Life Sciences Commons^™

Small- And Medium-Sized Feedlots: Management And Marketing Survey Results, Matthew A. Diersen, Scott W. Fausti

Economics Research Reports

Increasing sector specialization has led to a decline in the number of smaller feedlots in the U.S. However, some operations continue to finish or background cattle as part of diversified operations. After a set of focus group sessions a survey was conducted of feedlots in South Dakota to determine the competitive tradeoffs among size of operation and production and risk management practices. The mail survey was designed in collaboration with the National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS). NASS designed a stratified random sampling methodology for survey instrument dissemination. A bi-variate sampling stratification procedure was used; South Dakota feedlots with less than …

Land Surface Phenology And Seasonality Using Cool Earthlight In Croplands Of Eastern Africa And The Linkages To Crop Production, Woubet G. Alemu, Geoffrey M. Henebry

GSCE Faculty Publications

Across Eastern Africa, croplands cover 45 million ha. The regional economy is heavily dependent on small holder traditional rain-fed peasant agriculture (up to 90%), which is vulnerable to extreme weather events such as drought and floods that leads to food insecurity. Agricultural production in the region is moisture limited. Weather station data are scarce and access is limited, while optical satellite data are obscured by heavy clouds limiting their value to study cropland dynamics. Here, we characterized cropland dynamics in Eastern Africa for 2003–2015 using precipitation data from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and a passive microwave dataset of land …

A Global Analysis Of Sentinel-2a, Sentinel-2b And Landsat-8 Data Revisit Intervals And Implications For Terrestrial Monitoring, Jian Li, David P. Roy

GSCE Faculty Publications

Combination of different satellite data will provide increased opportunities for more frequent cloud-free surface observations due to variable cloud cover at the different satellite overpass times and dates. Satellite data from the polar-orbiting Landsat-8 (launched 2013), Sentinel-2A (launched 2015) and Sentinel-2B (launched 2017) sensors offer 10 m to 30 m multi-spectral global coverage. Together, they advance the virtual constellation paradigm for mid-resolution land imaging. In this study, a global analysis of Landsat-8, Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B metadata obtained from the committee on Earth Observation Satellite (CEOS) Visualization Environment (COVE) tool for 2016 is presented. A global equal area projection grid defined …

Growing South Dakota (Summer 2017), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

This issue contains the 2016 SDSU Extension Annual Report.

Page] 2 From the Director
[Page] 3 WaterTouches Everything, Multi-State Network Strives to Enhance Water Stewardship
[Page] 6 From RubbleTo Renewal, Unique Art Project Helps Delmont Community Heal
[Page] 7 Future Focused, Community Development Program Helps Harness Ideas Into Action
[Page] 8 Health Help, Statewide Program Strives To Help Individuals Better Manage Chronic Health Condition
[Page] 10 Making An Impact, Master Gardener Program Helps Individuals & Communities Flourish
[Page] 12 Statewide Highlights & Happenings
[Page] 14 Outreach to Youth, Programs Foster Engagement With Diverse Youth Audiences
[Page] 17 A Look At …

Growing South Dakota (Spring 2017), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 3 Opportunities With Oats SDSU Researchers Strive to Improve Varieties [Page] 6 Stopping Stem Canker Plant Pathologists Making Progress To Keep This Disease At Bay
[Page] 7 Disease Detectives Vet Scientists Researching Another Emerging Virus [Page] 8 Community Support Devastating West River Fire Brings Ag Industry Together
[Page] 10 Research In Progress Dakota Lakes Research Farm Investigates Three Big Ideas
[Page] 14 Water Quality Quest Understanding E. Coli Behavior Aims To Aid Water Quality In Rivers & Streams
[Page] 15 Verifying Ag Land Valuation Researchers Assist In Reviewing Ag Land’s Classification
[Page] 16 Cattle Insights Fetal Programming Research Evaluates …

Grain Sorghum Variety Trial Archive, John Rickertsen, Bruce Swan, Nathan Mueller, Christopher Graham, Jonathan Kleinjan, Kevin Kirby, Dwayne Beck, Michael Swan

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

This report features the available sorghum data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Alfalfa Variety Trial Results Archive, Vance Owens, R. Bortnem, D. Gustafson, E. Omdahl, Chris Lee, Peter Jeranyama, Matt Hansen, Karla Hernandez

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Corn Silage Variety Trial Archive, Jonathan Kleinjan, David Casper, Kevin K. Kirby, S. M. Hawks

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

This report features the available corn silage data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Field Pea Variety Trial Archive, Robert Hall, John Rickertsen, Kevin K. Kirby, Bruce Swan, G. Piechowski, Jesse Hall, Nathan Mueller, Ruth Beck, Christopher Graham, Jonathan Kleinjan, S. M. Hawks, Michael Swan

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

This report features the available pea data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Winter Wheat Variety Trial Archive, John Rickertsen, Robert Hall, Amir Ibrahim, Kevin Kirby, Thandiwe Nleya, Bruce Swan, Steve Kalsbeck, Bill Berzonsky, Nathan Mueller, Christopher Graham, Shaukat Ali, S. M. Hawks

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Sunflower & Flax Hybrid Performance And Variety Trial Archive, Kathleen Grady, Lee Gilbertson, Thandiwe Nleya, John Rickertsen, Bruce Swan, Febina Mathew, Christopher Graham, Nathan Braun, Paul Okello

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

This report features the available sunflower and flax data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Oats Variety Trial Archive, Robert Hall, Kevin K. Kirby, John Rickertsen, Bruce Swan, G. Piechowski, Jesse Hall, S. M. Hawks, Nathan Mueller, Christopher Graham, Jonathan Kleinjan, Shaukat Ali

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

This report features the available oats data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Spring Wheat Variety Trial Archive, Robert Hall, Kevin Kirby, John Rickertsen, Bruce Swan, G. Piechowski, Jesse Hall, Nathan Mueller, Christopher Graham, S. M. Hawks, Jonathan Kleinjan

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Corn Hybrid Trial Archive, Robert Hall, Kevin Kirby, G. Piechowski, Nathan Mueller, Jonathan Kleinjan, Jesse Hall, S. M. Hawks

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

This report features the available corn data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Soybean Variety Trial Archive, Kevin Kirby, Robert Hall, G. Piechowski, Jesse Hall, S. M. Hawks, Nathan Mueller, Jonathan Kleinjan

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

This report features the available soybean variety trial data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Factors Affecting Feedlots' Decisions On Cattle Marketing Options: A National Study, Charlotte Owusu-Smart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the economic implication of changing slaughter volume patterns across the cash and contract markets in the US cattle industry. Weekly time series data that spans from November 2002 to December 2015 was used in the analysis. Empirical evidence suggests that Mandatory Price Reporting (MPR) played an important role in changing slaughter volumes across the cash and contract markets. Additionally, price of feeder cattle, cattle quality characteristics (Choice-Select spread and the percentage of animals grading choice or better) among others influence feedlots’ decision to use a particular marketing arrangement.

Identification Of Physiological And Morphological Traits Governing High Water Use Efficiency In Alfalfa, Krishna Ghimire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alfalfa is an important forage crop worldwide. Being deep-rooted, N2-fixing and high yielding, alfalfa has great economic, ecological and nutritional benefits. While alfalfa is a high yielding crop, its high productivity depends on irrigation water in many areas and consumes the greatest amount of water among all the major crops. With a growing demand for water resources due to an increase in human population and industrial water use, plus frequent drought due to climate change, irrigation water has become increasingly scarce and expensive. To sustain high production of alfalfa with limited water resource, alfalfa cultivars with improved water use efficiency …

Interactive Effects Of Cover Crops, Invertebrate Communities And Soil Health In Corn Production Systems, Claire Lacanne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adoption of regenerative farming practices is gaining traction, but the costs and benefits are not often considered on a systems level. Encouraging biodiversity and soil health is the goal of many agricultural practices used in regenerative farming; regenerative systems employ practices which abide by the two main principles of increasing biodiversity and decreasing disturbance, with the goal of encouraging ecosystem functioning to minimize inputs and maximize the productivity of a farm. I examined the management of corn (Zea mays) fields across four states in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. Regenerative systems in this study …

Heterogeneous Nitrogen Losses: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Changes In Management Across South Dakota, Archibold Quaye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The loss of nitrogen fertilizer into the atmosphere and waterways is of increasing concern for citizens and policy makers. This is particularly relevant for hypoxia in rivers, lakes, and oceans, but also relevant for policy makers in reducing the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere and include: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. Overall, the estimated contribution from the agricultural sector to GHG emissions was 9% in 2013 (EPA, 2013). Further, the addition of nitrogen to the soil through the use of synthetic fertilizers is a main contributor to …

Encouraging Organic Agriculture: The Effects Of Conversion Subsidies, Sarah Adams Inkoom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the importance of conversional subsidies in accounting for an increase in organic acreage in the 12 North-Central States in the United States. Monthly time series data that spans from January 2002 to December 2014 was used in the analysis. Empirical evidence suggests that increase in organic acreage is due in part to the availability of conversion subsidies. Without government assistance, most small-scale farmers are not sufficiently motivated to switch to organic production due to the high initial costs involved in transitioning. Further, increased institutional support could facilitate organic adoption and its absence is detrimental to increasing the …

Response Of Soil Properties To 23-25 Years Of Diverse Crop Rotations And Tillage Systems In South Dakota, Usa, Abdullah H. Alhameid

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diverse cropping systems and no-till (NT) are beneficial in improving soil organic carbon (SOC) and other soils properties. The present study was conducted to evaluate the interactions and impacts of long-term tillage and diverse crop rotation systems on soil quality indicators that include a range of soil chemical, physical, hydrological, and microbial properties. The study was established in 1991 at Beresford, South Dakota and included three crop rotation systems [2-yr; maize (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L.), 3-yr; maize-soybean-oat (Avena sativa L.), and 4-yr; maize-soybean-oat-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)] managed under two tillage systems (NT and CT; conventional- tillage). Soil sampling …

A Demonstration Study Of Drainage Water Management In Eastern South Dakota, Ashik Sahani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Subsurface drainage is a common water management practice for improving crop production in poorly drained soils; however, the practice is associated with several environmental concerns such as nutrient losses to downstream surface waters. These environmental concerns from subsurface drainage have prompted interest in drainage water management strategies such as controlled drainage. This study assessed the agronomic and environmental impacts of drainage water management in eastern South Dakota by using two demonstration plots for controlled and conventional drainage. Drain flow, nitrate and dissolved phosphorous concentration in drain water, shallow groundwater, crop yield, residual soil nitrate, soil moisture and temperature, soil penetration …

Improvement Of Milling And Nutritional Quality Characteristics Of Oats Through Genomic Selection, Sudha Neupane Adhikari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oats can lower cholesterol, reduce risks of type-2 diabetes, and help prevent heart diseases when consumed daily. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and select breeding lines with desirable milling and nutritional quality traits. Genomic selection, which uses genotyping data to predict the breeding value of an individual, is a promising method to increase genetic gain by selecting for quality traits earlier in the line development process. In this study, we collected phenotypic data for three nutritional traits (protein, β- glucan, and fat content) and five milling quality traits (percent plumps, percent thins, percent plump groat, groat percent and thousand …

Local And Systemic Actions Of Gnrh Relating To Estradiol And Associated Reproductive Parameters In Beef Cattle, Jerica J.J. Rich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In cattle, estradiol is responsible for modulating many mechanisms involved in successful reproduction. Specifically estradiol is the primary signal for the initiation of standing estrus (Allrich, 1994), and cattle expressing estrus prior to fixed time AI (FTAI) have been reported to have increased preovulatory estradiol concentrations (Perry and Perry, 2008) and increased pregnancy success compared to animals that did not exhibit estrus (Richardson et al., 2016). Gonadotropin releasing hormone, classically, stimulates estradiol production via the two-cell two-gonadotropin hypothesis (Fortune and Quirk, 1988), and GnRH administered systemically in small doses (5 μg) has been reported to elicit an LH pulse similar …

Human Dimensions Of Habitat Loss In The Plains And Prairie Potholes Ecoregion, Lily A. Sweikert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Plains and Prairie Potholes Ecoregion (PPPE), is located in the north-central contiguous United States and is one of the most imperiled grassland regions in the world. Most of the region is privately owned and used for the production of agricultural commodities. In addition to its direct benefits to humanity, the PPPE provides multiple ecosystem services including, soil and water quality improvements, carbon sequestration, weather amelioration, and wildlife habitat. Recent increases in expansion of row crop agriculture concerns conservation practitioners about the long-term integrity of the PPPE. Conservation practitioners are looking to improve their private landowner conservation initiatives in the …

Investigation Of Candidate Loci Associated With Maize Perennialism, Anjun Ma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Developing perennial grain crops is an effective and crucial way to prevent soil erosion caused by conventional agriculture of using annual crops while meeting the increasing need of global food demand. We hypothesized that the regrowth in Zea might be controlled by two dominant complementary genes. F1 hybrids were created by crossing Zea diploperennis Iltis, Doebley & R. Guzman with annual Zea mays L. ssp. mays inbred line B73. A Total of 134 F2 plants derived from nine F1 were planted and phenotyped. A subpopulation of 94 F2 plants were genotyped with Genotype-by- Sequencing (GBS) and called 10,431 SNPs after …

Using Remote Sensing To Estimate Crop Water Use To Improve Irrigation Water Management, Arturo Reyes-Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Irrigation water is scarce. Hence, accurate estimation of crop water use is necessary for proper irrigation managements and water conservation. Satellite-based remote sensing is a tool that can estimate crop water use efficiently. Several models have been developed to estimate crop water requirement or actual evapotranspiration (ETa) using remote sensing. One of them is the Mapping EvapoTranspiration at High Resolution using Internalized Calibration (METRIC) model. This model has been compared with other methods for ET estimations including weighing lysimeters, pan evaporation, Bowen Ratio Energy Balance System (BREBS), Eddy Covariance (EC), and sap flow. However, comparison of METRIC model outputs to …

Performance Of The Producer Accumulator In Corn And Soybean Commodity Markets, Chad Te Slaa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research quantifies risk reduction and performance of the producer accumulator contract in corn and soybean markets. To quantify performance, we use three alternative theoretical pricing models to estimate historical producer accumulator contract specifications in corn and soybean markets. We then compare the performance of the producer accumulator to eight alternative agricultural marketing strategy portfolios that are also used in new generation grain contracts. The performance measures we compare are: average bushel price that would be received by the producer, daily portfolio risk, and the Sharpe ratio. The period we examine performance was between 2008 and 2017. We investigate performance …

Enhancing Cellulase Production Of Aureobasidium Pullulans For Use In Converting Dried Distillers’ Grains With Solubles Into A Higher Protein Feed, Emily L. Baldwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Main limitations of dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS) as meal for monogastric animals is the presence of high fiber content, reduced fat content, and poor amino acid balance. This causes a reduced economic value of DDGS for these species due to its low inclusion rates. The goal of this theses was to create new strains of a fungus, Aureobasidium pullulans, with enhanced cellulase production and use it to optimize an enzymatic saccharification, pretreatment, and fungal conversion process to enhance the nutritional value of DDGS. Various combinations of enzymatic saccharification, physical/chemical pretreatments, and mutant strains of fungi were investigated …

Evaluating Adaptions Of Soft Red Winter Wheat In Eastern Region Of Usa, Dilmini Alahakoon, Anne Fennell, Jixiang Wu

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Identification of winter wheat genotypes that are highly adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions is one of the most important wheat research objectives. Multienvironment trials (METs) under diverse environments is a commonly used practice to evaluate mean performance and yield stability. However, locations used and genotypes planted may vary from year to year which may cause yield stability analysis to be statistically challenging. In this study, we evaluated yield trial data containing 117 eastern soft red winter wheat genotypes that were grown in 35 locations in eastern production areas and four growing seasons (2012/2013 to 2015/2016). We used …