WA191

Capacity Funding Power

NIFA released a new report that measures the effectiveness of its investments to our nation’s land-grant universities — investments that benefit the American public through agriculture and food research, extension, and education projects.

A Multistate Hive Mind of Research

Bees provide essential pollination for many of the nut, berry, fruit, vegetable, and seed crops grown in the U.S. To supplement wild bee pollination, farmers often rent managed honey bee colonies. Demand is skyrocketing, but catastrophic die-offs are threatening the supply of healthy honey bee colonies.

What Wild Bees Need

A new national assessment estimates that wild bees declined in 23 percent of the contiguous United States between 2008 and 2013. The team of Project ICP researchers, led by Insu Koh at the University of Vermont, found that the decline was generally associated with conversion of natural habitats to row crops. Areas of intense agriculture (e.g., the Midwest Corn Belt and the Central Valley of California) have among the lowest levels of predicted wild bee abundance.

60,000 Have Been Impacted by Beginning Farmer Programs

A new report, "Cultivating the Next Generation," examines the impact of USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), the only federal program explicitly dedicated to training the next generation of farmers.

Soybean Research May Reduce the Need for Nitrogen Fertilizer

A Washington State University (WSU) biologist has developed a way to increase soybean quality and yield by using the plant’s unique ability to pull nitrogen from the air.

Support of Farmers Markets throughout the United States

The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School, Farmers Market Coalition, and Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) launched an online Farmers Market Legal Toolkit.

Wasp Used to Combat Stink Bugs

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is an invasive pest that continues to expand its range throughout the United States.

Let the Robot Carry (and Manage) the Bins

Preliminary conceptual development field trials by Washington State University indicate that the productivity of fruit picking could be improved by 50 percent by an intelligent bin-managing system supported by a robotic self-propelled fruit bin carrier.

Chew on This: Ruminant Research Makes for Healthier Cows and Sheep

Researchers at the University of Alaska and other land-grant institutions are investigating the factors that improve fertility among cattle and sheep.