Agribusiness Commons^™

Acute Stress Induced By The Preslaughter Use Of Electric Prodders Causes Tougher Beef Meat, R. D. Warner, D. M. Ferguson, J. J. Cottrell, B. W. Knee

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Adrenergic activation and hormone release preslaughter is an inevitable outcome of the systems used to move cattle to slaughter. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of acute preslaughter stress in beef cattle on postmortem muscle metabolism and the meat quality, including consumer-assessed eating quality. Eighty-four cattle were used on three separate days, with ‘mobs’ of four cattle allocated to either a ‘control’ (no electric goads used preslaughter) or a ‘stress’ (six prods given with an electric goad over 5–10 min) treatment at 15 min preslaughter. Cattle undergoing the ‘stress’ treatment had higher plasma lactate at slaughter. …

Influence Of Free-Stall Base On Tarsal Joint Lesions And Hygiene In Dairy Cows, W. K. Fulwider, T. Grandin, D. J. Garrick, T. E. Engle, W. D. Lamm, N. L. Dalsted, B. E. Rollin

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The objective was to quantify the incidence of tarsal lesions and level of hygiene by stall bed type. Cows were scored on 100 dairies from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, and New York in the fall and winter. Thirty-eight dairies used rubber-filled mattresses (RFM), 27 had sand beds, 29 had waterbeds, and 6 used compost packs (CPk). Stocking density, stall dimensions, bedding amount, bedding frequency, and type of bedding were recorded. One pen of early-lactation multiparous cows on each dairy was scored based on injury of the tarsal joints at the lateral and medial surfaces and tuber calcis at the dorsal, …

Climate. Scrubbing The Sky: Climate Change And The Productive Center, Marcy Murninghan

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article sketches out the efforts of government, business, and civil society to address the problem of climate change. It identifies some of the key initiatives underway — including proposals for more stringent caps on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; the creation of a market-based trading system that provides incentives and profits for entities that reduce their GHG emission levels; more robust research and development of alternative energy sources as well as new approaches to traditional ones; and continued public education — and portrays the bipartisan, collaborative, multilateral nature of saving Mother Nature. While acknowledging that ultimately these efforts may be …

U.S. Agricultural Productivity And Returns To Research, Jennifer S. James, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey, Matt Andersen

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Fish Behaviour And Welfare, Lynne U. Sneddon

Ethology Collection

Fish are farmed intensively in aquaculture which is an economic necessity to provide large quantities for the food industry yet many species’ normal behaviours may be impaired by the nature of intensive aquaculture. Recommendations have suggested that for optimum welfare, animals should be able to express their natural suite of behaviours. Confining large migratory species such as salmonids to relatively small tanks or cages means they are unable to perform the extensive migrations performed by their wild counterparts so are these fish frustrated? When considering why salmonids migrate, their motivation is to find food yet if they are well fed …

Carcass Composition And Meat Quality Of Three Different Iberian × Duroc Genotype Pigs, Rosario Ramírez, Ramon Cava

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Carcass composition and meat quality of Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Biceps femoris (BF) muscles from three different Iberian × Duroc genotype pigs were studied: GEN1: ♂ Iberian × ♀ Duroc1; GEN2: ♂ Duroc1 × ♀ Iberian; GEN3: ♂ Duroc2 × ♀ Iberian. Duroc1 (DU1) were selected for the manufacture of dry-cured meat products while Duroc2 (DU2) were pigs selected for meat production, with high percentages of meat cuts and low carcass fat. Genotype had a significant effect on the differences found while sex had not. GEN2 showed the highest weights at days 180 and 238 of weaning and the highest …

Crop Updates 2007 - Cereals, Rob Loughman, R. Lance, I. Barclay, G. Crosbie, S. Harasymow, W. Lambe, Chengdao Li, R. Mclean, C. Moore, K. Stefanova, A. Tarr, R. Wilson, Matu Peipi, Matt Whiting, Christine M. Zaicou-Kunesch, Shahajahan Miyan, Brenda Shackley, Len J. Wade, Lindsay W. Bell, Felicity Byrne (Nee Flugge), Mike A. Ewing, Blakely Paynter, Andrea Hills, Raj Malik, Kelly Winfield, Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert, Chris Roberts, Jeremy Lemon, Geoff J. Thomas, Ian Hartley, Andrew Taylor, Manisha Shankar, John Majewski, Vivien Vanstone, Brenda A. Coutts, Monica Kehoe, Roger Jones, Geoffrey Dwyer, Belinda Welsh, Cuiping Wang, Linda Price

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty six papers from different authors:

CEREAL BREEDING

1. Strategies for aligning producer and market imperatives in cereal breeding in Western Australia, R. Loughman, R. Lance, I. Barclay, G. Crosbie, S. Harasymow, W. Lambe, C. Li, R. McLean, C. Moore, K. Stefanova, A. Tarr and R. Wilson, Department of Agriculture and Food

2. LongReach plant breeders wheat variety trials – 2006, Matu Peipi and Matt Whiting, LongReach Plant Breeders

WHEAT AGRONOMY

3. Response of wheat varieties to sowing time in the northern agricultural region in 2006, Christine Zaicou, Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Response …

Crop Updates 2007 - Weeds, Alexandra Douglas, Peter Newman, Sally Peltzer, Abul Hashem, Aik Cheam, Siew Lee, Natalie Maguire, Michael Walsh, Dan Cornally, Matt Willis, Glen Riethmuller, Shahab Pathan, Michael Renton, Art Diggle, Mechelle Owen, Stephen Powles, Roberto Busi, Robert Barrett-Lennard, Andrew Storrie, David Minkey, Craig A. Ruchs, Peter Boutsalis, Catherine Borger, Nerys Wilkins, Julie Roche, Martin Harries, John Peirce, Brad Rayner, John Moore, Ray Fulwood, Chris Roberts, Paul Matson, Bob French, Laurie Maiolo, Lorne Mills, Harmohinder Dhammu, Ben Tan, Vince Lambert, Chris Roberts, Vanessa Stewart

Crop Updates

This session covers thirty two papers from different authors:

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, Alexandra Douglas CONVENOR – WEEDS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD

WILD RADISH MANAGEMENT

2. Decimate a wild radish seed bank in five years, Peter Newman, Sally Peltzer, Abul Hashem and Aik Cheam, Department of Agriculture and Food

3. High level of seed-set control in wild radish is achievable, Aik Cheam and Siew Lee,Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Wild radish: Best management practice, Aik Cheam and Siew Lee, Department of Agriculture and Food

5. Control of phenoxy resistant wild radish through the combined effects of wheat …

Crop Updates 2007 - Farming Systems, David Jeffries, A. Loi, B. J. Nutt, Clinton K. Revell Dr, Yvette Oliver, Michael Robertson, Bill Bowden, Kit Leake, Ashley Bonser, Ian Maling, Bindi Isbister, Garren Knell, Alison Slade, David Stephens, Michael Meuleners, David Beard, Nicolyn Short, Rob Grima, Ingrid Richardson, Ruhi Ferdowsian, Geoff Bee, David Evans, Bob Gilkes, Senthold Asseng, Jim Dixon, Felicity Byrne, Mike Ewing, Dennis Van Gool, Louise Barton, Ralf Kiese, David Gatter, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, Renee Buck, Christoph Hinz, Daniel Murphy, Cameron Weeks, Meredith Fairbanks, John Peirce, Brad Rayner, Sandy White, Paul Damon, Qifa Ma, Zed Rengel, Ed Barrett-Lennard, Meir Altman, Tracey M. Gianatti, Lindsay Bell, Ben Webb, Caroline Peek, Paul Sanford, Paul Blackwell, Glen Riethmuller, Darshan Sharma, Mike Collins, Frank D'Emden, David Hall, G. P. Manango, D. L. Steverson, Vanessa Stewart, Julie Roche, Peter Rutherford, Imma Farre, Ian Foster, Stephen Charles, Frances Hoyle, N. Milton, M. Osman, L. K. Abbott, W. R. Cookson, S. Darmawanto, Rob Sands, David Mccarthy, Paul Carmody, J. Russell, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery, A. Roe, Phil Nichols, Andrew Bathgate, Anne Wilkins

Crop Updates

This session covers forty papers from different authors:

1. Quality Assurance and industry stewardship, David Jeffries, Better Farm IQ Manager, Cooperative Bulk Handling

2. Sothis: Trifolium dasyurum (Eastern Star clover), A. Loi, B.J. Nutt and C.K. Revell, Department of Agriculture and Food

3. Poor performing patches of the paddock – to ameliorate or live with low yield? Yvette Oliver¹, Michael Robertson¹, Bill Bowden², Kit Leake³and Ashley Bonser³, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems¹, Department of Food and Agriculture², Kellerberrin Farmer³

4. What evidence is there that …

Rational Risk/Benefit Analysis Of Genetically Modified Crops, Stanley P. Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

Safety concerns over the use of molecular biotechnology in the improvement of crops has generated substantial, heated and confusing debates, often driven by ideology and hysterics. Modification of crops is not new, and biotechnology (in its broadest sense) has been used for over a century to accelerate the development of new crops for food, feed and fibre, so as to meet the demands of a growing global community. The introduction of crops developed via molecular biotechnology [Genetically Modified Crops (GMCs)] represents the latest step in this inexorable innovative progression of technology. However, misinformed concern has led to a broad embrace …

Enhancing Fertiliser Use Efficiency For Transplanted Vegetables, Dennis Phillips, Aileen Reid, Gavin D'Adhemar

Horticulture research reports

Horticulture Australia (HAL) Project No. VG04018.

Project VG 04018 ‘Enhancing fertiliser use efficiency for transplanted vegetables’ showed that spraying highly concentrated solutions containing nitrogen over newly transplanted vegetable seedlings for between 14 and 21 days after planting can increase marketable yields by as much as 300% compared to other methods of fertiliser application. Crops that this method has been successfully tested on in this study by the W.A. Department of Agriculture and Food include iceberg and Cos lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage (wombok), celery and cabbage.

The research was conducted on virgin sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain near …

Farm Animal Welfare: In Legislatures, Corporate Boardrooms, And Private Kitchens, Andrea Gavinelli, Miyun Park

State of the Animals 2007

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, globally, approximately 56 billion land animals—including nearly 48 billion broiler chickens— are slaughtered for human consumption in a single year (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2004), in addition to an untold number of aquatic animals. The numbers of individual animals raised and killed by the meat, egg, and dairy industries far surpass the number of animals with whom human beings have any other relationship—whether they be those seen as fabric, target practice, test tubes, companions, or sideshow spectacles.

Effect Of Stall Base Type On Herd Health, Costs, And Producer Satisfaction, W. K. Fulwider, T. Grandin, D. J. Garrick, T. E. Engle, W. D. Lamm, N. L. Dalsted, B. E. Rollin

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The objective of this field study was to compare effect of stall base on herd health, stall maintenance, bedding cost, and producer satisfaction. Ninety-one dairies visited during a 4-mo period starting October 14, 2005 included 33 rubber-filled mattress (RFM), 27 sand, and 31 waterbed (WB) dairies. In this study, percent culled was higher for RFM (P = 0.001) and sand (P = 0.06) than WB stall base dairies. Percent of cows in fourth lactation or greater was higher on WB than either RFM (P = 0.01) or sand (P = 0.02) dairies. There was no difference between base types for …

The Welfare Of Animals In The Meat, Egg, And Dairy Industries

Agribusiness Reports

Each year in the United States, approximately 11 billion animals are raised and killed for meat, eggs, and milk. These farm animals—sentient, complex, and capable of feeling pain and frustration, joy and excitement—are viewed by industrialized agriculture as commodities and suffer myriad assaults to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, typically denied the ability to engage in their species-specific behavioral needs. Despite the routine abuses they endure, no federal law protects animals from cruelty on the farm, and the majority of states exempt customary agricultural practices—no matter how abusive—from the scope of their animal cruelty statutes. The treatment of farm …

Welfare Issues With Selective Breeding Of Egg-Laying Hens For Productivity

Agribusiness Reports

Today’s commercial laying hens have been selectively bred to produce more than 250 eggs per year. This unnaturally high level of productivity is metabolically taxing, often causing hens to suffer from “production diseases,” including osteoporosis and accompanying bone fractures, and can lead to reproductive disorders. Research suggests that the problem of osteoporosis may be worsening, possibly due to industry’s continuous push toward maximizing productivity. For decades, economic considerations have been valued and emphasized over the welfare of individual birds. An immediate change in priorities is needed to aggressively address welfare problems associated with selective breeding for egg production.

Australian Temperate Strawberry Breeding Program (Western Australia) Selection Of New And Advanced Short Day Breeding Lines And Cultivars In Western Australia - 2006/2007, Aileen Reid, Dennis Phillips, Hal

Horticulture research reports

Thirty-two ‘Stage 4’ numbered selections (2004 crosses) from the Australian Temperate Strawberry Breeding Program were evaluated in unreplicated plots on a commercial property in Wanneroo for their potential under WA conditions. Seven of these have been selected as worthy of further testing. The priority selection among these was 04- 021-263, and the other six included 04-021-467, 04-037-102, 04-021-241, 04-021-172, 04-021-475 and 04-029-211.

In addition, 21 advanced numbered selections (Stages 5, 6 and 7) were also evaluated on the same grower’s property. Three of those were substantially larger plots and a later planting date. Of the first group of 18 selections, …

Review Of Methods For Modelling Systems Evolution, Charles F. Nicholson

Agribusiness

Acceleration of economic, technological, social, and environmental change challenge decision-makers of various kinds to learn at increasing rates, and at the same time, the complexity of the dynamic systems in which we live is growing (Sterman 2000). In agriculture and international development contexts, there are often significant delays in the development and implementation of technologies and policies, and agriculture-based livelihood systems are in constant and sometimes rapid evolution. In order to make technologies and policies better match the future state of these systems, it is necessary to better understand the likely evolution of agricultural systems. The goal of these efforts …

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Emerging Near-Real Time Forage Monitoring Technology With Application To Large Herbivore Management In Mongolia, Dennis P. Sheehy, Jerry W. Stuth, Douglas E. Johnson, Jay Angerer, Douglas Tolleson

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Large herbivore livestock and wildlife in Mongolia depend almost entirely for substance on forage standing crop produced each year on natural pastureland. Consequently, both livestock and wildlife are continuously subject to environmental risk, especially drought and severe winter storms, while livestock are also subject to financial risk. As consumption-based livestock production changes to commercialized livestock production, steps taken by the livestock herder to avert both environmental and financial risk to livestock can increase environmental risk to large wild herbivores. A realistic and workable pastureland and risk management system will be critical for conservation of large herbivore habitat. New technologies are …

Contents, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Devolution Of Federal Agricultural Policy: The Case Of Specialty Crop Block Grants, Jay E. Noel, David Schweikhardt

Agribusiness

There is a lengthy history of devolution of federal policy and programs to the states through the use of grants-in-aid in general and block grants in particular. In the area of agricultural policy, for example, programs for agricultural research and extension have, since their origin, been jointly funded by a system of grants from the federal government to the states. In recent years, the possible consequence of a major devolution of farm policy and programs from the federal government to the states has received much attention.

Letter From The Dean, Gregory J. Weidemann

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 8 2007, Several Authors

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

No abstract provided.

The Roles, Needs, And Challenges Of Arkansas Women In Agriculture, Carmen C. Albright, Jennie S. Popp

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

Participants of the 2005-2007 Arkansas Women in Agriculture conferences were surveyed for this study to identify recent changes in their roles on and off the farm, the factors important to their success, and the problems they face in their businesses. Respondents were broken into two groups—Farm (women owner-operators of farms, ranches, or agribusinesses) and Non-farm (women working in supporting agricultural industries)—for comparisons and responses were also analyzed across years. Farm women most often reported problems keeping good employees each year, while Non-farm women often reported having problems with being respected as a female business person. For Farm women, the factor …

Comparing California's Cost Of Regulation To Other States: A Case Study Approach For Agriculture, Lynn Hamilton

Agribusiness

Regulatory pressure is a source of increasing concern for California producers. Though regulations have a positive impact on society in terms of cleaner air and water, as well as increased worker safety; they impose multiple costs to farmers in the state. Growers must comply with a tangle of rules from the local, state and federal levels. Many regional differences arise in California environmental regulations, and regulatory pressure is unevenly applied throughout the state.

Previous studies regarding the regulatory environment in California have quantified the total cost of regulation on the state’s agricultural producers. The goal of this study was to …

Interview With Ed Mays, Endura Wood Products, 2006 (Audio), Ed Mays

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Ed Mays by Damon Quint in Portland, Oregon on August 11th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Richard Pine, O'Neill Pine Company, 2006 (Audio), Richard Pine

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Richard Pine by Margie Crawford in Salem, Oregon on August 3rd, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Estimating Willingness To Pay Using A Polychotomous Choice Function: An Application To Pork Products With Environmental Attributes, Sean P. Hurley, Douglas J. Miller, James B. Kliebenstein

Agribusiness

Bid data from a Vickrey auction for pork chops with embedded environmental attributes were analyzed. It was found that approximately 62% of the participants had a positive WTP for the most "environmentally friendly" package of pork. Thirty percent of the participants had no WTP, and 8% had a negative WTP. A polychotomous choice model was used to accommodate data having an anchoring point within the distribution of the data. Standard variables found in the WTP literature coupled with this model were used to predict participants who were premium payers and non-premium payers using an estimated ordered probit equation.

Clustering Of Independent Dairy Operators For Generation Of Bio-Renewable Energy: A Feasibility Analysis, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams

Agribusiness

According to the California Agricultural Statistical Service (CASS), California had almost 1.7 million dairy cows in 2003. These cows generated approximately four billion dollars in revenue, making the California Dairy industry the largest agricultural commodity in the state. These California dairies are estimated to have produced roughly thirty million metric tons of manure in 2003. According to the 2002 USDA census, eighty-seven percent of the dairy cows in California are located on farms of five hundred or more cows. Furthermore, the dairy industry is heavily concentrated in eight counties of California. This high concentration of dairies in the state implies …

An Estimation Of The Regulatory Cost On California Agricultural Producers, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations can have many different effects on producers—both positive and negative. They can positively affect producers by improving marketability of the crop and increasing worker’s safety which would provide benefits to producers in the form of higher prices and/or potential cost savings. They can also negatively affect producers by increasing the cost of production by mandating that producers use more costly or less efficacious inputs, causing negative effects to the producers’ bottom-line. Regulations can also have a negative effect on producers by increasing non-cash costs related to management time.