Environmental Issues
Research related to the environment and the human elements of communicating about these issues.
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A new study from the Lamm Lab titled “Exploring Growers’ Perspectives on Substrate Transitions in American Specialty Crop Production: Challenges and Opportunities for Research and Communication” has been published in Sustainability. Supported by the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (USDA SCRI #2024-51181-43290), the research was conducted by Michael Batame, Dennis Baffour-Awuah, Dr. Alexa Lamm, Dr. Kevan…
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A new Lamm Lab study has found that consumers feel more pride when buying plants in plastic-alternative pots compared to traditional plastic ones, emphasizing how emotions influence sustainable buying choices. Titled “From Guilt to Pride: Exploring Emotional Drivers of Consumer Preferences for Sustainable Plant Containers”, the research was recently published in Sustainability. You can find the full article here.…
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Upcycled food is emerging as a novel food category connected to efforts to reduce food waste and support more sustainable food systems. According to the Upcycled Food Association, it is the easy way for anyone to prevent food waste via the products they buy, and they do so by creating new, high-quality products out of…
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A recent study exploring how tree-fruit growers in the eastern U.S. perceived the benefits and challenges of adopting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) through the lens of Diffusion Theory was recently published in Discover Sustainability. The full article, titled “Factors Influencing Tree-Fruit Growers’ Perceptions of IPM Implementation in the Eastern United States,” can be found here. The authorship…
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Meat holds a significant place in United States households and adds billions to the economy. The 2025 Meat Institute annual report states that 98% of American households buy meat, 81% see themselves as meat eaters, and 73% view meat as a healthy option overall. In the fifth episode of the second season of the Agricurious…
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A new study led by the Lamm Lab investigated pest issues, the needs for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) research, and preferred communication methods among apple and peach growers in the Eastern United States. Titled “Assessing Eastern U.S. Tree Fruit Growers’ Pest Issues, Practices, and Preferences to Inform Effective IPM Communication”, the research was recently published…
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The Lamm Lab participated in the 96th Entomological Society of America Eastern Branch Meeting, held in Saratoga Springs, New York, from March 14 to 17. Bringing together academics, students, and industry professionals, the conference featured presentations and activities focused on understanding insect behavior and its implications for agriculture, the environment and human livelihoods. Dennis Baffour-Awuah,…
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Precision agriculture has become a common term in agricultural practices and is widely used by farmers in their operations. According to the International Society of Precision Agriculture, it “is a management strategy that gathers, processes and analyzes temporal, spatial and individual plant and animal data and combines it with other information to support management decisions.”…
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The Cultivating Tomorrow’s Orchard: Evolving and Enhancing IPM in Eastern Tree Fruit Systems project team met in Kearneysville, West Virginia March 3 – 5, 2026 to share their findings from the first year and a half of the project with 20 members of their stakeholder advisory panel. Advisory panel members included apple and peach growers,…
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Dennis Baffour-Awuah presented a research poster at the National Agricultural Communications Symposium from the Addressing Spotted Lanternfly and Tree of Heaven project titled Strengthening Communication Between Wine Producers and Scientists to Address Spotted Lanternfly. The study examined how communication between scientists and wine producers can reduce uncertainty surrounding Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) management decisions. The Lamm Lab currently leads the…