Cover crops, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program wetlands, saturated buffers and bioreactors all successfully reduce nitrates, said Matt Helmers, Iowa State Extension ag engineer. The Nashua research farm has replicated subsurface drainage plots to evaluate the performance of various in-field management practices. It also has one of the first bioreactors built in Iowa. “It’s possible to meet our …Continue reading “Helmers: Soil erosion can wash out profits”
Iowa State University (ISU) in May welcomed seven Cochran fellows from Ukraine for training centered on improving post-harvest grain logistics and decreasing trade barriers between the U.S. and Ukraine. The director of the training program, Dirk Maier, is a professor and post-harvest engineer in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at ISU. Maier, who is …Continue reading “Ukrainians study grain logistics at Iowa State”
By Dr. Hongwei Xin Special to Poultry Times AMES, Iowa — The number of food service retailers, grocers, chain restaurants and tourism companies that have pledged to source only cage-free eggs by year 2025 translates to more than 160 million laying hens needed to meet the demand. This quantity exceeds half of the current U.S. …Continue reading “Xin: Opportunities and challenges of going cage-free”
“In a day and age when you get excited about what’s happening with autonomous vehicles and folks like Google are making strides, we’re proud that agriculture has been using it in food production in the US for going on two decades now,” said Matt Darr, an associate professor in Iowa State University’s Department of Agriculture …Continue reading “Darr: How today’s farmers got a head-start on tomorrow’s tech”
A common issue with any machinery stored for long periods of time can be especially damaging to electronic components, wiring and sensors, says Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineer Mark Hanna. “It’s probably been 10 or 11 months since you’ve run that machine, so it’s important to watch for rodent damage.”
Leslie Harder, a senior in chemical engineering with a minor in food science, grew up in the small town of Swisher, Iowa. Throughout her life, Harder’s parents have encouraged by her parents to try new things. She’s participated in dance, soccer, and everything in between and graduated near the top of her class with two recognitions: National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society.
BARABOO, WI: As a future agricultural engineer, Spencer Pech wants to help create a more sustainable form of agriculture that can help feed the world in the future. MSA Professional Services (MSA), Baraboo, WI, recently awarded Pech a $1,000 scholarship for the fall 2016 semester to help him achieve that goal.
Santosh Shaw, a PhD student in materials science and engineering, was recently awarded a 2016 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. Shaw was recognized for his potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics, or other light-based science. Working with MSE Assistant Professor Ludovico Cademartiri, Shaw’s research …Continue reading “Shaw awarded SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship”
