Bangor Daily News interviewed University of Maine associate professor of animal and veterinary sciences Robert Causey for an article titled, “More than half of pet owners don’t believe in vaccinating their animals.” Causey said vaccines strengthen a pet’s immunity against serious, potentially fatal diseases that can be contracted from exposure to other animals in boarding […]
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Bangor Daily News interviewed Phillip Fanning, assistant professor of agriculture entomology at the University of Maine, on the pollination process of bees. In Maine, there are 90 native pollinators that visit wild and cultivated flowering plants. All of them are far more efficient at pollination than domestic honey bees. “Our best pollinators are bumble bees. […]
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Mainers know their maple syrup — the state is the third-largest producer of it nationwide. The same can’t be said in many other places. In parts of the southern and western U.S., many consumers don’t realize that maple syrup comes in different flavors based on when it was harvested or how long it ages, or […]
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The Maine Monitor interviewed University of Maine Cooperative Extension blueberry specialist Lily Calderwood on a dual-use solar and blueberry farm in Rockport. Calderwood, also an assistant professor of horticulture, made the preliminary conclusion that the way the solar array is configured makes farming difficult and constricts blueberry production. After analyzing the 2022 growing season, Calderwood […]
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The Courier Gazette highlighted an upcoming presentation from Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, a professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Maine, on the health benefits of berries on cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, including obesity-induced inflammation and hypertension on Tuesday, March 12, at noon. via Zoom. The talk is part of Merryspring’s Online Winter Talk series, co-sponsored […]
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Grist interviewed University of Maine assistant professor of sustainable agriculture and cooperating faculty in anthropology Rachel Schattman on whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s funding for “climate-smart” farming is actually helping. Schattman supports the funding and said it has created new opportunities for farmers, whose climate-friendly practices can differ depending on location. Even if practices […]
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Central Maine promoted UMaine’s soil testing service and shared a recommendation to chaos garden. This form of gardening involves using up any old seeds you’ve got lying around. The UMaine soil testing service notes that excessive rain last year washed nitrogen out of the soil, so a soil test would be a good idea for […]
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Morning Ag Clips and Daily Bulldog promoted a series of gardening webinars to be hosted by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The webinars will offer information, practical knowledge and insights for gardeners of all levels. They will focus on backyard food growing in Maine, including cranberries, blueberries and potatoes, and feature expert speakers from […]
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Gardening, hunting, fishing, foraging and maintaining backyard poultry and livestock increased in rural New England during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new study found that these activities, collectively known as home and wild food production, reduced hunger among households during that period. Researchers from the University of Vermont and University of Maine […]
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Earth.com, Medical Xpress, Farms.com, The Week, Morning Ag Clips and PBS Connecticut promoted new research conducted by University of Vermont and University of Maine researchers on food insecurity. A major take-away from the study was that individuals who were newly food insecure during the pandemic seemed to be best at recovering from food insecurity with […]
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