Core Ideas Nutrient‐rich spent microbial biomass has potential for reuse in agriculture. Tall fescue data from three harvests showed release of spent microbial biomass nutrients over time. Highest spent microbial biomass rate yielded greater tall fescue biomass than fertilizer in July. All five spent microbial biomass rates produced corn yields consistent with the fertilizer control. The renewable disposal of spent microbial biomass in agriculture may be expanded to other industries. Spent microbial biomass (SMB), a nutrient‐rich co‐product of industrial white biotechnology processes, is produced in substantial quantities alongside high‐value products and most often disposed of in landfills or incinerated. Alternatively, SMB could be reused as a land‐applied N source in agricultural crop production, reducing the environmental and economic footprint of synthetic fertilizers. This research compares SMB applied at different rates to current farmer practice (FP) fertilizer use in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and corn (Zea mays L.) production on a Dewey silty clay in Lenoir City, TN. The effect of SMB on tall fescue was measured over three harvests through plant biomass production, crop N status using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and forage quality by near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). Corn productivity was measured by crop height, leaf chlorophyll content using a handheld meter, and grain yield. Tall fescue data showed the mineralization and release of SMB N over time compared with the rapidly available fertilizer N, and the highest SMB application rate in tall fescue was not statistically different from the FP in plant biomass, leaf NDVI, or any measured forage quality parameters. Despite differences in corn leaf chlorophyll contents between SMB and fertilizer treatments during the growing season, no differences in final grain yields were found. This research substantiates the potential of SMB as a soil N amendment from a nutrient source and yield perspective. Additional studies are needed to understand SMB mineralization rates and to confirm the material's nutrient contribution to crop production.

The seeder is integral to smallholder agricultural production. This technology seeks to lessen farmer labor requirements, meter seeds accurately, and minimize excessive soil disturbance. Hand seeders play a central role in conservation agriculture (CA) for the smallholder farmer as a means to plant through residue cover and penetrate non-tilled soil surfaces. Two trials in maize (Zea mays, L.) residue and soybean (Glycine max, L.) residue were conducted to test seven seeders of increasing mechanization levels: five hand operated, one mechanized, and one tractor-drawn control. The experiment site was in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, at the Eastern end of the US "Corn Belt" that had been under continuous no-till production for seven years. Experimental conditions at the site sought to mimic smallholder conditions through seeding and hand harvesting. Seeders were evaluated based on plant population establishment, crop growth stage, crop heights and final maize grain yield. The hand seeders were further evaluated based on their economic viability and usability -key challenges to the ultimate adoption of new seeding technologies. The study found that the seeders tested performed equally to the control, the John Deere MaxEmerge Conservation planter, the crop-seeding capacity and price evaluation identified the Haraka rolling planter ill-suited for smallholders while the OSU Greenseeder proved highest qualitative performance. In conclusion, all evaluations indicate that a medium level of mechanization is appropriate and necessary to be successful in a smallholder CA system although continued research is necessary.

Ruminant livestock, including cattle, sheep, goat, and buffalo, are essential for global food security and serve valuable roles in sustainable agricultural systems. With the limited availability of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from these species, ruminant induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-like cells provide a valuable research tool for agricultural, veterinary, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications, as well as for the prospect of translation to human medicine. iPSCs are generated by reprogramming of adult or fetal cells to an ESC-like state by ectopic expression of defined transcription factors. Despite the slow pace the field has evolved in livestock species compared to mice and humans, significant progress has been made over the past 15 years in using different cell sources and reprogramming protocols to generate iPSCs/iPSC-like cells from ruminants. This mini review summarizes the current literature related to the derivation of iPSCs/iPSC-like cells from domesticated ruminants with a focus on reprogramming protocols, characterization, associated limitations, and potential applications in ruminant basic science research and production.