Parents who send their sons and daughters to this College, emeriti professors who want to know how those hallowed halls fare today and alumni whose thoughts sometimes turn to former professors and classmates  -- people keep in touch with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) for many reasons. We who now spend our days (and perhaps nights) here also want to keep in touch with our current and extended CALS family. CALS offers several ways to do that.

• "Local Farms Prepped for Emergencies" On July 4, 2011 the Addison County (Vermont) Independent did a thorough report focusing on UVM Extension associate professor and veterinarian Julie Smith’s disaster preparedness plans and her three-year grant. The article is based on a talk Smith gave in Middlebury.

• "Vt Prof Finds Organic Way to Fight Pests that Threaten Hemlock Forests"July 4, 2011 Republic of Columbus, Indiana is an example of the wildfire-like travels of an Associated Press story about UVM entomologist Scott Costa’s organic method of controlling the hemlock wooly adelgid. Costa was also recently interviewed by Vermont Public Radio.
  
  
• "A Letter to First Lady Michelle Obama" Timing the article to the First Lady’s brief visit to Burlington, a Burlington Free Press food writer sets out the juxtaposition between obesity and hunger, quoting Rachel Johnson Bickford Professor of Nutrition and Food Science on June 30, 2011. 
  
  
• "Officials: Weather, more taps behind syrup boost” The Wall Street Journal, June 10, 2011, reported the official numbers of the 2011 sugaring season: “U.S. maple production jumped 43 percent from 2010, a mediocre year, to 2.79 million gallon this year, easily beating the record set two years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. Vermont continues to be the leader with 1.14 million gallons, the first time the state has exceeded 1 million gallons since the 1940s.” And credited UVM’s Timothy Perkins for developing the check valve –  2 million sold this year, the same number as last year – as instrumental in the season’s success. 
  
  
• “The Rice Stuff” UVM’s Heather Darby discusses the viability of rice growing in Vermont and interviews Ben Falk (a UVM alum.) in the May 11, 2011 edition of Seven Days.
  
  
• "The Ineffable Flavors of Maple Mapped" UVM' researchers created a sensory map of maple flavors in order to, first of all, talk about maple flavor, then quantify and compare it. Researchers Amy Trubek, Montserrat Almena-Aliste, Henry Marckres and Allison Hamlin imagine a day when folks will describe maple syrup from certain regions the way others describe Bordeaux wine or Camembaert cheese. Published April 18, 2011.
  

CALS Newsletter - Keeping in Touch

CALS publishes a full color newsletter twice a year that is packed with photos and news of faculty, staff, students, alumni and others active in the College. It is a great record of proud accomplishments.

• Winter
  
• Past Newsletters
  

Department Newsletters

Several CALS departments publish their own newsletters to students, parents and alums affiliated with the department majors.

• The " Animal Science Newsletter"
• Center for Rural Studies " Rural Developments"
• Community Development and Applied Economics "CDAE Compass"
  • Master of Public Administration Program "Beyond the Green"
• Environmental Program " Bittersweet Vine and " Bittersweet Notes"
• The " MMG Newsletter"
• Plant Biology " Leaflets" published each autumn and updated news on the department Web page
• Plant and Soil Science " Tiller" published in the fall.