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The Cambria County Farm Bureau will hold its annual dinner and business meeting Sept. 23 at the Saint Benedict Community Center, 116 Dunsmore Road, Saint Benedict.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed by a discussion and vote on proposed policy resolutions for local, state and national issues.
For reservations, call or text Marty Yahner at 814-244-7446 or Diane Westrick at 814-242-6236 by Sept. 16.
Virtual walking program offered
"Everybody Walk Across Pennsylvania," a free Penn State Extension virtual walking program, will be held from Sept. 14 through Nov. 9.
The program is aimed at harnessing social support to achieve healthy lifestyle goals. Participants may walk individually or with family, friends, coworkers or even their dogs, in teams of up to five. Each individual or team member will aim to walk or exercise an average of 10 miles a week for eight weeks.
Participants can walk at a time and place convenient for them, such as a park, neighborhood or yard. Weekly emails sent to participants will include motivators to keep walking and strategies for eating healthy.
The program is not competitive and is intended to help participants improve their own physical activity levels.
Participation is free, but the deadline for registration is Sept. 11. For more information, go to the Penn State Extension website.
Penn State study eyes cover crop varieties
Different cover crops may affect how plants can defend themselves against pests -- including attracting more insects that eat harmful caterpillars, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
The research, published in the journal Basic and Applied Ecology, analyzed the effects and resulting trade-offs of different cover crops, which are plants grown between growing seasons to help protect and enrich the soil.
For example, the team found that plants grown in soil previously used by pea cover crops emitted more of the chemical indole, which primes neighboring plants to defend themselves against insects by enhancing the production of stress hormones and defensive chemicals. However, these plants also had lower levels of benzoxazinoid -- a natural toxin present in some plants that can act as a pesticide, antifungal and feeding deterrent.
The researchers also found that predator insects preferred to eat caterpillars from corn grown in soil previously occupied by pea cover crops.
Researchers study black ash diversity
With the invasive emerald ash borer beetle decimating black ash across North America, according to the U.S. Forest Service, a team led by researchers at Penn State conducted an expansive study of genetic diversity in black ash seeds collected across the tree's geographic range and stored in seed banks. The research was done with an eye toward someday reintroducing the ecologically and culturally important tree back into U.S. and Canadian forests. As part of the research, the team established three large common gardens -- experimental plantings -- of black ash that someday may play a role in producing seeds needed to bring the species back.
Black ash is a vital wetland tree renowned for regulating forest hydrology, supporting rich biodiversity, and serving as the foundational material for basketry and cultural heritage for Indigenous communities, including Wabanaki, Iroquois and Great Lakes tribes.
In findings published Aug. 25 in Annals of Botany, the team reported that differences in climate have caused black ash trees in different regions to evolve different seed traits that affect how seeds and seedlings develop over time, and these differences affect how well their seedlings survive and grow. That knowledge will be critical in selecting seed for eventual reforestation, the researchers said.