Article Archive

A sprayable bioplastic helps deliver beneficial microbes to fight aflatoxins and other pathogens and pests.

Dec 09, 2019

A Green Alternative to Pesticides for Cranberry Growers

ARS scientists are trying to ensure a sustainable future for cranberries.

Dec 02, 2019

Under the Microscope: How Crops are Responding to Global Atmospheric Change

Learn more about molecular biologist Lisa Ainsworth's work on crop responses to global atmospheric change.

Nov 26, 2019

ARS Science is Helping Turkey Producers

animals

ARS scientists in Beltsville, Maryland are working to improve turkey production.

Nov 25, 2019

50 Years of Solving Peanut Problems

The ARS National Peanut Research Laboratory celebrates 50 years of research on the popular legume.

Nov 18, 2019

Veterans Find a New Mission in Farming

ARS is part of a program to help military veterans explore careers in agriculture.

Nov 12, 2019

ARS Featured Photo - Honey Bee

Cute as Can Bee! Learn more ARS honey bee research.

Nov 05, 2019

Striking (Huckleberry) Gold

The Agricultural Research Services strikes gold with a new potato variety.

Nov 04, 2019

Better Test, Greater Safety

An ARS scientist developed monoclonal antibodies that screen for botulinum toxin.

Oct 28, 2019

ARS support scientist, Sarah Fishel adjusting the centrifuge speed of the MAPHEX system

Mining Manure for Phosphorus

A mobile system removes phosphorus from manure offering flexibility in using nutrient to fertilize crops.

Oct 21, 2019

A scientist adds mulch to black-eyed Susan flowers in the Pollinator Garden

Planting for Pollinators

plants insects

The ARS Bee Research Lab maintains a Pollinator Garden as an educational tool.

Oct 15, 2019

A bottle of cedarwood oil and white cedarwood oil emulsion.

Cedar’s Hidden Potential

ARS research finds cedarwood oil has potential as a natural pest-control agent and wood treatment.

Oct 10, 2019

The research site 10 years later, in May 2018, is dominated by a healthy mix of Siberian wheatgrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Sherman big bluegrass

Cheating Cheatgrass

Controlling cheatgrass to restore rangelands, reduce wildfires and increase sustainable grazing resources.

Oct 07, 2019

Healthier Waterways, Healthier You

ARS researchers studied bacterial levels in the waters collected by the Upper Oconee Watershed Network.

Sep 30, 2019

Farm-Fresh Produce and You!

Farmers markets are an important link between local farms and communities.

Sep 24, 2019

Jamie Flood updating Wikipedia entries about the special collections of Dr. Hazel Stiebling and watercolorist, Deborah Passmore .

National Agricultural Library Welcomes Wikipedian-in-Residence

The Library will host a public edit-a-thon on September 20 in Beltsville, MD

Sep 16, 2019

A parasitic phorid fly attempts to lay an egg into a fire ant worker.

Natural Enemies Close In on Fire Ants

Hunting for natural enemies of the red imported fire ant is paying off.

Sep 09, 2019

The Robot Hexapod (RHEX) with several different sensor attachments

Gone with the Wind?

How a robot may show us why soils are disappearing.

Sep 03, 2019

A New Way To Train Blackberry Canes

A newly developed rotating cross-arm trellis and cane-training system helps blackberry growers.

Aug 26, 2019

How Do You Confuse a Sharpshooter?

insects plants

By tapping into the vibrational signals they use as mating calls.

Aug 19, 2019

Fungus Fights Oxygen-Sucking Water Weed

Giant salivnia damages aquatic ecosystems by outgrowing and replacing native plants.

Aug 12, 2019

Happy 75th Birthday, Smokey Bear!

Smokey Bear celebrates his 75^th birthday this week. Learn more.

Aug 05, 2019

USDA-ARS Food Scientists Cook Up New Uses for Ancient Grains

A USDA lab is using ancient grains to create foods with added health benefits.

Jul 29, 2019

Long-Term Data, Real-World Results

LTAR research provides a greater understanding of the complexity of agroecosystem landscapes.

Jul 25, 2019

Maturing Baldwin blueberries, turning from pink to purple.

Breeding Blueberries with Better Traits

ARS scientists are on the forefront of research to provide growers and consumers with the very best berries.

Jul 22, 2019

In a Pickle: Benefits of Fermented Cucumbers

Scientists have identified in fermented cucumbers, peptides known to have anti-hypertensive properties.

Jul 16, 2019

Heather Allen, Jo Anne Crouch and Sara Lupton.

Three ARS Scientists Win Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers

Scientists win highest honor given to outstanding early-career scientists and engineers.

Jul 10, 2019

ARS Collection Reaches a Milestone

animals

USDA's National Animal Germplasm Collection researches a major milestone.

Jul 09, 2019

ARS food technologists perform a sensory panel taste test of catfish samples.

Batter Up: Catfish Fillets for Baking

food safety plants insects

ARS researchers are exploring ways to make battered catfish that’s tasty, crispy, and more appealing.

Jul 08, 2019

ARS Research in Your July 4th Celebration

ARS scientists play an essential role in bringing products to your grocery store shelves.

Jul 01, 2019

Giving Tortilla Chips a Vitamin E Boost

ARS study reveals vitamin E can be successfully added to frying oil and fried foods, like tortilla chips.

Jun 24, 2019

USDA Researchers Help Honeybees Keep Pollinating Our Food Crops

Scientists with the USDA are studying ways to keep honeybees stress-free and healthy.

Jun 17, 2019

Bacteria Turn Table Sugar into More

animals natural resources

ARS scientists have a new job for lactic acid bacteria: turning sucrose into a sugar called isomelezitose.

Jun 10, 2019

ARS medical veterinary officer Amy Vincent and ARS physical scientist Feng Gao.

Two ARS Scientists Received the Arthur S. Flemming Award

Two scientists are honored for outstanding scientific achievements in animal health and remote sensing.

Jun 04, 2019

Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund

BARD provides ARS scientists opportunities for collaborative research with an Israeli counterpart.

Jun 03, 2019

BARD Infographic

U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research And Development Fund

May 28, 2019

Cuphea Oil Chemical Repels Pests

plants insects

The seeds of a purple-flowered annual known as cuphea could be the source of another insect repellent.

May 28, 2019

Honeysuckle’s Sweet Scent Not So Kind to Mosquitoes

In ARS laboratory studies essential oils in Italian honeysuckle killed 100 percent of mosquito larvae.

May 20, 2019

Opening a Window to an Unseen World

Images from the ARS Electron and Confocal Microscopy Unit have scientific photography awards.

May 13, 2019

Meat rubs across the continuous sampling device (CSD) cloth into collection bin.

Beefing Up E. coli Detection

ARS scientists have developed new methods to test beef for the presence of harmful pathogens.

May 06, 2019

USDA-ARS Partnership Leads To Low Glycemic Sweetener For Diabetics

USDA researchers have developed a low-glycemic sweetener, a benefit for diabetics and crop farmers.

Apr 29, 2019

“Candling” eggs to look for quality downgrades.

How We Store Our Eggs—and Why

It is a question anyone who has ever eaten or cooked an egg might want to ask: How should we store them?

Apr 23, 2019

Stacks of eggs in cartons awaiting the washing process

How We Store Our Eggs -- Bonus Content

Q & A About Storing Eggs Safely

Apr 23, 2019

ARS Scientists Safeguarding Food with a New Test Kit

A test kit developed by ARS can help protect food from mycotoxins.

Apr 15, 2019

Joan Lunney, Kerry O'Donnell, and Carroll P. Vance.

Three Scientists Inducted into ARS Science Hall of Fame

Three Scientists Are Being Honored For Their Achievements In Pioneering And Impactful Research.

Apr 10, 2019

ARS Honors Research Scientists and Other Employees

ARS honors top researchers for their scientific contributions and achievements.

Apr 09, 2019

Stink Bugs Face Natural Enemies

An ARS entomologist is focused on finding natural ways to control stink bugs.

Apr 08, 2019

Controlling Emerald Ash Borer

The emerald ash borer is destroying ash trees, which are used to make baseball bats. (Photo: Getty Images)

Apr 01, 2019

USDA's Culture Collection Helps Scientists Worldwide

A massive collection of scientific cultures is part of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

Mar 27, 2019

Laboratory technician holding a yeast culture.

ARS Culture Collection: A Valuable Resource

The ARS Culture Collection safeguards important microbial resources from around the world.

Mar 26, 2019

Thanks a Clot!

ARS scientists developed a nonwoven cotton gauze that quickly stanches bleeding and promotes healing.

Mar 18, 2019

Pairing Up Plants

Growing companion plants with crops creates a “push-pull” effect on pests.

Mar 11, 2019

Barley and Hops: Beer’s Top Crops

ARS researchers play a role in enhancing the quality of the hops and barley needed to produce beer.

Mar 06, 2019

Two hands holding barley, which has been partially malted, with rootlets still attached

ARS Lab Evaluates Malted Barley

Each year, ARS researchers evaluate about 6,000 samples of malting barley.

Mar 06, 2019

ARS Monitoring Water Quality Using Drones

ARS scientists are using drones to sample irrigation ponds for E. coli.

Feb 25, 2019

Bee-Blood Sucker? Maybe Not …

There’s surprising news about a pest that’s the main culprit in global honey bee colony losses.

Feb 19, 2019

Welcome to Tellus

Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Administrator of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, introduces a new platform, Tellus, for sharing ARS success stories and more.

Feb 11, 2019

Spotted Lanternfly Lands in U.S.

The spotted lanternfly, first sighted in Pennsylvania, is an invasive pest to the United States.

Feb 11, 2019

Plant Explorers on Film

A 1925 film of USDA plant explorers David Fairchild and Palemon Dorsett's collecting trip has been found.

Feb 10, 2019

Historical Video Discovered

Clip taken from the 1925 silent film “Agricultural Explorations in Ceylon, Sumatra and Java.”

Feb 09, 2019

Stellar Year In Delivering Solutions to Global Challenges

ARS continues to deliver scientific solutions to national and global agricultural challenges.

Feb 08, 2019

Going Nuts Over Calories

ARS research shows tree nuts provide fewer calories than shown on labels.

Feb 07, 2019

Elizabeth Ainsworth Receives NAS Prize