When is an autumn hay ride not a hay ride? The October 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains the difference between hay and straw--and what you're really sitting on during those farm adventures.
Satellites and other remote technology are able to gather information as varied as soil moisture, crop yields, and growing conditions. How will this improve food security world-wide? The Special Session Symposium, “Advances in the Use of Earth Observations for Crop Modeling and Monitoring for Food Security,” will address the topic.
Crop breeders are developing a biofortified wheat that could make proper nutrition easier.
Farmers and agronomists must continue to focus on yield when creating their management plans, as the world’s population keeps growing. However, environmental quality–especially water and soil quality–deserve as much focus as yield. Scientists present their findings with this environmental focus in agriculture.
“Regional Differences in Cover Crops” symposium will present latest research on cover crops' uses and potential impact.
An important part of plant genetic resources is crop wild relatives. These are closely related to crop species but have not been domesticated by humans. These plant genetic materials and those who care for them are vital for human survival.
The American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society will hold their annual meeting Nov. 4-7, 2018, in Baltimore, MD. The theme of the meeting is “Enhancing Productivity in a Changing Climate.” The Canadian Society of Agronomy is also collaborating.
Coffee harvesting is often done with heavy machinery that can compact the soil. Additionally, up to 20% of coffee berries fall to the ground. Researchers brewed up a solution to restore soil and decrease the loss.
The area where streams meet land is important for maintaining water quality. The September 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains how use of buffer strips can protect water quality and ecosystems.
Each year, soybean aphids cause billions of dollars in crop losses. In a recent study, researchers have taken a big step toward identifying new soybean genes associated with aphid resistance.
Life planted in soil may seem idyllic, but did you know plants get stressed? The August 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains environmental stressors for plants and research towards relief.
Soil organic carbon stocks are the amount of organic carbon found in soil. There are several common ways of measuring these stocks. Until now they were all believed to give pretty much the same results. New research shows not all tools give the same results.
Field history matters when trying to apply the optimal amount of nitrogen for sweet potato crops. Cover crops grown in the same plots prior to sweet potato crops affected how much nitrogen was needed.
Seed banks are an important part of food security. The August 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains how preserving plant diversity protects the world-wide food supply, both now and in the future.
Plants can’t do without phosphorus. But there is often a ‘withdrawal limit’ on how much phosphorus they can get from the soil. A new study looks at how liming, soil management history, and enzymes relate to plants' access to phosphorus.
A new study shows water infiltrates deeper into cracking clay when liquid hog manure is applied. The study also showed that even though water infiltration went deeper in the presence of manure, it did not reach depths of tile drains designed to remove excess subsurface water.
Traditionally, farms included a variety of grazing animals, pastures, and crops. Mechanization and other factors prompted many farms to adopt more efficient systems. The July 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains why the traditional approach to variety in agriculture is getting a second look.
One of the essential nutrients for vigorous crop production is nitrogen. Yet most routine tests done in commercial soil testing labs do not measure available nitrogen in the soil. Soil scientists at The Ohio State University and Cornell University think they have found a solution.
The compound urea is currently the most popular nitrogen soil fertilizer. It’s a way to get plants the nitrogen they need to grow. There’s just one problem with urease: it works too well! New research suggests farmers may have a choice in how they slow the release of nitrogen, depending on their soil’s acidity.
What can a trench filled with woodchips do to improve water quality? The July 7 Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains bioreactors, a solution to nitrogen runoff.
Agronomists and farmers are working hard to improve the sustainability of agricultural land. The June 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains which greenhouses gases are released in agriculture, and efforts to reduce them.
Unlike humans, crops in a field can't move to air conditioning to endure a heat wave. Scientists in Australia are working to understand how heat waves impact wheat.
Headed out on vacation? Don’t forget to observe the soil along the way! Soils Matter, Soil Science Society of America’s science-based blog, can points out the soil landmarks. Bon voyage!
In sub-Saharan Africa, 20 to 80% of corn yields may be lost because of a semi-parasitic plant, Striga. In areas infested with Striga, farmers may even lose their entire crops. In a new study, researchers from southern Africa identified several varieties of corn resistant or tolerant to Striga. Importantly, these varieties also have improved nutritional content, particularly protein.
We experience fortified food in items like vitamin D-fortified milk or fortified breakfast cereals. But what is biofortified food? The June 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains what biofortified food is. It also explains how crop scientists are using it to solve malnutrition worldwide.
Rice production in Brazil is a multi-billion-dollar industry. It employs hundreds of thousands of people, directly and indirectly. Given the importance of rice farming in Brazil, researchers are working to develop improved rice varieties.
New research supports the use of radish as a cover crop as a trap crop for fall nitrogen. However, what happens to that nitrogen afterward remains unknown.
Researchers have recently published results identifying the major sources of E. coli breakouts on several beaches on Lake Michigan. They have also researched an effective method of reducing the breakouts and the resulting beach closings.
Growers strive for a reliable food supply for the world’s population. And they use science to do so. The May 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains how growers’ use of the right fertilizers and pesticides, at the right time, is a continuously improving science.
In Texas, the Southern High Plains uses water from an aquifer to water cotton fields. However, the aquifer is running low. Scientists from the area are working to find the best irrigation method for cotton that uses the least water.
Healthy, fertile soil feeds our garden’s growth. The May 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains how to build soil health in two words: organic matter!
Crop breeding research and innovation requires funding. But funding—and revenue from the crops developed—is increasingly hard to obtain.In response, a group of plant breeders met to discuss best practices. A recent paper summarizes their recommendations.
How do you boost soil water content and soil health without irrigating? Best cover it with a layer of straw, a new study concludes.
Many homeowners appreciate the springy feel of a healthy lawn. But what are the tricks to keeping your lawn healthy? The April 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains how to maintain your lawn, and where to find resources specific to your region.
We might think of roots as necessary, but uninteresting, parts of the crop production process. New research, however, focuses on what’s going on in the soil with the plant’s roots and the chemicals they produce.
Researchers have good news for growers. Farmers raising a nitrogen-hungry crop like sweet corn may save up to half of their nitrogen fertilizer cost. The key: using a faba bean cover crop.
Choosing the right fertilizer or pesticide for your needs can be overwhelming. The April 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains how to make the right choice, and why following label directions is important.
Controlling weeds without synthetic herbicides, as organic certification requires, is challenging. Scientists are studying alternative tools for weed management. Research one such tool, propane-fueled flame weeding, provides practical advice to growers.
Ragweed, its pollen potent to allergy sufferers, might be more than a source of sneezes. In the Midwest, the plant may pose a threat to soybean production.Scientists have found that ragweed can drastically reduce soybean yield.
As you watch the Masters Tournament, your eye may be drawn to more than the legends on the greens. What about the greens themselves? The March 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains the painstaking labor needed to make the golf courses so perfectly smooth and green.
To make protein, soybean plants need a lot of nitrogen. Beneficial bacteria in root nodules typically assist. A new study shows it’s possible to increase the number of soybean root nodules—and the bacteria that live there--to further increase crop yields. This could remove the need to apply additional nitrogen fertilizers.
Bioreactors, which are woodchip-filled ditches and trenches, are often used near crop fields to filter the water running off of them. The woodchips enhance a natural process called denitrification that prevents too much nitrogen from getting into other bodies of water like rivers and streams.
The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) has released four videos highlighting scientists in action. The series, “A Day in the Life,” explains the science of agronomy to the general public.
Home and large-scale growers share a common struggle: weeds! The March 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog post explains what makes weeds survive—and how to tackle them.
Letting the soil rest can be difficult economically for farmers. Researchers experimented with crop rotation and grazing to discover the least possible amount of time it would take to allow the soil to heal.
A tiny snail could be a big help to researchers measuring water quality along the U.S. and Canadian Atlantic coast.
Agricultural fields can be attacked by insects, disease, and weeds. How can growers defend crops? The February 22 Sustainable, Secure Food blog explains how the safe use of pesticides can maintain crop yields, feed the world, and keep our food supply sustainable.
A non-native grass species has been wreaking havoc in wetlands all over the U.S., impacting migratory birds' fueling stops. In response, researchers test the usefulness of reed canarygrass as a feed source for cows, with hopes of controlling the invasive species.
A circle of life–and nitrogen–is playing out in farms across the United States. And researchers are trying to get the timing right. The goal is to time nutrient release from cover crops to better match the nutrient needs of specific cash crops.
The science of plant breeding has only existed for a little more than a century. But, humans have unofficially been selecting for the ‘cream of the crop’ for over 10,000 years. The February 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog post explains how crop breeders use traditional methods of plant breeding.
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