AgNext at Colorado State University

Last week I had the opportunity to visit AgNext at Colorado State University, my alma mater where I received my undergraduate degree. It was great to learn about the work the group is focused on and their insights related to animal agriculture. It brought back memories spending the summer in the corn field at the Agricultural Research, Development and Education Center (ARDEC) when I worked for USDA ARS in high school. ARDEC has certainly changed since then, but it was exciting to learn about their trajectory and vision for the future.

AgNext at ARDEC

Our hosts were Erica Giesenhagen, Manager of Communications, and Dr. Pedro Carvalho, Assistant Professor and Feedlot Specialist. Dr. Carvalho provided his insights regarding the future for methane emission tracking and some of the challenges associated with modeling emissions. One of the major challenges is making sure that data are collected at appropriate intervals which mimic natural feeding habits. Seeing the state of the art technology the group is using to test different protocols was very interesting.

Methane emission tracking system

Through improved technology and methods, the team hopes to be able to better inform sustainable animal production systems. While at ARDEC we also had a chance to visit the CoBank Center for Agricultural Education. It is a fantastic facility and it was fun to see some names we recognized in The Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame.

CoBank Center for Agricultural Education

Learning about AgNext and their research was very useful as I continue to think about some of the critical issues facing agriculture and the food system. Ensuring that we have a strong linkage between robust science, and the ability to communicate this science with policy makers, the public, and other stakeholders is critical.