Amaryllis need right conditions to rebloom
Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer, December 28, 2006
Over the years, I have received many amaryllis as gifts. ... Jeff Gillman's "The Truth About Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't & Why" (Timber Press, 211 pp., $19.95 paperback) is a great resource in a world where everyone is an expert and has a product to sell. Gillman, a professor at the University of Minnesota, has done extensive testing and research on gardening products and practices.

Richfield business may change the way people fight bacteria
Minnesota Sun Publications, December 26, 2006
Dave Schneider says that the future of fighting bacteria is at our doorstep. ... Schneider is teaming up with Joellen Feirtag, associate professor of food science and nutrition at University of Minnesota.

Warm winters are bad news for Minnesota ice rinks
Minnesota Public Radio, December 20, 2006
At St. Cloud's Southside Park the morning sun is just making its way over the trees along the nearby Mississippi River. ... To University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley that's proof that winter doesn't carry the punch it once did.

Mechanization has changed meatpacking industry
Winona (MN) Daily News, December 27, 2006
The meatpacking industry that Jack Cagle knew is gone. ... "They provided meat to the market much more cheaply,'' said Brian Buhr, a professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota.

Good Question: What Does It Take To Gain A Pound?
WCCO-TV (Minneapolis) December 22, 2006
Forget sugar plums and candy canes. It seems as if anywhere we go this holiday season there is a spread of fatty foods. ... "It definitely adds up," said Dr. Joanne Slavin, a nutritionist at the University of Minnesota.

Biofuel by-products to drop protein prices
Canada Agriculture Online, December 21, 2006
Ask anyone building an ethanol plant about what they’re going to do with all the DDGS (dried distiller’s grains with solubles), and they’ll probably sing its praises as a great, inexpensive protein source for dairy cattle or feeders. Same goes for those planning biodiesel plants when asked about the meal by-product. ... Dr. Jerry Shurson, professor of swine nutrition and management with the University of Minnesota, has evaluated the use of DDGS in rations for both ruminant and non-ruminant livestock. DDGS can fit in rations, but Shurson says the amount is limited.

Drainage offers great benefits, raises some issues
Agri News, Rochester (MN) December 19, 2006
Drainage has been a key to populating the upper Midwest, but it's also brought problems. Gary Sands of the University of Minnesota's Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Department said drainage has raised several concerns, although it's also had benefits.

A night at the Bell
KARE-11 TV, Golden Valley (MN) December 19, 2006
The U of M’s Bell Museum is offering a free preview screening of the new 20th Century Fox holiday feature film “Night at the Museum” followed by a guided flashlight tour of the Bell Museum’s famous dioramas this Thursday evening.

Russian invention may be answer to eliminating E. coli outbreaks
KARE-11 TV, Golden Valley (MN), December 13, 2006
Dr. Joellen Feirtag has spent more than a decade researching and studying food safety at the University of Minnesota. She said, in that time, she's reviewed a lot of new fangled machines promising to rid food of germs and bacteria, but nothing like the Stel machine out of Russia.

Drainage, soil and gasses: a new study
Redwood Falls Gazzette, Redwood Falls (MN), December 13, 2006
Field drainage is pervasive in Redwood County and throughout the State of Minnesota. It has afforded us the ability to become a large corn producing county and state, which has fueled our economy in more than a number of ways. ... These are some of the questions that Dr. Jeffery Strock of the University of Minnesota's Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) is trying to answer with a new study he has undertaken.

Adequate soil recharge critical for 2007 growing season
AgriNews, Rochester (MN), December 12, 2006
Recharging soil moisture in March and April is going to be critical for the 2007 growing season. As of Dec. 5, much of Minnesota had less than 5 inches of stored soil moisture, said Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota Extension climatologist.

E. coli fighting research
KSTP-TV, Minneapolis (MN), December 11, 2006
The University of Minnesota's work with a cleaning system that disinfects food and protects against illnesses such as E. colli was highlighted in a story by /KSTP-TV.

When worms turn
Boston Globe, Boston (MA), December 11, 2006
Ordinarily, earthworms are considered gardeners' most trusted helpers, natural plows that churn dirt and deposit nutrient-rich beads of soil that feed plants. ... "What's changing now is the explosive use of earthworms by people," said Lee Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Hardwood Ecology.

In hot oil
Star Tribune, Minneapolis (MN), December 10, 2006
It's reviled by doctors. And demonized by the media. ... "There are alternatives out there, but theye are much more expensive alternatives," said Ted Labuza, a food scientist at the University of Minnesota.

Meat prices may begin to increase due to the ethanol industry
West Central Tribune, Willmar (MN), December 6, 2006
Americans who buy meat and those who raise livestock may pay for the current ethanol boom. … “Consumers will pay most of the bill,” said Vernon Eidman, a University of Minnesota professor widely known for his work on ethanol economic issues.

Taco Bell pulls green onions from restaurants
Star Tribune, Minneapolis (MN), December 6, 2006
Taco Bell on Wednesday removed green onions suspected of E. coli contamination from all of its 5,800 restaurants nationwide. ... Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, an associate professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, said he's not surprised Taco Bell's private lab beat state health departments in identifying the possible foodstuff responsible for the outbreak.

Hybrid selection important decision
Aberdeen News, Aberdeen (SD), December 4, 2006
Well-informed, sophisticated farmers who usually make objective, research-based crop management decisions can get a little weak in the knees when it comes to selecting seed. ... That's according to Dale Hicks, professor of agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota.

Ethanol Nutrient Livestock Feed Content Can Vary
CattleNetwork.com, Platte City (MO), December 4, 2006
Dried distillers grains with solubles, or DDGS, which are by-products of ethanol production, are good low-cost sources of protein and energy for swine but they can have variable nutrient profiles depending on the manufacturer and the type of grain raw material used, an analyst said Monday. Gerald Shurson, professor of swine nutrition and management at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, presented research information on the use of DDGS in swine rations at the National Grain and Feed Association’s Country Elevator/Feed Industry conference in Kansas City, Mo.

Pesticide: A safer bet?
Star Tribune, Minneapolis (MN), December 5, 2006
It's an iconic image of good health, and yet the supermarket apple consistently rates as one of the most likely fruits to score high on tests for pesticide residue. ... "It was a very big improvement over what we had before, particularly for children and pregnant women," said Dean Herzfeld, a plant pathology professor at the University of Minnesota.

Barge traffic reflects market flux
Pioneer Press, St. Paul (MN), December 2, 2006
With winter approaching, the last barge of the season left the Twin Cities this week, ending an unusual shipping year that may foreshadow larger changes ahead. ... "In corn, you've definitely got a changing pattern," said Jerry Fruin, a transportation specialist at the University of Minnesota.

Cranberry bogs plentiful in Wisconsin, why not Minnesota?
Pioneer Press, St. Paul (MN), December 2, 2006
A biting west wind reddens his cheeks, as Ron Forster walks through a 12-acre cranberry bog at his Aitkin-area farm. The popular image of a cranberry bog is a mass of bright red berries floating in water. ... "That's a good question and I think it's probably in part a kind of accident of history and geography," said Jim Luby, professor of horticulture at the University of Minnesota.

Protect your landscaping from winter road salt
Mankato Free Press, Mankato (MN), November 30, 2006
This is the time of year when Mankato City Forester Brian Hagberg is perusing landscaping catalogues and planning for next spring’s plantings. ... Gary Johnson, a University of Minnesota Extension professor, said deicing salt damages plants in two main ways: what he calls “spray drift” and runoff.

Who wins? Bowling buddies or physics students
WCCO-TV, Minneapolis (MN), November 29, 2006
When it comes to bowling, all of us have our built-in excuses, including "The ball is too heavy" and "My shoes don't fit right." Of course, there is also the more popular: "The trajectory of my throw was off and the vector resulted in higher friction and a more chaotic spin." OK, that last excuse probably isn't in your repertoire, but it certainly could have been overheard when the University of Minnesota's Society of Physics students went bowling.

Wildlife students study deer brought in to local check station
Spring Valley Tribune, Spring Valley (MN), November 29, 2006
Deer hunters have gathered at the hardware store owned by the Jones family in downtown Spring Valley for quite a long time. ... A recent study brought a couple of wildlife students from the University of Minnesota to the Spring Valley check station. They were Patrick Nelson and Chad Billat.

Woman Sees Spider After Eating Grapes
ABC News, November 29, 2006
The itsy bitsy spider came crawling out of Dottie Brown's kitchen sink, but she was just happy it didn't happen while she was eating the grapes that carried the black widow into her home. ... "It can inflict a painful bite," said Jeff Hahn, a University of Minnesota entomologist who confirmed Brown's invader was a black widow spider after looking at a photograph.

USC researchers spot early Alzheimer’s signals
The State- South Carolina, Columbia (SC), November 30, 2006
She forgot to take her medicine. Then she forgot to eat her sandwich. ... “That has not been shown before,” said Catherine Kotz, a University of Minnesota associate professor who studies nutrition and aging.

Jim Calkins: A plan to replace what has been damaged
Apple Valley-Rosemount Sun Current, Apple Valley (MN), November 29, 2006
"My conception of liberty," said President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "does not permit an individual citizen or a group of citizens to commit acts of depredation against nature in such a way as to harm their neighbors and especially to harm the future generations of Americans." ... Jim Calkins of Minnetonka is president of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board of Managers. He works in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota where he teaches plant propagation, landscape design, and landscape operations and maintenance, and coordinates the Master of Agriculture in Horticulture degree program.

8-legged hitchhiker from afar
Star Tribune, Minneapolis (MN), Novemeber 28, 2006
Without giving it much thought, Dottie Brown popped a couple of red seedless grapes into her mouth last Wednesday as she cleaned the bunch she had bought the night before. ... "It can inflict a painful bite," and its venom attacks the nervous system, only rarely proving fatal, said Jeff Hahn, an entomologist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service.

The clock is ticking on the protected lands of the CRP
Pope County Tribune, Glenwood (MN), November 28, 2006
Out here in the countryside we are in the middle of Minnesota's longest pheasant season ever. ... Modern cultivation of corn and soybeans is susceptible to nutrient and sediment loss, and it contributes to flooding and higher nitrate losses to both surface and groundwater than do perennial systems, even when best practices are used, according to University of Minnesota researcher Gyles Randall.

Sustainability of ethanol discussed at ethanol meeting in St. P
Agri News, Rochester (MN), November 28, 2006
The sustainability of the ethanol industry was one of the topics at Farming Our Fuel: Growing a Sustainable Ethanol Industry, an event hosted by the Minnesota Environmental Initiative at Gustavus Adolphus College. ... Vernon Eidman of the University of Minnesota said the industry needs to become geographically dispersed to be sustainable.

Chilly hives
Casper Star Tribune, Casper (ND), November 28, 2006
Honeybees aren't built to survive winter's subzero temperatures, but with a shortage of bees nationwide, more beekeepers are trying to nurture the fuzzy insects through Alaska's most notorious season. ... In comparison, commercial beekeepers in the U.S. typically tend to 2,000 to 4,000 hives, with some managing up to 20,000 hives, said Marla Spivak, an entomology professor at the University of Minnesota.

Plight of the honeybee
Record-Searchlight, Redding (CA), November 26, 2006
Honeybees aren't built to survive winter's subzero temperatures, but with a shortage of bees nationwide, more beekeepers are trying to nurture the fuzzy insects through Alaska's most notorious season. ... In comparison, commercial beekeepers in the U.S. typically tend to 2,000 to 4,000 hives, with some managing up to 20,000 hives, said Marla Spivak, an entomology professor at the University of Minnesota.

Soybean rust travels farther north
Farm and Ranch Guide, Bismark (ND), November 22, 2006
Soybean rust disease traveled quite a ways farther north during its third fall in the United States. ... “It's been a tremendous expansion in the detection of soybean rust over the past three to four weeks,” said Dean Malvick, University of Minnesota assistant professor of plant pathology.

Yield response to adding iron varies for soybeans
Farm and Ranch Guide, Bismark (ND), November 22, 2006
The idea seems logical. If a soil type in a field promotes iron deficiency chlorosis in soybeans, one solution might be to add more iron. John Wiersma, University of Minnesota associate professor of agronomy, tested to see if applying iron in a readily available form near the seed at planting could solve iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC).

Mystery plant
Star Tribune, Minneapolis (MN), November 22, 2006
Looks like we have another toughie. Someone told Kay Baumeister the plant she saw growing in a Hutchinson, Minn., yard was purple loosestrife. ... Finally, we turned to Neil Anderson, associate professor of horticulture at the University of Minnesota, who said his "educated guess" was that the plant was one of the North American Lythrum (or loosestrife) species.

Lots of options for alternative energy
Caledonia Argus, Caledonia (MN), November 21, 2006
Five people and five pigs can supply the energy needs of a family in China. ... In a related presentation, Richard Huelskamp from the University of Minnesota talked about producing electricity from a hydrogen fuel cell at the Haubenschield Dairy in Princeton, Minnesota.

Soybean rust travels farther north
Farm and Ranch Guide, Bismark (ND), November 22, 2006
Soybean rust disease traveled quite a ways farther north during its third fall in the United States. ... “It's been a tremendous expansion in the detection of soybean rust over the past three to four weeks,” said Dean Malvick, University of Minnesota assistant professor of plant pathology.

Yield response to adding iron varies for soybeans
Farm and Ranch Guide, Bismark (ND), November 22, 2006
The idea seems logical. If a soil type in a field promotes iron deficiency chlorosis in soybeans, one solution might be to add more iron. John Wiersma, University of Minnesota associate professor of agronomy, tested to see if applying iron in a readily available form near the seed at planting could solve iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC).

Ethanol growing faster than corn in July
West Central Tribune, St. Peter (MN), November 21, 2006
Ethanol’s growing appetite for corn has many convinced that the industry’s long-term, sustainable development will require a shift toward the use of cellulose. ... Ethanol plants are being constructed both in the Corn Belt and, increasingly, in market destination areas on the coasts, according to Vernon Eidman, University of Minnesota professor in the Department of Applied Economics.

Research helps the turkey industry to prosper
Agri News, Rochester (MN), November 21, 2006
A variety of turkey research projects are under way at UMore Park. UMore Park in Rosemount is the only research and outreach center in the state where turkey production is studied, said Sally Noll, a professor and Extension animal scientist who specializes in turkey research.

Farmers see unexpectedly strong rebound from dry summer
KARE-11 TV, Golden Valley (MN), November 18, 2006
The much-talked about drought of 2006 turned out to be not so big a deal after all. ... "We were all surprised, every agronomist and extension educator I've talked to, that the state has come out as well as it did," said Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota climatologist.

Study: Service Industries Also Pollute
Playfuls.com, November 1, 2006
A U.S. study suggests greenhouse gas pollution from service industries such as banking and telecommunications may equal that of manufacturing industries. The University of Minnesota study, led by assistant professor Sangwon Suh, analyzed greenhouse gas emissions produced by approximately 500 U.S. product and service groups.

Shift toward toward service-based economy won't end global warming University of Minnesota
Mongabay.com, Novemeber 1, 2006
The shift toward a service-based economy won't automatically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases (GHS) in the air, a University of Minnesota researcher has found. His research contradicts assumptions about global warming often preferred by some economists and national policy experts.