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Agriculture

Honey bees may play key role in spreading viruses to wild bees

UNIVERSITY PARK — Honey bees may play a role in increasing virus levels in wild bumble bees each spring, according to researchers at Penn State who analyzed seasonal trends of parasite and virus transmission in bees. The study — published in the journal Ecosphere — found that honey bees consistently had higher levels of viruses than bumble bees. Additionally, while both types of bees had lower virus prevalence in the winter, only bumble bees experienced negligible levels by spring. Heather Hines, associate professor of biology and entomology in the College of Agricultural ...

USDA announces Inflation Reduction Act funding

WASHINGTON — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced new funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) for fiscal year 2025 as part of President Biden and Vice President Harris' Investing in America agenda. Administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the program helps landowners and other eligible entities conserve, restore, and protect wetlands, productive agricultural lands, and grasslands at risk of conversion to non-grassland uses. Healthy wetlands, grasslands, and farmlands sequester carbon and provide many other ...

USDA to measure production for northeastern milk

HARRISBURG — Thousands of milk producers across the country will receive surveys from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) as the agency collects information for the 2024 Milk Production reports. “The dairy industry is an important component of the Northeast’s agriculture, and it is crucial for us to have accurate data about this key sector,” said Kevin Pautler, acting regional director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office. NASS conducts the Milk Production survey in the region every January, April, July and October. ...

Penn State Extension to hold hands-on sheep shearing school

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State Extension's livestock team is organizing a hands-on sheep shearing workshop Sept. 28 at Turning Point Land and Livestock Services in Dornsife. The Pennsylvania Sheep and Wool Growers Association is co-sponsoring the event. The school is aimed at beginning shearers, but experienced people are encouraged to attend if seeking additional practice and sheep shearing resources. The program will cover professional shearing patterns; equipment set-up, maintenance and repair; wool handling and preparation; and basic sheep care. Austin Brown, extension program ...

Replacing 3D printing with plant-derived materials

UNIVERSITY PARK — A sustainable resin material comprising agriculturally derived components could potentially replace plastics used in large-format 3D printing, which can produce furniture, boats and other similarly sized objects, according to a team of Penn State agricultural and biological engineers. A three-year, $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will underwrite the team’s effort to develop a substitute for currently available expensive, highly engineered resin materials that are mixtures of ...

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service monthly report

Editor's Note: This is a monthly column from the Northeastern Regional Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS-NERFO). The website is www.nass.usda.gov; for the reports mentioned below, click on the "Publications" tab. USDA forecasts U.S. corn production down from 2023 The Crop Production report issued Aug. 12 forecasted corn production down from 2023 and soybean production up from last year. Corn production is down 1% from last year, forecast at 15.1 billion bushels; soybean growers are expected to increase their production 10% from 2023, forecast at a ...