Three agricultural and biosystems engineering graduate students attended the 2016 Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Contest, held at Ohio State University on November 12 and 13. The Iowa State University graduate team, comprised of Suzanne Leonard, Kai Liu and Jofran Oliveira, placed first in the Team Live Assessment scenario and third place Overall Team. Suzanne Leonard …Continue reading “ABE grads win at Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Contest”
When manure is disturbed or agitated, H2S is released into the air “in bursts,” says Dan Andersen, ag and biosystems engineering professor at Iowa State University. Air concentrations can increase a thousand-fold, reaching deadly levels within seconds.
Matthew Helmers, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, was nominated to the committee and agreed to serve starting Oct. 1. The committee was created through the Agricultural Act of 2014 to provide advice to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) on matters referred to the board, in consultation with the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, may have …Continue reading “Helmers named to Environmental Protection Agency Scientific Advisory Committee”
Anhydrous ammonia is a popular farm fertilizer because it’s highly concentrated and cheaper than other options, said Mark Hanna, extension agricultural engineer at Iowa State University.
Two Iowa State University professors have been appointed to serve on the Agricultural Science Committee of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board. Catherine Kling, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of economics, and Matthew Helmers, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, were nominated to the committee and agreed to serve starting Oct. 1.
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.
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”
