School of Food and Agriculture

Martha Stewart Living interviews Singh on strawberry plant care

Martha Stewart Living spoke with University of Maine assistant professor of horticulture Ankit Singh on why you should never grow strawberries next to spinach plants. “They harbor fungal diseases and pests that also affect spinach,” Singh said. “This can increase the chance of fungal leaf spot and soil-borne pathogens.”

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A photo of Maddie Closson and Samantha Martin

Maddie Closson and Samantha Martin: Leaders on the farm

From the classroom to the barn, University of Maine third-year students Maddie Closson and Samantha Martin lead the herd for the Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AVS) program as farmworkers, teaching assistants and interns.  Each week, Closson and Martin travel to Witter Farm to work in the equine and dairy cattle barns, greeted by the sounds […]

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Media highlight UMaine’s new robotic cow milking barn

 Spectrum News Maine, WABI (Channel 5), WFVX (FOX 22/ABC 7 Bangor) and Mainebiz covered the grand opening ceremony for the University of Maine’s new robotic cow milking barn at Witter Farm.  “We are just so excited that we’re going to be able to demonstrate this fantastic technology with our dairy herd for the farmers of […]

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A photo of students and a cow in UMaine's new robotic milking barn

State’s new robotic milking barn unveiled at UMaine’s Witter Farm

The University of Maine unveiled its new robotic milking barn — the third of its kind in Maine and a new resource for bolstering the agricultural workforce and pursuing research activities — at Witter Farm in a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, April 2.  Featuring the latest technology in the dairy industry, the barn will […]

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TV 7 interviews Extension’s Lilley about Maine Maple Sunday

WFVX (FOX 22/ABC 7 in Bangor) interviewed Jason Lilley, Maine sustainable agriculture and maple industry educator at University of Maine Cooperative Extension, about Maine Maple Sunday. This was the 42nd anniversary of the Maine Maple Producers Association’s celebration. “So there’s a lot more as far as activities and engagement,” Lilley said. “At the same time, […]

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News Center highlights corn flea beetle research led by Schattman 

News Center Maine highlighted research led by Rachel Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at the University of Maine, that found corn flea beetle infestations could cause more damage to crops in New England as the climate warms. A common pest found in the Midwest, the corn flea beetle causes a disease known as Stewart’s […]

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An aerial image of a field

Expansion of corn crop pest into New England a possibility, UMaine study finds 

While New England is well known for commodities such as maple syrup, wild blueberries and cranberries, its reputation for sweets extends to another crop: sweet corn. The 2023-24 crop production report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed the region produced just under 3 million tons of corn, of which Vermont contributed approximately half and […]

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News Center, WABI cover UMaine’s ‘Battle of the Chefs’

News Center Maine and WABI (Channel 5) covered the University of Maine’s “Battle of the Chefs,” an effort from Sodexo to expand its incorporation of Maine grown grains onto college menus. “College students are the future and planting the seed with them around Maine-grown grain [as] an exciting part of their diet, and a delicious […]

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Texas Tribune interviews Mallory on state responses to PFAS

The Texas Tribune interviewed Ellen Mallory, a professor and specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and School of Food and Agriculture, on Maine’s response to the presence of a group of chemicals known as PFAS. Mallory said the state’s response has been crucial in dealing with PFAS because of the lack of regulations […]

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