News from the Center

When the decade-old weather station at the UMass Crop and Animal Research and Education Farm in South Deerfield was hit by lightning this past summer, the impact of that loss was felt by the region’s growers. This November, UMass fruit extension educators Jon Clements and Liz Garofalo replaced the decade-old defunct weather station with a new one.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst has named Clem Clay as director of the UMass Extension Agriculture Program.

On August 2, members of the state’s Food Policy Council visited the UMass Farm in South Deerfield and toured five project sites at the farm and heard from faculty, extension staff and graduate students on their work.

This June, nine new brightly-painted murals have begun creating a dynamic outdoor art gallery in downtown Springfield. UMass Extension Assistant Professor Michael DiPasquale was involved with this mural project for a year.