Fungal contamination of cereal grains poses a substantial threat to food security and public health while causing hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses annually. In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign evaluated far-ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light as a safe way to alleviate fungal contamination of corn and wheat and found this technology to be effective.

Rice is a staple food crop for more than half the world’s population, but most farmers don’t grow high-yielding varieties because the seeds are too expensive. Researchers from UC Davis and UC Berkeley have identified a potential solution: activating two genes in rice egg cells that trigger their development into embryos without the need for fertilization, which would efficiently create high-yielding clonal strains of rice and other crops.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s commonly known in the cattle industry that bovine respiratory disease is the most costly illness affecting cattle in North America. Samantha Howe received a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant to explore the use of probiotics in bovine respiratory disease prevention.

Sustainable rates of groundwater withdrawal in Oregon’s Harney Basin were surpassed 20 years prior to the time declining groundwater levels were generally recognized, a new analysis found.

Over a typical two-year rotation of corn and soybeans, 40% of nitrous oxide emissions are in the fertilizer-free soybean year, according to new Iowa State University research. Winter cover crops and planting soybeans earlier could reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas by one-third while increasing yields. 

Dairy cows typically rest for 10 or more hours a day, so a dry, clean, and comfortable place—such as a freestall—to lie down and rest is essential for their health, well-being, and production performance. One key factor in whether stalls are comfortable for cows is the ease with which they can get up and down, so it is common on farms for staff to watch for abnormal rising behaviors as part of standard welfare management. In a new study in the Journal of Dairy Science, published by Elsevier, a Swedish team, in collaboration with Sony Nordic, introduced a new automated model that accurately detects posture transitions in dairy cows. This innovative approach using 3-dimensional (3D) pose estimation offers valuable, unbiased insights into animal welfare and could offer a less time-consuming and more consistent assessment tool for researchers and farmers alike.