Meet 4-H Alumni and UConn undergraduate Cloe Labranche. We met with her and chatted about her 4-H experience, and what she is up to at UConn. How did you become involved with 4-H? Can you tell us about your 4-H experience? I came from a non-ag family and found out about 4-H when I was […]
Who Keeps Our Food Supply Safe?
Who keeps our food supply safe? Rules, regulations, jurisdiction By Diane Wright Hirsch Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety Emerita I am often asked who to contact when someone has a concern about the regulation of our food supply. It might be a budding entrepreneur who needs to know which agency they need to contact to […]
My 4-H Story
MY 4-H STORY By Mia Herrera It is safe to say that 4-H has more than just impacted my life. It has given me opportunities that would enhance my leadership and citizenship skills, and it has also shaped me into the person I have become. 4-H has provided life skill s and given me the […]
Locally Sourced Food – Even in Mid-Winter
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator, Food Safety After a not-so-local food-filled holiday season (including, I must confess, raspberries, grown somewhere in South America, in a fruit salad), it might be a good time to get back on track. Though it can be more difficult in the winter, eating locally sourced foods is […]
4-H Spotlight: Edward Merritt
4-H Alumni and Retiree Spotlight Edward Merritt – Retired Hartford County Administrator, 4-H Agent and MA 4-H Alumni By Nancy Wilhelm, Program Coordinator, State 4-H Office At 83 Ed Merritt remembers a lot of exciting experiences during his time with the Hartford County Extension Program. He came to UConn Extension on October 1, 1963 directly […]
Cooking Matters
The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) helps families learn about healthy eating, shopping on a budget, cooking and physical activity. EFNEP staff strive to empower participants, providing knowledge and skills to improve the health of all family members. Participants learn through doing, with cooking, physical activity and supportive discussions about nutrition and healthy […]
Setting a Course for Active Learning
Setting a Course for Active Learning: An Interview with Senator Beth Bye By Nancy Wilhelm, Program Coordinator, State 4-H Office Elizabeth “Beth” Bye is the Executive Director of the 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm in Bloomfield. She has worked in early childhood education for over 30 years. She is also a member of the Connecticut […]
Cook Before Eating
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety During the holiday season, from Thanksgiving dinner through New Year’s celebrations, people who rarely spend time in the kitchen may be more likely to pick up a cookbook and make some cookies. Or, they may be stuffing their first turkey for Christmas day family dinner. Or […]
Laura Irwin: 4-H Alumni Spotlight
It was never a question of if Laura Irwin of Hartland would join 4-H, but rather, when she would become a 4-H member. “My mom always wanted to be a 4-H member, and never had the opportunity,” Laura recalls. “So, she made sure her children did. I joined when I was 7-years old, and I’m […]
Cold Storage: A Sustainable Way to Preserve the Harvest
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety A young couple I know if looking to buy their first house. She prefers older homes with character, he wants space for a big garden. They came upon an older home with a dirt basement floor….I immediately thought that it might be a good candidate for a […]
Jessica LaRosa: 4-H Alumni Spotlight
The UConn 4-H program fostered a passion for animals in Jessica LaRosa of East Windsor. While in 4-H, Jessica discovered she loved teaching the public and others about agriculture. “My passion for both animals and teaching other about agriculture is what led me to find my major at UConn,” Jessica says. Jessica joined the Merry […]
Handling Food Leftovers
So, you know how to cook a turkey until it is safe to eat; but what about handling the leftovers? By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety Even though many Americans are eating more meals out of the home and some are turning to “meal kits” to make it pretty painless to cook dinner, […]
The First HardCORE CT Apple Challenge
The First HardCORE CT Apple Challenge with Put Local On Your Tray! October is special for a few reasons. Everyone is getting back in the swing of things at school, the foliage outstanding, and the many varieties of delicious crisp apples are ripening atop trees in orchards across the state. The combination makes a perfect […]
Windham County 4-H Providing New Opportunities for Young People
By Marc Cournoyer Though traditional 4-H interest areas continue to thrive, additional audiences have been reached with the introduction of imaginative new programs. The last year has seen continued expansion in the areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education with the success of the Saturday Science Club, a home school based STEM club […]
Building Communities: Brass City Harvest
UConn Extension empowers communities by building a network of awareness and knowledge. One example of this is Brass City Harvest, Inc. in Waterbury. Extension educators in our greenhouse and Master Gardener programs worked with Susan Pronovost to build the capacity of 501(c)3 organization. Susan shared her organization’s work with us Brass City Harvest, Inc. is […]
Extension Educator Chet Arnold Honored
Washington, DC — Cooperative Extension (Extension), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today announced winners of their 2017 Excellence in Extension and National Excellence in Diversity Awards. NIFA and Extension have sponsored the Excellence in Extension and National Diversity […]
Bats and Rabies: How UConn May Help
The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) within the Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science (PVS) in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) at the University of Connecticut routinely tests domestic and wild animals for rabies. Rabies is one of the oldest recognized diseases to mankind. Rabies can affect all warm-blooded animals […]
Tick Testing Available at UConn
Headed outdoors? Make sure you take precautions against ticks in October and November. Adult ticks are more active during this time of the year, creating a problem for both humans and animals. These disease-carrying arachnids reside in moist areas, long grass and the leaf litter and will latch onto humans and animals alike. Although there […]
Extension Internship Leads to Career Path
When Julia Cobuzzi of Monroe transferred to UConn from Stonehill College in Massachusetts at the beginning of her sophomore year, she was not sure what she could do with a major in Allied Health Sciences. “I took Introduction to Nutrition with Stacey Mobley, and it has been my favorite course by far in my college […]
How Clean is That Refrigerator of Yours?
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety The invention of mechanical refrigeration was one of the most important developments in the history of keeping food safe (others include the pasteurization of milk and commercial canning). Ask anyone who has suffered through the aftermath of a hurricane or ice storm without the benefit of […]
Brush Hill Farm – CT Dairy Farm of the Year
Brush Hill Farm – CT Dairy Farm of the Year 2017, UConn Extension Green Pastures Program By Joyce Meader Looking for cows at Brush Hill Farm? Look no further than the pasture. Other than a few hours a day when the cows are being milked in the barn, they enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and lush […]
My 2017 Climate Corps Summer Internship
By Nikki Pirtel The shoreline community of Westbrook, Connecticut, situated halfway between New Haven and New London, is home to approximately 7,000 residents while supporting seasonal tourists with numerous beaches and shopping stores in the town’s outlet. It is also the municipality I was assigned to research and create a vulnerability assessment for during my […]
Why Farmers Are Pleading: Leave Your Dogs Home
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH UConn Extension Educator – Food Safety Over the years I have worked with many fruit and vegetable farmers, as they have become the focus of new food safety regulations. Some of these farms sell their product through pick-your-own (PYO) operations, some at an on-farm stand; others have CSA (community supported […]
So, You Want to Preserve Your Famous Salsa…
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD Extension Educator/Food Safety Every year, about this time, I am spending time on the phone, talking people out of canning. Well, not exactly. I strongly encourage canning as a way to preserve summer tomatoes, peaches, apples and cucumbers (often as pickles). But, invariably I will answer the phone and […]
Keeping Farm Fresh Veggies and Fruits Fresh
Keeping those farm fresh veggies and fruits fresh By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety Recently I had a call from a mom asking if she should wash her berries before storing in the fridge. Her 30-something daughter, who, of course, knows everything, insisted that she should wash first. The mom wasn’t […]
Elsie Woolam Named 2017 National 4-H Hall of Fame Inductee
By Nancy Wilhelm Congratulations to Elsie Woolam for her selection as a member of the 2017 National 4-H Hall of Fame. The National 4-H Hall of Fame honors 4-H volunteers, extension professionals and staff employees, donors and others who have made a significant impact on the 4-H program and /or 4-H members through the contribution […]
Tackling Turfgrass
Article by Stacey Stearns Turfgrass is often overlooked by residents – but is one of the most abundant crops in the state, and an important part of Connecticut’s economic engine. Direct sales from the turfgrass industry are around $2.5 billion, with a total economic impact of $2.9 billion. Lawn care services are the largest turfgrass […]
Nutrient Management Planning
Article by Richard Meinert In the simplest form a Nutrient Management Plan is an inventory of the nutrients produced on the farm or needed by crops that are, or will be, produced, and a list of planned applications needed to distribute those nutrients to individual crop fields to support the growth of the desired crop, […]
Food Safety and Foodborne Illness: There Will Always Be Surprises
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety I took on food safety as a focus of my Extension programming in the early 1990’s: little did I know that for the next 20-plus years my food safety educator life would be full of surprises. Early on, the issues were what a consumer would […]
Preparing Agricultural Leaders for Drought
Article by Kim Colavito Markesich Originally published by Naturally.UConn.edu While Connecticut residents live in a state with ample water resources, we are beginning to notice some changes in precipitation trends. “Connecticut is very fortunate as we’re actually quite water rich,” says Angie Harris, research assistant in UConn Extension. “We are getting rainfall, but there’s a […]
Getting Ready for Home Preservation Season
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety As the end of June looms, back yard gardeners and farmers alike are beginning to see the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. Already we are enjoying locally grown spinach, lettuces, herbs and other greens, peas, and perhaps locally grown broccoli and cabbage. Asparagus season is over, […]
Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Update
From Extension Educator Tom Worthley: “The attached photo is of a 26-inch diameter oak near my home with lots of caterpillars on it, and all of the caterpillars are dead. They exhibit symptoms of the fungus that attacks gypsy moth caterpillars, particularly when populations are high. So while I cannot say it with absolute certainty, I […]
Tree Wardens Celebrate 25th Anniversary
On April 28, 2017, the Tree Wardens’ Association of Connecticut, Inc., celebrated the 25th anniversary of its founding with a gala event at the Omni Hotel in New Haven. The organization was founded by Bob Ricard, Senior Extension Educator, as a result of his findings in a statewide needs assessment he conducted in 1991, the […]
25 Years of Lifelong Learning
Article by Kim Colavito Markesich This fall, the UConn Extension Center for Learning in Retirement (CLIR) celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary of providing interesting and engaging lifelong learning activities for retirees and other adults. The milestone was celebrated October 19 with a luncheon at the Deanston House in Storrs. The UConn Board of Trustees first chartered […]
Engaging Communities with UConn PEP
The University of Connecticut People Empowering People (UConn PEP) is a personal and family development program with a strong community focus. Retired UConn Extension educator Cherry Czuba started the program in 1996 with a USDA State Strengthening grant to the Department of Extension in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. Building upon individual […]
Understanding the Value of Multi-Use Trails
Article by Laura Brown Answering growing demand for alternatives to car based transportation and potential improvements to public health and quality of life, Connecticut has vowed to invest billions of dollars in new transportation infrastructure, including $100 million on pedestrian and bicycle paths[1]. While interest in multi-use trails is growing, they can be expensive to […]
Connecting with Emergency Preparedness Resources
Article by Mary Ellen Welch Emergency preparedness is an issue for an increasing number of people and families. No matter the season, take steps in advance, and be ready for storms or other natural disasters. Personal experiences with storms – Tropical Storm Irene (2011), Sandy (2012) – and conditions that produce snow, winds, flooding and […]
4-H Grows True Leaders
Article by Maryann Fusco-Rollins Sean Murdock of Tolland was 8 years old, and out playing baseball that he first heard about 4-H. In between innings he and a teammate started talking about their hobbies, and interest in building with their hands. Sean enjoyed learning how things worked and took household items apart and rebuilt them. […]
Extension’s Climate Adaptation Academy Explores Legal Issues
The Climate Corps is in part a response to the ongoing work of Juliana Barrett and Bruce Hyde, two Extension educators who form the CLEAR/Sea Grant climate team. The Climate Adaptation Academy (CAA) created by the two has been engaging community officials, citizens and others for over four years, in a series of iterative workshops […]
Climate Corps, Harnessing the Power of Students
Article by Chet Arnold Extension faculty is leading a collaborative new program focused on the impact of climate change on Connecticut communities. The UConn Climate Corps will bring together undergraduates enrolled in the environmental majors with town officials, to the benefit of both groups. The program is supported for three years by a competitive grant […]