The sustainability of U.S. agriculture is threatened by the degradation and/or loss of ecosystem services through natural processes or human interventions such as reduced biological diversity, water and air pollution, and loss of soil quality.
Human activity has more than doubled the input of reactive nitrogen (N) to terrestrial systems, yet N availability remains a common limitation to plant production. Improved understanding of N cycling in agroecosystems is essential.
There is a need for improved landscape water conservation. This need can be partially met by finding and developing water conserving native plants for use as alternative landscaping materials.
As water demands increase, and available irrigation water supplies stay constant or decline in Utah, barley production systems will need to adapt to earlier maturity and to make use of winter precipitation and early spring moisture.
Crop pests negatively impact agricultural productivity and threaten global food security. Herbivorous insects often specialize on an narrow range of host plants. Novel pests can emerge when insects expand their host range to include crop species.
This project is designed to investigate the root cause of sub-fertility in high producing dairy cows. Many theories exist about why first-service conception rates are so low in lactating dairy cows in the US.
The current project is partially funded by USDA AFRI Agriculture and Natural Resources Science for Climate Variability and Change Challenge Area,Climate and Microbial Processes in Agroecosystems program grant 2016-67004-24920 to John Stark.
Plant breeding is a long-term research project. Because both biotic and abiotic stresses differ markedly between geographical areas, genotype by environment interactions can be exploited to develop cultivars.
Growers throughout the Intermountain West need local information on cropping options that allow better nutrient cycling and improved pest management for vegetables. Detailed information on cover crop systems and supplemental nutrient additions are needed...
One of the biggest and most complex problems facing society today is the issue of invasive plants. While the general public may not view invasive plants as a threat or even a problem, their importance is well documented scientifically.
A collection of diverse germplasm of the genera Prunus, Juglans, and Pistacia will be evaluated for their suitability for culinary fruit or nut production and for potential use as rootstocks adapted to the cold, dry, and alkaline conditions of the Intermo...
In this project we will test how three different rations using novel alfalfa products impact dairy cow performance. In this trial, we will provide the treatment ration for a period of three weeks.
The sustainability of U.S. agriculture is threatened by the degradation and/or loss of ecosystem services through natural processes or human interventions such as reduced biological diversity, water and air pollution, and loss of soil quality.
Promoting ecosystem nitrogen (N) retention is important for land managers and farmers, as nitrogen losses (via denitrification or leaching) contaminate surrounding natural systems, and represent an expensive waste of fertilizer.
The long-term goal of this project is to improve the profitability of Utah livestock producers, reduce the negative environmental impact of ruminant production and increase the food security of residents of Utah and the northern Mountain West.
Utah is the 2nd leading tart cherry producing state in the US. In order to remain competitive, new methods are needed for tart cherry production. Other alternative crops are needed that utilize the fruit processing infrastructure that exists with the tart...
As the atmosphere warms over much of the globe, precipitation events are predicted to become fewer but larger. This increasing precipitation intensity is expected to be a major driver of changes in terrestrial ecosystems in the coming decades.
Dairy products constitute the second largest sector of the organic agriculture industry in the US. And dairy cow replacement costs are second only to feed costs in magnitude for the average dairy farm: between one-third and one-fourth of the entire herd i...
Human activities have dramatically altered the global nitrogen cycle by increasing the amount of reactive nitrogen in the environment; human associated inputs of industrially produced N fertilizers and N fixation by crops now exceed the natural N inputs t...
We are going to see how a novel alfalfa product impacts growth and reproductive capacity of holstein dairy heifers when included in the ration as compared to a control ration that does not have any of the novel alfalfa feed.
Feeding cattle in feedlots is efficient, but problematic because feed yards produce concentrated ammonia emissions and animals are routinely treated with antibiotics and hormones that can contaminate the environment.
In order to remain economically viable, Utah’s agricultural producers are faced with the need to optimize crop inputs to maximize profits. Crop response to management can vary due to various factors.
The objectives of project 1329 are to determine the methane emissions, fatty acid concentrations, rates of feed passage, and nitrogen partitioning in waste of cattle on three types of pasture (a grass, a tannin-containing legume, and a non-tannin legume) ...
The goal of this project is to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of beef production in Utah and the Mountain West region. This work addresses concerns that beef consumers have about the welfare of cattle finished in feedlots.
