A new peanut drying sensor network could make things easier for peanut growers and processors. According to a story from Tyron Spearman, the new sensor monitors temperatures and humidity levels inside semi-trailers and the kernel moisture content, and no one has to climb into the trailers to collect peanuts and check their moisture content. Image: ARS scientists developed a new moisture-monitoring …
New Sensor System for Improved Peanut Drying
A sensor network developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) engineers could make it easier and cheaper for peanut growers and processors to dry their peanuts. In Georgia, farmers bring their peanuts to a buying point for grading and pricing. If the moisture content is too high, the semi-trailer loaded with peanuts is transferred to a drying bay for a drying …
If It Smells Like a Petunias or Shampoo, It Might Be a Pesticide
USDA Agricultural Research Service A scent that petunias and snapdragons release to attract pollinators may be an environmentally friendly control for pests like the spotted wing drosophila fly (SWD) and the brown marmorated stink bug. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Aijun Zhang discovered the fragrant chemical methyl benzoate, which is also a popular ingredient approved by the U.S. Food and …
Pig Pens: A Look at Mirrors and Mats
by USDA Agricultural Research Service What a pig sees when it looks into a mirror may help Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists improve livestock housing. Studying livestock behavior, stress and other well-being and production factors is the job of animal scientist Jeremy Marchant-Forde and his colleagues at the ARS Livestock Behavior Research Unit in West Lafayette, Indiana. Improving an animal’s environment …
Eating Your Greens—Microgreens, That is!
from USDA Agricultural Research Service Small edible plants called microgreens aren’t just tasty toppings for soups, salads, and sandwiches. They’re also healthful. According to results of an Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-led study, eating red cabbage microgreens helped mice moderate their weight and cholesterol levels despite a high-fat diet. Over the past several years, chefs have touted the taste, texture, color …
ARS Hydrologist Honored for Bringing Accuracy to Soil Moisture Satellite Work
Research hydrologist Dr. Michael H. Cosh with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, was honored with an Arthur S. Flemming Award for using satellites to improve soil moisture measurements. The enhanced accuracy stemming from Cosh’s work allows for better crop yield projections. It also improves weather forecasting, drought and flood predictions, and wildfire …
Saving Costs with Cover Crops
Cotton farmers in Alabama who use cover crops have a new, cost-cutting option. They can kill their cover crops and plant their cotton in the same pass through a field, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Cover crops are gaining in popularity because they suppress weeds and help retain moisture and nutrients. Farmers typically plant cover crops in the …
ARS Geneticist Edward Buckler Receives First National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) geneticist Edward Buckler is the first person to receive the National Academy of Science’s (NAS) Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences. Buckler will be recognized for pioneering the use of large-scale genomic approaches linking genes with the crop’s physical traits. This work is giving plant breeders’ better access to key genes and reducing the time needed …
Scientists Give Old Elm Tree a High-Tech Helping Hand
By Jan Suszkiw, USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) In front of the city hall building in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, there’s a weathered old elm tree that’s seen more than 200 years of American history. Throughout those centuries, it has withstood bouts of Dutch elm disease and poundings from brutal storms like 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. This winter, U.S. Department of Agriculture …
Geneticist Edward Buckler Awarded First NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences
By Kim Kaplan, USDA Agriculture Research Service Agricultural Research Service (ARS) geneticist Edward Buckler will receive the National Academy of Science‘s first ever Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences for pioneering the use of large scale genomic approaches to associate genes with crop traits. This work gives plant breeders’ faster access to key genes and reduces the time needed to …