Grants
Organic Accelerator: New Study Investigates Grazing Living Mulches for Soil Health
Organic demand is hot, but organic farms are declining in North Carolina. Ekrem Ozlu and four partner institutions embark on a four-year USDA NIFA project to evaluate cover crop mixes and animals grazing living mulches to jumpstart soil health in organic systems.
Could NC Export Poop For Profit?
NC has more phosphorus from animal manure than our farms can use. NC State is partnering to evaluate a low-cost swine sludge dryer to reduce hog lagoon sludge and create farm revenue from exported fertilizer.
Big Data’s FRST Step In Environmental Stewardship
Soil testing is the main way growers assess specific soil nutrient status and evaluate supplemental needs. Soil science researcher Deanna Osmond and team thinks it’s time to loose the power of big data to address one of agriculture’s most nagging issues, nutrient management.
Grant to Study Occurrence of PFAS in Biosolids and Swine Sludge
North Carolina’s Attorney General has awarded a three-year, $242,000 grant to NC State’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences to study the potential presence and fate of PFAS in biosolids and swine sludge.
Agroecology Students Build Sustainable Food Forest
The Agroecology Education Farm at NC State has an exciting new project taking root, which will offer long-term opportunities for students and the NC State community to learn about the sustainable cultivation of fruit trees.
$10M grant to NC State, USDA-ARS to advance cover crops, transform agriculture
Chris Reberg-Horton, a professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, will co-lead a five-year, $10 million grant to improve the sustainability and profitability of agriculture by advancing the study and use of cover crops such as rye, clover and radishes.
Mapping Wetland Soils Guides NC Coastal Land Use
Salt and sediment usually convey a negative connotation in environmental contexts. But researchers like Dr. Matthew Ricker, NC State Crop & Soil Sciences, report that their threat or value depends on where they occur.