Scientists offer new take on selective fishing

Scientists offer new take on selective fishing

Better sweet corn research, better production

Better sweet corn research, better production

Hempseed oil packed with health-promoting compounds, study finds

Long stigmatized because of its "high"-inducing cousins, hemp -- derived from low-hallucinogenic varieties of cannabis -- is making a comeback, not just as a source of fiber for textiles, but also as a crop packed with oils that have potential health benefits. A new study, which appears in ACS'Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, details just how many healthful compounds hempseed oil contains.

Infants know plants provide food, but need to see they're safe to eat

Infants as young as six months old tend to expect that plants are food sources, but only after an adult shows them that the food is safe to eat, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Coastal ocean aquaculture can be environmentally sustainable

Specific types of fish farming can be accomplished with minimal or no harm to the coastal ocean environment as long as proper planning and safeguards are in place, according to a new report from researchers at NOAA's National Ocean Service.

Nine steps to save waterways and fisheries identified by researchers.

The key to clean water and sustainable fisheries is to follow nine guiding principles of water management, says a team of Canadian biologists.

New research on community gardening reveals the roots of emotional and physical health

 

Did you ever make mud pies as a kid? Remember how good it felt to get your hands in the dirt, to run through the sprinkler, and get pollen from a sweet-smelling flower on your nose? Most kids who grow up in cities today never have this experience. But the latest research aims to change all that.

Jill Litt, PhD, author and associate professor at the University of Colorado

Gardening Gives Older Adults Benefits Like Hand Strength And Self Esteem

Researchers at Kansas State University already have shown that gardening can offer enough moderate physical activity to keep older adults in shape.

In research to be published in February in the journal HortScience, the researchers discovered that among the other health benefits of gardening is keeping older hands strong and nimble.

Increased grazing helps improve soil

The world's soil is in trouble. Ecologists say without dramatic changes to how we manage land, vast swathes of grassland are at risk of turning into hard-packed desert. To make sure that doesn't happen, researchers are testing out innovative ways to keep moisture in the soil.
In eastern Colorado, one way could be in the plodding hooves of cattle.
Conventional wisdom tells you that if ranchland ground has less grass, the problem is too many cows. But that's not always the case. It depends on how you manage them, if you make sure they keep moving.

Conservationists to Convert Pesky Prairie Dogs into Valuable Farm Tools in Northern Mexico.

Conservationists have bought 46,000 acres of desert grasslands in northern Mexico in an effort to show the black-tailed prairie dog -- seen as a pest in much of the western United States -- can help grazing lands thrive.

Organic Or Local Fruits and Vegetables? which one is gaining more popularity throughout the world

The emerging trend toward healthier, fresher foods that are also gentle on the environment presents new dilemmas for conscientious consumers. Marketers tout the attributes of "organic" food, while the "local foods movement" is gaining popularity throughout the world. The "organic-or-local" debate is particularly interesting when it comes to fruits and vegetables; proponents of each system offer strong evidence to support their cause.

Mushrooms Used for Bioremediation to Clean Pesticides From Oregon Waterways .

The test project launched Sunday, Jan. 19 on the banks of Sequoia Creek, a tributary to the Willamette River. Using recycled burlap bags filled with used coffee grounds, straw and yellow oyster mushroom spawn, the purpose of the unusual potpourri will be to harness the extremely effective filtering capabilities of mycelium.
A kind of root system for fungi, mycelium demonstrate a wide variety of biological powers, from breaking down oil, pesticides and harmful bacteria to acting as natural pesticides against some of the most problematic pests.

Tree farms return to traditional agriculture in WA

Former blue gum plantations in the Esperance region could be returned to traditional agriculture within two years.

16,000 hectares of trees have been planted in the Esperance region, over the last 15 years.

But in 2013, tree farm manager Elders deemed the venture un viable, and many of the properties have since been sold.

Tim Carmody bought a 400 hectare tree block near Coomalbidgup in September and started clearing the plantation a couple of weeks ago.

"We've pulled all the timber now, its been back chained and approximately a third of it has been stacked and by that I mean its been pushed up into heaps to burn."

He says while its been hard work, and brings back memories of clearing his original block near Cascade in the 70's, he's disappointed the blue gum venture didn't work out as it would have offered more diversification for Esperance farmers.

"For me, personally, hugely, hugely disappointing because it bought a diversity into the area and with diversity you get the sustainability and different point of business opportunities, so yes, to me, its a crying shame."

None the less, he says purchasing the block and clearing it will enable him to expand his family business in a region where arable land is very tightly held.

"Where our home property is, the land is held, so yes, land is keenly sought after in Esperance so this was an opportunity to pick up some land in the 500 mill rainfall."

"Esperance is full of courage, it wouldn't be here without it. You look at the diversity of people, you look at the diversity of operations and its just nice to be part of that."

Food Fresh and Local at Farmers’ Markets, Well After the Frost.

Kendrya Close approached the first installment of the Morris County Winter Farmers' Market with a little trepidation.

"You just never know — six people could show up," said Ms. Close, who came up with the idea for the market.

Not to worry: The premiere event, held Jan. 12 at the visitors' center at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township, drew 800 shopping-bag-toting visitors over four hours to investigate the market's 16 booths, staffed by vendors selling locally produced meat, cheese, bread, honey and other products (but no fruits or vegetables).

"It looks like we're filling a void," said Ms. Close, the executive director of the Foodshed Alliance in Blairstown, a nonprofit organization that connects farmers with their communities.
Though most farmers' markets in New Jersey are two- or three-season affairs, with tents dismantled and tables collapsed for the winter by November, in recent years, a steady trickle of indoor winter markets has opened around the state.

Ms. Close, 44, of Blairstown, began planning a winter market in Morris County a year ago, after two successful seasons of the Newton Winter Farmers' Market, in Sussex County, which she helped start in 2011.

"It was one of the first ones," she said. "We saw a need because farmers lose income in the winter months. Everyone goes back to the grocery store, which we don't want."

Newton, which has a three-hour winter market with nine vendors each Saturday, is more of a farming area than Morris County is, she said. "There are farm stands on every street, and people are accustomed to going to them" even in winter, she said. In Morris County, "people have access to Costco and every convenience, but they don't have access to farmers, which is one of the reasons we wanted to come here."

Shoppers like Nadja Davidson, 43, of Morris Plains was waiting in line at the booth of Glenmalure Farm of Branchville, which sells meats from grass-fed animals. "We all miss the chance to buy fresh food in the winter after the outdoor market closes," Ms. Davidson said.

Year-round markets also are helping to close the gap, including the Stockton Market in Hunterdon County, which opened in 2010.

"People in this area really needed the option" of a weatherproof market, said Dawn Mcbeth, 56, of Stockton, the manager of the 12,000-square-foot market, which has 25 winter vendors. "The vendors needed a way to make money year-round, and people needed a place to buy locally made stuff."

Ms. Mcbeth said, "People have embraced us not just as a place to buy fresh cheese and beef and pasta in the winter, but also as a community meeting place." That was evident on a visit this month, when patrons lingered at a market cafe selling coffee and crepes, as well as at booths such as Sciascia Confections of Stockton, where a specialty is handmade macarons ($2 each). Stockton Market is home to a fishmonger, a pasta maker, an organic farmer, a bakery, a mushroom stand and beef and poultry producers.

"So you can essentially come here and get everything you need for dinner. It's one-stop shopping," said David Borgert, who operates the Eat This booth, selling pâtés, jams and marmalades made in Erwinna, Pa.

The Ramsey Farmers' Market in Bergen County began opening in 2011 on winter Sundays at a local middle school, said Nancy Boone, the founder and manager, "because every November when we'd close outdoors people were asking us, 'What are we going to do all winter?' "

Previously, the market was open June through November at the Ramsey train station; now it also runs from December through March indoors.

Ms. Boone, 69, of Ramsey, started with 20 vendors at the middle school. Now there are 30, including a cheesemonger, a dried flower vendor, several farmers and a seafood vendor, with a few other stands, such as from WoodsEdge Wools Farm of Stockton, setting up outside the middle school entrance when weather allows.

On a recent Sunday, the booth of Homespun Chili of Fair Lawn, offering varieties of chili including vegan, turkey and beef ($12 for 24 ounces), had heavy traffic. Also popular was Madura Farms of Goshen, N.Y., a booth specializing in exotic mushroom varieties, such as reishi, which is said to have medicinal properties ($20 an ounce for the dried reishi).

While newer markets begin to make their year-round presence known, at least one has maintained cold-weather hours for decades.

"There was a time when Trenton Farmers' Market was the only game in town" in winter, said Jack J. Ball, who manages the 20,000-square-foot market, in Lawrence Township, with his wife, Marcia.

The Trenton market, with space for up to 40 vendors, has been in its current location since 1948, said Mr. Ball, 70, of Ewing. It began operating year-round sometime before 1980, when he became co-manager.

"Naturally, the farmers have very little to offer in the winter months," he said. But several, including Pineland Farms of Hammonton and vendors selling meats and baked goods, even jewelry and Tupperware, are there each Thursday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., from January until March. On a recent Saturday, Pineland Farms sold freshly shelled black-eyed peas, cider, several varieties of sweet potatoes and other root vegetables. By May, the market has nine farmers six days a week.

"Now that more markets are opening in winter, it's put a bit of a strain on us," Mr. Ball said. But he understands the motivation of the other markets: "This is a way to be loyal to our regulars and keep winter economically sound for the farmers," he said. "We think that's important."

●

The following are among New Jersey's farmers' markets that are open in winter:

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP Trenton Farmers' Market, 960 Spruce Street, Lawrence Township. Open year-round; winter hours (through April): Thursdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional hours before Easter. (609) 695-2998 or thetrentonfarmersmarket.com.

MORRIS TOWNSHIP Morris County Winter Farmers' Market at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road. Second Sunday of each month, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. January through May. (908) 362-7967 or njlocalfood.com.

NEWTON Newton Winter Farmers' Market at Springboard Shoppes, 145 Spring Street. Saturdays through April, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (908) 362-7967 or njlocalfood.com.

RAMSEY Ramsey Farmers' Market, at Eric Smith Middle School, 73 Monroe Street. Sundays through March, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (201) 675-6866 or ramseyfarmersmarket.org.

STOCKTON Stockton Market, 19 Bridge Street. Year-round Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. stocktonfarmmarket.com or (609) 610-3532.

Vermicompost Beneficial for Organically Grown Tomatoes

Marketable yields of organic horticultural crops frequently fall below those of conventional crops; this and other factors restrict widespread adoption of organic production. Researchers recently studied the growth and yield responses of tomatoes grown in organic substrates amended with vermicompost and compared the results with plants grown in a popular growing medium. "More research in this area is needed to provide a base of information that will lead to the expansion of the organic sector, especially in the greenhouse industry, to meet consumer demands and preferences," they explained.

How Scavenging Fungi Became a Plant's Best Friend

Glomeromycota is an ancient lineage of fungi that has a symbiotic relationship with roots that goes back nearly 420 million years to the earliest plants. More than two thirds of the world's plants depend on this soil-dwelling symbiotic fungus to survive, including critical agricultural crops such as wheat, cassava, and rice. The analysis of the Rhizophagus irregularis genome has revealed that this asexual fungus doesn't shuffle its genes the way researchers expected. Moreover, rather than having lost much of its metabolic genes, as observed in many mutualistic organisms, it has expanded its range of cell-to-cell communication genes and phosphorus-capturing genes.

Adaptable Button Mushroom Serves Up Genes Critical to Managing the Planet's Carbon Stores

The button mushroom occupies a prominent place in our diet and in the grocery store where it boasts a tasty multibillion-dollar niche, while in nature, Agaricus bisporus is known to decay leaf matter on the forest floor. Now, owing to an international collaboration of two dozen institutions led by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), the full repertoire of A. bisporus genes has been determined.

Waste From Textile Industry Transformed Into Rich Compost With Help Of Manure And Earthworms

Waste from the textiles industry could with the assistance of earthworms and some animal manure become a rich compost for agriculture, according to a report in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution.

Feeding Cows Natural Plant Extracts Can Reduce Dairy Farm Odors and Feed Costs

With citizens' groups seeking government regulation of foul-smelling ammonia emissions from large dairy farms, scientists report that adding natural plant extracts to cow feed can reduce levels of the gas by one-third while reducing the need to fortify cow feed with expensive protein supplements

Soil Microbes Produce Less Atmospheric CO2 Than Expected With Climate Warming

The physiology of microbes living underground could determine the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from soil on a warmer Earth, according to a study recently published online in Nature Geoscience.

Fungi May Determine the Future of Soil Carbon

When scientists discuss global change, they often focus on the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and vegetation. But soil contains more carbon than air and plants combined. This means that even a minor change in soil carbon could have major implications for the Earth's atmosphere and climate. New research by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute scientist Benjamin Turner and colleagues points to an unexpected driver of soil carbon content: fungi.

Study Estimates Land Available for Biofuel Crops

Using detailed land analysis, Illinois researchers have found that biofuel crops cultivated on available land could produce up to half of the world's current fuel consumption -- without affecting food crops or pastureland.

Global Warming Causes Soil To Release Carbon, Study Says

Global warming is causing soil to release huge amounts of carbon, making efforts to fight global warming tougher than previously thought, scientists said on Wednesday.
A study in the journal Nature looked at the carbon content of soil in England and Wales from 1978-2003 and found that it fell steadily, with some 13 million tonnes of carbon released from British soil each year.

Grass Hailed as Potential Source of Clean Energy

A tall, decorative plant that can be grown in Europe and the United States could provide a significant amount of energy without contributing to global warming, scientists said on Tuesday.
Field trials of the grass called Miscanthus in Illinois showed it could be very effective as an economically and environmentally sustainable energy crop.

Climate Change Raises Risk of Hunger, Scientists Say

About 50 million more people, most of them in Africa, could be at risk of hunger by 2050 due to climate change and reduced crop yields, scientists predicted on Monday.
Roughly 500 million people worldwide already face hunger but rising levels of greenhouse gases could make the problem worse.

The Significant Role of Forests in Regulating Global Climate

A new study published in the journal, Science, has quantified the forests' role in regulating carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere. Because plants absorb CO2 as part of their metabolism, the greater the forest, the more CO2 is removed, and the impact of global climate change is decreased. The study found that the world's established forests remove 8.8 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year. This equates to nearly one third of all annual fossil fuel emissions from humans.

Plants buy Earth more time as CO2 makes them grow

Trees and plants are growing bigger and faster in response to the billions of tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by humans, scientists have found.
The increased growth has been discovered in a variety of flora, ranging from tropical rainforests to British sugar beet crops.

Newly Discovered Modifier Protein Could Stimulate Plant Growth Under Environmental Stress

But according to new research led by scientists at Durham University, plants contain a natural mechanism that could stimulate their growth even under stress, which could potentially lead to better crop yields.

How Ancient Plants and Soil Fungi Turned Earth Green

New research by scientists at the University of Sheffield has shed light on how Earth's first plants began to colonize the land over 470 million years ago by forming a partnership with soil fungi.

Plant-Driven Fungal Weathering: Early Stages Of Mineral Alteration At The Nanometer Scale

For the first time, the boundary between fungi and rock has been imaged on a nanoscale -- unraveling the fundamental processes by which fungi break down rocks into soil whilst extracting essential nutrients.

Fungi's Role in the Cycle of Life Discovered

The nitrogen cycle is the natural process that makes nitrogen available to all organisms on earth. Scientists at the University of York have discovered that one of the world's most common and ecologically important groups of fungi plays an unsuspected role in this key natural cycle.

How the world became green..............Ancient Plant-Fungal Partnerships Reveal How the World Became Green

Prehistoric plants grown in state-of-the-art growth chambers recreating environmental conditions from more than 400 million years ago have shown scientists from the University of Sheffield how soil dwelling fungi played a crucial role in the evolution of plants.

Symbiotic Fungi Inhabiting Plant Roots Have Major Impact On Atmospheric Carbon, Scientists Say

Microscopic fungi that live in plants' roots play a major role in the storage and release of carbon from the soil into the atmosphere, according to a University of Texas at Austin researcher and his colleagues at Boston University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The role of these fungi is currently unaccounted for in global climate models.

Low Levels of Blood Calcium in Dairy Cows May Affect Cow Health, Productivity

The health of dairy cows after giving birth plays a big factor in the quantity and quality of the milk the cows produce. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that subclinical hypocalcemia, which is the condition of having low levels of calcium in the blood and occurs in many cows after giving birth, is related to higher levels of fat in the liver. John Middleton, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, says these higher levels of fat are often precursors to future health problems in cows.

A Balanced Protein Diet Can Reduce Accumulation of Nitrogen On Dairy Cattle Farms by Up to 35 Percent

A Balanced Protein Diet Can Reduce Accumulation of Nitrogen On Dairy Cattle Farms by Up to 35 Percent

Cows Fed Flaxseed Produce More Nutritious Dairy Products

Cows Fed Flaxseed Produce More Nutritious Dairy Products

Researchers See Added Nutritional Benefits in Organic Milk

Researchers See Added Nutritional Benefits in Organic Milk

E. Coli Outbreak in Connecticut Caused by Raw Milk Consumption

Raw milk is consumed by an estimated 1-3 percent of the United States population. Raw milk and raw cheeses are responsible for almost 70 percent of reported dairy outbreaks. On July 16, 2008, the Connecticut Department of Public Health identified two unrelated children who had experienced hemolytic uremic syndrome after consuming raw milk from the same farm. The authors investigated the situation further and found more cases of people affected by raw milk from the same farm.

New Test For Detecting Fake Organic Milk

Scientists in Germany are reporting development of a new, more effective method to determine whether milk marketed as "organic" is genuine or just ordinary milk mislabeled to hoodwink consumers.

Alternative to Yogurt

Researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de València have obtained new products fermented with probiotic bacteria from grains and nuts -- what is known as plant-based or vegetable "milks" -- which are an alternative to conventional yogurts. The products are specially designed for people with allergies to cow's milk, lactose or gluten intolerance, as well as children and pregnant women.

Plan to End Use of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals On Commercial Crops Developed

Two University of Alberta researchers have published a step by step plan to one-day end the use of environmentally harmful chemicals on commercial crops by developing plants that produce their own fertilizer.

Excess Nitrogen Fertiliser Increasing Warming in China

Excess Nitrogen Fertiliser Increasing Warming in China

Steroids Control Gas Exchange in Plants

Steroids Control Gas Exchange in Plants

New Species of Marine Algae Identified

New Species of Marine Algae Identified

Mobile applications for agriculture speaks greek.

A new Mobile for Agriculture application has been released: iFarma, recently launched by the Greek company Agrostis, is a farm management application specifically designed for mobile devices.
iFarm rappresent the first agricultural mobile application entirely in Greek.