Digital Commons Network^™

4-H Agricultural Systems Technology, Joshua Dallin

All Current Publications

4-H gives youth an opportunity to explore different career paths, learn and practice new skills, and experience what a career in agricultural systems technology might be like.

Curriculum: Careers In Urban Agriculture (Grades 7-12), Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin

Browse all Datasets

Materials were created for school-based agricultural educators (7th-12 grade) to use for students in Utah. This curriculum covers multiple days of instruction but 3-5 (50-minute sessions) days is what it is intended for. Includes a unit plan for the instructor, presentation slides (PPT and PFD), worksheets, and other materials. This curriculum focuses on careers in urban agriculture.

Curriculum: Alternative Animals In Agriculture (Grades 7-12), Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin

Browse all Datasets

Materials were created for school-based agricultural educators (7th-12 grade) to use for students in Utah. This curriculum covers multiple days of instruction but 3-5 (50-minute sessions) days is what it is intended for. Includes a unit plan for an instructor, presentation slides (PPT and PFD), worksheets, and other materials.

Determination Of Five Arsenic Species In Aquatic Animals And Their Products By High Performance Liquid Chromatography And Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Wang Linpei, Zheng Yazhe, Peng Xinran

Food and Machinery

A method was developed for the simultaneous determination of arsenic acid \[As(Ⅴ)\], arsenious acid \[As(Ⅲ)\], arsenobetaine (AsB), monomethyl arsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in aquatic animals and their products by high performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). The extraction reagent was 0.15 mol/L nitric acid with heat-assistant condition for 30 min at 80 ℃. Then, the five arsenic species were separated by a anion exchange column (Hanmilton PRX-X100 250 mm×4.1 mm, 10 μm) and detected by ICP-MS. The effects of different elution methods on the separation of five arsenic forms were compared, and the …

Efficient Air Desulfurization Catalysts Derived From Pig Manure Liquefaction Char, Rajiv Wallace, Sundaramurthy Suresh, Elham H. Fini, Teresa Bandosz

Publications and Research

Biochar from the liquefaction of pig manure was used as a precursor of H2S desulfurization adsorbents. In its inorganic matter, it contains marked quantities of calcium, magnesium and iron, which are known as hydrogen sulfide oxidation catalysts. The char was used either as-received or mixed with 10% nanographite. The latter was added to increase both the content of the carbon phase and conductivity. ZnCl2 in two different ratios of char to an activation agent (1:1 and 1:2) was used to create the porosity in the carbon phase. The content of the later was between 18–45%. The activated samples adsorbed 144 …

Evaluating The Impact Of Two Contrasting Tillage Practices On Soil Properties In Central Kentucky, Emily Cook

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Farming practices such as no tillage and plowing can institute change on soil physical and chemical characteristics. In this research, the effects of long-term conventional and no-tillage systems on the selected soil properties were determined in a continuous corn system on a farm with Maury silt loam soil. These samples were taken from University of Kentucky's Research Farm (Spindletop Farm). The field used was tilled in 1969 from bluegrass sod and the first time research was conduced was in 1970. Each plot is 20 ft. by 40 ft. and for many years each plot was split with winter cover crop …

Characterization Of Aspergillus Flavus Soil And Corn Kernel Populations From Eight Mississippi River States, Jorge A. Reyes Pineda

LSU Master's Theses

Aspergillus flavus is a saprophytic ascomycete that can also actively invade the seed of crops and potentially contaminate them with harmful aflatoxins. Management of A. flavus currently relies mostly on biocontrol. However, there is still a lot to learn about its biology and ecology so the current approach can be improved. An A. flavus population survey was undertaken during the fall of 2014 across eight Mississippi River states to determine population diversity and geographic distribution of VCGs. Isolates from corn and soil were also characterized for VCG, sclerotial morphotype, mating type, cyclopiazonic acid, and aflatoxin production in order to determine …

Livestock Air Emission Requirements, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Federal environmental laws require the reporting of emissions of hazardous substances beyond EPA-established minimum amounts. EPA has established a 2008 reporting exemption for livestock operations smaller than large CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations). Environmental groups challenged the EPA livestock exemption. On April 11, 2017, the D.C. federal court of appeals invalidated the livestock reporting exemption. Reporting requirements will go into effect November 15, 2017 unless the court grants EPA an additional time extension for implementing the livestock reporting program.

Atay V. County Of Maui, Stephanie A. George

Public Land & Resources Law Review

As genetically engineered plants become more common, questions frequently arise regarding how the plants are regulated and who can regulate them. The Ninth Circuit attempted to answer these questions through preemption doctrine. The court left the door open for states and localities to regulate genetically engineered crops that have been deregulated by the federal government. This decision will implicate the future cultivation of genetically engineered crops, and the food industry as a whole.

Agricultural Communications Lesson Plans For High School Agriculture Programs, Caitlin Anne Stanton

Agricultural Education and Communication

In today’s workforce, individuals are expected to be able to communicate effectively through all means of communication. This includes video, graphics, emails, social media, and in person. In the agriculture industry, these means of communication have become crucial to promoting agricultural literacy throughout the world. It is important for young people to have a grasp on professionally utilizing these communication methods so that they can use them in future careers as well as advocating for the agriculture industry. The role of technology and social media is rapidly increasing in everyday life and becoming a key learning tool in secondary education. …

Nebline, November/December 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H’ers Grow Into True Leaders through Service

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Influence Of An Internal Parasite Control On Cattle Grazing Behavior And Production, Jace Stott

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Six herds of 45 to 90 cow/calf pairs grazing on upland range were used to examine the efficacy of an injectable extended release eprinomectin parasite control on production traits, activity behavior, and efficacy against internal parasitism. In 2016, treatment cows were given a subcutaneous injection of LongRange^tm. In 2017, all cows in the study were treated with a short acting Synanthic^tm treatment and only treatment cows were given an additional LongRange^tm treatment. In both 2016 and 2017, fecal egg counts were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in eprinomectin treated cows compared to control cows. Calf gains were 4.8 kg and 8.7 kg greater (P < 0.1) for the calves of dams treated with eprinomectin compared to calves of control cows in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Activity characteristics of cattle were inconclusive, with treated cows having lower (P < 0.01) grazing and traveling times compared to control cows in 2016, and more (P < 0.01) grazing and traveling in 2017.

Differences in grazing behaviors based on time within pasture at different times …

Cattle Industry Funding Scheme Annual Report 2016/2017, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

In June 2010 the Cattle Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) was introduced to address biosecurity threats relevant to the Western Australian (WA) cattle industry. The Scheme was established under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 to enable cattle producers to identify the pest and disease priorities at a whole-of-industry level and to raise funds for activities to address these priorities.

There are currently three Industry Funding Schemes in operation. In addition to the Cattle IFS, there is a Sheep and Goat IFS and a Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS. The three IFSs operate in a similar manner.

The purpose of …

Biosecurity Council Of Western Australia Annual Report 2016/2017, Biosecurity Council Of Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Developing constructive biosecurity advice to government requires a comprehensive understanding of the needs and challenges of industry, government and community. It also requires an understanding of the potential impacts of changes to the Western Australian biosecurity system on these groups as well as on the biosecurity of the State.

During 2016/17, the Council continued its commitment to engaging with key stakeholders. The strong consultative processes used by the Council enabled robust advice to be developed for government. The main area of focus during the year was government’s investment in Western Australia’s biosecurity. The key areas of advice that were progressed …

Sheep And Goat Industry Funding Scheme 2016/2017, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

The Sheep and Goat Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) has been operating since 2010 to address biosecurity threats relevant to the Western Australian (WA) sheep and goat industry. The Scheme was established by regulation under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 to enable sheep and goat producers to identify pest and disease priorities at a whole-of-industry level and raise funds for activities to address these priorities.

There are currently three Industry Funding Schemes in operation. In addition to the Sheep and Goat IFS, there is a Cattle IFS and a Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS. The three IFSs operate in …

The American Pika In Southern Utah, Ethan Hammer, S. Nicole Frey

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes the American pika, the smallest member of the rabbit and hare family. It discusses concerns for the American pika populations, its presence in the Cedar Breaks National Monument, and how individuals can help monitor the pika at Cedar Breaks and throughout Utah.

Application Of The Adjusted Weak Axiom Of Profit Maximization To New Zealand Dairy Farming, Anne E. Dooley, Nicola M. Shadbolt, Koohyar Khatami, Loren W. Tauer

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

The weak axiom of profit maximization is a nonparametric, empirical approach that has been used in the United States to analyze dairy farmers’ production and profit behavior under input and output price changes to determine whether farmers effectively respond to these changes. The expectation is that profit calculated using the current year’s input and output combination will be greater than that calculated from the previous year’s combination with current prices more often than due to chance. This approach was replicated using New Zealand dairy farm data (1,785 pairs of records over five years). Current year’s profits were significantly greater in …

Isolation And Identification Of Lactic Acid Bacteria From Fermented Vegetables And In Vitro Resistance Screening, Zhou Xianrong, Lan Lingxia, Tang Yanyan, Huang Shenglan, Li Yuzhu, Yu Lihong, ZalN Zsolt, Zhao Xin, Du Muying

Food and Machinery

This study aimed to isolate lactic acid bacteria containing in vitro resistance ability from Sichuan fermented vegetables. Five strains of Lactobacillus were isolated from fermented vegetables and analyzed by 16S rDNA. Four strains of them were Lactobacillus plantarum, named as E-6-1, E-1-2, E-6-3, D-2-3 respectively, and another one was Lactobacillus alimentarius, named as C-2-1. The in vitro resistance of the 5 strains was determined by artificial gastric juice and bile salt. The results showed that the lactic acid bacteria numbered D-2-3 had good anti-artificial gastric juice ability, and the survival rate was 95.38% after 3 h of artificial gastric juice …

Optimization Of Extraction Technology Of Protein From Momordica Charantia Residue And Its Inhibitory Effect On Proliferation Of K562 Cells In Vitro, Li Meijuan, Hao Jinghao, Ma Tiantian, Shi Guoqing, Zhang Xinwu, Huang Jihong

Food and Machinery

Single factor combined with uniform design were used to optimized the extraction process of protein from Momordica charantia residue by salt dissolving method, and the inhibitory activity in vitroon K562 cell proliferation of crude extract was determined by MTT assay. The test results showed that the optimal conditions were as followed: salt concentration of 0.25 mol/L, time 3.59 h, pH=9, ratio of liquid-material 10.36︰1 (mL/g) and the temperature of 25 ℃, extracting twice. Under this condition, the actual extraction rate was 9.28%. In the range of experimental concentration, the crude protein from Momordica charantia residue had a significant inhibitory effect …

Optimization Of Rapid Liquefaction Process Of Kelp And Its Products Analysis, Chang Lirong, Zhao Xiangzhong, Yao Yanyan, Wang Xiaohui

Food and Machinery

Kelp liquefaction rate as technical index, by biological enzymolysis technology, the enzymatic hydrolysis conditions were optimized, such as granularity, substrate concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time and pH, and the monosaccharide composition and oligosaccharide polymerization degree of kelp enzymatic hydrolysate were also analyzed separately by the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC). The result suggested that the optimum conditions of rapid liquefaction of kelp were as followed: the size of raw material 100 mesh, the ratio of material to liquid 1︰12 (g/mL), pH 8, reaction temperature 50, and reaction time 12 h. Under this condition, …

Quality Changes Of Yak Meat Under Different Heat Medium And Time, Li Shengsheng, Jin Yichao

Food and Machinery

Cooking loss, heat shrinkage rate, color, shear force, and texture of yak meat were measured, which were heated by water and steam at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 min, respectively, and the correlation of heat time and quality were analyzed. The results showed that cooking loss of yak meat significantly increased with the extension of heat time (P＜0.05), and the increased rate of cooking loss heated by water 21.21% higher than by steam. The heat shrinkage rate of yak meat by water bigger than by steam after being heated from 10 min to 40 min, and the heat shrinkage …

Research Progress In The Studies Of Oligosaccharides Metal Complex, He Hong, Chang Manqian, Song Hongbo

Food and Machinery

The research about oligosaccharide-metal chelate, which has the biological activities of oligosaccharides and metal ions, had been becoming a hot topic. In this study, the recent achievements of preparation technology, product properties and functional applications of oligosaccharide-metal chelate were reviewed, and the development direction was also prospected.

Is Tb Testing Associated With Increased Blood Interferon-Gamma Levels?, Aideen E. Kennedy, Jim O'Mahony, Noel Byrne, John Macsharry, Riona G. Sayers

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The Republic of Ireland reports a relatively low prevalence of Johne’s disease (JD) compared to international counterparts. Postulated reasons for this include a lower average herd size and a grass-based production system. Ireland also engages in high levels of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) testing. As interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is believed to play a key role in protecting against JD, it is our hypothesis that administration of purified protein derivative (PPD), as part of the bTB test, is associated with a systemic increase in IFN-γ production, which may potentially limit clinical progression of the disease. We studied 265 cows (202 Friesian and 63 …

Symptoms And Causes Of Foamy Bloat In Cattle, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The bovine stomach normally produces gases such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and methane. However when these gases become trapped in the bovine stomach because of a thick, frothy or foamy liquid it is called bloat. Cattle bloat is a very old condition and goes by many names but is primarily trapped gas within the bovine stomach. Readily digested feedstuff such as highly processed grain diets or an overabundance of fresh immature alfalfa often leads to a vast amount of small particles and carbohydrates in the rumen; this is the major cause of foamy bloat. Severe bloat causes death by suffocation …

The Future Of Food In Blade Runner 2049, Diarmuid Cawley

Other resources

The science fiction genre has always been a hotbed for questions about the existence of life and what it means to be human. Food, like water and oxygen, is necessary to sustain life, but also is a key indicator of culture. One of the things that fascinates us about science fiction is how an imagined future culture might look. Blade Runner 2049, although not centred around food, interweaves food and agriculture into a dystopian narrative on evolution and a bio-engineered labour force, while asking us what it means to have memories and to be human.

Trophic Roles Of Tadpoles In Tropical Australian Streams, Katrin Schmidt, Melanie L. Blanchette, Richard G. Pearson, Ross A. Alford, Aaron M. Davis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Tadpoles can be abundant consumers in stream ecosystems, and may influence the structure and function of streams through their feeding activities and interactions with other organisms. To understand the contribution of tadpoles to stream functioning, and the potential impact of their loss, it is necessary to determine their diets and how they might influence food-web structure. Using gut-content analysis and stable-isotope analysis of N and C, we determined the main food sources and trophic positions of tadpoles of five native frog species, invertebrates, and fish in upland and lowland Australian Wet Tropics streams. Omnivory was prevalent among the tadpoles and …

Is Less More In Food Safety Information Provision?, Kofi Britwum, Emie Yiannaka

Cornhusker Economics

The development of several niche food markets has been enabled by labels highlighting the existence of desirable or the absence of undesirable food attributes and/or production technologies, effectively targeting consumers willing to pay for this type of information. Examples include the "All Natural," “No growth promoting antibiotic," "No GMOs," and "Cage-free" food labels. In what could be viewed as an extreme example of labeling what is absent, consumers can now purchase gluten-free water (McFadden 2017). This type of "redundant" labeling seeks to exploit uninformed consumers.

Unexpected High Intragenomic Variation In Two Of Three Major Pest Thrips Species Does Not Affect Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (Its2) Utility For Thrips Identification, Vivek Kumar, Aaron M. Dickey, Dakshina R. Seal, Robert G. Shatters, Lance S. Osborne, Cindy L. Mckenzie

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (mtCO1) and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 region (ITS2) are among the most widely used molecular markers for insect taxonomic characterization. Three economically important species of thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis, Thrips palmi, and Frankliniella occidentalis were selected to examine the extent of intragenomic variation within these two marker regions in the family Thripidae, and determine if this variation would affect the utility of markers in thrips molecular diagnostics. For each species, intragenomic (within individual) variation and intergenomic (among individuals) variation was assessed by cloning and sequencing PCR-amplified copies. Intergenomic variation was generally higher than …

Identifying Ecologically Relevant Scales Of Habitat Selection: Diel Habitat Selection In Elk, Caleb P. Roberts, James W. Cain Iii, Robert D. Cox

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Although organisms make resource selection decisions at multiple spatiotemporal scales, not all scales are ecologically relevant to any given organism. Ecological patterns and rhythms such as behavioral and climatic patterns may provide a consistent method for identifying ecologically relevant scales of habitat selection. Using elk (Cervus canadensis) as an example species, we sought to test the ability of behavioral patterns to empirically partition diel scales for modeling habitat selection. We used model selection to partition diel scales by shifts in dominant behavior and then used resource selection probability functions to model elk habitat selection hierarchically at diel scales within seasons. …

Livestock Production And Health, Christopher Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

As in Nebraska and other cattle-producing states, livestock are an important source of income for hundreds of millions of people living in developing countries. However, for livestock keepers in developing countries, animals are often central to multiple dimensions of the family’s existence, providing—in addition to income—important sources of energy-dense, nutrient-rich animal source foods, generating cultural status, including playing a role in family formation through wedding dowries, and serving, for some, as the household’s primary store of wealth. Livestock play all of these roles in pastoralist—semi-nomadic livestock-keeping—communi-ties. While in the past pastoralism was a relatively common way of life throughout the …