Celebrating National Farmer's Day

  • An aerial view of a tractor moving across a corn field

What is National Farmer's Day?

National Farmer's Day, celebrated annually on October 12th, is an occasion to pay homage to the unsung heroes of our society – our dedicated farmers. This day shines a spotlight on the remarkable individuals whose unwavering commitment ensures that our tables are always filled with wholesome, farm-fresh goodness. Since its official establishment by the federal government in 1970, National Farmer's Day has provided a unique platform to recognize the tireless efforts of these agricultural champions who toil day in and day out to nourish our nation and the world.

Why is farming and why are farmers important to UNH?

The New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire helps facilitate impactful agricultural research, playing a crucial role in addressing the evolving challenges of modern farming. The locally inspired research at the NH Agricultural Experiment Station fosters innovation in crop management, sustainable farming practices, and livestock health, ensuring that the science addresses critical local and regional challenges and enables Granite State's farmers to learn from objective, well-developed research outcomes.  Moreover, the research that helps move forward New Hampshire's agricultural and aquacultural production also contribute to broader scientific knowledge, shaping a more resilient and food-secure future for all.

Why is farming important to New Hampshire?

Farming is important to New Hampshire as it sustains the state's agricultural heritage, supports rural communities, and ensures a local supply of fresh, nutritious food. Agriculture also contributes significantly to the state's economy, providing jobs and economic stability. Farming in New Hampshire aids in preserving open spaces and maintaining the state's scenic beauty, which is vital for tourism and quality of life. Food production in the state is an integral part of the Granite State's identity, combining economic, cultural, and environmental significance.

Who are the farmers at the UNH research farms?

The UNH research farms support the agricultural and natural resources discoveries, innovations and knowledge that benefit all the farmers and communities in the Granite State.  As such, we consider these research farms as belonging to every New Hampshire citizen, and the staff who sustain these farms' operations are critical to the scientific success of UNH researchers. Below, learn about the NH Agricultural Experiment Station "research farmers" and help celebrate their contributions to moving New Hampshire's agricultural and food industries forward!

Meet Some of UNH's Farmers
UNH COLSA Farms
Luke Pacchioli serves as a lead farmer worker for all the COLSA farms, as well as the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses.
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UNH Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center
Rachel Dubanoski ’15 earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems with a focus on Dairy Management from the University of New Hampshire before working in the dairy industry in Vermont. In 2021, she came back to New Hampshire and was hired on as assistant farm manager at…
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UNH Organic Dairy Research Farm
Jason Scruton, a longtime New Hampshire dairy farmer, joined UNH as the manager of the Organic Dairy Research Farm.
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UNH Woodman Horticultural Research Farm and Kingman Research Farm
UNH farm manager Evan Ford pursued a career in farming and horticulture, which eventually led him to UNH, after seeing the importance and value of food production overseas.
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UNH Farm Services/Department of Biological Sciences
New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station research technician Renee Goyette spent years running her own farm and selling produce at local farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations, and restaurants before she began working at UNH with the late UNH researcher and…
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UNH Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center
Jon Whitehouse, manager of the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, has spent close to four decades running this conventional dairy farm and research center located at the University of New Hampshire.
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Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center
Fairchild Dairy lead farm worker Tim Cahill '21 joined the team at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in 2022—a little over a year after graduating from UNH with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. No stranger to working with large animals, Tim worked at the Connolly Brothers…
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Organic Dairy Research Farm
Isagani Kimball, assistant farm manager of the Organic Dairy Research Farm (ODRF), started farming in his hometown of Kensington, N.H., at age 8. Attending UNH from 2006–2010 for a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Isagani learned he preferred the outdoor work of farm life over the indoor…
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UNH Woodman & Kingman Farms
Mark Trabold, assistant farm manager of UNH's Woodman Horticultural Research and Kingman Research farms, returned to work at UNH in July 2022. A 2015 graduate of the Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science: Dairy Management program, Mark lived and worked at the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research…
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UNH Farm Services Operation
Terry Bickford works as a lead farm worker for UNH's Farm Services Operation. It's a role he's been in since 2021, however, his farming experience dates back to when he was an infant, helping his family on the Stiles Dairy Farm in Strafford, NH.
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UNH Farm Services Operation
Manager of Farm Services Operations Peter Davis ’16 has a long history of working for the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. After graduating from UNH in 2016, he joined Farm Services full-time as a lead farm worker. After four years, he took a brief hiatus, working for the Portsmouth…
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Explore UNH's Farms
This NHAES/COLSA facility is representative of a typical New England Dairy operation, thereby developing new knowledge and management expertise geared directly to many state and regional stakeholders. It houses about 90 milking-age cows and approximately 70 growing, replacement animals. Included in that number is the 20-cow, student-managed CREAM herd (CREAM is the acronym for Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management), with the remaining animals devoted primarily to research in the area of dairy nutrition and reproductive biology. Learn More
The NHAES/COLSA Farm Services unit is responsible for the major activities by which forages are provided for the dairy and equine operations, and for sustainable manure management for these facilities. Corn silage, hay and/or haylage are produced on approximately 400 acres of university-owned land and approximately 90 acres of privately owned land that we lease. Learn More
A research facility primarily focused on horticultural and agronomic crops, wildlife management, and a part of the Great Bay oyster renovation effort. The farm is the site for the extensive cucurbit breeding program, the longest-running such program in North America, and emerging research on sustainable forage production, agricultural soils, and pollination services. The farm contributes forages for the dairy and equine programs. Daily operations are carried out by the Kingman Farm staff. Learn More
There are two multi-use fields, Thompson Farm and Moore Field. Thompson Farm is a 205-acre farm consisting of forest, hayfields and tillable land used for forage and corn silage production. Moore Field includes about 90 acres of cropland plus adjacent woodlands, 1.5 miles from campus off highway 155A toward Lee. Its primary use is for research and feed production.
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The facility provides highly controlled environments for a diversity of research projects, including ornamental and food crop breeding, sustainable ornamental plant nutrition and development, aquaculture, biological pest control, bioremediation, and plant genetic diversity as well as instructional activities. The greenhouse environments are monitored and precisely regulated through a computer-based control system that creates a sustainable growing environment through the conservation of heat, electricity, water and fertilizer, and increased plant resistance to insect pests and diseases. Learn More
The Organic Dairy Research Farm is operated by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station and College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, and represents the first of its kind at a land-grant university. It is intended to help the University of New Hampshire explore opportunities for regional dairy producers through research. Learn More
The primary activities at the Woodman Horticultural Research Farm at UNH are research, teaching, and outreach on the production of horticultural and ornamental crops. Learn More