UT Extension to Help Tennessee Farmers Navigate Labor Management
University of Tennessee Extension and GAP Connections recently received a grant from the Southern Extension Risk Management Education Center to launch a series of workshops across the state to help agricultural producers and agribusinesses navigate the intricacies of labor management. Professor and interim department head Margarita Velandia is a codirector for this project.
UTIA Collaborating with HudsonAlpha on $1 Million NSF Engines Development Award
The latest planning grant, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines program, will help establish a green bioeconomy in the Southeast, create jobs, and train diverse individuals across STEM disciplines. AREC faculty are contributing to this effort.
UTIA Investigates Beef Price Spread Relationship with Processing Capacity Utilization
Researchers from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and Mississippi State University found no statistical evidence that weekly or Saturday slaughter capacity utilization is used by beef packers to control price spread following temporary closures of beef processing facilities in recent years. The AREC research team includes Charley Martinez, Pengzhen Li, Chris Boyer, and Edward Yu.
UTIA Analyzes Strategic Cropping System to Promote Climate Change Resiliency
Researchers and Extension specialists at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture have received a grant to study alley cropping as a viable solution to mitigate crop stress and improve the sustainability of organic vegetable production amid climate extremes in the Southeast. The AREC researchers on the team are Carlos Trejo-Pech and Margarita Velandia.
UTIA Scientists Receive $800,000 Grant to Further Research on Oilseed Crops
Departmental professors Chris Boyer and Edward Yu are part of a UTIA research team studying the value of winter oilseed crops as biofuels. Researchers will examine how oilseed crops, such as pennycress, camelina, carinata and flax, can be integrated into farming practices to complement food crop production and improve agricultural sustainability. Boyer and Yu are analyzing the relationship between input uses and crop outputs. Virginia Sykes and Frank Yin with the Department of Plant Sciences, along with now retired AREC professors James Larson and Burt English, started the project in 2019. The latest Shell PLC grant provides funding to continue this research through 2025.
UT Institute of Agriculture Receives Grant to Tackle Digital Literacy
The UT Institute of Agriculture received a grant to implement the 4-H Tech Changemakers program, the latest effort to tackle digital literacy and facilitate greater digital access for all Tennessee residents. Sreedhar Upendram teamed up with Tennessee 4-H Youth Development for this project.