DURHAM, N.H.—Growers and the public are invited to visit two research farms at the University of New Hampshire on the 7th annual Durham Farm Day Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. The Woodman Horticultural Research Farm and the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, both part of the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, will be open for free public tours. Woodman Farm will conduct public tours at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.; pre-registration is required by Friday, Aug. 16. To register, contact Theresa Walker at (603) 534-3913 or theresawalker@comcast.net.

Tours of the Woodman Horticultural Research Farm will take place from 10 a.m. to noon. Self-guided tours of the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors can observe the milking process at 3:30 p.m. The Sustainable Agricultural Production High Tunnels and Fields will be open for visits from 9 a.m. to noon.

Primary activities at the approximately 155-acre Woodman Horticultural Research Farm (70 Spinney Lane) are research, teaching, and outreach on the production of horticultural and ornamental crops. The farm specializes in conducting research on new cultivation methods and varieties of fruits and vegetables. Activities include:

•   Creating wildflower meadows to promote pollinator health
•   Breeding strawberries varieties for the region’s organic growers
•   Re-domestication of quinoa in northern New England
•   Developing new eggplant cultivar in high tunnels
•   Growing figs in New Hampshire
•   Using tarps for cover crop-based no-till veggies
•   Scavenger hunt for children featuring facts about pollinators

The Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center (36 O’Kane Road) is representative of a typical New England dairy operation, developing new knowledge and management expertise for the region’s dairy farmers. It houses about 90 milking-age cows and approximately 70 growing, replacement animals. Included in that number is the 20-cow, student-managed Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management (CREAM) herd. Research at the farm focuses on nutrition for lactating cows and improving health of calves and heifers.

Learn about the unique relationship between the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) program and UNH Dining at the sustainable agricultural production high tunnels and fields. Students grow vegetables year-round, all of which are used in UNH Dining outlets, and gain in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience. Learn about high tunnel cropping systems and help taste test new varieties of cherry tomato the students are trialing this year. No reservations are required.

Directions to Woodman Farm: http://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/woodman-directions.
Directions to the Fairchild Dairy: https://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/fairchild-directions.

Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission.