Entries by Tracy Mumma

Literature Review Reveals Inconsistent Performance of Mycorrhizal Inoculants

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Scientists at the University of Kansas performed a literature review analyzing 302 trials on the performance of microbial inoculants. The results, published online in New Phytologist, show that only one in nine commercial mycorrhizal inoculant product trials demonstrated both beneficial crop growth and sufficient arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal colonization. Researchers concluded that, frequently, improved crop growth […]

Goats Help Prevent Grassland Loss to Invasive Trees

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A feature in Tri-State Neighbor explains how a combination of targeted grazing and prescribed burns is helping landowners combat invasive tree species causing grassland loss in the Great Plains. The Great Plains Grasslands Extension Partnership reports that the spread of invasive trees like Eastern Red Cedar caused the loss of 17 million acres of grasslands […]

Long-term Study Shows Plants Adapt Genetically to Organic Farming

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A study published in Agronomy for Sustainable Development by the University of Bonn in Germany showed that crop plants adapt genetically over time to organic farming. A 23-year study of neighboring fields of conventional and organic barley, replanted each year in their respective fields, revealed that the organic barley was enriched with specific genetic material […]

Online Tool Will Help Small Farmers Assess Economics of Leafy Greens

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A new online tool developed by Purdue University associate professor Ariana Torres will help small farmers in the Midwest make economic decisions related to leafy greens production. The HortCalculator app can help growers of crops like spinach, collard greens, and green leaf lettuce assess the economic feasibility of alternative methods for producing pesticide-free greens, such […]

Canadian Research to Explore Potential of Urban Agriculture

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A major research project at the University of Toronto will investigate how urban agriculture could both improve food access and capture and store carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Urban areas have so much food-growing potential, but our knowledge about how, where and what kind of crops can be grown in and around cities […]

Native Fruits Offer Resilient Alternatives

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A feature on CNN highlighted native fruits that could offer improved resilience for backyard growers and farmers alike. Individual growers and research organizations are both exploring native crops such as pawpaws, persimmons, beach plums, sand cherries, and aronia. They are finding native plants resilient to extreme weather and better able to withstand pests and diseases. […]

Organic Farming Research Foundation’s Farmer-Led Trials Program

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Applications are due by December 1, 2024. The Organic Farming Research Foundation’s (OFRF) Farmer-Led Trials Program provides farmers with technical assistance and a small amount of funding to investigate and learn about solutions to their most pressing production challenges. This program will provide support for on-farm learning trials aimed at testing new practices, inputs, varieties, […]

How Human and Ecosystem Health Intertwine

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By NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater Sometimes cause and effect are easy to understand. Habitat destruction, for example, obviously leads to a decline for those creatures that depend on that habitat. Less milkweed means fewer monarch butterflies. Cause, effect. But sometimes the cause and effect are not immediately apparent. Take this example outlined in […]

USDA Explains Rule Changes to Help Child Nutrition Programs Purchase Local Products

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USDA Food and Nutrition Service published a memo on the recent expansion of the geographic preference option in the final rule “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans” that was published on April 25, 2024. Changes to the rule help ease challenges for Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs) related to […]

Agrivoltaics Help Keep the ‘Farm’ in ‘Solar Farm’

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National Public Radio’s Morning Edition reported on research in Iowa that’s exploring how to preserve agriculturally valuable land and produce energy at the same time through agrivoltaic development. Researchers from Iowa State University are testing different configurations of solar panels with a variety of crops to find out what combinations work best. The arrangement can […]