We have a multi-faceted approach to nitrogen management in Connecticut that addresses land use issues, agricultural production, and water quality. Extension faculty from the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) are working on several applied research projects in support of better nitrogen (N) management. They are collaborating with the University of Rhode Island […]
National Lyme Disease Awareness Month
It’s National Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Before you venture outside, learn about the precautions you should take from @uconnladybug newest blog post linked below. The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) in the Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science offers tick testing. Visit here for more info: https://cvmdl.uconn.edu/tests-fee/tick-testing/ @uconnladybug blog post: One early spring afternoon three years ago […]
EFNEP/4-H Special Interest group with Danbury Public Schools
EFNEP/4-H special interest group with Danbury Public Schools at Rogers Park Middle School has continued to meet throughout March and April. Teens tested their knife skills by using plastic knives to cut bananas and strawberries. Teens made fruit dip with cinnamon as a topping for their cut fruit. To learn more about bacteria on […]
Cultivation Tips for School Grounds Managers
Dr. Jason Henderson and Vickie Wallace of our Turfgrass Extension program provide research-based health tips for cultivation and managing school grounds in this first video of our new series.
Free Webinar on Export Assistance for CT Agricultural Producers
Free Webinar on Export Assistance for Connecticut Agricultural Producers! Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022 Time: 10:00am Eastern time Cost: Free, but pre-registration is required Register Here: Closed Overview: Join us for a free webinar to hear about state and federal resources available to assist Connecticut agricultural and food product companies interested in exporting. This webinar, […]
CLEAR Online Training Portal
The Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) is the new home to a suite of online certificate trainings. The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) offers online certificate courses for new and existing land use officials charged with protecting our environment. DEEP asked CLEAR to host them to expand reach and […]
Fenwick Living Shoreline
The Hepburn Preserve is a 4-acre beach, dune and brackish tidal wetland habitat owned by the Lynde Point Land Trust, located in the Borough of Fenwick in Old Saybrook. Storm events have caused serious erosion of the area when strong winds and waves hit the shoreline, compounded by shoreline changes due to nearby seawalls and […]
Food and Nutrition Classes at Home
Hartford County’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provided virtual nutrition education and cooking programs to limited resource adults and youth in 2021. We held the Cook and Chat virtual series for adults online. It included sessions on cooking basics, food safety, food budgeting, and nutrition topics over three to 12 lessons. Programs partners […]
Cleanup at Sherwood Island State Park
Sherwood Island State Park in Westport was Connecticut’s first state park. It is 238-acres of beaches, wetlands, and forest that serves as a public recreation area. Improving Habitat for Wildlife Work & Learn is a year-round outreach project that teaches Master Gardeners, interns and the public to create, improve and maintain a natural habitat for […]
Shellfish Habitat Restoration
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the aquaculture industry particularly hard. It was facing catastrophic sales losses that would have forced many out of business. Connecticut Sea Grant Extension helped keep industry members afloat during the pandemic by involving them in shellfish habitat restoration work. We kept people working at a time when the shellfish marketplace collapsed […]
‘Handbook for Increasing Ocean Literacy’ now available
A Handbook for Increasing Ocean Literacy: Tools for Educators and Ocean Literacy Advocates, developed by the National Marine Educators Association, with the support of NOAA, is now available to help educators and other ocean advocates teach, learn, and communicate about the ocean. CT Sea Grant Education Coordinator Diana Payne is one of the editors of the […]
4-H Mentoring Continues Serving Youth
Youth in Waterbury continued benefitting from the 4-H Mentoring project during the pandemic. The 4-H Mentoring Project is a prevention program where youth gain knowledge, build character, and develop life skills. It is a fun learning environment that helps them become self-directing, productive members of society. Approximately 45 youth ages nine through 14 participate annually. […]
Extension Donor Support is Growing Statewide Programming
The work of UConn Extension serves thousands of people across Connecticut. UConn Extension educators work in all 169 cities and towns helping Connecticut residents to solve problems in their communities and provide transformational learning experiences to program participants. This couldn’t be done without the financial support of generous donors, many of whom have experienced Extension […]
New Geographic Information Systems Office
Geospatial Educator Emily Wilson was named as the UConn representative to the newly formed Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council. The Council was established by the Connecticut Legislature last session in a bill that created a state Geographic Information Systems Office within the Office of Policy and Management, a Geographic Information Officer (GIO) to oversee the […]
Registration Open: Urban Farming Course
Join us for an Urban Farmer Training Course. We’re coordinating with @GVInitiative to offer this course from May through October. Details: s.uconn.edu/urbanfarmingcourse This program is funded in part by USDA NIFA.
Jacqueline Kowalski Hired as Urban Agriculture Educator
Urban agriculture in Connecticut is growing! Urban farms, community gardens, and innovative practices such as hydroponics are all a part of the urban agriculture landscape. To help meet the needs of the urban agriculture community, Jacqueline Kowalski recently joined the UConn Extension team. She is based at the Fairfield County Extension Center in Bethel. Identified […]
Ask UConn Extension: All About Cheese
Can cheese be frozen? Some cheese can be stored in the freezer but it’s not recommended because it can change the texture. Harder cheeses like Parmesan freeze better than other types. Therefore, it is best to freeze harder cheeses that you intend to use for cooking rather than eating alone. It is best to freeze […]
Ultrasound Technology Improves Livestock Meat Quality
Article by Joe Emenheiser, Ph.D. Meat quality improvement can improve economic development for livestock producers. Ultrasound technology is used to evaluate body composition traits. This means livestock producers can check meat qualities in live animals. It leads to better livestock selection and breeding decisions. A three-year grant project on beef and dairy crossbreeding is improving […]
Ultrasound Technology Improves Livestock Meat Quality
Article by Joe Emenheiser, Ph.D. Meat quality improvement can improve economic development for livestock producers. Ultrasound technology is used to evaluate body composition traits. This means livestock producers can check meat qualities in live animals. It leads to better livestock selection and breeding decisions. A three-year grant project on beef and dairy crossbreeding is improving […]
UConn Gives – Please Support Our Programs
Friends, please join us in supporting our UConn Extension Master Gardener Program and UConn 4-H program during #UConnGives. $5 helps support these programs and unlocks matching gifts. Give to the Master Gardeners: s.uconn.edu/givetogardeners Give to 4-H: s.uconn.edu/giveto4-H
Sustainable Landscape Tips
Question: What are important considerations for plant selection when designing a sustainable landscape? Answer: Proper plant selection is the most important step in designing a sustainable landscape. “Right plant, right place” is the fundamental principle for the environmentally sound management of landscapes. Plants should be selected for not only aesthetic value, but also because they […]
Waterbury 4-H Youth Mentoring Program is Thriving
Waterbury’s 4-H program is going strong! As we all know the past two years have been far from ordinary. While Waterbury Youth Services, Inc. (WYS) has been facilitating 4-H programing for 30 years, we have had to face new challenges and with them, new joys. While in person programming was not an option, our team […]
EFNEP/4-H Special Interest group with Danbury Public Schools
UConn Extension in Fairfield County is leading a EFNEP/4-H special interest group with Danbury Public Schools at Rogers Park Middle School. EFNEP educator Heather Peracchio is engaging students with Teen Cuisine curriculum and hands-on activities in grades 6-8th. During National Nutrition Month in March students enjoyed learning about MyPlate healthy eating and made a Colorful […]
Lorraine St. Clair Recognized at Spirit Awards
Congratulations to Lorraine St. Clair (center) from our North Haven Extension office! She was a finalist for this year’s Behind the Scenes UConn Spirit award for her continued contributions. Thank you, Lorraine, we appreciate everything you do!! We submitted the following about Lorraine: Lorraine works quietly but diligently to keep our office operations running like […]
Snakes and St. Patrick’s Day
Snakes are among the most misunderstood animals.Hundreds are needlessly killed each year. People panic when they encounter a snake, fearing it poisonous.Poisonous snakes in Connecticut, copperheads and rattlesnakes, are seldom encountered and only in specific habitats, such as piles of rocks known as talus slopes and rocky cliffs and hillsides. Poisonous snakes will onlyattempt to […]
Joro Spider Information
You asked, we answered. We’ve been getting questions about Joro spiders. Gail Reynolds from our UConn Extension Master Gardener program answered: Joro spiders, Trichonephila clavata, have been sensationalized in recent news stories. The actual appearance of these spiders in Connecticut has not been documented. According to various reports, this spider was first noted in Georgia in […]
Ana Legrand: Educator Spotlight
Creating Sustainable Landscapes Through the Interactions of Plants and Insects Educator Spotlight: Ana Legrand Ana Legrand built her career around helping people understand the benefits that insects provide. Legrand is an entomologist and UConn Extension educator in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. Entomology is the study of insects, and it plays a […]
Master Gardner Community Garden
Several of our 2021 Master Gardener interns from Litchfield County worked on community gardens that helped provide not only food, but much needed outdoor learning environments. Rebekah Chestna spearheaded the creation of an outdoor classroom garden in Watertown, CT that donated over 200 pounds of food to the Watertown Food Bank. Carolyn Morin worked with […]
DEEP Recreational Trails Program Grant
The Connecticut Trail Census Program by UConn Extension received funding from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental. The DEEP awarded $3 million in grant funding through its Recreational Trails Grant Program. These funds will be used for locally supported trails and trail systems, bikeways, and multi-use paths. More information can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/News-Releases/News-Releases—2022/DEEP-Announces-3-Million-in-Trail-Grants-For-20-Projects-Across-the-State
Fact sheets help local leaders navigate climate change questions
Questions poured in by the dozen after the morning session of the 2015 Adapt CT legal workshop—six pages worth, in fact. “After the lunch break, we asked people to put questions into a box, and we got through some of them in great panel discussions in the afternoon,” recalled Juliana Barrett, Connecticut Sea Grant coastal habitat specialist […]
Avian Influenza Frequently Asked Questions
This information is courtesy of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. What Is Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)? Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is an extremely infectious viral disease that occurs naturally in wild birds and can spread to domestic birds. The virus has led to the disposal of about 48 million poultry in 21 Western […]
Soul Food Meal (y en Espanol)
Soul Food Meal: Chicken Creole, New Orleans Red Beans and Simmered Mixed Greens Download the recipe on our Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program website. Feb/2022 Written by and 📷Photo Credit by: U. R. Taylor, MS, RDN, CDN
Gardening Fundamentals – Online Courses
Dig Deeper Into Your Garden! Learn the fundamental concepts of horticulture, as taught by UConn Extension educators and specialists. Based on UConn’s Master Gardener curriculum, this four-part, online series can be taken at your own pace, at times that work for you. Choose just the modules you’re interested in or complete all four sections to […]
Black History Month 2022 – Health and Wellness
Have your ever wondered about the history of Black History Month? Dr. Carter G. Woodson is credited with bringing to the forefront the importance of teaching about Black History, Culture and Life. Carter G. Woodson, was the son of former slaves, and as a child, worked as a sharecropper, a miner and other odd jobs […]
2021 Highlights of Extension Report
The past two years have challenged us more than anyone could have predicted. Extension adapted our services and programs to continue serving our audiences. We are addressing critical issues related to agriculture and food, climate adaptation, enhancing health and well-being, social justice, and sustainable landscapes. Extension is unique because the services we provide are […]
High Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the U.S.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial turkey flock in Dubois County, Indiana. This is the first confirmed case of HPAI in commercial poultry in the United States since 2020. Avian influenza does not present […]
CT Dairy Anaerobic Digester Panel Discussion
CT Dairy Anaerobic Digester Panel Discussion is occurring on Thursday, February 17th from 2:00-4:00 pm EST. Most everyone is aware that CT has 2 active anaerobic digesters operating on dairy farms. What you may not realize is that several other dairy-based anaerobic digesters are also being developed. This panel discussion will provide an opportunity for […]
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Tree Fruit
Evan Lentz of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture discusses the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in tree fruit as part of our Fruit Crops Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. This video was made possible through the USDA NIFA CPPM Grant.
USDA Announces $1 Billion Investment in Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today at Lincoln University that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is delivering on its promise to expand markets by investing $1 billion in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. […]
Why I Wish I Had Joined 4-H
This past summer, I enjoyed my internship with Litchfield County 4-H so much that I found myself quite sad at times that I had never done 4-H as a child. I had friends who were a part of it, but I never fully understood what it was, and never joined. From what I have observed […]