News from the Center

Against the backdrop of a picture perfect spring day, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for UMass Amherst’s new Agricultural Learning Center on April 25 on the former Adams-Wysocki field at the north end of the campus.  The guests included farmers, students, university officials, legislative representatives, neighbors, current and former staff and agricultural dignitaries.

Former faculty member wins World Food Prize The World Food Prize, often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize for Agriculture’ was awarded to Dr. Daniel Hillel in 2012. Dr. Hillel was a professor of soil physics at UMass Amherst from 1977 to 1993.

This fall, beginning farmers and established growers from across the state have gone back to school to learn the science of sustainable vegetable production.

Cold Spring Orchard Farm Stand Prospers During Challenging Year Despite the challenges of a very late spring frost, the orchards, farm stand, and wholesale sales at Cold Spring Orchard Research and Education Center in Belchertown have had a good season.

Farming Finds a New Home at the Agricultural Learning Center The 40-acre parcel of land formaly known as the Adams-Wysocki field is in the process of being transformed into the new Agricultural Learning Center, a working farm designed to give students hands-on training in everything from running a tractor to transplanting trees to making cheese from the milk of the cows they’ve raised.

Researchers at the Center for Agriculture are using their expertise to help combat one of the most serious pest infestations in recent memory—the local colonization of the spotted wing drosophila, a type of vinegar fly.