With a Little Gardening Help from Some Friends
Research led by UMass, UNH, and UConn researchers studied flowering plants to attract syrphid flies as biological control of common crop pests.
Integrating research and outreach education from UMass Amherst
The northeast region of Massachusetts is composed of Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties. The largest city in the region is Boston.
Research led by UMass, UNH, and UConn researchers studied flowering plants to attract syrphid flies as biological control of common crop pests.
There is coverage of a study led by the New England Aquarium that includes researchers from UMass Amherst finding climate change is having an impact on how large whale species, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, use habitats in the warming Gulf of Maine. It shows that right whales’ use of Cape Cod Bay has shifted significantly over the last 20 years.
UMass Amherst’s Gloucester Marine Station (GMS): Phase 1 conclusions of a study led by the GMS about the importance and impact of the Blue Economy on North Shore communities found that now is the time for the communities to use their unique strengths to build resilient, sustainable and equitable maritime economic development while also promoting and sustaining ocean ecosystem health.
Tawny Simisky, UMass extension, is quoted in a column discussing the differences between stink bugs and western conifer seed bugs. (Ipswich Chronicle & Transcript, 3/13/21)
The Waltham city council has agreed to the purchase and sale of the formerly active UMass Field Station and Farm. UMass will use some of the sales proceeds to establish a permanent endowment for scholarships for Waltham students attending UMass Amherst. (Wicked Local Waltham, 4/14/20)
Because of the coronavirus emergency, the UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment and UMass Extension have postponed public face-to-face programs through at least May 18. Online presentations are being prepared where possible. The Soils and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory as well as the Plant Diagnostics Laboratory are both also closed until at least then.
The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, along with other sponsors, hosted the Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network’s third annual conference on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at the Mount Ida campus of UMass Amherst.
The conference was designed to serve as a venue to shape conversation about ecosystem resilience, for participants to reflect on their own work, to boost morale and to network.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has named Clem Clay as director of the UMass Extension Agriculture Program, a 110-year old educational outreach program that serves farmers, landscape and turf professionals, fruit growers, arborists, nursery owners, flower growers, service providers, public agencies, non-profit organizations and businesses.
At a public event held at UMass Amherst’s Mount Ida campus, Stephen Rich, microbiology, presented information about TickReport, a service his lab runs that allows people to mail in ticks and receive a report about disease-causing microbes the tick may be carrying. (Boston 25 News, 5/14/19; News Office release)
Wednesday, March 27 was Agriculture Day on Beacon Hill. It’s a day when legislators and legislative staff get to meet with farmers and other members of the agricultural community to hear about the issues important to them. It’s also a day when everyone gets to eat a delicious meal made from locally-grown ingredients (and cooked by students from one of the state’s agricultural-vocational high schools) and sample Massachusetts’ specialty food items, including but not limited to maple candy, cranberries, cheeses, apple pie (very popular!), oysters, ice cream and more.