First established on Oct. 16, 1979, World Food Day recognizes the day in 1945 when 42 countries assembled in Quebec, Canada to create the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to free humanity from hunger and malnutrition, effectively managing the global food system.
Iowa Learning Farms has hosted a number of field days in 2016 where farmers, landowners, agriculture professionals and many others have come together to learn about conservation farming practices. At these events, many attendees have had common questions, and sometimes common misconceptions, about water quality and drainage.
As the fall harvest continues to push on across the Midwest, frequent storms and rainfall have dampened many producers’ fields, and this trend will likely continue through October. Dr. H. Mark Hanna, an agricultural engineer with Iowa State University, has recently published a series of combine adjustment tips that could help producers better cope with …Continue reading “Hanna, ISU extension and outreach advises combine adjustment for wet fields”
First on Mark Hanna’s list when it comes to saving money at harvest is minimizing combine losses. “Make sure you get all the grain you’ve got coming to you,” said Hanna, an Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineer. “Two corn kernels per square foot or four soybeans per square foot equates to one bushel per acre loss. …Continue reading “Hanna: Minimizing combine loss saves money”
Iowa motorists are reminded harvest time is underway and drivers should be prepared to encounter combines and other large farm equipment on the road. Chuck Schwab, a safety specialist with Iowa State University Extension, says rear end collisions are among the most common crashes involving farm machinery.
At the BioCentury Research Farm, student researchers are learning valuable skills, including how to use stalks from crops to create renewable biofuels and how to grow algae for use in aquaculture feed and water cleanup systems. The BioCentury Research Farm is the first integrated research and demonstration facility in the nation dedicated to biomass production …Continue reading “Students conduct biomass research at BioCentury Research Farm”
Dr. Carl J. Bern, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University, has received the inaugural Sukup Global Food Security award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The award recognizes distinguished contributions to global food security through work and mentoring in grain drying, handling and storage. Bern mentors students in …Continue reading “ISU professor Bern receives Sukup Global Food Security Award”
Iowa farmers who had flooding in their corn fields may have the option of feeding some of that grain to livestock, but the corn must be tested first. “If the grain has been actually flooded, that is uncontrolled flood water over top of either the ear or the pod, then FDA — Food and Drug Administration …Continue reading “Hurburgh: After tests, some flood-damaged corn may be fed to livestock”
“Increased production coupled with consumer demands for food safety assurance require good manufacturing practices and the training to support them, at all levels of the grain market,” said Charles Hurburgh, professor-in-charge of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative. “Market activities are much more interrelated than in the past.”
Charles Hurburgh, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering Hurbugh said producers will face challenges on several fronts during this year’s harvest. Alternating periods of precipitation and high humidity across the state have created favorable conditions for high moisture and mold in the crop, which means grain quality will vary for many producers, he said. “The …Continue reading “MEDIA ADVISORY: Iowa State experts available to comment on 2016 harvest”
Artist Norie Sato’s third and latest campus installation dangles above the east entrance of the College of Engineering’s newly reopened Marston Hall. “The Fifth Muse” — aptly named to complement the four iconic limestone sculptures that grace the facade of the 113-year-old building — resembles a mobile, with individually designed mixed-media objects suspended from two …Continue reading “Hartmann, ABE contributes to “The Fifth Muse””
Charles Sukup, president of Sukup Manufacturing Co., has received the 2016 Cyrus Hall McCormick Jerome Increase Case Gold Medal Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The award recognizes exceptional and meritorious engineering achievement in developing grain handling equipment. Sukup graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural engineering. He later …Continue reading “ABE alum receives national engineering honor”
A lot of the latest electronics and sensor technologies require a trained eye, Iowa State University Extension ag engineer Mark Hanna notes – but not all. At the least, check for chewed wires and other signs of rodent damage – especially for equipment that may have sat idle for the past 10 or 11 months. …Continue reading “Hanna: 4 Items to check before your combine rolls”
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed a proclamation Sept. 9 to commemorate the week. The proclamation calls for all Iowans to “work together to control and mitigate these farm risks.” Working to make farms safer is crucial to a state like Iowa that has more than 90 percent of its land used in agriculture and distributes …Continue reading “Schwab: Experts advise farm safety practices during safety week”
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 (www.extension.iastate.edu) ag engineer Mark Hanna. “If you have rodents, connectors can be damaged. You may have mice chewing the wiring,” he says. “It’s probably been 10 or 11 …Continue reading “Hanna: Is your combine ready to roll?”
