Research made possible by $300,000 USDA-NIFA grant The scale of pork...
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New short corn not ‘as high as an elephant’s eye’
The line from the classic musical “Oklahoma” that refers to corn being “as high as an elephant’s eye” would not apply to some of the new hybrids becoming available to producers. Reduced-stature corn, also referred to as “short” corn, is a concept that has gained...
Finding frost-tolerant blueberries for Alabama growers
Alabama blueberry farmers could soon start growing more frost-tolerant cultivars thanks to recent research at Auburn University. Most Alabama growers are still heavily relying on the native species rabbiteye (Vaccinium virgatum Ait), while producers in neighboring...
Lawson part of team shaping Alabama’s State Wildlife Action Plan
Auburn University’s Kelly Homan and Katelyn Lawson have joined forces to assist the state of Alabama in the creation of its 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) revision.
Food pantries offered by College of Agriculture
Six student food pantries were recently installed on campus in an effort by the College of Agriculture to alleviate food insecurity among students. The pantries are in...
Taking Stock of National Needs Fellowship
Program made possible by $246,000 USDA-NIFA grant A College of Agriculture program for future leaders in the beef industry is entering its final academic year and...
Parasite examined for its link to poor diet, obesity
With the obesity rate sitting at 36 percent and climbing, researchers are investigating factors contributing to the notoriously poor diet quality in the United States. One possibility might be a common parasite that causes impulsive decisions and changes risk...
Bonnie Plants Foundation gift to create Children’s Garden
The Transformation Garden in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University recently received a truly transformative donation. Bonnie Plants Foundation announced a multiyear donation to establish a new two-acre Children’s Garden and Pollinator Garden within Auburn's...
Layne honored for Transformation Garden, completion of leadership program
Auburn University’s Desmond Layne, head of the Department of Horticulture, has been honored by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, or APLU, for leading Auburn’s Transformation Garden project and his completion of the APLU’s Food Systems Leadership...
Research examines results of competing policies on healthy food choices
An Auburn University research project attempts to determine which approach best improves access to healthy food choices for food assistance recipients in the United States — more government benefits or more grocery stores. The study — authored by Joel Cuffey,...
Conference to address artificial intelligence in agriculture
Artificial intelligence (AI) support systems, automation and robotics have the potential to transform agriculture. A group of Southeastern universities is coordinating a conference to address this potential at Auburn University in the spring. Titled “Envisioning 2050...
Study shows ancient cities also dealt with toxic pollution
The negative impact humans can have on their own environment is constantly on full display, with climate change, land alterations and harmful algal blooms impacting people’s lives daily. But this isn’t an entirely new phenomenon, according to a recent study published...
Auburn’s PAR grants consider needs of Alabama farmers
Auburn’s Production Agriculture Research (PAR) grant program personifies the university’s land-grant research mission by communicating directly with Alabama’s farmers and addressing their most immediate needs. “The PAR grants program, more than any other, sets its...
College of Agriculture recognizes fall 2021 award winners & graduates
Two excellent students from Auburn University’s College of Agriculture have been selected as recipients of the college’s Dean’s Award and Student Marshal. The final selection was made by the scholarship committee. Below we also honor our Fall 2021 Graduates. DEAN’S...
Research finds improved soil test for phosphorus in water
In the quest to find a solution to one problem, agricultural research oftentimes finds answers to others along the way. Such is the case with researchers from Auburn University’s College of Agriculture, where scientists are working to ensure that waste or litter from...
“Agrivoltaic” research combines solar energy, food production
Auburn University researchers in the College of Agriculture’s Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Department are participating in a new USDA project to optimize design for “agrivoltaic” systems — fields with both crops and solar panels — that will maintain crop...
Board of Trustees approves construction of Transformation Garden
At its September meeting, the Auburn University Board of Trustees agreed to designate 16 acres of campus space for the creation of the College of Agriculture’s Transformation Garden. The garden, which will be located between Lem Morrison Drive and Woodfield Drive,...
September Our Work Seminar to share work inside vertical farms
Students in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University who are interested in learning more about the innovative work happening in the college’s new vertical farms at the Transformation Garden can do so at the Our Work Seminar this month. Six times a year, the...
College, alumni club host 42nd annual Ag Roundup
The annual Ag Roundup, hosted by the Auburn Agricultural Alumni Club and the College of Agriculture at Auburn University, will return to campus on Saturday, Sept. 25, offering a special opportunity for agriculture alumni and friends to gather for a day of hospitality....
Training better scientists: College offers ample undergraduate research opportunities
Research opportunities for undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture are ample, and students are encouraged to take advantage of them prior to graduate school. Madison Dees needed a job. Rather than pursuing the usual part-time retail or service jobs for...
On the Horizon: What’s Next for New Alumni
From graduate school to risk management analysis, recent graduates from the college of agriculture have impressive plans for the future. Check out what these 11 recent graduates who were Ag Ambassadors for the college are up to next.Andie Altemeier (feature image...
Survey examines preferences for COVID-19 testing
College of Agriculture Assistant Professor Joel Cuffey is the co-author of a paper recently published by the American Journal of Health Promotion that looks at preferences toward different methods of COVID-19 testing. The project came at a time when U.S. COVID-19...
Agricultural communications seniors address tough topics
Three years ago, students majoring in agricultural communications built The Comer Connection, a biannual publication made by and for College of Agriculture students at Auburn University. This spring, students in the Agricultural Communications Capstone course created...
Scott McElroy named a Crop Science Society of America Fellow
Professor Scott McElroy in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University was recently named a 2021 Crop Science Society of America Fellow. 2021 award recipients were announced at the scientific society’s...
Wheeler Foshee receives NACTA Educator Award
Wheeler Foshee, associate professor in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University, was recently recognized by the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) with the annual Educator Award. This national award recognizes those individuals...
“AU Chuck” Peanut Cultivar & the Alabama Private Well Program
By Adam McGhee, A New Peanut Cultivar released from Dr. Chen’s Lab in February 2021 The College of Agriculture’s Cultivar and Germplasm Release Committee met via Zoom on Feb. 11 at the request of Dr. Charles Chen, professor and peanut breeder/geneticist, for approval...
The Collegiate Hotel creates annual fund benefiting AU-Bees Lab
Local Auburn business the Collegiate Hotel recently announced the creation of The Brian E. and Kimberly A. Wirth Family Annual Fund for Excellence, also known as the Bee Excellent Fund, supporting the AU-Bees Lab in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University. ...
Economics of GMOs focus of Oct. 22 E.T. York Lecture
A University of California, Berkeley, economist will discuss the risks versus the benefits of genetically modifying foods and crops when he presents the Fall 2018 E.T. York Distinguished Lecture Monday, Oct. 22, at 4 p.m. on the Auburn University campus.
Auburn fisheries to host aquaponics workshop Oct. 23-25
Auburn University’s School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Business Institute will host a commercial aquaponics workshop
Duke named ag economics and rural sociology department chair, professor
Joshua Duke, currently professor of applied economics and statistics at the University of Delaware, will join the Auburn University College of Agriculture on March 1, 2019, as the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology chair and professor.
College of Agriculture, alumni to host 39th Ag Roundup Sept. 29
Auburn University’s College of Agriculture and Agricultural Alumni Association will co-host the 39th annual Ag Roundup Saturday, Sept. 29, at Ag Heritage Park.
Two in horticulture merit national awards
Mahnaz Kargar, a Department of Horticulture doctoral candidate working under the direction of professor Floyd Woods, won a second-place U.P. Hedrick Award during competition held as part of the American Pomological Society’s 2018 annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Rural sociology grad students win honors for M.S. theses
Auburn rural sociology graduate students Lindy Olive and James Patterson III claimed two of the three master’s thesis awards the Rural Sociological Society presented during its recent annual meeting in Portland, Oregon. As winners, the two received $2,000 cash awards.
Alabama Oyster Social raises $45,000 for oyster farming research, training
A 32-foot raw bar boasting 5,000 premium farm-raised oysters drew hundreds of oyster lovers to Ag Heritage Park earlier this year for the 2018 Alabama Oyster Social. In addition to emptying all 5,000 half shells, attendees also raised $45,000 to support Auburn University’s Shellfish Lab at Dauphin Island and, in turn, Alabama oyster farmers.
Auburn helping farmers prep for new safety regulations, inspections
With the ever-growing concern over food safety among consumers of fresh fruits and vegetables, producers soon will have to adjust to stricter regulations and regular inspections on their farms.
Horticulture’s Layne named fellow of professional society
Desmond Layne, Auburn University Department of Horticulture professor and head, has been selected as a 2018 fellow by the American Society for Horticultural Science.
Doctorate in food science a long time coming for ‘supermom’
Gerri Santos-Norris isn’t going to sugarcoat anything. She isn’t about to tell you that going back to school after an almost 20-year hiatus is a piece of cake.
Auburn farmed-oyster study aims for safety on the half shell
Auburn University marine scientist Bill Walton, one of the driving forces behind the Gulf Coast’s up-and-coming off-bottom oyster-farming industry, has landed a $456,646 federal grant to help ensure that farmed oysters bound for the premium half-shell market are as safe as possible for human consumption.
APT series on Auburn agriculture to continue Aug. 27
The third installment of Alabama Public Television’s documentary series on Auburn agriculture will air Aug. 27 at 9 p.m. CDT. The episode will highlight Auburn’s research and extension efforts in plant-based food production.
Auburn Agriculture, Extension name Phillips associate dean, assistant director
J. Mike Phillips, head of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Mississippi State University, will join Auburn University Aug. 15 as associate dean for Extension in the College of Agriculture and assistant director for agriculture, forestry and natural resource Extension programs.
2018 beef cattle conference set Aug. 18 in Auburn
Cow-calf producers across the state will gain valuable insight on how to overcome challenges in the cattle business during the Auburn University Department of Animal Sciences’ 2018 Beef Cattle Conference Saturday, Aug. 18, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Ham Wilson Livestock Arena at 650 S. Donahue Drive in Auburn.
Study shows undergrad research experiences benefit students and society
College students who participate in hands-on, faculty-mentored research en route to their bachelor’s degrees cite multiple personal and professional benefits the experience delivers, from strengthening their time-management, critical-thinking and communication skills to developing one-on-one connections with distinguished faculty.
Dalton Richardson
Dalton Richardson received an MS in Rural Sociology at Auburn University before joining the Sociology PhD program at the University of Oregon, where he is currently a Graduate Teaching Fellow. His research interests include rural life in the United States,...
Auburn’s Deutsch celebrates state’s rivers in forthcoming book
Bill Deutsch, a retired Auburn University aquatic ecologist who has spent almost three decades exploring, restoring and championing Alabama’s 132,000 miles of rivers and streams, will unveil his debut book, Alabama Rivers, A Celebration and Challenge, later this month in Auburn.
Bee Auburn activities to celebrate Pollinator Week
The Auburn University College of Agriculture and the City of Auburn are teaming up to host Bee Auburn 2018 June 18 – 22. The week, which coincides with National Pollinator Week 2018, celebrates pollinators and their impact on our culture, health, history, society and economy.
Auburn survey shows U.S. beekeepers lose four of every 10 managed colonies in 2017-18
The nation’s beekeepers lost 40 percent of their managed honey bee colonies between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, an increase of almost 7 percentage points from the previous year’s total loss rate, results of an annual nationwide survey show.
Auburn animal sciences alum dedicated to feeding the flock
Sometimes when you think you’ve got life all mapped out, providence sends you in a different direction. Grady Smith, senior pastor of Gateway Baptist Church in Montgomery, knows all about that kind of journey.
The Auburn bond is more secure than glue: ’52 alumni recount lifelong friendships made at Auburn
Three studied agriculture and one, journalism. The Korean War was in full swing at this time, and the four met and became friends in basic Army ROTC classes.