Tag: Soil Health

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Vermont Pasture Research Includes State’s First Dung Beetle Survey

A shiny, black dung beetle walking on grass.
Dung beetle. Photo credit: Bryony Sands.

Grazed pastures are complex ecosystems, and their functionality depends on interactions between plants, animals, soils, manure, and the people that manage them. Invertebrates in these ecosystems fulfill various ecological roles, such as decomposition, predation, and pollination, that we depend on for the productivity of our land and livestock. Management decisions aimed at controlling one aspect of an ecosystem are likely to affect the other components in complicated ways. Continue reading “Vermont Pasture Research Includes State’s First Dung Beetle Survey”

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Gardening Helpline Hits a Five-Year High

A basket full of colorful vegetables and fruit including zucchini, apples, strawberries, kale and carrots.

Since its start in 1991, the UVM Extension Master Gardener program has offered a Gardening Helpline, where trained volunteers respond to home and community gardening questions from Vermonters throughout the state.

Over the past few years, the helpline has pivoted from a telephone call-in service to going completely online during COVID-19, and in 2022, to a blended service. Vermonters can either call in or ask their questions online through Ask Extension (a national initiative created and maintained by the Extension Foundation). Continue reading “Gardening Helpline Hits a Five-Year High”