Providing food, feed, fiber, and fuels to a growing global population while addressing food safety and environmental concerns will need bold, visionary, and highly collaborative research efforts. This collaborative research demands that scientists bring their curiosity and desire to learn new skills, but it also requires venues and opportunities to observe, listen, and communicate with other scientists, stakeholders, producers, and industry partners. This has been recognized by such established groups as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) multi-regional projects, the USDA IR-4 program, the Agriculture and Food Research Institute and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Programs, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Effects Assessment Program, and the more-recently launched USDA-ARS Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network. While engaged in these networks, scientists of different disciplines can explore new sciences and find new opportunities to solve agricultural challenges. Three examples will be considered. (1) Endosulfan isomerization provided evidence to discern the contribution of spray drift and volatilization after application. (2) Modifications to the Gaussian Plume Model allowed for evaluation of the efficiency of vegetative environmental buffers to capture ammonia, particulate matter from poultry house emission. (3) The chirality changes in degradation product of metolachlor (MESA) and its signature time stamp can assist in assessing transport of nitrate to streams in response to land management changes. The discoveries made in these large experiments have led to changes in guidelines and management practices to improve the environmental footprint of agriculture.

Scientists observing, listening, and communicating to solve agricultural challenges

ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.