honey bees

Researchers: Blue-Green Algae Can Protect Honey Bees

Dan Environment, Pollinators, Research, This Land of Ours, USDA-ARS

A new way to protect important pollinators. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Scientists at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) developed an edible antiviral treatment that can be used to protect honey bees against Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and other viruses. Honeybees are important agricultural pollinators. However, viruses, including DWV, are linked to the deaths of millions of …

research facility

USDA and University of Georgia Break Ground on New Agriculture Research Facility in Tifton, Georgia

Dan Education, Georgia, Research, USDA-ARS

(USDA-ARS/TIFTON, Georgia, Feb. 21, 2024) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS) and the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony today for the new state-of-the-art research facility housing the Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory and the Crop Genetics and Breeding Research Unit.   This new research facility will include a new 31,000 square foot building …

animal-raising claims

USDA Launches Effort to Strengthen Substantiation of Animal-Raising Claims

Dan Beef, Cattle, Equine, Livestock, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Sheep-Goats, USDA, USDA-ARS, USDA-FSIS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday that it is implementing a multi-step effort aimed at strengthening the substantiation of animal-raising claims. This action builds on the significant work USDA has already undertaken to protect consumers from false and misleading labels and to implement President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American economy. “Consumers should be able to trust …

direct-to-consumer

USDA Research: Increasing Vegetable Consumption May Better Mental Health

Dan Research, Specialty Crops, USDA-ARS, Vegetables

New research finds that increasing vegetable consumption has a positive effect on how happy a person feels. USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) says that holds true for adults who consume the daily amount of vegetable servings recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Researchers at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center conducted the eight-week study. The study divided healthy …

mental health

Research Shows Vegetables May Help Mental Health

Dan Research, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, USDA-ARS, Vegetables

Are you working on taking care of your mental health? Add another serving of vegetables to your dinner plate. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. We’ve heard that to grow up big and strong, we need to eat our veggies. And once we grow up, research shows veggies may also make us happy. USDA’s Agricultural Research Service says …

breeding

Breeding Better Potatoes for Better Potato Chips

Dan Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, USDA-ARS, Vegetables

Breeding better potatoes for better potato chips. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Americans eat more potato chips than any other nation; more than four pounds a person a year, according to Potatoes USA. About 22 percent of the U.S. potato crop—nearly 7,500 million pounds annually—are made into chips. And USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) helps ensure that the country …

food source

Sorghum: A Useful Pollinator Food Source

Dan Pollinators, Pollinators, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, USDA-ARS

An alternative food source for pollinators. That’s coming up in This Land of Ours. Sorghum bicolor, a pollen-rich grass species cultivated for grain and forage, which looks similar to corn, can be an important food source for pollinators and other beneficial insects during times when pollen and nectar are scarce. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) …

agriculture covid

USDA Developing New Ways to Track COVID in Wild and Domestic Animals

Dan Beef, Cattle, Coronavirus, Dairy, Equine, Livestock, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Sheep-Goats, USDA-APHIS, USDA-ARS

Scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are developing new tests to identify and track the COVID virus in wild and domestic animals. Funded by the American Rescue Plan, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is implementing $300 million to conduct monitoring and surveillance of susceptible animals for the COVID virus. Through the initiative, ARS, in partnership with …

ars

ARS Scientists Improve Nutrients Adding Value to Rice Crop

Dan Research, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, USDA-ARS

Improvements to a worldwide food staple. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Rice, already the primary staple for half the world’s population, is getting a makeover from a research team in New Orleans, Louisiana. The results are a more healthful grain and many potential new products. The team, based in the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Southern Regional Research …

rural veterinary

New Ways to Track COVID in Animals

Dan Beef, Cattle, Coronavirus, Dairy, Livestock, This Land of Ours, USDA-ARS

The USDA is developing new ways to track COVID in wild and domestic animals. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are developing new tests to identify and track the COVID virus in wild and domestic animals. Funded by the American Rescue Plan, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is implementing …