Fresh from the Field, May 31, 2018

Protecting Georgia's Pollinators 

Many gardeners do not realize how insecticides work in the garden, or how essential pollinating insects are to the success of the food garden. University of Georgia Extension created its Pollinator Spaces Project in response to this issue. The community and school garden coordinator has conducted 22 workshops for 621 attendees. In addition, more than 4,000 pollinator seed packs were given away at pollinator-focused booths at conferences and exhibits, and agents have given workshops to more than 9,000 people. Word of the project has spread throughout the state via social media information, blog posts, and news articles.

NIFA supports the Cooperative Extension Service.

Read the full story at UGA Extension. Photo: USDA.

Making a Difference in Vermont with Women Farmers

Women farmers and ranchers are one of the fastest growing groups in agriculture, making up 30 percent of all farm operators. However, women-operated farms tend to be smaller, and only 10 percent have annual sales over $50,000.

University of Vermont Extension and the national Women in Agriculture Learning Network (WIA-LN) provides information and resources for future farmers to succeed in agriculture in the United States. In the past two years, WIA-LN delivered web-based education directly to 3,300 people across the U.S.

NIFA supports the Cooperative Extension System.

Learn more at UVM Extension News Stories. USDA photo.

Cold Plasma: The "Hottest" New Food Safety Trend is More Potent when... Watered Down!

Go ahead, search the web for "cold atmospheric pressure plasma." Over 20,000 hits, most of them a year or two old, will pop up. Ionized gases (containing ozone and acidified nitriles) that make up cold atmospheric-pressure gaseous plasma (CAP) looks like a blue torch, which could be exquisitely effective at killing foodborne pathogens on contact surfaces and on fresh produce. Some reports suggest that CAP is only marginally effective and these discrepancies have long puzzled scientists who aim to optimize the technology. NIFA-funded scientists at the University of Minnesota set out to determine parameters that make CAP most effective against foodborne viruses.

NIFA supports this research through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.

Read the full journal article at the Plasma Processes and Polymers. Photo: Max Teplitski.