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Terry Jones, owner of Jones Family Farms.
Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut MediaTerry Jones, owner of Jones Family Farms.
Terry Jones, owner of Jones Family Farms.
Terry Jones, owner of Jones Family Farms.
I am a child of the 1950s. Growing up on a Connecticut farm, my dream was to be a scientist, in part inspired by the annual August trip to Lockwood Farm in Hamden, where verdant fields slope eastward toward the iconic Sleeping Giant. The farm is home to field plots and experiments by scientists at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. Once a year, in August, all the scientists sponsor Plant Science Day and show off their experimental plots along with demonstrations, tours, short talks and more.
CAES is America’s first state agricultural research lab. Established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1875, it has a long and steady credo: “Putting Science to Work for Society Protecting Agriculture, Public Health, and the Environment.”
CAES is a Connecticut treasure. Whether summer sunshine or rain from Tropical Storm Isaias is beating down on us, this year due to the COVID-19 virus, we all can tune in from the safety of our homes and offices to find knowledge and inspiration on Wednesday, Aug. 5, for the 110th Plant Science Day.
Yes, I am grateful for my childhood inspirations at the Plant Science Days of the 1950s. I’m now a fifth-generation farmer “living the dream” in Shelton. I am proud of Connecticut and honored to have served on the CAES Board of Control under the administrations of Govs. Rell, Malloy and Lamont. I love collaborating with and supporting scientists. They help us implement new techniques for growing crops at our seven-generation family farm. Thanks to the knowledge imparted by Station staff, I still experience the childlike wonder of science.
Did you know certain cover crops “bio-fumigate” the soil for growing strawberries, and with the addition of compost create amazing habitat for beneficial earthworms? I’ve experimented with growing Christmas trees where the conifers coexist with wildflowers that attract beneficial insects. In season, these fields of fragrance are filled with the hum of pollinating bees, the graceful dance of Monarch butterflies, and the darting “helicopter” flights of dragonflies.
I applaud the “can do” spirit of CAES scientists who through modern technology will now share their work virtually. Fellow scientists from around the planet will be tuning in along with CT Nutmeggers to this first-ever virtual Plant Science Day. During the school year, teachers will be able to bring talks and demonstrations from the field to their students. Who knows how many children may be inspired by the research presentations, story boards, and virtual tours of research plots to pursue a career in science? Ideas will germinate like seeds in healthy soil. We share a common goal: enabling all children to live their dream.
We are all human and long for the excitement of group gatherings such as we’ve done for 110 summers at Plant Science Day, but we are also Nutmeggers who embrace innovation for this pandemic summer. It is the only way forward. As Winston Churchill said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”
Tune in and be part of a proud tradition that has brought so many gifts of improved living to Connecticut and beyond. Perhaps CAES is best known for “inventing” hybrid corn and discovering vitamin A. More recently, Station scientists have unlocked the dark secrets of mosquitoes and ticks while providing guidance on how we humans can successfully co-exist with these insect threats for a healthy and successful life in Connecticut and indeed on the planet.
You can check out the CAES Plant Science Day 2020 web page for all the current information and links: https://ift.tt/2DpazKx
Registration is free.
Terry Jones is a fifth-generation Shelton farmer. He serves as vice president of the Board of Control at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and board member at Connecticut Working Lands Alliance, the Valley Community Foundation and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
"Opinion" - Google News
August 01, 2020 at 11:00AM
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Opinion: Plant science day: A virtual event - CT Post
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