Jul 15, 2019

University of New Hampshire gears up for 7th annual Durham Farm Day

Tours of the Woodman Horticultural Research Farm will take place from 10 a.m. to noon. Self-guided tours of the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors can observe the milking process at 3:30 p.m. Finally, the Sustainable Agricultural Production High Tunnels and Fields will be open for visits from 9 a.m. to noon.

UNH Woodman Horticultural Research Farm
New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station
10 a.m. to noon
70 Spinney Lane

The Woodman Horticultural Research Farm is one of the two horticultural farms that are part of the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. The primary activities of this approximately 155-acre farm are research, teaching, and outreach on the production of horticultural and ornamental crops. The farm specializes in conducting research on new cultivation methods and varieties of fruits and vegetables. Tour the research farm to learn about current research on new cultivation methods and varieties of fruits and vegetables.

• Investigating Grape Cultivars and Growing Systems
• Using Insectary Plants to Promote Biological Control of Pests
• Creating Wildflower Meadows to Promote Pollinator Health
• Breeding Strawberries Varieties for the Region’s Organic Growers
• Re-domestication of Quinoa from a Weedy Chenopod Relative in Northern New England
• Understanding the Impact of Noise on Cricket Behavior
• Developing New Eggplant Cultivar in High Tunnels
• Growing Figs in New Hampshire
• Using Tarps for Cover Crop-Based No-Till Veggies: Weed, Mulch, and Nutrient Dynamics
• Scavenger hunt for children featuring facts about pollinators

Sustainable Agricultural Production High Tunnels and Fields
UNH Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems
36 O’Kane Road
9 a.m. to noon

Learn about the unique relationship between the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) program and UNH Dining. Students grow vegetables year-round, all of which are used in UNH Dining outlets, and gain in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience. Learn about high tunnel cropping systems and help taste test new varieties of cherry tomato the students are trialing this year. No reservations are required.

Woodman Farm will conduct public tours at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Pre-registration for a tour is required by Friday, Aug. 16.  To register, contact Theresa Walker at 603-534-3913 or [email protected]. Directions to Woodman Farm: http://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/woodman-directions. Directions to the Fairchild Dairy: https://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/fairchild-directions.

Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire’s land-grant university heritage and mission. We steward federal and state funding, including support from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, to provide unbiased and objective research concerning diverse aspects of sustainable agriculture and foods, aquaculture, forest management, and related wildlife, natural resources and rural community topics. We maintain the Woodman and Kingman agronomy and horticultural research farms, the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses, the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, and the Organic Dairy Research Farm. Additional properties also provide forage, forests and woodlands in direct support to research, teaching, and outreach.

– Lori Wright, NH Agricultural Experiment Station

Researchers will discuss current research at Durham Farm Day, including our grape cultivar and growing system project at the Woodman Horticultural Research Farm. Photo: University of New Hampshire