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Defining Agriculture and Landscape
Agriculture is a complex web of soil, air, water, crops, weeds, insects,
microbes, animals and people. The Agriculture and Landscape Program of
UMass Extension firmly believes that the need for healthful food and recreational
spaces cannot be separated from the need for a healthy, sustainable environment.
It supports this need through University-based research and public education.
Our programs, from dairy farms to golf greens, cranberry bogs to greenhouses,
help keep Massachusetts agriculture environmentally friendly and economically
healthy, and the Commonwealth a better place to live.
The Agriculture and Landscape Program draws on the expertise of over
60 faculty and professionals from the University of Massachusetts to help
the Commonwealth's unique and vibrant agriculturally related businesses
solve problems through research and education. Scientists and educators
with a wide range of expertise, such as plant diseases, insect pests,
soils and plant nutrition, view Massachusetts agriculture as an important
part of our environment and communities. We use a range of methods, from
the web to one-on-one consultations, to teach growers and the public in
our state about integrated pest management, community supported agriculture,
water management and protection, and many other aspects of environmentally
sound and economically viable agriculture.
Of course, agriculture in Massachusetts is not corn, wheat, soybeans,
cattle and pigs. But it is a sector of small and large businesses tightly
woven into the landscape and communities of the state. Massachusetts leads
the nation in direct farm to consumer sales, a testament to innovations
in farmer's markets and on-farm stores. The $1.6 billion golf industry
is second only to California's, and keeps acres of land open for recreation.
Massachusetts was an innovator in community-supported agriculture. We
are leaders in producing cranberries, poinsettias and many other specialty
crops. Agriculture and Landscape helps these businesses and their communities
in building and supporting an environmentally and economically sustainable
future for these businesses.
Recent Initiatives
- New or expanded purchase contracts for 900 farms region-wide with
local schools, colleges, restaurants and other institutions with a total
value of over $3 million annually, through the collaborative UMass Extension
Food School.
- Emergency response to the crash in cranberry prices, Massachusetts'
biggest dollar value crop, through decreased pest control costs, lower
costs of other purchased inputs, and research and development of alternative
crops for the region through the UMass Cranberry Experiment Station.
- Reduced water pollution through manure and other fertilizer management
planning for dairy farmers.
- Decreased pesticide use and expanded business opportunities through
video conferences for flower growers, including speakers from around
the country delivering state-of-the-art information on ecological management
of insects and new floral crops.
- Decreased pesticide and fertilizer run-off through the UMass Green
School for municipal and private landscape and grounds managers, designed
to teach environmental stewardship through IPM and better fertilizer
management.
- Safer pesticide use and a cleaner environment through education of
over 1,500 farmers, landscapers, lawn care professionals, exterminators,
and municipal employees on pesticide safety.
- Less wasted water through education of over 250 growers who observed
firsthand how to set up and use trickle irrigation systems.
- Decreased business costs and losses and less pollution through the
diagnosis and analysis of over 10,000 plant and soil samples.
By the Numbers
Oct. 2005 through Sept. 2006
| Inquiries through phone, letters, and email |
11,769 |
| Site visits |
868 |
| Face-to-Face consults |
1,955 |
| Diagnosis by Extension staff |
845 |
| Analysis by Extension Plant Diagnostics Lab |
1,231 |
| Lyme Disease samples analyzed |
20 |
| Analysis by Extension Soil and Plant Tissues Lab |
15,507 |
| Number of public presentations and meetings |
402 |
| Number of presentation and meeting attendees |
26,416 |
| Number of newsletter issues published |
12 |
| Number of newsletter subscribers |
6,970 |
| Number of onsite research demonstrations |
155 |
| Number of website hits |
548,700 |
| Number of media features |
91 |
What do these numbers mean? Whenever Agriculture and Landscape consults,
we are helping a citizen of Massachusetts one on one, teaching about better
growing techniques, from apples to waste composting, from water use to
aphid control. At meetings, through newsletters, and over the web, we
educate thousands of citizens, making our environment and communities
better through responsible agriculture.
For additional information, please contact our main office at:
UMass Extension Agriculture and Landscape
West Experiment Station
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003
Phone: 413-545-5300
Fax: 413-577-3820
http://www.umass.edu/umext/programs/agro/
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