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Environmental science

The environment is important to everyone, but especially farmers. Farming depends on healthy soil, predictable climate and planning. These pieces highlight ways that data is informing farmer decisions, engineering is helping farmers solve problems, and science is affecting crop yield and best management practices.

A global pandemic doesn't stop water quality research
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A global pandemic doesn't stop water quality research‍

Every state that touches the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico or one of the Great Lakes has a Sea Grant Program. Sea Grant Programs are modeled after Land Grant Institutions, and take the research results and disseminate the information…
Barbara Bloetscher
leader

Barbara Bloetscher

State Apiarist/ Entomologist for The Ohio Dept of Agriculture, Division of Plant Health
Knows about: apiarist, biology, pollinators.
Barges, trains and trucks: Logistics and moving soybeans
unit 2 lessons

Barges, trains and trucks: Logistics and moving soybeans

Why is transportation for commodity crops so critical? Infrastructure is critical to the functions of the country, in particular the shipment of commodity crops such as soybeans. This unit introduces students to several types of infrastructure that are…
Barry McGraw
leader

Barry McGraw

Director, Product Development and Commercialization at the Ohio Soybean Council
Knows about: stem, aquaculture, engineering, research and development, soy-based products, soybeans.
Bio-stimulants for higher yields and carbon
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Bio-stimulants for higher yields and carbon‍

Bio-stimulants include both bacterial and fungal inoculants, various types of compost, and organic adjuvants that stimulate plant growth and improve yield.
Bioproducts
Video

Bioproducts

Ohio is a leading producer of soybeans and polymers which means thousands of job opportunities! Learn about the production of bioproducts and the many related career paths.
Chuck Crawford
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Chuck Crawford

Environmental Science Teacher at Dublin Jerome High School
Knows about: agriculture education, data, environmental science, simulations, urban farming.
Comparing nozzle spray rates for smart farming
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Comparing nozzle spray rates for smart farming

How do different nozzles affect application rates on crops? Dan Schmiesing of Upper Valley Career Center used the activity Managing nutrient and pesticide needs in agriculture with juniors in his Ag Power and Technology Class to show them!…
Controlling corn and soybean pests
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Controlling corn and soybean pests‍

Controlling pests of corn and soybeans can be difficult. Most farmers rely on seed treatments and broad-spectrum insecticides which terminate the pests but also takes out the beneficial natural predators.
CRISPR may save chocolate!!
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CRISPR may save chocolate!!

Reid Rice, research scientist for Pioneer, shared information about current seed research projects with the teachers at Ohio Soybean Council-sponsored Ag Biotech Academy. The participants learned about biotech in seed science. Rice said, “Trait…
Dinner and data and drones, oh my!: technology in agriculture
unit 3 lessons

Dinner and data and drones, oh my!: technology in agriculture

What technologies are used to help farmers become more productive and more sustainable? Drones (or UAVs-unmanned aerial vehicles) are taking to the skies. What are they doing up there? What other technologies are there that help growers become more productive, yet more thoughtful about…
Donna Meller
leader

Donna Meller

High school science teacher at Pettisville High School: Science 8, Environmental Science, Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and High School Research Class
Knows about: biology, chemistry, environmental science, food science, stem, anatomy & physiology, physics, renewable energy, science fair.
Drone demo at dinner
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Drone demo at dinner

Alex Ryan of OSU Precision Ag came to the Ag Biotech Academy industry dinner and demonstrated his drone to the teachers gathered there. He was able to fly the drone over the fields around the dinner area and display the video on a computer screen.…
Earthworms enhance soil tilth and fertility
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Earthworms enhance soil tilth and fertility‍

Every farmer loves to see earthworms in their soil because it indicates good soil health and productivity. Earthworms, cover crops, and no-till together are a great way to improve your soil.
Engineering solutions in agriculture
unit 2 lessons

Engineering solutions in agriculture

How does modern agriculture use engineering to address soil compaction? Looking for an activity that combines robotics, coding, and engineering with a real life problem? This unit uses MakeBlock parts, Scratch programming, and modeling to help students design a solution…
Global aquaculture
Video

Global aquaculture

Have you considered a career in aquaculture? Watch and learn more about this fast-growing, global career.
Greg LaBarge
leader

Greg LaBarge

Field Specialist, Agronomic Systems at The Ohio State University Extension
Knows about: ohio state university, agronomist, extension, nutrients, plant science, water quality.
Healthy soils suppress pests
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Healthy soils suppress pests‍

Farmers who improve soil health increase the amount of soil carbon being stored, and recycled. The increased carbon flow increases microbial numbers and efficiency leading to improved plant photosynthesis. The entire soil ecosystem functions at a…
Heather Bryan
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Heather Bryan

Former Environmental Science Teacher and Education Consultant at Education Projects & Partnerships
Knows about: biology, environmental science, farming, chickens.
How does flooding affect soybean germination?
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How does flooding affect soybean germination?‍

The recent heavy rains have created flooded conditions in many areas and producers need to understand how the standing water will affect their soybean fields.
Jason Hardin
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Jason Hardin

Microbiology and Environmental Science Teacher; Environmental Club Advisor at Gahanna Lincoln High School
Knows about: biology, environmental science, genetics, microbiology.
Jeff Goodbar
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Jeff Goodbar

Regional sales manager, Sunrise Cooperative
Knows about: biology, agronomy, biofuels, herbicides, fertilizer, plant genetics, agriscience, biotechnology.
Jeff Jostpille
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Jeff Jostpille

Biology, Anatomy, Environmental Science, Botany, Zoology, 8th Grade Science teacher at Fort Jennings High School
Knows about: biology, environmental science.
John Thomas
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John Thomas

Biotechnology and Environmental Science instructor at Tolles Technical Center, Fairbanks Middle and High School
Knows about: biotechnology, genetics, toxicology, aquaponics.
Kathy Daniels
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Kathy Daniels

AP Environmental Science, AP Biology, Environmental Science, Biology teacher for Mississinewa Community Schools
Knows about: alternative energy, biofuels, biotechnology, global climate change, gmos.
Lara Alpan
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Lara Alpan

Head of Science Outreach, Crop Science at Bayer
Knows about: plant breeding, global agriculture, stem, biotechnology.
Leah McHale
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Leah McHale

Professor, soybean breeder and geneticist at The Ohio State University
Knows about: ohio state university, horticulture, pest management, plant genetics, plant science, seeds.
Libby Dayton
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Libby Dayton

Soil Scientist at the Ohio State University
Knows about: ohio state university, nutrients, plant science, water quality, soil science.
Living the hive life: honey bees and pollinators
unit 4 lessons

Living the hive life: honey bees and pollinators

How important are honey bees to our food supply? What’s happening to honey bees? This unit contains three different ways to learn about honey bees and pollinators: a video for all to learn more about bees and how to successfully keep them, a…
Maintaining our yield: assessing biotic and abiotic factors
unit 3 lessons

Maintaining our yield: assessing biotic and abiotic factors

How do biotic and abiotic factors affect populations? Create experiments to test how abiotic factors impact soybean germination, go into the field and laboratory to determine the impact of aphid populations on soybeans, and experiment with aphid…
Managing plant pathogens using integrated pest management (IPM)
Video

Managing plant pathogens using integrated pest management (IPM)

Do you like to work outside? A Plant Pathology and Microbiology Scientist talks about scouting for pest problems in a soybean field. Thank you to PBS Learning Media for providing this video. Credit: This module was designed and produced by Iowa…
Not your grandparent's soils
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Not your grandparent's soils‍

“You are not farming the same soils your grandparents farmed,” said Hans Kok, Program Director for the Conservation Technology Information Center in Indiana. Over the past 100 years, farming practices employed in America have led to a deterioration…
Plant nutrient availability
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Plant nutrient availability‍

Plant nutrient availability is dependent on several factors including soil moisture, temperature, microbes, pH, chemical nutrient form, and plant root proximity.
Practices that promote birds, bees, and butterflies
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Practices that promote birds, bees, and butterflies‍

The ideal farm setting for bee and butterfly conservation are smaller fields (10 acres) separated by fencerows or buffer strips. A diversity of flowering plants throughout the growing season offers these pollinators refuge and extra food.
Precision agriculture
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Precision agriculture

Matt Liskai the President/Co-Owner of Green Field Ag talks about his career in precision agriculture.
Promoting beneficial insects
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Promoting beneficial insects‍

There are three major ways to fight harmful insects: chemical insecticides, good plant nutrition from soil health, and by promoting insect predators.
Reducing nitrogen runoff
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Reducing nitrogen runoff‍

Healthy soils keep our nutrients recycling, plant available, and result in less nitrogen pollutions (less N runoff or N lost as atmospheric gases).
Roots eat bacteria
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Roots eat bacteria‍

Do plant roots really eat bacteria? The answer is Yes (sort of!). In the last 5-10 years, our understanding of how plants acquire nutrients has changed dramatically.
Smart farming: using data to make decisions
unit 5 lessons

Smart farming: using data to make decisions

What kind of data do farmers use to make decisions? Where does that data come from? Become a “farmer” on a journey from pre-planting to harvest to see what decisions farmers are making every year as they farm. Growers across the country are gaining access to more and…
Summit students tackle food security
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Summit students tackle food security

Food security—it’s a BIG issue! The Ohio STEM Learning Network’s 2019 Design Challenge is to work as a team to imagine, design and prototype a solution to increase food security in your life, community, or world. Students across Ohio are considering…
The dirt on soil health
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The dirt on soil health‍

“Farmers need to grow the ‘herd’ of organisms below the soil surface, and help regenerate the soil,” said Brown. There are a number of factors that go into growing the ‘herd’ or organisms. The use of cover crops is one key to feeding the organisms.
The smell of rain and microbes
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The smell of rain and microbes‍

Rain on healthy soils may decrease stress and improve your mood by 60%. The human nose can detect geosmin at 5 part per trillion or very low levels. That’s why a good rain can be so refreshing to human mental health and is related to healthy soil…
Todd Tayloe
leader

Todd Tayloe

Anatomy and Physiology, Zoology, and Ecology teacher at Carroll High School
Knows about: anatomy & physiology, zoology, ecology.
Waste management not really that different for the city and the farm
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Waste management not really that different for the city and the farm‍

Ever since the harmful algal bloom (HAB) of 2014 developed in the Maumee Bay of Western Lake Erie and impacted the water intake and treatment plant for the City of Toledo, the question of who is to blame has been center stage. Unfortunately, as…
Water quality
e-learning

Water quality

What factors are used to judge water quality? What human activities might lead to cultural eutrophication and harmful algal blooms? Students will learn about the process and effects of cultural eutrophication and describe ways to reduce risk.
Water quality and human impacts
unit 3 lessons

Water quality and human impacts

Why is water quality important? How is water quality measured? The US EPA has set water quality standards in accordance with the Clean Water Act: Water quality standards are important because they help to protect and restore the quality of the Nation’s…
Watersheds, wetlands and water quality data analysis
unit 4 lessons

Watersheds, wetlands and water quality data analysis

Why is water quality important? What factors impact water quality? This unit will discuss the importance of water quality, describe several impacts to water quality, and include a data analysis activity that students complete to determine how wetlands play a role in…
Where does our food come from, anyway? Sustainable ag systems
unit 3 lessons

Where does our food come from, anyway? Sustainable ag systems

How do growers’ decisions affect the sustainability of agricultural systems? Understand and appreciate food producers through this case study and determine what decisions must be made on a yearly, monthly, or daily basis to maintain an environmental system that will continue…
Working on water quality: touring a demonstration farm
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Working on water quality: touring a demonstration farm

The environment matters to everyone, but especially to farmers—they make their living from the land! So when water quality in Lake Erie is compromised, farmers want to do their part to help. Teachers at the recent Ohio Soybean Council-sponsored…