CALS in the News-May 2023

Megaphone shouting news about agriculture.

Plant and Soil Science Associate Professor Terry Bradshaw was interviewed for a Brattleboro Reformer story about the catastrophic impacts of the May freeze event on Vermont fruit and berry growers.

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UVM Extension Vegetable and Berry Specialist Vern Grubinger was asked by Vermont Public about the effects of the damage to fruit crops by the devastating May freeze in many parts of Vermont. Also:

CDAE Professor Jane Kolodinsky was interviewed by WCAX about changes in the retailing environment and what it means for shoppers and communities. Bankruptcy of national chains and one set to close in Chittenden County.

The Specialty Food Association interviewed Annie Fitzgerald of Extension’s NECAFS about a May 4, 2023 webinar they hosted entitled, Surviving a Third-Party Audit: Q&A With Food Safety Specialist Regulatory Update. The webinar covered essential training and tools needed to schedule and carry out an audit.

An article in Knowridge Science Report states that middle-aged or older and prediabetic who eat full-fat yogurt daily might lower their fasting glucose levels. UVM PhD candidate Victoria Taormina is the lead author of this study.

The UVM Extension Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program announced a series of annual awards leading up to their Vermont Arbor Day Conference on May 19, 2023. The Waterbury Recorder featured a resident of their community for years of dedication in protecting community trees in Waterbury.

May 22 to 28, 2023 is National Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, and Ginger Nickerson of the VT Urban and Community Forestry Program wrote in The Chronical that towns in Northeast Vermont need to plan ahead for infestations of ash trees in their towns.

UVM Extension’s Ginger Nickerson with the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program discussed emerald ash borer in a Times Argus article highlighting National Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week from May 22 to 28.

The Eagle Times reported on a June 1, 2023 a new tree planting and dedication ceremony that will be held on the grounds of the Old Constitution House State Historic Site, designated as the LGBTQ+ Pride Tree. The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program is a co-sponsor of the event.

UVM Extension’s Ali Koseba was interviewed for a WCAX story about the impact of emerald ash borer and other invasive species on Vermont forests.

Extension Assistant Professor of Forestry Ali Koseba was interviewed by WNET about the effects of climate change on red spruce trees and impacts to Nova Scotia’s provincial tree.

Extension Research Assistant Professor Joshua Faulkner was interviewed for Farm Progress about tiling farm fields for drainage and the potential for it resulting in more nutrient runoff and water quality problems.

The UVM Institute for Agroecology was in the news as a recipient of $150,000 in funding from outdoor recreation supply company REI. ShopEatSurf listed all recipients of the company’s Cooperative Action Fund, which has invested several million dollars in 40 nonprofits that are creating a more equitable outdoors.

UVM Extension Maple Specialist Mark Isselhardt was quoted in a Vermont Public story about urban sugarmakers in Burlington, VT and the early sap run this year, with January 2023 being the warmest is has been on record.

In a True North Reports article about a Shelburne sugarmaker and how warmer weather affects maple syrup production, UVM Research Associate Professor Abby van den Berg was quoted about the physiology of maple trees and sap flow.

In search of an antidote for poisonous mushrooms, DT Next talked to Department of Plant Biology Associate Professor Terrence Delany about there not being antidotes for poisonous mushrooms like the destroying angel, which he studies toxin profiles of.

The University of Vermont is studying alternatives to the chemical pesticides, including a granular fungus that lives in the soil and can kill tick larvae. Research Assistant Professor Cheryl Frank Sullivan was quoted in a Seven Days article on solutions to ticks and diseases they spread.

UVM Extension 4-H is hosting a Summer of Science, with 15 free workshops and opportunities for middle and high school students. The Manchester Journal listed the workshops and registration information from 4-H Teen & Leadership Coordinator Lauren Traister.

Although growing grain in Vermont was considered a practice of the past, there are more farmers growing grains, along with more mills, millers and livestock feeding operations. In an Addison Independent article, UVM Extension’s Heather Darby, one of the founders of Northern Grain Growers Association, stated there needs to be more mills and businesses that contract with farmers to grow crops.

A Morning Ag Clips article announced that Extension Pollinator Support Specialist Laura Johnson, Extension Dairy Specialist Kelsie Meehan, Extension Grazing Specialist Amber Reed and UVM Extension Postdoctoral Research Fellow Bryony Sands are hosting two free pasture walks during June and July on how to enhance bird, bee and beneficial insect habitats. Also:

The Times Argus Community News page featured the May 6, 2023 was 4-H State Day, showcasing 4-H talent at the Vermont Granite Museum in Barre, VT. Also mentioned is the renewal of Northeast SARE for the next ten years with UVM Extension.

The UVM Morgan Horse Farm was highlighted in an article about the celebration of International Heritage Breeds Week. Event Nation stated the fact that all Morgans throughout history can be traced back to Figure, a stallion born in 1789.

Cold frames help in getting an earlier start for gardens in the north, and UVM Extension Master Gardener Bonnie Kirn Donahue wrote about how to use them in a Times Argus piece.

UVM Extension’s Vern Grubinger gives advise about growing great tomatoes in a Milton Independent article.

Grow your own herbs for tea with this advise from UVM Extension Master Gardener Andrea Knepper in this Times Argus article.

UVM Master Gardener Joyce Amsden was interviewed by WCAX about spring garden preparation that protects pollinators.

Amsden was also interviewed by WCAX about spring garden prep for peas and garlic.

UVM Extension Master Gardener Nadie VanZandt gave advice on how to create a biodiverse vegetable garden in an Essex Reporter article.

How can you create a bird-friendly garden? UVM Extension Master Gardener Bonnie Kim Donahue wrote about choosing native plant species and creating habitats for birds in this Rutland Herald article.

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