Growing a Crop of Healthy Eaters
“And how are the children?”
-- traditional greeting of the Masai tribe of east Africa
Extension in Western Massachusetts
About Western Massachusetts
The western region of Massachusetts is composed of Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The largest city in the region is Springfield, located in Hampden County, along the Interstate 91 corridor on the Connecticut River.
Full STEAM Ahead for Springfield's 4-H Program, Dubois Reports
Jan 9, 2020
Springfields's 4-H program at Robinson Gardens is thriving under the leadership of Lauren Dubois, UMass extension 4-H youth development program (The Republican -go to page C3 1/9/20)
Local Legislators Visit UMass Solar Energy Farm
Oct 23, 2019
A local solar energy equipment supplier spoke to legislators at UMass South Deerfield farm on how to integrate solar power with active local farms. (Recorder 10/23/19; WWLP-TV 22, 10/21/19
Young Farmers Fulfill Dreams of Working the Land, UMass Amanda Brown Quoted
Sep 26, 2019
An article about young farmers in Franklin County quotes Amanda Brown, director of the UMass Student Farming Enterprise Program and the Stockbridge School of Agriculture’s Agricultural Learning Center. She says the learning curve for first-time farmers is steep and she advises new farmers to spend a couple years learning by working for a good established farmer. (Recorder 9/20/19)
Springfield Public Schools Expand Partnership With UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program
Sep 25, 2019
Springfield Public Schools, working with its dining service management company, Sodexo, will use their USDA grant funds to build five to seven new teaching gardens at schools. They’ll also expand parental involvement in partnership with the Springfield Food Policy Council and UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program. (Gazette 9/23/19)
Raising Green Beef: How Cattle, Dairy Farmers are Becoming Environmentally Friendly
Sep 21, 2019
Article on environmentally-friendly dairy farming practices quotes Extension Professor Masoud Hashemi, Stockbridge School of Agriculture, on the historical move from use of nitrogen-fixing legumes to the application of artificial fertilizers and the resulting danger of contamination of water bodies and underground sources of water. (Daily Hampshire Gazette, 9/21/19)
Rejuvenating Tired Soil
Sep 20, 2019
UMass Extension help utilized in effort to rejuvenate soil for new community garden in Greenfield. (Greenfield Recorder, 9/20/19)
Clem Clay Named Director of UMass Extension Agriculture Program
Sep 23, 2019
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.
It’s Been a Long Journey for Wild Tomatoes
Mmmmm, Tomatoes!
State Officials Tour South Deerfield Research Farm
Aug 5, 2019
On August 2, members of the state’s Food Policy Council visited the UMass Crop and Animal Research and Education Center in South Deerfield following a regular meeting of the Council held on the UMass Amherst campus. Agriculture Commissioner John Lebeaux, chair of the Council, Representative Daniel Donahue, 16th Worcester, and other state officials toured five project sites at the farm and heard from faculty, extension staff and graduate students on their work.
