Boston Flora

Tag: Usda

  • Tuesday, October 30, 6:45 pm – Soil Health: From the Bottom Up

    The Norwood Evening Garden Club will host Tom Akin, Conservation Agronomist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, tomorrow, October 30, at the Carriage House of the First Baptist Church, 71 Bond Street, Norwood.

    Mr. Akin will discuss the characteristics of healthy soil, its importance in gardening and how to improve your soil’s health. He will also cover how to interpret soil test results, how to optimize plant nutrition and plant health, organic matter in the soil and why you should sell your rototiller.  The public is invited to attend. A $5.00 donation is requested and includes refreshments. For more information call 781-769-3854.

    Tom Akin has been the Conservation Agronomist and Grazing Lands Coordinator with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Amherst, MA since 2003. He is passionate about the environment, soil health, composting and helping farmers and gardeners improve their soil’s health. Prior to working for NRCS, Tom was assistant superintendent and internship coordinator at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. He has also worked as an Extension educator with the University of Massachusetts and for the Peace Corps in the Central African Republic.

  • Tuesday, October 16, and Wednesday, October 17 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Emerald Ash Borer in Massachusetts

    At meetings to be held Tuesday and Wednesday, October 16 and 17, from 6:30 – 8:30, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR), the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the USDA’s Forest Service will address the implications surrounding the recent discovery of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in western Massachusetts. Tuesday’s meeting will take place at the Berkshire Atheneum, One Wendell Avenue in Pittsfield, and Wednesday’s meeting will be held at the Visitors Center Theater of Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road in Sturbridge.

    Central to these meetings is the issue of establishing a quarantine boundary within the state that would restrict the movement of certain wood products under certain conditions. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session, and general feedback will be elicited to help guide the state’s actions as it moves forward with responding to the discovery of this destructive pest.

    If you have questions about the public meeting, please call 617-626-4974 or email DCR.Updates@state.ma.us.

  • Tuesday, March 13, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – 2012 Community Tree Conference

    The University of Massachusetts Extension, Massachusetts Department of Conservation, and the USDA Forest Service, will sponsor the 2012 Community Tree Conference on Tuesday, March 13, from 9 – 4 at Stockbridge Hall, UMass Amherst, 80 Campus Center Way, Amherst, Massachusetts.  This Conference is for arborists, foresters, tree wardens, sugar bush owners, and anyone who loves trees.  The conference will cover topics such  as New Research, New Insects (newly discovered, at any rate) & Diseases, A New Safety Standard, and A Reality Check.  The cost is $65 per person for first registration and $40 per person for each additional registration from the same organization.  Coffee break and a parking pass are included in the registration fee, but lunch is on your own.  For a registration form, or to register online, go to http://umassgreeninfo.org/.

     

     

  • Friday, September 24, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, and Saturday, September 25, 8:00 am – noon – MCD Fall Bulb and Perennial Sale

    Come to the 4H Fairgrounds, 51 South Chelmsford Road, Westford, September 24 and 25, for the Middlesex Conservation District Fall Bulb and Perennial Sale – tulips, daffodils, alliums (below), unusual bulbs, iris, perennials and garden supplies (compost bins, bulb fertilizer, kitchen scrap buckets, etc). All items may be ordered in advance through September 4 to ensure best selection. To place an order, visit the MCD website at www.middlesexconservation.org and download an order form, or call 978 692 9395 and obtain a brochure by mail. All proceeds will benefit the District�s’ conservation programs.  You may also email frances.gillespie@ma.usda.gov for brochures and directions.  Friday hours 3 – 6, Saturday 8 – noon.


    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2Rc9ifOGLYg/Sh5ytDwI6PI/AAAAAAAAENI/NnH3Ww2ieK8/s400/693px-Allium_%27Lucy_Ball%27_Pink_Flower_Head_2236px.jpg

  • US Department of Agriculture Launches “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food”

    Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan has launched a website – “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food,” and plans a Facebook chat to expand the conversation on local food systems.  The new web pages and on-line tools will help consumers make healthier food choices.  There is a lot on this website to explore. This is a USDA effort to create new economic opportunities by better connecting consumers with local producers. It is also the start of a national conversation about the importance of understanding where your food comes from and how it gets to your plate. Today, there is too much distance between the average American and the farmer, and the USDA hopes to create links. To log on, click on to www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/knowyourfarmer?navid=KNOWYOURFARMER (I know, could they possibly have made that address a little shorter?)

    http://www.foodsafetynews.com/USDA%20Know%20Your%20Farmer.jpg

  • Saturday, September 25, 3 – 6 pm, and Sunday, September 26, 8 am – noon – MCD Fall Bulb and Perennial Sale

    Come to the 4H Fairgrounds, 51 South Chelmsford Road, Westford, for the Middlesex Conservation District Fall Bulb and Perennial Sale – tulips, daffodils, unusual bulbs, iris, perennials and garden supplies (compost bins, bulb fertilizer, kitchen scrap buckets, etc). All items may be ordered in advance through September 4 to ensure best selection. To place an order, visit the MCD website at www.middlesexconservation.org and download an order form, or call 978 692 9395 and obtain a brochure by mail. All proceeds will benefit the District�s’ conservation programs.  You may also email frances.gillespie@ma.usda.gov for brochures and directions.