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Sustainable Food and Farming

 

The Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences created this new concentration in response to growing student demand and emerging job opportunities.  SF&F replaces the former Sustainable Agriculture concentration.  

This option helps prepare students to pursue careers with local and community farms, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, or to work in public policy.   For background on SF&F, see “the concept.”  SF&F offers students flexibility in choice of courses; therefore a close working relationship with an academic advisor is required.   For more information please contact John Gerber, Professor of  Sustainable Food and Farming. 

The requirements are described here (pdf).

Agriculture is thriving once again in Massachusetts, nourished by a trend toward smaller farms, niche marketing, direct sales.  For the story, click here.

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Dr Frank Mangan spoke about local growing and profitable marketing of ethnic vegetables like Brazilian Taioba on WFCR's program "Focus Western New England.

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 As a commercial grower, Jim Ward isn’t about to fool around when it comes to dealing with pests. That’s why he makes sure to keep up with the latest research from his alma mater, UMass Amherst. Click here.

New farm enterprise class offers students opportunities in practical growing and marketing.  Click HERE

The USDA has just put up a new website, Know your Farmer, Know your Food. Spearheaded by Greenfield native and USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.

The UMass Sustainable Agriculture class recently visited Sunset Farm which is within “shouting distance of the UMass campus.  See the video story HERE.

 Ben Lester of Wheatberry Bakery talks about opportunities in local grain growing HERE.

Richard Heinberg, claims that the U.S. will need 40 to 50 million new farmers to survive the “perfect storm” of: 1) climate change, 2) peak oil, 3) pandemics.  Read HERE.

For a recent news article on the future of agriculture in the Pioneer Valley by Peter Westover, go here.