By Scott Merrill and Eric Clark, University of Vermont The Social Ecological Gaming and Simulation (SEGS) Lab is a multidisciplinary research lab designed to examine pressing problems in the interacting domains of natural ecology and human society. We work on problems ranging from water quality and energy, to looking at how Covid-19 related social distancing behavior changes in different environments – from the grocery store to the park. We also are engaged in trying to understand the...

Cross-Pollinating Biosecurity was the theme of the July, 2020, Healthy Farms Healthy Agriculture Community Conversations. Planned jointly by Julie Smith of the University of Vermont and Deb Grantham of the Northeastern IPM Center, the goal was to get together folks whose work involves protecting plant and animal health to talk about common goals and challenges in what they do. Featured speakers helped get the conversations started during each session. Conversations can continue in a forum in...

The July 23 Cross-pollinating Community Conversation included a presentation by Glynn Tonsor, PhD, agricultural economist at Kansas State University. While Glynn's wheelhouse is livestock focused, he delivered a thought provoking discussion about the similarities between crop and livestock producers, how economics influences their decisions (both are very price and cost sensitive), linking biosecurity to conditional indemnity (proof of good effort in implementing biosecurity measures), and...