6.16.26 House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee Voting Meeting – 9:45AM
Voting meeting on HB 2625 and any other business that may come before the committee.
MIT College of Agriculture and Technology Presents MITCAT Trends
New study explores potential cross-species spread of chronic wasting disease
A new study found that chronic wasting disease can sometimes spread silently, with infectious prions present even in animals that show no symptoms. While there is no confirmed human risk, researchers say the disease’s ability to evolve and spread across species warrants close attention.
Scientists found a way to explain bird flocks that “defy” Newton’s third law
Physicists have solved a long-standing problem involving systems that appear to violate Newton’s third law, such as bird flocks and bacterial swarms. By adding carefully designed “imaginary partners” to their models, they can now simulate these complex systems with unprecedented accuracy.
Agriculture Worldwide | Tradition, Innovation & Sustainability | Culture...
Agriculture Worldwide | Tradition, Innovation & Sustainability | Culture…Agriculture Worldwide with GardeningWithKirk. This video explores how farming practices differ across regions, from monoculture plantations to family farms, and how agriculture shapes landscapes, economies, and cultures. We also highlight challenges such as climate change, food security, and sustainability, showing why agriculture remains vital to our future. Share your thoughts on farming, tradition, or innovati
Phosphate Solubilizing Microorganisms: Improving Nutrient Availability for Sustainable Agriculture
Phosphate Solubilizing Microorganisms: Improving Nutrient Availability for Sustainable AgriculturePhosphorus is one of the essential nutrients required for healthy plant growth and higher crop productivity. It plays a major role in root development, flowering, seed formation, and energy transfer within plants. However, a large percentage of phosphorus present in soil remains unavailable to crops because it gets fixed in insoluble forms. This limits nutrient uptake and reduces fertilizer efficien
Book review – The Savage Landscape: How We Made the Wilderness
Boiling over with thought-provoking observations, The Savage Landscape offers a discomfiting yet necessary look at the tensions and contradictions that underlie nature conservation.
Scientists turned red lettuce green and something surprising happened
Researchers used genome editing to block the production of red pigments in lettuce, causing other beneficial plant compounds to build up instead. The lettuce continued to grow normally, pointing toward a new way to create crops with customized nutritional profiles.
Beneath our feet lies a fungal superhighway stretching 68 quadrillion miles
Beneath our feet lies a vast hidden fungal superhighway that helps sustain much of life on Earth—and scientists have now mapped it for the first time. Researchers estimate that these underground networks stretch an astonishing 110 quadrillion kilometers, move about 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide into soils each year, and play a major role in supporting plants and regulating the climate.
Honey bees have their own personal flight paths and fly them with stunning precision
Researchers tracked honey bees in the wild using a drone-based system and found that each bee follows its own highly consistent flight path. Some repeated their routes so precisely that they flew only centimeters from where they had flown before. Landmarks like trees helped keep them on track, while uniform areas such as cornfields led to more variation.
Millipedes beat vertebrates to land by 80 million years
Millipedes may have been crawling across Earth's landscapes nearly 460 million years ago, long before vertebrates ventured onto land. A new study finally completes their evolutionary family tree, revealing surprising clues about these ancient ecosystem engineers and their early chemical defenses.
Scientists discover parrots may actually use names
Parrots may be doing more than just repeating words—they may actually use names. By analyzing hundreds of recordings from pet parrots, researchers found evidence that many birds use specific names to identify particular people, animals, and even individual companions. Some parrots appeared to refer to someone who wasn’t present, while others used names in creative ways, such as saying their own name to grab attention.
Yellowstone wolves may not have reshaped the national park after all
One of the most celebrated claims about Yellowstone’s wolves is facing a major challenge. Scientists say the study behind the famous trophic cascade story relied on flawed methods that overstated the ecological impact of wolf recovery. Their reanalysis found no evidence for a dramatic, park-wide surge in willow growth. Instead, the effects appear smaller and vary from place to place.
Lucy’s hunter revealed: Giant crocodile terrorized early human ancestors
A newly identified crocodile species nicknamed “Lucy’s hunter” prowled Ethiopia’s rivers when Lucy’s species walked the Earth more than 3 million years ago. The giant predator was likely the most dangerous animal in the ecosystem and may have regularly hunted early human relatives.
Boca West CC Turf Talk, Episode 2: Fazio II
Take a listen to Mike Bove, Head Golf Professional and Jeff Jones, Assistant Director of Agronomy, as they talk about Phase 2 of the Summer Agronomy Cultural Practices on Fazio II.
Pesticides and Agriculture: How Organic and Conventional Farms Differ
Many consumers assume that food labeled organic is grown without pesticides. The reality is more nuanced. Organic farmers can ...
The Business Case For Organic Agriculture, And Why Nonprofits Must Lead
Jeff Tkach, CEO of Rodale Institute and author of The Farm Is Here, is a leading voice in regenerative organic agriculture ...
The missing notebooks that solved a 55-million-year-old fossil mystery
A spectacular fossil fish discovered on a remote cliff in New Zealand nearly 30 years ago has finally revealed its full story thanks to an unexpected discovery: the original collector’s long-lost field notebooks. The 1.2-meter fossil, preserved in stunning three-dimensional detail, belonged to an ancient tarpon-like predator that cruised New Zealand waters about 55 million years ago.
A legendary golden fabric lost for 2,000 years has returned
Researchers in South Korea have recreated the legendary “sea silk” once prized by emperors, using fibers from a clam cultivated in Korean coastal waters. They discovered that its famous golden shine comes from tiny protein structures that reflect light rather than from pigments or dyes. Because the color is built into the fiber’s structure, it can remain vibrant for centuries.
Bringing Agriculture to Life Through VR
Arizona Farm Bureau Education is using virtual reality technology to help students and communities experience agriculture in an entirely new way by bringing farms, ranches, and food production directly into the classroom. From learning where food comes from to exploring modern farming practices, VR is helping connect the next generation to Arizona agriculture like never before. #ArizonaAg #AgEducation #VirtualReality #FutureOfAg #ArizonaFarmBureau
Foot and mouth disease in South Africa: how a tracking system would control outbreaks
Foot and mouth disease is common in South Africa’s wildlife reserves. There are constant efforts to make sure it doesn’t spread to farmed animals. But since 2019 the country has seen repeated outbreaks on farms. In 2026 the country’s R80 billion (US$5 billion) beef industry faced a crisis as unchecked outbreaks spread to all provinces. This caused a 26% drop in exports of beef in 2025, heavily affecting trade with China in particular. The lack of a mandatory, nationwide system to trace diseases
