TSU professor to study effects of climate change on soil microbes
A Tennessee State University researcher has received almost $1 million to study how crops adapt to climate change – Jianwei Li, an assistant professor at the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, will be using funds from a National Science Foundation grant to study the effects of high temperatures on cropland soils in Middle Tennessee.
Proposed bill is designed to protect ag labor from heat
Increasingly warm temperatures have led the U.S. House to discuss safety guidelines in an effort to recommended standards addressing excessive heat. House Resolution 3668 was introduced on July 10 and would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue standards within 42 months. It would provide guidelines for indoor and outdoor workers with protections.
‘Drop, Cover, & Hold On’ effort to raise earthquake awareness
After southern California shook from the power of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake weeks ago, emergency preparedness agencies throughout the nation – particularly in regions with proximity to known seismic zones – began warning residents about possible seismic activity outside the Golden State, including right here in the Corn Belt.
Walton League report touts strategies for healthy soils
There’s lately been an explosion of interest in soil health. Policymakers have put forth state legislative bills and local initiatives geared at stimulating healthy soils, so the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) gathered many for its recent State and Local Soil Health Strategies report.
Illinois officials warn about increased mosquito activity
Months of flooding have created a perfect storm of conditions for floodwater mosquitoes (Aedes vexans) to flourish, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is warning those who live or work in proximity to rain-swollen waterways.
Ohio effort seeking volunteers to aid with improving food systems
When Fred Yoder and Lisa Hamler-Fugitt were seeking people for the Ohio Smart Agriculture: Solutions from the Land (OSA) steering committee, he ran into skepticism of its goals and how to achieve them from more than one quarter.
‘HUMANE’ DAIRIES CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT MIDWEST NMPF, independent agencies provide certification, oversight
As a longtime dairy producer and farmer-leader for the Illinois Milk Producers Association and Midwest Dairymen’s Cooperative, Bill Deutsch has learned through experience the importance of satisfying shifting consumer demand for his farm’s dairy products. Now, perhaps more than ever, dairy producers like Deutsch understand the importance of transparency in the production of their dairy products for their end users and customers, including how cows are raised, fed, housed and treated.
