Agriculture Commons^™

Feed Value And Utilization Of Corn Residue: Implications For Cow Performance And Grazing Strategies, Kaylee E. Wheeler

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

Two experiments were conducted to determine the correlation of corn residue feed value and utilization on cow performance and potential grazing strategies. A qualitative observation of corn residue grazing by 13 cattle herds across Nebraska was conducted over two years. Based on producer reported grain yields and stocking rates, it was found that these producers were generally not as aggressive as the recommended 1.2 animal unit months (AUM) for each 6,280 kg/ha (100 U.S. bushels/acre) of harvested grain. They stocked 17 to 101% of the recommendation and on average used 63% of the carrying capacity. Across herds, average body condition …

Agricultural Groundcover Update November 2023, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 98% of the grainbelt had adequate (more than 50%) vegetative groundcover to prevent wind erosion in November 2023. This amount of groundcover is normal for the middle of harvest.
• In the northern half of the grainbelt, a larger-than-average area had 51–60% groundcover, which is expected to decrease to below 50% over summer.
• Just over 2% of the grainbelt (324,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. Mullewa to Morawa Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 9.7% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.
• Less than 0.5% of the …

Costs Of Wind Erosion In The Northern Agricultural Region, Anne Bennett

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• To date, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) estimated opportunity cost of wind erosion for Western Australia’s (WA) agricultural region has only included the costs of forgone production income and therefore underestimates the broader costs of wind erosion events.
• This underestimation of costs was the impetus to create a case study to give an indication of the magnitude of the costs of wind erosion from agricultural land.
• Farmers in the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) were contacted to seek information about the on-farm costs of wind erosion events that occurred in 2020. Seventeen farmers responded to the …

Western Australia’S Primary Industries: 2021-22 Economic Overview, D. Maharjan, S. Akbari, A.K. Abadi Ghadim, P. Mattingley, I. Wilkinson, J. Tan, J. Van Staden, M. Radhakrishnan

All other publications

The Western Australia’s Primary Industries: 2021-22 Economic Overview (WAPIEO) is developed by DPIRD in partnership with the Forest Products Commission.

The WAPIEO has a trade focus and provides a single source for consistent statistics and insights on observed industry trends.

Director General Statement

Western Australia’s primary industries sector is a significant contributor to the state’s economic diversification. Supported by strong international trading relationships, it is also a major export industry with around 60% of our agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food production exported to over 150 international markets.

The agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries are also significant contributors to our economy, …

Status Of The Western Australian Pastoral Rangelands 2023: Total Vegetative Cover And Cover Risk, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) monitors and reports on the vegetation condition of pastoral rangelands in Western Australia. This 2023 short report uses remotely sensed total cover data available to the end of October 2023, rainfall data to the end of November 2023 and Stock Return data reported in 2022 (the most recent available) to determine cover risk. Cover risk at the land conservation district (LCD) level is an indicator of the likelihood of total cover declining to, or remaining at, low or very low levels. Total cover and cover risk may not be indicative of …

The Financial Implications Of Specialization, Diversification, Or Alternative Enterprises On Small Farms: Evidence From Tennessee, Aditya R. Khanal, Renu Ojha

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

In response to survival challenges, small farms in the United States undertake decisions to minimize downside risk or maximize gross revenue. Using primary survey data of small farms in Tennessee, we examined farmers’ strategic decisions on specialization or other forms of diversification and estimated the impacts of these decisions on farm financial performance. We found that farmer’s age, farmland holdings, use of a smartphone in farm-related activities, and off-farm work significantly influenced these strategic decisions. Our multinomial endogenous switching regression estimates suggested that small farms could attain significantly higher performance, around 45% higher gross farm income and a 30% higher …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 2, Edition 11, December 2023, 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:

New engage in the range curriculum, World Wildlife Fund

The CASNR Change Maker Competition

Data Driven 2024: 4-H Statistics Field day

UNL CASNR six interest areas

Focus on Department of Food Science and Technology, Center for Grassland Studies, and Environmental and Sustainability Studies

Career spotlight: forest ranger, range management, US conservation specialist, environmental lobbyist, food chemist, nutritionist, nonprofit fund …

Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Method Development For The Determination Of Β–Defensins In Bovine Milk, Elisha Ogbebor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bovine mastitis is caused by a wide range of pathogens which results in a substantial economic loss for the dairy cattle livestock industry. β-defensins are a part of the innate immune system and act as the first line of defense against mastitis in bovine. β-defensins (~6- 10kDa) are antimicrobial peptides that contain about 28 to 67 amino acids, the presence of six cysteine residues results in their three disulfide bonds and a β-sheet structure. A few β- defensins have been identified in cows based on the site of occurrence and time of expression in tissue, but not in milk. A …

Vulnerabilities Of Greater Prairie Chicken And Tier 1 At-Risk Species In Nebraska Caused By Grassland Transition To Woody Dominance, Robert Peterson

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

Woody plant encroachment is a global threat and has been transitioning grasslands to woody dominance at a biome scale. This threat is present in the Great Plains grassland biome which is currently experiencing grassland biome collapse as the alternative woody biome advances northwest. Nebraska, which contains the most intact temperate grassland in the world, is currently at the front lines of this large-scale transition making this state’s management decisions vital for the remaining grasslands and the species which rely on these ecosystems. In this study, we assess the vulnerability of Greater Prairie Chicken and Tier 1 at-risk species in Nebraska …

High Throughput Phenotyping: Field Based Triticale Breeding And Educational Resource Impact, Catherine Kay Mick

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

Triticale (Triticosecale) is a multifunctional hybrid cereal crop that adopted the hardiness of rye and wheat's high-yielding and nutritional qualities. Plant breeding programs work to improve the quality and number of varieties available to producers through multiple rounds of evaluation and selection. However, traditional phenotyping methods are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and destructive, creating a phenotyping bottleneck. Remote sensing using unmanned aerial systems has the potential to alleviate this issue and change the evaluation of phenotypes in a breeding. Demand for educational resources to advance public awareness and prepare the workforce has increased with the utilization of more technology in …

Investigation Of Breeding Objectives And Indexes-In-Retrospect, Hunter F. Valasek

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

This thesis presents two projects that investigate the impacts of breeding objectives and indexes-in-retrospect within the beef cattle industry. The first project synthesized how changes due to planning horizon, breeding system, and sale endpoint in the economic breeding goal of cattle influence the relative emphasis of traits as well as the re-ranking of selection candidates. A total of three breeding systems that represent straightbred and crossbred cattle were used along with six planning horizons (2, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 yrs.) for both a weaning and slaughter point of sale. The combination of these different breeding objective attributes resulted …

Agriculture And Community Well-Being: A Review Of Three Research Studies., Marilyn R. Schlake

Cornhusker Economics

Personal observations are often obscure to the facts. For instance, recently I worked at a booth at Husker Harvest Days. The booth focused on rural community development. My observations were that many of the agricultural producers decided to not stop at our booth or for those who did stop, conversations showed a disconnect of the importance of their local community to their farm operations. Similarly, when working with communities, I have observed the lack of understanding of the importance of the agricultural producers to the local community’s well-being. Why the disconnect between these two very important components of our rural …

Surveying And Evaluating Pests And Beneficial Insects In Utah's Vegetable Production, Nick Volesky, Amelia Olds, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

The Utah State University (USU) Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program conducted a season-long survey evaluating arthropod pests, plant diseases, pollinators, and other beneficials on a ¼-acre vegetable farm and adjacent pollinator habitat located in Logan, Utah. Understanding the roles of these groups on plant health and the efficacy of nonchemical pest management approaches critically impacts the sustainability of Utah’s vegetable industry. Survey findings have been used as a reference for developing video content, fact sheets, and presentations to educate Utah’s commercial and small-acreage farmers.

Guide To Pivot Track Management, Matt Yost, Behnaz Molaei, R. Troy Peters, Clara Anderson, Burdette Barker, Jonathan Holt, Dustin Larsen

All Current Publications

Irrigation uniformity can be reduced by wheel track rutting because of tire slippage (Meyer & Hoffman, 1983). These impacts can result in costly repairs to equipment, including gear boxes (about $700 each) and center-drive motors (about $550 each), or hydraulic pumps and motors on certain makes of pivot. Labor and crop damage associated with freeing or repairing a pivot or caused by downtime can also be a great expense to the farmer. This guide covers different strategies for managing wheel track rutting for center pivots and lateral-move systems.

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Research Division 121st Annual Report. July 1, 2006 To June 30, 2007., Institute Of Agriculture And Natural Resources

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

Our Mission..... 4

Foreword..... 5

Research Highlights..... 6

Faculty Awards and Recognitions....14

Graduate Student Awards and Recognitions...17

Undergraduate Honors Student Research Program...22

Variety and Germplasm Releases....23

Patents.....24

Administration.....25

Administrative Personnel....25

Organizational Chart....26

Administrative Units....27

IANR Research Facilities....28

Faculty.....29

Agricultural/Natural Resources Units....30

Education and Human Sciences Departments...39

Off-Campus Research Centers....40

Interdisciplinary Activities....41

Visiting Scientists/Research Associates....42

Research Projects.....47

Agricultural/Natural Resources Units....47

Education and Human Sciences Departments...52

Off-Campus Research Centers....52

Interdisciplinary Activities....53

Publications.....55

Agricultural/Natural Resources Units....60

Education and Human Sciences Departments...82

Off-Campus Research Centers....85

Research Expenditures....88

Pass-Through Entity Tax Deduction, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

In 2023, the State of Nebraska became the 36th state to implement a Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) Deduction law. This law is in response to a change made by the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2018 which limited the state and local tax deduction eligible for itemized deductions to $10,000. This new state law allows partnerships and s-corporations to pay the state income tax on behalf of their owners which qualifies it for a federal tax law deduction. The individuals will then receive a credit on their individual return for the tax paid on their behalf.

2024 Nebraska Crop Budgets — A Mixed Review With Some Costs Higher, Some Lower, Glennis Mcmclure

Center for Agricultural Profitability

While field operation costs are projected higher for the 2024 Nebraska crop enterprises, some material input costs are lower than were projected for 2023. One driving force on lower cost projections for 2024 is 20% to 40% less on fertilizer prices is factored in on many budgets, and five pounds less nitrogen fertilizer was entered for a majority of the corn budgets due to continued improvement of application practices. Cost scenarios for individual producers can vary based on their timing of input purchases and price variabilities. The 84 1Nebraska crop budgets are now available online in three formats with a …

Does Selection For Seedling Tiller Number In Perennial Biomass Feedstocks Translate To Yield And Quality Improvements In Mature Swards?, Robert B. Mitchell, Kenneth P. Vogel, Susan Tunnell, James Stubbendieck

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Breeding for seedling traits in herbaceous perennial biomass feedstocks that translate into increased biomass yield or quality in established swards could accelerate the development of perennial grass cultivars for bioenergy or forage. In previously reported research, breeding for single large tillers (ST) or multiple tillers (MT, ≥3) six weeks after planting for two generations in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) base populations produced ST and MT populations that differed significantly for seedling and mature plant traits including biomass yield in spaced planted nurseries. Our objective was to evaluate these ST and MT populations in sward …

Predicting Current And Future Alfalfa Hay Prices In Seven Western States, Dillon M. Feuz, Ryan Larsen

All Current Publications

Alfalfa hay prices were analyzed in the seven western states. Utah hay prices were most closely correlated with Oregon and Washington hay prices. Corn grain, feeder cattle, and milk prices all impact alfalfa hay prices, as do the May 1 USDA hay stocks and alfalfa hay exports. Using these price relationships, an alfalfa hay pricing tool was developed to predict hay prices up to 9 months into the future.

What Is Irs Section 180 And How Does It Work?, Shannon Sand

Center for Agricultural Profitability

With recent land purchases, some are asking questions to learn more about IRS Section 180 and how it may provide tax deductions in the year of purchase. Let’s explore more about this tax code.

What is this code, you may be asking yourself, and what may it have to do with the purchased ground?

Will Nebraska Farms And Ranches Be Ready For Double Digit Operating Line Rates?, Jeffrey Stokes, Jim Jansen

Cornhusker Economics

For those involved in agriculture, it has been quite a while since interest rates on farm real estate, equipment, and operating lines have been as high as they are for the industry. As the fall harvest winds down and producers focus on next year, interest rates on operating lines may cause shock. It has been over 20 years since interest rates on operating lines exceeded 10%. To better understand what may be causing interest rates on operating lines to rise, it will be beneficial to understand some basic monetary policy tools the Fed has at its disposal. The tool receiving …

Supplemental Table 1. Influence Of The Count Of Positive Days On Dmi, Milk Yield, Milk Fat, Milk Protein, And Pregnancy Rate, Addison Carroll, Paul J. Kononoff

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

Response

Intercept

Devstarch

Devfat

DevNDF

DevPro

BIC

Manure And Wastewater Sampling Guide, Rhonda Miller, Cody Zesiger, Kalen Taylor, Matt Yost

All Current Publications

Manure and wastewater are resources that can reduce your fertilizer needs and help improve soil and your bottom line. It is important that manure and wastewater be sampled and tested so one can apply the manure and nutrients appropriately. Sampling and analysis should occur as close to land application as possible as nutrient concentration in manure and wastewater can change over time due to runoff, leaching, and changes in moisture percentage. Nitrogen can also be lost due to volatilization. There are two primary approaches for when to sample: (1) just before land application, and (2) at the time of land …

How Much Nebraska Ag Land Is Owned By Foreign Entities?, Larry W. Van Tassell

Center for Agricultural Profitability

The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1973 (AFIDA) established a mandatory reporting system, overseen by the USDA, that requires foreign entities to provide information on all U.S. agricultural and non-agricultural land in which they hold an interest. “Interest” is reported as a fee interest (legal possession of both the surface and mineral rights), partial fee interest (must state percent ownership), life estate, trust beneficiary, purchase contract, or other. “Other” includes leases that are 10-years or longer. The regulations exempt foreign entities with interests solely in mineral rights and leases of less than 10 years in duration from reporting. In …

2023 Standard-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

The annual watermelon cultivar evaluation trial is conducted at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC), in Vincennes, Indiana. The trial evaluates yield, fruit quality, and overall plant performance of commercial watermelon cultivars and advanced breeding lines. The trial is financially supported by Purdue Extension and seed companies. The 2023 standard-sized triploid watermelon cultivar trial had 35 cultivars, including six with solid dark-green rind patterns, and one with a solid light-green rind pattern.

2023 Seeded Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Watermelons grown in Indiana are primarily red flesh seedless, and a small portion of personal-sized red flesh seedless. Seeded watermelons are typically not grown in large acreages, but they may be used as pollenizer plants for growing seedless watermelons. The 2023 seeded watermelon cultivar trial included 15 seeded watermelon cultivars.

Notes From The Brazilian Cornfields, Fabio Mattos

Cornhusker Economics

In the last few months, I have been traveling in Brazil. My objective with this trip is to meet with industry professionals, government officials, and academic researchers to learn about recent developments in Brazilian agriculture and what we can expect to see in the future. I have essentially been asking people their opinions about the main developments in Brazil in the last few years and their perspectives for the future. One of the main topics that has emerged consistently in these conversations is, not surprisingly, the corn market.

Experimental Studies On The Operation Of Agricultural Crops Mowing Unit With Simultaneous Chopping And Incorporation Of Stubble Into The Soil, Volodymyr Nadykto, Sergey Kiurchev, Tatiana Chorna, Taras Hutsol, Szymon Głowacki, Anatoliy Rud, Alona Shevtsova, Igor Ryabov, Katarzyna Szwedziak

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

For harvesting crops, one-phase and two-phase methods are most often used. When implementing the second one, mounted and trailed units are used. The latter is becoming less and less used due to the problems with movement stability in the horizontal plane because of the asymmetric layout. A stubble background, which is susceptible to solar and wind influences, is formed as a consequence of application of the mounted harvesting unit, As a result, the field’s soil in the inter-swath space intensively loses moisture. A harvesting unit based on a tractor with rear steerable wheels has been designed to eliminate this shortcoming. …

2023 Cantaloupe Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Traditionally, eastern-type cantaloupe is produced in Indiana. Longer shelf-life cultivars were developed and have been grown in Indiana. This report includes 11 cantaloupe cultivars, including some newly developed ones.

2023 Personal-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Indiana ranks sixth in watermelon production in the U.S., following Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, and North Carolina in 2022. A total of 7,000 acres of watermelons were planted, with a production value of $71 million (USDA, 2023). Watermelons grown in Indiana are primarily red flesh seedless, and around 10% are personal-sized seedless watermelons (6-8 lbs).