Digital Commons Network^™

Maintaining A Way Of Life: Trials And Tribulations Of Farmers Market Families, Megan M. Lankford

Horticulture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Never before in our nation’s history has there been so many ways for consumers to purchase food. From grocery stores, to super centers such as Wal-Mart and Cosco, convenience stores, online purchases, community supported agriculture (CSA), and farmers markets, Americans have a multitude of venues to choose from. Although many Americans currently purchase their foods from grocery stores, a growing number of them are buying locally at their farmers’ markets and from CSAs. As the sustainability movement takes a greater foothold in the American household, local products and local foods are becoming ever more important and prevalent. Yet with all …

Saccharomyces Boulardii As An Enteric Health Promoter In Broiler Chickens, Caroline Stephanie Philpot

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast that has been shown to have a probiotic effect on the gut health of humans, ruminants, and swine by helping to control intestinal homeostasis, preventing pathogens from colonizing, promoting beneficial enzyme production, and by other mechanisms. This trial is designed to test whether the addition of S. boulardii to the diet improves the enteric health of broilers. Forty-eight test pens each containing fifteen birds, a water line, and a hanging feed pan were set up in a commercial broiler house from day eighteen to day thirty-six of the flock. The pens were evenly divided into …

Cellular Responses In Rous Sarcoma In Arkansas Rous Sarcoma Regressor And Progressor Chickens, Alyce Kallie Sullivan

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Immunology Rous sarcoma cell-mediated immunity

Intake And Digestibility Of Fescue Hay Supplemented With Co-Product Feeds, Omega J. Sanders

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Satisfying an animals' nutritional needs can help optimize performance and keep an animal healthy. Meeting these nutritional requirements is often complicated by the low quality characteristics of hay, requiring supplementation with concentrate feedstuffs to offset this low nutrient density. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of supplementation with soybean hulls (SH), distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), or a 50:50 mixture of the two (MIX) on ruminal fermentation characteristics and in situ forage disappearance in lactating and non-lactating ruminally-cannulated cows offered tall fescue hay. For this experiment, a basal diet of tall fescue hay was offered …

Putting A Gag On Farm Whistleblowers: The Right To Lie And The Right To Remain Silent Confront State Agricultural Protectionism, Rita-Marie Cain Reid, Amber L. Kingery

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Whistleblowers play an important role in filling gaps in government food safety systems. Unfortunately, several dominant food-producing states have pursued legislative initiatives that punish farm whistleblowers and silence investigative tactics. First, this research describes various state legislative initiatives that curb criticism of agriculture. The work analyzes the federal food safety system and how these protections limiting agricultural criticism contravene that food safety net. Further, the research analyzes the free speech concerns in the newest protectionist laws. The analysis recommends strategies and future research to improve agriculture safety and protect free speech in an evolving food safety landscape.

Cla-Rich Soy Oil Shortening, Chocolate Paste, And Chocolate Bar Production And Characterization, Elizabeth Sarah Mayfield

Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Conjugated linoleic acid-rich soy oil (CLARSO) has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including anti-obesity and anti-carcinogenic properties. This oil was previously used to produce CLA-rich margarine that provided the recommended daily value of CLA and showed physical characteristics similar to commercially available margarine. The objectives of this study were to produce CLA-rich shortenings and analyze their physical properties relative to commercially available shortenings and soy oil control shortenings and to produce CLA-rich chocolate bars and pastes by replacing a portion of the fat with CLARSO and compare the physical properties of these pastes/bars to controls made with either …

Disinfectants Against Avian Influenza Viruses, David D. Frame

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes disinfectants that can be used to fight against Avian influenza viruses, including the advantages, disadvantages and how to use.

Taxation Aspects Of Foreign Investments In India, Udai V. Singh

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Original Progressive Farmer: The Agricultural Legacy Of Thomas Spalding Of Sapelo, Dylan E. Mulligan

Honors College Theses

During the first half of the nineteenth century, a thriving plantation emerged on Sapelo Island, Georgia. The plantation’s owner was Thomas Spalding (1774-1851), who was one of Georgia’s foremost planters, and yet his substantial contributions to Georgia’s agricultural development have gone unnoticed by most historians. Spalding built a prosperous enterprise around staple crops such as Sea Island cotton; however, he was better known for his experiments with novel crops such as sugar cane, as well as his innovations in the areas of crop rotation and diversification and the successful implementation of tabby as a viable construction material on the Georgia …

New Agrarianism And American Children’S Literature, Emily C. Cormier

Doctoral Dissertations

New Agrarianism and American Children’s Literature

Emily Cardinali Cormier, Ph.D.

University of Connecticut, 2015

This dissertation explores the ways in which New Agrarian theory opens new interpretations of the child’s farm novel in both American Literature and Children’s Literature. It examines both large-scale relationships—such as between culture and agriculture—as well as intimate relationships—between members of a family and the land upon which they live—contending that there is a direct relationship between the health of a community and the health of its soil. The farm novel in Children’s Literature is a rich site of inquiry for New Agrarians because it works …

A Website Of Agriculturally Related Activities For Elementary Grade Levels, Bailey M. Kirby

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project is to develop a website containing agriculturally-related activities designed for the elementary classroom, including kindergarten to fifth grade. This website was created in order to bring agriculture into the elementary classroom and introduce the topic to students at an earlier age because the subject is currently only taught at the high school level. Two activities were created for each grade level and fit into the current curriculums for those grade levels. The website was designed in a way that teachers will be able to continually submit activities to be added to the website at any …

The Cost Of Cutting Agricultural Output: Interpreting The Capper-Volstead Act, Alison Peck

Missouri Law Review

In Part I, this Article reviews the allegations of production-limiting agreements by cooperatives in the eggs, potatoes, mushrooms, and milk markets. Since the purpose of this Article is to offer a close reading of the Capper-Volstead Act, the Act is laid out in Part II. In Part III, an interpretation based on a textualist reading, supplemented by canons of statutory construction, point to the conclusion that Capper-Volstead does not extend to preproduction agreements to limit supply. Part IV canvasses the (slender) committee reports and (extensive) floor debates, which set forth scant discussion and conflicting statements on the question of production …

Evaluating Animal Agriculture Impacts On Water Quality: Data Gaps In West Central Minnesota Case Study, Ed Brands

Environmental Studies Publications

Balancing the economic and food system contributions of animal agriculture with negative impacts such as water quality degradation has been a recurring question in Minnesota and other agricultural states (e.g., Iowa and North Carolina). Over the past 15 years significant federal- and state-level changes in the regulation of animal feeding operations (AFOs) and associated practices have attempted to improve water quality. The impacts of these changes are unclear; therefore, the main purpose of this project was to evaluate policies designed to protect water quality from manure runoff and spills within the context of a manageable geographic area. Project work was …

Mapping The Future, Tennessee Agriculture 2014 Departmental Report & Statistical Summary, Tennessee. Department Of Agriculture.

Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Rural China In Transition: Changes And Transformations In China’S Agriculture And Rural Sector, John A. Donaldson, Forrest Q. Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Agribusiness companies operating in China are transacting in various forms with small agricultural producers, and in doing so, transforming the household-based agriculture in rural China. We argue that the presence of these distinct forms and the diverging relations between agribusiness and producers show the central importance of China’s collective land rights. China’s unique system of land rights – featuring collective ownership but individualized usage rights – has acted as a powerful force in shaping interactions between agribusiness and direct producers. It provides farmers a source of economic income as well as political bargaining power – albeit to various degrees – …

Signs Of Kidding And Care During And After Kids Are Born, C. Kim Chapman, Justen Smith

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes the various parts of the parturition (kidding) process and the basic signals which does usually exhibit for each three stages of the process.

The Impact Of Agriculture On African Civilization In The 21st Century, Andrew S. Targowski

International Journal of African Development

The purpose of this paper is to define the impact of agriculture on African Civilization in the 21^st century. The methodology is based on an interdisciplinary big-picture view of the African Civilizations. The multifaceted layers of civilizations will be analyzed as interdependent with the agricultural development of African societies. Among the findings are: Sub-Saharan Africa falls short of meeting its agricultural needs. Only one of two individual Africans has access to clean and enough water. Energy and supply of electricity are woefully inadequate and unreliable. Agriculture as a foundation for development and modernization for Africa is too limited. Environmental …

Designing A Natural Resource Workshop For Students: Working With Wood: Adventures In Forestry, Maddison Easley

Agricultural Education and Communication

There is a need for additional education focused on natural resource related careers and issues. As communities become further removed from these subjects, hands-on workshops and educational trainings are necessary to rekindle interest in these topics, especially in regards to application in fields like agriculture. The goal of this project was to create a logical outline to follow when designing and implementing natural resource workshops. An additional outcome of the project involved the implementation of a forestry workshop through the 26 Hours of Science and Technology program at California Polytechnic State University on March 11, 2015. The outline provided in …

2015 Costs And Returns For A 200 Cow, Cow-Calf Operation, Northern Utah, Lyle Holmgren, Dillon Feuz

All Current Publications

The budget presented in this fact sheet contains sample costs and returns for a typical cow-calf ranching operation in Northern Utah. It is intended to be a guide used to estimate income and expenses as well as list inputs such as feed, veterinary costs and production practices. The budget also provides a framework for the whole ranch/farm plan.

Air Quality And Agriculture, Rhonda Miller

All Current Publications

There are many human factors that contribute to poor air quality, and agriculture is no exception. Best management practices such as the immediate incorporation of manure, nutrient conservation,reduced fertilizer use, reduced tillage, keeping silage covered, covers on manure storage structures,and alternatives to burning can help minimize emissions of air pollutants. Although livestock production is a significant contributor of greenhouse gases, long-term cropping systems can sequester carbon which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

The Optimal Cow Size For Intermountain Cow-Calf Operations, Jesse Russell, Dillon Feuz

All Current Publications

Research has shown that as a cow’s mature weight increases, feed efficiency decreases, as well as reproductive efficiency and other production factors. The purpose of this fact sheet is to illustrate the differences economically between three different cow weights (1,000 lbs., 1,200 lbs. and 1,400 lbs.) on three different resource bases.

Intermountain Meat Goat Production Calendar, C. Kim Chapman, Justin Smith

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is calendar based and contains the recommended and industry-accepted husbandry techniques that will help create a successful production environment for meat goats.

Tennessee Forestry Commission Fy 2014 Annual Report, Tennessee. Department Of Agriculture.

Forestry Commission Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Growing Safflower In Utah, M. G. Pace, C. E. Israelsen, E. Creech, N. Allen

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information on growing safflower in Utah. It has become popular on dryland farms in rotation with winter wheat. Safflower seed provides three products, oil, meal, and birdseed.

Comparing Permeability Of Matrix Cover Types For The Marsh Rice Rat (Oryzomys Palustris), Scott A. Cooney, Eric M. Schauber, Eric C. Hellgren

Publications

Context Matrix land cover types differ in permeability to animals moving between habitat patches, and animals may actually move faster across lesssuitable areas. Marsh rice rats are wetland specialists whose dispersal crosses upland matrix. Objectives Our objectives were to (1) compare matrix permeability for the marsh rice rat among upland cover types, (2) compare permeability within versus outside perceptual range of the wetland, and (3) explore intrinsic and extrinsic features influencing matrix use and permeability. Methods We quantified permeability of grassland, crop field, and forest to the marsh rice rat during 2011–2012, by marking rats in wetlands and estimating the …

Opening The Barnyard Door: Transparency And The Resurgence Of Ag-Gag & Veggie Libel Laws, Nicole Negowetti

Law Faculty Publications

Over the past several decades, as the agricultural system became increasingly industrialized and the steps from farm to plate multiplied, consumers became farther removed from the sources of their food. Until recently, most consumers in America were content to eat their processed, cheap, and filling foods without giving a second thought to how these foods were produced. The tides are changing. Increasingly, consumers are calling for more transparency in the food system. Repulsed by images of animal cruelty and shocked by unsavory food production practices, consumers want the food industry’s veil lifted and are demanding changes in food production. The …

Investigation Of An Affordable Multigrain Thresher For Smallholder Farmers In Sub-Saharan Africa, David D. Wilson

Open Access Theses

As the global population rises, food security is among the most important grand challenges of our time. While agriculture has significantly developed in parts of the world, other parts are severely underdeveloped, inhibiting agriculture productivity, which is a necessary component of the solution to the food security challenge. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), in particular, has seen little growth in productivity, something that has been correlated to its low agricultural mechanization. One barrier to mechanization in SSA, where the average farm size is less than 2 Ha, is the cost of farm equipment. This leaves many farmers with just basic tools to …

Navigating A Pathway Toward Colorado's Water Future: A Review And Recommendations On Colorado's Draft Water Plan, Lawrence J. Macdonnell, Colorado Water Working Group

Books, Reports, and Studies

40 pages (includes color illustrations).

Cultivate Spring/Summer 2015, Utah State University

Cultivate Magazine

No abstract provided.

Cultivate Fall/Winter 2015, Utah State University

Cultivate Magazine

No abstract provided.