February 19, 2024
An often-overlooked water plant that can double its biomass in two days, capture nitrogen from the air — making it a valuable green fertilizer — and be fed to poultry and livestock could serve as life-saving food for humans in the event of a catastrophe or disaster, a new study led by Penn State researchers suggests.
February 12, 2024
Supplementing the feed of high-producing dairy cows with the botanical extract capsicum oleoresin, obtained from chili peppers, or a combination of that extract and clove oil resulted in the animals using feed energy more efficiently and emitting less methane from their largest stomach, according to a new study conducted by Penn State researchers.
February 8, 2024
For the first time, Penn State students could experience Antarctica’s wonders through an embedded course, “Antarctica: Human Impacts on a Fragile Environment,” offered this past fall.
February 2, 2024
Federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have been boosting food security for Americans in need for decades. New research suggests that pairing education with this financial assistance could help to improve diet quality, as well.
January 30, 2024
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training, administered by Penn State Extension, has contracted with Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc., an infrastructure consulting firm operating in Pennsylvania and surrounding states with more than 60 years of experience in civil engineering and a reputation for innovative water quality solutions.
January 17, 2024
With a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a team of forest ecologists and social scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will conduct research aimed at helping owners of small- to medium-sized forest tracts manage their woodlands for ecosystem services they deem desirable.
January 17, 2024
As the home of beloved snack companies like Martin’s Potato Chips, Utz and Snyder’s of Hanover, Pennsylvania values its potatoes. Tasty tubers across the state may face the threat of newly identified pathogen strains, though, according to Penn State researchers who made the finding and aim to develop management strategies.
January 17, 2024
Having more women in agriculture is associated with greater community well-being, according to researchers at Penn State and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their work is the first to quantitatively assess this link, and their findings suggest that women farmers approach their operations in ways that positively impact their communities.
January 12, 2024
People are willing to live in locations where there is a greater risk of climate-driven extreme weather and natural disasters if there is an increase to their overall economic well-being, according to a study by Douglas Wrenn. An associate professor of environmental and resource economics in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Wrenn said the work contributes to a broader dialogue on how communities contend with climate-related vulnerabilities and adapt to risks, offering insights for future policy considerations and community planning.
January 3, 2024
Honey yields in the U.S. have been declining since the 1990s, with honey producers and scientists unsure why, but a new study by Penn State researchers has uncovered clues in the mystery of the missing honey.
December 20, 2023
Penn State students working with Penn State Sustainability are making an impact in communities across the state and gaining hands-on experience in the field with Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) projects.
December 8, 2023
The Penn State Honey and Pollen Diagnostic Lab now is accepting honey and pollen samples from researchers and beekeepers who would like to identify the plants at the genus level from which honeybees are collecting nectar and pollen.
December 7, 2023
In watersheds degraded by runoff of nutrients from farmland, land managers struggle to pinpoint the best locations to install riparian buffer strips along streams or other pollution-reduction practices, but a new technology devised by Penn State scientists promises to make the search for those sites easier and less expensive.
December 4, 2023
Second-year student Sylvie Alexander, an environmental resource management major in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, spent last summer conducting research on the Flathead Indian Reservation located in western Montana.
November 20, 2023
Bacteria that benefit plants are thought to be a critical contributor to crops and other ecosystems, but climate change may reduce their numbers, according to a new study by an international team of researchers. They published their findings in Nature Food.
November 16, 2023
Microscopic pores on the surface of plants, called stomata, allow the plants to uptake carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and facilitate the transport of water from their roots up to their leaves where it exits through the pores as water vapor. Generally, the pores open during the day, when the plant uses sunlight and CO2 in the process of photosynthesis, and close at night to conserve water. These processes are not only vital for the plant’s health and survival but are also key drivers of global carbon and water cycles, according to Penn State Professor of Biology Charles Anderson, who received a $1.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study how to improve these processes.
November 15, 2023
A research team led by a Penn State ecologist has received a $1 million grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to integrate satellite data into predictive modeling to anticipate change in recruitment — the process by which new trees emerge — within forests across the eastern United States.
November 13, 2023
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently hosted a networking event for first-generation college students and advocates as part of the inaugural ERM 197: First Year, First-Gen Engagement seminar. The mixer took place at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on Oct. 16.
November 13, 2023
A newly proposed landscape stewardship framework may lead to a more resilient and adaptable environment and improved quality of life for people. Called regenerative landscape design (RLD), the approach was recently developed by a multi-institution collaboration led by Penn State researchers to enhance sustainability and better address complex and interconnected environmental and social challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality.
October 23, 2023
A sustainable resin material comprising agriculturally derived components could potentially replace plastics used in large-format 3D printing, which can produce furniture, boats and other similarly sized objects, according to a team of Penn State agricultural and biological engineers.
October 18, 2023
A nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded to Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will support research on soil health and weed suppression in organic farming.
October 13, 2023
True altruism is rare behavior in animals, but a new study by Penn State researchers has found that honey bees display this trait. Additionally, they found that an evolutionary battle of genetics may determine the parent they inherit it from.
October 10, 2023
Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and collaborators from the University of Minnesota have received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study parasite issues related to organic dairy cattle.
September 28, 2023
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has awarded three faculty members with funding to support the development of innovative course curricula through the college’s Harbaugh Faculty Scholars program.
September 22, 2023
Ava Klink, a senior majoring in environmental resource management in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, admits that getting a coveted internship with the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., is unusual for someone with her educational background.
September 15, 2023
Some scientists believe the Paramos, a grassland ecosystem found in the northern Andes Mountains of South America, are “the world’s fastest evolving and coolest biodiversity hotspot,” according to Estelle Couradeau, assistant professor of soils and environmental microbiology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. This ecosystem — which is the prime headwater for lower tropical ecosystems and downstream urban centers in the Andean and the Orinoco-Amazon regions — is in jeopardy, she explained.
September 14, 2023
With a new $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Carolyn Lowry, a plant scientist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, will lead a research team designing cover crop mixtures that are more effective at providing an array of ecosystem services.
September 7, 2023
When dairy cows are fed diets with reduced protein concentrations — aimed at decreased environmental nitrogen pollution from their manure such as nitrate leaching, nutrient-laden run-off and ammonia volatilization — their milk production can suffer. Supplementing the amino acid histidine may help in maintaining, and even increasing, milk and milk-protein yields.
September 6, 2023
In 2012, when the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) arrived in the U.S. from its home in China, scientists, land managers and growers were concerned that the sap-feeding insect would damage native and commercial trees. New long-term research led by Penn State has revealed that hardwood trees, such as maple, willow and birch, may be less vulnerable than initially thought.
September 1, 2023
Season 4 of the "Growing Impact" podcast opens with an episode that dives into plastic waste, specifically plastic film, and a potential biological solution to help upcycle the material. The episode, which is available on Sept. 1, features Gamini Mendis, assistant professor of engineering at Penn State Behrend; Luciana Aronne, associate teaching professor of chemistry at Penn State Behrend; and Josephine Wee, assistant professor of food science at University Park. The team discusses the challenges of plastic waste handling and how fungi could be a solution that converts plastic into useful products.
