Annette Wszelaki |
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Annette Wszelaki is the UT Vegetable Extension Specialist and has statewide responsibilities for developing a comprehensive educational program in commercial vegetable production. The main focuses of her extension program include production and variety recommendations, diversifying production, developing alternative crops, organic and sustainable production, crop sensory and nutrition evaluations, and postharvest handling. She also has co-coordinated the design and implementation of research projects at the Organic Crops Unit in Knoxville, TN, with emphasis on alternative crops, season extension, minimum tillage, cover cropping and farmscaping. The focus of her program is to help growers reduce their off-farm inputs and increase farm profits. Annette received her Bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in Plant Biology with an emphasis in Ecology in 1996. In 2001, she received her doctorate from UC Davis in Plant Biology with an emphasis in Postharvest Physiology and studied alternatives to pesticides for postharvest handling and storage. After completing her graduate work, Annette returned to The Ohio State University as a postdoctoral researcher, examining transitioning to organic vegetable production at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, OH. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Annette was an Assistant Professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, where she conducted a teaching and research program in organic agriculture and postharvest physiology. |
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