Food traceability has been defined as “the ability to track and trace any food through […]

By looking through the lens of One Health, we identify key lessons learned in the […]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) considers a product’s life cycle & quantifies the relevant impacts caused by it. The agricultural & food communities need to familiarize themselves with LCA use & interpretation because of its use to examine & quantify the impacts of agricultural production & its growing influence on decision-making.

Innovation in agricultural production is necessary to aid in combatting the negative effects of climate change and new pest and disease pressures that result from trade between geographical regions.

The transition team for the Biden Administration introduced the Climate 21 Project as the blueprint for how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can help advance the role of agriculture and forestry to mitigate and adapt to climate change pressures. This report will summarize for each of the key recommendations and priorities where current agricultural science and technology for plant and animal production can be applied and where new investments will be critical to meeting the goals of the administration.

This issue paper presents opportunities provided by ground and aerial robots for improved crop and animal production, and the challenges associated with their progress and adoption.

This new paper covers the wide range of inter-disciplinary topics encompassed by biofortification including the economic justification for biofortification, bioavailability and efficacy of biofortified crops, crop development, catalyzing the scale up of biofortification, and the potential of transgenic approaches in biofortification.

This paper discusses the crucial factors of what we define as empirically based science (rigorous, proven methodologies, and peer reviewed results), emphasizing that whether science is conducted by a private company, a university, or a government department or agency, it is all the same, requiring that sound methodologies be followed.

Modern agriculture is successful today because of advances in mechanization, breeding, nutrients (e.g., fertilization), and pest and disease management, all of which enhance crop productivity and provide greater food security. Expanding the use of crop microbiomes to improve plant production is the next agricultural revolution.

Since the end of the Second World War, the United States has pursued a national policy of an abundant and inexpensive food supply. Increased animal productivity has improved efficiencies of animal production and reduced the carbon footprint for production of meat, milk, and eggs. Some components of the technologies employed by animal producers to improve efficiency of animal production include improved nutrition and reproduction; advances in genetics; and health and management practices; as well as feed additives, hormonal treatments, and growth enhancing technologies (GETs).