Digital Commons Network^™

Vulnerable Vegetables And Efficient Fishers: A Study Of Primary Production Food Losses And Waste In Ireland, Tracey O'Connor, Rosanna Kleeman, Jennifer Attard

Publications

From 2022, the European Union Waste Framework Directive (WFD) requires member states to report annual food waste from each food supply chain stage. Comprehensive food losses and waste (FLW) data can be challenging to obtain for the primary production stage, i.e., farming and fishing. However, this information is vital in developing FLW mitigation actions appropriate to each country. This study describes the nature and extent of FLW from primary production in Ireland, using methods approved for WFD reporting. Causes of FLW and FLW as a proportion of total production were determined through interviews with Irish primary production stakeholders and using …

The Effects Of Dietary Interventions On Adverse Outcomes In Obese, Preeclamptic-Like Bph/5 Female Mice, Morgan Alston

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Earth Stories: A Narrative Understanding Of Farmlife In Pokhara, Nepal, Grace Holmes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Humans love to tell stories. The purpose of this Creative ISP is to collect stories, of the plants and of the earth, render them through quotations and summary, and then discuss and reflect on how these stories could describe the relationship between people and the land. I hope a narrative understanding of our dependence on agriculture can bridge the gap in modern society that separates us so fundamentally from the earth that we live on.

Improving The Longevity Of Dairy Cattle: An Important Initiative For The Swiss Dairy Industry, Frances Mcmillan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Swiss dairy cattle rarely live a productive life of longer than 5 years- sometimes even less, and therefore fail to reach their maximum lactation potential. They are often prematurely culled due to udder diseases, fertility problems, lameness, or the farmer’s need to make room for a calving heifer. However, farmers rarely record the real reasons for removing a cow from the herd, due to a sense of pressure and obligation to produce and a lack of universal standards regarding longevity to assist in this decision. This is a monumental problem, from both an environmental and animal welfare point of view, …

The Impact Of Plant Cell Wall Lignin On Energy Utilization In Lactating Jersey Cows, Jason D. Stypinski

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fiber from forages comprises a significant proportion of dairy cattle rations and by extension, it contributes largely to the energy concentration of the diet. While the proportion of fiber in the diet is important, the composition of fiber is probably more important as the different constituents of this fraction vary in their contributions to the nutritive value of the feed. Lignin has been described as an important factor limiting the digestion of NDF, reducing intake, and compromising milk production. Although lignin’s effects on these responses have been well characterized, the literature lacks data on the use of indirect calorimetry to …

Annotating Gene Expression And Regulatory Elements In Tissues From Healthy Thoroughbred Horses And Identifying Candidate Mutations Associated With Perosomus Elumbis In An Angus Calf, Alexa Mckenna Barber

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Genome annotation has a direct impact on the success of genomic studies. Transcriptome analyses and chromatin immunoprecipitation and sequencing (ChIP-seq) have been used to functionally annotate genomes. These methods can identify protein-coding genes, non-coding transcripts, and cis-regulatory elements across the genome. The primary objective of the first study was to functionally annotate the equine genome through the assessment of nine tissues: adipose, brain, heart, lamina, liver, lung, skeletal, muscle, testis, and ovary. In the first project, 150 bp, paired-end RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) libraries were generated in stallion tissues and compared to previously generated mare RNA-seq libraries to quantify variation in …

Yield, Nutrient Contents And Antioxidant Levels In Basil (Ocimum Basilicum L.) Grown In Aquaponic And Soil Systems, Maryam Ahmed Albedwawi

Theses

A study was conducted to evaluate the performance of Ocimum basilicum L. in both aquaponic and soil systems in the UAE climatic condition. The experiments were conducted under greenhouse conditions. Plants were raised in aquaponic beds with ornamental fishes in different concentrations. At the same time, a set of plants were raised in pots under a greenhouse set-up. The studied parameters were morphological (total weight and leaf number, shoot and root length, number of branches), biochemical (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, anthocyanin, xanthophyll, protein, and phenol contents) and antioxidant levels (Ascorbic acid and tocopherol). For analyzing the stress effects …

Effect Of Natural Elicitors And Cold Storageperiod On Quality Improvement Of Uae Date Palm Fruit (Phoenix Dactylifera L. Cv. Khesab), Shamsa Salem Nasser Abdulla Alblooshi

Theses

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is one of the most important fruit trees grown in arid and semi-arid regions. Despite the immense capabilities of date palm, it is still a challenge to maintain fruit quality, marketability, and shelf life. The objective of this study was to investigate the synergistic effect of a preharvest spray application of the natural elicitor chitosan (Ch) 1% alone and in combination with salicylic acid (SA) 2 mM and calcium chloride (Ca) 3%; (Ch, SA, Ca, Ch+Ca, Ch+ SA, Ch+ SA +Ca) on the quality parameters, shelf life and bioactive compound content of date fruit of …

Mineral Nutritional Status Of Plants Of A Public Park Under Long-Term Irrigation With Treated Sewage Effluent, Chandana Chakraborty

Theses

Treated sewage water is widely used for irrigation of urban greenery in UAE, and it contains significant number of elements that serve as nutrients for plants. The crucial unresolved question that remains, is regarding its long-term impact on the nutritional status of plants. Sulaimi Park of Al Ain was chosen as the study site. The main objective was to examine if the nutrient supply was adequate for plants. N, P, K levels were expected to exceed plant demands and micronutrient supply was assumed to be below plant requirements. To assess this, soil pH, annual nutrients input with water and elemental …

Monitoring The Immune Status Of Calves At The Agricultural Education Center, Jared Wallen

Honors Theses

Each year at the Andrews University Agriculture Education Center calves born to the resident cows and calves that are purchased are raised by the students in the animal science program. In each of the previous two years that calves have been raised, morbidities and mortalities have been observed. In order to prevent any calves from dying and reduce the rate of illness this research project was designed to monitor the calves’ immune status. By doing weekly blood draws, the total serum protein levels were determined and used as a standard for their health. Body temperature, food and water intake, and …

Centering Community Voices In Mining Governance, Anna Erwin, Zhao Ma, Emma Patricia Salas O’Brien, Jonathan Bauchet, Nelly Ramírez Calderón, Eliseo Zeballos Zeballos, Glenn Roberto Arce Larrea, Ruxandra Popovici, Laura Zanotti, Chelsea A. Silva

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Peru has shifted away from centralized mining management to governance among government, companies, and communities. Various mechanisms facilitate community participation, including the mining canon, dialogues, and corporate social responsibility programs. Even with these laws and mechanisms, mining pollution and conflicts continue. In this study, we ask: how do communities perceive and participate in mining governance? And what are some alternative ways, driven by community priorities, to address governance in mining contexts? We collected 53 semi-structured with agricultural actors in two Peruvian districts with mining activity and analyzed those perspectives through the lens of community-centered governance. Our analyses revealed how centering …

Physicochemical And Pasting Properties Of Flour And Starch From Two New Cassava Accessions, Raphael Aidoo, Ibok Nsa Oduro, Jacob K. Agbenorhevi, William Otoo Ellis, Nana Baah Pepra-Ameyaw

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Some new cassava accessions have been developed and released because of their high yield, resistance to disease, adaptability to wider ecological environment, and less cost of production. However, their flour and starch properties have not been characterized for potential food applications. In the present study, starch and flour were produced from two new cassava accessions (Sika Bankye and Bankye Hemaa) and evaluated for their physicochemical and pasting properties. The flour samples recorded higher values for the various functional parameters compared to their starch counterparts. Both flour samples had a similar water absorption capacity (WAC) of ~263% but the associated …

Estimation Of Chromium In Soil-Plant-Animal Continuum: A Case Study In Ruminants Of Punjab, Pakistan, Kafeel Ahmad, Zafar Iqbal Khan, Saman Nazar, Ifra Saleem Malik, Asma Ashfaq, Mudasra Munir, Humayun Bashir, Fatima Ghulam Muhammad, Shahzad Akhtar, Muhammad Nadeem, Shahid Mehmoud, Muhammad Umer Farooq Awan, Mumtaz Akhtar, Shahzadi Mahpara

Journal of Bioresource Management

The increased use of waste water for agriculture purposes has increased around the globe. There are toxic metals present in waste water which affect plants, animals and human health. But at the same time it also contains useful nutrients which increase growth of plants. Different indices were applied to evaluate the metals present in water soil plant and milk. Various and correlation were determined with the help of SPSS, mean significance was found at the probability levels of 0.05, 0.001 and 0.01. The highest value of Cr was found in Avena sativa (0.7872 mg/kg) collected from site 5 while lower …

Application Of Vibration Technique For The Control Of Physical Properties Of Yam (Dioscorea Spp.) Sprouts During Storage In Funaab, Nigeria Environment, Kifilideen Lekan Osanyinpeju, Adewole A. Aderinlewo, Olawale U. Dairo, Olayide R. Adetunji, Emmanuel S.A. Ajisegiri

Journal of Bioresource Management

Early sprouting of yam tuber is a typical problem during storage resulting into weight losses, deterioration, shrinkage and reduction in quality. This research work therefore carried out investigation on the application of vibration technique for the control of physical properties of yam (Dioscorea spp.) sprouts during storage in FUNAAB, Nigeria environment. The physical properties (length, number and weight of sprout, number of leaves and weight of roots) of the yam sprouts were determined for 140 white yam tubers. The yam tubers were divided into 108 experiment and 32 as control. The factors of the experimental design examined were frequency, …

A Hedonic Analysis Of Factors Impacting The Value Of Planters On The Used Machinery Market, John Allison Jr., Tyler B. Mark, Kenneth H. Burdine, Jordan M. Shockley

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

A hedonic model was employed to examine factors that influence the resale price of row crop planters on the used machinery market. Planter sale data from 2016 to 2018 were utilized to conduct the analysis. Results suggested that the primary factors impacting planter resale prices were make, age, condition, planter configuration, row number, and row spacing. As a function of age (depreciation), planter values were generally determined to decrease at a decreasing rate. Finally, it was determined that there was a significant interaction between the variables make and age, suggesting that different planter makes depreciate differently.

Thinking Outside The Box Of Evaluation Platforms: Adapting Qualtrics For Virtual 4-H Judging Competitions, Maria Calvert, Ty Peckman

Journal of Extension

Competitive events represent a major component of 4-H programming. These events are typically held in person; however, unforeseen circumstances, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have required Extension professionals to adapt these programs to virtual settings. This paper outlines some unique features of Qualtrics, a web-based tool commonly used to build surveys, that led Missouri 4-H to use the platform to administer agriculture and natural resource science contests.

Water Conservation: Extension Agents’ Perceptions Of Issue Importance, Professional Abilities, And Landowner Needs, Audrey Mccrary, Leslie M. Burger, Laura Downey, Beth H. Baker

Journal of Extension

The Extension Service is one of many agencies charged with increasing awareness and knowledge of research-based agricultural conservation practices. A regional survey of Extension agents with agriculture and natural resources responsibilities was conducted to assess the need for in-service training on 11 water resource conservation topics. The highest priority training needs were for topics related to complex interactions and drivers of agricultural water pollution. This article highlights the implications of these results and offers broader perspective on bringing the Borich model of needs assessment into the agricultural and natural resources realm of subject matter expertise.

Comparison Of Transcervical Insemination Versus Surgical Insemination Methods In Dogs At A Veterinary Clinic In Lincoln, Nebraska, Lauren Ahlers

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Artificial insemination paved the way for many advancements in reproductive technology. Two common artificial insemination methods recommended for use with frozen semen are transcervical insemination and surgical insemination. To better understand the conception rates of dogs for each method, data was collected from Hillcrest Animal Clinic. The data suggested that neither transcervical insemination nor surgical insemination was significantly better than the other. 50% of the dogs conceived when inseminated using the transcervical method, and 54.5% of the dogs conceived when inseminated using the surgical method. Based on the results, more data needs to be collected on both insemination procedures to …

An Industry Life Cycle Assessment (Lca) For Sheep Production In Western Australia, Stephen Wiedemann, Darcia Mcrae, Emma Longworth

Animal production and livestock research reports

The Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has identified the need to understand greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the livestock sector in detail, with a view to developing emission reduction plans for the state. To achieve this, DPIRD commissioned a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the sheep industry in Western Australia (WA) for the financial years (FY) 2005 (July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005) and 2020 (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020). The analysis of one historic period provided a baseline reference point for the more recent results, and the intent was to develop …

The Nebraska Ranch Practicum, Jay Parsons, Travis Mulliniks, Troy Walz

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Ranch Practicum is a multi-disciplinary, hands-on educational program designed to give participants the skills and education needed to succeed in today's ranching industry. The Practicum was established in 1999 as a “three-season” program designed to integrate information producers encounter throughout the beef production year into a framework for decision making. The Practicum seeks to improve decision-making skills, enhance stewardship of natural resources, improve skills critical for evaluation of ranching enterprises, and enhance ranch sustainability.

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Edition 3, March 2022, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

CASNR L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter

The purpose of this L.I.N.K.S. newsletter is to provide a monthly update of opportunities and resources for K-12 schools to connect with the University of Nebraska's CASNR Food, Energy, Water, and Societal Systems (FEWS²) programs and partners.

Included in this edition:

Classroom resources for all levels

Eye on curriculum and resources

Teacher opportunities

List of new partnerships

Ask an expert

Eye on CASNR research: Trenton Franz

Send your students to campus

Success stories

Nebline, March/April 2022

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Become a Groundwater Steward

4 Ways to Celebrate National Nutrition Month

Recipe of the Month

Selecting Fruit Trees for Eastern Nebraska

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

2022 Chemigation Trainings

Lancaster County Ag VIP Awards

Upcoming Early Childhood Trainings

Aleyna Cuttlers Participated in National 4-H Congress

4-H Horse Judging Team at Nationals

Meet 2021–22 4-H Council

Meet 2021–22 4-H Teen Council

Hear of 4-H Volunteer Award: Sherry Kubicek

Hear of 4-H Volunteer Award: Angie Root

4th & 5th Grade Fun Night, March 4

Rabbit Show, March 19

UNL Chick Days, March 26

Bucket Calf Workshop, March 27

Dressage Schooling …

Backcountry Equestrian Camping Online Course, Gillian Larson

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This AGED 539 project describes the creation of a Backcountry Equestrian Camping online course, including the goals of the course, an outline of the topics, and a summary description of the module contents. The course itself consists of material designed to provide participants with the necessary information to successfully travel and camp overnight on backcountry trips with a horse or mule, which is presented in a series of modules that include videos, written material, and downloadable PDFs. There is also an evaluation and acknowledgments segment.

Analysis Of Livestock Movements And The Benefits And Costs Of Livestock Standstills In Australia As Part Of The Response To Foot-And-Mouth Disease, Ann Seitzinger, Graeme Garner, Richard Bradhurst, Walter Okelo, Michelle Rodan

Animal production and livestock published reports

This project involved analysis of livestock movements and used epidemiological modelling and cost analysis to estimate the benefits and costs of implementing livestock standstills in response to a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Australia. This was done in four steps: 1) assessing the extent of livestock movement, 2) conducting a cross sectional analysis of the impact (reduction of outbreak size and economic cost) of implementing a national standstill/movement control, 3) use of case specific studies to estimate impact of state/territory level implementation of standstill, and 4) cost analysis and comparison of national standstill with the state/jurisdictional level and risk-based approach …

Modeling The Dynamics Of Soil Organic Matter Accumulation From Leaf Litterfall As Affected By Tillage Practices In Mango Orchard, Fernan T. Fiegalan, Cherry L. Ringor, Tolentino B. Moya

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study was undertaken to determine long-term soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation dynamics from added mango leaf litter (MLL) into tilled (MT) and non-tilled soil (MnT) through integrated field experiment (bio-physico-chemical edaphic properties) and system dynamics modeling. Field data shows that the coarse (Lf) and fine (Fn) fractions of SOM have no significant difference (p > 0.05) between MT and MnT during the dry season. In contrast, there is a significant difference (p < 0.01) in the Fn fraction between MT and MnT during the wet season. The total N, available P, exchangeable K, as well as the collembola, bacteria, and fungi in the soil were also assessed. Of these parameters, the available P and exchangeable K have a significant difference between the MnT and MT during the dry season. In comparison, the total N and collembola significantly differed during the wet season. The results of the field experiment were used in the parametrization to build the SOM accumulation model. The 20-year simulation showed that the incorporation of MLL into the soil through tillage increased SOM from 3.09% to 3.13%, with an average of 2.78 ± 0.018%. In the non-tilled orchard, SOM also increased from 3.09% to 4.23%, with an average of 3.59 ± 0.035%. This SOM level can sustain the fertility and productivity of the mango agroecosystem. The increase in SOM is accounted for by the coarse fraction both in tilled and non-tilled plots. Given the foregoing, with minimum tillage, mango orchards can be developed into crop-based systems.

Contributions Of Agricultural Subsidies To Increase Producer Income In Cotton And Milk Productions: A Case Study Of Hatay Province-Turkey, Ahmet D. Çelik

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Agricultural production is subsidized at different levels depending on the country's development status. The budget that was allocated for agricultural subsidies in Turkey in 2020 was around 22 billion TL (Turkish Lira) which was equal to 3.14 billion USD. In this study, the contribution of agricultural subsidies to product income and gross profit value was examined specifically on cotton as crop production and dairy cattle as animal production. According to the research results, agricultural subsidies increased production value by 30.70% in cotton and 4% in milk income. Those increased rates also significantly increased the gross profit values of the products. …

Structural Shifts In Food Basket Composition Of Rural And Urban Philippines: Implications For The Food Supply System, Subir Bairagi, Yacob Zereyesus, Sampriti Baruah, Samarendu Mohanty

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Empirical evidence on the responsiveness and sensitivities of food consumption to its drivers is vital for conducting economic studies. Despite recent attempts to provide such estimates, much empirical work remains to be done considering the prevailing shifts in consumption trends in the Philippines. Price and expenditure elasticities are estimated for seven food categories for rural and urban Filipino households, using Stone–Lewbel (SL) price indices and the quadratic almost-ideal demand system (QUAIDS) model. We used multiple years (2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018) of the Philippines Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) to estimate the food demand system. The results show …

Attitudes Toward The Environment: How Do The Attitudes Of Conventional, No-Till, And Organic Farmers Compare?, George A. Youngs, David L. Watt

Great Plains Sociologist

One of Che key dynamics in today's increased interest in alternative fanning is concern for the environment (Beus and Dunlap, 1990). Many advocates of alternative farming argue that conventional farming harms the environment and may even destroy the future of agriculture. The implicit, and often explicit, notion associated with this view is that conventional farmers are less concerned about the environment than are alternative farmers. The present study will test this notion by comparing the attitudes toward the environment of conventional farmers with two types of alternative farmers, organic and no-till. By definition, conventional farmers are those farmers who practice …

Ua12/2/1 Up Next On The Hill, Vol. 97, No. 6, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period Feb. 14 to March 21, 2022.

• Collins, Michael. I Went to School There? University Plan Marks New Era of Campus for Next Generation of Students
• Trickett-Wile, Arthur & Jake Jones. Like Farmer, Like Son – Alex Burke
• Stover, D.J. Gun Violence Hasn’t Left, from a Survivor of Marshall County
• Lanuzza, Izzy. International Bonds Key to WKU Tennis Success

Inflation: Just How Bad Is It?, Timothy Meyer

Cornhusker Economics

Amidst the chaotic news cycle of politics, the pandemic, and global affairs, a new topic is making headlines – inflation. To some, rising inflation causes greater fear than the other headlines combined; to others, it is nothing more than a minor nuisance. This article will explain why people’s divisive attitudes toward inflation are likely justified.