From seed selection to pesticide application, farmers work...
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station Articles
Latest
Flourishing forages: Alabama cattlemen’s secret weapon to diversified production
From the Coastal Plain to the Black Belt, Alabama cattle producers are utilizing forage systems to their advantage to meet the challenges of modern agriculture. Alabama ranks 17th nationally in beef cattle, according to the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association. Alabama...
Planting shifts into high gear at Alabama agricultural research units
As spring planting shifts into high gear in farmers’ fields throughout the Southeast, few agricultural operations come close to matching the diversity of crops and locations as the outlying units of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station at Auburn University....
Batchelor named Water Resources Center Director
William Batchelor has been tapped as the new director of the Auburn University Water Resources Center, effective immediately. As director, he will lead a team of...
Organic Opportunity: consumer trends in Alabama organic produce
A recent study conducted by agricultural economists through the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station examined consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for organic...
Developing high-performing genetic lines and hybrids for the catfish industry
Better breeding ability would make catfish farming more efficient and profitable The $437 million U.S. catfish industry is in need of better genetic and breeding...
Horses a $2.08 billion industry in Alabama
Alabama’s horse industry continues to have a substantial impact on the state’s bottom line, pumping an estimated $2.08 billion annually into the Alabama economy and contributing, both directly and indirectly, to about 24,000 jobs that represent $706 million in total labor income.
Catfish farmers quick to accept disease-preventing feed additive
by PAUL HOLLIS Auburn University research aimed at minimizing a deadly disease in catfish has, in a short time, prompted Alabama catfish producers to significantly change what they feed their fish. In the study they launched in 2015, researchers are examining whether...
Participants needed for food choice study
Faculty and staff are invited to participate in a research study with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology to understand food choice, expected consumption of food products and investment decisions. Any person over 19 and not a student is...
Auburn University dedicates Charles C. Miller Jr. Poultry Research and Education Center
The Miller Center will support programming and activities of Auburn’s Department of Poultry Science and the National Poultry Technology Center. Poultry is Alabama’s leading agricultural commodity, with a $15 billion economic impact. And Alabama is one of the country’s leading poultry-producing states.
Study reveals reasons behind food waste
by PAUL HOLLIS The cost of food waste in America is estimated at a staggering $160 billion annually, with some reports stating that U.S. producers and consumers together waste more than 30 percent of our total food supply. Exploring some of the reasons for this...
Doing things differently adds to wheat yields
by Joyce Tredaway Ducar The best yields I ever made in wheat averaged 107 bushels per acre, and they were made when I did just a few things differently than in the previous year. First, I controlled my weeds, particularly ryegrass. We have many options to use these...
Exploring solar power for modern poultry farms
National Poultry Technology Center The ever‐evolving modern poultry house has gained numerous energy efficiencies over the last few years. Improvements in tightening techniques and insulation technology and in ventilation systems, control systems, lighting and...
2016 Ag Roundup set for Oct. 1 before AU homecoming game
Auburn University’s Ag Heritage Park is the place to be on homecoming Saturday, Oct. 1, as the Auburn Agricultural Alumni Association and the College of Agriculture present the 2016 Fall Roundup and Taste of Alabama Agriculture. A homecoming pregame tradition, Ag...
Extension survey first step in research project on loropetalum disease
Researchers with Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) and Auburn University are conducting a statewide voluntary survey to determine the reach of a disease affecting loropetalum plants in nurseries. It's the first step in a farm bill-funded research...
Climate variability impacts crop yields
by PAUL HOLLIS Long-term climate change combined with climate variability influenced by El Niño and La Niña phases of ENSO are having a significant impact on corn yields in Alabama, according to a study co-authored by Auburn University researcher Brenda Ortiz. “If we...
Caution is key in using new herbicide systems
by PAUL HOLLIS Promising new herbicide technology could give Alabama farmers a powerful weapon in their battle against pigheaded pigweed, but growers must be alert to the chemicals’ negative impact on nearby crops. The new herbicide-resistance systems—a key topic...
Ag Discovery Adventure 2016 set for Oct. 8 at E.V. Smith
Folks of all ages can get an entertaining, enlightening and up-close look at the fascinating world of agriculture during the fifth annual Ag Discovery Adventure, set for Saturday, Oct. 8, at Auburn University’s E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter. The free,...
Julie Howe: a passion for chemistry and brewing
by PAUL HOLLISJulie Howe’s passion for craft beers and brewing began when she was pursuing her Ph.D. in soil science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.“Everyone there was drinking beer that tasted better than what I was accustomed to, so I acquired a taste for...
Researchers battle cotton, soybean pests
by PAUL HOLLISNorth Alabama legislators and agricultural leaders got an update on the 2016 growing season and a review of some of the latest crop research during an open house tour at the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in July.“It’s been a mixed bag as...
Systems-management approach adds value to beef cattle
by PAUL HOLLISResearchers at the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in north Alabama are working to provide a systems-management approach that would add value and profits to beef cattle operations throughout the state.The multi-year demonstration project...
Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center hosts open house tour
by PAUL HOLLISThe Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in Belle Mina hosted an open house tour on July 19 to help inform state legislators and other leaders in agriculture about projects underway at the center. Participants also learned of Alabama...
Invitation to participate in beef study
Consumers of beef are invited to participate in a research study to investigate consumer behaviors regarding fresh red meat product handling. The study is being conducted by Derek Griffing, Ph.D. student, under the direction of Christy Bratcher, associate professor in...
State’s burgeoning craft beer industry could profit crop producers
Researchers in Auburn’s College of Agriculture have embarked on a project to offer recommendations for farmers in the state who are interested in adding potential profit-makers to their crop mix.
New program aims to improve quality of Alabama cow herds
by PAUL HOLLISA quality replacement heifer is the genetic building block for any cow herd and the key to profitability for cattle producers. But proper development requires many complex management decisions, along with adequate land and facilities.The Sand Mountain...
Weaver is strong advocate of GMO technology
by DAVID REARDONDavid Weaver, one of the best known and longest tenured professors in Auburn’s College of Agriculture, is practically a walking encyclopedia of agronomy. This is obvious to the students and colleagues who have had the opportunity to ask him a...
Auburn scientists discover process regulating insecticide resistance in mosquitoes
A team of Auburn University research entomologists probing the molecular processes that lead to insecticide resistance in mosquitoes has determined that a family of signaling molecules known as G-protein-coupled receptors controls the genes associated with resistance...
Horses a $2.08 billion industry in Alabama
Alabama’s horse industry continues to have a substantial impact on the state’s bottom line, pumping an estimated $2.08 billion annually into the Alabama economy and contributing, both directly and indirectly, to about 24,000 jobs that represent $706 million in total labor income.
Catfish farmers quick to accept disease-preventing feed additive
by PAUL HOLLIS Auburn University research aimed at minimizing a deadly disease in catfish has, in a short time, prompted Alabama catfish producers to significantly change what they feed their fish. In the study they launched in 2015, researchers are examining whether...
Participants needed for food choice study
Faculty and staff are invited to participate in a research study with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology to understand food choice, expected consumption of food products and investment decisions. Any person over 19 and not a student is...
Auburn University dedicates Charles C. Miller Jr. Poultry Research and Education Center
The Miller Center will support programming and activities of Auburn’s Department of Poultry Science and the National Poultry Technology Center. Poultry is Alabama’s leading agricultural commodity, with a $15 billion economic impact. And Alabama is one of the country’s leading poultry-producing states.
Study reveals reasons behind food waste
by PAUL HOLLIS The cost of food waste in America is estimated at a staggering $160 billion annually, with some reports stating that U.S. producers and consumers together waste more than 30 percent of our total food supply. Exploring some of the reasons for this...
Doing things differently adds to wheat yields
by Joyce Tredaway Ducar The best yields I ever made in wheat averaged 107 bushels per acre, and they were made when I did just a few things differently than in the previous year. First, I controlled my weeds, particularly ryegrass. We have many options to use these...
Exploring solar power for modern poultry farms
National Poultry Technology Center The ever‐evolving modern poultry house has gained numerous energy efficiencies over the last few years. Improvements in tightening techniques and insulation technology and in ventilation systems, control systems, lighting and...
2016 Ag Roundup set for Oct. 1 before AU homecoming game
Auburn University’s Ag Heritage Park is the place to be on homecoming Saturday, Oct. 1, as the Auburn Agricultural Alumni Association and the College of Agriculture present the 2016 Fall Roundup and Taste of Alabama Agriculture. A homecoming pregame tradition, Ag...
Extension survey first step in research project on loropetalum disease
Researchers with Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) and Auburn University are conducting a statewide voluntary survey to determine the reach of a disease affecting loropetalum plants in nurseries. It's the first step in a farm bill-funded research...
Climate variability impacts crop yields
by PAUL HOLLIS Long-term climate change combined with climate variability influenced by El Niño and La Niña phases of ENSO are having a significant impact on corn yields in Alabama, according to a study co-authored by Auburn University researcher Brenda Ortiz. “If we...
Caution is key in using new herbicide systems
by PAUL HOLLIS Promising new herbicide technology could give Alabama farmers a powerful weapon in their battle against pigheaded pigweed, but growers must be alert to the chemicals’ negative impact on nearby crops. The new herbicide-resistance systems—a key topic...
Ag Discovery Adventure 2016 set for Oct. 8 at E.V. Smith
Folks of all ages can get an entertaining, enlightening and up-close look at the fascinating world of agriculture during the fifth annual Ag Discovery Adventure, set for Saturday, Oct. 8, at Auburn University’s E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter. The free,...
Julie Howe: a passion for chemistry and brewing
by PAUL HOLLISJulie Howe’s passion for craft beers and brewing began when she was pursuing her Ph.D. in soil science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.“Everyone there was drinking beer that tasted better than what I was accustomed to, so I acquired a taste for...
Researchers battle cotton, soybean pests
by PAUL HOLLISNorth Alabama legislators and agricultural leaders got an update on the 2016 growing season and a review of some of the latest crop research during an open house tour at the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in July.“It’s been a mixed bag as...
Systems-management approach adds value to beef cattle
by PAUL HOLLISResearchers at the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in north Alabama are working to provide a systems-management approach that would add value and profits to beef cattle operations throughout the state.The multi-year demonstration project...
Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center hosts open house tour
by PAUL HOLLISThe Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in Belle Mina hosted an open house tour on July 19 to help inform state legislators and other leaders in agriculture about projects underway at the center. Participants also learned of Alabama...
Invitation to participate in beef study
Consumers of beef are invited to participate in a research study to investigate consumer behaviors regarding fresh red meat product handling. The study is being conducted by Derek Griffing, Ph.D. student, under the direction of Christy Bratcher, associate professor in...
State’s burgeoning craft beer industry could profit crop producers
Researchers in Auburn’s College of Agriculture have embarked on a project to offer recommendations for farmers in the state who are interested in adding potential profit-makers to their crop mix.
New program aims to improve quality of Alabama cow herds
by PAUL HOLLISA quality replacement heifer is the genetic building block for any cow herd and the key to profitability for cattle producers. But proper development requires many complex management decisions, along with adequate land and facilities.The Sand Mountain...
Weaver is strong advocate of GMO technology
by DAVID REARDONDavid Weaver, one of the best known and longest tenured professors in Auburn’s College of Agriculture, is practically a walking encyclopedia of agronomy. This is obvious to the students and colleagues who have had the opportunity to ask him a...
Auburn scientists discover process regulating insecticide resistance in mosquitoes
A team of Auburn University research entomologists probing the molecular processes that lead to insecticide resistance in mosquitoes has determined that a family of signaling molecules known as G-protein-coupled receptors controls the genes associated with resistance...