Roundworm parasites infect humans, livestock, and crop plants. Insights into why certain worms can evade host immune protections could help explain why pesticides and antibiotics for infections aren’t always as effective anymore.  

Bacterial, fungal, and parasite resistance to drugs and pesticides is making it harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat common infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis in humans and pest infestations in crops. International health officials warn that without urgent action, we are heading toward a future in which minor injuries and infections can kill. Crop and livestock production will also face increasing hurdles.

To study how parasites evolve to break the defenses of their hosts, the National Institutes of Health has granted UC Riverside nematologist Simon “Niels” Groen a $1.9 million Outstanding Investigator Award.

“When roundworms infect either humans, animals or plants, they start injecting proteins from their saliva into host cells to subvert the immune response,” Groen said. “These processes are pretty similar across hosts, which is why we can study coevolutionary arms races between plants and parasitic worms and make inferences about the evolution of worm infections in people.” 

Over the next five years, Groen will use the funds to conduct a study in two parts. The first part of the project will examine hundreds of tomato and rice plants, both those grown on farms and those growing in the wild. These are not plants artificially bred for immunity, but Groen expects many will have developed defenses against infectious roundworms, also called nematodes. 

“These plants are a natural laboratory in which we can link their genes and chemical characteristics of their roots to their resistance to worm infections,” Groen said. 
 
“We will learn the molecular mechanisms by which plants defend themselves. This includes the production of defensive chemicals, some of which could be harnessed as novel drugs or antibiotics in humans and livestock,” Groen said. “We can then share this information with biomedical researchers and crop breeders.”
 
This aspect of the project will also help increase food security, particularly in parts of Africa and Asia where nematodes pose a problem for farmers. Much research has been done on above-ground insect pests, but less work has been done below ground, where nematode infections attack the most economically important crops. 
 
“Nematodes make up the most devastating threat to soybeans. For rice and tomatoes, nematodes may cause up to 20 percent loss of yield. That’s a lot of people who don’t get to eat,” Groen said. 

For the second part of the project, the research team will look at the nematode side of the equation. “How do they evolve to break the plants’ resistance?” Groen asked.

There is a gene in tomatoes, Mi-1, that surveys the inside of plant cells for incoming attacks. In a way that is not yet fully understood, this gene perceives something about impending nematode infections that triggers an effective immune response. 
 
Mi-1 was discovered in wild tomatoes in the 1940s and has been bred into California processing tomatoes ever since to keep nematodes at bay. Groen explained that this breeding scheme put root-knot nematodes under enormous natural selection pressure to overcome the resistance conferred by the gene. 
 
However, in increasing numbers, farmers are now finding nematodes in their supposedly resistant tomato crops. “We don’t understand how they broke the resistance. Is there one way or multiple ways they were able to do this? We will try to identify how many ways there are to skin a cat, from a nematode’s perspective,” Groen said. 
 
Thanks to UC Extension specialists, Groen’s team will be able to compare the genes of worms collected before resistance breaking became more common, as well as ones that have been able to squirm past the plant’s immunity barriers. 
 
One hypothesis is that when the nematode enters the plant, it injects proteins with its saliva that have different targets in the host cell. When Mi-1, floating around in the cell, comes across one of these nematode proteins, it triggers an immune response that kills the worm. However, if the worm no longer injects that protein, then Mi-1 doesn’t know the invader has arrived. 
 
There are receptor proteins like Mi-1 that have evolved similarly in humans that survey cells for incoming attacks, as well as additional molecular processes that resemble one another in humans and plants. However, given ethical and logistical considerations when studying infections in humans, it makes sense to begin this research with plants and nematodes.
 
“The worms are only one model system to look at resistance breaking. But they may yet help us find new solutions to pesticide and antibiotic resistance,” Groen said. 

GROWMARK and its FS-affiliated companies have named the Enduring Farm winners for the 2023 calendar year and published their annual Endure report detailing the GROWMARK System’s environmental, social, and governance engagement for the prior calendar year as part of the System’s sustainability efforts.

Enduring Farms recognizes farms that go above and beyond in their commitment to preserve and improve their land and natural resources for future generations by adopting best management practices that optimize nutrient utilization, leading to long-term soil and water quality.

To be considered for the award, FS companies nominate farms using certain sustainable best management practices on their farms. Farms implementing additional agronomic and environmental management practices can also earn the Enduring Farms Plus designation.

Enduring Farms Plus winners Rod and Cindy Iutzi, whose family has been farming for five generations, are corn and soybean farmers in Hancock County, Illinois.

Rod recalls stories from his grandfather about farmers first learning to use fertilizer and says he’s proud that his farm has always been able to utilize new practices. “Today, I use cover cropping with crops like Cereal Rye on our corn fields,” he said. I’m proud that for three generations, our family farm has always been able to advance as technology changes.”

Sixty farms earned the Enduring Farms designation, while 83 farms earned the Enduring Farms Plus designation in 2023.

“We’re proud of the nutrient management practices these farm families are utilizing to help feed and fuel the world,” said GROWMARK CEO Mark Orr. “Their hard work ensures farmland continues to be fruitful for future generations of America’s farmers.”

The Endure report, published alongside the Enduring Farm designations, details the GROWMARK System’s efforts to remain sustainable while also serving our farmer customers.

These efforts include supporting and implementing smart stewardship practices throughout the System, embarking on decarbonization initiatives, and engaging with our communities to support youth education and young farmers, offer scholarships, and provide support for other industry advocates.

“In the Endure report, you’ll read real stories of how the GROWMARK System is serving our customers, like our scholarship program or our work with biodiesel,” Orr said. “These and other stories, like the FS employee named the Illinois Certified Crop Advisor of the year, share our collective effort to be the best agricultural cooperative system in North America.”

As days get warmer, the itch to hit the field gets stronger. It’s springtime, which means that planting season is underway for farmers across the state. 

Traveling with agricultural equipment on the road poses an increased hazard that is often a dreaded part of farming. It is critical that farmers ensure their vehicles meet legal requirements and operate safely while sharing roadways with their fellow motorists.

“Everyone is busy — and during the busy seasons, it’s easy to get impatient with farmers on the road,” said Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Brad Olson. “Staying vigilant and patient on the roadway is a responsibility all motorists share. At the end of a long, hard day, we all want to make it home safe to our families.”

Commit to staying safe on the road this spring with these five mindful tips:

Make smart decisions and follow safe, smart driving practices at all times. Before attempting to pass in a no-passing zone, know that it is illegal to pass certain vehicles, including farm tractors and farm machinery or an agricultural commercial motor vehicle.

Motorists should wait to pass a slow-moving vehicle until they have safely entered a passing zone. Farmers should not pull over in a no-passing zone to let vehicles pass unless the road shoulder condition and width can allow for the farm machinery to completely move onto the shoulder.

Farmers also should not wave a driver forward to pass. While these actions seem courteous, it sends mixed signals and is not encouraged. In a passing zone, or if the shoulder width permits, farmers are obligated to yield the roadway to an overtaking vehicle so they do not impede the normal movement of traffic.

Stay alert while driving, as you never know when you’ll meet farm equipment on the road.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation recommends that motorists should slow down immediately whenever they see a slow-moving vehicle emblem (orange and red triangle) on the rear of a tractor or other piece of equipment. This emblem indicates that the farm machine usually travels slower than 25 mph. Stay alert, focused, and patient when passing a slow-moving agricultural vehicle in an area where passing is legal.

Watch out for unexpected turns into the field driveway, as it is more likely for farm equipment to turn there than at an intersection. It can turn into a dangerous situation when a farmer is attempting to make a left-hand turn. Farm equipment, especially the tractor, will have two flashing amber or yellow lights on the cab or tire fenders of the tractor when on the roadway. When a farmer signals to turn, the light will continue to flash in the direction the farmer is turning. The other light will go solid.

Farmers are asked to comply with the proper lighting and marking requirements to draw attention to the size, shape, and speed of agricultural vehicles and to alert motorists that caution is required. There are specific requirements for different types of equipment. This information can be found here.

Leave space when a motorist legally passes large farm equipment within a short distance of a controlled intersection (stop sign or stop lights), this action can dramatically impact the reaction time and braking distance for the farmer. Farm equipment is heavier than a passenger vehicle, which makes it critical to have adequate braking distance.

Don’t assume that because you can see the farmer, they can see you. Blind spots are common on farm equipment. Accident risks are highest when equipment is backing up or moving in an area with limited space or turn radiuses.

“Safe roads not only protect lives but also support the long-term viability of farms and rural communities. It is about fostering a culture of shared responsibility for the well-being of our communities,” added Olson.

This article was submitted by Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and is republished with permission. All photos included here were taken by WFBF during controlled demonstrations.

G Bar C Ranch in Rosston, Texas, is this year’s 2023 National Environmental Stewardship Award Program winner, announced during the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association annual Spring Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. 

“For our operation, this is a lifetime achievement award, and this is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Meredith Ellis of G Bar C Ranch. “It took me going far away to college and coming home to realize just how special ranching is and how I want to be just like my greatest mentor, my father.”

G Bar C Ranch, located north of Dallas, continues to improve ranching practices in ways that nurture the environment while remaining economically sustainable. The Ellis see themselves as caretakers of the land, maintaining biodiversity, natural habitat, and clean waterways. More than 500 species of plants, animals, and insects have been found thriving on the ranch alongside cattle that are being grazed. 

“Stewardship means that I am a shepherd and must take care of all the living things that call this place home,” said Ellis. “No animal, plant or insect is too insignificant for consideration.”

G Bar C Ranch implements an adaptive multi-paddock strategy that rotates cattle through 58 permanently fenced pastures. Wheat Creek runs through the ranch and eventually feeds into the Trinity River, which is a water source responsible for half of Texans’ water needs. The Ellis family grazes in a manner that keeps the vegetative filters and sponges working effectively and prevents erosion, keeping water clear and pure.

The family also strives to keep carbon stored in the soil by minimizing disturbance. The ranch is a living laboratory and opens its gates to researchers from organizations, universities and other institutions. Some of the research has found that G Bar C Ranch is sequestering 2,500 tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to taking 551 cars off the road every year.

“It is because of cattle that our grazing lands are as abundant and full of life as they are,” said Ellis. “Whenever I share my story, I think of my son, and know that it’s not about me, but it’s about his future and what it is going to look like.”

Established in 1991, ESAP identifies outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry. Each year, regional award winners are recognized with one being honored as the national winner.

“Cattle producers across the country are committed to being good stewards of natural resources,” said NCBA President Mark Eisele. “G Bar C Ranch is an exceptional example of the dedication required to share the land with future generations.”