Agricultural Sciences

First degrees conferred from new International Ag graduate program

3/15/13

A new dual-title graduate degree program in International Agriculture and Development offered by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has graduated its first two students.

Deer dispersal research and chronic wasting disease

3/15/13

Research done in the College of Agricultural Sciences on dispersal of young white-tailed deer will inform efforts to manage the outbreak of chronic wasting disease in Pennsylvania and predict how chronic wasting disease will spread.

Alumnus creates first endowed professorship in food science

3/12/13

A distinguished researcher in the field of food microbiology has created the first endowed professorship in Penn State’s Department of Food Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Larry Beuchat, 1965 agriculture graduate, created the Dr. Larry Beuchat Professorship in Food Microbiology with a gift of $1 million to recognize the Penn State faculty who inspired him and to encourage a new generation of researchers.

Photo to accompany Devan Burns student story

Student Stories: Horticulture major got the blues extracting dyes from plants

3/12/13

Most of us remember learning about ROY G. BIV when we were kids — the acronym for the sequence of colors in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. But Devan Burns put her knowledge of the rainbow to use last summer.

Penn State ASABE Student Club plans Lawnmower Clinic

3/12/13

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) will be holding a Lawnmower Clinic on April 5 and April 6.

Webinar to examine stray shale-gas migration into groundwater

3/8/13

Investigations into natural gas from shale development migrating into groundwater will be the focus of a free, Web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension. To be presented at 1 p.m. on March 21, "A Geochemical Context for Stray Gas Investigations in the Northern Appalachian Basin," is part of a monthly series of one-hour webinars.

Farmers who commit totally to sell locally can make a profit

3/7/13

Farmers can make a profit selling their produce directly to local businesses, but they must not let possible new costs weaken their commitment to the new venture, according to an international team of researchers.

Webinar to cover land-use planning around renewable energy projects

3/7/13

Penn State Extension will offer a Web-based seminar focusing on the potential pros and cons of land-use planning related to renewable energy projects. To be presented at noon and 7 p.m. on March 20, "Renewable Energy Implementation and Land Use Regulations -- Is There Conflict?" will give participants a look at the different categories of typical renewable energy projects, zoning and permitting challenges, and how municipalities have been responding.

Extension offers online courses to help with pond management

3/6/13

At this time of year, when many ponds are frozen over, it may seem too early to start thinking about managing them. But now is a good time for pond owners, and those they hire to manage their water impoundments, to consider participating in courses designed to help them make sound decisions.

Keynote speakers named for Private Forest Landowners Conference

3/1/13

A well-known conservationist and a prominent ecologist will offer keynote addresses at Penn State's first statewide Private Forest Landowners Conference.

To be held May 10-11 at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, the event will be hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences' Center for Private Forests. Focusing on the future of Pennsylvania forests, the day-and-a-half conference will reach out to owners of all sizes of woodlands, from backyard woodlot owners to those who view their woodlands as business ventures

Student Stories: Environmental major has Mozambique memory

3/1/13

Laura Davis had dreamed of traveling to Africa for years. So in May 2012, she jumped at the chance to embark on a journey to South Africa and Mozambique offered through a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences natural resources embedded course. The trip was a life-changing experience.

Students recognized for Critical Language Scholarship experiences

2/26/13

The Critical Language Scholarship Program provides fully-funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for U.S. students. The program is part of a U.S. government effort to dramatically expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical-need foreign languages.

The sweet spot: Inside Penn State's Berkey Creamery

2/26/13

A lot goes into making the delicious Penn State Creamery's ice cream—milk, cane sugar, nuts, chocolate, fresh fruit and more.

students working on John Deere equipment

Manufacturer donations benefit students with machinery interests

2/22/13

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A donation of machines from a major farm-equipment manufacturer will enhance hands-on learning for Penn State students in the colleges of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering.

Cattleman's event covers animal ID, beef consumer issues, sire selection

2/21/13

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. -- Animal identification and traceability, a new generation of beef consumers, and selecting sires for grass-fed beef production will be among topics covered at the upcoming Cattleman's College Conference.

Biting the Plant that Feeds You

9/1/98

She's part pilgrim and part vampire, purplish black and pear-shaped. Moments after her April birth, the aphid creeps along the smooth witch hazel leaf until she finds a suitable intersection of veins. She thrusts her needle mouth into the junction and begins to feed, sucking the sweet sap from the plant.

CED major, honors student named College of Ag outstanding senior

4/27/13

A community, environment and development major who is a Schreyer Honors College student has been named the outstanding senior in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences Class of 2013.

Wendell and Carol Hunt endow scholarship in College of Ag Sciences

10/19/12

Students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will benefit from a new scholarship created by a gift from alumnus Wendell Hunt and his wife, Carol, of Waymart, Pa. They have committed $50,000 to endow the Wendell and Carol Hunt Trustee Scholarship, which will assist students who have financial need.

Study confirms U.S. amphibian populations declining at rapid rate

5/22/13

The first-ever estimate of how fast frogs, toads and salamanders in the United States are disappearing from their habitats reveals they are vanishing at an alarming and rapid rate. The study, conducted over the last decade by U.S. Geological Survey scientists and collaborators, includes contributions by a Penn State wildlife population ecologist.

Study suggests dairy herd water quality linked to milk production

5/22/13

A recently completed study of water supplies on Pennsylvania dairy farms found that about a quarter of those tested had at least one water-quality issue. And average milk production for these farms was about 10 percent lower than farms with good water quality.

Mosquito behavior may be immune response, not parasite manipulation

5/22/13

Malaria-carrying mosquitos appear to be manipulated by the parasites they carry, but this manipulation may simply be part of the mosquitos' immune response, according to Penn State entomologists.

Timber 2013 event offers education for forest-products professionals

5/17/13

A variety of workshops and demonstrations will provide valuable information to forest-products professionals who attend the 2013 Forest Products Equipment and Technology Exposition, June 7 to 8 at Penn State's Ag Progress Days site at Rock Springs. Known as Timber 2013, the bi-annual trade exposition is hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association.

'Mooofins' carry food product-development team into national finals

5/17/13

The Penn State Product Development team, a group of students in the food science department, recently was named one of three finalists in the Dairy Research Institute New Product Competition.

Ag Sciences faculty members honored for teaching excellence

5/16/13

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has recognized five faculty members for outstanding undergraduate teaching. The awards were presented at a recent college-wide ceremony.

Penn State places 6th in U.S. National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest

5/10/13

A Penn State student team recently placed sixth at the National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest in Wisconsin.

Heavy equipment for shale gas exploration

Webinar to examine effect of shale-gas development on rural roads

5/10/13

The impact that natural-gas development in deep shale formations has on rural Pennsylvania roads will be the focus of a free, Web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension.

Pasto Agricultural Museum to be open for events in May, June

5/10/13

The Pasto Agricultural Museum will be open for two upcoming public events that bring the Ag Progress Days grounds, where it is located, to life this spring.

Online beekeeping course receives international recognition

5/9/13

A Web-based Penn State Extension course designed to help beginning and experienced beekeepers gain the knowledge they need to be successful has been recognized for online excellence. Beekeeping 101 was named an official honoree in the 2013 Webby Awards. The course was one of 11 honorees in the Education category.

Van Saun receives 2013 Excellence in Academic Advising Award

5/9/13

Robert Van Saun, professor of veterinary science in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been selected to receive the college's 2013 Excellence in Academic Advising Award.

Webinar to examine environmentally sustainable stormwater management

5/8/13

Penn State Extension will offer a Web-based seminar focusing on low-impact development, a stormwater-management strategy designed to mitigate the impacts of increased runoff and resulting pollution.

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