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Fresh from the
Field is a weekly album showcasing transformative impacts made by
partners supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Editor: Falita Liles Aug. 9, 2018
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Success Stories
Youth as Zoonotic Disease Detectives… What a Novella Idea!
Every year, people get
sick from diseases spread between animals and people, or zoonotic diseases. A
three-way partnership between 4-H National Headquarters at NIFA, USDA’s Animal
Plant Health Inspection Service,
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are teaching youth to
recognize and respond to zoonotic diseases, especially at local and state
fairs. Georgia 4-H created a special “Be a Zoonotic Disease
Detective” edition of its Friends magazine. Along with graphic novella The Junior Disease Detectives,
youth are not only introduced to zoonosis but also careers related to
epidemiology.
Read about 4-H's healthy approach at the Wisconsin State Farmer. USDA Photo by Preston
Keres.
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News Coverage
Up to 60 Million People May Now be Able to Eat
A
team of researchers from University of Arkansas, Pennsylvania State
University, Ohio State University, Louisiana State University,
Kansas State University, and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service
have isolated a gene that gives rice resistance to rice blast. The disease is
responsible for $66 billion worldwide in crop loss each year – an amount of
rice that could feed 60 million people. The researchers put their data into
GenBank, the National Institutes of Health genetic sequence database for use by
public researchers worldwide.
NIFA supports this research through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
Read more at the World-Grain. USDA photo by Scott Bauer.
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Library
New Theory Describes Intricacies of a Splashing Droplet
Researchers at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and USDA's Agricultural Research Service have
found a way to track the thickness of a droplet’s rim as it splashes up from a
variety of surfaces. This incredibly specific measurement, they say, is key to
predicting the number, size, and speed of smaller droplets that can be ejected
into the air. The findings model the physics of sprays, such as pesticides that
splash back up from crop leaves, or raindrops that may pick up and spread
diseases as they bounce off contaminated surfaces.
NIFA supports this project with the Specialty Crop Research Initiative.
Learn more about the technology used at
MIT News. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.
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Tweet of the Week
#NIFAIMPACTS
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NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension that solve societal challenges. NIFA’s investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural sciences, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/Impacts, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts.
USDA is an equal opportunity lender, provider, and employer.
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