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Agriculture

Big Valley FFA attends Rep. David Rowe’s Community Ag Breakfast

MIDDLEBURG — Eight Big Valley FFA members attended the Community Ag Breakfast hosted by Rep. David Rowe in Middleburg on Friday, March 22. This year's theme focused on empowering youth to be involved in agriculture and other related industries. Guest speakers included state FFA officers and members of the state 4-H council, who shared stories of how their respective organizations impacted them. They encouraged attendees to "open their own doors" of opportunity around them through their involvement in their schools and communities. Also in attendance were FFA chapters from Juniata, ...

Extension offers ‘Rain to Drain’ facilitator training

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State Extension will provide free curriculum activity kits and training for sixth to 12th grade educators who teach youth about water or would like to add water education to their lessons. “Rain to Drain: Slow the Flow and Watershed Decisions Facilitator Training” will take place at the following location: • Cumberland County: 1-3:30 p.m. and 5:30-8 p.m. April 23, Penn State Extension office, 310 Allen Rd., Suite 601, Carlisle. This workshop is designed for formal and informal educators in subjects such as science, the environment, ecology, social ...

Master Gardeners of Juniata Valley hold annual plant sale

REEDSVILLE — The Master Gardeners of Juniata Valley annual plant sale will be Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Mifflin County Airport, 547 Airport Rd., Reedsville. There will be a large selection of native and pollinator plants for sale along with perennials, herbs, succulents, vegetables and compost.

Farmer fatality report brings attention to agricultural hazards

UNIVERSITY PARK — In 2023, 33 people died of injuries suffered in farm-related incidents in Pennsylvania, according to farm-safety specialists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, who emphasized the need for education and policies to reduce risk for workers and farm-family members. To help identify hazards and risks associated with production, Penn State Extension's Agricultural Safety and Health team produces annual summaries of Pennsylvania's farm fatalities. The team, which includes experts from the college's Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, ...

Novel method to measure root depth may also lead to more resilient crops

UNIVERSITY PARK — The search for ways to capture and store atmospheric carbon causing the phenomenon has intensified. Penn State researchers have developed a new high-tech tool that could spur changes in how crops withstand drought, acquire nitrogen and store carbon deeper in soil. In findings recently published in Crop Science, they describe a process in which the depth of plant roots can be accurately estimated by scanning leaves with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, a process that detects chemical elements in the foliage. The method recognizes that roots take up elements they ...

USDA to gather farm labor data

HARRISBURG — USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct its biannual Agricultural Labor Survey in April. More than 2,000 Northeastern U.S. farmers and ranchers will be asked to participate in the survey online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail. The survey is an opportunity for producers to provide accurate information about hired farm labor, including total number of hired farm workers, total hours worked, and total wages paid for the weeks of Jan. 7-13 and Apr. 7-13, 2024. "We ask about two separate time periods each time we collect these data in order to ...