Rashid, who is a PhD candidate in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, is one of the six graduate students that ISU has welcomed as part of the project. Rashid is from the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar and says that in his home country “we live like a community…one big family.” Moving across the world can feel …Continue reading “Protecting the harvest and improving food security in Tanzania”
Hongwei Xin, director of the Egg Industry Center at Iowa State University, said the state is making good progress in recovering from bird flu. Iowa had 46.5 million egg-laying hens as of mid-March compared with 58.3 million before the outbreak. Producers are adding about 3 million birds each month, but that pace is expected to slow …Continue reading “Xin: Egg prices forecast to fall as industry recovers from bird flu”
Eleven land-grant institutions and partner organizations are working together to improve farm drainage in order to reduce the contamination of surrounding land and water. The underground drainage systems that channel water off of fields are also prone to diverting crop fertilizers and pesticides. In 2009, researchers formed the “Project NCERA-217: Drainage Design and Management Practices …Continue reading “Eleven land-grant institutions work across state lines to reduce water contaminants”
Iowa FFA President Michael Tupper put 29,000 miles on his car in the past year. Tupper was enrolled part time at Iowa State University in agricultural engineering this past year because of all the time spent on the road fulfilling his duties as president, some of which took him outside of Iowa. “I got to …Continue reading “Tupper travels to all corners of Iowa”
While on campus Wednesday, students may see their peers at the Lake LaVerne Clean Up, which is a part of Iowa State’s Earth Week celebrations. The event is hosted by The Green Umbrella Club in partnership with students involved in restarting the Greeks Go Green club, as well as Student Government. Although Greeks Go Green has …Continue reading “Muell, students to pick up trash in effort to improve Lake LaVerne”
Six years of Iowa State University testing show a dramatic decrease in the number of environmental samples taken from egg facilities that test positive for the Salmonella enteritidis bacterium causing human food poisoning. “The test data also show that the likelihood of a positive environmental test translating into contaminated eggs is extremely low,” said Hongwei Xin, …Continue reading “ISU test results provide six-year snapshot of egg safety”
Larry Tupper remembers walking into a room last winter and being greeted by someone saying “You must be Michael Tupper’s dad!” He laughs at the memory and gives a smile all proud parents wear. He knows as president of the Iowa FFA, his son has worked hard for his moment of fame. Michael just smiles and shrugs. Such …Continue reading “Tupper learns to balance FFA, family farm and A E classes”
Iowa State University has done several studies on this in southern and central Iowa, and data collected shows the Edge of Field practice works very well. “Dr. Matt Helmers, who heads this study, is encouraged by what he has seen,” he said. “The practice protects the tile intakes and helping to meet water quality goals, while …Continue reading “Helmers: Looking at responsible land management”
Altered, novel products may require new AAFCO definitions, GRAS affirmations. This article by Dr. Kurt Rosentrater, ABE associate professor, appears in the May issue of EPM. The biofuels story is not yet completely written. Many exciting developments are on the horizon and some are within our grasp. Indeed, cellulosic ethanol is here and being commercialized. Gen …Continue reading “Rosentrater: New, evolving coproducts require regulatory due diligence”
In northwest Iowa, Plymouth County officials responded to a grain bin explosion that injured two workers last week. It took nearly an hour for fire teams to put out the flames. As it happens, it takes the stars aligning to get a grain bin to blow up. A series of five events need to take …Continue reading “Mosher: Grain explosion numbers falling”
The Kansas State University College of Engineering will honor 11 alumni for professional career accomplishment during the first 20 years following their graduation. The honorees will be recognized at ceremonies on the Manhattan campus April 2. Among the honorees is Dr. Michelle Soupir. Soupir is a 1999 graduate of Kansas State University in biological and agricultural engineering. She …Continue reading “Soupir, Kansas State University College of Engineering alumni honored for career success”
Every pass you make across the field with a tillage tool costs you in terms of labor, fuel, and wear-and-tear on equipment. If you can’t justify the cost with a yield increase, it’s time to reevaluate what you’re doing. Mark Hanna, Iowa State University agricultural engineer, recommends some simple on-farm field trials. “In one field …Continue reading “Hanna: Slash tillage”
As the temperature starts to rise, it is a critical time to keep stored corn and soybeans in good condition. Charles Hurburgh, Iowa State University grain quality specialist and professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, says grain was generally of good quality when it was put into the bin last fall. “There were some pockets …Continue reading “Hurburgh: Watch grain quality in bins as temps rise”
Acceptance of information technology can play a vital role in meeting the demand for food in developing countries, according to a new study by Iowa State University researchers. The research is published in the journal Information Technologies and International Development. It’s projected that the world population will reach 9.6 billion people by 2050, and therefore …Continue reading “Government use of technology has potential to increase food security”
In the spring, two types of grain bin safety incidents tend to happen more often, according to Chuck Schwab, Iowa State University Extension safety specialist. Both incidents happen when stored grain wasn’t kept in the best condition or had moisture build up over the winter, he says. In the first scenario, clumps of spoiled grain …Continue reading “Schwab: Tips to safeguard stored grain”
