Agricultural research subjects put to use

By REBECCA ZEIBER
Collegian Staff Writer

Penn State is known around the world as a leader in agricultural research, producing meatier livestock and pest-resistant crops. But after the research is done, what happens to the subjects?

The answer to that question depends on what type of research has taken place.

Bob Oberheim, manager of the horticulture farm, said the horticulture farm, various livestock barns and the agronomy farm are the areas where faculty research is performed.

Vegetables, fruit trees, corn, soybeans, cattle and pigs aid in furthering scientific knowledge in the field of agriculture.

Oberheim explained that if the vegetables and fruit are usable after the research is done, they are donated to local food banks, Meals on Wheels organizations and nearby restaurants such as the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave.

However, if crops have been treated with unregistered compounds -- new chemicals not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration -- they must be burned, buried or physically destroyed, Oberheim said.

Greg Roth, associate professor of agronomy, said most of the agronomy crops are treated with registered chemicals.

Once harvested, these crops are then fed to research livestock instead of being destroyed or thrown away.

"Our first priority is to supply the needs of Penn State farm departments," Roth said. Leftover grain can then be sold on the open market, he added.

Like the horticulture farm research, crops treated with unregistered chemicals must be chopped up on the field and plowed back into the soil.

Oberheim and Roth both said they believe the environmental impact of these disposal techniques is minimal.

"(The research) is a good tradeoff between minimalism and the need to test these products before being offered on the market," Roth said.

The life stories of research livestock at Penn State are a little different.

Bob Smith, a university veterinarian, reviews the regulatory protocols and makes sure the animals are treated humanely. He said the majority of research done on the livestock is non-invasive.

For example, non-invasive research may include feeding beef cattle different levels of protein and monitoring their growth level.

Smith said once these animals meet a certain market weight and no longer serve research purposes, they leave Penn State alive for either sale barns or government-approved slaughter facilities.

Randy Swope, the farm facilities manager, said livestock used for general observational research stay on campus.

The various herds are also used for teaching and exhibition at Penn State.

"It seems to work quite well … it gives us maximum usage out of all our species," he said.