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Agriculture

Bumblebees can learn to associate new smells with their queen

UNIVERSITY PARK — Bumblebees are able to learn to associate new odors with their colony’s queen, instead of being preprogrammed to recognize the queen’s pheromones from birth, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State. For the study, recently published in the journal Communications Biology, the researchers treated buff-tailed bumblebee queens daily with one of two different floral scents as they built their colonies. Later, the researchers gave these worker bees — who grew up exposed to one of these scents as they tended to the queen — a choice between the ...

Family farms in several counties earn historic designations

PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE — Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding recently honored twelve Centennial Farms for having been in the same family for 100 years. He also named a Centre County farm a Bicentennial farm, honoring the Stine family, who have passed down their farm within the family since 1813. “Today, we celebrate 13 farm families who have made tremendous contributions to feeding Pennsylvanians and preserving our agricultural heritage,” Redding said. “These farms and families have varied histories, yet all share a deep commitment to future generations, as well as ...

USDA, HHS, EPA join forces to bolster consumer protections

USDA, HHS, EPA join forces to bolster consumer protections WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin recently announced an updated Memorandum of Understanding to reaffirm their shared commitment to protecting consumers from heavy metals and other contaminants in food. For decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have coordinated through ...

Doctoral student leads grain processing project for Team Pennsylvania

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State graduate student Kehinde “Kenny” Kolapo is finding innovative ways to make a difference for Pennsylvania agriculture and beyond. Kolapo is a dual-title doctoral degree student in entomology and microbiome sciences in the College of Agricultural ...

United States cattle inventory up slightly

WASHINGTON — There were 94.2 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms as of July 1, 2026, according to the Cattle report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Other key findings in the report were: Of the 94.2 million head inventory, all cows and heifers that have calved totaled 38.1 million. There are 28.5 million beef cows in the United States as of July 1, 2026, down 1% from last year. The number of milk cows in the United States increased to 9.65 million. U.S. calf crop was estimated at 32.5 million head, down 2% ...

Keystone AgTech Alliance to keep Pennsylvania agriculture innovating

PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE, Pa. – Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger recently launched the Keystone AgTech Alliance, signing an agreement with The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences, Team Pennsylvania, and Innovation Works, Inc. The new alliance aims to accelerate agricultural innovation across Pennsylvania by closely aligning the work of private industry, research institutions, and government toward a common goal of making Pennsylvania the premier state for farmer-centered ...