agricultural research service

According to rangeland experts, wildfires in the western Great Basin region scorched more than 14,600 square miles in just 10 years—nearly the land mass of Maryland and Delaware combined.

As we celebrate our planet this Earth Day, we highlight ongoing research being conducted at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) exploring how a seaweed species could potentially reduce methane emissions in livestock production.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. That’s about 25% of America’s mortality rate. Heart disease costs the United States about $363 billion each year from 2016 to 2017 – almost $1 billion per day.

USDA is collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the Closer to Zero (C2Z) initiative. C2Z provides a crucial framework for the work that must be done to reduce heavy metal content in foods, but particularly in foods consumed by infants and children, our most vulnerable group.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service’s National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois (a.k.a. “The Ag Lab”) has a storied history of scientific and technological innovation that includes methods to mass-produce penicillin and biobased engine lubricants.

If you’re a fan of salmon, you’re not alone.

Years ago, I spent my days watching pecan roots change the color of solutions from clear to red as they reduced iron for uptake. It may not sound exciting, but that was the topic of my 2010 undergraduate research internship at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) in Houston, TX, under the direction of my mentor, ARS scientist Dr. Michael Grusak.

Red maple leaves, cool brisk breeze, geese flying south and cinnamon spice aroma filling the house…little reminders that we’re in the midst of Fall. But fresh crisp apples may be the best of all.

Water is critical in space. This is especially true for NASA’s planned long-term space missions, replete with on-board farming. At roughly 8.34 pounds per gallon, getting enough H2O aboard ship to irrigate crops and sustain astronauts is expensive, as every pound carried to space requires additional fuel, which incurs additional costs.

With the global population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, farmers need all the help they can get to increase production, quality, and nutritional value of agricultural products. FarmBeats will help them achieve that.