Sustainable Small Fruit Production and Marketing

Project Leader: Sonia Schloemann
Fruit farms and vineyards add significantly to the quality of life in Massachusetts and New England. The most obvious contribution is to open space through their scenic and historic vistas, but it is also well known that regular consumption of fruits leads to better human health. In addition, lands surrounding agricultural production provide buffer zones for ecosystem management, often providing important open space for native species of plants and animals and corridors for their movement or expansion.

Extension program related to this project: Agriculture & Landscape

Sustainable Cranberry Production

Project Leader: Hilary Sandler
The cranberry industry in Massachusetts faces many challenges. In the past ten years, growers have gone from receiving record high prices for their fruit to record low prices. Although the industry has rebounded somewhat, the focus to remain economically and environmentally sustainable has sharpened. It is anticipated that the industry may lose some acreage due to attrition and that smaller growers may sell land to other parties. As with other farmers, energy costs are rising quickly, impacting the bottom line. Growers must develop and adopt innovative technology to remain competitive. They must understand the biology of cranberry pests to properly use new chemicals.

Extension program related to this project: Agriculture & Landscape

Sustainable Vegetable Production and Marketing

Project Leader: Ruth Hazzard
Sustainable vegetable production requires new technical solutions to problems of crop nutrition, soil, water, energy and pest management. As Massachusetts undergoes cultural and economic changes, both new and established growers must learn to produce crops sustainably and to adapt cropping systems to new market opportunities in Massachusetts. This plan will undertake research and extension to address key problems and opportunities facing the industry and the public.

Extension program related to this project: Agriculture & Landscape

Plant and Soil Diagnostic Services

Project Leader: Bess Dicklow
Information is the backbone of best management practices in horticultural industries of all types. The UMass Extension Plant and Soil Diagnostic Services provide accurate identification of pest, disease, and weed problems; as well as analysis of soil and tissue nutrient levels to inform landscapers, turf managers, the floriculture industry and vegetable growers about problems they encounter. Accurate diagnosis of insects and plant diseases can prevent unnecessary and inappropriate pesticide applications. This in turn contributes to both the economic and ecological sustainability of natural resource based businesses.

Extension program related to this project: Agriculture & Landscape

Pesticide Education Program

Project Leader: Natalia Clifton
Pesticides are important tools for the management of pests that threaten the food supply, public health and natural resources. Unfortunately, these chemicals can also pose a threat to the human health and the environment if they are not used properly. Results from the Agricultural Health Study (www.aghealth.org) indicate that there continues to be a concern about the impacts of pesticide exposure on users of pesticides. Inexperienced applicators had more accidental exposures and those, who apply pesticides very frequently, increased their risk of having an accidental high exposure in their lifetime.

Extension program related to this project: Agriculture & Landscape

Sustainable Tree Fruit Production and Marketing

Project Leader: Jon Clements

Fruit farms and orchards add significantly to the quality of life in Massachusetts and New England. The most obvious contribution is to open space through their scenic and historic vistas, but it is also well known that regular consumption of fruits leads to better human health. In addition, lands surrounding agricultural production provide buffer zones for ecosystem management, often providing important open space for native species of plants and animals and corridors for their movement or expansion.

Extension program related to this project: Agriculture & Landscape