Our Land-Grant Bears Fruit

I have participated in these events for many years, both as a presenter and observer, and I never fail to come home full of confidence in the continued relevance of the land grant mission. As a land grant university, Penn State has the responsibility to generate new knowledge – conduct research – and to make that knowledge accessible to students everywhere – our resident education work on campus and our Cooperative Extension educational programs throughout the state.

Here’s what I saw...

First, research on robots in orchards to determine how we can continue to produce high quality, nutritious fruit in a labor-intensive crop when labor isn’t available. Is it possible to convert from hand labor or chemical methods to thin fruit to an automated solution? Can we use automated trap devices (devices that will detect which pest is present in the orchard and communicate directly with the orchard manager) for fruit pests in order to reduce our reliance on broad-spectrum pesticides by targeting our control measures?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Center, a presentation on our certified organic apple orchard was in progress. Penn State continues to work to identify organic options for fruit production in the eastern United States, and, perhaps even more importantly, we are examining the economic aspects of converting apple orchards to organic production practices. Nearly all of the practices we have identified that help with organic production have also found their way into conventionally-managed orchards with the result that all fruit are being produced in a more environmentally and economically sustainable manner.

These projects all have one thing in common: the work we are doing is purpose-driven research. Every one of the projects discussed at Wednesday’s Field Day germinated from suggestions by our stakeholders − the producers, distributors, and consumers of food. This is the magic of the Land Grant concept – it provides an engine of innovation that translates knowledge into practical solutions that have a positive impact on your next meal.