Agriculture Educator Joins PSU Extension Staff

Connecting area farmers to new technology, research findings and other changes is a primary mission of Nicole Santangelo. She’s come aboard as an agriculture educator for Penn State Extension, serving five area counties out of the agency’s office in Coudersport. Santangelo has been pursuing contacts with some of the region’s long-time agriculturalists as well as those who are newer to the industry. She believes there is room for more diversification, continuing a trend that has already developed with greater volumes of acreage being devoted to crop rotation and changes in milk processing, such as local cheese production. She also believes farmers could benefit by conversion of some acreage to other crops – soybeans, pumpkins and Christmas trees, for example.

Santangelo is eager to work with farmers for research plots to assess the potential for alternative uses, such as different varieties of corn, and to experiment with different options for pest control, weed suppression and other challenges. Northcentral Pennsylvania also has untapped potential for certain crops that can grow well in colder climates. The region can benefit from some of the experiments already conducted on cold-weather plots, she noted. Santangelo said part of her role as an agricultural educator is to monitor and assess those trends so she can serve as a liaison between the scientific and farming communities.

She holds a masters degree in agricultural education from Cornell, and attended Alfred State College and SUNY at Cobleskill, earning degrees in animal science and agricultural business. That latter aspect is critical, Santangelo explained, because beyond all of the science and education is the need for farmers to maintain “a profitable and sustainable business model and to take advantage of wholesale and retail market opportunities.” She welcomes inquiries at 274-8540. (Photo courtesy of Endeavor News.)