|  | | | Faculty in the News - February 2007 | |
What's killing bees overwintering in California?
Agri News, February 20
It's as good as a CSI mystery. Migratory bee colonies are dying and entomologists and beekeepers are stumped about the cause. ... Entomologists are studying what some call "Colony Collapse Disorder." The deaths could be due to several factors, says University of Minnesota bee specialist Marla Spivak.
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Research looks at issues surrounding flowability of DDGs
Agri News, February 20
The ethanol industry is expanding rapidly. Large quantities of distillers dried grains with soluble, a co-product from the manufacture of ethanol, are available for feeding livestock. ... We theorized that addition of flow agents to DDGs might improve flowability. Realizing the importance of handling challenges presented by DDGs and the lack of controlled studies under commercial conditions, our swine research group at the University of Minnesota designed a study to determine if the addition of selected flowability agents is effective in improving flowability in practical commercial conditions.
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White House farm bill would deliver less money to Minnesota
Agri News, February 20
If the Bush administration farm bill proposal becomes law, it will mean less federal money for Minnesota corn and soybean producers. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns released the Bush administration's farm bill proposal Jan. 31 and University of Minnesota professor Kent Olson last week highlighted some of the proposal's impacts on Minnesota at a Twin Cities Agricultural Issues Round Table.
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Emerald ash borer could hurt forests
Rochester Post-Bulletin, February 17
A half-inch bug is sending chills through Minnesota foresters and entomologists as it threatens to move into state forests. ... "I don't know if we've ever seen another disease or insect that has done what this can do in Minnesota forests," said Lee Frelich, forest ecologist and director of the Center for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota.
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Future in high gear for state's corn growers
Jefferson City News Tribune, February 15
Missouri's corn growers can expect to get better prices for their bushels over the next couple of years than they've received in the last few years, thanks to the continuing growth of ethanol production. ... Jerry Shurson, a University of Minnesota animal nutritionist, said “all species of livestock” will benefit from the distillers grains (DDGs) that are a byproduct of ethanol production.
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Border Buzz: Marijuana Coming from Canada
FOX9, February 14
Rainy Lake, near Voyageurs National Park, is a bleak and beautiful landscape, where a few fish houses lead to a couple of old river towns and a border of ice and imagination. ... University of Minnesota plant biologist and Bell Museum of Natural History curator George Weiblen is one of the few scientists in the country studying cannabis genetics.
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It's 'Up for Discussion' starting on Feb. 15 in Fosston, Ada
Crookston Daily Times, February 13
"Up for Discussion," a conversation for folks who like to read, will begin in the Fosston and Ada Public Libraries on Thursday, Feb. 15. The discussion series will run for four Thursdays. ... The project is co-sponsored by the Fosston and Ada Public Libraries, the University of Minnesota's School of Agriculture Endowed Chair for Agricultural Systems, and the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS). | | |
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Man killed by bull on Scott County farm
KSTP-TV, February 13
A man died after he was mauled by a bull on a farm northeast of Jordan on Monday, Scott County authorities said. University of Minnesota professor Clifford Lamb was interviewed for this story.
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Defender of Darwin to host discussion today
Pioneer Press, February 13
Scientist Scott Lanyon thinks his ilk dropped the ball — at least when it comes to the recent debate about evolution versus intelligent design. ... In conjunction with Charles Darwin's 198th birthday, which was Monday, Lanyon, director of the Bell Museum of Natural History and an evolutionary biology professor at the University of Minnesota, will host a discussion on the science of evolution today at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis' Dinkytown.
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Trivia question: How big is the U.S. supply of animal fat?
CNET News, February 12
While driving to work or eating breakfast today, you probably jerked up and thought, "How much inedible tallow gets produced in the U.S. every year?" ... So how much waste product is out there? We asked Vernon Eidman, professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota and an expert on biofuels.
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Biofuels have hooked the attention of hunters, anglers
Pioneer Press, February 11
I never would have imagined it half-dozen years ago, but nearly every Minnesota hunter and angler now has a critical stake in the catchword of the day: biofuels. … University of Minnesota professor Steven Taff says talk of cellulosic ethanol is mostly "hype."
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Corn-on-corn rotation intriguing idea for farmers
Mankato Free Press, February 9
A set of circumstances have lined up that rather suddenly are making
corn-on-corn an intriguing cropping decision for 2007. ... Bruce
Potter, pest management specialist at the University of Minnesota’s
Southwest Research and Outreach Center at Lamberton, suggests it is for
most producers. |
Biodiesel seeded by big crop yields
Seattle Post Intelligencer, February 9
One of the big hurdles with the push toward ethanol and biodiesel is that U.S. farmers can't produce enough crops to actually make a dent in the oil needs of the country. ... Increasing the amount of corn or canola grown on an acre of farmland is one of many ways in which companies are trying to tap into the alternative fuel business, said Douglas Tiffany, a research fellow at the University of Minnesota who has studied the economics of ethanol and biodiesel.
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Minnesota Editorial Roundup
West Central Tribune, February 8
Here are some excerpts from recent editorials that appeared in Minnesota newspapers… With plants expected to be constructed soon, economists C. Ford Runge at the University of Minnesota and Benjamin Senauer say those plants will use 35 percent of the corn crop.
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House committee looks at U of M ag research efforts
Agri News, February 6
Research efforts at the University of Minnesota took center stage at a House committee meeting last week. University of Minnesota Deans Bev Durgan, Allen Levine and Jeff Klausner testified Jan. 31 before the House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veteran's Affairs Finance Committee.
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Emerald ash borer could cause chaos in Minnesota forests
Winona Daily News, February 5
A half-inch bug is sending chills through Minnesota foresters and entomologists as it threatens to move into state forests. ... "I dont know if weve ever seen another disease or insect that has done what this can do in Minnesota forests,'' said Lee Frelich, forest ecologist and director of the Center for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota."
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Nutrition: Adolescents Aren’t Eating Their Vegetables
New York Times, February 5
Young children often turn up their noses at healthy food, and the skepticism seems to reappear during the teenage years. ... The researchers, led by Nicole I. Larson a University of Minnesota Ph.D candidate in nutrition, found two dips in the intake of fruits and vegetables during the teenage years.
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Imported Chinese bug could destroy Minnesota forests
KARE 11, February 5
A half-inch bug is sending chills through Minnesota foresters and entomologists as it threatens to move into state forests. ... "I dont know if we've ever seen another disease or insect that has done what this can do in Minnesota forests," said Lee Frelich, forest ecologist and director of the Center for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota.
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Editorial: The market will solve food-fuel dilemma
Mankato Free Press, February 6
Just when we thought booming ethanol production would help rural America with much needed economic development and urban America with an alternative fuel supply, some economists are now predicting the ethanol boom will create more world hunger. ... With plants expected to be constructed in the near future, economists C. Ford Runge at the University of Minnesota and Benjamin Senauer say those plants will use 35 percent of the corn crop.
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Allen Levine: Big game doesn't mean you have to eat big, too
Star Tribune, February 4
Some thoughts to ponder as you graze at the Super Bowl party buffet table this afternoon: ... Allen Levine is dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota. He also directs the Minnesota Obesity Center at the university. |
Don’t stop with corn, legislators say
In-Forum - North Dakota, February 4
Corn is just the beginning. ... “It’s a huge amount of increase over where we are today,” Eric Larson, a Princeton University researcher, said during a recent biofuels conference at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus. | | |
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Corn: Fuel or food?
Kansas City Star, February 4
Full fuel tanks could mean many more empty bellies within the next two decades, according to new research by two University of Minnesota economists. The number of hungry people worldwide could grow by more than 50 percent by 2020, as corn, sugar and other food staples are increasingly devoted to making fuel here and abroad, according to the projections by C. Ford Runge and Benjamin Senauer. |
Chris Niskanen: Conservation council determined to create a new, workable model
Pioneer Press, February 4
Since November, at Gov. Tim Pawlenty's behest, 16 Minnesotans have been meeting to determine a path for conservation in Minnesota. ... "I don't know if anyone has ever taken such a broad look at conservation,'' said Mike Kilgore, 47, a University of Minnesota professor who is chairing the council.
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