News from the Center

Forty years of building connections and empowering communities! We're celebrating Jeanne Baranek's remarkable career at UMass, including her vital work training future leaders and collaborating with local partners through CAFE's Nutrition Education Program.

Lynne McLandsborough, CAFE interim director, Professor of Food Science has won the 2024 Mahoney Life Sciences Prize for her research that offers a solution to a sticky sanitation and food safety dilemma hounding the peanut butter and chocolate industries.

Watch: Lynne McLandsborough’s groundbreaking food safety research highlighted on Boston 25

Partnerships between mobile farmer’s markets, the UMass Extension Nutrition Education’s SNAP- Ed Program and community organizations have made it possible for SNAP participants to access fresh healthy produce at their home, school, educational center, and councils on aging. For many SNAP participants this was the first opportunity to use their fruit and vegetable benefit provided through the Healthy Incentive program (HIP). Depending on the household size, this benefit offers $40-80 per month to purchase fruits and vegetables.  

The Clean Energy Extension (CEE) at UMass Amherst recently concluded the Western Massachusetts Solar Forum, a series of virtual public discussions and information-sharing sessions regarding the opportunities and challenges associated with solar PV development and installation in Western Massachusetts. The Forum was convened and hosted by CEE, Massachusetts Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), Representative Mindy Domb (D-Amherst), and 16 members of the western Massachusetts state legislative delegation. 

Jon Clements attended an International Society for Horticultural Science Symposium on Precision Orchard and Vineyard Management, December 4-8, 2023 at the Tatura Smart Farm, in Victoria, Australia.

It is a mild January morning that finds UMPD Detective Jessie Liptak at the Hadley Farm caring for the Mounted Unit’s three horses: Miranda, a 28-year old mare who, despite having a bit more silver in her muzzle, still inspects visitors thoroughly for treats, Miller, an imposing Belgian draft horse, and Outlaw, a sweet, nine-year-old gray who first came to the farm as a horse companion before finding his calling in police work.  

The Greening the Gateway Cities Program expanded to Springfield November 16th and 17th. Volunteers and foresters, including UMass’ Dr. Rick Harper, planted fifty trees providing a myriad of environmental and health benefits. 

A UMass Amherst research team is set to receive $1.19 million as part of a larger $4.1 million grant, funded by a USDA-NIFA (U.S. Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture) Specialty Crop Research Initiative Grant.

Michael DiPasquale, UMass Extension Assistant Professor and Chair for Northeast NUEL (National Urban Extension Leaders), hosted the first regional NUEL conference since the pandemic. The gathering brought together over 60 professionals from highly accredited universities to brainstorm improvements to current food systems and the quality of life for people in cities. 

The 4-H Explore UMass Program took place June 25 to June 27 this year, providing thirty-five 4-H youth ages 12 to 16 with the opportunity to explore their interests and UMass academic programs. 

Recent Research led by UMass Amherst Resource Economist Jill Fitzsimmons found that growers might profit if they freeze their produce and sell during the off-season. But is this a good choice for a farm business? This investigation provides information and a cost calculator so growers can make informed decisions. 

UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture professor Jaime Pinero and graduate student Mateo Rull Garza officially started a MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources & Related Sciences) chapter at UMass in May. This national organization has chapters at universities across the country that promote the success of students from groups that have been historically underrepresented. 

Dr. Lynne McLandsborough, Professor of Food Science, is appointed as the interim director of the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE) and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement. She will start the position on September 1, 2023.

The perfect balance between tart and sweet, cranberries are an American favorite and an important Massachusetts agricultural crop. An exciting project at the UMass Cranberry Station is now paving the way for enhanced cranberry research in the Commonwealth.

During the week of Oct. 17, more than forty-two students from UMass Amherst and Mount Wachusett Community College enjoyed an immersive expedition to Red Apple Farm, a fourth-generation family farm located in Phillipston, Massachusetts. On top of boasting some of the most delicious, award-winning cider donuts in the state, Red Apple is committed to integrated pest management (IPM), a holistic, environmentally-sound approach that minimizes the use of pesticides.

The summer of 2022 was a busy and productive one for the inaugural Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) program. REEU is a program under the Stockbridge School and Agriculture (SSA) in partnership with UMass Extension and is currently funded to run through 2026. It aims to provide research training, professional development, and Extension experience to undergraduate students while reaching out to community colleges through paid full-time summer internships.

Registration is now open for UMass Extension’s Green School, a certificate short course offering horticultural training for professionals and aspiring individuals alike. The remote program will run from Oct. 25th through Dec. 15 three afternoons per week., totaling 60+ hours, and will be taught by UMass Extension Specialists along with UMass faculty and guest instructors. 

Grapevine Trunk Diseases, or GTDs, are the bane of vineyard owners worldwide, and as of 2012, were responsible for more than $1.5 billion in annual economic damages. While researchers have long known that a host of pathogenic fungi combine to gang up on grapevines, the mechanics of how these GTD-causing fungi work has remained a mystery. 

The Baker-Polito Administration and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) recently announced that a team led by UMass Extension professor Dwayne Breger at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been selected to receive $220,000 in grant funding to support the growth of the UMass Clean Energy Extension’s (CEE) Offshore Wind Professional Certificate Program.

An international team led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst food and environmental virologist has received a $750,000 USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) partnership grant to develop and test portable, rapid biosensors capable of detecting noroviruses and mycotoxins in foods and agricultural products. It is among the first partnership grants awarded with an international partner by the USDA.