Sustainable Agriculture Field Day Focuses on Small-Scale Vegetable Production

Contact: Ellen Mallory, 207-581-2942 or ellen.mallory@maine.edu

STILLWATER, Maine — The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will hold on Wednesday, June 29, its annual Sustainable Agriculture Field Day for farmers, crop advisors, home gardeners, and others interested in small-scale vegetable production.

The free event, which starts at 5 p.m., will take place at the 100-acre Rogers Farm on Bennoch Road in Stillwater. The Rogers Center is part of the J.F. Witter Teaching & Research Center, UMaine’s livestock, forage and crops research center.

The open house will highlight research on vegetable production for small-scale farms and home gardeners. UMaine agricultural researchers and Cooperative Extension faculty will present field research and information on a variety of topics including season extension, hand tools for weed control, integrated pest management, bagged organic fertilizers, practices to improve potato skin quality, and Extension’s Master Gardener program.

Speakers include Mark Hutton, Extension vegetable specialist; David Handley, Extension vegetable and small fruit specialist; Eric Gallandt, associate professor of weed ecology and management; Jim Dill, Extension integrated pest management specialist; John Jemison, Extension water quality specialist; Ryan Fahey, graduate student in sustainable agriculture; Kate Garland, Extension horticulture professional; and Ellen Mallory, Extension sustainable agriculture specialist.

Participants will receive one pesticide certification credit and two Certified Crop Advisor credits.  Registration begins at 4:45 p.m., and events will run from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  Participants are invited to arrive early to evaluate a variety of hand- and wheel-hoes. UMaine graduate student Ben Costanzi and weed ecologist Eric Gallandt will have their collection of innovative hand tools sharpened and available for hands-on field testing.

For more than 90 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.

For more information, contact Ellen Mallory at 207-581-2942 or John Jemison at 207-581-3241.

Directions: The Rogers Farm is located on Route 16, 1.5 miles north of Stillwater. Take exit 193 off Interstate 95 and head east toward Old Town on Stillwater Avenue. At the third set of lights, turn left onto Bennoch Road (Route 16 North). The Rogers Farm is 1.5 miles down Bennoch Road.