Life Sciences Commons^™

Sunflower Planting Date Trial, Heather Darby, Hannah Harwood, Erica Cummings, Rosalie Madden, Susan Monahan

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

Sunflower is a relatively new crop for the Northeast, and producers are interested in growing this crop for both the oil and seed meal. These products can be used for fuel, feed and food. Sunflower can yield well here in Vermont, but pest pressures often compromise strong yields. Altering planting dates may help to mitigate some of these pest pressures by getting the plants through a vulnerable growth stage before or after the most active periods in a pest’s lifecycle. In addition, certain varieties may be impacted differently by alterations in planting date. Because Vermont has a short growing season, …

Cover Crop Termination & Reduced Tillage Study, Heather Darby, Susan Monahan, Erica Cummings, Hannah Harwood, Rosalie Madden

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

When a crop such as corn silage is harvested in the fall, the entire plant is removed leaving the soil exposed through the winter. These exposed soils are more prone to run-off and erosion of sediment and nutrients into surface waters. As a means to alleviate these issues, many farmers have started to plant cover crops following harvest. Growing a cover crop can have many positive benefits to the soil and the surrounding environment. Cover crops produce aboveground biomass that can absorb the impact of rain drops and slow the flow of water from melting snow. The root system also …

Enhancing Forages With Nutrient Dense Sprays 2012 Trials, Heather Darby, Susan Monahan, Erica Cummings, Hannah Harwood, Rosalie Madden

Northwest Crops & Soils Program

The nutrient dense study was initiated at two locations in Vermont to test the efficacy of amending forages with foliar sprays. The nutrient spray program was developed by Advancing Eco-Agriculture and consisted of five foliar sprays for the Vermont farms in this study. The recommended spray program included applications of Rejuvenate in the early spring and late fall, and a combination of PhotoMag, Phosphorus, Potassium and MicroPak applied in the spring and after each cut of hay or graze (Table 1). This study was conducted based on farmer interest in enhancing nutrient density of forages through foliar sprays and was …

Maine Learns To Love Dairying, Erin Love

Historical Ecology Atlas of New England

The transition from subsistence to commercial farming is a defining trend in Maine dairying that continues today. Technological advances that often caused large landscape scale changes were catalysts in the division between small and large farmers. The industry developed in a relatively short time period—the last thirty years of the 19th century—but the characteristic divide between large and small farmers has continued to be exacerbated.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Economic Impact Of The New Insensitive Sorghum Cultivars In The Dairy Market Of Nicaragua, Gabriel Garcia Gomez

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

This thesis estimates the benefits and returns to consumers, processors, producers and society of the new insensitive sorghum cultivars used for the dairy production in Nicaraguan. Many dairy producers also sell their grain so sorghum production is a multi-product activity.

The breeding project of INTA developed cultivars for simultaneous use in dairy and grain production. Its first release was Pinolero-1 developed during the Nicaraguan civil war. This cultivar was rapidly adopted by farmers after the end of the war in 1990. Subsequently, five more new cultivars have been released. We consider their combined effects.

Through field surveys, we calculated the …

Mites (Arachnida: Acari) Collected On Rubber Trees Hevea Brasiliensis (Willd. Ex A.Juss.) Müll.Arg. In Santana, Amapá State, Brazil, Rodrigo Souza Santos Rss

Rodrigo Souza Santos RSS

The purpose of this study was to elaborate a preliminary list of the mite species associated with rubber trees in the municipality of Santana, in the state of Amapá, Brazil. Two collections of rubber tree leaves were conducted on May 2nd and June 5th , 2010. Twenty-five plants were sampled at random. Three leaves were collected per plant, from the lower third of the crown. The samples were placed in paper bags, packed in an isothermal box chilled gel-based pulp plant (Gelo-X®), and transported to the Entomology Laboratory at Embrapa Amapá, in Macapá. The leaflets were examined under a stereomicroscope, …

The New England Food System In 2060: Envisioning Tomorrow's Policy Through Today's Assessments, Margaret Sova Mccabe, Joanne Burke

Law Faculty Scholarship

This Essay analyzes how the New England states' planning processes are envisioning revitalized local, state, and regional food systems. This Essay has five parts. First, it begins with examining compelling reasons for promoting more sustainable food systems based on national and global trends, and identifies strategies for promoting regional food systems approaches with a brief introduction to the major influences on the national and New England food system. Second, it describes the states' planning efforts and their enabling legislation or source of authority.

The Essay then introduces the New England Food Vision 2060 (the Vision) an emerging discussion of food …

Agriculture And Food In Crisis: Conflict, Resistance, And Renewal [Book Review], Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Edited by Fred Magdoff and Brian Tokar. 2010. Monthly Review Press, New York, New York, United States. 348 p. Paperback, cloth US$ 75.00, paper US$ 18.95, ISBN-13 978-1-58367-226-6.

That doubling of food production over the next four decades will be needed to adequately nourish our human population is not news, but the incredible steps essential to achieve that goal and their political and social implications are less well reported. In this series of 16 essays edited by Fred Magdoff and Brian Tokar, several thoughtful specialists in global food issues explore the historical, biological, economic, energy, political and social dimensions of …

Water Quality Trading Markets For The Kentucky River Basin: A Point Source Profile, Ronald Childress Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This study assessed the feasibility and suitability of a Water Quality Trading (WQT) program within the Kentucky River Basin (KRB). The study’s focal point was based on five success factors of a WQT program: environmental suitability, geospatial orientation, participant availability, regulatory incentive, and economic incentive. The study utilized these five success factors, geographical characteristics, and Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR) to assess the feasibility of a WQT program.

The assessment divided the KRB into five eight digit Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUC), North, Middle, and South Fork, Middle Basin, and Lower Basin, to determine regional impacts caused by the nutrient PSs. Individual …

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 13 2012, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Rural Farming In The Scottish Highlands And The Arkansas Delta: Investments And Inequalities, Madalyn Watkins, Lanier Nalley

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The development and evolution of an agricultural system is influenced by many factors including binding constraints (limiting factors), choice of investments, and historic presence of land and income inequality. In this study, we analyzed the development of two farming systems: expansive, mechanized farming in the Arkansas Delta and crofting in the Scottish Highlands. We hypothesized that the current farm size in each region can be partially attributed to the binding constraints of either land or labor. The Induced Innovation Model and the Gini coefficient were employed in the analysis of data pertaining to the respective regions’ agricultural constraints, investments, and …

Economic And Attitudinal Perspectives Of The Recreational For-Hire Fishing Industry In The U.S. Gulf Of Mexico, Michelle Savolainen

LSU Master's Theses

Socioeconomic and policy information is important to fisheries management in order to assess potential social and economic impacts of proposed fishing regulations. Previous surveys which collect this type of data for the recreational for-hire (RFH) fishing industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico were conducted in 1987 and 1997. The third Gulf-wide survey was conducted in 2010 to update the socioeconomic and policy data available on the RFH industry. More specifically, the survey collected captain, vessel, and trip characteristics, firm and trip financial data, targeted species, and opinions on policy issues and hurricane impacts. State license information indicated that 3,315 …

Commuting Patterns And Labor Markets: A New Regional Classification For Louisiana, Deepa Acharya

LSU Master's Theses

Regional classification and labor market study form an important part of any regional development efforts. Successful formation and implementation of developmental policies for a region requires a sound knowledge of the labor market situation and socioeconomic background of the region, which in turn leads ultimately to regional welfare. We find literature in the area of regional classification to be very inadequate. This study classifies Louisiana using a clustering approach in two different ways. First of all, Ward’s method has been used to classify Louisiana into labor markets based on two-way commuting flow between the parishes. Eight geographical clusters are formed …

Economic Modeling & Optimization Of A Region Specific Multi-Feedstock Biorefinery Supply Chain, William H. Faulkner

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

The objective of this thesis is to include strategic and tactical level decisions into the biorefinery supply chain design for a specific region while comparing multiple conversion technologies and biomass feedstocks. The allocation of biomass feedstocks, products, and the respective supply chain configuration locations are determined while ensuring the regions monthly biomass availability and product market demand constraints are met. This research considers all actions required to bring the bio-based products to market from harvesting, storing, and processing the biomass to market distribution. Two different conversion technologies are chosen for comparison: one advanced conversion technology and one conventional technology. Potential …

Three Essays On Technology Adoption And The Roles Of Off-Farm Labor, Human Capital, And Risk In Contemporary Us Agriculture, Hiroki Uematsu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Agriculture can be defined as the domestication and farming of plant and animal species to produce food and fiber products. Our society is fundamentally dependent on agriculture as it is the primary source of nutrients essential to human activities. Historically, the introduction of agriculture and technological development thereafter drastically changed the way human civilization has evolved into what it is today. New technologies allow farmers to produce more outputs with fewer inputs. Saved resources from agricultural production, such as land, labor and time, were used elsewhere to produce other goods and services that enrich the quality of our life. The …

Three Essays On Modeling Economic And Fiscal Change For Communities Under Disequilibrium Following Natural Disasters, Arun Adhikari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Regional economists and policy makers are interested in forecasting economic changes that are likely to take place at local and state levels after exogenous shocks to an economy; that is, create disequilibrium conditions in terms of supply and demand. Impacts of such shocks could be observed at the level of employment, unemployment, commuting patterns, assessed property values, property and sales taxes and local level of expenditures in several categories. The objective of the first essay was to model the employment change decompositions of different effects in two major industries using a shift share analysis technique in context of Louisiana parishes …

Three Essays On The Efficiency Of Rural Hospitals In The United States, Iustin Cristian Nedelea

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Program was created in response to the dramatic deterioration of financial conditions and the potential threat of closure of small rural hospitals under the Prospective Payment System (PPS). CAHs receive cost-based reimbursement for services provided to Medicare patients in exchange for accepting a number of restrictions. The PPS, which pays a fixed price per case, provides an incentive for hospitals to reduce costs and increase efficiency. In the first essay, I examine the impact of conversion to CAH status on hospital efficiency. The estimated results show that CAHs are less cost and allocatively efficient than …

Examining The Relationship Between The Exchange Rate, Foreign Direct Investment And Trade, Shanta Parajuli

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Extensive research has been carried out on the relationships among foreign direct investment (FDI), exports, the exchange rate, and economic growth. However, these research findings are mixed and inconclusive. Therefore, further research and discussion are needed on this topic. This study focused on Mexico, since it is one of the major FDI recipient countries in Latin America and much of its trade is a result of its free trade agreements. This study examines the relationship between FDI, exports, and economic growth in the context of FDI from developed to developing countries (Mexico). The second chapter analyzes the relationship of FDI …

The Kentucky Agricultural Economic Outlook For 2013, Kevin Heidemann, Miranda Hileman

Kentucky Agricultural Economic Outlook

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Price Volatility On Soybeans Futures Prices, Diego J. Gavilanez Hernandez

LSU Master's Theses

Recent unexpected changes (mid-2007- Aug 2011) in agricultural commodity markets have led stakeholders to ask if the volatility of futures prices currently observed are still the result of traditional fundamentals. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to identify those factors that affect monthly soybeans futures price volatility. To accomplish this study, four relevant factors are explored. First, the integration between energy and agricultural markets is accounted for via oil spot prices, as well as a dummy variable to account for the shift in the U.S renewable fuel policy since 2007. Second, the increasing consumption of commodities from China is …

An Examination Of Corporate Agribusiness Financial Performance: How Agribusinesses Perform Over Time And Under Various Conditions, Sierra J. Enlow

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

While several studies examine the managerial structure of privately owned agribusinesses, few studies take a comprehensive look at publically traded agribusiness firms. Our study examines the historical position of agribusiness compared to the market, and then studies the impact of the global economic and financial crisis. The objective of this study is to pinpoint effects of corporate financial management strategies, commonly researched in financial literature on agribusiness firms’ performance. Through utilizing a quantile regression we find that agribusiness position in times of financial crisis is directly related to firm performance. As we examine internal factors, several interesting impacts of managerial …

Measuring Current Consumption Of Locally Grown Foods In Vermont: Methods For Baselines And Targets, David Conner, Florence Becot, Douglas Hofer, Ellen Kahler, Scott Sawyer, Linda Berlin

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

Numerous studies have measured the economic impact of increased consumption of locally grown foods, and many advocates have set goals for increasing consumption of locally grown foods to a given percentage. In this paper, we first apply previously developed methods to the state of Vermont, to measure the quantity and value of food that would be consumed if the USDA Dietary Guidelines were followed. We also assess the potential of locally grown foods to meet these guidelines, finding that meeting dietary guidelines with a local, seasonal diet would bring economic benefit, in this case, US$148 million in income for Vermont …

The Economic Feasibility Of Utilizing Energy Cane In The Cellulosic Production Of Ethanol, Kayla Lynn Brown

LSU Master's Theses

With an overall lack of economic information available on energy cane production, the aim of this research has been to provide some insight on the economic feasibility of producing energy cane in Louisiana as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production. When dealing with a non-traditional crop such as energy cane, increased uncertainty surrounding potential costs and returns can make the crop seem much less appealing to potential producers. As a high-fiber hybrid of traditionally produced sugarcane, energy cane production costs have been estimated using a standard enterprise budgeting approach developed for sugarcane, along with actual yield and fiber data from …

Marketing Channels And Internet Technology Used By Specialty Crop Farmers, Sandamali Kanaththa Kankanamge

LSU Master's Theses

An online survey was used to collect data on specialty crop farms in 2010 in Louisiana. The objectives included evaluation of familiarity with the Louisiana Food MarketMaker website and the All about Blueberries website, about marketing channels used, and the adoption of electronic and Internet based technologies to assist with marketing of differentiated products. Variables included use and effectiveness of marketing channels, level of use and quality of internet service, use of Internet-based functions and applications, barriers to internet use, frequency of use and usefulness of social media and smart phones, effectiveness of and familiarity with MarketMaker and All about …

Changing Land Use On Unproductive Soils, Andrew Blake, Mike Clarke, Angela Stuart-Street

Resource management technical reports

A three year study completed in 2010 examined farming systems in the north-eastern agricultural region and eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia which experienced a succession of variable seasons from 2000. This culminated in severe drought in 2006 and 2007. At that time, farmers experienced labour shortages and declining terms of trade triggered by cost inflation outpacing growth in commodity prices. As a result, farm business equity was eroded as farm debt escalated. This left many farm businesses in a highly vulnerable state. At the time of the study many farmers were facing an uncertain future.

These experiences, coupled with a …

Economic Assessment Of Rapid Land-Building Technologies For Coastal Restoration, Hua Wang

LSU Master's Theses

In the wake of recent hurricanes, coastal managers in Louisiana have begun integrating infrastructure protection and habitat restoration. Concurrent with this change, emphasis has been placed on marsh creation (MC) techniques that rely on mechanical dredges and sediment conveyance pipelines to rapidly build new land. The costs and benefits of this approach are increasingly compared to more natural and slower methods using fresh water diversions (FWD), yet such comparisons are not typically inclusive of time and risk considerations. Data for more than 300 coastal wetland restoration projects were evaluated for the statistical development of generic acreage trajectories and restoration cost …

Public Expenditures, Private Incentives, And Technology Adoption The Economics Of Hybrid Rice In South Asia, David J. Spielman, Deepthi Kolady, Patrick Ward, Harun- Ar- Rashid

Deepthi Kolady