Steve
steveharing.bsky.social
Steve
@steveharing.bsky.social
68 followers 130 following 28 posts
Independent agronomist 🌾🌱 Undisciplined scientist 🔬🧩 Apple grower 🍎🚜 Nature lover 🌎🌄 VirginiaAg.com
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Reposted by Steve
UC Davis scientists developed wheat plants that stimulate the production of their own fertilizer by using the gene-editing tool CRISPR, opening the path toward less air and water pollution worldwide and lower costs for farmers: ucdav.is/471PBwz

#FromLabsToLives #SpeakUp4Science
Wheat That Makes Its Own Fertilizer
UC Davis scientists have developed wheat plants that produce their own fertilizer, opening the door for less air and water pollution and lower costs for farmers.
ucdav.is
Amino acids as fertilizer for agronomic crops: The next green revolution? doi.org/10.1002/agj2... "…results could point the way for the development of agronomic fertilizers produced by biosynthesis as opposed to the Haber–Bosch process and a positively charged N source that would resist leaching…"
Amino acids as fertilizer for agronomic crops: The next green revolution?
Amino acids could potentially replace inorganic fertilizers for agronomic crops. Corn (Zea mays L.) grows equally well with L-lysine as the N source as with ammonium nitrate. The positively charged ...
doi.org
Reposted by Steve
Are you familiar with "microbials," the tiny biological products being sold to farmers with the promise of higher yields and greater plant health? It's a promising billion-dollar industry — without much oversight.

Researcher Brianna Almeida digs in:
ambrook.com/offrange/tec...
Should Farmers Use Microbial Biological Products? It Depends. - Offrange
Microbial products made for improving crop growth, also known as biologicals, are a billion-dollar industry, but the promises touted by these products might be too good to be true.
ambrook.com
Reposted by Steve
Today we celebrate #WorldFoodDay & the 80th anniversary of @fao.org!

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN provides crucial data to understand food & agricultural systems around the world & how they’re changing.

Much of our work on these topics would not be possible without them.
"We described three comprehensive perspectives on farmers’ ideal societal role... Perspective 1 unites farmers with a strong focus on food production... Perspective 2 farmers strongly distance themselves from peasant agriculture... Perspective 3 is less production-oriented than the other two..."
Reposted by Steve
Does the news reflect what we die from?
Reposted by Steve
In 2020, wildfires in California and Oregon cost the U.S. wine industry an estimated $3.7 billion in losses. And with climate change fueling ever longer, drier fire seasons, winemakers are desperate for new defenses.

Now, a new study offers a surprising new lead. https://scim.ag/42m7vHB
Wildfire smoke is charring your wine. This microbe could help
Bacteria already living on grapes can break down smoky chemicals that wreck flavor
scim.ag
lots of folks are starting to submit AFRI grant applications today (one of USDA NIFA's signature programs), under a government shutdown. Who knows when we'll see a dime of that money go out to support critical ag research
Great article on peasants as environmental stewards. aeon.co/essays/the-p... Peasants are central to agroecology, but we have a complicated relationship with the term in the US. Read to the end for a poignant quote that might resonate with a lot of US farmers
The planet, and human social life, depend on peasant farmers | Aeon Essays
Far from being a relic of the past, peasants are vital to feeding the world. They need to be supported, not marginalised
aeon.co
Empirical evidence supports neither land sparing nor land sharing as the main strategy to manage agriculture–biodiversity tradeoffs doi.org/10.1093/pnas... ¿por que no los dos?
Validate User
doi.org
Reposted by Steve
“The 40th anniversary concert comes at an auspicious time, as American farmers face perhaps the bleakest economic conditions since the 1980s farm crisis that spurred the first Farm Aid.”
Farm Aid Turns 40 and Returns to Crisis Mode
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Steve
Seed banks are critical for preserving the genetic diversity of imperiled plants. But did you know there are some species--including up to a third of Hawai‘i’s at-risk plant species--whose seeds simply cannot be banked? How do we save those?

Enter: pollen banking.
Banking on Pollen
When seed saving doesn’t work, pollen may be the answer to preserving botanical heritage.
www.biographic.com
Reposted by Steve
Nature reports on the momentum that is building in Europe for regenerative agriculture, a set of approaches that could help farms to weather the changing climate and make them more profitable. #plantscience 🧪
A revolution is sweeping Europe’s farms: can it save agriculture?
Momentum is building for regenerative agriculture, a set of approaches that could help farms to weather the changing climate and make them more profitable.
go.nature.com
Herbivores induce plant chemical defenses based on the identity of their attacking parasitoid doi.org/10.1002/oik.... "...we found evidence for specific plant responses to feeding by different herbivore–parasitoid combinations that was... dependent on parasitoid identity."
Herbivores induce plant chemical defenses based on the identity of their attacking parasitoid
Many parasitoids increase plant fitness by decreasing herbivore feeding damage. Solitary parasitoids (where only one individual completes development per host) generally cause their hosts to feed les...
doi.org
Got to visit Virginia Tech's research farm in Winchester for a field day this morning. Possibly among the most scenic research farms in the US
A tale of two sources
Heard a grain marketer speak at a farmer meeting tonight. Lots of folks started to shift in their seats when he spoke about the current soybean market - Brazilian farmers grow 6 billion bu annually vs 4 billion bu from US, China demand for US beans has completely evaporated this year
Reposted by Steve
The #MAHA strategy document is finally public.

Contrary to what MAHA world wanted, it argues pesticide regulations are already “robust.”

It also calls for ensuring the “best childhood vaccine schedule” and addressing vaccine injuries.

More details below:

www.politico.com/news/2025/09...
RFK Jr.'s new MAHA roadmap is finally public
The long-awaited document stops short of surprise regulations and leaves pesticides alone.
www.politico.com