West Virginia University researchers, led by Elizabeth Rowen and a team of faculty from the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, will study the use of manure as an organic fertilizer, thanks to a $750,000 grant from the USDA. More specifically, they are digging into the most effective ways to reduce insects and pathogens that threaten crops.
The United States is the world’s largest consumer of beef — much of which is grain-fed — and spends $233 billion annually to import wheat, corn and soybeans for organic livestock feed. However, domestic field crop…