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Enhancing farming sustainability - ASTA's online seed guide

By Farms.com

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) introduces an online seed guide facilitating farmers' access to professional seed suppliers. This resource simplifies seed selection for environment, conservation, and cover crops, promoting sustainability in agriculture.

ASTA President Andy LaVigne stresses the significance of proactive planning in seed procurement. Professional seeds are meticulously processed and tested, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing weed presence, thereby supporting farmers' success and sustainability goals.

The guide, regularly updated with input from ASTA members, offers the latest information on locally sourced seeds. Survey findings suggest a rise in cover crop planting, driven by USDA initiatives. This underscores the guide's importance in advocating for sustainability and meeting the increasing demand for conservation resources.


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Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker


Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.