Digital Commons Network^™

Food Availability And Cost Patterns In Mississippi Retail Stores Participating In The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Virginia B. Gray, Sylvia H. Byrd, Laura Downey

The Journal of Extension

Research has suggested that availability of healthful food varies according to rurality/urbanicity, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation, and sociodemographic variables. We investigated differences in variety and cost of fruits and vegetables in convenience stores, grocery stores, and supermarkets across Mississippi. We collected data using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey–Corner Store. Among stores surveyed (n = 453), fruit and vegetable variety was greater in nonmetro versus metro areas for convenience and grocery stores but not supermarkets. Elucidation of food availability in retail establishments serving SNAP Education (SNAP-Ed) clients is valuable for planning outreach efforts; smaller retailers may be important …

Eating Smart And Moving More For Head Start: A Pilot Study, Virginia C. Stage, L Suzanne Goodell, Susan Chase, Stephanie Mcdonald, Archana V. Hegde, Jocelyn Bayles, Lorelei Jones

The Journal of Extension

Our study examined the relationship between improved personal health behaviors of Head Start teachers’ and the promotion of positive health behaviors in their classroom. Thirty-three Head Start teachers across 7 centers received six 30-minute nutrition education lessons. Dietary intake, physical activity, and self-efficacy for promoting positive health behaviors in the classroom were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Significant improvements were observed for dietary intake and physical activity. Self-efficacy for promoting health behaviors in the classroom did not significantly improve. Additional education is needed to improve health promotion practices. Lessons learned contributed to program refinement. Implications for Extension are discussed.

Diagnostic Walkabouts: Seventeen Years Of Specialized Training For Horticultural Professionals, Timothy J. Malinich, Jacqueline Kowalski, Charles Behnke

The Journal of Extension

A diagnostic walkabout (DW) is an in-field diagnostic training program for professionals in the green industry (greenhouse, landscape, nursery, and turf businesses). DWs have been scheduled annually since 2002 and are easily replicable, fee-based programs that provide cost recovery. DWs also serve as a mentoring program for new Extension educators. Four generations of Extension Educators have participated. Recently, the annual program has been sponsored by state and regional trade associations. What began as an educational outreach program has become a bridge spanning Extension, trade associations, businesses, and generations of Extension educators.

Young Cattle Producers Conference Develops Leaders In Idaho, Carmen J. Willmore, Meranda Small, Sarah Baker, Jim Church

The Journal of Extension

The need for young leadership in the beef industry has become a rising concern as the average age of primary operators increases. Extension educators developed a leadership conference for beef producers with the primary objective to educate and develop leadership qualities in young cattle producers. To achieve the objective participants, age 18-40 years old, had opportunities to learn all aspects of the industry through presentations, hands-on learning and industry tours. A post-conference survey revealed that participants planned to utilize what they learned and had a better understanding of the beef industry at the conclusion of the program.

Soil Biogeochemistry Across Central And South American Tropical Dry Forests, Bonnie G. Waring, Mark E. De Guzman, Dan V. Du, Juan M. Dupuy, Maga Gei, Jessica Gutknecht, Catherine Hulshof, Nicolas Jelinski, Andrew J. Margenot, David Medvigy, Camila Pizano, Beatriz Salgado-Negret, Naomi B. Schwartz, Annette M. Trierweiler, Skip Van Bloem

Publications

The availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) controls the flow of carbon (C) among plants, soils, and the atmosphere, thereby shaping terrestrial ecosystem responses to global change. Soil C, N, and P cycles are linked by drivers operating at multiple spatial and temporal scales: landscape-level variation in macroclimate and soil geochemistry, stand-scale heterogeneity in forest composition, and microbial community dynamics at the soil pore scale. Yet in many biomes, we do not know at which scales most of the biogeochemical variation emerges, nor which processes drive cross-scale feedbacks. Here, we examined the drivers and spatial/temporal scales of variation in …

The Motion Of Trees In The Wind: A Data Synthesis, Toby D. Jackson, Sarab Sethi, Ebba Dellwik, Nikolas Angelou, Amanda Bunce, Tim Van Emmerik, Marine Duperat, Jean-Claude Ruel, Axel Wellpott, Skip Van Bloem

Publications

Interactions between wind and trees control energy exchanges between the atmosphere and forest canopies. This energy exchange can lead to the widespread damage of trees, and wind is a key disturbance agent in many of the world's forests. However, most research on this topic has focused on conifer plantations, where risk management is economically important, rather than broadleaf forests, which dominate the forest carbon cycle. This study brings together tree motion time-series data to systematically evaluate the factors influencing tree responses to wind loading, including data from both broadleaf and coniferous trees in forests and open environments.

We found that …