Soil Health

How To Increase Your Potential SAF Tax Credits Now

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 22:54:02 GMT

With sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credits beginning in 2025, the practices farmers use during the 2024 growing season will have a direct impact on their ability to take advantage of these incentives.

Mitchell Hora of Continuum Ag recently joined the Top Producer podcast to share the best ways to begin preparing now.

“If you’re selling to a biofuel plant, the company will be asking you for management information, and they might be just directly asking you for your carbon intensity score,” Hora says.

A grower’s carbon intensity (CI) score is calculated based on a tool from the U.S. Department of Energy called the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. The score can vary from field to field and year to year.

According to Hora, the GREET model tells growers what their crop’s carbon footprint is. And for the corn and soybeans that will be planted this spring, the footprint is already being made.

“To maximize this opportunity in the calendar year 2025, we need to optimize the carbon intensity of the corn that we’re going to grow, and the soybeans we’re going to grow in 2024,” he says. “The practices that we did this fall, like tillage, manure, fertilizer and cover crops directly impact the carbon intensity of this 2024 crop.”

The upcoming tax credits are dependent on the crop’s CI score, and the maximum credit would be $1 per gallon for ethanol and biodiesel and $1.75 per gallon for SAF. However, Hora doesn’t advise expecting to receive that value.

“I think it’s going to be tough to get there,” he says. “If my corn has a CI score of zero, it doesn’t necessarily mean the ethanol has a score of zero because there are a lot of other factors that go into it.”

He shares on average, U.S. ethanol has a CI score of 55.5 while U.S. corn has a CI score of 29 – though he has seen scores range from 44 to -13.

How to Find and Improve Your Score
As far as how to figure a CI score, producers can download the GREET model and input their data, but Hora warns it can get complicated. He shares Continuum Ag has developed a program that simplifies the model, though there is a fee to access it.

“It plugs in your typical fertilizer, typical yield, what you do for tillage, if you use cover crops, fuel usage, etc.,” he says. “Then we run the actual GREET model and as they create updates, we’re ready for it and just plug in the new model. All of our farmers will get their updated CI score.”

Once growers receive their CI scores, they may be curious how certain practices change it. Hora lists a few of the ways producers can lower their scores, such as:
• Using a cover crop ahead of corn
• Supplementing or replacing synthetic fertilizer with manure
• Reducing tillage by implementing strip till or no till practices
• Decreasing diesel fuel usage and energy inputs
• Improving yield to spread carbon input across more bushels

He also encourages consulting with your agronomist to find the steps you need to take next.

“We cannot just sit back and wait,” Hora says. “There 6 billion bushels of corn that goes into ethanol every year in this country, and right now all 6 billion bushels have a default CI score. We need to keep having the conversation of getting more farmers aware and getting more farmers to get their CI score.”

To hear more about SAF tax credits, listen to this episode of the Top Producer podcast.

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Iowa Study: Soil Conservation Practices On The Rise

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 20:02:40 GMT

Beginning in the 2017 growing season, The Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC) has worked over the past six years with Iowa State University and local ag retailers to study the progress of conservation practices used on the state’s crop acres.

The survey uses records from ag retailers to measure the use of cover crops, nutrient management and conservation tillage and no-till by Iowa growers. When comparing their latest data from the 2022 growing season with 2017’s records, researchers found a significant increase in the adoption of these practices – most notably in the number of cover crop acres planted.

“Iowa cover crop planting has skyrocketed to a record 3.8 million acres over the first decade of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, and that clearly demonstrates that Iowa farmers and landowners are taking on the challenge of improving Iowa’s water quality by accelerating this important conservation work,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “With the help of ag retailers and other conservation professionals, as well as both public and private sector partners, programs, and incentives, I know our farmers and landowners will continue to push these statewide cover crop numbers ever higher.”

In 2022, Iowa growers planted 3.8 million acres of cover crops – which is 16.6% of all corn and soy acreage. This is compared to 1.6 million acres of cover crops in 2017, or 6.9% of acres. Rye accounted for 81.2% of the cover crops planted over the past 6 years.

The survey also looks at nutrient management practices such as timing, rate, source and placement. It found 45% of nitrogen applications have occurred in the spring before planting, followed by fall-only applications at 20%.

As for phosphorus applications, there has been a notable increase in growers applying the nutrient only when the soil is at or below optimum levels for it – increasing from 74.3% of applications in 2017 to 95.4% in 2022.

The number of no-till acres in the state has remained relatively steady throughout the duration of INREC’s survey, averaging 35.8% of fields. It does, however, account for more overall corn and soy acres in the state than conventional tillage and conservation tillage practices.

INREC is currently preparing for its seventh year of the survey, which will be conducted this winter, and the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics & Methodology has randomly selected 150 ag retail locations to participate.

To review the data from each of the six current surveys, click here .

Challenge? Bring It On, Say National FFA Agriscience Fair Competitors

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 12:00:00 GMT

Sometimes the greatest lesson we can learn in life is how to not see a setback as a failure. Jennifer Waters, program advisor for the Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education, says this is one of the most valuable lessons students learn by participating in the National FFA Agriscience Fair .

Waters has been helping with the Agriscience Fair in Illinois for the past nine years at the state level – not to mention she has personal experience with her own freshman agriscience project years ago putting fertilizer on plants to see if they grew better.

“The students involved in the National FFA Agriscience Fair have the unique opportunity to showcase their knowledge and skills through problem-solving and investigation,” Waters says. “Their projects never cease to amaze me with their desire to learn and advance the agriculture industry.”

FFA members in the Agriscience Fair program are working to better understand the people agriculture serves, as well as technical issues ranging from how to develop the best constructed structures to how to deal with pests plaguing our trees, she explains.

Even more importantly, these students are preparing themselves for a successful future in the workforce.

“I believe these students are ready to face both successes and failures because of their participation in the Agriscience Fair,” Waters says. “Going through critiques along the way from teachers, peers and industry professionals, has prepared these students to make changes as needed and not see setbacks as failures. A challenge isn’t the end of the road for these students; just another critique.”

Waters explains that each state submits written applications for their state winners in each division and category to the National FFA in July. A committee narrows down the applications to the top 10 in each division and category. The score assigned by this group counts for 25% of their overall score. The remaining 75% of the score comes from the virtual interview that was conducted in September.

This year’s national competition drew in 739 entries from throughout the country. For the first time ever, the top 10 students in each division were brought onto the stage during various sessions of the National FFA Convention for recognition as compared to the top three in past years. Some students were also invited to participate in the Student Showcase to present a “TED-like talk” about their research.

The Agriscience Fair has been going strong for 24 years, says Madeline Young, program specialist in the programs and events division of the National FFA organization .

“It’s all about exploring your interest,” Young says. “Agriscience research is one type of supervised agricultural experience (SAE). Agriscience Fair is a great extension to a student’s SAE program. Research SAEs are a great way for students to get involved with FFA, who do not have the interest in or resources for production or placement-type SAEs.”

Here’s a look at some of projects on display during the social science division’s poster session.

Public Consideration of Protein Source Terminology

By Lauren Cherne, Beckman Catholic FFA, Iowa
4th Place in Social Science Division 5

When Lauren Cherne was in the 8th grade, she started participating in the FFA Agriscience Fair. She says it allowed her to combine her love for agriculture and science along with her desire to develop public speaking skills.

This year she decided to study protein labeling in her social science project. Her findings showed that many people are not informed about protein labeling and there was great confusion on what labels actually meant.

“My biggest takeaway is that producers need to know who their demographic is so they can better target their consumer audience. Consumers need to know what different labels on their product mean so they know what they are purchasing and can better support farmers and ranchers,” Cherne says.

Participating in the National FFA Agriscience Fair poster session was a great opportunity to meet new people, she adds.

“I feel welcomed by each and every person I talk to, and it makes me feel like a part of something bigger than myself,” Cherne says.

Investigating Farmers’ Perceptions and Behaviors Regarding Chemical and Biological Soil Health and Soil Testing Practices

Audrey Bishop, Van Alstyne, Texas
2nd Place in Social Science Division 5

Audrey Bishop is no stranger to the National FFA Agriscience Fair. She’s had a successful track record over the years which helped her obtain a freshman research scholarship at Oklahoma State University.

Back in high school, she conducted an agriscience experiment the summer after her freshman year after a class discussion.

“We discussed how farmers often use wastewater to irrigate their crops in one of my classes. At that same time, my dad was put on a large amount of antibiotics for a bacterial infection in his sinus cavity. The doctor explained to him that his body would not completely metabolize the antibiotics,” Bishop says.

Those two events made her question how the antibiotics being released into the environment by humans could affect plants and crop yields, so she decided to conduct an experiment to answer her questions.
“At the end of my research, I found that I still had more questions than answers, so I continued researching in the following years and fell in love with research,” Bishop says.

In addition to her project examining the effects of antibiotics and probiotics on crop yields and soil microbes, she decided to take on a new research project this year examining farmers’ perceptions and behaviors related to soil testing and fertilizer applications.

“My research project found that farmers are spending a lot of money to apply fertilizer to their fields. However, they are not spending a lot of money on soil testing or soil microbe testing,” Bishop says. “Unfortunately, especially with the rise in cost of fertilizer over the past year, many farmers are often pouring money down the drain because those fertilizers are not able to return into usable forms that can be taken up by the plants.”

Upon graduation from Oklahoma State, Bishop hopes to attend law school and eventually write policy related to the research she has conducted. She also hopes to develop a more standardized test farmers can use to test for soil microbes since the tests that are currently on the market are cost-prohibitive and not efficient.

Can Agriculture Teachers Adequately Teach Students with an Orthopedic Impairment?

By Nicholas Tarver and Abigail Manuel, Florien FFA, Louisiana
8th Place in Social Science Division 4

Nicholas Tarver is orthopedically impaired, but he determined, along with the support of his friend and fellow FFA member Abigail Manuel, not to let him miss out on not only experiencing, but thriving, in FFA. Together, they set out to bring awareness to the topic of orthopedically impaired students in the ag classroom with their social science project.

“We wanted to determine if ag teachers adequately teach students with orthopedic impairment. Can these students be successful in FFA like me? We discovered through our research project that they can,” Tarver says. “They can do everything that all these FFA members can do here at National FFA.”

Manuel and Tarver discovered some important strategies to share with advisors through their project, including being aware of classroom obstacles, considering the comfort of students and storage for assistive devices, promoting movement and exercise in class, allowing additional timing and providing adequate space to work.

“One thing that stood out to me about the results of our project was that ag teachers were excited and wanted to make accommodations to help students feel involved and included in their ag programs,” Manuel says.

She adds that her favorite part of being at National FFA Convention this year was being able to meet and converse with people with a similar background from all over the country.

The Perception of Slaughterhouse Shortages Nationwide

By Lexi Christian, Cumberland County FFA, Tennessee
2nd Place in Social Science Division 3

Lexi Christian didn’t willingly jump at the chance to complete an Agriscience Fair project. In her freshman honors agriscience class, her teacher made everyone participate as a grade.

“I placed in the bottom of my class,” Christian says. “When it came around to do the Agriscience Fair again my sophomore year, I had no interest in participating. However, my advisor encouraged me to do the same project, but make it better. She believed in me when I had no faith in myself. I never would have imagined I would have made it this far.”

Christian’s project took a deeper look at slaughterhouse shortages to determine how widespread issues were, who was being affected by them and how the problem could be solved in the future.

“When I started my project, I wanted to shine a light on the decrease in slaughterhouses across the nation. The findings of my survey have led me to understand that there is a dire need for more slaughterhouses in our area,” Christian says. “My school is currently applying for a grant that would allow us to build a small processing facility on our campus.”

She says her favorite thing about National FFA Convention is talking to all the different people.

“I love running into people that I’ve seen before from my home state and meeting new people from around the nation,” Christian says.

Check out the complete results of the 95th National FFA Convention’s Agriscience Fair.

Read More from FFA Convention:

Ohio’s Jacob Wuebker Named 2022 Star in Agricultural Placement

National FFA Convention: Farm Journal’s Inside Perspective

6 Dos and Don’ts to Make the Most of National FFA Convention

Read More about FFA:

Why You Should Prioritize People

4 Ways FFA Shaped My Life for the Better

FFA Has-Been? No, Your Role Just Changes

12 Reasons Why We Need FFA More Than Ever

Ag Teachers: When Someone Believes in You

Create Value and Increase Demand: How Do Livestock Producers and Crop Growers Work Together?

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:44:12 GMT

The U.S. agriculture industry is a web of connections between livestock producers and crop growers in areas of feed production, commodity value and exports, manure and resource management and sustainability.

Livestock producers and crop growers work simultaneously to provide high quality red meat to the U.S., and across the globe.

Value in Exports

According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), 15 percent of U.S. beef and 29.4 percent of U.S. pork was exported in 2021.

This global demand equated to $407.22 per head of fed cattle slaughtered and $62.86 per head of hogs.

As demand grows, livestock producers are encouraged to increase output on their operations, increasing demand for feed along with output from crop growers.

Specifically, corn and soybeans experience a jump in demand and increase in value.

For corn, USMEF estimates 2021 beef and pork exports contributed 12 percent of bushel value to corn. Considering an average price of $5.48 per corn bushel, this equates to $0.66 per bushel.

For soybeans, 2021 pork exports contributed 12.6 percent of soybean bushel value, equating to $1.65 per soybean bushel—considering an average price of $13.13 per bushel.

Feed Use by Cuts Exported

USMEF shares a breakdown of corn, dried distillers grains and soybean meal usage per cut of beef and pork carcass.

Manure and Resource Management

On a recent “AgriTalk” segment, Heather Hill, president of the National Pork Board, described soil health as a mutual benefit between livestock producers and crop growers.

What was once considered a waste byproduct, manure is now widely considered an asset in improving soil health and moving the needle of sustainability in agriculture.

As prices of commercial fertilizers continue to rise, manure provides a more natural, sustainable and cost-effective alternative for growing plants.

Efficiency in Operation

Hill also describes profitability and economics of farming as part of the sustainability story. Diversified operations like Hill’s—that grow their own feed to provide for their livestock—might have an economic advantage over those buying feed during times of high commodity prices.

“We’re really zoning in on where we can be more efficient. How can we do more with less? Just because we’ve done something for many years, it’s time to reevaluate our practices and make sure what we’re doing is the right decision,” Hill explains.

As the industry continues to face domestic and worldwide challenges and economic pressure, producers might find value in working together to mutually benefit their operations and create a more sustainable future.

Invasive Jumping Worm Thrashes Into 14 Midwest States

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 21:38:38 GMT

Growing up to 6” in length and able to cause an infestation with only one worm, the invasive jumping worm, originally from eastern Asia, has spread to over a dozen states in the Midwest, according to a Smithsonian Magazine article . These states include Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Louisiana, Newsweek reported .

Getting its name from their characteristic thrashing, snakelike movement, these worms can be found on the soil surface, in leaf litter, in compost piles and along roads, said an article by Cornell University . In addition, their characteristic white band, known as the clitellum, is flush with their metallic body. It can be distinguished from the nightcrawler which has a reddish-brown, saddle shaped clitellum.

The Asian jumping worm devours organic matter and seedlings more rapidly than its counterparts and can severely damage roots and disturb the soil, the Cornell article explained. An infestation of these worms will likely be seen in a “very uniform, granular soil created from worm castings. The texture of this soil is often compared to coffee grounds.”

“Jumping worms grow twice as fast, reproduce more quickly and can infest soils at high densities. In areas of heavy infestation, native plants, soil invertebrates, salamanders, birds and other animals may decline,” said the Cornell article.

As an annual species, the adult worms die after the first freeze. However, their cocoons, which are about the size of a mustard seed, will survive through winter and hatch when temperatures reach 50 degrees. Their cocoons are nearly impossible to find, and “can be spread easily in potted plants, on landscaping equipment, mulch, tire treads and even hiking boots,” said the Cornell article.

Unfortunately, there is currently no method of control for the species. Cornell experts along with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources encourages those who find the worms to not use them as bait or in gardening. Live worms can be destroyed by bagging them, leaving them in the sun for at least 10 minutes and then throwing them away.

Research continues on how these jumping worm populations can be controlled.

Need Conservation Dollars? Call Your State Ag Commissioner.

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:53:18 GMT

Where will the dollars come from to fund that next conservation practice you want to implement on your farm?

Your state department of agriculture might have just the answer—and resources—you need.

That was the message Barb Glenn, CEO, National Association of State Department of Agriculture, delivered to farmers this week as a panelist at the 2019 Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Indianapolis.

“We have some amazing commissioners, and they’re leading some programs that you all need to know about,” Glenn said.

She, and fellow presenter, David Festa, senior vice president of ecosystems, Environmental Defense Fund, highlighted various funding opportunities by state. The opportunities are also detailed in a new report they co-wrote, Innovative State-Led Efforts to Finance Agricultural Conservation, available here: https://bit.ly/2O8qTlw

Some of the funding opportunities Glenn and Festa discussed, included:

In Iowa, the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) created the Cover Crop-Crop Insurance Demonstration Project in 2017.

“They pay a $5 rebate to farmers for every acre planted to cover crops,” Glenn says.

A coalition of farmers, agricultural organizations and conservation groups developed the program to help meet the goals of the state’s nutrient loss reduction strategy.

The three-year project has been so successful, Illinois Department of Agriculture officials announced earlier this year they will implement a similar program with farmers, called Fall Covers for Spring Savings: Crop Insurance Reward Pilot Program. Similar to the Iowa program, Illinois will also provide $5 per acre to farmers who adopt cover crops.

In Delaware, the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) has a program focused on nonpoint source pollution called the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Program (AgNPS). The program has historically provided loans for poultry and dairy farmers to implement management practices that reduce nutrient and effluent runoff.

Delaware has a large poultry industry, and 784 of the 830 loans administered under this program have gone to poultry farmers. Producers must be under contract with certain integrators in order to be eligible to receive a loan. These integrators have signed a memorandum of understanding guaranteeing repayment of the loan.

“The guarantee is if you default, you won’t lose the farm. The integrator assumes the risk,” said Festa, who noted there’s been “essentially zero” defaults.

Integrators assume the loan risks, because they need a robust, sustainable and local supply chain.

“If there’s a big disruption in supply, the integrators will have to go far away to (get product) to meet demand, and that’s complicated and expensive,” Festa explained.

There are currently four poultry integrators (Perdue, Allen Harim, Mountaire and Tyson) and two dairy integrators (Land O’ Lakes and Dairy Farmers of America) that participate in the Delaware program.

Elsewhere, in Pennsylvania, there’s a program available that gives a tax break to companies that help farmers, with financial incentives, adopt conservation practices.

“This is a program that hasn’t been taken on very much because it hasn’t been publicized,” Festa said. “But this is the kind of thing that I get excited about when we start to see all of these little pieces coming together to really fundamentally alter the reality around the economics of farming.”

Festa and Glenn said of all the various ways states are addressing the funding of conservation practices, one that they especially like is in California. There, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Karen Ross, has taken revenue from the state’s 2019-20 Cap & Trade Expenditure program, about $200 million, and set up services to help farmers adopt a variety of conservation practices.

California’s funding available for farmers to tap into for 2019-20 includes:

$65 million to lower emissions by replacing and upgrading ag diesel engines for equipment such as tractors, harvesters, and heavy-duty trucks;
$34 million for dairy manure methane reduction programs; and
$28 million for the Healthy Soils program.

The funding doesn’t include grants only, Festa noted. “Ross is helping support more students at the local community colleges that are very important to the ag industry,” he said, as a for instance. “She’s taking a full-spectrum approach. I think that is really a powerful, powerful new way of looking at how to accelerate the ability of farmers to take off on these actions and yes, be good for business and good for the planet.”

Looking forward, Festa said he would like states and the federal government to look at how they spend dollars set aside to address natural disasters. He noted that in 2018 here was $20 billion set aside for that purpose compared to $6 billion in the farm bill earmarked for conservation.

“Imagine if we could direct a portion of that $20 billion towards our farm activities. That would be a whole new source of revenue, and it would be a way for farmers to really participate in helping protect our country from extreme weather events that we see happening,” he said.

Both Festa and Glenn encouraged farmers to reach out to their respective state departments of agriculture to see what is being done to fund the adoption of conservation practices.

“Ask them, “What are you doing for me on this right now? What are we doing together? And who do we need to bring to the table to enhance a new program that’s really innovative and provides me with support like what’s going on in Delaware or California is doing,’” Glenn advised.

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Life-Saving Find: How This Missouri Soil Unearthed A Golden Medical Discovery 75 Years Ago

Take a step onto Sanborn Field at the University of Missouri–Columbia, and it’s a step into history.

“I’m walking in some big footsteps here,” says Tim Reinbott, the director of Sanborn Field at the University of Missouri.

Sanborn Field is the third-oldest continuous research farm in the world, but the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Nestled on the eastern edge of campus, buildings and housing have sprouted all around the field, but it’s still the root of significant scientific discoveries that are benefiting farmers and ranchers.

“We probably got more treatments than anybody else,” Reinbott explains. We have had continuous treatments for 135 years, and we’ve learned so much. And this is where so many of our common agricultural practices all started from the dollars that we gained here.”

One of the biggest breakthroughs happened 75 years ago, as the soil became the foundation of medicine still used today in humans and livestock.

“One of the interesting facts that is often overlooked is that in any soil you will find antibiotics, because it’s just the nature of how these bacteria survive in nature,” says Bob Kremer, adjunct professor of soil microbiology at the University of Missouri (Mizzou).

An Important Plot

Seventy-five years ago, Plot 23, which is still located within Sanborn Field at the university, became home to a groundbreaking discovery.

“We have to keep in mind that that was the age of the antibiotic discovery in the United States and worldwide,” Kremer says.

“Seventy-five years ago, we had known about penicillin. We had known other types of antibiotics, but they were only about 40% effective,” Reinbott explains.

“And they were looking for that golden antibiotic, that one that would really be very effective and be taken orally, not by injection.”

With so much effort to find microorganisms that could produce an antibiotic that wasn’t just effective but not toxic to humans or animals, researchers at Sanborn Field were on a mission.

“Benjamin Duggar, a gentleman that was a former faculty member here was working for Lederle Laboratories at the time, and he knew the director of Sanborn Field, who was William J. Albrecht, who was the soil microbiologist. Mr. Duggar asked him for some soil samples from Sanborn Field, that he could begin to culture for these microorganisms for some sort of an antibiotic that would serve those purposes.”

A Solution in Soil

The soil contained a golden mold that suppressed the growth of many microorganisms, including streptococci, a bacteria that causes various types of infections. From the sample, researchers eventually created aureomycin, which proved to be an antibiotic effective against 90% of bacteria-caused infections in humans.

“Dr. Albrecht then directed and assisted in collecting soil samples from Sanborn Field, which included plot 23 here, which is in continuous Timothy (grass) that had no fertilizer or manure amendments since it was established in 1888,” Kremer says.

“He knew that this plot right behind us (plot 23), that had been for 60 years managed the same way, was a perennial crop, but had no inputs. He knew we should have a lot of biology but a pretty hostile environment for them. If any place could have an antibiotic, it’s going to be here,” says Reinbott, as he stands in front of the birthing ground of aureomycin.

It was later that year, in 1945, they made the big discovery — one that proved to be a breakthrough in the medical world, for both humans and animals.

“They called it aureomycin, and ‘aureolus’ is the Latin word that means a golden color,” Reinbott adds. “It’s an antibiotic that’s been used for decades, and it’s still being used in animals. It’s also the best treatment there is today for Rocky Mountain spotted fever.”

Reinbott says for the first 30 to 40 years after the discovery of aureomycin, it was the go-to antibiotic for human medicine, but it also grew in popularity within animal medicine.

“The aureomycin antibiotic and the tetracycline cyclin class are still very useful today, because of their mechanism of action. They attack protein synthesis in the cell of these bacteria, and (are) effective on these rickettsia diseases, like the Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Because those particular bacteria are able to infect and inhabit deep within the tissue of a human being, they also do not become resistant,” Kremer says.

Life-Saving Treatment

First discovered at the end of 1945, aureomycin underwent clinical trials and was then approved by FDA to address human ailments, starting in 1948. One of the first recipients was a young boy, Tobey Hockett, who at the time, lived just outside of Washington, D.C.

“I was born Sept. 11, 1943,” says Hockett, who is now retired and lives in Florida. “Sometime around early 1949, I got a real bad stomachache. My parents did not pay attention, and it got worse and worse before they finally rushed me to the hospital. It turns out that I had peritonitis. I had a ruptured appendix.”

Hockett says the doctors didn’t give his parents much hope for his recovery, but the doctors wanted to treat Hockett with an antibiotic that had recently been developed, which was aureomycin. He remained in the hospital for one month.

Hockett says Mizzou’s discovery 75 years ago not only saved his life, but he went on to become a defense attorney and worked to save other lives. He took on death penalty cases and helped clients through drug court.

“You can’t express thanks in words,” Hockett says. “The only thing I think about is what I’ve been able to do with my life as a result of surviving that.”

Soil Sample Goes To Smithsonian

To celebrate the discovery of aureomycin, a soil sample from Plot 23 was sent to the Smithsonian Institution where it still resides today.

The discovery at Sanborn Field wasn’t just a breakthrough for human medical science, it was also a breakthrough for livestock.

“It’s very interesting, because they discovered that it was very useful not only to prevent some of these infections, but it also is a growth promoter,” Kremer says. “In the early 1950s, they discovered that chickens, for example, grew two and a half times quicker than the traditional feed that was being used at the time.”

Aureomycin is still widely used in cattle today. Such an antibiotic discovery is estimated to cost $1.5 billion in 2023 dollars.

“We’ve more aureomycin discoveries out here, we’ve just got to look for them,” says Reinbott, standing at Sanborn Field. “It may or may not be an antibiotic, but it can be something just as groundbreaking, and that’s what gets me excited.”