Did you know? More than 80% of flowering plants and about 75% of food crops depend on pollinators, making their health essential to agriculture and our food supply. Growing Pollinator Habitat Creating habitat is one of the most immediate and effective ways to support pollinators. Whether in backyards or across entire landscapes, habitat creation is foundational to pollinator recovery. In …
The Land-grant Impact is Evergreen
From a tiny seedling in the soil to the spot of honor in your living room, your Christmas tree’s journey was likely shaped by the work of a land-grant university. Through research and Extension, land-grant university (LGU) experts help farmers raise healthy trees. From discovering best planting and management practices, to providing advice about additional income opportunities through agritourism, LGUs …
Protecting our water
Water continues to be one of the most critical challenges facing agriculture and communities. Land-grant universities are working to discover new ways to increase water efficiency, reduce water use and protect water quality. Here are a few examples of that work: Researchers in Ohio are working to improve soil health and water quality through best agricultural management practices to prevent non-point-source …
Community nutrition programs improve healthful outcomes
Community Nutrition Education Programs, a service of the Land-grant University System, use Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) funding to educate and empower low-income individuals, families, school-age youth and pregnant teens. Extension educators across the country deliver research-based, hands-on learning experiences on diet quality, food safety, physical activity, food security and food …
Sustainable solutions to bee health
Bees provide essential pollination for many of the nut, berry, fruit, vegetable, and seed crops grown in the U.S. To supplement wild bee pollination, farmers often rent managed honey bee colonies. Demand is skyrocketing, but catastrophic die-offs are threatening the supply of healthy honey bee colonies. Parasitic mites, pathogens, pesticide chemicals, nutritional deficits, and environmental conditions have contributed to the …
Mitigating the impacts of agrochemicals
Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other agrochemicals are used on farms to protect crop yield and quality and in urban and residential settings to control pests and weeds. Despite important uses, agrochemicals can leach into soil and groundwater or flow into surface waters, where the chemicals can adversely affect human and environmental health. Agrochemicals can also accumulate in edible organisms, creating …
Managing controlled environments efficiently
In controlled environmental agriculture, plants are grown inside a greenhouse or other type of enclosure where growers can maintain optimal growing conditions, such as light, temperature, humidity, water, and nutrients. In the northeastern climate, controlled environments play a vital role in year-round production, but growers need more information about how to fine-tune their environments to achieve optimal plant growth and …
Protecting eastern white pine
The eastern white pine tree is a crucial ecological and economic component of forests in the eastern United States. White pines provide critical food and shelter for wildlife and store carbon. They also provide valuable lumber and are commonly used for reforestation, landscaping and Christmas trees. The potential economic value of standing white pine is $18.6 billion. Eastern white pines …
Protecting habitats and biodiversity
Natural ecosystems provide clean air and water, food and shelter for wildlife and recreation opportunities. Agriculture, urbanization, climate change, pests and other stressors put America’s landscapes and native species, including essential pollinators, at risk. U.S. Land-grant universities are working to restore and protect ecosystems and biodiversity. Here are a few examples of that work: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) molecules …