, with Robert Hadad, Cornell Cooperative Extension Vegetable Specialist. Connecticut and Rhode Island farmers from smaller fruit and vegetable operations learned low-cost ways to address food safety of fresh produce through cooling, washing, use of sanitizers and packing area sanitation. Robert is shown with his […]
9/11 National Day of Service
9/11 National Day of Service – members of FoodCorps CT and the CT Food Justice VISTA Project, helping a local farmer get her fields ready at Cloverleigh Farm in Mansfield. Both projects are coordinated by UConn Extension and proud partners with AmeriCorps.
New PEP Facilitators
The training for People Empowering People (PEP) facilitators was on June 22 & 23rd and there were 18 participants from Waterbury, CRT Hartford, Torrington, UConn Health, New London Youth Affairs, and CREC. We’re looking forward to seeing these facilitators work with new groups of PEP participants.
Healthy Eating Grocery Tour
On Thursday, June 4th UConn Extension partnered with Big Y and Cooking Matters at the store to offer Torrington’s Even Start parents a healthy eating grocery store tour.
Wintonbury Land Trust
Wintonbury Land Trust: Supporting and Improving Land Access to Local Farmers By Rachel Murray for UConn Extension Land trusts are at the forefront of reshaping the agricultural landscape in Connecticut. They can be a leader supporting and promoting new and beginning farmers by providing access to farmland. Wintonbury Land Trust and Hawk Hill Preserve […]
Vegetable IPM Program
Jude Boucher of our Vegetable Crops Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program has had a busy summer. He helps commercial vegetable growers find sustainable solutions to pest problems. The program emphasizes healthy soils, balanced plant nutrition, proper pest and beneficial identification, scouting and monitoring techniques, preventative management strategies, reduced-risk pesticide selection and application, and resistance management. This […]
4-H Recognition Night
The Fairfield County 4-H Recognition Night was held on June 4th. Congratulations to all of the 4-H members who received awards.
Metabolic Family Day
A Family Day was held for patients with metabolic disorders and their families at Rock Cats Stadium in New Britain on May 17, 2015. Sherry Gray from the UConn Extension – Hartford County coordinated the event. The event was hosted by UConn Health Center, UConn Extension and Yale New Haven Hospital and was sponsored by […]
Home Canning, Food Safety, and Botulism
Home canning, food safety, and botulism—don’t freak out, but do process safely By Diane Wright Hirsch As an Extension educator, I have been teaching folks how to can for more than thirty years. And still, what worries folks the most is botulism poisoning. While it continues to be very rare, when it does occur, it […]
Jolly Ranchers 4-H Club
The Jolly Ranchers 4-H Club of Durham celebrated Memorial Day by participating in the town parade again this year. Photos by Len Baginski.
Greenwich PEP Graduates
Congratulations to our UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) graduates from Greenwich! They graduated in a ceremony on May 11th.
Proven Biological Controls for Ornamentals
Photos from our Biological Controls Workshop on June 18th. We had a fabulous turnout and great speakers, thank you everyone.
Highlights of Extension
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.
First Place in Storytelling with Maps
Last week at the Esri International User Conference in San Diego, UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research‘s Emily Wilson and Chet Arnold received the First Place Award in the Science/Technology/Education category of the Esri Storytelling with Maps Contest. There were over 400 submissions to the contest and only 5 first place winners. Over 16,000 […]
Eat Smart Live Strong
UConn Extension’s SNAP-Ed Food Security partnered with Elmwood Senior Center in Danbury to offer the USDA Eat Smart Live Strong program this summer. Programs are led by Heather Peracchio, Extension Educator and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Seniors are provided $15 vouchers towards fresh produce and round-trip transportation to the Farmers Market twice per month thanks to a […]
Living Shoreline Workshop
Connecticut Sea Grant and Extension’s CLEAR hosted the second Living Shoreline Workshop in June as part of the Climate Adaptation Academy. This workshop brought over 100 participants together to hear experts from Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and other states including Connecticut talk about different aspects of living shorelines including on the ground examples and what has […]
Bristol PEP Graduates
Congratulations to our UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) graduates from Bristol. Four groups: South Side FRC, West Bristol FRC, Bristol Head Start/FRC and Greene Hills FRC graduated on June 4th.
4-H Microwave Magic
The New London County 4-H program was at Norwich Summer Jam & Learn last week. This cooking project 4-H Microwave Magic. The 4-H program will be there every Wednesday with the youth.
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 […]
Tools for Healthy Living
“Tools for Healthy Living,” a curriculum about healthy homes and food safety, has been accepted as a national peer-reviewed curriculum by the National 4-H Council. The curriculum, designed for students in grades four through six who are in afterschool 4-H programs, was developed by UConn Extension as part of a 5-year Sustainable Community Project grant […]
Healthier Food at the Right Price
Moms from Grassroots Academy learned about saving money at the store while feeding their family healthier foods during a grocery store tour at Price Rite in Danbury last week led by EFNEP educator and dietitian Heather Peracchio and extension aide Juliana Restrepo-Marin. The tour was in partnership with the Cooking Matters at the store program.
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 […]
National Adaptation Forum
By Juliana Barrett Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension In early May, over 700 people gathered in St Louis, MO for the second National Adaptation Forum (NAF). The purpose of the NAF is to promote and share climate adaptation research, issues, tools and strategies. Participants gathered from across the United States and Canada including federal, […]
Enfield & Worcester PEP Graduations
Congratulations to our People Empowering People (PEP) graduates from Enfield and Worcester. Both classes graduated in early May. At the Enfield graduation, the mayor was there, and the Police Department as they are working alongside the PEP program in a project. For the project, police and PEP graduates exchange phone numbers and when an emergency happens […]
Students First Funds Golf Tournament
The UConn Extension team had a great day at the 7th Annual UConn Students First Funds Golf Tournament on Monday. Left to right: Paul Gagnon, Career Consultant for the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources; Steve Geary, Department Head of Pathobiology; Bill Field, Division of Environmental Health and Safety; and Mike O’Neill, Associate Dean and Associate […]
Build a Rain Garden
Want to build a beautiful garden that also helps to protect local waterways? Let the NEMO Rain Garden App show you how. Spring means the urge to create gardens. Spring also means rain and polluted runoff flowing into the street, down the storm drain, and into the local brook or wetland. Why not solve both […]
Barnum School in Bridgeport
Barnum School 4-Hers in Bridgeport celebrated Earth Day on April 25th. Parents, students and community volunteers celebrated with a Garden clean up. Twenty-seven beds were cleaned, wood chips laid, and eight new beds were built.
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 […]
More PEP Graduates
Congratulations to our most recent UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) graduates from Meriden! The People Empowering People Program is a personal and family development program with a strong community focus. Created by Cheryl Czuba, UConn Extension Educator, the PEP program builds upon individual life experiences and strengths to encourage growth in communication and problem solving skills, parent/family relationships and […]
The Season for Strawberries
Photo and article by Susan Pelton for UConn Extension We moved into our home in December of 1996 and by June of 1997 I had broken through the sod, tilled the soil, fenced in an area, and planted a new garden. One of the first additions to that garden was a strawberry bed. Even […]