Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Research”
New cost studies released by the UC ANR Agricultural Issues Center and UC Cooperative Extension show that peach growers could net roughly $800 more per acre from late-harvest processing peaches compared to extra-early harvest varieties. UC researchers studied the cost of production for extra-early harvested varieties and late-harvested varieties for processing in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento. Processors will …
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to discuss investments in agricultural research as a continuation of the committee’s hearing series on preparing for the next farm bill. Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and members of the committee heard from various university representatives on the opportunities and challenges institutions face in ensuring the U.S. remains a world leader in agricultural …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $4.8 million to support 17 research and extension grants that address critically important problems in U.S. agriculture. The funding is made possible through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “America’s agricultural systems are constantly exposed to biological …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced up to $6 million in available funding for research to support the next generation of sustainable biofuels and biomaterials. Funding is made through USDA’s Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI), a joint initiative with the Department of Energy. “Renewable energy is an important contributor to our …
Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20) and Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL-13) have joined together to establish the bipartisan Congressional Agriculture Research Caucus. The Caucus is dedicated to topics related to agriculture research, innovation, and mechanization efforts. As co-chairs, Reps. Panetta and Davis hope to educate and engage with their fellow members of Congress on these issues. As Congress prepares for the 2018 …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced nine grants totaling $7.4 million for advanced research to develop more resilient and nutritious crops and food animals. The funding is made possible through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “Research helps us accelerate the development of improved …
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 …
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are digging into the soil around alfalfa fields near Touchet, Washington, to unearth new clues to improve the lives of the crop’s chief insect pollinator: the alkali bee. Alkali bees are champion alfalfa flower pollinators—even outperforming the respected honey bee. So much so, some Touchet farmers maintain open soil parcels called “bee beds” to …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced more than $5 million in grants for fellowship opportunities for undergraduate students at colleges and universities. These awards are made through NIFA’s Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduate (REEU) Fellowships program, part of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Education and Literacy Initiative.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $11 million in available funding for projects that mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing public health issue that affects more than 2 million people annually. Funding is made through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research, held a hearing to highlight the importance of agricultural research as part of the committee’s hearing series on the next farm bill. Members heard from witnesses who stressed the important role research plays in ensuring that American agriculture remains competitive and capable of addressing …
Thanks to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists, a genomic database of U.S. beef cattle is now available online. The complete genomes of 96 bulls representing different U.S. cattle breeds were sequenced by researchers at the Agricultural Research Service‘s (ARS) U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska. The breeds include Angus, Brangus and Hereford. The publicly accessible …
By Sean Nealon, UC Riverside A team of scientists, led by a group at the University of California, Riverside, has received a five-year, $5.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fight a disease that is devastating the citrus industry. The team, led by Caroline Roper, an associate professor of plant pathology, will design and identify bactericides, which are …
Severe infestations of cabbage aphids can virtually destroy a crop of Brussels sprouts, making them unmarketable. However, new research from the University of New Hampshire shows that organic pesticides can be effective in managing the pests. The research was conducted by Becky Sideman, a researcher with the NH Agricultural Experiment Station and extension professor of sustainable horticulture production, and her …
By Kim Kaplan, Agricultural Research Service Research showing a higher dose of vitamin D may benefit pregnant women by reducing inflammation is among the new nutrition and health findings in the latest issue of the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Food and Nutrition Research Briefs.
by Dennis O’Brien, Agricultural Research Service Alan W. Meerow, a research geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture‘s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has been awarded the 2017 David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration by the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG). This not-for-profit, non-governmental organization is based in Kaua’i, Hawaii and is dedicated to tropical plant conservation, research and education. It …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 11 grants totaling $3 million for Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) projects focused on plant and animal phenomics and microbiomes. The grants are funded through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Food Security Program, authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill.
By Lorena Anderson, UC Merced Assistant News Director A nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping University of California researchers refine collaborative robotic technology that could change the way crops are maintained worldwide, saving millions of gallons of water each year and taking precision agriculture to a whole new level. The three-year Robot-Assisted Precision Irrigation …
By Lorena Anderson, Assistant News Director, UC Merced Communications UC Merced is relaunching its branch of the Blum Center for Developing Economies with a focus on food security for the first two years of the faculty-led effort. Economics Professor Kurt Schnier, with the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, and Karina Diaz Rios, a nutrition specialist in the UC Cooperative …
A national partnership is collecting bee health data from across the United States using surveys and specialized teams. Researchers can then use the centralized information to identify health trends in bees.
