Low productivity and nutritive value of cool‐season perennial forages, such as tall fescue [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.] during summer necessitates the identification of warm‐season forages that improve nutritive value and yield of cool‐season‐based forage systems. A fast‐growing, warm‐season tropical legume sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) has the potential to accomplish this. Our objectives were to evaluate herbage accumulation and nutritive value (crude protein [CP], in vitro true digestibility [IVTD], neutral detergent fiber [NDF], acid detergent fiber [ADF], and NDF digestibility [NDFD, 48 h]) of sunn hemp harvested 35, 45, and 55 d after planting (DAP) at 10‐ and 15‐cm heights and to determine regrowth potential when harvested 20 d after each initial harvest over two consecutive years. Sunn hemp herbage accumulation averaged 1.9 and 3.1 Mg ha−1 at 45 and 55 DAP, respectively. Herbage accumulation of initial harvest increased linearly from 35 to 45 to 55 DAP by 119 and 57%, respectively. Herbage accumulation of regrowth after the 35 DAP initial harvest was 262 and 303% greater than the 45 and 55 DAP initial harvests, respectively. Cutting height did not affect (P > 0.05) any variables. The greatest CP (154 g kg−1 dry matter) was observed at 35 DAP and decreased linearly with DAP. Both NDF (P < 0.01) and ADF (P = 0.01) concentrations increased linearly with DAP for both initial and regrowth harvests. The IVTD of initial and regrowth harvests averaged 794 and 624 g kg−1 dry matter, respectively. Forage NDFD for initial and regrowth harvests averaged 487 and 392 g kg−1 NDF, respectively. Nutritive value and herbage accumulation of sunn hemp can be optimized by initially harvesting between 35 and 45 DAP, and leaving at least 10 cm of residue to allow for regrowth.

Introductory soil science courses are an important part of the undergraduate curriculum in agriculture, environmental sciences, and natural resource management and traditionally include an in-person laboratory where students acquire both handson learning and practice important skills. This all changed when all classes quickly transitioned to completely online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this paper is to document student and instructor experiences transitioning two field-based labs into asynchronous, online distance labs and evaluate students' performance in an introductory soil science lab course. Two lab sessions were modified so that students could complete them from home using household equipment and pre-lab instruction was delivered using online videos. After the course, student performance on learning objectives for each lab, evaluated using rubrics, and student grades were analyzed. Students performed well on soil color and texture but struggled with new concepts like identifying landscape positions. Students were able to practice hands-on skills and learn more about soils near their homes. The lessons learned from the experience were that students need to submit photos or maps to document their lab exercises and to be used in grading and verification, to ensure that students have equipment and tools they need to complete the labs, and frequent feedback or communication during laboratory exercises is needed.

Sunn hemp (SH; Crotalaria juncea L.) is a fast-growing, annual, warm-season tropical legume that could complement less productive cool-season forages such as tall fescue during summer. Little is known about seasonal forage mass and nutritive value partitioning in SH plant components when SH is managed for forage. We determined partitioning of forage mass and nutritive value (crude protein (CP), in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD)) concentrations in SH leaves and stems harvested 35, 45, and 55 days after planting (DAP) at Bradford Research Center, Columbia, MO, in a 2-year field study. Leaf and stem mass increased with increasing DAP and was greatest ( P ≤ 0.05 ) at 55 DAP followed by 45 and 35 DAP. Stems contributed most to the total forage mass beyond 45 DAP. Across years, CP was greatest ( P ≤ 0.05 ) in leaves (281 g kg−1 DM) and lowest for stems (81 g kg−1 DM) at 55 DAP. The lowest NDF ( P ≤ 0.05 ) was observed in leaves (251 g kg−1 DM) and stems (585 g kg−1 DM) at 35 DAP. Acid detergent fiber was lowest ( P ≤ 0.05 ) for SH leaves (178 g kg−1 DM) and stems (484 g kg−1 DM) at 35 DAP. Digestibility of leaves was greater than that of stems and generally decreased with maturity. The nutritive value of leaves was consistently greater than that of stems and decreased with maturity, except for CP of leaves, which was maintained throughout the season. Results suggested that SH leaves can maintain forage mass and greater quality than its stem throughout the growing season.

When the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic in March 2020, educational institutions abruptly moved course instruction to online in synchronous or asynchronous formats. As a result, students were forced to adapt to the new learning method and change the way they had previously thought of courses. A study was conducted of 135 undergraduate students in agriculture enrolled in four different courses at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The study examined traditional, on-campus students’ perceptions about their experiences with online learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these perceptions related to their learning styles and personalities. Also assessed was how different online teaching methods impacted students’ perceptions on how connected they felt with professors and classmates. Results indicated that students who are extroverted and classified as kinesthetic or visual learners had more positive perceptions about online instruction. In addition, the more semesters of college a student had completed, the more positive their perceptions of the online experience.

No abstract

The rapid growth in the craft brewing industry is increasing the demand for winter barley production. Little recent research exists on producing winter barley for malting in the lower Midwestern United States, with a lack of understanding how previous legumes crops grown in rotation with winter barley interact with nitrogen (N) fertilization rates to affect grain yield and malting quality. To investigate these topics, a preliminary, 1‐year study was conducted in Missouri, USA, to test how growing soybean, a common rotational crop, and sunn hemp, a specialty forage crop, prior to winter barley, as well as two fall N fertilization rates (22.4 and 44.8 kg N ha−1), affected barley grain yield. Barley grain yield was unaffected by the previous legume crop choice or the fall N fertilization rate, suggesting that either crop provided adequate residual N to the succeeding barley crop. Additionally, malting quality was analyzed from representative grain samples to reveal adequate levels suitable for use in the craft brewing industry. This study's results reveal preliminary data supporting winter barley production in the lower Midwestern United States, with an indication that previously grown legume crops impact crop yield greater than fall N fertilizer rate.

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, preexisting soil science laboratories were redesigned for self‐guided learning (SGL). The SGL laboratories occurred on‐campus during the fall 2020 semester in two introductory soil science courses at the University of Tennessee at Martin and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Students carried out the activities by visiting multiple outdoor sites on campus, individually or in pairs, without the instructor. Students accomplished this by following instructions provided on location sign boards and instruction manuals. We evaluated student perceptions of the SGL laboratories using an optional qualitative survey that students completed post‐laboratory and student performance on SGL activities using rubrics. Our results showed that students found the difficulty level and amount of time required for the SGL laboratories to be equal to traditional in‐person laboratories. Most students found the SGL laboratories enjoyable or very enjoyable because of the flexibility and hands‐on learning outdoors. Students recommended more SGL laboratories during and after the pandemic, preferably accompanied by frequent student–instructor interaction. Rubric analysis showed that SGLs were best suited for practicing previously learned skills in practical contexts and learning simple skills and concepts, but students did not perform well with complex and abstract concepts. Overall, students were able to successfully complete SGL laboratory activities in a hands‐on yet socially distanced way. The results suggest that SGLs can be implemented in post‐pandemic lectures and laboratory courses designed for hands‐on learning in a distance learning format.

When the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic in March 2020, educational institutions abruptly moved course instruction to online formats in synchronous or asynchronous formats. As a result, students were forced to adapt to the new learning method and change the way they had previously thought of courses. A study was conducted of 135 undergraduate students in agriculture enrolled in four different courses at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The study sought to examine traditional, on-campus students’ perceptions about their experiences with online learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these perceptions related to their learning styles and personalities. Also assessed was how different online teaching methods impacted students’ perceptions on how connected they felt with professors and classmates. Results indicated that students who are extroverted and classified as kinesthetic or visual learners had more positive perceptions about online instruction. In addition, the more semesters of college a student had completed, the more positive their perceptions of the online experience.