Mary Rogers is the organic research associate for UT’s organic and sustainable crop production lab. Mary’s primary responsibilities include coordinating and maintaining research projects at the Organic Farm Unit of the East Tennessee Research and Education Center.
Mary earned a B.S in environmental horticulture at the University of Minnesota in 2003 and an M.S in entomology from the University of Minnesota in 2008. Her thesis research was on non-target effects of soil-applied imidacloprid on beneficial green lacewings, monarch and painted lady butterflies.
Prior to coming to Tennessee, Mary worked as a landscape gardener and with neighborhood groups to promote and maintain urban community gardens in Minneapolis, MN. She also had experience with organic production on a no-till CSA and worked on an organic farm in Italy in 2003. Mary was the entomology departmental teaching assistant in 2007-2008, and instructed laboratory classes in ornamental and turf entomology, insect taxonomy and forest and shade tree entomology.
Mary’s primary interests are integrated pest management for organic systems, farmscaping and insect-plant interactions. Current research projects include bioinsecticides for organic cucurbit production in Tennessee, high tunnel season extension for specialty crops, and beneficial insect habitat in high tunnel production. |
