Griswold Farm To Showcase Research

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is hosting an open house on Thursday at its research farm in Griswold. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports scientists will showcase their work on forestry, farming and invasive species.

Scientists on the 26 acre farm are investigating everything from how to create biofuel from willow trees --  to how to reduce disease in asparagus crops. Visitors to the open house can get a close-up look at live honey bees or disease-resistent Chestnut trees. Farm manager Robert Durgy says some of the research is focused on reducing pesticide use by studying weather patterns.

“We are monitoring the  weather so we can predict when diseases are going to be bad,  when diseases aren’t going to be bad.  Rather than just using pesticides as a protection so that we can reduce the sprays and hopefully reduce the environmental impact  as well as making the farmer more profitable by using less pesticides.”

The farm is just one part of the experiment station. Scientists there also monitor for disease-carrying mosquitoes as well as invasive insects that threaten forests and suburban trees.

Earlier  this year Governor Dannel Malloy’s contingency plan to balance the budget included one proposal to eliminate the Agricultural Experiment Station.

For WNPR I’m Nancy Cohen.