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Biosystems engineering head emeritus Turnquist passes away
Retired professor and head emeritus of biosystems engineering Paul K. Turnquist passed away Dec. 11. Turnquist joined the Auburn family as a department head in 1977 after serving on the faculties of South Dakota State University and Oklahoma State University. He...
Auburn University Water Resources Center receives national grant award
The Auburn University Water Resources Center (AUWRC) and Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) were recently awarded an Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience grant from the National Academy of Science’s Gulf Research Program. The...
Auburn University Water Resources Center receives national grant award
The Auburn University Water Resources Center (AUWRC) and Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) were recently awarded an Environmental Literacy...
Troop tidings we bring: the gift of Auburn Christmas trees to our military
The holiday season means a time for not only giving gifts but giving back to our communities with a joyful spirit. Jeremy Pickens, assistant extension professor at...
Olivia Hudson named College of Agriculture fall 2025 student marshal
A candidate for a Bachelor of Science in agricultural business and economics is the fall 2025 student marshal for the Auburn University College of Agriculture. Olivia...
Networking in action: poultry science students explore Aviagen’s research center
Networking with industry professionals is a crucial step to success for any undergraduate student. It is especially important for students studying poultry science at Auburn University, as the broiler industry is Alabama’s top agricultural commodity. Making...
Graduation marshal Rachel Robinson sets sights on vet school
Auburn University Marching Band member Rachel Robinson has one more march to make. The animal sciences (pre-vet) major is the student marshal for the College of Agriculture at the 2024 winter commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14. Robinson’s time as an...
Using thermal imaging to measure peanut physiological characteristics
Auburn-developed method could advance efforts to breed a drought-tolerant peanut Auburn University researchers have devised a new means of measuring the physiological characteristics of peanut plants that should prove to be instrumental in speeding the breeding...
Taking the guesswork out of catfish sperm quality
Catfish farmers may be hurting their profitability by needlessly sacrificing male catfish when collecting sperm for breeding, according to a recent Auburn study. The same study discovered the indicators farmers commonly use to select males for breeding, like head size...
Appel named interim dean and director for College of Agriculture, Experiment Station
Arthur Appel will serve as interim dean of the Auburn University College of Agriculture and interim director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, effective Jan. 1. Appel has served in his current role as associate dean for research and assistant director of...
Rypel named director of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences
Andrew L. Rypel will serve as director of the Auburn University School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, effective March 22. He comes from the University of California at Davis, where he currently serves as director of the Center for Watershed Resources...
Wright named ASHS Fellow
Amy Wright, professor of horticulture and associate dean for instruction, was named an American Society for Horticultural Science Fellow at the society’s annual conference Sept. 23-27. ASHS is globally recognized as one of the most respected and influential...
Ru wins ASHS Early Career Competition
Sushan Ru, assistant professor of horticulture, won first place in the Early Career Competition at the American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference Sept. 23-27. ASHS is globally recognized as one of the most respected and influential professional...
Auburn research looks to control deer feeding on row crops
When can there be too many deer even for a hunting enthusiast? When that same enthusiast is a row-crop farmer, and the deer are using their fields as an all-you-can-eat buffet. While deer grazing on crops has been a consistent problem for decades, it has escalated in...
Measuring the impact of natural light on chicken production
The average broiler chicken lives 6–8 weeks and spends much of that time indoors, but researchers at Auburn University are investigating the use of natural light in broiler houses and its effects on bird performance and welfare. A team of agricultural engineers,...
Bullard, Brantley named Alumni Professors
Two College of Agriculture faculty members were announced among Auburn University’s five 2024 Alumni Professors Sept. 20. Eve Brantley, a professor and associate director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, is a renowned expert in water quality and...
Water Resources Conference attracts record crowd, hosts student research awards
The Auburn University Water Resources Center welcomed a record 370 attendees to its annual Alabama Water Resources Conference in Orange Beach Sept. 4-6. The conference has been held since 1987. This year’s conference included eighty undergraduate and graduate students...
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...
College of Agriculture hosts 45th annual Ag Roundup
The 45th annual Ag Roundup, hosted by the Auburn Agricultural Alumni Club and Auburn University College of Agriculture, will take place Sept. 14, 3:30-5:30 p.m., at Ag Heritage Park on the Auburn campus. The event is a Homecoming weekend tradition for alumni and...
Agriculture faculty, students receive recent awards
Several faculty and students in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University recently received national awards and recognitions. Read some highlights below. Beckmann receives NSF Career Award John Beckmann, assistant professor of medical-veterinary entomology and...
Peanut breeding making strides
The Auburn University peanut breeding program has made significant strides in a surprisingly short amount of time, with one of its varietal releases now commanding 40-50% of the peanut acreage in Alabama.
Beckmann receives NSF CAREER Award
John Beckmann, assistant professor of medical-veterinary entomology and biotechnology in the Auburn University College of Agriculture, recently received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Presented by the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program, the...
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 the lobby of each of the college’s academic buildings: Comer Hall, Funchess Hall, Upchurch Hall,...
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 taking stock of its impact. The highly selective National Needs Fellowship (NNF) prepared a dozen future...
Starkey, Wilson recognized with Auburn Faculty Awards
Faculty members Jessica Starkey and Alan Wilson of the Auburn University College of Agriculture were recognized with Auburn Faculty Awards at a banquet Nov. 17. Starkey, associate professor of poultry science, was one of three faculty members receiving an Alumni...
Fisheries lab joins U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on $5 million project
The Southeastern Cooperative Fish Parasite and Disease Laboratory — a multistate fish disease diagnostics laboratory that is part of the College of Agriculture’s School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences — has recently joined with the U.S. Fish and...
Animal sciences department hosts foreign embassies for study tour
The Auburn University Department of Animal Sciences hosted 12 foreign embassies for a study tour of beef cattle production systems in the Southeastern U.S. October 19-21. The delegation included representatives from Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Latvia, the...
Wilson receives Auburn’s highest faculty honor
Alan Wilson, a professor in the Auburn University School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, has been awarded the university’s Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2022. The Leischuck Award is the highest...
Student named to national FFA officer team
A student in the Auburn University College of Agriculture who was a 2019-2020 Alabama state Future Farmers of America officer was selected as a member of the Nominating Committee for the 2022-2023 National Future Farmers of America officer team. Ka’Shiya McKinney is a...
Auburn College of Agriculture honors outstanding students and 2022 fall graduates
Two outstanding students, JT Mumber (below, left) and Perian Reese (below, right), from the Auburn University College of Agriculture are recipients of the college’s Student Marshal and Dean’s Award. The final selection was made by the scholarship committee. We...
Lecturer asks: What has ag research done for you?
What has agricultural research done for you? It’s a fair enough question, and one that many of us might have a problem answering. But the answers are numerous enough to fill a book or two, which is exactly what Gale Buchanan has done. Buchanan, who spent the first 21...
Water Resources Center, AU Bees Lab partner with city to promote natural resources stewardship
Alabama Watershed Stewards and Alabama Water Watch, along with the AU Bees Lab and Westervelt Ecological Resources, are partnering with the city of Auburn through a recently awarded grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for 2022-23. Alabama Watershed...
Colleges of Agriculture, Engineering launch 150th anniversary celebration
In 1872, Auburn got a new name. And a new purpose. The world hasn’t been the same since. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Auburn’s reorganization under the Morrill Act from East Alabama Male College into the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama,...
College of Agriculture hosts 43rd annual Ag Roundup
The 43rd 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. 24, offering a special opportunity for agriculture alumni and friends to gather for a day of...
Koebernick named to USDA Plant Variety Protection Board
Jenny Koebernick, associate professor in the Department of Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences in the Auburn University College of Agriculture, has been appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plant Variety Protection Board. The Plant Variety Protection...
Bowen named interim head of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Department
Kira Bowen has been tapped to serve as interim head of Auburn University’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, effective August 1. “I look forward to working with Dr. Bowen in this new role,” said Paul Patterson, dean of Auburn’s College of...
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station announces new structure
The Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) at Auburn University has announced a new regional structure of its outlying units and operations. “The new regional organization structure is intended to focus more station-based personnel on research operations,”...
Congratulations to the Auburn College of Agriculture 2022 Summer Graduates!
COA Summer 2022 Bachelor of Science Graduates AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS & ECONOMICS Degree Jorge David Zelaya Rivera AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE Degree Lauren A Lasater Kati E Kent Kaitlyn Williams ANIMAL SCIENCES – ALLIED INDUSTRIES Degree Rebecca L Boyer Nicholas Alexander...
Faculty member receives NSF CAREER award to study flash drought
Di Tian, an assistant professor in the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, has been named a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, Award. The CAREER...
Auburn College of Agriculture, Central Alabama Community College sign partnership agreement
Leaders from the Auburn University College of Agriculture and Central Alabama Community College signed an agreement Wednesday, May 4, to provide a streamlined pathway into the College of Agriculture for CACC student meeting certain criteria. “Students from Central...
E.T. York lecturer series to bring Microsoft executive on April 20
Ranveer Chandra to discuss empowering farmers with affordable digital agriculture techniques The brain behind FarmBeats — an agricultural research project developed by Microsoft using solar-powered, white space-based Internet connectivity to record soil temperature...
Congratulate Auburn agriculture’s spring class of 2022 award winners & graduates.
Auburn University’s College of Agriculture honors these outstanding students and 2022 spring graduates. The final selection was made by the scholarship committee. The following are the award winners by department, school or program. DEAN’S AWARD BETHANIE...
Alumnus showcases turfgrass management on social media
By Taylor Sondgeroth It is no secret that social media has greatly influenced the world as we know it today. But perhaps less known is the daily impact social media has on the agriculture industry. Auburn University graduates Daniel Johnson and his wife Amanda are an...
College of Agriculture students, faculty earn prestigious awards
Students and faculty in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University were recently recognized for their hard work and achievements through a number of regional and national awards. In the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Assistant Professor...
Graduate student designs smart gardening project for countries in crisis
Native Zambian Dorcas Lukwesa wanted to study agricultural sciences because of the seed her farming grandparents planted in her — a budding interest in food and nutrition she couldn’t ignore as she aspired to go to college outside her home country. Now a graduate...