School of Food and Agriculture

Morning Ag Clips, BDN note UMaine grant to study alfalfa hay spoilage

Morning Ag Clips and Bangor Daily News reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has awarded $668,456 to a team of University of Maine researchers studying new ways to reduce spoilage in high-moisture hay, and how spoilage processes differ in alfalfa relative to grass hays.

Read more

Media note new UMaine biochar study 

Morning Ag Clips and Bangor Daily News reported that University of Maine researchers will study how wild blueberry growers can use biochar, charcoal-like material derived from the pyrolysis of wood, to increase soil moisture and aid in the crop’s ability to be resilient to drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Services […]

Read more

BDN featured Schattman on PFAS panel

The Bangor Daily News reported that Rachel Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at the University of Maine, presented at a forum organized by the Bangor Daily News and Maine Farmland Trust about removing toxic “forever chemicals” from the environment. Schattman is in the early stages of research on how PFAS chemicals are absorbed by […]

Read more

Morning Ag Clips reports on new UMaine degree in sustainable food systems

Morning Ag Clips reported that the University of Maine has launched a new Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Food Systems that will train students with a passion for sustainability to help solve complex socio-ecological problems pertaining to food production and access. The program will prepare students for careers in supply chain management, food production and […]

Read more

Schattman speaks to Reuters about soil erosion in the Midwest

Reuters interviewed Rachel Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at the University of Maine, about rain causing unprecedented levels of erosion in the Midwest. Schattman said the U.S. Midwest and Northeast were especially vulnerable to land erosion because they were receiving more extreme amounts of rain than normal, a trend expected to continue through the […]

Read more

A photo of a trio of UMaine researchers work on a project in the lab.

UMaine researchers studying whether broccoli sprouts can help prevent and treat inflammatory bowel disease

University of Maine researchers and their colleagues are investigating whether broccoli sprouts can help prevent and treat inflammatory bowel disease in humans.  Through multiple studies, Yanyan Li, assistant professor of human nutrition; Sue Ishaq, assistant professor of animal and veterinary sciences; and researchers from other institutions will explore how human gut microbes could use a […]

Read more

Moran speaks to News Center Maine about apple season

Renae Moran, professor of pomology at the University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture and University of Maine Cooperative Extension tree fruit specialist, spoke to News Center Maine about Maine’s successful apple season despite summer droughts. Moran said that apples are a drought-tolerant crop, but the fruit texture and taste can be impacted if […]

Read more

Porter named one of the 2022 Mainers of the Year by Maine Magazine

Gregory Porter, professor of crop ecology and management at the University of Maine, was recognized as one of the 2022 Mainers of the Year by Maine magazine. Porter has been a professor at UMaine for 38 years. This year, he received an Honorary Life Membership from the Potato Association of America (PAA), the organization’s highest […]

Read more

A photo of two people working on a farm

UMaine pilots affordable well design for farms

New England’s droughts in 2016, 2020 and 2022 offer a preview of farming amid a changing climate. This has caused farmers who rely on rainfall to seek more reliable water sources. Rachel Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at the University of Maine, is leading the study of a novel shallow well design that is […]

Read more