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Agriculture

Predicting nationwide crop water availability by understanding soil influences

UNIVERSITY PARK — A team of researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to generate knowledge and tools such as national-level predictive models to develop a better understanding of how changes in soil texture and structure influence the availability of water for crops. The three-year award, coming from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, will fund an effort to develop expertise to assist with soil management and irrigation decisions, according to team leader Meetpal Kukal, ...

Sulpizio named Pennsylvania Watershed Champion

UNIVERSITY PARK — Jodi Sulpizio grew up in rural Juniata County, roaming the fields, forests and streams with her sister and cousins. “The natural world was our playground, and that is where I began to love and appreciate our natural resources,” she said. Today, Sulpizio has translated that childhood enthusiasm into a career as a Penn State Extension natural resources educator and Master Watershed Steward coordinator for York County. Recently, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay named Sulpizio as the 2023 Pennsylvania Watershed Champion. “I am grateful and surprised to be ...

Pennsylvania invests $3.5 million to ensure 18 farms will be farms forever

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania has preserved 1,336 acres on 18 farms in 13 counties, forever protecting them from residential or commercial development. The investment of more than $3.1 million in state dollars and $433,433 in county dollars to purchase land development rights preserves prime farmland, helping ensure that Pennsylvania farms can continue feeding our families and economy in the future. Preserving prime farmland is one of the critical investments the state budget makes in supporting Pennsylvania farmers. The nearly 6.4% overall increase in the Agriculture Department’s ...

HARRISBURG — PA Farm Link is now offering a new ag educational tool called the PA Farm Link Academy. Learning modules found within the Academy are geared towards high schoolers, beginning farmers, experienced farmers, and ag professionals. The Academy currently offers learning modules on the following topics: •4 P’s of Finance •Understanding Ag Leasing •PA Farm Link Overview (English & Spanish Options Available) •Starting a Food Business •New Farmer Programs through USDA •Grants & the PA Preferred Program •Business Planning Each learning module ...

USDA forecasts higher production for corn in Pa.

HARRISBURG — The USDA-NASS, Northeastern Region has released the crop production forecast for October, according to King Whetstone, director of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Northeastern Regional Field Office. The latest survey, which was conducted during the last week of September and the first week of October, included the following commodities: Corn production is forecast at 129 million bushels, up 11% from 2022. Based on conditions as of Oct. 1, yields are expected to average 154.0 bushels per acre, down 2 bushels from the September forecast and up ...

USDA to measure cost of pollination

HARRISBURG — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct its 2023 Cost of Pollination survey from November through December of 2023. The survey will be sent to nearly 16,000 producers nationwide. “Honey bees are important pollinators of crops ranging from almonds to zucchinis,” King Whetstone, director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office, said. “To help accurately depict the health of the pollination industry in the United States, NASS will ask crop producers about their use of honey bees, the fees they paid for ...