The spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, is an invasive insect found in parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. It is an introduced pest from Asia, native to China, India, and Vietnam.
How to Get Started with Composting at Home: A Practical Guide
Connecticut households, it can help reduce trash, make use of the large amount of fall leaves that many properties produce, and turn common yard and kitchen materials into a valuable soil amendment.
Starting a Farm Business in Connecticut: Business Registration and Tax Obligations
Key decisions are a necessary first step toward starting new farm operation initiatives. These include creating a business plan, and checking about potential local restrictions regarding an on-farm enterprise.
Build Your Own Smokehouse
For many years, building a backyard smokehouse was primarily for smoking fish, but also for smoke-cooking pork and turkey, and making jerky and sausage. An article published in Fish Alaska magazine provided the general blueprint for many of the construction ideas outlined here. The actual smokehouse cost approximately $170 to build (including the propane burner).
Home Sausage Making
Different types of sausage were created all over the world, and each region developed their own distinctive styles influenced by local ingredients, spices, and casings. Climate was another important factor for the development of region-specific fresh and dry sausages. This article includes sections on equipment, sanitation, ingredients, casings, game meat, and recipes that should be helpful during your adventure in home sausage making.
Extreme Weather Preparedness Checklist for Farms: Spring
Extreme weather events and seasonal changes in the Spring can pose risks for farm operations. Use this checklist as a guide for immediate actions when extreme spring weather is forecast.
UConn Extension: A Partner for Life and Connecticut Communities
At UConn, learning doesn’t stop at graduation, and neither does our commitment to the people of Connecticut. Through trusted, research‑based education, UConn Extension works alongside individuals, families, farms, businesses, and communities at every stage of life, helping them respond to challenges, seize opportunities, and build a stronger future. Across the state, Extension professionals translate university […]
Celebrating the Volunteers who Power UConn Extension
During Volunteer Appreciation Week, we are proud to celebrate the thousands of volunteers who make UConn Extension’s work possible. From supporting youth development and environmental stewardship to protecting local ecosystems and educating communities, Extension volunteers strengthen communities across Connecticut every day. UConn Extension’s programs, including UConn 4‑H, the UConn Extension Master Gardener Program, invasive species […]
Nutrient-Dense Foods on a Budget: Eat Well, Spend Less
Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean spending more money. Many of the most nutrient-dense foods, like those packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein, are also some of the most budget-friendly foods. With smart shopping and planning, you can fill your plate with foods that nourish your body and stretch dollars.
Preparing for Extreme Weather with Pets: A Guide for Older Adults
Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity and in some cases may require residents to evacuate their homes for safety reasons. Evacuating during extreme weather can be stressful for both people and pets. This fact sheet is for older adults and those that work with older adult audiences to guide emergency preparedness for pets.
Stink Bugs
Stink bugs (Pentatomidae) are shield-shaped true bugs, distinguished by a large, triangular scutellum that covers the abdomen between the folded wings. They can be damaging to crops and fruits if they occur in large numbers and can be difficult to control. Some stink bugs are predatory and feed on other insects or arthropods, but not on plants.
Beech Wooly Aphids and Sooty Mold
During the fall wooly aphid activity may be found on beech and other hardwoods. Particularly on American beech in the Northeast, the native beech blight wooly aphid, Grylloprociphilus imbricator, may be found by the hundreds actively feeding on branches and twigs well into November.
Disaster Preparedness: Special Medical and Dietary Needs
Special medical or dietary needs require advance preparation for disasters, and weather events can limit access to supplies. Disasters can strain normal supply chains and place individuals with special needs at particular risk. This factsheet focuses on specific tips to ensure adequate preparation for medications, medical equipment, and special dietary foods.
Rosy Apple Aphid (Dysaphis plantaginea)
Rosy Apple Aphid (RAA), Dysaphis plantaginea (Passeri), an early season pest of apples and pears, overwinters as eggs laid on stems and bark of host trees. Pest emergence begins in early April, as overwintering eggs begin to hatch. Newly hatched nymphs feed on developing buds and then migrate to developing leaves as they expand. Apple and pear trees are the primary hosts for the Rosy Apple Aphid. Alternate hosts include herbaceous plantains and docks.
May 21: Diversified Livestock Conference
Registration is now open for the Diversified Livestock Conference on May 21 in Vernon. Join producers, experts, and educators for a full day of learning and practical demonstrations. Learn more and register: s.uconn.edu/diversifiedlivestockconference Main Conference • 9am–3pm • Jake Levin, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures – Meat Processing • Indu Upadhyaya, UConn Extension – Small-Scale Poultry Production […]
Meet Mari Cullerton
Mari Cullerton recently joined our team as a research assistant in the Center for Land use Education and Research (CLEAR). She’s originally from Canaan, Connecticut and earned her bachelor of science in natural resources and environmental sciences from UConn, as well as her master of science, where she focused on remote sensing and GIS. What […]
Beech Bark Disease
Beech bark disease (BBD) is a serious disease of native American and non-native European beech trees, caused by the feeding of the non-native felted beech scale, Cryptococcus fagisuga. The feeding pierces the bark, which provides an opening for subsequent infection by the native fungal pathogens Neonectria ditissima, and N. faginata.
Identifying Major Pests of Bedding Plants in Connecticut
There are multiple challenges to growing bedding plants in greenhouse conditions. Warmth and moisture in greenhouses provide conditions for many insects and pathogens to flourish, and vigilance is needed. This fact sheet examines the pests and the conditions favorable to their spread.
Spring Fungal Disease Outlook for Fruit Growers
Spring comes fast every year, and with it numerous early-season diseases. Warming temperatures and frequent rains provide optimal conditions for plant diseases. It is best to focus your attention on preventative disease control now, rather than playing catch-up later. This fact sheet includes information on multiple common fruit diseases, along with some notes regarding how to best prevent troublesome early-season infections.
Biosecurity Education to Safeguard Animals and Fairs and Events (BE SAFE)
By Sara Tomis Animal exhibitions and events, including agricultural fairs, create value for livestock owners and the public alike. The comingling of large numbers of people and animals during events, however, can increase the risk of zoonotic disease challenges. A zoonotic disease is caused by a germ that can be transmitted between people and animals. […]
Blueberry Pruning Guide
Whether growing blueberries commercially or in a home garden, regular and thoughtful pruning is one of the most important aspects of cultural management. Well-pruned blueberry bushes will produce high-quality, large berries for decades. This fact sheet provides a step-by-step guide to pruning blueberries complete with benefits, details on making cuts, and differences between pruning young and established bushes.
Ten Tips to Remember When Farming with Livestock During the Winter in Connecticut
The beauty of having four seasons in Connecticut also requires navigating the challenges presented with extreme winter weather, including freezing temperatures, high winds, or significant precipitation. This factsheet offers livestock farmers and producers recommendations to manage livestock and farm, and continue operating safely through the winter season.
Expiration, Use-By and Sell-By Dates: What Do They Really Mean?
The dates on food packaging can be confusing. Most dates tell you when the food tastes best, not when it is unsafe. In fact, there are about 50 different date labels in the United States (U.S.), and none are regulated. The tips in this fact sheet will help you know if your food is still safe to eat.
Wisely Choosing and Incorporating Health Supplements Into Your Diet
Certain supplements may have harmful interactions with medications and other supplements. Taking multiple or combining supplements with prescribed medications can increase the risk of side effects or make your medication less effective. This is particularly true for senior citizens who are taking multiple prescription medications.
Weight Management in Horses – Slow Feeders
Some horses do not require as much feed as others to maintain a healthy weight, and also gain weight quickly. To avoid having horses gain too much weight, horse owners may want to consider the use of slow feeders, which regulate the amount of feed available at any given time. This fact sheet examines the various types of slow feeder available, along with the pros and cons associated with them.
Transitioning Your Horses from Winter to Spring
When the days grow longer, and snow has melted, it’s tempting to want to pick up the reins again. Not so fast! Here are some ideas for getting your horse ready for Spring.
Red Maple Toxicity and Your Horse
Many horse owners have concerns about red maple disease in horses. Fresh red maple leaves are NOT toxic to horses, but wilted or dried leaves and the bark are extremely toxic. Fortunately, red maple disease is not that common and often easy to prevent.
Nutrient Management for Fruit Production and Beyond: Deficiencies, Excesses, and Current Technologies
Adequate nutrient management is essential in all fruit production systems. The availability of essential plant macro- and micronutrients influences the growth and development of plants, fruit yield, and subsequent fruit quality. The goal of a well thought-out nutrient management plan is to maximize output, while avoiding system deficiencies and excesses. This fact sheet explores some of the common complicating factors in nutrient management, the tools available to growers, and available resources.
Meet Jessica Goldman!
Meet Jessica Goldman! She recently joined our team as an educational program assistant in the Middlesex County Extension Center in Haddam. Jessica has degrees in psychology and community engagement and is from Newington. She is supporting the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), Master Gardener, and 4-H programs in Middlesex County. What is […]
Fungicides for Bedding Plants in Connecticut
Connecticut has a robust greenhouse industry that produces a wide range of ornamental crops. Bedding plants are an important category and bring in significant revenue for greenhouse operations each Spring. There are many factors involved in the production of high quality bedding plants, including cultivar selection, fertilizer, light, temperature, and control of pests and diseases.
Signs of Health Problems: How to Determine if Your Horse is Not Well
Health problems in horses are not always easy to detect. If you know what is normal for your horse, then you may be able to tell when they are sick. Common ailments and their symptoms are included in this factsheet. This is not a comprehensive list. Be sure to consult your veterinarian when you notice something unusual.
Edible Mushroom Nutrition Facts
Mushrooms are popular in dishes not only for their unique flavors, but also for their nutritional and health benefits. While there are thousands of species of mushroom, only about two dozen are accepted for use as food. This fact sheet will review the commercially produced food types of mushrooms available, nutrition and health benefits, and mushroom supplements. This guide does not discuss wild mushrooms.
Growing Connections: Danbury Food Collaborative Visits UConn Extension
In September, UConn Extension’s Community Nutrition Program hosted the Danbury Food Collaborative for its monthly meeting at the Bethel Extension Office. The collaborative brings together food pantries and community organizations from across the greater Danbury area, rotating meeting locations each month to strengthen partnerships and share resources. This month, 16 local food pantries and organizations […]
Buying Vegetable Seeds: Do’s and Don’ts
This goal of this fact sheet is to share practical strategies, helpful tips, and key do’s and don’ts to guide Connecticut vegetable growers in selecting seeds that best match their farms. Most of the information is related to disease management.
Ten Food Safety Resolutions for the Year Ahead
Throughout the year, many of us resolve to eat healthier, cook more at home, or reduce food waste, among other breaking/creating habits resolutions. While the new year often gets the most attention for resolutions, you can start any time. One resolution that often gets overlooked, but protects everyone, is food safety.
Pruning Brambles
Brambles are a diverse group of small, aggregate fruit-producing plants. The variety in color, flavor, and time of harvest make them highly appealing for both producers and consumers. However, these benefits are often accompanied by confusion over some of the differences in cultural management, specifically pruning. This fact sheet explores some of the key differences between various brambles, and how to properly prune each type.
Staying Active During and After Cancer: What You Need to Know
Cancer continues to be a major public health concern in the United States, with roughly two million new diagnoses every year, yet there are ways for those impacted to improve health outcomes and quality of life. Exercise is one of these strategies. This factsheet is intended for use by exercise professionals and those affected by cancer, including survivors and caretakers, to discuss safe, evidence-based and effective exercise recommendations for cancer survivors.
Keeping Your Farm Well: Bacterial Contamination
This factsheet explores how bacterial contamination in water can affect livestock health and productivity. It is the first in a three-part series outlining how bacteria, infrastructure, and agricultural runoff can potentially impact livestock health and productivity.
Keeping Your Farm Well: How Water Quality Can Impact Livestock
This fact sheet is an overview of an upcoming, three-part series outlining how bacteria, infrastructure, and agricultural runoff can potentially impact livestock health and productivity. Each fact sheet will include recommendations for addressing specific parameters. This overview is intended to help you identify potential causes of water-related issues on your farm. Be aware that many of the issues described here are uncommon and may only occur in rare cases.
Preparing Farm Operations for Extreme Fall and Winter Weather
Fall and winter weather events, such as frosts, freezes, and ice storms can create challenges for farm operations. Agricultural producers can prepare themselves and their farms for extreme fall and winter weather by taking actions to minimize losses. Agricultural producers have short-term, immediate responses for farm operations, in preparation for impending extreme weather events. This fact sheet focuses on preparation strategies for the fall and winter seasons.