Welcome to Food for Thought

The next Green Revolution: Plant hormone therapy could improve global food security

Just like people, plants activate their immune systems when they’re damaged or threatened by disease or pests. However, this protection usually slows down their growth. A new study from the Argueso Lab, published in Current Biology, found that by changing the hormonal response in a common plant, both immunity and productivity can be improved and applied to food crops.

“Only time will tell once it’s integrated into crops what effect this will have, but it does have the potential to be as big of a breakthrough as the Green Revolution 60 years ago in terms of food security,” says Cris Argueso, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Biology and senior author of the study. Read More

Ph.D. student Makenzie Lee is researching edible flowers at Colorado State

Have you ever tried a pansy in your salad, a fried dahlia tuber, or a purple drink made with butterfly pea flower? Makenzie Lee, a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, is studying how people view edible flowers and is comparing their yields and flavors in different growing conditions.

While she enjoys growing plants, Makenzie is even more passionate about teaching others and plans to become a horticulture professor.

“People don’t realize the wide breadth of jobs and different things you can do in the horticulture industry. People outside of the industry think it’s just growing plants, when there’s so much science and technique,” she says. Read More

CSU’s new herb garden to sprout up later this year

Along with the colorful trial gardens, visitors will soon get to enjoy new scents and flavors at the upcoming herb garden, sponsored by Julie and Barney Feinblum, former CEO of Boulder-based Celestial Seasonings. “I want students to learn that you can change the world with a few simple plants,” says Feinblum.

The quarter-acre garden will have more than 50 types of culinary, tea, and medicinal herbs. Planting will begin in April and should be mostly finished by mid-summer. Read More

Grassroots Carbon joins Colorado State University consortium to advance soil carbon modeling at national scale

The Ecosystem Modeling and Data Consortium (EMDC) in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences recently welcomed Grassroots Carbon as an industry member. Grassroots Carbon works with ranchers to use regenerative grazing practices that increase soil carbon storage and create verified carbon removal credits for companies. By connecting scientists, NGOs, and industry leaders, the EMDC helps develop data-driven models that support better land management, climate solutions, and sustainable agriculture.

Grassroots Carbon brings valuable real-world experience and large-scale field data to the project. This partnership also shows CSU’s ongoing commitment to connecting research, industry, and policy to address important issues like food security and ecosystem resilience. Read More

How Vamsi Nalam is turning discovery into disease defense for Colorado potatoes

Vamsi Nalam, interim director of CSU’s potato breeding program at the San Luis Valley Research Center, brings years of experience and a real passion for plant science. However, he didn’t grow up in agriculture – his love for biology and plants was inspired in part by Jurassic Park.

“I was completely fascinated by it because the characters took genes and recreated several extinct species. I was never very interested in studying animals, but I wanted to see if what they did in the book would work with plants and improve things,” he says. Read More

Horses help humans heal; new research looks at how equine therapy impacts the animals providing it

At the Temple Grandin Equine Center, kids and horses both benefit from equine-assisted services. The center offers a wide range of therapy services, including physical, occupational, psychotherapy, and speech-language therapy. But the program also gives horses a second chance, and recent research indicates that providing these services does not increase the horses’ stress.

“…that’s what our research has demonstrated thus far, is that they don’t demonstrate increased stress during those services because we are asking them to do things that are different from a typical horse’s job,” says Dr. Caiti Peters, director of research at the center. Read More

Understanding Gas Flux in Grazing and Confined Cattle Systems with Dr. Juan Vargas

On episode 29 of the AgNext Podcast, Dr. Juan Vargas, Research Scientist with AgNext, joined to discuss his recent publications on methane measurement and cattle performance. As farmers face increasing pressure to implement sustainable practices, research like his can provide a win-win solution, improving sustainability while boosting profitability by deploying technology that monitors cattle methane emissions and helps researchers and producers identify more efficient animals.

AgNext is a research collaborative at CSU dedicated to advancing the science of sustainable animal agriculture. Watch More

CSU ranked among world’s top institutions in life and earth sciences

CSU is now ranked among the world’s top institutions, placing in the top 25% globally and the top 10% nationally for research impact in life and earth sciences, according to the 2025 Leiden Ranking. This ranking, which reviews over 1,500 universities, highlights CSU’s research strength and leadership as a land-grant and Carnegie R1 research university. Life and earth sciences are a major focus for several CSU colleges, including the College of Agricultural Sciences. Read More

CSU leaders, partners inducted into CO Ag Hall of Fame

Last month, four Colorado State University leaders and partners were honored by the Colorado FFA Foundation as the newest members of the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame, presented by Farm Credit Associations of Colorado. Tony Frank, Marlin Eisenach, Jon Slutsky, and Jennifer Gurr were recognized for their major contributions to advancing agriculture in the state. We’re proud to have Tony, Marlin, Jon, and Jennifer at our table! Read More

Applause & Upcoming Events

• Thomas Borch, professor of environmental and agricultural chemistry with joint appointments in the Departments of Soil and Crop Sciences, Chemistry, and Civil and Environmental Engineering has been named an associate editor of Environmental Science & Technology, a leading peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society.
• Todd Gaines, professor in the Department of Agricultural Biology, has received the 2026 Outstanding Research Award from the Weed Science Society of America in recognition of his impactful contributions to weed science and sustainable crop management.
• CSU-TAPS has announced its annual Wheat Field Days will be held June 10-12 and 16 in locations across Eastern Colorado. Field days are free and open to the public.
• An upcoming NAAAN Connect session on Thursday, March 12, moderated by Luis Martínez, Counselor for Agricultural Affairs at the Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C., will feature Native Maize Producers from Acaxochitlán, Mexico, alongside participants in AGRICULTURA’s Territorial Development of Indigenous Peoples Safeguarding Native Maize Races of Mexico project. Registration for the virtual session is free.