Dot Perkins - Educational Program Coordinator, Agricultural Resources
Dot Perkins, Agricultural Program Coordinator
Dot helps growers increase profit margins, decrease environmental impacts from pesticide use, preserve open spaces and increase grower confidence in services available to them. She has also established a county-based diagnostics lab to help growers and home gardeners diagnose insect and plant disease problems.
Dot helps train Extension Master Gardeners and manages the Master Gardener program in Merrimack County. She works with schoolchildren and teachers by involving Master Gardeners in environmentally sound gardening projects.
With 84 percent of our land base covered in trees, forestland is the county’s most dominant land use and most important natural resource.
Besides providing the scenic backdrop for our daily lives, this forestland keeps our water clean, shelters wildlife, filters pollutants from our air, and supports the largest manufacturing sector in the county—the wood products industry. Approximately 86 percent of the timberland in the county is owned by private individuals.
| Biography |
| Dot was born to a New England farm family in 1958 and grew up learning about vegetable farming. While raising her own family Dot and her husband gained extensive experience raising ,cows,ducks, chickens, rabbits, pigs, veal and goats,. She enrolled at the University of New Hampshire in 1996 and earned her BS in Plant Biology. While earning her degree, Dot worked at the UNH- Plant Diagnostic Lab where she learned plant pathology under the personal guidance of Dr. Cheryl Smith. In addition to her experiences at UNH, Dot is an avid gardener, herbalist, and taxonomist. Her biggest hobby/passion is identifying native weeds and researching their uses. |
| Educational Background |
| Graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2001 with a BS in Plant Biology |
| Program Speciality Areas |
| Working directly with the Agricultural Educator as the IPM specialist; Coordinating the Master Gardener program; Diagnosing and making recommendations to commercial growers for plant pest and disease problems, all commodities; Working with individuals on pasture management and livestock issues; Identifying insects, plant diseases, and poisonous pasture plants |
| Contact Information |
315 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen, NH 03303 Email: dorothy.perkins@unh.edu Phone: (603) 225-5505, ext. 329 Fax: (603) 796-2271 |
