Feature Channels: Agriculture

• share
• favorite_border

An international team of researchers says climate change, the loss of biosphere integrity, land-system change, and altered biogeochemical cycles like phosphorus and nitrogen runoff have all passed beyond levels that put humanity in a “safe operating space.” Civilization has crossed four of nine so-called planetary boundaries as the result of human activity, according to a report published today in Science by the 18-member research team.

• share
• favorite_border

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- For every degree Celsius that the temperature increases, the world stands to lose 6 percent of its wheat crop, according to a new global study led by a University of Florida scientist. That’s one fourth of the annual global wheat trade, which reached 147 million tons in 2013.

• share
• favorite_border

Production of wheat, one of the world's most important food crops, will decline as temperatures increase, a finding made possible by pooling computer models worldwide, in a study led by a UF/IFAS researcher.

• share
• favorite_border

A collaborative research project between Australian and Chinese scientists has shown how soybean can be bred to better tolerate soil salinity.

• share
• favorite_border

In North America, European colonization and agriculture led to as much soil loss in just decades as would have occurred naturally in thousands of years, new research shows. Scientists from the University of Vermont and London have, for the first time, precisely quantified natural rates of erosion in ten US river basins to compare with modern ones.

• share
• favorite_border

Virginia Tech researchers in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials demonstrated that a vacuum-steam treatment is effective at destroying invasive snails in a pallet of imported tile.

• share
• favorite_border

The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) announced today that it has completed high quality physical maps for 6 additional wheat chromosome arms. This major achievement on the path towards a high quality reference sequence of the bread wheat genome will provide invaluable tools to speed up breeding of new wheat varieties.

• share
• favorite_border

The interaction between animals and humans secures the continuous demand for practicing veterinarians, and the fewer veterinarians we have, the larger potential for catastrophic disease. But, newly practicing veterinarians are facing financial struggles today, due to high student loan debt and low starting salaries. Additionally, experts say some rural areas are in need of veterinarians but do not have enough animals to financially support a full-veterinarian for that particular area.

• share
• favorite_border

Many U.S. wheat growers resist converting to a more profitable method of farming because of their personal beliefs about organic farming rather than technical or material obstacles, according to a new study.

• share
• favorite_border

A U.S. patent has been issued for a Kansas State University-developed "peanut brittle" that ensures cows and other livestock eating it get their vitamins.

• share
• favorite_border

A technology developed at North Dakota State University, Fargo, creates precise in-the-ground measurement and monitoring of soil and crop conditions which could provide opportunities for greater yields. The technology also has led to a new start-up company. The c2sensor corp., based in the NDSU Technology Incubator, has concluded a license agreement with the NDSU Research Foundation (NDSU/RF) for the precision agriculture technology.

• share
• favorite_border

SPOKANE, Washington – Not many sixth-graders can say they have been published in an academic journal, but Caleb Lefcort can cross that distinction off his list. Caleb got into a discussion with his father, Hugh Lefcort, professor of biology at Gonzaga University, as to whether the seed burrs from cheatgrass would survive the laundry cycle. Hugh believed the seeds would not survive. Instead of simply taking his father’s word for it, Caleb – who was in fourth grade at the time – suggested the scientific method: an experiment. What the researchers discovered surprised them.

• share
• favorite_border

A model developed by a Kansas State University epidemiologist and one of his former graduate student evaluates the impact and control of a potential outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock.

• share
• favorite_border

The ability to detect when to harvest “climacteric” fruits -- such as apples, bananas, pears and tomatoes -- at the precise moment to ensure “peak edibleness” in terms of both taste and texture may soon be within reach for farmers, thanks to the work of a team of researchers from Saint Joseph University in Lebanon and the Université de Bretagne Occidentale de Brest in France.

• share
• favorite_border

The accomplishment through collaboration with Bayer CropScience could translate into better commercial varieties for growers.

• share
• favorite_border

New research shows that the majority of consumers will accept the presence of nanotechnology or genetic modification (GM) technology in foods – but only if the technology enhances the nutrition or improves the safety of the food.

• share
• favorite_border

What some farmers grow as pasture plants others view as weeds. But with the need to cheaply feed food animals rising, circumstances are right for the weed invasion to escalate.

• share
• favorite_border

By comparing grasshoppers found at woodland sites once used for agriculture to similar sites never disturbed by farming, UW-Madison Philip Hahn and John Orrock show that despite decades of recovery, the numbers and types of species found in each differ, as do the understory plants and other ecological variables, like soil properties.

• share
• favorite_border

In a study published Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Nature, scientists at Boston University, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and McGill University show that a steep rise in the productivity of crops grown for food accounts for as much as 25 percent of the increase in this carbon dioxide (CO2) seasonality.

• share
• favorite_border

A patent-pending technology at Kansas State University has built resistance to certain viruses in wheat plants. These viruses can be an economic drain to wheat farmers by costing them 5 to 10 percent or more in yield reductions per crop. Although the technology involves genetic engineering, which is not an option for wheat in today's market, the research has extended to building this resistance in non-genetically engineered wheat lines as well.

• share
• favorite_border

Greenhouse lettuce plants bathed in soft pink light that cuts growing time in half. Farmers who boat to their coastal water “fields” of crops. Beef cattle bred for optimal meat production humanely and sustainably. All this and more is already on the way, according to the latest series of interviews from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FutureFood 2050 publishing initiative

• share
• favorite_border

An emerging virus demands quick action. One week after the diagnostic lab at Iowa State confirmed that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus had spread to the United States, Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Lab researchers at South Dakota State University released a diagnostic test to differentiate PEDv genetic material from that of other viruses. A faster, more sensitive second-generation PCR test was commercially available within a few months.

• share
• favorite_border

A common vision to define, measure, and communicate about sustainability in U.S. agriculture

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Knowing that their county had rank toward the bottom of healthy counties in Kansas, citizens got together to enhance access to more healthy foods, specifically produce. Now a rural grocer partners with a local farmers' market to provide more fresh produce to people and promises to buy leftover produce from market night to sell in his store.

• share
• favorite_border

Trained professionals in the area of agronomy needed to help close the food security gap

• share
• favorite_border

Hot, dry conditions can wreak havoc on a field of soybeans. Assistant professor Jai Rohila of the South Dakota State University Biology and Microbiology Department is uncovering the molecular mechanisms that lead to drought and heat tolerance. This will help breeders develop soybean varieties that can survive heat and drought. To do this, he is working with University of Minnesota soybean breeder Jim Orf, who provided Rohila with two varieties of soybeans, one that has greater tolerance to hot, dry conditions, and another that is susceptible.

• share
• favorite_border

The Rural Mainstreet Index moved to its lowest level in more than four years, according to the October survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy.

• share
• favorite_border

Lake Erie has become increasingly susceptible to large blooms of toxin-producing cyanobacteria since 2002, potentially complicating efforts to rein in the problem in the wake of this year's Toledo drinking water crisis, according to a new study led by University of Michigan researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has pioneered the world’s first fluorescent sensor – called Milk Orange – that rapidly identifies the presence of fat in milk. This novel sensor is being applied to the development of a device for rapid on-site measurement of milk fat, which is especially useful in areas such as dairy farms in developing countries. This device could also help enhance the current milk quality control process, particularly in resource-limited regions.

• share
• favorite_border

Australian researchers fit oysters with biosensors to measure how they respond to changing environmental conditions or stressors on aquaculture farms. Their results have implications for achieving and maintaining ideal conditions for targeted species in aquatic environments.

• share
• favorite_border

Organic agriculture and food systems can contribute to society goals of sustainable food production

• share
• favorite_border

University of Adelaide researchers are introducing a method to use bees to deliver disease control to cherry blossom, preventing brown rot in cherries.

• share
• favorite_border

The smell of cut grass in recent years has been identified as the plant’s way of signalling distress, but new research says the aroma also summons beneficial insects to the rescue.

• share
• favorite_border

Korean white winter wheat is particularly susceptible to preharvest sprouting, according to Dae Wook Kim, a scientist at National Institute of Crop Science in Suwaon, South Korea. Working with molecular biologist Jai Rohila at South Dakota State University, Kim has identified proteins which are differentially expressed in tolerant cultivars, with the goal of breeding more resistant varieties that can help increase wheat production in Korea.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

People make decisions all the time, and some have long-term consequences: Do I work out? Do I take the bus? Do I recycle? A UF/IFAS researcher and his colleagues found those who value long-term consequences of their decisions are more apt to buy eco-friendly plants.

• share
• favorite_border

A pharmacologist warns that if you are raising chickens in your backyard, don't consume their eggs if the animals have been taking medication.

• share
• favorite_border

A comprehensive new analysis released today says that nearly half (49%) of all recent tropical deforestation is the result of illegal clearing for commercial agriculture. The study also finds that the majority of this illegal destruction was driven by overseas demand for agricultural commodities including palm oil, beef, soy, and wood products. In addition to devastating impacts on forest-dependent people and biodiversity, the illegal conversion of tropical forests for commercial agriculture is estimated to produce 1.47 gigatonnes of carbon each year—equivalent to 25% of the EU’s annual fossil fuel-based emissions.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study suggests that nearly half of workers who care for animals in large industrial hog farming operations may be carrying home livestock-associated bacteria in their noses, and that this potentially harmful bacteria remains with them up to four days after exposure.

• share
• favorite_border

An invasive weed poses a serious and frightening threat to farming families in Ethiopia, but scientists have unleashed a new weapon in the fight against hunger: a tiny, speckled beetle.

• share
• favorite_border

Texas has been known for its oil production for almost 150 years. Now, a new oil industry is sprouting in what may bring producers cash and consumers a local, edible choice — olive oil. Olive trees, native to the Mediterranean region, have been planted on an estimated 2,000 acres in the state already, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

If Americans altered their menus to conform to federal dietary recommendations, emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases tied to agricultural production could increase significantly, according to a new study by University of Michigan researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

A University of Florida-led research team’s development of an RFID tracking system could change the way companies ship fresh fruits and vegetables, providing consumers the freshest products available.

• share
• favorite_border

University of Adelaide research has shown that piglets can be weaned later with no negative effects on sow birthing frequency.

• share
• favorite_border

Coffee drinkers beware: Surprise ingredients may be hiding in your coffee, and growing shortages may well increase the chance of having more fillers in the future. A new test that will be reported today at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, may quickly find them before the beverage reaches stores and restaurants.

• share
• favorite_border

Thanks to a USDA grant, two professors are teaching farmers, ranchers how to better utilize the Internet.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at NCAR and partner organizations are making significant headway in predicting the behavior of the atmosphere on a variety of fronts. Highlights include improving weather forecasts, advancing renewable energy capabilities, helping satellites avoid space debris, and estimating the risk of a crop slowdown due to climate change.

• share
• favorite_border

Spring rains that delayed planting and a cool summer have farmers concerned about whether their corn will reach maturity before the first frost. Two new online decision-making tools available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Useful to Usable research project will help, according to state climatologist and South Dakota State University associate professor Dennis Todey. Farmers are producing crops under more variable conditions, so these tools can be critical to both food safety and the farmers’ economic survival.