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 …
Agriculture and natural resource management in western United States
Climate information – historical, real-time and predictive – is vital for the sustainable management of agriculture and natural resources. Climate change poses major challenges to agriculture and natural resources in the western United States. Climate data are key to practices, tools, legislation, programs and policies that protect and enhance water, soil and air. With so many different entities collecting climate …
Taking care of America’s forests
Forests are a critical part of life on Earth. They purify air, filter water, store carbon, provide food and shelter for a diverse array of plants and animals, and produce natural resources like timber, paper and medicine. Forests are also important places for recreation and cultural practices. But forests across the United States are under threat from pests, pathogens, deforestation, …
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 …
Managing waste
Agricultural wastes, like manure, animal carcasses and wastewater, can pose environmental and human health risks if not handled safely. Some wastes can be reused as fertilizers, but if not properly managed, excess nitrogen, phosphorous, and pathogens can run off or leach into ground and surface waters. Land-grant universities are finding ways to safely dispose of or reuse agricultural wastes. Here …
Staying a step ahead of pests
Researchers at the nation’s land-grant universities are helping protect food crops from direct insect damage and diseases spread by insect pests. Their work helps improve crop quality, crop yield and farm profitability. Here are a few examples of that work: At Fort Valley State University in Georgia, researchers have found a combination of beneficial nematodes and a widely available insecticide …
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