The Project
Our elementary idea is that a diversity of deep-rooted perennial legumes and non-legume forbs high in nutrients and functional biochemicals can be grown and stockpiled in resource patches across the landscape to be used as low-cost supplementation for beef cattle to increase productivity and biodiversity while reducing environmental impacts.
Thus, the long-term goal of this project is to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of beef production systems in the western U.S. through the establishment of islands of multifunctional diversity in the landscape.
We are developing smart foodscapes by screening a wide selection of native and introduced plants for the establishment, synergisms, and nutritional complementarities (Objective 1). Some of these plants are being strategically deployed in islands across the landscape and tested for their effects on beef cattle performance, habitat for pollinators, mammalian and avian wildlife (Objective 2), environmental impact (Objective 3), and economic viability (Objective 4) (supporting research objectives). This research is being integrated at the regional and local level through the restructuring and expansion of existing grazing schools (Objective 5), assessments of adoption (Objective 6), and producer engagement (Objective 7) (supporting extension objectives). A transdisciplinary and multi-institutional team of educational researchers, scientists, and K-12 teachers are co-developing curricular modules that integrate citizen science projects to focus on pollinators, small mammals, birds, nitrogen fixation, and biodiversity. These online educational resources are bringing the principles underpinning the research and extension efforts into school gardens in urban, suburban, and rural areas (Objective 8). The integration of garden-based learning (GBL) into Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics (STEAM) curricula (Objective 9) provides novel, experiential learning opportunities for K-12 teachers and students to engage with rangeland flora and fauna. Finally, research, extension and education activities are integrated into a comprehensive outreach program (Objective 10).
| The Pleiades Foundation is also a supporter of this project |
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Extension
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Education
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Project Progress
| Title | Authors | Content Date/Year |
Links |
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| 2021 Smart Foodscapes Program Launch Research Component Part 1 |
Angie Jensen | 12/14/2021 | Video Recordings |
| 2021 Smart Foodscapes Program Launch Research Component Part 2/Extension Component & Discussion |
Angie Jensen | 12/14/2021 | Video Recordings |
| 2021 Smart Foodscapes Program Launch Education Component Part 1 |
Angie Jensen | 12/15/2021 | Video Recordings |
| 2021 Smart Foodscapes Program Launch Education Component Part 2 |
Angie Jensen | 12/15/2021 | Video Recordings |
| 2021 Smart Foodscapes Program Launch Open Discussion for All Groups |
Angie Jensen | 12/15/2021 | Video Recordings |
| 2022 Research-Event Poster | Juan Villalba | 04/05/2022 | |
| 2022 Education-Event Poster | Kathy Trundle/Rita Hagevik | 04/05/2022 | |
| 2022 Newsletter, The Pulse - July | Angie Jensen | 07/01/2022 | |
| 2022 Annual Meeting Flyer 2 | Angie Jensen | 09/08/2022 | |
| 2022 Annual Meeting Flyer Flyer 3 | Angie Jensen | 10/10/2022 | |
| 2022 Annual Meeting Flyer 1 | Angie Jensen | 06/10/2022 | |
| 2022 Smart Foodscapes - Introduction | Smart Foodscapes Collaborative | 11/28/2022 | Video |
| 2022 Newsletter, The Pulse - November | Angie Jensen | 12/15/2022 | |
| 2022 Annual SFS Meeting Notes | Nina Arshavsky | 01/04/2023 | |
| 2022 Annual SFS Meeting | Angie Jensen | 01/05/2023 | Video |
2023 NSTA Conference
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Kathy Trundle |
03/24/2023 | Bees PDF Rhythm PDF Bugs PDF Water PDF Wahl. PDF Eng. PDF Arts PDF Math PDF Succ. PDF Over. PDF Soc. PDF |
| 2023 Newsletter, The Pulse - February | Angie Jensen | 02/08/2023 | |
| 2023 Ranchers' Views of Smart Foodscapes: Applied and Methodological Insights | Dr. Jessica D. Schad and PhD Student Zubair Barkat-Sociology Program, Utah State University | 04/01/2023 | PPT |
| 2023 Newsletter, The Pulse - August | Angie Jensen | 08/01/2023 | |
| 2024 Newsletter, Smart Foodscapes - February | Resha Whitaker | 02/01/2024 | |
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2024 NSTA Conference 3D Insect & Adaptation: Engaging Middle School Students through Arts Integration (Curtis et al.)
Chasing Clouds: Quantifying the Sky (Parslow et al.) Connecting to Nature through Mathematics and Rainfall (Vela et al.) Digging Into Soil in a School Garden (Hagevik et al.) K-12 STEAM Garden-based Learning Resources: Integrated, Online, and FREE (Trundle et al.) Pollinator’s Favorite Flower/Food: A 3-H Model Framed Lesson (Villa et al.) |
Kathy Trundle | 03/20/2024 | 3D PDF Hab. PDF Inv. PDF Parts PDF 3D Mag. PDF Dig. PDF K-12 PDF |
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2024 Rancher's Views of Smart Foodscapes |
Jessica Schad | 04/29/2024 | |
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2024 Field Trip Handout |
Resha Whitaker | 05/17/2024 | |
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2024 USU Annual Meeting Map |
Resha Whitaker | 05/17/2024 | |
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2024 Meeting Agenda |
Resha Whitaker | 05/21/2024 | |
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2024 BEE Ambassadors for Pollen |
Laura Wheeler, Rita Hagevik & Kathy Cabe Trundle | 05/16/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Welcoming Pollinators |
Kaitlin Campbell, Rita Hagevik, and Kathy Cabe Trundle | 05/01/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Vertical Gardening |
Tyelar Haines, Rita Hagevik, and Kathy Cabe Trundle | 05/01/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Raised Bed Gardening |
Rita Hagevik and Kathy Cabe Trundle | 05/01/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Rain Barrels |
Daniel Findlay, Rita Hagevik, and Kathy Cabe Trundle | 05/01/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Native Bee Homes |
Daniel Findlay, Kaitlin Campbell, Rita Hagevik, and Kathy Cabe Trundle | 05/01/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Create a Garden Anywhere |
Rita Hagevik and Kathy Cabe Trundle | 05/01/2024 | |
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2024 Zoom Meeting Minutes after 2024 Annual Meeting |
Nina Arshavsky | 05/23/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Beneficial Biological Control Insects |
Kaitlin Campbell, Rita Hagevik, and Kathy Cabe Trundle | 10/1/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Composting |
Larry Krissek, Kathy Cabe Trundle, and Rita Hagevik | 10/1/2024 | |
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2024 Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Using Trail Cameras |
Kaitlin Campbell, Kathy Cabe Trundle, and Rita Hagevik | 09/01/2024 | |
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2024 Ranchers’ Views of Smart Foodscapes: Applied and Methodological Insights |
Zubair Barkat, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Eric Thacker | 10/10/2024 | |
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2024 Potential Benefits of Tannins on Ruminant Health, Production and Environmental Sustainability |
Joseph H. Kadigi, Bashiri I. Muzzo, and Sebastian Schreiber | 09/30/2024 | |
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2024 PSXIII-5 Behavior and blood urea nitrogen in cattle grazing meadow bromegrass and supplemented with condensed and hydrolizable tannins |
Iddy Muzzo, Horacio Blanchard, Claudio Cabral, Juan J Villalba | 09/14/2024 | |
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2024 Review: Herbivory and the power of phytochemical diversity on animal health |
J.J. Villalba, R.D. Ramseya, S. Athanasiadoub | 07/29/2024 | |
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2024 Integrating Plant Secondary Metabolites and Foraging Behavior to Enhance Animal Health in Ruminant Production Systems |
Villalba, J.J.; MacAdam, J. W.; Van Vliet, S., Provenza, F.D. | 02/16/2024 | |
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2024 Tannins in Perennial Legume and Forb Functional Forages |
MacAdam, J. W.; Villalba, J.J.; Lagrange, S.; Stewart, E.; Hunt, S.; Legako, J.; Christensen, R.; | 02/12/2024 | |
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2024 A Hearts-on, Hands-on, Minds-on Model for Preschool Science Learning |
Kathy Cabe Trundle and Mandy McCormick Smith | 03/20/2024 | |
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2024 The birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees |
Laura Wheeler, Rita Hagevik, Kathy Cabe Trundle, Michelle Parslow, and Katherine Vela | 03/15/2024 | |
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2024 Give Plants an Inch; They’ll Take a Yard |
Vela, Katherine N., Parslow, Michelle; Hagevik, Rita; Trundle, Kathy Cabe | 03/11/2024 | |
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2023 Education Team Workshops
Buzz About Bees
Climate Change
Fieldtrip
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Kathy Trundle | 01/09/2023 | Pres. PDF Hand. PDF Counts PDF Graph PDF Life Cyc. PDF Guide PDF Notes PDF Facts PDF Ext. PDF Lesson PDF Res. PDF Hand. PDF Guide PDF |
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2023 Education Team Camp Celebration at EBLS |
Kathy Trundle | 07/17/2023 | Video |
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2024 Newsletter, Smart Foodscapes - September |
Resha Whitaker | 09/05/2024 | |
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2025 February Newsletter |
Resha Whitaker | 02/11/2025 | |
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2025 August Newsletter |
Resha Whitaker | 08/05/2025 | |
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2026 February Newsletter |
Resha Whitaker | 02/03/2026 |