New research is exploring combining the best traits of traditional table grapes with muscadines to create disease-resistant, flavorful grapes consumers will love. Dr. Margaret Worthington, explains the project she co-leads to create a new grape variety…
Food, Farms & Forests Podcast
LISTEN: Tracking Mallards Migration: Research and Conservation for Arkansas’ Duck Season
Duck hunting season takes place in November and December in Arkansas and duck hunters and experts are watching for birds coming into the area in October, a group often referred to as “Halloween ducks”. Dr. Doug Osborne, professor in the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources
LISTEN: Feast or Fowl – Why You Might Pay More for Turkey and Eggs This Holiday Season
Dr. Jada Thompson breaks down the economic factors affecting turkey and egg prices for the upcoming holiday season. She discusses the highly pathogenic avian influenza and avian metapneumovirus, or aMPV, how producers adjust supply in response to potential outbreaks, and the impacts…
LISTEN: Exploring Land Use and Nutrient Availability in Brazil’s Dry Tropics
Dr. Natalie Clay talks about her research on decomposition in Brazil’s dry tropical forests supported by the Fulbright Scholar Program, the world’s largest and most diverse international education exchange program…
LISTEN: How Replanting Forests Can Improve Ecological Benefits and Empower Landowners
We explore the Restoring Bottomland Hardwood Forests project with principal investigator Dr. Nana Tian. Planting begins this fall, and over the next 3 to 5 years, this project aims to restore approximately 600 acres of Arkansas bottomland forests by planting oak species and other hardwoods…
LISTEN: Rooting for the Future – Restoring Arkansas’s Bottomland Hardwood Forests
Dr. Michael Blazier, Dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, discusses the Restoring Bottomland Hardwood Forests project, a $3.7 million initiative that plans to convert idle farmland into thriving ecosystems…
LISTEN: Better Rice – Boosting Food Security, Profits without Increasing Yield
Arkansas could produce an estimated 1 to 3.5 million more servings of rice per year. That’s according to recent research analyzing rice quality in the state. In this episode of Food, Farms and Forests, Dr. Lanier Nalley explains his research on the impacts of improving rice milling quality…
LISTEN: Building REDI-NET: A Defense Against Emerging Pathogens
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Emily McDermott, assistant professor of medical and veterinary entomology, and Dr. Cameron Osborne, a postdoctoral fellow, to discuss the REDI-NET project and how their research is contributing to building the database for the Department of Defense…
LISTEN: “New” Herbicides Could Soon Be An Option for Blackberry Growers
In this episode of Food, Farms & Forests, Dr. Matt Bertucci, an assistant professor in the horticulture department, discusses his recent research on using herbicides normally used in row crops in blackberry production…
LISTEN: Optimizing Blackberry Pest Management: The Impact of RCA Trellising and Spray Coverage
We discuss a study on the interaction of trellising type and spray coverage in blackberries. Aaron Cato, an extension specialist in the horticulture department focusing on integrated pest management…
LISTEN: Addressing the Need for Academic Training in Agricultural Communications
In this Food, Farms & Forest episode, we learn about the development of the first agricultural communications program in the UK…
LISTEN: How Pesticides Help Advance Sustainable Agriculture
In this episode, we learn about research that shows pesticide use can increase productivity and profits for producers, and alleviate pressure on water, land, and energy resources per unit of crop produced.
LISTEN: Mow less – Studies Show Less is More When Mowing Noxious Weed
Two recent studies have revealed that mowing silverleaf nightshade, a poisonous and noxious weed, enhances its fitness and defenses, making it more robust and resistant to insect predation…
LISTEN: New Fertilizer Decision Tool Could Save Farmers Money and Help the Environment
FRST is an interactive online tool that provides soil testing data to farmers and scientists. This resource is free and aims to offer better and more information to farmers so that they can decide how to best treat their soil…
LISTEN: How Malted Rice Could Become a Key Ingredient in Beer Brewing
Scott Lafontaine, flavor chemist and assistant professor in the food science department, explains the science behind malted rice and how it could become another tool for the beer brewing industry…
Jan. 2022: Better Beer Brewing, Night Pollinators and Weedy Rice
Nick Kordsmeier spoke with Scott Osborn about his improved method for carbonating beer and how it’s helping a local brewery speed up production.