University of Missouri researchers, focused on reducing soil and nutrient loss and runoff from agricultural fields, have found that using buffers between crops and trees both reduces soil runoff and maintains good growing conditions. Runoff, when fertilizer and pesticides are washed downstream, has been in the news lately as linked to “dead” areas in the Gulf of Mexico where high … Read More
Dukes Honored with John Deere Gold Medal Award
Michael Dukes has been honored with the 2016 John Deere Gold Medal award. Dukes is the director of the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. He has received national recognition for his expertise in irrigation and water conservation. The award is given by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological … Read More
“FitBit” for Healthy Plants
Hours of research in a lab mean next to nothing if a researcher doesn’t know what happens to seeds in the field. Up till now scientists have checked crops the same way it’s been done for centuries- by walking through the rows. But not any longer. Now researchers have created the Phenocart, a portable collection of sensors scientists can push through the … Read More
#ASTAannual Supports Future of #Seed Industry
The future of the seed industry is in good hands if the students who are attending this year’s American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting are any indication. ASTA has a strong interest in encouraging young people pursuing careers in the industry in a number of ways, from programs that mentor students to supporting the efforts of the American Seed … Read More
NAGC Officially Opens Its Doors
The National Agricultural Genotyping Center (NAGC) will open its doors this week, and government and industry representatives will be on hand for the facility’s grand opening. North Dakota Ag Commissioner Goehring, Fargo Mayor Mahoney, and several representatives of both legislative staff and agricultural association leadership were present to discuss the center’s possibilities during a tour of the state-of-the-art laboratories. “This … Read More
Space May Offer New Seed Tech- at #ASTAannual
If NASA is looking for extraordinary out in space, CASIS is looking for extraordinary right here on earth. The Center for Advancement of Science in Space manages the laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS), providing resources needed to launch research and innovation that comes from experiments in micro gravity. Breakthroughs in space often lead to breakthroughs on earth. Here … Read More
Global Business Climate Remains Slow for Machinery
Results from the latest Agrievolution Business Barometer survey are showing that, while the global downturn in the agricultural machinery industry seems to have stabilized, global recovery is not in sight for the next six months, and the sector may stay at current low levels. The survey found that the global business climate index is back to the low level of … Read More
Stem Cells May Be Key To Increased Yields
Biologists at New York’s Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered a regulatory pathway in corn that could help explain how plants regulate the proliferation of stem cells, and could potentially be used to increase yields of corn and other staple crops by as much as 50 percent. The pathway works by channeling signals from emerging young leaves in corn to … Read More
Bayer to Improve Tech with Help of Planetary Resources
Bayer has signed memorandum of understanding with aerospace technology company Planetary Resources. The document says Bayer intends to purchase data from Planetary Resources for the purpose of creating new agricultural products and improving existing ones. Using the combined technologies from the two companies, farmers can time their irrigation systems much better to save water, receive planting date recommendations and re-planting advice, … Read More
TKI Opens Research and Innovation Farm
The Crop Vitality division at Tessenderlo Kerley Inc. (TKI) has opened the doors on a new research, development and innovation farm in Dinuba, California. This facility was created to develop innovative crop nutrients that will help growers meet the needs of today’s growers. The farm covers 107 acres and offers researchers the opportunity to replicate a variety of farming conditions and practices. It … Read More