DAILY Bites

• Over 150 experts from agencies and universities joined forces to address PFAS challenges in agriculture.

• The workshop developed strategies for detecting and reducing PFAS contamination in soils, water, and food systems.

• Plans are underway to create tools and practices to help farmers in areas severely affected by PFAS.

DAILY Discussion

Concerns have been growing over “forever chemicals” in drinking water and beyond. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service as outlined new strategies following a recent workshop aimed at addressing the rising concern of Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in agricultural soils and waters.

With PFAS increasingly detected in the environment, farmers and communities face growing challenges, driving the need for science-based solutions to mitigate the impact on agriculture. ARS says that the workshop focused on developing both short and long-term research approaches to combat these emerging threats.

The Center of Excellence for Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation, and the University of Maine, collaborated recently during a three-day workshop to bring together more than 150 interagency researchers, state partners, university partners, and other subject matter experts to engage in discussion and identify key research and innovative solutions that address the top challenges PFAS poses to agriculture, agroecosystems, food systems, and farming communities.

According to the ARS, many within the agricultural community are facing new challenges when PFAS chemicals are detected within their farms, resulting in this being a new challenge to farmers’ continued capacity to sustain healthy soil and water on their farms, as well as the continued capacity to provide safe and dependable food and fiber supplies to our nation and the world.

The suggested long-term roadmap solutions for improving these circumstances include finding new means of detecting when PFAS contamination is a problem, better understanding of how it moves through the agricultural system, and innovating new ways to interrupt that movement or remove the chemicals before they can do harm.

“The meeting’s focus on the gap between PFAS challenges and solutions has empowered and offered hope to ARS, its partners and sister agencies — to address and resolve agriculture-centric problems arising from the use of PFAS in our communities and everyday consumer products,” said ARS Senior Management Advisor, Dr. David Knaebel. “The workshop’s overarching impact will assist the U.S. agricultural research community and stakeholders to find creative and innovative ways to mitigate and remediate a rapidly growing PFAS challenge in U.S. agriculture and food systems.”

PFAS is a class of man-made chemicals that have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States, since the 1940s. The chemical has been placed in the category of “forever chemicals’ because they bioaccumulate in animals and plants and do not breakdown naturally in the animals or plants or in the environment.

These chemicals in agricultural landscapes can cause food producers numerous challenges that require innovative scientific solutions from agriculture research, research and developments, and strategic partnerships.

“Currently, our data shows that PFAS is an environmental hazard that does not come from agriculture,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Marlen Eve. “But, producers need efficient, cost-effective ways to deal with the challenges when it is detected in our agricultural soils and waters.”

Federal and stakeholder workshop attendees plan to move forward with next steps by crafting documents that will communicate solutions to the ag research community — especially in locations where PFAS has critical impacts on agriculture — and to engage in partnerships to realize those research solutions into impactful tools and practices for producers and the agricultural community.

“The University of Maine is pleased to expand our partnership with USDA ARS to find solutions to this national environmental crisis. With our collective expertise — supported by the ingenuity and resolve of our researchers and students — we can accelerate breakthroughs in basic and applied science that will result in new tools and strategies for protecting food systems in Maine and beyond.” said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation for the University of Maine System and President of the University of Maine.

Two agriculture specialists with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Texas intercepted a “First in Port” pest on board a motor vessel arriving from Vietnam to the Brownsville Seaport.

“CBP agriculture specialists play a key role in preventing invasive pests from negatively affecting the agriculture of our country. I commend CBP agriculture specialists for the interception of this First in Port pest, Artaxa sp., that has the potential to defoliate hundreds of species of trees and shrubs,” said Tater Ortiz, port director at the Office of Field Operations at the Port of Brownsville.

The interception occurred September 18. The vessel being inspected had been selected by Brownsville agriculture specialists for further examination to check for possible pest risk. Upon inspection, the specialists discovered and collected one suspected Flighted Spongy Moth Complex egg mass.

The suspected FSMC egg mass was submitted for identification to a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist. On October 2, a national specialist identified the egg mass as Artaxa sp., (Erebidae), an actionable pest.

Adult moths in the genus Artaxa are commonly referred to as tussock moths. Moths in the Erebidae family can cause a significant economic and environmental damage by forest defoliation. This defoliation disrupts plant growth and can potentially harm agricultural areas that rely on these trees, impacting the overall agricultural output and biodiversity.

Since the Artaxa sp. is an “actionable pest” not native to the U.S., its establishment could have long-term negative effects on U.S. agriculture, forestry, and natural resources. Pests like these can spread quickly without natural predators and cause large-scale destruction to crops, increasing the need for costly pest control measures and reducing yields.

The caterpillars of tussock moths also produce hairs that can cause allergic reactions in humans and animals, adding to their potential to disrupt agricultural labor and livestock health​

DAILY Bites

• AI combined with genetic sequencing detects milk anomalies like contamination or antibiotics.

• Untargeted AI methods identify deviations in milk that traditional approaches may miss.

• AI could enhance detection of food fraud and safety issues across the food supply chain.

DAILY Discussion

By combining the genetic sequencing and analysis of the microbes in a milk sample with artificial intelligence, researchers were able to detect anomalies in milk production, such as contamination or unauthorized additives. The new approach could help improve dairy safety, according to the study authors from Penn State, Cornell University and IBM Research.

In findings published earlier this month in mSystems, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, the researchers reported that using shotgun metagenomics data and AI, they were able to detect antibiotic-treated milk that had been experimentally and randomly added to the bulk tank milk samples they collected. To validate their findings, the researchers also applied their explainable AI tool to publicly available, genetically sequenced datasets from bulk milk samples, further demonstrating the untargeted approach’s robustness.

“This was a proof of concept study,” said the study’s lead Erika Ganda, assistant professor of food animal microbiomes, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. “We can look at the data from the microbes in the raw milk and, using artificial intelligence, see if the microbes that are present reveal characteristics such as whether it is pre-pasteurization, post-pasteurization, or is from a cow that has been treated with antibiotics.”

The researchers collected 58 bulk tank milk samples and applied various AI algorithms to differentiate between baseline samples and those representing potential anomalies, such as milk from an outside farm or milk containing antibiotics. This study characterized raw milk metagenomes — collections of genomes from many individual microbes within a sample — in more sequencing depth than any other published work to date and demonstrated that there is a set of consensus microbes found to be stable elements across samples.

The study’s findings suggest that AI has the potential to significantly enhance the detection of anomalies in food production, providing a more comprehensive method that can be added to scientists’ toolkit for ensuring food safety, Ganda explained.

“Traditional analysis of microbial sequencing data, such as alpha and beta diversity metrics and clustering, were not as effective in differentiating between baseline and anomalous samples,” she said. “However, the integration of AI allowed for accurate classification and identification of microbial drivers associated with anomalies.”

Microbial systems and the food supply chain are an ideal application for AI since the interactions between microbes are complex and dynamic, according to the study’s first author Kristen Beck, senior research scientist from IBM Research.

“There are also a multitude of variables in the food supply chain that affect the signal we’re seeking to observe,” she said. “AI can help us untangle the signal from the noise.”

While focused on dairy production, this research has implications for the wider food industry, Ganda noted, adding that milk was selected as a model because it is the sole ingredient used to produce fluid milk — a high-volume food with considerable concern for fraud, particularly in developing countries.

Issues in food quality and safety can have rippling effects through the supply chain, causing substantial health and economic damage, explained Ganda, so there is substantial interest in applying both targeted and untargeted methods to identify ingredients or food products that show an increased risk of food fraud, food quality and food safety issues.

“Untargeted methods characterize all molecules that can be identified to identify ingredients or products that deviate from a ‘baseline state’ that would be considered normal or under control,” she said. “Importantly, these untargeted methods are screening methods that do not define an ingredient or product as unsafe or adulterated, rather they suggest an aberration from the normal state that should trigger follow-up actions or investigations.”

The unique research collaboration leveraged each partner’s strength, Ganda pointed out. It featured IBM’s open-source AI technology, Automated Explainable AI for Omics, to process vast amounts of metagenomic data, or all the nucleotide sequences isolated and analyzed from all the microbes in bulk milk samples, enabling the identification of microbial signatures that traditional methods often can miss.

The Cornell researchers’ expertise in dairy science elevated the practical relevance of the research and its applicability to the dairy industry, while Penn State’s One Health Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences played a critical role in integrating microbial data for broader health and safety applications.

This article was written by Jeff Mulhollem for PennState. 

Pumpkin regattas are quirky, family-friendly competitions where massive pumpkins are transformed into boats, and participants race them across lakes or rivers.

These events have grown in popularity across North America, with towns hosting them as part of their fall celebrations. The tradition of pumpkin regattas, while lighthearted, combines impressive feats of agriculture with fun and entertainment.

Wayne Hackney of Winchester, New Hampshire is credited as the first American to paddle a giant pumpkin he grew in 1996. However, the Windsor Pumpking Regatta soon kicked off on Canada in 1999, with the trend spreading across North America. 

The pumpkins used in regattas are not your average jack-o-lanters. Weighing in at well over 1,000 pounds, they typically are from the  C. maxima species, which are known for having big cells, high water content, and best of all, they don’t stop growing. 

Growers begin cultivating them around mid-April, with the pumpkins being pollinated in June or July. By September or October, they are ready to be carved and hollowed out for regattas. While smaller pumpkins around 600-800 pounds are ideal for carving and paddling, some regattas use massive pumpkins weighing over 1,200 pounds, though they are more challenging to maneuver in the water.

In a typical pumpkin regatta, participants hollow out the pumpkins, hop inside, and paddle their way across the water using traditional paddles. The main rule is that no motors are allowed, keeping the race entirely human-powered. Participants often dress in fun, themed costumes, ranging from superheroes to animals, adding an extra layer of entertainment to the spectacle. In Tualatin, the races have grown to include four heats to accommodate the thousands of attendees and paddlers. The events usually feature growers, sponsors, local first responders, and members of the public.

Each regatta varies slightly in format, but the races usually consist of a quarter-mile course. Contestants try to navigate the heavy, waterlogged pumpkins without tipping over or sinking — a common outcome for many paddlers.

Here are a few crowd favorites happening in October

Tualatin, Oregon

The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Tualatin, Oregon, is one of the most well-known regattas in the country. Since 2004, this event has drawn thousands of spectators and participants who paddle their way across Tualatin Commons Lake in pumpkins weighing up to 1,200 pounds. 

Participants, dressed in fun costumes, paddle these pumpkins across Tualatin Commons Lake in a race like no other. The pumpkins, grown by members of the Pacific West Coast Growers, are carved into boats after being placed in the water to determine their best-floating position. Participants navigate a quarter-mile course, though not all pumpkins make it to the finish line — some sink or tip over due to water intake.

The festival also includes a 5K run, pumpkin carving, and other pumpkin-themed games. The regatta has become a major attraction in the Pacific Northwest, combining community spirit with an exciting, quirky race. The event is coming up on Oct. 20 with some of the racers already preparing. 

Windsor, Nova Scotia

Though it’s technically across the border, the Windsor Pumpkin Regatta in Nova Scotia deserves mention for inspiring many U.S. regattas. Founded in 1999, it became famous for its quirky fun and massive pumpkin boats, even attracting the attention of Martha Stewart.

The event has since moved to Shelburne, with the event taking place for the third year in a row on Oct. 12 as part of the Shelburne County Giant Pumpkin Festival. The winners are featured on their social media page. 

Stillwater, Minnesota

Stillwater, Minnesota, is home to the annual St. Croix Valley Pumpkin Regatta. This event features giant pumpkins being paddled down the St. Croix River by enthusiastic participants. Held in October, it attracts both locals and visitors alike who come to witness the spectacle of these oversized gourds navigating the waters. Stillwater’s event includes community festivities, adding to the charm and appeal of the regatta.

Their regatta was held this past Sunday, in an intense face-off between boaters. 

Damariscotta, Maine

Maine hosts one of the country’s most charming pumpkin regattas in Damariscotta, a small coastal town known for its annual Pumpkinfest & Regatta.

The event, held every October, includes a series of pumpkin-related activities, but the highlight is the pumpkin boat race, where massive pumpkins float down the Damariscotta River. Locals and tourists alike flock to this event, enjoying the playful competition and fall-themed festivities that celebrate the region’s farming culture.

Goffstown, New Hampshire

Goffstown, New Hampshire, hosts its own version of the pumpkin regatta as part of the town’s fall festival. The race features local growers and community members navigating pumpkins through the water after weighing, slicing, scooping, and transforming the squash into vessels fit for the river. 

Events in Goffstown are set to kick off on Friday, Oct. 19.