Agriculture Commons^™

Louisiana Agriculture Winter, 2013

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Energy In The Corn Belt: Is Maize Production Sustainable?, Matthew Bernau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological and scientific innovation has transformed agricultural production. Corn production methods changed from a sustainable, nutrient recycling production system to one reliant on imported fossil energy inputs. Located in the Western Corn Belt, Union County, South Dakota was chosen as the study area. Changes in production methods are represented by four technological epochs: 1) The Draft Horse Epoch, 1890-1920; 2) The Tractor Epoch, 1920-1950; 3) The Fertilizer Epoch, 1950-1980; and 4) The Biotechnology and Precision Agriculture Epoch, 1980-2010. The energy budget method was used to measure the energy sustainability of corn production. The findings show that the volume of corn …

Aspen Status Report And Recommendation For The Book Cliffs, Paul C. Rogers, Cody M. Mittanck, Ronald J. Ryel

Aspen Bibliography

Regionally quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forests are experiencing numerous impediments to resilience. In the West, recent drought, fire suppression, insects, diseases, climate trends, inappropriate management, and ungulate herbivory are impacting these high biodiversity forests. We conducted a landscape assessment of aspen communities in the Book Cliffs region, Vernal Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, for the purposes of determining landscape-level status of aspen and making recommendations for future management of these forests. The study area consists of 268 distinct aspen polygons totaling approximately 70 ha (174 acres) of aspen forest surrounded by much larger tracts of …

Book Cliffs Roadless Area Aspen Study 2013 : Grand & Uintah Counties, Utah, Cody M. Mittanck

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Economic Optimization And Precision Agriculture: A Carbon Footprint Story, Rachael M. Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This thesis examines the economic and environmental impacts that precision agriculture technologies (PATs) can have on the carbon footprint of a grain farm. An analysis is offered using two manuscripts. The first examines the impacts of three PATs and compares the findings to a conventional farming method. It was found that all three PATs investigated showed a potential Pareto improvement over conventional farming. The second manuscript expanded the model used previously to in order to develop a process to construct a carbon efficient frontier (CEF). The model employed examined uniform and variable rate technologies. In addition to the CEF, a …

High-Impact Animal Health Research Conducted At The Usda’S National Animal Disease Center, J. P. Bannantine, Steven C. Olsen, Marcus E. Kehrli Jr., Thad B. Stanton, Eduardo Casas, Diana L. Whipple, Kurt A. Zuelke

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

Commissioned by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958 and opened with a dedication ceremony in December 1961, the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Animal Disease Center (NADC) celebrated its 50-year anniversary in November 2011. Over these 50 years, the NADC established itself among the world’s premier animal health research centers. Its historic mission has been to conduct basic and applied research on selected endemic diseases of economic importance to the U.S. livestock and poultry industries. Research from NADC has impacted control or management efforts on nearly every major animal disease in the United States since 1961. For example, diagnostic tests …

Effect Of Anaerobic Dairy Manure Co-Digestion And Effluent Solid Separation On Volatile Fatty Acids During Manure Storage, Laura Page

Open Access Theses

Volatile fatty acids (VFA) are among the most abundant organic compounds found in animal manure and act as important intermediates in the production of methane under anaerobic digestion (AD). However, VFA also contribute to odor emissions from manure. Anaerobic digestion and separation of solids may help to reduce odor pollution during manure storage and subsequent land application by reducing VFA concentrations.

Little information about the characteristics and concentrations of VFA in dairy manure related to AD is available. This thesis presents the results of VFA production during two three-month storage studies of dairy manure collected from four different sources on …

Analysis Of Sources Of Variation And Relationships Among Sow Productivity Traits, Richard L. Cutshaw

Open Access Theses

The swine industry has witnessed major changes in the past three decades in terms of selection tools and implementation of effective selection. As the pork industry continues to consolidate, it is increasingly important to be able to accurately predict and direct future performance toward increased overall profitability. Overall, sow productivity greatly affects a pork producer's ability to be profitable in the industry and have sufficient knowledge of production levels to improve the likelihood of remaining profitable into the future.

The relationships among sow productivity traits including total number born, litter birth weight, number weaned, preweaning survival, mean piglet birth weight, …

Swat Model Simulation Of Bioenergy Crop Impacts In A Tile-Drained Watershed, Chelsie Marie Werling Boles

Open Access Theses

Tile drains are an important component of agricultural production in the Midwest, and their inclusion in modeling studies is important in watersheds where they are a principal hydrologic pathway. The new tile drainage simulation method in the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was parameterized and tile flow results were compared with reviewed literature. Streamflow, sediment, and nutrient outputs were compared to measured values and simulated crop yields were examined with respect to average county yields. Plant growth stressors were examined to account for differences between simulated and published yields. The bioenergy crop switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) was applied over …

Estimation Of Watershed Nitrate Loads On Drained Agricultural Lands, Yan Jiang

Open Access Theses

Estimation of nutrient load is critical for many applications in water quality management; however, infrequent data monitoring and measurement error could raise considerable uncertainty in the load estimations. The objectives of this study were to quantify the overall uncertainty in annual nitrate-N load estimates, and develop a statistical model to predict nitrate loads based on subsurface drainage characteristics in Indiana watersheds. Nitrate was selected as the study object because of the high loads common in Midwestern streams, and its important influence on hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.

A standard error propagation method was used to quantify the uncertainty from …

Specific Salt Effects On The Formation And Thermal Transitions Among Β-Lactoglobulin And Pectin Electrostatic Complexes, Stacey Ann Hirt

Open Access Theses

Factors of ion specificity and ionic strength (I~0-100) were studied in the electrostatic complex formation and protein particle formation by thermal treatment for a β-lactoglobulin and pectin system. ζ-potential showed β-lactoglobulin and pectin began to interact near pH 5.50 and interactions were strengthened with decrease in pH. Visible light turbidimetry and light scattering at 90° revealed a trend in critical pH transitions for electrostatic complex formation based on both the ionic strength and the anion of the salt species, while effects of the monovalent cation was insignificant. Critical pH values for complex formation and separation (pHc and pHΦ) decreased with …

How Population Density Influences Agricultural Intensification And Productivity: Evidence From Ethiopia, Anna Leigh Josephson

Open Access Theses

We use household-level panel data to estimate how population density impacts agricultural intensification and farm income in Ethiopia. We hypothesize that increases in population density affect agricultural intensification and farm income directly through information flows, institutional development, and reduction in transactions costs. Increases in population density also affect agricultural intensification and farm income indirectly through farm size, agricultural wage rates, and staple crop prices. We find that increases in population density lead to lower farm sizes, which has major implications for agricultural intensification and household well-being. Our analysis indicates that increases in population density cause farmers to purchase more inorganic …

Effects Of Housing And Calcium-Deficient Diet On Health And Egg Production In Bovans Brown Hens., Jiaying Hu

Open Access Theses

Public concern about the welfare of hens kept in conventional cages has become an important issue worldwide. The conventional cage system has been banned by the European Union since 2012. Several housing systems, including free range, have been developed as welfare friendly alternatives to the conventional cage system. Experiment 1, the study examined the effects of housing environment, conventional cages vs. floor pens, on hens' health and egg production. A total of 84 19-wk-old Bovans Brown hens were randomly assigned into 2-bird cage with 12 replications (n=12), providing 968 cm2 floor space per hen or 10-bird floor pen with 6 …

A Land Data Assimilation System (Ldas) Based Dataset For Regional Agro-Climatic Assessments, Xing Liu

Open Access Theses

This study is part of a USDA sponsored project ----Useful to Usable (U2U): "Transforming Climate Variability and Change Information for Cereal Crop Producers". The broader objective includes improving farm resilience and profitability in the U.S. Corn Belt region by transforming existing climate/weather data into usable knowledge and tools for the agricultural community.

The specific tasks of this research are: (1) Build a high-resolution (4 km, daily) agro-climatic dataset using a Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS). (2) Estimate regional corn yield across the Corn Belt with crop models and the agro-climatic dataset. (3) Evaluate the impacts of climate variability due to …

Impacts Of Insecticide Treatments On Platytetranychus Multidigituli (Acari:Tetranychidae) And Predatory Mites On Gleditsia Triacanthos Var. Inermis (Honeylocust), Adam Robert Witte

Open Access Theses

Spider mite outbreaks can occur in urban forests after insecticides are applied to control early season pests. We used thornless honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis) and honeylocust spider mite (Platytetranychus multidigituli) as a model to investigate this phenomenon by applying both topical and systemic insecticides to treat early season pests of honeylocust. Impacts of these applications on populations of P. multidigituli and its associated predatory mites were assessed. Early season applications of bifenthrin caused outbreaks of honeylocust spider mite and drastically reduced phytoseiids but not the stigmaeid mite, Zetzellia mali. In contrast later season applications suppressed populations of P. multidigituli. …

Rheological Properties Of Gluten Free Dough Systems, Stephany Aurea Tandazo

Open Access Theses

Bread is the one of the oldest processed foods and a major wheat based product. The basic process involves mixing of ingredients until the flour is converted into dough, followed by baking the dough into a loaf. A very important step in breadmaking is to know how to make good quality dough. However, the increasing knowledge of people being diagnosed with celiac disease (gluten intolerance) has encouraged scientists to develop healthier and better quality gluten-free products that would greatly improve the quality of life of celiac patients. The main objective of this study was to create a dough system composed …

A Spatially Explicit Watershed Scale Optimization Of Cellulosic Biofuels Production, Jingyu Song

Open Access Theses

Producing biofuels from energy crops is one such alternative. They can result in relatively lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional energy sources. Up to now, corn grain is the most researched energy crop. Cellulosic perennial crops such as switchgrass, miscanthus and fast growing trees are also promising energy crops and are expected to help with the energy supply. The 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard requires 16 billion gallons of a total of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be cellulosic biofuels by 2022. Many studies are being done to evaluate costs and feasibility of different potential feedstocks and the …

Fate Of 17Α-Estradiol, 17Β-Estradiol, And Estrone In Agricultural Soils And Sediments, Michael L. Mashtare Jr

Open Access Dissertations

The shift to concentrated animal production facilities and increasing rural-urban migration has increased the localized land application of nearly 1 billion tons of manure and biosolids annually. Although these applications provide nutrients and contribute to soil tilth, they also serve as a source for an estimated 49 tons of the natural manure-borne estrogens, 17α-estradiol (17α-E2), 17β-estradiol (17β-E2), and estrone (E1). While these estrogens are critical to endocrine systems, the low concentrations observed in the environment can disrupt endocrine function in non-target organisms, e.g., altering secondary sex characteristics which can lead to changes in wildlife communities.

Research presented here focuses on …

Evaluating Food Safety Systems Development And Implementation By Quantifying Haccp Training Durability, Marienne A. Anandappa

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

HACCP-based food safety programs have been widely acclaimed, accepted and implemented as an effective means of managing food safety risks. While HACCP training is a cornerstone of managing HACCP programs, there is little information about the effectiveness of HACCP training and the durability of HACCP knowledge. Findings reveal a link between involvement level in HACCP activities and the accuracy of HACCP knowledge over time. Opportunities for peer training in HACCP, irrespective of overall experience in the food industry provide favorable circumstances for maintaining accuracy of HACCP knowledge. The optimal window for engaging employees in HACCP is directly following the completion …

Sub1a-Mediated Submergence Tolerance Response In Rice Involves Differential Regulation Of The Brassinosteroid Pathway, Aaron J. Schmitz, Jing J. Folsom, Yusuke Jikamaru, Pamela C. Ronald, Harkamal Walia

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Submergence 1A (SUB1A), is an ethylene response factor (ERF) that confers submergence tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa) via limiting shoot elongation during the inundation period. SUB1A has been proposed to restrict shoot growth by modulating gibberellic acid (GA) signaling.

Our transcriptome analysis indicated that SUB1A differentially regulates genes associated with brassinosteroid (BR) synthesis during submergence. Consistent with the gene expression data, the SUB1A genotype had higher brassinosteroid levels after submergence compared to the intolerant genotype. Tolerance to submergence can be activated in the intolerant genotype by pretreatment with exogenous brassinolide, which results in restricted shoot elongation …

Comparative Study On The Prebleaching Of Bamboo And Hardwood Pulps Produced In Kharnaphuli Paper Mills, Md Sarwar Jahan, Md Milton Hosen, Md Mostafizur Rahman

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In order to lower bleaching costs, various prebleaching methods have been investigated. In the current work 3 prebleaching methods, peroxyformic acid, oxygen, and xylanase, were investigated in bamboo and hardwood kraft pulp produced by Kharnaphuli Paper Mills. Among these 3 methods, peroxyformic acid showed the most promising results. Peroxyformic acid prebleaching reduced kappa numbers by 38% and 30% and increased brightness by 12.2% and 8.6% in hardwood and bamboo pulp, respectively. Using 30 kg ClO_2 t^{-1} of pulp, hardwood pulp attained 77.2% brightness, while peroxyformic-acid-prebleached pulp attained 86% brightness without a reduction in viscosity in D_0E_pD_1 bleaching sequences. To achieve …

Heifer Calving Date Positively Influences Calf Weaning Weights Through Six Parturitions, R. A. Cushman, L. H. Kill, Richard N. Funston, E. M. Mousel, G. A. Perry

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Longevity and lifetime productivity are important factors influencing profitability for the cowcalf producer. Heifers that conceive earlier in the breeding season will calve earlier in the calving season and have a longer interval to rebreeding. Calves born earlier in the calving season will also be older and heavier at weaning. Longevity data were collected on 2,195 heifers from producers in South Dakota Integrated Resource Management groups. Longevity and weaning weight data were collected on 16,549 individual heifers at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC). Data were limited to heifers that conceived during their first breeding season. Heifers were grouped …

Contents, Discovery Editors

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 14 2013, Several Authors

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

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Transformational Leadership: Exploring The Transformational Leadership Qualities Of Selected Secondary Agriculture Teachers, Ryan H. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The purpose of this study is to determine if transformational leadership styles of agriculture teachers in Jessamine County has an impact on successful transitions of program completers. To be more specific, the focus was to look at agriculture teachers at Jessamine Career and Technology Center (JCTC) to see if they exhibit components of transformational leadership. If so, does transformational leadership of those teachers assist students with successful transitions after graduation? Successful transition is deemed by the Kentucky Department of Education as students that seek post-secondary education, employed full-time or enlist in a branch of armed services.

The population for this …

Analyzing Healthy, Local Food Systems: A Case Study Of Owensboro, Kentucky, Callie Hayden

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Across the US, support is ever-growing for the local food movement. This growing trend promotes food security, supports farming families, ensures universal access to safe and healthy food products, enhances local economies, and encourages environmental and social well-being. People around the US are implementing sustainable local food systems as a means of meeting their individual community’s needs. While this movement is being popularized dramatically around the world, many cities and regions have yet to address it. This study reviews the existing literature on local food system models in an effort to answer the research question: What are the “ingredients” of …

Investigation Of Media Ingredients And Water Sources For Algae Co2 Capture At Different Scales To Demonstrate The Correlations Between Lab-Scale And Large-Scale Growth, Tabitha Graham

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

As energy use increases globally the environmental burdens increase alike. Many accusations have been made that carbon dioxide is a culprit of climate change. The University of Kentucky and Duke Energy Power have partnered to test carbon capture technology in a large scale project. To this end, the objective of this thesis is to investigate potential water media sources and nutrient sources at different volume scales for algae cultivation to help create a more environmentally viable and economically feasible solution. This work will conduct a life cycle assessment of water media sources and the effects of the inputs and outputs …

Putting Theory Into Practice: Predicting The Invasion And Stability Of Wolbachia Using Simulation Models And Empirical Studies, Philip R. Crain

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

A new strategy to fight mosquito-borne disease is based on infections of the maternally-transmitted, intracellular bacterium Wolbachia pipientis. Estimates predict that Wolbachia infects nearly half of all insect species, as well as other arthropods and some nematodes. Wolbachia manipulates the reproduction of its host to promote infection, most commonly causing a form of conditional sterility known as cytoplasmic incompatibility. Generally, Wolbachia infections are benign and do not inflict significant costs upon its host. However, studies demonstrate that some infections are associated with substantial costs to its host. These same infections can also induce pathogen interference and decrease vector competency …

Selective Utilization Of Microhabitats By Web-Building Spiders, Kelton D. Welch

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Natural enemies are members of complex ecological communities, and their ability to contribute to the biological control of pest organisms is strongly influenced by a convoluted network of ecological interactions with many other organisms within these communities. Researchers must develop an understanding of the mechanisms that shape trophic webs to predict and promote top-down effects of predators. The behavior of predators can have a strong influence on their potential as biological control agents.

Web-building spiders are a useful example organism for the study of natural enemy behavior because of the experimentally tractable nature of their foraging behavior. Specifically, patterns in …

Enhancing Beneficial Insect Biodiversity And Biological Control In Turf: Mowing Height, Naturalized Roughs, And Operation Pollinator, Emily Dobbs

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

The goal of this study was to evaluate several sustainable turf maintenance techniques for their potential to increase beneficial insect populations, which could then provide ecosystem services including pest suppression and pollination. The three techniques in question were 1) raising mowing height in commercial and residential lawns, 2) establishing naturalized roughs on golf courses, and 3) creating pollinator refuges on golf courses through the program Operation Pollinator. We found that raising mowing heights did increase populations of some predators such as spiders and staphylinids, but did not increase predation, which was ubiquitously high because ant populations were unaffected by mowing …