Meet Dan, Jon, and the UMass Cold Springs Orchard!
Cold Springs Orchard is tucked against the hillside just outside of Belchertown, MA. While it looks like another of the many beautiful orchards in this region, its other name is the UMass Cold Spring Orchard Research & Education Center, part of the Massachusetts Experiment Station. It is part of a network of publicly-funded research sites connected to Land Grant Universities in every state.
New fruit varieties, insect behavior and management, plant disease management, soil health, and a wide range of research topics yield important knowledge that growers in the region apply directly to the management of their own farms and orchards.
Donated to UMass by the MA Fruit Growers Association in 1962, the farm is a site for research and education supported by UMass, Federal and State grants, The Massachusetts Fruit Growers Association, and others. The results of the research are made available to any and all via a variety of online resources, publications, newsletters, farm meetings, on-site demonstrations, and conferences. For fruit and vegetable growers, the knowledge, the research, and guidance of these public scientists are crucial to their livelihoods and success.
Behind the scenes of local – Learn more below!
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