The latest happenings from the UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) recently participated in a cross-institutional study involving 16 researchers to determine what it would take for New England states to increase its regional self-reliance to 30 percent by 2030. Continue reading “Research Examines New England’s Ability for Food Production Self-Reliance”
About 20 percent of Vermont dairy farms raise pigs as well as dairy cows. Ninety percent of these farms raise pigs seasonally, and their health concerns may not be a priority for farmers. However, there is growing concern about the global spread of African swine fever (ASF), a deadly foreign animal disease (FAD) of pigs that was identified in two Caribbean countries during 2021. Continue reading “African Swine Fever is Getting Too Close for Comfort”
During December 2022, C-FARE (Council on Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics) board member and program chair, Jane Kolodinsky, hosted a national webinar about the current state of inflation in relation to food systems. The webinar focused on the complexities of the inflationary period the U.S. is facing. Continue reading “Kolodinsky Hosts C-FARE Panel on Food Systems and Inflation”
On February 1, 2023, stakeholders from around Vermont gathered in Montpelier to work on a Vermont Food Security Plan. Organized by the Vermont Farm to Plate Food Security Strategy team, the meeting was for stakeholders with food system knowledge and experience, to experiment with and give input to the proposed food security plan writing process and tools. Continue reading “UVM Assisting with Farm to Plate Food Security Plan”
Earlier this year, Polly Ericksen was appointed as the inaugural director of the UVM Food Systems Research Center (FSRC), a collaborative partnership between UVM and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (ARS). She officially joined UVM in December after moving to Vermont from Nairobi, Kenya, where she spent the past nine years as the Program Leader for Sustainable Livestock with the International Livestock Research Institute.
Continue reading “Food Systems Research Center Welcomes New Director”