VERMONT AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION AND UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
EXTENSION
Annual Report 2016
Program Goal Area: Food Safety
Mastitis Resistance
to Enhance Dairy Food Safety
Barlow, John
Describing pathogen virulence factors, antimicrobial resistance, and molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus and other Staphylococci in key sectors of the dairy industry in Vermont in order to improve mastitis control practices and food safety.
Biological Management
of Apple Replant Disease
Bradshaw, Terrence
Apple replant disease (ARD) is a serious disorder that reduces tree growth and cumulative yield on affected trees planted on previous orchard sites. This project will assess biological control materials in two ARD-affected orchards in Vermont.
Field Assessment of Biostimulants for Organic Apple Scab Management
Bradshaw, Terrence
Evaluation of salicylic acid-based biostimulants to improve apple scab management in organic apple orchards.
Strategies to detect
and mitigate Listeria in artisan cheese facilities
Donnelly, Cathy
Through identification of sources of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in feed and farm environments, we can assist Vermont's artisan cheese producers with reduction of microbiological risks.
Beneficial and
Adverse Effects of Natural Chemicals on Human Health and Food Safety
Guo, Mingruo
Whey is a byproduct of cheese making. Use of whey protein as a major polymer to develop natural, safe and economical tissue adhesive.
Mastitis Resistance
to Enhance Dairy Food Safety
Kerr, David
determine genetic and epigenetic basis for differences between cows in their susceptability to mastitis
Characterization of
crystals that enhance the value of artisanal cheeses
Kindstedt, Paul
Crystals contribute significantly to the quality of many artisanal cheeses. Vermont cheesemakers want to understand the causes of crystals and their impact on cheese quality.
The Role of
Epigenetics in Innate Immune Response Variation to Mammary Gland Infection in
Dairy Cows
Korkmaz, Filiz
Our work is directly relevant to Vermont, an economy largely dependent on dairy production, because we aim to increase dairy cow milk quantity and quality through the reduction of severe mastitis.
Examining the Effects
of Consuming a Diet Comprising of Full-Fat Milk on Metabolic Health Markers
Kraft, Jana
The results from this project would benefit health professionals and Vermont’s dairy industry.
Characterizing the Rumen Microbiome in Dairy Cows as a Tool to Improve Health Attributes of Bovine Milk Fat
Kraft, Jana
The results from this project are relevant to scientists, dairy farmers and consumers interested in dairy nutrition and production.
Determining the
health-promoting benefits of milk fat from dairy cows receiving feed enriched
with bioactive fatty acids
Kraft, Jana
The results from this project are relevant to scientists, dairy farmers, nutritionists, physicians, and consumers interested in nutrition and dairy products.
Characterizing the
bovine microbiome and its lipid metabolites in response to different dietary
regimes to enrich health-promoting bioactive fatty acids in milk
Kraft, Jana
The results from this project are relevant to scientists, dairy farmers, and industry partners interested in dairy nutrition and production.
Persistence of
Enteric Pathogens in Manure-Amended Soils in Northeast U.S. Produce-Growing
Environment
Neher, Deb
to help inform an important revision of a proposed produce safety rule in the Food Safety Modernization Act.
Sustainable
Biological Control Strategies for Growers of Greenhouse Vegetables in Lebanon
Parker, Bruce
Research with American University of Beirut to assess the suitability of plant systems to support biocontrol and reduce pesticide use is underway in Lebanese greenhouses.
Earthworms: A Real
Threat to our Northeastern Sugarbushes
Parker, Bruce
Exotic invasive earthworms disrupt natural biodiversity and forest soil structure. We will determine worm abundance in sugarbushes relative to understory diversity and maple regeneration.
Worms: The Lurking
Threat to New England's Sugarbushes
Parker, Bruce
Exotic invasive earthworms disrupt natural biodiversity and forest soil structure. We will determine worm abundance in sugarbushes relative to understory diversity and maple regeneration.
Defining and
Overcoming Economic Factors Hindering Adoption of Food Safety Practices by
Small and Medium Sized Farms in the New England Region
Parker, Jason
A six-state New England integrated Extension and research program investigating barriers to adopting FDA produce safety regulations among exempt-class farmers and developing scale-appropriate GAP curriculum.
Learning to Cook and
Developing Food Agency: An Assessment of
a Deweyan Pedagogy
Trubek, Amy
We aim to improve food and health related interventions relying on cooking education. Our concept of ‘food agency’ and associated pedagogy will empower Vermonters to more easily make meal decisions based on healthy choices.