(Photo, left) Billy Collins, co-owner of Fair Weather Acres in Rocky Hill, CT, is just one of many farms Jude has helped over the years. (Photo courtesy of Winter Caplanson.) (Photo, right) Jude Boucher explains how deep zone tilliage works during an IPM workshop. “I encouraged and advised Michele on developing a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) venture on their farm and introduced them to other successful CSA farm operators,” Jude says. “Michele started the CSA with 120 members in 2012, and—through a variety of methods —has exceeded 500 summer CSA shares.” Michele and Billy give back to Extension by speaking at state and regional conferences, hosting twilight meetings, research plots on their farm, and UConn student tours. “Jude has been an integral part of the growth and diversification of our farm. His extensive knowledge and passion for agriculture, coupled with his love of people and farm- ers in particular, made him an unrivaled asset to Connecticut agriculture,” Michele says. “Jude taught us, advised us, and offered us unlimited guidance in many areas including IPM, alternative farming concepts, marketing, and agribusiness just to name a few.” Building a New Farm Oxen Hill Farm is a family enterprise in West Suffield that began when the Griffin family inherited an idle hay and pasture farm with the intent of creating an organic vegetable and cut flower farm. “Besides small-scale home vegetable and flower gardens, they had no experience operating a commercial vegetable and cut- flower business,” Jude says. “They signed up for training with me, and the first year, 2009, started with an acre of organic vegetables and cut flowers.” Despite the challenges of their first year, they expanded their business in 2010, growing from 36 CSA members to over 150. Oxen Hill enlarged their acreage onto their parents’ home farm, to almost 20 acres of crops, and learned to grow everything from artichokes to zucchini. The farm continues to flourish. Finding a Better Way Jude worked with farmers throughout the region on deep zone tillage (DZT). “DZT allows a grower to prepare a nar- row seedbed, only inches wide, rather than exposing the surface of the whole field to wind and rain,” Jude explains. “Farms can also till deeply, right under the crop row to loosen any hardpan that has formed after years of using a plow and harrow. This allows the soil to absorb and retain more water and allows the plants to extend their roots deeper into the soil. The system also improves soil quality over time.” Due to his work, there are Extension programs in every New England state advocating the use of DZT, and over 45 growers in the region have switched to DZT. Although he retired in 2017, the work of Jude carries on with the farmers across the state. They organized a grower’s association, and are looking forward to working with our new vegetable crops Extension educator. “Educating farmers in sustainable, profitable and envi- ronmentally-sound food production practices benefits every man, woman and child in the country directly...” 2017 HIGHLIGHTS OF EXTENSION 31