Professors brief Congress on carbon offsets
Cornell professors Antonio Bento and David Wolf briefed the House and Senate on Capitol Hill, Nov. 18-19, on 'The Role of Agriculture and Forestry in Emerging Carbon Markets.' (Nov. 24, 2009)

Local Foods Fair fosters community ties to farmers
The Local Foods Fair in Mann Library, Nov. 19, offered ways that community members can support small farmers and vice versa. (Nov. 24, 2009)

New grant enhances program to help budding farmers
Cornell's Small Farms Program has received a new three-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to broaden its support for new farmers in the Northeast. (Nov. 23, 2009)

Map of variation in maize genes may aid breeding efforts
New techniques may allow breeders and researchers to use this map of genetic variation to study and improve maize varieties. (Nov. 19, 2009)

Prized fungi collection returns to China
University delegates returned a rare collection of fungi to China Nov. 7, 70 years after it was smuggled out of the country and brought to Cornell for safekeeping. (Nov. 12, 2009)

First Ithaca-Qatar debate argues tobacco funding
At the first Cornell intercampus debate Nov. 4, students from Ithaca debated Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar students in Doha about funding from tobacco companies. The Cornell-Ithaca team won. (Nov. 12, 2009)

Cornell releases predator beetle to battle hemlock pest
Cornell researchers released a well-studied beetle predator to test its ability to ward off a hemlock-killing aphid-like insect. (Nov. 10, 2009)

Nitrogen loss threatens desert plant life, study shows
Cornell researchers have discovered that heat leads to nitrogen loss in desert soils, a finding that may require climate change models to be altered. (Nov. 5, 2009)

Cornell Dining serves up Cornell-grown produce
This fall Cornell is taking the 'local foods' concept to a whole new level by buying corn, potatoes, squash and ornamental gourds directly from Cornell's farms. (Nov. 4, 2009)

CU receives $850,000 to improve specialty crops
With the grants, researchers will examine pest and disease management techniques, crop productivity and plant health in New York's specialty crops sector, which generates $1.3 billion annually. (Nov. 2, 2009)

New center to bring CU agricultural innovations to China
A Sept. 24 agreement between Cornell and China will increase Cornell researchers' understanding of real problems in China and help China benefit from Cornell's agricultural expertise. (Oct. 27, 2009)

Two students are finalists in inventors contest
Artificial tissues with an embedded vascular system and a skull base sealer were two Cornell student inventions honored as finalists in the 2009 Collegiate Inventors Competition in Chicago, Oct. 18-20. (Oct. 21, 2009)

CALS struts its stuff at New York Farm Days in D.C.
A College of Agriculture and Life Sciences exhibition at New York Farm Days Oct. 7 featured the college's undergraduate teaching programs that prepare leaders for the state's agricultural industries. (Oct. 19, 2009)

Undersecretary of agriculture visits NYC extension
To see how research can serve the public in urban and rural areas, the undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture turned to Cornell Cooperative Extension in New York City, Sept. 25. (Sept. 28, 2009)

Fertilizers may not help poorest African farmers
Researchers have linked poverty in sub-Saharan Africa with poor soil health, but two new Cornell studies find that the recommended practice of applying more fertilizer may not help the poorest farmers. (Sept. 24, 2009)

Environmental engineering degree now accredited
Now students can major in environmental engineering and graduate with an accredited degree in that field, which also qualifies them to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering examination. (Sept. 14, 2009)

Researchers uncover genetic origins of rice fragrance
A new Cornell study reports that the gene that gives rice its highly valued fragrance stems from an ancestor of basmati rice and dispels other long-held assumptions about the origins of basmati. (Sept. 1, 2009)

New lab in Portland, N.Y., focuses on vines and wines
Cornell deepened its century-long commitment to western New York's wine, grape and juice industries when it opened its new $5.4 million Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory, Aug. 25 (Aug. 28, 2009)

$3.2M grant to train students to tackle poverty issues
A new Cornell program funded by the National Science Foundation will train graduate students to use interdisciplinary approaches to tackle food systems problems that contribute to extreme poverty. (Aug. 26, 2009)

Gates grant to extend reach of ag journals in Africa
A new three-year, $1.8 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will extend TEEAL, The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library, to many more college libraries in sub-Saharan Africa. (Aug. 19, 2009)

Summer scholars focus on plant disease
The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station hosted 11 undergraduates from around the country in a new plant sciences program this summer. (Aug. 18, 2009)

Empire Farm Days boasts new crops, markets and methods
The 76th annual Empire Farm Days, the largest outdoor agricultural fair in the Northeast, Aug. 11-13, in Seneca Falls, N.Y., featured 600 exhibits of agricultural technology and products. (Aug. 12, 2009)

Mary had a lot of lambs
Sheep naturally lamb only once a year, but Cornell researchers have identified ways to to prompt ewes to breed at younger ages and more often. (Aug. 6, 2009)

Maize findings could offer insights into human genetics
Two new large-scale studies report major discoveries in maize genetics that could revolutionize maize breeding and may help researchers better predict complex traits in humans. (Aug. 6, 2009)

Indian students make history with dual-degree programs
The inaugural class of new Master of Professional Studies programs in plant breeding and food science arrived at Cornell's Ithaca campus from India's Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in early June. (July 27, 2009)

Cornell returns to a small village in the Andes
More than 50 years ago, a Cornell mission to a small village in Peru made profound changes, some good, some bad. Today, Cornell may help the community again. (July 23, 2009)

CALS genomicists aim to save citrus from 'greening'
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is working against a recently introduced disease known as citrus greening, which destroys citrus foods' taste and economic worth. (July 17, 2009)

Cornell receives $5.5 million for Bangladesh project
Cornell has been selected to lead a $5.5 million-plus project in Bangladesh as part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress program to provide international assistance in 2009. (July 13, 2009)

CCE to hold natural gas drilling meetings
Cornell Cooperative Extension will host public meetings across New York's Southern Tier in July and August to educate residents about the development of natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale. (July 9, 2009)

'Lab on a chip' to measure water stress in plants
Embedded microsensors being developed at Cornell will measure water stress in grapevines and will help vintners strike the precise balance between drought and overwatering. (July 6, 2009)

Late blight is killing tomatoes, potatoes this year
Gardeners beware: This year in the eastern U.S., late blight is killing tomato and potato plants earlier than ever before, and basil downy mildew is affecting plants in gardens and on commercial farms. (July 1, 2009)

Cornell celebrates partnership with Sathguru
Cornell honored its 15-year collaboration with India-based Sathguru Management Consultants and the 10th anniversary of the Cornell-Sathguru Agribusiness Management Program June 25. (June 30, 2009)

Three USDA units at Cornell to receive $925,000
Three USDA labs at Cornell - the Holley Center for Agriculture and Health in Ithaca and the Plant Genetic Resources Unit and Grape Genetics Research Unit in Geneva - will share $925,000 for upgrades. (June 30, 2009)

Gardens bring military families together
Cornell is helping the military plant Defiant Gardens to give military families a way to connect with each other, with civilians and with their deployed parent or spouse. (June 24, 2009)

World use of fertilizer varies wildly, study shows
In a Science policy forum piece, co-author Laurie Drinkwater says that fertilizer is often used way too much or too little across the world, and both extremes have substantial human and environmental costs. (June 19, 2009)

Emeritus professor helps farmers in Malawi
Hugh Price recently returned from a CNFA Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer assignment to Malawi, where he worked with farmers, exporters and entrepreneurs to assess the country's horticulture industry. (June 19, 2009)

Deadly beetle threatens New York's ash trees
The threat posed by the emerald ash borer is 'extreme,' says entomologist E. Richard Hoebeke. 'There is the potential for ash as we know it to be extirpated from the landscape.' (June 18, 2009)

Milk goes 'green': Dairy farms use fewer resources
The dairy industry has reduced its carbon footprint by about one-third in the past 60 years, due to improved genetics, nutrition, herd management and animal welfare, reports a new Cornell study. (June 10, 2009)

Web tool helps grape growers pick vineyard sites
The Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences New York State Agricultural Experiment Station has launched a new Web tool to help state grape growers identify prime grape-growing locations. (June 10, 2009)

Redistributing farm topsoil is goal of ORIE project
For their 2008-09 master of engineering project, four operations research students set out to optimize the redistribution of topsoil over a farm in Iowa. (June 3, 2009)

Meeting developing-world challenges requires vision
Creating community partnerships and developing new techniques to share information are key ways that Cornell and other U.S. universities can help developing countries, says Vice Provost Alice Pell. (May 28, 2009)

$1 million grant explores health of dairy cows
Do dairy cows raised on organic farms produce different amounts of milk or suffer from less disease? A $1 million grant from the USDA will study 300 dairy farms - of which 200 meet organic standards. (May 11, 2009)

CU tests biological ways to control alfalfa pest
Cornell researchers are spending time in the fields this spring collecting 20,000 alfalfa snout beetles. They need them to test ways to biologically control the pests, which devour alfalfa and other crops. (May 1, 2009)

New apple varieties developed at CU being tested
Thirty apple orchard owners around New York state are growing new apple varieties developed at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva to test whether the apples should be commercialized. (April 30, 2009)

U.S. Sen. Gillibrand hosts economic roundtable
In her first visit to Cornell as New York's junior U.S. senator, Kirsten Gillibrand pledged to advocate for the university's agriculture and veterinary programs as a way of revitalizing New York state's economy. (April 8, 2009)

Visiting experts discuss world food crisis
The world food crisis may not be new, said food-policy experts speaking on campus April 3, but it is certainly growing increasingly complex in terms of water, climate, energy and cost, to name just a few factors. (April 8, 2009)

Professors present science to D.C. policymakers
Two professors addressed agriculture and climate change in Washington, D.C., March 27, to launch a new College of Agriculture and Life Sciences series of educational briefings for policymakers. (April 8, 2009)

New Cornell biofuels lab: Turning bales into barrels
Cornell just opened its new $6 million Biofuels Research Laboratory, where Cornell scientists and students from across the university are examining sustainable and economical biofuel production. (April 1, 2009)

Pesticide application method keeps chemicals on target
To prevent pesticides from drifting away and potentially posing risks to the environment, Cornell researchers have devised a solution: Apply the pesticides by encapsulating them in biodegradable nanofibers. (March 26, 2009)

New free online videos help mentor new farmers
The New York Beginning Farmer Project has just released a series of 12 online videos, 'Voices of Experience,' that are intended to mentor new farmers with advice from experienced farmers. (March 16, 2009)

Local foods: Good for your health and the economy
'Local foods, first' is more than a new food fad. It is a high priority for Albany policymakers, said New York agriculture commissioner Patrick Hooker at a March 10 conference on campus. (March 16, 2009)

Alumnus to head Agricultural Technology Foundation
Agronomist and business strategist Daniel Fungai Mataruka, Ph.D. '92, has been appointed executive director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation in Nairobi, Kenya. (March 4, 2009)

CU scholars to speak at Sun Grant conference
The event will feature a bevy of speakers and will showcase the latest innovations in bioenergy research, March 10-13 in Washington, D.C. (March 2, 2009)

Students expand vision in international ag course
Cornell students and Indian students from four universities added to their global perspective through the International Agriculture and Rural Development field course. (Feb. 19, 2009)

Alison Power discusses food security at AAAS
With proper management practices, farmers could grow crops while maintaining ecosystem services, said Cornell professor Alison Power during her AAAS presentation in Chicago. (Feb. 17, 2009)

Liu details role of apples in inhibiting breast cancer
Six studies published in the past year by Cornell researcher Rui Hai Liu support the growing evidence that apples and other fruits and vegetables with phytochemicals inhibit the growth of mammary tumors. (Feb. 12, 2009)

Cornell helps India's small farmers fight moth larvae
Small farmers in India will soon have a cheaper, safer and more effective option for growing one of India's favorite foods: genetically modified eggplant, developed with Cornell's help. (Feb. 10, 2009)

CU starts historic dual-degree programs with India
Starting this summer, Cornell and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University will offer dual-degree programs in food science and plant breeding with up to 15 Indian students accepted for each program. (Feb. 5, 2009)

Cornell helps develop robotic tractor and sprayer
Andrew Landers, a pesticide application engineer at NYSAES, is part of a $3.9 million USDA-funded project to develop, test and evaluate a fleet of autonomous tractors designed for precision agriculture applications. (Feb. 3, 2009)

CU signs grape agreement with Sun World International
Cornell and Sun World operate two of the world's leading fresh grape breeding programs. The venture aims to combine their research strengths to develop improved varieties for grape growers, both here and abroad. (Jan. 23, 2009)

Students help Botswana natural-foods company
Over winter break, a Cornell team went to Botswana to help a fledgling natural-food products company that produces snacks from plants in the wild while benefiting local communities. (Jan. 14, 2009)

How a terrorist food scare would affect consumers
In a study, when people at a buffet learned that the chicken being served might be tainted by bird flu, they ate less of it. But they ate even less when they were told that terrorism was behind the flu threat. (Jan. 14, 2009)