Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Of Open Top Chambers To Simulate Effects Of Climate Change On Soil Temperature And Cover Crop Response In Agricultural Systems, Gretchen Bahmueller

Honors Theses and Capstones

Climate change is expected to yield warmer winters that have the potential to place additional stress on our already stressed agricultural systems. Understanding how agricultural systems may respond to these changes is essential to creating crop and land management plans that ensure food security for future generations. To better understand how warming winters can/will affect air and soil temperatures and cover crop performance, open top chambers (OTCs) were deployed post cover crop seeding in a field experiment at the UNH Kingman Research Farm in Madbury, NH. The experiment consisted of four cover crop treatments sown into or after corn: an …

Homesteading In Maine: Motivations And Current Trends, Alexandrea Merchant

Master's Theses and Capstones

People in the United States who practice the alternative lifestyle of “homesteading” seek to live self-sufficient lives by growing food, building dwellings, and living with resolute autonomy. Great variation exists in the degree of self-sufficiency attained and desired by individuals engaged in homesteading. It was the purpose of this study to illuminate the motivations underlying adopting and engagement in this lifestyle in Maine homesteaders. Through interviews with 10 homesteaders in Maine and participant observation, I documented the narratives and elucidated the motivations of this under researched group. Common themes emerged. Participants expressed concerns about personal health, the environment, and institutions. …

Agritourism Development: Neighborhood And Community Considerations, Jada Lindblom Ph.D.

UNH Cooperative Extension

An increasing number of farms in NH and beyond are incorporating agritourism activities and/or event hosting into their business models. While these can be valuable strategies in terms of community and economic benefits, neighbor/abutter disputes, zoning regulations, and state laws may pose challenges. These presentation slides offer tips from town planners and agritourism operators for navigating potential roadblocks.

Tractor Maintenance Checklist For Spring, Kendall Kunelius

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Financial Benchmarks For Diversified, Direct-Market Produce Farms, Michael Sciabarrasi

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Measuring Racial Equity In New Hampshire’S Food System, Olivia Saunders, Jennifer Wilhelm

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Starting A Farm Business: Self Assessment Workbook, Kelly Mcadam

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

New Farmer School: Developing A Values-Based Vision For Your Farm, Kelly Mcadam

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Distribution Of Soil Enzyme Activity Across Soil Organic Matter Fractions: A Meta-Analysis, Christina Lyons

Master's Theses and Capstones

Enzymes are the drivers of organic matter degradation and biogeochemical cycling. Extracellular enzyme activity is often examined on a bulk soil level though some studies explore their activity within soil fractions. Across soil size fractions, organic matter turnover differs greatly suggesting that enzymes are either unevenly distributed across fractions or their activity or efficacy is concentrated in certain fractions, likely those with the greatest quantities of organic matter. By examining the distribution of soil enzyme activity across different size fractions, we can better understand the relative role individual particles and aggregate building blocks have on enzyme activity, and also the …

Legal Guide For New Hampshire Agricultural Producers, Amy Manzelli, Jason Reimers, Stephen Wagner, Rachel Armstrong, Erin Hannum

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Factors Affecting Purchase Of Locally Grown Produce: A Case Study Of New Hampshire Markets, Jordan Strater

Master's Theses and Capstones

There has been a recent focus on expanding local agriculture production in New Hampshire, and more information on consumer decision making in regard to local food purchasing is needed. Expansion of local food production and consumption has been of great interest in the past several years, with many consumers becoming increasingly curious about where their food comes from. Concerns about disease, environmental damage, fossil fuel usage, and recently food chain disruption due to COVID-19 as well as the health of local economies have fostered this awareness about the origins of our food (Onozaka et al. 2010; Thilmany et al. 2020). …

Genetic Dissection Of Non-Host Resistance To The Wheat Stem Rust Pathogen, Using An Interspecific Barberry Hybrid, Radhika Bartaula

Doctoral Dissertations

Stem rust, caused by the macrocyclic fungal pathogen P. graminis (Pg), is one of the most devastating diseases of wheat and other small grains globally; and the emergence of new stem rust races virulent on deployed resistance genes brings urgency to the discovery of more durable sources of genetic resistance. Given its intrinsic durability and effectiveness across a broad range of pathogens, non-host resistance (NHR) presents a compelling strategy for achieving long-term rust control in wheat. However, NHR to Pg (Pg-NHR) remains largely unexplored as a protection strategy in wheat, in part due to the challenge of developing a genetically …

Using Day Neutral Cultivars And Low Tunnels To Extend The Strawberry Harvest Season In The Northeastern United States, Kaitlyn Marie Orde

Master's Theses and Capstones

Day-neutral strawberry cultivars have produced competitive yields and allowed for extended production in several recent experiments in the Upper Midwest and northeastern US, and the inclusion of small plastic-covered low tunnels has increased percent marketable yields and even total yields in some cases. However, low tunnel systems have not been evaluated for production conditions in New England, and cultivar evaluation is limited. The objectives of our experiments were to: (1) evaluate five different plastic films with diverse light-transmission profiles, as well as three mulch types (black plastic, white-on-black plastic, and bare ground) for low tunnel day-neutral strawberry production in New …

Reflection And Evaluation Of The “Healthy Me, Healthy Earth” After-School Program, Mary K. Sherman

Honors Theses and Capstones

The “Healthy Me, Healthy Earth” program was an eight week after-school program for first through fourth graders at the Woodman Park Elementary School in Dover, NH conducted during the Fall of 2017. The program used a cost-effective, food system-based curriculum to promote health and environmental literacy to students who participated. An interdisciplinary approach was used to assess the knowledge, attitude, and behavioral changes of the students. There was a noted improvement in comprehension of food system concepts.

Supplementation Of Sodium Butyrate To Post-Weaned Heifer Diets: Effects On Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, And Health, Emily Margaret Rice

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of varying levels of sodium, butyrate (SB) on the growth, digestibility, and health of post-weaned heifers. Forty Holstein, dairy heifers with a mean age of 84 d and average body weight (BW) of 100.88 kg were housed, in a naturally ventilated freestall barn. Heifers were blocked by birth date and randomly assigned, to 1 of 4 treatments in a completely randomized block design: (1) 100 g of soybean meal carrier, (control; CON); (2) 0.25 g SB/kg of body weight + carrier (0.25SB); (3) 0.50 g SB/kg of BW +, carrier …

Effects Of Agricultural Practices On Soil Communities And Their Associated Ecosystem Services, Lesley W. Atwood

Doctoral Dissertations

To maximize crop yields, commodity crop production systems typically rely on inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation; simplification of crop rotations (e.g., monocultures); and strategic use of soil disturbance (e.g., tillage, cultivation, etc.). While these practices are intended to optimize the soil conditions for crop development and reduce spatial and temporal variability in crop yield, they also impact soil biological diversity and the important agroecosystem services soil communities provide. Identification of management practices that are less prone to causing undesirable changes in the soil food web community are central to improving the sustainability of our agricultural systems. In this dissertation, …

Effects Of Silvopasture Establishment On Aqueous And Gaseous Soil N Losses At The University Of New Hampshire Organic Dairy Research Farm, Kathryn Ann Slebodnik

Honors Theses and Capstones

The expansion of local agriculture in the New England region is putting increased pressure on farmers to expand their arable land base. While clear-cutting is a traditional method of converting forested land to agriculture, it is known for having adverse ecological impacts. To minimize these impacts, farmers can create a silvopasture which incorporates a portion of the original forest canopy into pastures or crop fields. This study evaluates the impact of land-use changes for agriculture on soil nitrogen (N) retention. In particular, this study investigates the differences in soil N turnover, gaseous loss, and aqueous loss among an established forest, …

Grafting Melons Increases Yield, Harvest Period, And Resistance To Sudden Wilt, Janel Louise Martin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Melons [Cucumis melo L.], are potentially a high value crop for New England, but production is limited by cool soil temperatures and sudden wilt. The primary symptom of sudden wilt syndrome is rapid wilting of vines either just preceding or during the harvest period when plants have a heavy fruit-load. Typically, plants do not recover from these symptoms, resulting in reduced yield and fruit quality. The exact cause of sudden wilt is unknown; however, the main cause is thought to be a soil-borne pathogen with other compounding abiotic factors. Use of early cultivars, black plastic mulch, and rowcovers have brought …

Year-Round Management Of High Tunnel Production Systems: Spinach And Tomato, Connor Eaton

Master's Theses and Capstones

As high tunnel production is relatively new to the Northeast, this research has helped understand knowledge-gaps in common warm and cold-season crop systems in the region. High tunnels increase crop yield and quality and extend the growing season, and are most commonly used for tomato in the warm-season and spinach in the cold-season.

Spinach was grown in unheated high tunnels throughout the cold-season to evaluate the effects of cultivar and planting date on yield and sweetness (Brix° levels). Cultivar and planting date had a significant effect on yield, where earlier planting dates resulted in higher yields. Cultivar had a significant …

Energy And Protein Efficiency Of Lactating Dairy Cows Fed Ground Peas, Canola Meal And Rumen-Protected Amino Acids, Andre De Barros Duarte Pereira

Doctoral Dissertations

Forages as conserved silage or grass cannot supply enough nutrients and energy as required by lactating dairy cows. As a result, supplementation with grains is needed to provide animals with enough nutrients to be healthy and produce milk being profitable (NRC, 2001). High producing cows need protein supplementation from sources other than forages in order to maximize milk protein production, with emphasis on replenishing requirements for specific amino acids. Excessive protein in the diet or deficiency of an essential amino acid can reduce productivity and increase excretion of N to the environment, causing pollution. Research must be conducted to help …

Ipm2.0: Precision Agriculture For Small-Scale Crop Production, Matt Wallhead

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to manage pests impacting New England crop production integrated pest management (IPM) practices should be reevaluated or updated regularly to ensure that effective control of crop pests is being achieved. Three fungal taxa, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, C. acutatum, and Glomerella cingulata, are currently associated with bitter-rot of apple (Malus domestica), with C. acutatum typically being the dominant species found in the northeastern United States. However, a recent phylogenetic study demonstrated that both C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum are species complexes with over 10 distinct species being recovered from apple between the two studies. Based on this recent information, the …

Global And Regional Assessments Of Unsustainable Groundwater Use In Irrigated Agriculture, Danielle Sarah Grogan

Doctoral Dissertations

Groundwater is an essential input to agriculture world-wide, but it is clear that current rates of groundwater use are unsustainable in the long term. This dissertation assesses both current use of groundwater for country- to global-scale agriculture, and looks at the future of groundwater. The focus is on 1) quantifying food directly produced as a result of groundwater use across spatially-varying agricultural systems, 2) projecting future groundwater demands with consideration of climate change and human decision-making, and 3) understanding the system dynamics of groundwater re-use through surface water systems. All three are addressed using a process-based model designed to simulate …

Effects Of Mowing And Soil Disturbance On The No-Till Establishment And Productivity Of A Diverse Forage Crop Cocktail In Hayfields, Myers M. Shaiyen

Master's Theses and Capstones

This project examined approaches to establishing a functionally diverse forage crop “cocktail”, a mixture of 15 annual and perennial forage crop species with contrasting functional traits, within a hayfield for the purpose of increasing hayfield forage plant diversity and productivity. The forage crop cocktail was intended to enhance the diversity of the resident hayfield, as well as contribute to enhancements in overall hayfield productivity via biological interactions among the cocktail and resident hayfield species, rather than through external chemical inputs. We examined several strategies for both managing the resident hayfield plant community prior to sowing the cocktail and the timing …

Strawberry Production In New Hampshire Strawberry Root-Lesion Nematode, Matted-Row Production, And Annual Plasticulture Compared To Matted-Row Production In New Hampshire, Matthew Kochka

Master's Theses and Capstones

The dominant strawberry production system in New Hampshire (NH) is the semi-perennial matted-row system. In this system, dormant crowns are planted in the spring and require a full year of maintenance before the first harvest. While as many two additional years of harvests can be realized in this system, strawberry root rot disease effectively limits the productive longevity of matted-row plantings in the state. Root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus spp.) damage is often cited as a possible factor in facilitating the infection process of the causative pathogen complex of strawberry root rot; but no systematic survey for the presence of Pratylenchus spp. …

Global And Regional Assessments Of Unsustainable Groundwater Use In Irrigated Agriculture, Danielle S. Grogan

Doctoral Dissertations

Groundwater is an essential input to agriculture world-wide, but it is clear that current rates of groundwater use are unsustainable in the long term. This dissertation assesses both current use of groundwater for country- to global-scale agriculture, and looks at the future of groundwater. The focus is on 1) quantifying food directly produced as a result of groundwater use across spatially-varying agricultural systems, 2) projecting future groundwater demands with consideration of climate change and human decision-making, and 3) understanding the system dynamics of groundwater re-use through surface water systems. All three are addressed using a process-based model designed to simulate …

Food System Education Among High School Students, Yussra Mt Ebrahim

Honors Theses and Capstones

As the American public school system is currently designed, the average student is likely to graduate high school without ever having received any formal instruction regarding the food system in which he or she takes part as a consumer. Such instruction was not necessary up until the current era of separation between consumers and food production. Through this research project, I sought to demonstrate the effectiveness of a single introductory lesson on the issues confronting the modern American food system, which I taught to two high school biology classrooms. A pre-survey was taken by the high school biology students online …

Queer Farmers: Sexuality And The Transition To Sustainable Agriculture, Isaac Leslie

Master's Theses and Capstones

Intimate relationships are foundational to farm viability. Such relationships affect how farmers share tasks, earn income, and access land, yet the role of sexuality and heteronormativity in agriculture remains understudied. Furthermore, queers are largely ignored as potential farmers by the sustainable agriculture and LGBT movements. Through participant observation and interviews with 30 sustainable farmers of various genders and sexualities in New England, I document the lived experiences of queer sustainable farmers, an under-researched group, and examine whether sexuality and gender affects why they farm. Whereas the perception of rural heterosexism can discourage queer participation in agriculture, queer farmers faced less …

A Physiocratic Systems Framework For Open Source Agricultural Research And Development, Dorn Cox

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a new participatory approach to agricultural research and development. It surveys the biological, sociological, economic, and technical landscape and proposes a framework for adaptive management based on the 18th century Physiocratic school of land-based economics. Industrial specialization and heavy emphasis on deductive approaches to science have contributed to the disconnection of large portions of the population from natural systems. Conventional agriculture and agricultural research methods following this pattern have created expensive social, environmental, and economic external costs, while adaptive management and resilient agricultural systems have been hindered by the cost and complexity of quantifying environmental services. However, …

Silvopasture In The Northeastern United States, Joseph Nathan Orefice

Doctoral Dissertations

Silvopasture, the sustainable integration of livestock and trees on the same unit of land, may have the potential to contribute to agricultural productivity in the Northeastern United States and concurrently encourage the ecosystems services which trees provide. Extremely little is known regarding the ecological characteristics of silvopastures being utilized, their social and economic drivers, or their agricultural productivity. Silvopasture characteristics, management, and reasons for use were documented through a purposeful sample of silvopasture practitioners in New York and New England. Results document the functional role of silvopastures on regional farms. This research also investigated the ecological and production dynamics of …

Effects Of Ground Flaxseed Supplementation On Animal Production And Milk Fatty Acid Profile In Organically-Certified Lactating Jerseys During The Grazing Season, Brianna Jeanette Isenberg

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of supplementing a pasture-based diet with ground flaxseed (GFLAX) on milk production and composition, blood parameters, digestibility, ruminal characteristics, nitrogen excretion, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) production, and income over feed cost (IOFC). Twenty organically-certified lactating Jerseys were blocked by milk production and days in milk (DIM) and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) control (soybean meal and ground corn grain as 10% of total diet dry matter (DM) or 2) GFLAX as 10% of total diet DM. Treatments were top-dressed onto a 25% mixed grass-legume baleage, …