News from the Media

Test Soil Now for 2018 Spring Planting
November 6, 2017

Tracy Allen, supervisor, UMass Soil Laboratory,  explains that soil properties are not going to change much in the winter because soil processes slow way down in the cold, so soil test results and recommendations that offered this fall will be accurate and useful for the whole growing season in your garden next year.

In the spring, the lab is deluged with requests and that can cause a backlog. "It could take twice as long to get your results back and that is valuable time in the planting season," Allen said. (MassLive 11/1/17, News Office 11/1/17, Recorder 11/4/17)

Remove Pesticide Residues on and in Apples With Water and Baking Soda
October 30, 2017

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, led by Lili He, Ph.D., found a baking soda and water combination was the most effective way to reduce pesticides on apple skins. (Agriculture and Food Chemistry, International Business Times,  Mother Nature Network 10/30/17, Chemical and Engineering News 11/3/17, Healthline 11/8/17, NY Times 11/10/17, Well and Good, 11/13/17, Emax Health 11/30/17)

UMass Amherst Researchers Find Anti-bacterial Chemical Accumulates in Toothbrushes
October 25, 2017

A team of environmental chemists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst led by Baoshan Xing, report that triclosan, an antibacterial agent in some over-the-counter toothpastes, accumulates in toothbrush bristles and is easily released in the mouth if the user switches toothpaste types. (Chem Info; Boston Globe; News Office, Time magazine, Infection Control Today, Science Codex, Health Day, Chemcial & Engineering News, UPI 10/25/17 )

Research at UMass Cold Spring Orchard Bears Fruit
October 10, 2017

BELCHERTOWN — The University of Massachusetts Cold Spring Orchard Research and Education Center — its full name — is a facility where researchers are hard at work addressing sustainability, pest management, and climate change, in the name of growing the best possible fruit. (Boston Globe 10/10/17)

Editorial Praises Work at UMass's S. Deerfield Farm
September 28, 2017

An editorial praises two UMass Amherst agricultural initiatives in South Deerfield—a dual-use farm, combining solar panels and crops, and a student-run vegetable farm. “Both farms are providing an impressive demonstration of successful, practical education for an occupation as old as the earth but in a modern world,” the editorial states. Amanda Brown, Stockbridge School of Agriculture and director of the Student Farming Enterprise program, is quoted. (Daily Hampshire Gazette, 9/28/17)

Extension Professor Tells Town About Online Tool
September 28, 2017

Scott Jackson, extension associate professor in environmental conservation, explained new online tool to area leaders at a Creating Resilient Communities forum. (The Recorder, Greenfield, 9/28/17) 

Apple Crop Expected to Reach 10-Year High, UMass Extension Comments
September 18, 2017

This year, the USDA is expecting about 46 million pounds of apples, the highest mark in 10 years.  "There will be lots of apples and they'll be big," said Jon Clements, UMass Fruit Extension program. (Worcester Business Journal 9/18/17)

Learning Garden in Springfield Helped by UMass
September 11, 2017

Nutrition educator, Amanda McCabe, at UMass Extension in Amherst, cooked with young students, using recipes that incorporated veggies students are growing in Springfield at Square One.  (MassLive 9/6/17)

Caterpillars Have Defoliated Nearly One-third of State’s Forests, UMass Entomologist Elkinton Comments
August 31, 2017

Nearly a third of the forest canopy across Massachusetts has been consumed this year by a plague of gypsy moth caterpillars, whose insatiable appetite for leaves can ultimately kill trees. Joseph Elkinton, an entomologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, adds predictions. (Globe 8/30/17)

UMass Amherst Study of Bee Health Finds No Natural Medicine in Once-promising Compound
August 29, 2017

AMHERST, Mass. – A new study of possible self-medicating behavior in bumble bees conducted by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst reports that a once-promising finding was not supported by further experiments and analysis. (AgriMarketing, 8/29/17; Science Codex, Laboratory Equipment, Seed Quest, 8/28/17; News Office release, 8/28/17)

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