Tag: USDA
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Old Type of Forage Grass Rediscovered for Dairy Farmers
A farmer’s report about an unusual forage grass for dairy cattle led a geneticist at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to rediscover a forgotten type of grass with advantages for today’s farms. The grass, known as meadow fescue (Schedonorus pratensis), has been found in parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. Charles Opitz found the…
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USDA Tests Climate Change Impact on Arizona Wheat
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) research center in Maricopa, Arizona devised a method of testing the potential impact of warming temperature from climate change on the wheat crop in the U.S. southwest. The technology and the results are discussed in the February issue of USDA’s Agricultural Research magazine, and earlier in the…
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USDA Funding Research on Climate Change, Agr Production
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded three grants to study the effects of climate change on agriculture and forest production. NIFA Director Roger Beachy made the announcement today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. A research team led by Dr. Tim Martin,…
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Genetic Modification Leads to Longer Tomato Shelf Life
Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Maryland have introduced a new gene to tomatoes that help make the fruit last longer in stores and at home. The team published their findings in the February issue of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research magazine, and last fall in The Plant Journal (paid…
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Long-Term Impacts of Biofuels on Land Analyzed
A team of university, government, and national laboratory researchers ran simulations to gauge the impact of biofuel feedstocks on agricultural land. The findings are published in the January/February 2011 issue of Agronomy Journal (free full-text access for 30 days following publication). The study, funded by the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service, simulated experiments lasting from 79…
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Process Developed for High-Quality Gluten-Free Bread
Chemists with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Manhattan, Kansas have developed a process for high-quality, gluten-free bread. According to National Institutes of Health, some two million Americans suffer from celiac disease, which makes them unable to digest gluten, a protein in flour from grains such as wheat, barley and rye, causing severe diarrhea…
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Collaboration Develops, Patents Fish Hatchery Vaccine
A team of researchers from University of Idaho in Moscow, Clear Springs Foods Inc. in Buhl, Idaho, and the Agricultural Research Service of USDA, have developed a coldwater disease (CWD) vaccine. CWD is a bacterial disease caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum, and results in a lethal infection causing losses of hatchery-reared salmonids — e.g., salmon, trout,…
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U.S., Greece Collaborate on Invasive Weed Defense
One U.S. export not appreciated overseas is the silverleaf nightshade, an invasive weed from the Americas that has spread to southern Europe, Africa, India, Australia, and elsewhere. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Benaki Phytopathological Institute in Athens, Greece are working together to find a natural way to…
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Researchers Devise Formula to Calculate Walking Energy
A university/government research team led by Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas developed an equation to calculate exactly how much energy walkers expend based on walkers’ height, weight, and distance covered. Their findings and formula, which can be used in pedometers and biofeedback devices and for planning exercise regimens, are published…
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E. Coli Found Near Plant Roots, Affects Young Crops
A study at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana shows the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) can live for weeks around the roots of produce plants and transfer to the edible portions. Researchers discovered, however, that the threat can be minimized if growers don’t harvest affected crops too soon. E. coli make up a large…