The link between pig production and quality

With NIFA funding, researchers at North Carolina A&T State University examined how different production systems affect the growth rate and meat quality of different breeds of pigs, including pure Berkshire pigs Hereford, Tamworth, and crossbred pigs.

They tested alternative production systems, such as group housing in deep-bedded hoop barns and pasture-based production.

The research revealed that alternative production systems may result in higher quality pigs. These approaches also have the potential to address animal welfare, environmental, and food safety concerns and could appeal to niche/specialty markets. 

Read more about the swine industry research here. 

Discovering virus-resistant peanuts

 Leaf-spot diseases and drought stress are major factors that result in economic losses for peanut farmers. Researchers at Auburn University are using NIFA funding to identify molecular markers directly linked to these two challenges. After examining 118 peanut genotypes, researchers found four that were resistant to tomato spot wilted virus (TSWV). These highly resistant genotypes could be used to develop TSWV-resistant cultivars in a peanut-breeding program that will improve yields and profits.

Read more about the study here. 

Parasitoids may control emerald ash borer population 

The emerald ash borer is an invasive species that poses a major threat to the American ash tree. Researches at University of Kentucky’s Forest Entomology Lab have discovered a closely related native ash borer species that is kept in check by natural enemies, parasitoids. Researchers are investigating whether the native parasitoid can discover and control the invasive emerald ash borer. 

To that end, the Forest Entomology lab, in partnership with the Kentucky Office of the State Entomology, have released over 150,000 parasitoids across the counties since 2010. 

Read more about the UK study here. 

New Hampshire's bees

The New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station recently completed a study of the state’s local bee population and discovered more than 100 bee species, including 20 that were previously undocumented in the state. Two species, the Eastern bumble bee and sweat bees, were the most common. The study reveals these two species as vital to the New Hampshire ecosystem.

“New Hampshire has a high bee species richness compared to similar biological surveys conducted in eastern North America,” said Sandra Rehan, an assistant professor of biological sciences at UNH. “Our bee collection efforts recorded 118 species, more than a quarter of the species currently present in the Northeast, if not more considering recent bee declines.”

The collected data is part of the NIFA-supported project “Sustainable Solutions to Problems Affecting Bee Health.”

Read more on the New Hampshire study here. 

 Improving soil health

Soil health is a key factor in healthy crop yield and withstanding drought. To help Northeastern farmers improve soil health management practices a team at Cornell University created a new method to test soil health that measures soil’s physical, chemical and biological indicators as well as nutrient and pH levels. The Cornell lab currently receives about 2,000 samples per year, and interest in the assessment continues to grow in the Northeast and across the country. 

This project received early funding through the NIFA-supported Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE).

Watch the video here.