Ever wonder when driving by a vegetable farm during the off-season why the fields look like a lush, green carpet instead of plain dirt? That sprawling greenery is most likely a cover crop—plants grown not for harvest, but to maintain soil health between seasons. 

That concept, explained by soil health educator Artie Siller, was part of a dozen research projects showcased during the Agronomy Farm Research Field Day at the UMass Crop and Animal Research and Education Farm on River Road in South Deerfield on Aug. 5. UMass Extension specialists, College of Natural Sciences and Stockbridge School of Agriculture faculty, students and industry collaborators shared research aimed at helping Massachusetts and New England growers improve crop production while protecting natural resources.

The free annual event featured 10-minute presentations stationed at garden areas across the 300-plus acre farm, which is nestled between Mt. Sugarloaf and the Connecticut River and serves as a working farm and research and education center. As part of the UMass Extension, its programs partner with state and regional growers and organizations, as well as local businesses, such as Big Y Supermarkets.

Among the presenters, Alireza Shokoohi, vegetable program integrated pest management specialist, discussed efforts to improve monitoring of caterpillar pests in sweet corn as organic growers contend with the challenges of insecticide resistance. 

Other presentations focused on fertilizer efficiency and crop performance. Johanna Hunt of Prospect Growth shared research on nanoscale phosphorus fertilizer designed to better match crop nutrient demand, while plant and soil sciences students Max Boland and Andrew Franke demonstrated how multispectral drone imaging is helping organic broccoli growers monitor nitrogen levels and identify nutrient stress earlier in the growing season.
 

 

 

 

 

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Hovering above rows of broccoli, the drone completed a quick three-minute flight that captured more than 200 images. Boland and his classmates will process these back in the lab using specialized imaging software to create detailed maps. He added that the research team has completed five flights this season producing thousands of images.

Presenters also shared research into evaluating crop varieties for New England growers. Sporting a strawberry-print button-down shirt, specialist John Galvan talked about his team’s 16 organically grown strawberry varieties; the trial compares their performance, fruit quality and marketability under two production systems commonly used in the region.

The project involves 575 strawberry plants and aims to benefit multiple markets—commercial, community supported agriculture, or CSAs, pick your own (PYO) and home gardeners—in New England conditions.

“This ongoing research will strengthen regional variety recommendations, reduce some of the risk associated with new plantings, and support improvements in marketable yield, fruit quality and overall crop value,” Galvan said.

Galvan added that the strawberries are 100% organic and free of pesticides. This year the team also established two “UMass PYO” rows available to the UMass community.

Sue Scheufele, vegetable specialist and production agriculture leader with the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE) and co-organizer of field day, shared findings from vegetable variety trials, including new peanut cultivation for area growers; while weed specialist Maria Gannett presented research examining how warm soils affect weed emergence and strategies to suppress their growth in carrot crops.

Other presentations explored long-term sustainability. Sara Sadeghi, a Stockbridge doctoral student, discussed perennial cover crops for corn silage systems that could reduce fertilizer use and nutrient runoff. Simon Pinilla-Gallego, a postdoctoral researcher in the biology department’s Lynn Adler “bee lab,” shared his research examining how bee pathogens spread among flowers and pollinators.

The presentations concluded with an overview of the Student Farm Enterprise, where student Winnie McGregor described the one-year undergraduate program that includes a paid summer internship. Between the South Deerfield farm and the Agricultural Learning Center in Amherst, they grow 42 vegetable and fruit varieties throughout the program, which includes classroom instruction during the academic year. Students manage all aspects and areas of vegetable farming, conduct research, and maintain production records for an almanac that helps guide crop selection for the following planting season.

The students also manage a summer CSA program for UMass faculty and staff, including a new winter CSA that attracted 130 members this past year.

Throughout the day, attendees learned about pests such as insects that harm crops, but McGregor spoke of a different challenge: “We’re having trouble with our lettuce and Swiss chard this season thanks to a serial-killing groundhog,” McGregor said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Scheufele said field day’s roots were planted back in 2013 by Stockbridge professor Masoud Hashemi and has always been intended to show the variety of research that takes place at the farm while connecting growers, state agencies, service providers, the public and the UMass community. It was also designed to foster collaboration among scientists from across fields and departments at UMass as well as to expose students to other career pathways in science and agriculture and research opportunities overseen by CAFE, such as the Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) and Summer Scholars.

“We hope people walk away with a sense of the type of research we do, whether it be basic or applied, and see that the farm is an important resource for the campus community and the region,” Scheufele said.