DURUM WHEAT HARVEST

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“Online Petition Urges Domino’s Pizza to Change Mind”

As the American Farm Bureau Federation was having an Ag Pizza Party - encouraging folks to thank Domino’s Pizza for relying on animal experts to determine the best way to raise farm animals - a customer petition on change dot org collected more than 115-thousand signatures from people in all 50 states asking the chain to stop purchasing pork from suppliers using gestation crates. Feedstuffs reports that a long-time Domino’s customer from Texas decided to launch the petition campaign after seeing undercover video footage of gestation crates from the Humane Society of the United States. While positioned as a meat eater and non-animal rights activist in the online petition - Feedstuffs writes that online searches show the customer is an HSUS supporter.

“Commodity Programs and Crop Insurance Focus of Two-Day Hearing”

According to Texas Representative Mike Conaway - Chairman of the House Ag Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management - the Senate Ag Committee’s version of the farm bill just won’t cut it for folks across all regions. He says it isn’t equitable or fair to crops and commodities across the country - criteria set by House Ag Chair Frank Lucas. According to Conaway - the Senate bill actually creates a new program that is so lopsided it locks in profits for some while denying any safety net at all to others. Conaway also questions whether the Senate bill provides the protection needed if prices collapse.
Conaway led a hearing focused on commodity programs and crop insurance Wednesday and Thurdsay. The two-day hearing was part of the series of House Ag hearings on agricultural policy in advance of the writing of the farm bill. Four panels of witnesses - including economists and leaders from various commodity and ag groups - described how programs are working under current law and how reforms can be made. They stressed the need for a fair and effective safety net and a strong crop insurance program.

“Energy Programs Part of the Focus of Ag Subcommittee Hearing”

The House Ag Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry wrapped up the DC farm bill hearing series Friday. The hearing focused on the Energy Title - first included in the 2002 Farm Bill and the Forestry Title - which has been part of farm bills since 1990. The energy programs in Title IX were designed to promote a transition from corn-based ethanol to other advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol. The most prominent programs in the energy title are the Biomass Crop Assistance Program and the Rural Energy for America program - but there is no budget baseline for these programs beyond the conclusion of the existing Farm Bill. Chairman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania says Friday’s panels provided subcommittee members with critical details on how current farm policy is performing, what areas need improvement and what recommendations will serve to create a stronger and more efficient law. He says the aim is to craft a measure that helps the nation meet rising energy demand.

“Ag Energy Coalition Heard at Subcommittee Hearing”

A coalition of organizations supported the testimony presented at the House Ag Energy Subcommittee farm bill hearing by Agriculture Energy Coalition Co-Director Ryan Stroschein Friday. His testimony urged Congress to ensure robust funding for the 2012 Farm Bill Energy Title. Stroschein noted that rural America has been at the epicenter of the nation’s emerging renewable energy and bioproducts industries - and farmers, ranchers, small businesses and rural economies have started realizing the benefits.
National Farmers Union was among the groups supporting Stroschein’s testimony. NFU President Roger Johnson says the energy title is critical not only because of its investment in rural America - but also because it’s leading to the commercialization of second generation renewable fuels. By producing renewable fuels here in the U.S. - Johnson says we can become more energy secure while preserving our natural resources.
According to USDA - the Rural Energy for America - or REAP - program is estimated to have saved or created 15-thousand jobs between 2009 and 2011.
 

“NBB Chair Focuses on Farm Bill Programs for Biodiesel”

Testifying before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Energy Friday - National Biodiesel Board Chairman Gary Haer talked about the benefits biodiesel production brings to rural economies across the country. He urged lawmakers to continue to fund programs like the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program and the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels in the 2012 Farm Bill. According to Haer - these programs are critical to raising awareness of biodiesel and stimulating new production - and they are succeeding - as the industry produced a record of nearly 1.1-billion gallons of fuel last year. Haer added that biodiesel is part of the all-of-the-above strategy outlined by many energy leaders across the country. Recent oil spikes - he said - should remind us why that’s important. He said having domestic alternatives to oil can reduce the influence global forces like OPEC have over our economy.
Haer also pointed out that more than half of the lawmakers on the subcommittee have at least one biodiesel production plant in their district. Those plants and others like them across the country - NBB estimates - supported more than 39-thousand jobs in all sectors of the U.S. economy in 2011. Haer said most of the more than 200 biodiesel production facilities in the U.S. are located in rural areas - and a majority of the feedstock used to produce biodiesel is grown or originates in rural areas.

“NACD Board Member Testifies to Importance of Forestry Programs”

National Association of Conservation Districts Board Member Charles Holmes testified Friday that NACD supports the framework of the 2012 Farm Bill designed by the Senate Ag Committee - and specifically the Forestry Title. Holmes says the Forestry Title helps provide resources to landowners who are looking to protect and conserve wooded and forest land on their property. Conservation Districts and private landowners - Holmes continued - have been directly involved in a number of Forestry Title programs - including the Forest Stewardship Program and the Forest Legacy Program.
The Forest Stewardship Program - according to Holmes - has produced over 270-thousand resource management plans for more than 31-million acres of private forest land. He’s seen the direct benefit of the program on his own land in Alabama - where his work with longleaf pine restoration has been - in part - a product of the program. He has restored more than 700 acres of longleaf pine in an effort to restore native forests to the southeastern U.S.
Holmes says the Forest Legacy Program has been an important part of Conservation Districts work since its creation. He says the program has allowed landowners to protect environmentally important forest areas from expansion. Holmes said a program cap of 200-million dollars annually - included in the 2012 Farm Bill framework now - should not have a negative impact on successfully carrying out responsible conservation.
Holmes told the Energy Subcommittee that forestry programs have a track record of success. He said every dollar spent has seen a return. Because of the 2008 Farm Bill - he said we are better prepared to meet future resource needs. He said we must continue to fund these programs in the next farm bill - calling the Forestry Title critical to ensuring the health and sustainability of our forests for generations to come.
 

“NFU Sees Need for Continued Climate Change Adaptation”

National Farmers Union has submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the Draft National Water 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change. NFU President Roger Johnson says climate change adaption is critical for the continued productivity of the agriculture sector - specifically as it relates to water quality and quantity. Given the proper incentives - he says family farmers and ranchers will be valuable partners in addressing the challenges that result from a changing climate. Historically - Johnson says family farmers and ranchers have been the nation’s best soil and water conservationists when given the economic incentives and flexibility to do so.
supply as temperatures rise. NFU encourages EPA to seek market-based solutions to enhance climate adaptation strategies and to coordinate efforts with federal partners to address issues like risk management, nonpoint source pollution and water management.

“Global Food Alliance Announced”

President Obama has announced a new G8 alliance for global food security and nutrition. It involves major private sector companies and governments around the globe assisting small-scale African farmers improve their products and outcomes. The endeavor - which involves 45 companies making a commitment to spend more than three-billion dollars - is an expansion of an effort launched in 2009. Since that time - U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah says agricultural productivity growth in target countries has been eight times that of the global average. He says the additional agricultural product has protected millions of people from needing food aid during times of emergency crisis.
Shah says the new goal is to extend current governmental commitments and include the private sector in tackling problems in ways the government cannot. Some examples include Pepsi helping farmers plant chick peas to be used for commercial purposes and World Food Program feeding initiatives and a Norwegian company building the first major fertilizer production company in Africa.

Arizona Farm Bureau's Fill Your Plate joins forces with Arizona Media Celebrity Jan D'Atri to bring you "2-Minute" Kitchen tips featuring recipes from Fill Your Plate!
This first video, Minestrone Soup, is a fun recipe featuring lots of Arizona-grown veggies!
Special note: Share with family and friends on your Twitter of Facebook feeds! Fill Your Plate has made it simple to share. Just look for the social media icons in the upper right-hand corner of the video. This is one simple way to share our Arizona agriculture story.
Finally, if you've never shared a family recipe favorite with Arizona Farm Bureau's Fill Your Plate, we'd love to hear from you! Our recipes come from our Arizona farmers and ranchers and feature quality Arizona agirculture products. If you send us a recipe, remember to take a picture of the finished product so we can feature that on Fill Your Plate too!!
2-minute Kitchen: http://fillyourplate.org/video/minestrone-soup-in-the-two-minute-kitchen-with-jan-datri.html


“Consumers Can Celebrate this Dairy Month”

June is Dairy Month and University of Illinois Animal Sciences Professor Emeritus Mike Hutjens says consumers have reason to celebrate. Hutjens says dairy product prices have dropped in many markets as the price paid dairy farmers has dropped 20-percent at the farm gate. Dairy farmers currently receive 15 to 17-dollars per 100 pounds - while the cost to produce milk ranges from 16 to 18-dollars. U.S. dairy cows averaged 21,345 pounds of milk per cow in 2011. Continued improvements in efficiency in the dairy industry - Hutjens says - reflect higher milk yield per cow. That results in lower-priced milk and dairy products for consumers. In fact - in selected markets - he says milk is available for $2.50 per gallon.
In 2010 - the average U.S. consumer consumed 23.5-pounds of low-fat milk, 45.9-pounds of whole milk, 60.3-pounds of reduced fat milk, 26.8-pounds of fat-free milk and 13.7-pounds of flavored milk. Hutjens says they also ate 33.9-pounds of cheese, 11.8-pounds of ice cream and 5.1-pounds of butter. Consumption of flavored milk increased 13.5-percent over 2009 in 2010 and yogurt consumption increased 8.3-percent. Frozen yogurt purchases also increased - by 7.1-percent. According to Hutjens - the trends reflect the consumer’s desire for lower-calorie products. With a wide variety of dairy products available - he says consumers can pick their favorite product based on fat content, calorie content, flavor, taste, cost and food recipe alternatives.

AgWeb News

• AgWeb Radio: Weekly Dairy Market Wrap 5-18-12

• Robin Schmahl, Hedge and Marketing Specialist with AgDairy said not too much excitements, but Class III contracts were higher. Milk receipts are holding steady. Milk productin up 3.2%, cow numbers increased 5000 head, production per cow increased 40lb. World cheeze prices going down. Milk powder down. Next week not much better.

• Wild Week Highlighted by Wheat Market

• It was a mixed week in the markets, punctuated by a July wheat rally that was initiated by growing production concerns in the U.S. and overseas.

• Cattle Futures Confirm Near Term Low has Posted

• Friday's Cattle on Feed report adds fuel to the bulls fire as lighter than expected placements and stronger marketings left inventories at 99% of year ago levels.

• April Milk Up 3.2%

• Once again, western states led the surge in milk production.

• Cattle on Feed Placements 15% Lower

• Analysts predicted feedyard placements to be lower but April placements totaled 1.52 million, 15 percent below 2011.

• AgWeb Radio: Midday Commentary 5-18-12

• Kevin Van Trump of Farm Direction says weather is the major factor. Wheat prices are really higher.Harvest of wheat in the US may be lower, Russia and Eastern Australia are both in trouble. Corn is growing well but very dry. Basis is still high. Beans are a mix right now but the demand will be there for $15 beans later.

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Global News Wire

• Australia: Beef Exports Are Under Real Threat

• Farmer Set for Trial in Minnesota Raw Milk Case

• Australian Farmers Welcome Falling Dollar

• Midwest Farmland Values Continue to Grow in 1Q

LIVESTOCK NEWS

Oil falls to lowest level since December Greg Henderson Economic uncertainty in Europe pushed oil prices and stocks lower on Thursday, but analysts continue to monitor negotiations with Iran. Economic sanctions against Iran are set to tighten by the end of June, and an oil price spike could result. Read more Who is winning the food fight? Most farmers are working quite hard to produce as much food as possible for a hungry world and marketplace, but daily get criticized by non-farmers because of doing things that the non-farmers do not think should be done. Read more Suit claims bank knew of cattle brokerage company’s scheme Brett Wessler A Virginia bank is suing the Eastern Livestock LLC's bank, claiming they knew of the fraud practices. Read more CattleFax -- The Deciding Factor Higher prices are a reality in today's cattle business. Producers are open to bigger opportunities and risks with each management decision. CattleFax has been a proven leader in market research and analysis for 40 years. Receive a 3-month trial membership to start making informed decisions. HSUS ads deceive 90% of donors Rick Jordahl A new survey of 1,000 self-identified donors to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reveals 90 percent were unaware of the its budget distribution. Nearly 50 percent reported they are now less likely to support the activist group, according to a poll reported by HumaneWatch.org. Read more Consumers feeling better, spending more John Maday A consumer confidence index surprised analysts by climbing to its highest level in four years this month, and consumer spending is up, according to a pair of reports from Bloomberg News. Continued consumer optimism should be positive for domestic meat demand, especially beef as consumers often view it as a luxury meat item. Read more Commentary: Bittman thinks global warming is “What’s For Dinner” Greg Henderson A popular food writer and author repeats myths about livestock production in his column in The New York Times. But the myths are flawed, according to research by a UC Davis professor who believes eliminating livestock will only mean more hungry people. Read more They’re not all food Luddites John Maday We hear a lot from the people opposed to all sorts of technology in agriculture and food production. Their accusations, conspiracy theories and David-versus-Goliath posturing make good headlines. But according to a new edition of a long-running series of studies from the International Food Information Council (IFIC), most U.S. consumers are open-minded about modern tools such as biotechnology in food production. Read more Monday Market Sentiment Program Drovers CattleNetwork and Merck invite you to join the Monday Market Sentiment program and take your best guess at the 5-area weekly average fed-cattle cash-market prices. You could win a $100 Cabela's gift card. See rules and regulations. Apply here.     Think of land price as bushels of corn, MU economist says To help farmers decide how much debt farmland can support, Joe Horner asks them to calculate payments not in dollars but in bushels of corn. That may surprise some on how cheap land has become. Read more BPI awaits school lunch orders Brett Wessler As U.S. schools finalize lunch menus and ground beef purchases, Beef Products Inc. is ready to learn just how much the media storm will affect its production. Read more Drought Monitor: Rainfall eases in south-central US During the next 5 days (May 17-21), periods of rain will continue to provide drought relief in the southern Atlantic States, particularly across Florida’s peninsula. Read more Visit our online resource centers Visit Drovers CattleNetwork for the latest news and information on: baby calf health, beef retail, BVD, cattle feeding, DNA profiling, fly control, pasture & rangeland, preconditioning and supplement/nutrition. Click here to visit our resource centers.

 

MONDAY, MAY 21st, 2012

Today marks the birthday of an important U.S. aviation pioneer who now is largely forgotten. Glenn Curtiss was born in Hammondsport, New York. He was the first U.S. motorcycle champion, setting a speed record of 136 miles an hour in 1907. Turning to aviation, he set many speed and distance records in the first decade of powered flight. Curtiss built the navy's first aircraft, and later huge four-engined flying boats. One, the NC-4, made the first transatlantic crossing by an airplane in 1919. Glenn Curtiss held U.S. pilot's license number one. Today, just over 594,000 Americans hold pilot's licenses.

WWW.CENSUS.GOV

 

SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED BY NAFB FOR POTENTIAL

FARM NEWS BROADCASTERS

The National Association of Farm Broadcasting Foundation is offering three college scholarships - including two each for four-thousand and the five-thousand dollar Glenn Kummerow Memorial Scholarship. Applicants must be a college junior, senior or grad student and must be enrolled in - or transferring to - an agricultural communications curriculum with concentration and/or application in broadcast media. Applications are due May 30th. For more information and to apply - go to NAFBFoundation dot com (www.nafbfoundation.com).

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  RESEARCH

  IN AGRICULTURE 

  ARS researchers have discovered a new virus called "phiCA82" in turkeys that potentially could be used as an alternative to antibiotics to fight multi-drug-resistant pathogens in poultry. Click the image for more information about it. New Technique Used to Discover New Viruses in Poultry In a search to find better ways to control viral enteric diseases in birds, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have unearthed a treasure trove of previously known and unknown viruses in poultry by using a powerful new molecular tool called metagenomics. Each year, disorders like poult enteritis mortality syndrome, poult enteritis complex, and runting-stunting syndrome cause diarrhea in turkeys and chickens, resulting in decreased weight, mortality and increased production costs. Several viruses have been associated with enteric or intestinal diseases, but no single causative agent has been found. Unlike traditional sequencing that characterizes genes in a single organism, metagenomics detects the nucleic acid of thousands of organisms in an entire community. Using this technique, Laszlo Zsak, researcher leader of the Endemic Poultry Viral Diseases Research Unit at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Ga., discovered a new virus that might have future antimicrobial applications. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA. Zsak and ARS microbiologist Michael Day, also at Athens, found a short DNA sequence of the newly discovered virus and designed a technique to sequence its entire genome. The virus, called "phiCA82," is the type of virus that naturally kills bacteria and belongs to a group known as "microphages" or phages, which can potentially be used as alternatives to antibiotics and as tools to fight multi-drug-resistant pathogens. In the study, the scientists extracted and analyzed nucleic acid from poultry intestine samples gathered from U.S. commercial poultry flocks infected with enteric diseases. In addition to the novel phage, common avian viruses like astrovirus, reovirus and rotavirus, and RNA viruses belonging to the Picornaviridae family were detected. However, the scientists were surprised to discover previously unknown turkey viruses like picobirnavirus, a virus implicated in enteric disease in other agricultural animals, and a calicivirus, a type of virus often associated with human enteric diseases. In earlier studies, Zsak and Day used metagenomics to identify and analyze for the first time the complete genome of a novel chicken parvovirus. They also developed a PCR-polymerase chain reaction-assay that is highly sensitive and specific in detecting viruses in birds. New vaccine developed for Newcastle disease   USDA scientists, cooperators create the first genomic map of the domesticated turkey   Avian influenza genome sequences released

  ARS scientists are looking for a way to inhibit microbial growth in cotton socks, T-shirts and other clothes using silver particles ranging from 2 to 6 nanometers in size. Click the image for more information about it. New Treatments Could Reduce Odors in Cotton Fabric Socks, T-shirts and other garments could become less hospitable to odor-causing bacteria, thanks to new antimicrobial treatments being investigated by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in New Orleans, La. In studies at the Southern Regional Research Center operated there by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a team of scientists is seeking to inhibit microbial growth in cotton using silver particles ranging from 2 to 6 nanometers in size. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency. Silver nanoparticles have been used previously as antimicrobial agents in products, including clothes, plastic food containers and medical textiles. However, the synthetic methods of producing them have relied on the use of toxic agents and organic solvents, according to ARS team leader Brian Condon. As an environmentally friendly alternative, his team showed that polyethylene glycol and water worked just as well in generating the silver particles. Moreover, the particles were of the desired size, reported Condon, ARS engineer Sunghyun Nam, and former ARS researcher Dharnidhar Parikh, in a recent issue of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research. The researchers also devised a method of prompting silver nanoparticles to form directly on cotton fibers, eliminating the handling and storage of the antimicrobial agents prior to application. This should give cotton an advantage over synthetic fabrics, which have not been amendable to silver nanoparticle treatment, notes Condon, who leads the ARS center's Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research Unit. In another approach, ARS chemist Vince Edwards, together with Condon, developed a treatment for impregnating nonwoven cotton fabrics with lysozyme, an enzyme that slices open the cell walls of microorganisms, killing them—including those that cause odor or infection. Similar enzymes also have potential use in biodefense applications, such as deactivating nerve agents, adds Condon. The researchers are seeking commercial partners to help usher the advances into the marketplace, all with an eye towards assuring the viability of American cotton at a time of increasing production costs, dwindling resources and global competition. Nanotech cotton opens up new possibilities for the fiber-and its fans   Cotton's potential for padding nonwovens   Cotton: a body armor for wounds?

  ARS scientists have developed a system using DNA "barcodes" to identify emerging biotypes of Russian wheat aphids, an insect pest that does more than $200 million in damage annually to wheat and other cereal crops in the United States. Click the image for more information about it. New Tool  for Tracking a Voracious Pest Since it first appeared in Texas in 1986, the Russian wheat aphid has cost U.S. wheat growers an estimated $200 million each year. But U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have developed a new tool to keep track of this nasty worldwide threat to wheat and barley and to provide guidance to researchers and plant breeders on control strategies. Gary Puterka, who is with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Wheat, Peanut and Other Field Crops Research Unit in Stillwater, Okla., and his colleagues have developed a system that uses DNA "barcodes" to identify emerging biotypes of Russian wheat aphids that threaten wheat and other cereal crops. In DNA barcoding, scientists sequence a designated part of an organism's genome and produce a barcode from it for a systematic comparison with the sequenced DNA of other closely related species. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA goal of promoting agricultural sustainability. Russian wheat aphids have been controlled by resistant wheat varieties, but the appearance of a new biotype that overcame resistance in 2003 has forced growers to rely on insecticides while breeders develop new, resistant varieties. Monitoring of Russian wheat aphid populations for the emergence of new biotypes is important because researchers and breeders need to know resistant crops being developed will be effective against emerging biotypes. Aphid species typically produce eggs in the fall and place them in wheat and wild grass leaves. The eggs of various aphid species are often placed together and that makes locating new biotypes difficult. Puterka and Kevin Shufran, a former ARS scientist who recently retired from the Stillwater unit, have developed a way to tell them apart. The researchers extracted DNA from the eggs of 10 previously identified species of aphids, including several of the Russian wheat aphid's closest relatives, and sequenced a variable part of the CO1 mitochondrial gene. In a blind experiment, Shufran compared DNA from eggs of species provided by Puterka, who masked their identities. Through genetic analyses, Shufran was able to DNA barcode the different aphid species. This will greatly improve their effort in locating new biotypes. Results were published in Annals of the Entomological Society of America. No mistaking this bug with new insect ID technique   ARS preserves plants and animals for future needs   New barley is bad news for Russian wheat aphids

  ARS is studying a potential biological control for the kudzu bug, which does feed on the kudzu vine, but also could be a major pest of soybeans, peanuts and other legumes. Click the image for more information about it. Biocontrol Agent Tested to Battle Invasive Kudzu Bug Don't let its common name fool you: The "kudzu bug" isn't to be trusted. Sure, it will feed voraciously on the stems of kudzu, the "Vine That Ate the South." But Megacopta cribraria also has a taste for legumes, including soybeans. And in Georgia, where this native of Asia was first discovered in October 2009, there's worry the pest will infest peanuts, endangering the state's $2-billion legume crop. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their collaborators haven't been idle, however. At the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Stoneville Research Quarantine Facility in Stoneville, Miss., entomologist Walker Jones is evaluating a top natural enemy of the bug, the parasitic wasp Paratelenomus saccharalis. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. The wasp is nonstinging and harmless to humans, pets and other animals. However, it lays its eggs in those of Megacopta's. Upon hatching, the wasp's maggot-like brood devour the pest's own developing embryos, reducing the size of the next generation. Megacopta belongs to a unique insect family that doesn't occur anywhere in the Americas. Thus, importing its co-evolved natural enemies isn't expected to endanger native U.S. bug species, explains Walker, who leads the ARS Biological Control of Pests Research Unit in Stoneville. First, however, the wasp must pass muster on a long list of requirements to confirm its host specificity and environmental safety, starting with the quarantine trials. Toward that end, Walker is screening eggs of native species of related bugs to learn whether the wasp will attack them, and so far it hasn't. The evaluations require a steady supply of bugs representing four families and 15 species sent to Walker by collaborators across the country. Besides Georgia, Megacopta has also been reported in parts of Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. A university-led effort is tracking the pest's spread and studying its basic biology, host crop range, economic impact, chemical control and vulnerability to native predators, parasites and pathogens. Overseas lab seeks U.S. weed control "recruits"   Trap would help keep stink bugs outdoors

  ARS entomologist Matt Greenstone is using the Colorado potato beetle's barcoded DNA to determine how effective different predator insects are at controlling it. Click the image for more information about it. Barcoding Insects as a Way to Track and Control Them Barcodes may bring to mind the sales tags and scanners found in supermarkets and other stores. But U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are using "DNA barcodes" to monitor insects that damage crops as diverse as wheat, barley and potatoes, and to make pest management decisions. In DNA barcoding, scientists sequence a designated part of an organism's genome and produce a barcode from it for a systematic comparison with the sequenced DNA of other closely related species. DNA barcodes are being developed on a wide range of plants and animals as part of a global effort to catalogue the diversity of life on Earth. Matthew Greenstone, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologist at the agency's Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., is using DNA barcodes in an unconventional way: to identify insect predators best equipped to control the Colorado potato beetle, which is the single most damaging insect pest of potatoes in the Eastern United States. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA goal of promoting agricultural sustainability. Numerous studies have analyzed the gut contents of predatory insects to evaluate their ability to control pests in a field. But predators digest prey at different rates, so simple gut analysis is insufficient for accurately comparing the effectiveness of different predators. Greenstone has fine-tuned the approach, using barcodes to come up with a way to factor in how quickly different insects digest prey. He and his colleagues collected four potato beetle predators, fed them lab-raised potato beetles and determined how long the pest's barcoded DNA could be detected in the predators' guts. The results, published in the journal Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, show the importance of taking digestive rates into account when evaluating insect predators as biocontrol agents. They also may provide guidance to growers on the most effective control strategies for combating a voracious pest. No mistaking this bug with new insect ID technique   Threat to grapevines and gardens now easier to pinpoint   Bacterium curbs several insect pests

  ARS researchers are looking at phytochemical differences between green tea, brewed from leaves, and green tea dietary supplements. Photo courtesy of Microsoft clip art. Analyzing Green Tea Leaves and Supplements Quality control is a key factor in making sure green tea dietary supplement products pack the same antioxidant punch as green tea leaves used for brewing beverages, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. Green tea-based dietary supplements have gained popularity in the U.S. market in recent years. But when it comes to sipping green tea versus taking the dietary supplement form, the better choice relative to health is unknown. Scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Md., studied the differences between phytochemicals in green tea dietary supplements and green tea leaves used for brewing beverages. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. Chemist Pei Chen, with the ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, headed the study. Chen and colleagues Jianghao Sun and Long-Ze Lin analyzed extractions of 20 commercially available green tea dietary supplement products and eight dry green tea leaf samples. They compared the chemical constituents of the samples using an analytical technique called "HPLC/MS." This technique can separate one chemical constituent from another in a complex matrix. The technique also has the ability to identify and quantify chemical constituents accurately. The study demonstrated that phytonutrients called flavonol glycosides were degraded and that another phytonutrient called catechin had oxidized during manufacturing and storage for many of the green tea supplement samples studied. They also found some additives in the supplements that were not listed on the labels. The researchers concluded that although there are fine green tea dietary supplement products, there is no way for the consumer to know the qualities of those products from reading the labels. In addition, the consumer may ingest other botanical extracts unintentionally, and the quality of those green tea products varies significantly. The 2011 study was published in the Journal of AOAC International. Better analysis methods for vitamin D   Data on food antioxidants aid research   A food's composition, by any preparation method, is not the same

  ARS is about to release an updated universal soil loss equation that incorporates more intricate combinations of observation- and process-based science to produce the most accurate soil erosion estimates yet. Click the image for more information about it. Soil Erosion Modeling: It's Getting Better All the Time About 50 years ago, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) devised the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), a formula farmers could use to estimate losses from soil erosion. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists will soon release a version that integrates models generated by cutting-edge computer technology, an updated soils database, and new findings about erosion processes. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this work supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security. The original USLE used five factors to estimate the tons of soil lost per acre per year from the impact of raindrops and the flow of runoff water across fields disturbed by plowing and tilling. The formula is now used as the basis for estimating soil erosion wherever land is disturbed by farming or other human activities. Every conservation plan written by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has been based on soil-erosion calculations derived from USLE or its successors, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and version 2 (RUSLE2). Now research leader Seth Dabney, who works at the ARS Watershed Physical Processes Research Unit in Oxford, Miss., is putting the finishing touches on an update of RUSLE2, which uses more intricate combinations of observation- and process-based science to produce soil erosion estimates. New formulas have been added that can generate simulations of pasture plant lifecycles, which in turn can be used to estimate the effects livestock and their different grazing patterns will have on soil erosion. The revised equations can also produce estimates of how much plant residue can be removed from crop and pasture lands for ethanol production without exposing the soil to excessive erosion. RUSLE2's revised database contains information for the entire United States on climate and soil properties that affect erosion. The database also includes detailed descriptions of management systems that are organized in 75 crop management zones nationally. RUSLE2 can now also be used to predict runoff amounts and to develop a representative runoff event sequence that can be linked with a process-based channel erosion model. More information about RUSLE2 can be found at http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=5971. Modeling erosion of particulate matter   Study shows no-till's benefits for Pacific Northwest wheat growers   A hedge with an edge for erosion control

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