Ag Sciences graduate students win prestigious research fellowships

April 25, 2017

Three graduate students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences -- Phillip Martin, Ismaiel Szink and Rachel Rozum -- recently received prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.

Undergraduates honored with Rock Ethics Institute 2017 Stand Up Award

April 24, 2017

The Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State recently celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Stand Up Award by honoring students Brian Anthony Davis, Hayly Hoch and Alexis Scott. This award is presented to Penn State undergraduates who have demonstrated courage, fortitude and ethical leadership by taking a stand for a person, a cause or a belief.

Centre County to be included in statewide hemp research

March 23, 2017

STATE COLLEGE - A few years ago, the federal government changed its regulations that allowed people to do research on industrial hemp. The state passed legislation last year that made that possible in Pennsylvania. On Friday, the Department of Agriculture announced that 16 teams from across the state were approved to conduct studies on the plant. Penn State Professor Greg Roth is the head of one of those research teams.

Katzaman bequest to support ag sciences, Penn State micro-scholarship program

March 17, 2017

Michael and Diane Katzaman, of Wernersville, have pledged an estate gift of approximately $1.7 million to be evenly divided between the Agriculture Fund, which supports Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, and a micro-scholarship fund administered through the University's Office of Undergraduate Education.

Energy crop production on conservation lands may not boost greenhouse gases

March 10, 2017

Growing sustainable energy crops without increasing greenhouse gas emissions, may be possible on seasonally wet, environmentally sensitive landscapes, according to researchers who conducted a study on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land.

American Society of Agronomy -Magic Cover Crop Carpet

March 3, 2017

Organic farmers have to make hard choices between protecting soil from erosion and controlling weeds. For example, large-scale organic farming relies heavily on tillage. Tilling breaks up the soil to kill weeds and prepare for planting. But intense tillage can compact soil, cause erosion, and deplete nutrients. As a result, some organic farmers are turning to cover crops for weed control.

Widely accepted vision for agriculture may be inaccurate, misleading

February 22, 2017

"Food production must double by 2050 to feed the world's growing population." This truism has been repeated so often in recent years that it has become widely accepted among academics, policymakers and farmers, but now researchers are challenging this assertion and suggesting a new vision for the future of agriculture.

Student Stories: Fungi fun -- student discovers love for plant sciences

February 16, 2017

Sara Getson came to Penn State and developed an unexpected academic passion — fungi.

Penn State turf paved graduate's path to Super Bowl

February 1, 2017

Collin Meyers, a 2010 graduate of the turfgrass science program in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will accompany the Atlanta Falcons as they take the field at the Super Bowl in Houston on Sunday. Meyers, a State College native, has been a grounds assistant for the Falcons for the past three seasons.

Penn State agricultural sciences students excel at National Forage Bowl

January 27, 2017

Representatives from the Penn State Agronomy Club, a student organization in the College of Agricultural Sciences, took first place at the National Forage Bowl competition at the American Forage and Grassland Conference, held Jan. 23-24 in Roanoke, Virginia. The competition requires students to identify forage and weed species and answer questions about many aspects of forages, from seeds to animal health, in a format similar to the popular game show "Jeopardy!"

College of Agricultural Sciences faculty member named distinguished professor

January 26, 2017

Jonathan Lynch, professor of plant nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences, was one of 15 Penn State faculty members to be named distinguished professors by the University in January 2017.

Researchers receive $7 million grant to develop deeper crop roots

January 15, 2017

Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have received a $7 million dollar grant to design a low-cost, integrated system that can identify and screen for high-yielding, deeper-rooted crops. The interdisciplinary team will combine a suite of technologies designed to identify phenotypes and genes related to desirable root traits, with the goal of enhancing the breeding of crop varieties better adapted for nitrogen and water acquisition and carbon sequestration.

Fifteen named distinguished professors at Penn State

January 9, 2017

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State's Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs has named 15 faculty members as distinguished professors. College of Agricultural Sciences •Jonathan P. Lynch, professor of plant nutrition

Researchers receive $3.6 million to study genetics of plant disease resistance

January 6, 2017

A $3.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support a new research project aimed at pinpointing the genes that confer disease resistance in cacao. The ultimate goal of the four-year study is to develop a new approach that plant scientists and breeders can use to identify the genetic basis for disease resistance in a variety of perennial crops.

Stearns receives Trailblazer award from Association of Landscape Professionals

January 4, 2017

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Dan Stearns, J. Franklin Styer Professor in the Department of Plant Science at Penn State, recently was awarded the status of Trailblazer by the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Penn State plant scientist appointed to National Organic Standards Board

January 4, 2017

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — David Mortensen, professor of weed and applied plant ecology in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, was appointed to the National Organic Standards Board by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Mortensen will serve a five-year term on the board as a farming systems ecotoxicology expert.