Published work:

Matthew Gullickson, Eric Burkness, and Mary Rogers recently published their article titled Spotted-wing Drosophila Host Preference and Quality Vary Among Half-high Blueberry Cultivars in HortScience. 

Scaffolding Collective Agency Curriculum Within Food-Systems Education Programs has been published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. This publication is a collaborative effort of Mary Rogers, UMN CFANS faculty, Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN, and the Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems Program with Montana State University. 

A collaborative work with researchers from the UMN and the Xerces Society, which was funded by a SARE North Central Agriculture and Sustainable Education grant, has recently been published. Mary Rogers' former graduate student, Naomy Candelaria, M.S. research contributed to the findings. Pollinator-Friendly Cover Cropping for Vegetable Producers in the Upper Midwest can be found on the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation website. 

Awards/Honors:

Please help us in congratulating Matthew Gullickson on being awarded the 2023-2024 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Winner! 

Christina Perez was recently awarded a SARE North Central Agriculture and Sustainable Education graduate student grant to support her research proposal titled "Investigating mulches to suppress the invasive swede midge in urban agriculture," for 2023-2025. 

Out in the Field:

The growing season is in full swing for the 2023 growing season! 

Stay tuned for data summaries and publications regarding our latest research findings.  

The demand for high quality fruits and vegetables is increasing as human population increases. Concurrently diminishing resources, climate change and invasive species pressure production. Sustainable production practices are necessary in order to conserve natural resources, enhance our environment and provide economic opportunities as we meet of food and fiber needs.

My program integrates teaching and applied research in organic horticultural production systems. My teaching mission is to create life-long learners, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competence in horticultural science and food systems. My research program focuses on ecological strategies to improve production of vegetables and fruit and collaborating with local growers and community members to build a sustainable food system.

We welcome individuals who are interested in pursuing positions as M.S. or Ph.D. graduate students as well as post-doctoral fellow positions, junior scientists, and undergraduate research assistants, or through the undergraduate research opportunities program (UROP). We highly recommend contacting Dr. Rogers to discuss current opportunities available, and we invite you to join events and seminars offered through the Department of Horticultural Science. See our current lab members on our About Us page.