1/22/98

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE NEWS TIPS, JANUARY 1998

You can't spell tender without D. An ISU study shows feeding vitamin D to cattle improves the tenderness of beef. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is needed to break down proteins in muscle. Researchers consider the work a breakthrough on tenderness, and the cost per animal would be just a few cents a day.

Contact: F.C. Parrish, Animal Science, (515) 294-3280, or Karen Bolluyt, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-5616.

Got soy milk? Soy milk triggers some unflattering adjectives from taste testers. ISU researchers are toning down soybeans to better suit American taste buds. They are testing foods made from soybeans developed at ISU that lack three enzymes responsible for beany flavor. A significant improvement in soy milk flavor has been noted.

Contact: Walt Fehr, Agronomy, (515) 294-6865, or Brian Meyer, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0706.

Attack of the purple flower eaters. The pretty purple flowers look as though they were intentionally planted along the water's edge. But purple loosestrife gradually replaces native vegetation near Iowa waters. ISU entomologists are rearing and releasing beetles that feed on purple loosestrife. About 70,000 beetles were released in 1997.

Contact: John Obrycki, Entomology, (515) 294-8622, or Susan Thompson, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0705.

No velvet transition for Czechs. The Velvet Revolution aptly described the Czech Republic's smooth political transition from communism to democracy. But the rapid transition to capitalism has been anything but smooth on Czech families. ISU sociologists who are following the fortunes of 740 Czech families say the Czechs are looking very much like Americans with economic insecurities &emdash; tired and stressed out.

Contact: Frederick Lorenz, Sociology, (515) 294-8314, or Brian Meyer, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0706.

Plant hunters bring back variety. Since 1954 a group of horticulturists has searched the world for landscape plants that can thrive in the Midwest. Last year the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station at ISU sent nearly 600 pieces of plant germplasm to 35 institutions for evaluation. The work has led to the introduction of new kinds of forsythia, barberry, privet and other plants.

Contact: Mark Widrlechner, Agronomy, (515) 294-3511, or Ed Adcock, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-2314.

Helping banana growers a bunch. ISU is exploring a potentially fruitful opportunity for the Corn Belt to help the Banana Belt. Researchers are evaluating corn-based degradable plastics as potential problem-solvers in Costa Rican banana fields. Plastics used now to protect banana plants are polluting the land. In the lab and field, ISU is testing degradable films made from polylactic acid, a product of corn fermentation.

Contact: Tony Pometto, Food Science & Human Nutrition, (515) 294-9425, or Brian Meyer, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0706.

The skinny on fatty liver. Ketosis, a disease in high-producing dairy cows, costs U.S. farmers an estimated $150 million to $300 million each year. ISU researchers discovered that fatty liver, a related disorder, causes ketosis. By treating cows with a natural hormone called glucagon, they found they could rapidly clear up fatty liver.

Contact: Jerry Young, Animal Science, (515) 294-5889, or Brian Meyer, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0706.

Think spring, think strawberries. Good news for those who cherish strawberries. ISU researchers are working to solve several production problems encountered by Iowa's strawberry growers, including how temperature affects flowering of the plants and how natural methods can be used to control pests and weeds.

Contact: Gail Nonnecke, Horticulture, (515) 294-0037, or Susan Thompson, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0705.

The latest buzz in pollination. At a USDA facility at ISU, bees help preserve the seeds of 1,100 crop species by pollinating plants. Because honey bees are sometimes not the most effective or inexpensive means to pollinate crops, entomologists have studied alternative species. The horn-faced bee and the blue orchard bee have proven useful. On some cool-season crops they have increased seed yield and reduced costs.

Contact: Craig Abel, Agronomy, (515) 294-19360, or Karen Bolluyt, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-5616.

Latino life in Iowa towns. Latin American immigrants are making Iowa's rural communities a stop on their journey toward better opportunities. That can create growing pains in towns that don't have resources to cope with the influx. ISU rural development specialists are studying Latino immigration and offering help to stressed communities.

Contact: Cornelia Flora, Sociology, (515) 294-1329, or Ed Adcock, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-2314.

Revamped swine teaching farm. The first major renovation in 30 years has brought the ISU Swine Teaching Farm to the cutting edge of pork production. The new facilities, designed for a 70-sow herd in environmentally controlled buildings, are closer to what students will encounter in the industry. The farm lets students gain first-hand experience. Students help run the farm. Many are the sons and daughters of parents who worked there when they attended ISU.

Contact: Lauren Christian, Animal Science, (515) 294-2160, or Ed Adcock, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-2314.

Ag finance school grads make good. One is a minister of agriculture in Kyrgyzstan. Another is vice president of a bank in Latvia. Several are bank presidents in Russia. Graduates from ISU's schools of agricultural banking, credit and finance move up quickly to leadership positions in their countries. Since 1990 the Center for International Agriculture Finance has organized 45 schools. More than 1,200 from 23 countries have graduated. In 1997, the first school for Chinese bankers was held.

Contact: Neil Harl, Economics, (515) 294-6354, or Brian Meyer, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0706.

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