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Category Archives: Research
Research
U of Delaware Receives Grant to Study Legumes with Eye Toward Reducing Fertilizer Use
/ May 8, 2012 11:08 pm
Janine Sherrier, professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Delaware, is part of a team that has been awarded $6.8 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study the legume Medicago truncatula. Sherrier leads one of four research groups participating in this project, which represents a collaborative effort between researchers at the Noble Foundation, the Boyce Thompson Continue reading
Study Highlights Fungal Threats to Global Food Security
/ April 27, 2012 6:16 pm
Every year, fungal and fungal-like infections targeting the world’s major crops of rice, corn, wheat, potatoes, and soybeans destroy enough food to feed 600 million mouths per year, says Sarah Gurr, professor of plant pathology at Oxford University. And that figure solely represents low levels of infection. Epidemic infections could drastically compromise the global food system. This news comes at Continue reading
Shift from Quarters to Semesters Opens Door to Expand Sustainable Ag Programs at Ohio State
/ April 23, 2012 3:34 pm
Contributing over $90 billion to the state’s economy, agriculture is big business in Ohio—in fact, it’s the largest industry in the state. While urban sprawl has enveloped agricultural lands throughout much of the nation, the major cities of Ohio, Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus all remain ringed with farmland. “If there ever was a state where local food systems should flourish, Ohio Continue reading
Southeast Farmers Say More Organic Seed Research and Education Needed
/ April 18, 2012 10:57 pm
News Release - Port Townsend, WA – Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) has released preliminary findings from an organic seed survey conducted in the Southeast region of the U.S. Findings point to enormous interest among farmers and other agricultural professionals in strengthening seed systems in the Southeast to address the needs of the organic community.
Local Produce Edging Out Organic in Importance Among Consumers, Reports Mintel
/ March 30, 2012 12:48 pm
News Release – CHICAGO, March 21, 2012 – It seems like just yesterday natural/organic was the hot ticket, but local is quickly becoming a consumer favorite, as locally-sourced products are becoming more popular at grocery stores and restaurants alike. According to recent Mintel research, the same is true in the fruit and vegetable industry with more than half (52%) of consumers reporting that Continue reading
WSU Focus on Sustainable Ag Goes Beyond Curriculum to Impact Washington Farmers and World At Large
/ March 21, 2012 7:52 pm
For Washington State University, the states only land-grant university, sustainability is an integral part of its agriculture program. “It’s all based on developing sustainable strategies. It has to be in this day and age or it’s just not feasible,” said Kim Kidwell, associate dean of WSU’s College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences. “The mindset with all these students Continue reading
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) Releases 2011/2012 Report from the Field
/ March 16, 2012 8:50 pm
News Release – Since 1988, SARE has funded more than 5,000 sustainable agriculture research and education projects on farms and ranches large and small, dryland and wetland, urban and rural, from Florida to Alaska to Guam. This is quite a milestone, especially when considering that behind each of these projects are great innovators—farmers, ranchers, researchers, educators and nonprofits—working hard to Continue reading
New Study Explores Innovation and Opportunities for Diverse Local Food Distributors
/ March 16, 2012 7:58 pm
News Release – WASHINGTON, March 16, 2012 – Today, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan released a new report on the distribution practices of eight producer networks and their partners distributing locally or regionally-grown food to retail and foodservice customers. The report, entitled Moving Food Along the Value Chain: Innovations in Regional Food Distribution, shows how these networks tap into the Continue reading
In the Classroom and on Local Farms, UW-Madison Molds Future of Sustainable Agriculture
/ March 7, 2012 8:39 pm
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is busy when it comes to helping mold the future of sustainable agriculture. Officials at the university’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences say thinking about how farming can be done in a more environmentally and socially sustainable is just part of the natural flow of what the college does. “Nobody talks about crop or animal Continue reading
Iowa State, Nation’s First Land-grant University Makes Strides in Sustainable Agriculture
/ February 29, 2012 8:01 pm
The following story marks the start of a new article series in which Seedstock will profile land-grant universities across the United States with a specific focus on the role that sustainable agriculture plays in their curriculums, research projects, student initiatives and more. ______________________________ In the world of agricultural education, Iowa State University has historical bragging rights. The university calls itself the Continue reading
Survey Results Reveal Global Hunger May Be Double Previous Estimates, Says Ohio State Researcher
/ February 23, 2012 6:36 pm
New Release – (COLUMBUS, OH, Feb 23) – A household food and nutrition survey developed in part by an Ohio State University researcher is uncovering a clearer picture of hunger and malnutrition throughout the world. Although the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has in the past estimated that 1 billion people in the world go hungry or are Continue reading
Out of Ostrich Boom Comes Advanced Livestock Monitoring Technology to Improve Feed Efficiency and Reduce Waste
/ February 17, 2012 8:52 pm
Alison Sunstrum already had her own business when she first met the three engineers behind Alberta, Canada-based GrowSafe Systems. They had hit a wall in their research and could not see their way to a commercial product. She offered solutions as a consultant. They ignored all of them, but still Sunstrum says that she was so impressed by what they were Continue reading
Integrated Weed Management Best Response to Herbicide Resistance, Says PSU Research Report
/ February 16, 2012 4:47 pm
New Release – UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Over-reliance on glyphosate-type herbicides for weed control on U.S. farms has created a dramatic increase in the number of genetically-resistant weeds, according to a team of agricultural researchers, who say the solution lies in an integrated weed management program. “I’m deeply concerned when I see figures that herbicide use could double in the Continue reading
ECO Farming Saves Growers Money, Improves Soil and Benefits Environment, Researchers Say
/ February 15, 2012 8:08 pm
News Release – ADA, Ohio – Ohio crop growers looking to increase the organic matter content in their soil to the tune of $900 per unit increase in organic matter, may want to consider a move to ECO Farming, advises an Ohio State University Extension educator, who says that switching to the technique could result in raising soil organic matter Continue reading
University of Florida Researcher Stumbles Upon New “Green” Pesticide with Potential to Protect State’s Citrus
/ February 9, 2012 7:27 pm
What if agricultural pests could be managed by an essential nutrient, found in all proteins, that poses no environmental threat, naturally biodegrades, and potentially could be beneficial to plants? Physiology and genomics professor, Bruce Stevens from the University of Florida thinks he just may have stumbled onto the future of green pesticides. It turns out when applied to the leaves Continue reading
In Partnership with NYC High School, Cornell U. Builds and Enhances Sustainable Agriculture Technology
/ February 8, 2012 7:45 pm
Students at culinary arts-focused Food and Finance High School in New York City learn more than just how to cook up a good fish fillet—they also learn how to grow the fish along with other foods using real-time, applied science and Cornell University technologies. The high school is home to the Cornell University Cooperative Extension (CUCE), New York City Hydroponics, Continue reading
