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Auburn research focuses on more uniform, high-quality cotton fibers
A fierce battle is being waged between cotton and polyester, with polyester edging ahead as the most widely used fiber in the world, for now. In fact, synthetic materials account for more than half of today’s overall market share. If cotton wants to remain viable in...
BATM major combines agriculture, technology to create workforce of future
By Amy Weaver Auburn University often adds academic programs in response to workforce demand and societal needs. One of the latest additions is a major in biological and agricultural technology management. With the acronym BATM, it is colloquially called the “Batman”...
FoodU expands vertical farming operation
The Auburn University College of Agriculture and Campus Dining recently added four new container farms to its vertical farming operation. The four new farms, outfitted...
Market at Ag Heritage Park returns May 22
Hosted by the Auburn University College of Agriculture, The Market at Ag Heritage Park is an open-air, growers-only farmers market offering fresh, locally grown fruits...
Will Rich selected spring 2025 student marshal
Advises future ag students to get involved The spring 2025 graduation marshal for the Auburn University College of Agriculture is a familiar face around Comer Hall....
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. ...
Auburn-branded SoilKit gives public access to research-based results
The College of Agriculture at Auburn University recently partnered with AgriTech Corp. on an Auburn-branded SoilKit to deliver digital, easy-to-understand soil test results to homeowners, landscapers and municipalities. This SoilKit marks the first time a public,...
Auburn agriculture honors outstanding students and 2021 summer graduates.
Two accomplished 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. The following are the award winners by department,...
Online programs in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences continue to be a “Best Buy” among science-based programs for out of state students.
By Adam McGhee, Online programs in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences continue to be a “Best Buy” (aub.ie/qum4ec) among science-based programs for out of state students. Low, flat-rate tuition paired with quality instruction, diverse faculty...
Beekeepers continue to report high colony loss rates, no clear improvement
From University of Maryland Beekeepers across the United States lost 45.5% of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021, according to preliminary results of the 15th annual nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership...
Auburn entomologist seeks alternatives for urban pesticide use
By Jacqueline Kochak More than 80 percent of Americans live in expanding urban areas, and suburbanites are still craving greenspace as farmland gives way to housing developments and big-box stores. The problem is that proud homeowners use significantly more...
Market at Ag Heritage Park open for the summer
The Farmer’s Market at Ag Heritage Park at Auburn University is open for the summer through Aug. 12. The market, open each Thursday from 3-6 p.m., is an open-air, growers-only farmers market hosted by the College of...
College of Agriculture using high-tech shipping containers to grow produce for Campus Dining
Unique ‘vertical’ farms part of planned 16-acre Transformation Garden on campus Recycled shipping containers have gained popularity in recent years, being converted into everything from houses to small stores—but the Auburn University College of Agriculture, in...
Agriculture faculty, students earn spring awards
Students and faculty in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University raked in several awards for their hard work and studies this spring. Amit Morey earns Spirit of Sustainability Award Assistant Professor Amit Morey received the Spirit of Sustainability...
Bill Taylor, Helen Ulrich to receive $10,000 toward postgraduate studies
Two Auburn University students with connections to the College of Agriculture have been named NCAA Jim McKay Scholarship recipients. Auburn’s Bill Taylor and Helen Ulrich will each receive a $10,000 Jim McKay Scholarship, awarded by the NCAA to college athletes who...
Appel named interim associate dean for research, associate director for AAES
Arthur Appel, Faculty Endowed Professor of entomology, has been named the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s interim associate dean for research and interim associate director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, effective June 1. In his interim...
The Rotation – Department of Crop, Soil, & Environmental Sciences Newsletter
Department Head’s Reportby John P. Beasley, Jr., Ph.D.(B.S., Agronomy & Soils, 1979) Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Rotation, the newsletter of the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences at Auburn University! It is my honor and privilege to...
Barlow named interim associate dean for extension
Becky Barlow, extension specialist and professor of forestry and wildlife sciences, has been named the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s interim associate dean for extension and interim assistant director for agriculture, forestry and natural resource...
Researcher part of international weed genomics effort
An Auburn University professor and researcher is one of the founding members of an international group of scientists and industry professionals that has launched an ambitious new project aimed at improved understanding of the most intractable species of weeds in the...
Study looking at feasibility of more beef processing plants in Alabama
One of the many consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been limited supplies and higher prices of U.S. beef products. It’s an outcome that could have been predicted, especially considering supply-chain issues impacting the beef industry. Beef production in the U.S....
E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer Series to feature Ambassador Kip Tom
The Auburn University College of Agriculture’s E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer Series will present U.S. Ambassador Kip Tom as the Spring 2021 York Lecturer Tuesday, April 27, in Auburn. The lecture, set for 12 p.m. in the Auburn University Hotel...
College of Agriculture students win big in specialty competitions
Students in three College of Agriculture departments performed well in regional, national and international competitions this spring. A team from the Department of Horticulture placed first in its size group (10-24 students) in the 45th National Collegiate Landscape...
Ryan Thomson receives Rural Sociological Society Early Career Award
Ryan Thomson, assistant professor in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, received The Rural Sociological Society Early Career Award for 2021. Proposals for the award involve small-scale projects that will enhance...
Agricultural economics researchers seek to aid new farmers in changing business climate
The challenges facing today’s small- and medium-sized farm operators are numerous, but perhaps the most daunting challenges are those faced by beginning farmers in a business climate that is currently in the midst of a generational turnover. A three-year study by...
Professor looks at cheaper, more efficient solution to COVID-19
While the rapid development and distribution of vaccines for preventing COVID-19 is a phenomenal advancement in the continuing battle against the virus, there are drawbacks, says an Auburn University professor. “Vaccine production is costly and time-consuming,” said...
Alumni chart new course for mushroom cultivation in the South
If you’ve eaten a gourmet mushroom in Alabama, there’s a good chance it was cultivated at Fungi Farm in Dadeville. Founded by Allen Carroll, who studied agronomy in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University, Fungi Farm in Dadeville has quickly become a pioneer...
Meet Ben Staton, Ph.D. Student in the Quantitative Fisheries Lab
Ben Staton is a graduate assistant pursuing a degree in fisheries management. Ben’s research is focused on Chinook salmon stocks in western Alaska. He is using long-term data sets to create and test models that address questions and make predictions relating to the...
Mike Rowe
Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Alumni CURRENT POSITION President and CEO of Precision Kia of Wesley Chapel President and CEO of Gulf Coast Turf and Tractor, LLC CURRENT LOCATION Tampa, Florida ABOUT MIKE Mike chose to study agricultural business and...
Senior spends summer studying mega-sharks
Meet an animal sciences student who sees her future on the ocean.
Meet Stefanie Christensen Francisco
Stefanie Christensen Francisco is the communications director for Conservation Alabama, a non-profit organization that lobbies the state legislature on behalf of our state’s natural resources. Previously, she worked in national news production at CNN, Politico, and...
Lord Kwakye Ameyaw
Lord Kwakye Ameyaw completed a Master of Science Degree in Rural Sociology from Auburn University in 2013. He recently completed a PhD in Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. Lord works as an Agroforester with the Nebraska...
Riva Denny
Riva completed her MS in rural sociology at Auburn in 2012 where she wrote her master’s thesis on the differences between red meat inspection regulations at the state and federal levels and the implications that these differences have for small slaughterhouses and the...
MICHELE VITALE
Michele completed his MS in Rural Sociology at Auburn in 2007; his thesis analyzed the socio-economic, cultural and geographic barriers that Hispanic residents face to access primary care services in rural Georgia. He completed his PhD in Geography at Wilfrid Laurier...
Who is Emily Blejwas
Emily Blejwas directs the Gulf States Health Policy Center in Bayou La Batre, AL. She previously worked in research and community development for the Community Foundation of South Alabama and the Economic & Community Development Institute at Auburn University. She...
JANICE FREW DYER
Janice Frew Dyer completed her MS in Rural Sociology in 2007 and her PhD in Forestry in 2012, both at Auburn University. Janice spent several years teaching Sociology at Calhoun Community College in North Alabama, and Sustainable Food Systems at Lipscomb University in...
VANESSA CASANOVA
Dr. Casanova earned a BA in International Studies from the University of Alabama, MS in Rural Sociology and PhD in Forestry from Auburn University with postgraduate training in the fields of labor studies and public health. She joined the faculty of the University of...
James Hutchins
James Hutchins is a 1997 graduate of the Master of Science program in Rural Sociology. He focused on integrated conservation and development and he researched the establishment of a community forest concession in the Maya Biosphere Reserve for his thesis. He has...