Press Release

UMass Amherst’s Summer Research Field Days Series Kicks Off June 16 with Turf Field Day

June 14, 2010

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst kicks off a summer-long series of field days showcasing current research and new developments in agriculture and the landscape industries on Wednesday, June 16.

Turf Research Field Day begins at 8:30 a.m. on June 16 at the Joseph Troll Turf Research Center, part of the university’s research farm on River Road in South Deerfield. It is expected to draw several hundred professional turf managers from golf courses, municipalities and lawn care businesses around Massachusetts.

It will feature presentations by UMass scientists on integrated pest management, drought management and other research developments. The day starts with a trade show featuring vendor displays and demonstrations. More information is available at www.umassturf.org/education/annual_events/field_day.html.

The other field days include:

• Fruit Growers Summer Meeting, July 15 at the university‘s Cold Spring Orchard Research Farm in Belchertown.

• Great Ideas Summer Conference for nursery and landscape professionals and commercial flower growers, July 21 at Bigelow Nursery in Charlton (jointly sponsored with Mass. Nursery Landscape Association and the Mass. Flower Growers Association).

• Vegetable Growers Field Day and Crop, Dairy, Livestock Field Day, both to be held Aug. 11 at the UMass Crops Research and Education Center, also part of the research farm in South Deerfield.

• Cranberry Station Centennial Celebration and annual meeting of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association on Aug. 17 at the UMass Cranberry Station in East Wareham.

This field day series is sponsored by the university’s Center for Agriculture and its UMass Extension and Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station units. Both are supported in part by funding from the United States Department of Agriculture. More information is available at www.ag.umass.edu.