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News from the Center

  • crates of fresh vegetables and people at farmers market

    Mobile Farmers’ Markets Increase Fruit and Vegetable Access for Massachusetts SNAP Participants

    January 31, 2024
    Partnerships between mobile farmer’s markets, the UMass Extension Nutrition Education’s SNAP- Ed Program and community organizations have made it possible for SNAP participants to access fresh healthy produce at their home, school, educational center, and councils on aging. For many SNAP participants this was the first opportunity to use their fruit and vegetable benefit provided through the Healthy Incentive program (HIP). Depending on the household size, this benefit offers $40-80 per month to purchase fruits and vegetables.  
  • Hadley Farm Prepares to Welcome Newest Members of UMPD Mounted Unit

    Around the Barn - Hadley Farm Prepares to Welcome Newest Members of UMPD Mounted Unit

    January 29, 2024
    It is a mild January morning that finds UMPD Detective Jessie Liptak at the Hadley Farm caring for the Mounted Unit’s three horses: Miranda, a 28-year old mare who, despite having a bit more silver in her muzzle, still inspects visitors thoroughly for treats, Miller, an imposing Belgian draft horse, and Outlaw, a sweet, nine-year-old gray who first came to the farm as a horse companion before finding his calling in police work.  
  • Rows of solar panels

    UMass Forum Illuminates Community Support, Strategic Challenges for Solar Development

    January 19, 2024
    The Clean Energy Extension (CEE) at UMass Amherst recently concluded the Western Massachusetts Solar Forum, a series of virtual public discussions and information-sharing sessions regarding the opportunities and challenges associated with solar PV development and installation in Western Massachusetts. The Forum was convened and hosted by CEE, Massachusetts Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), Representative Mindy Domb (D-Amherst), and 16 members of the western Massachusetts state legislative delegation. 
  • Jon with Luca Corelli (University of Bologna, Italy) at the Tatura Smart Farm on December 8, 2023

    Orchard and Vineyard Management the Focus of Australian Symposium

    January 9, 2024
    Jon Clements attended an International Society for Horticultural Science Symposium on Precision Orchard and Vineyard Management, December 4-8, 2023 at the Tatura Smart Farm, in Victoria, Australia.
  • Springfield residents plant trees.

    The Power of Trees over Concrete: Fifty Trees Planted in Springfield Neighborhood

    December 6, 2023
    The Greening the Gateway Cities Program expanded to Springfield November 16th and 17th. Volunteers and foresters, including UMass’ Dr. Rick Harper, planted fifty trees providing a myriad of environmental and health benefits.   
  • UMass Amherst Researchers Exploring Solutions for Managing Cranberry Fruit Rot, a Persistent Challenge Affecting the Crop for Over A Century

    September 22, 2023
    A UMass Amherst research team is set to receive $1.19 million as part of a larger $4.1 million grant, funded by a USDA-NIFA (U.S. Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture) Specialty Crop Research Initiative Grant.
  • Northeast NUEL Conference Brings Together Urban Extension Leaders, Discussing Solutions to Improve City Environment and Living

    August 15, 2023
    Michael DiPasquale, UMass Extension Assistant Professor and Chair for Northeast NUEL (National Urban Extension Leaders), hosted the first regional NUEL conference since the pandemic. The gathering brought together over 60 professionals from highly accredited universities to brainstorm improvements to current food systems and the quality of life for people in cities. 
  • Freezing Time: Selling Local Produce in the Off-Season

    August 2, 2023
    Recent Research led by UMass Amherst Resource Economist Jill Fitzsimmons found that growers might profit if they freeze their produce and sell during the off-season. But is this a good choice for a farm business? This investigation provides information and a cost calculator so growers can make informed decisions.   
  • MANRRS logo

    Local Chapter of National Organization to Support Minorities in Natural Sciences is Established at UMass

    July 8, 2023
    UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture professor Jaime Pinero and graduate student Mateo Rull Garza officially started a MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources & Related Sciences) chapter at UMass in May. This national organization has chapters at universities across the country that promote the success of students from groups that have been historically underrepresented. 
  • 4H Youth experimenting in food science lab learning how to make gummy worms from scratch.

    4-H Youth Explore Their Interests on the UMass Campus with Explore UMass Program

    June 27, 2023
    The 4-H Explore UMass Program took place June 25 to June 27 this year, providing thirty-five 4-H youth ages 12 to 16 with the opportunity to explore their interests and UMass academic programs. 
  • Dr. Lynne McLandsborough

    New Interim Director for CAFE, Extension, and the Experiment Station

    June 26, 2023
    Dr. Lynne McLandsborough, Professor of Food Science, is appointed as the interim director of the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE) and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement. She will start the position on September 1, 2023.
  • Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce Is Just Around the Corner – and So Is the Completion of the Updated UMass Cranberry Station

    November 16, 2022
    The perfect balance between tart and sweet, cranberries are an American favorite and an important Massachusetts agricultural crop. An exciting project at the UMass Cranberry Station is now paving the way for enhanced cranberry research in the Commonwealth.
  • Apples, Donuts and Sustainable Pest Management at Red Apple Farms

    November 7, 2022
    During the week of Oct. 17, more than forty-two students from UMass Amherst and Mount Wachusett Community College enjoyed an immersive expedition to Red Apple Farm, a fourth-generation family farm located in Phillipston, Massachusetts. On top of boasting some of the most delicious, award-winning cider donuts in the state, Red Apple is committed to integrated pest management (IPM), a holistic, environmentally-sound approach that minimizes the use of pesticides.
  • Extension Educator Jon Clements helping impart a module on the use of Pesticides in commercial orchards.

    The Fruits of this Summer’s Labor: Research and Extension Experiences for Undergrads 2022

    November 1, 2022
    The summer of 2022 was a busy and productive one for the inaugural Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) program. REEU is a program under the Stockbridge School and Agriculture (SSA) in partnership with UMass Extension and is currently funded to run through 2026. It aims to provide research training, professional development, and Extension experience to undergraduate students while reaching out to community colleges through paid full-time summer internships.
  • Grass

    UMass Extension’s Green School Registration Open

    September 22, 2022
    Registration is now open for UMass Extension’s Green School, a certificate short course offering horticultural training for professionals and aspiring individuals alike. The remote program will run from Oct. 25th through Dec. 15 three afternoons per week., totaling 60+ hours, and will be taught by UMass Extension Specialists along with UMass faculty and guest instructors. 
  • Vineyard in Colmar, France, where co-author Christoph Bertsch teaches at the Laboratoire Vigne Biotechnologies et Environnement, Université de Haute-Alsace.

    Wine-Drinkers of the World Rejoice! New Research, Led by UMass Amherst, Finds Key to Billion-Dollar Problem

    July 25, 2022
    Grapevine Trunk Diseases, or GTDs, are the bane of vineyard owners worldwide, and as of 2012, were responsible for more than $1.5 billion in annual economic damages. While researchers have long known that a host of pathogenic fungi combine to gang up on grapevines, the mechanics of how these GTD-causing fungi work has remained a mystery. 
  • Construction worker types on a tablet while standing near six wind turbines

    UMass Amherst Emerges as Offshore Wind Workforce Training Leader with Newest Grant Award

    July 21, 2022
    The Baker-Polito Administration and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) recently announced that a team led by UMass Extension professor Dwayne Breger at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been selected to receive $220,000 in grant funding to support the growth of the UMass Clean Energy Extension’s (CEE) Offshore Wind Professional Certificate Program.
  • Produce, seeds, and nuts

    Portable Sensor Technology Aims to Quickly Detect Foodborne Contaminants Outside the Lab

    June 3, 2022
    An international team led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst food and environmental virologist has received a $750,000 USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) partnership grant to develop and test portable, rapid biosensors capable of detecting noroviruses and mycotoxins in foods and agricultural products. It is among the first partnership grants awarded with an international partner by the USDA.
  • giant hogweed

    Why Confronting Invasive Species Is One of the Best Ways to Prepare for Climate Change

    June 1, 2022
    New research, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, finds that the ecological effect of invasive species alone is comparable to the combined effects of invasives plus warming temperatures, drought or nitrogen deposition. This suggests that a critical preparation for climate change is to manage invasive species at the local level.
  • Close-up of bee on a sunflower

    Can Sunflowers Help Defeat the 'Insect Apocalypse'?

    April 5, 2022
    An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, led by Lynn Adler, professor of biology, has been awarded $2.4 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to trace how food affects the ability of pathogens to attack plant pollinators. The research will be the first conducted across a wide range of scales, from the molecular to the community-wide, and has immediate implications for ecosystems, including agricultural efforts, worldwide.

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