Measuring temperature and nitrogen levels in soil is important for agriculture systems but detecting them apart from one another is difficult. Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, an associate professor in engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, led researchers in the development of a multi-parameter sensor that can decouple temperature and nitrogen signals so that each can […] Read more
New soil sensor may improve efficiency of crop fertilization
Science Notes: Accurate nitrogen detection could help farmers achieve optimal fertilization levels
Dairy farmers can adapt to climate change
Science Notes: Warming climate worsens nutrient pollution but lengthens growing season
Dairy farmers in the northeastern region of North America are facing a warming climate that exacerbates nutrient pollution but lengthens the growing season. However, they can reduce the environmental impact of their operations and maximize revenues by double cropping and injecting manure into the soil, rather than broadcasting it. That’s the conclusion of a team […] Read more
Harvesting riparian buffers sees little impact to water quality
Science Notes: Harvested vegetation could increase biofuel efforts
Allowing farmers to harvest vegetation from their riparian buffers will not significantly impede the ability of those streamside tracts to protect water quality by capturing nutrients and sediment – and it will boost farmers’ willingness to establish buffers. That is the conclusion of Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences researchers, who compared the impacts of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
