Agriculture Commons^™

Photovoltaic Cooking In The Developing World, Tyler Watkins, Christopher O'Day, Omar Arriaga

Mechanical Engineering

The challenge of clean cooking is faced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. We present a cooking technology consisting of a solar panel directly connected to an electric heater in a well-insulated chamber. Assuming continued decrease in solar panel prices, we anticipate that in a few decades Solar Electric Cooking technologies will be the most common cooking technology for the poor. Appropriate use of insulation reduces the power demand making low-power Insulated Solar Electric Cooking systems already cost competitive.

Willingness To Pay For Irrigation Water Under Scarcity Conditions, Tyler Robert Knapp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reliance of Arkansas agricultural producers on groundwater for irrigation has led to depletion of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. Without intervention, consequences include insufficient groundwater to meet irrigation demand as well as drawdown of the deeper Sparta Aquifer, upon which communities in eastern Arkansas rely for non-agricultural use. Among proposed solutions to combat groundwater decline is the construction of off-farm surface water infrastructure to meet the irrigation needs of producers. Despite the importance of irrigated agriculture to Arkansas, there is little know about the economic value of irrigation water to producers. Thus, we implement a double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent …

Mechanism Of Resistance, Gene Flow, And Integrated Management Of Ragweeds (Ambrosia) In Nebraska, Zahoor Ahmad Ganie

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

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) and giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida L.) are native annual broadleaf weeds in the United States found in diverse agroecosystems, roadsides, and wastelands. They are economically important weed species in the Midwest and sources of pollen allergies. Confirmation of glyphosate-resistant (GR) common and giant ragweed in Nebraska justified the need to determine the mechanism of resistance, dispersal of resistance genes via pollen, and to develop an integrated management program. The objectives of this research were to: 1) determine the mechanism of glyphosate resistance in a common ragweed biotype from Nebraska; 2) evaluate the effect …

The Regeneration Of Aspen Stands In Southern Utah, Justin Britton, Justin Derose, Karen Mock, Darren Mcavoy

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes research conducted at Utah State University that identified factors to improve the success of regenerating aspen in southern Utah. Evaluating past silvicultural regeneration treatments indicated that the presence of pre-harvest advance reproduction, site preparation by broadcast burning, and decreasing browsing pressure could increase the quantity of aspen regeneration. The outcomes are generalized into an easy-to-use model, the Aspen Pyramid, to facilitate decision-making regarding regenerating aspen.

The Effect Of Lupinus Albus And Calcium Chloride On Growth Performance, Body Composition, Plasma Biochemistry And Meat Quality Of Male Pigs Immunized Against Gonadotrophin Releasing Factor, Karen Moore, Bruce P. Mullan, Jae Cheol Kim, Frank R. Dunshea

Animal production and livestock research articles

Two hundred and ninety-four pigs were used to assess the effect of two ingredients (Lupinus albus (albus lupins) or a combination of calcium chloride and sodium tri-polyphosphate (mineral salts)) on growth performance, body composition and objective meat quality of pigs immunized against gonadotrophin releasing factor (immunocastrates) and entire male pigs in the late finishing phase. Pigs fed mineral salts ate less feed than those fed the control diet with no effect on growth rate (p > 0.05), backfat (p > 0.05) or fat deposition (p > 0.05). Pigs fed albus lupins had a reduced feed intake (p < 0.001 for all time periods), lower growth rate (p < 0.001 for all time periods), lower backfat (p < 0.005) and decreased fat deposition (p < 0.001 for all time periods) compared to those fed the control diet or mineral salts. From day (d) 0–28 pigs fed mineral salts had a better feed conversion ratio (p = 0.001) than those fed albus lupins who in turn had an improved feed conversion compared to the control diet. Immunocastrates had thicker backfat than entire males at the end of the experiment (p < 0.001), however, feeding albus lupins to immunocastrated males reduced backfat thickness to similar to entire males fed the control diet (p = 0.01). With the exception of the increased muscle pH at 45 min post-exsanguination in mineral salts and albus lupins compared with the control diet (p = 0.03) there was no effect of diet on objective pork quality. Pork from IC males had a higher ultimate pH (p < 0.001), was lighter (L*; p = 0.003), more yellow (p = 0.008) and had a higher drip loss (p < 0.001) compared to entire males. Albus lupins show potential in reducing the increase in feed intake and backfat associated with immunocastration. Mineral salts may be useful in situations where a reduction in feed intake and an improvement in feed conversion is desired and reducing fat deposition is not the objective.

Northern Utah Grass-Fed Beef Production Costs And Returns, 2016, Kynda Curtis, Trevor Knudsen

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is intended to be a guide used to make production decisions, determine potential returns, and prepare business and marketing plans.

Deployment And Evaluation Of An Active Rfid Tracking System For Precision Animal Management, Brian Barnes

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A better understanding of animal space utilization in current livestock facilities could lead to improved facility design and animal health. This study was conducted to determine whether an active RFID tag tracking system could accurately provide animal locomotion data on an individual animal basis. The system is composed of four sensors, located in the corners of a swine pen, and compact tags, which attach to the animals and transmit a signal. The sensors use the tag signals to determine 3-D positions in real-time. A data acquisition system was developed to capture raw data from the system software into a database …

Effect Of Smooth Bromegrass Management On Grazing Cattle Dung Decomposition, Co2 Flux, And Soil Nutrient Movement, Bradley D. Schick

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

Rapid nutrient cycling improves forage quality and livestock production in pastures. Interseeding legumes may be a strategy to enhance N cycling, but effects of dung excreted from cattle grazing pastures with legumes on dung decomposition rates and soil N cycling have not been studied. Our objective was to evaluate how dung excreted from cattle grazing legume-interseeded, N-fertilized, and unfertilized smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) pastures affects dung chemical composition, dry matter decomposition, CO­₂ flux, and N availability in soil. Freshly deposited dung from yearling steers grazing legume-interseeded, N-fertilized, and unfertilized pastures was collected and placed as pats in …

Evaluations Of Biological Control Agents For The Management Of Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera Glycines) In Soybean (Glycine Max L. Merr.), Kelsie M. Musil

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

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) is the most yield limiting pathogen of soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr.). Current management strategies of crop rotation and using resistant varieties are not completely effective and alternative management strategies are needed. Commercial seed treatments with biological agents are available to protect against yield loss from SCN, but have not been evaluated in Nebraska. Field studies were conducted in eight Nebraska locations (six infested with SCN and two non-infested) during 2014 and 2015 to evaluate seed treatment effects on soybean establishment, SCN population density, and yield. The seed treatments were CruiserMaxx® …

Farm Work Injuries Among A Cohort Of Children In Kentucky, Usa, Steven R. Browning, Susan C. Westneat, Deborah B. Reed

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Children residing on farms with livestock may be at an increased risk for work-related injuries, compared to children who work on other commodity farms. This study characterizes children's work tasks on Kentucky farms and assesses whether children who work on beef cattle farms are at an increased risk for farm work injuries. The results of a cohort study of children aged 5-18 years (N=999 at baseline) working on family farms in Kentucky, followed for two consecutive years after an initial enumeration five years previously, found that 70% of the children were involved in animal-related chores. Across all age groups, children …

Characterization Of Ground Nozzles For Pesticide Applications, Ryan Henry

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

Pesticide applications are a common component of crop production systems in the United States (US). For row crop systems (e.g. corn, soybean, or wheat), pesticides are applied by ground, aerial, or chemigation methods. The exact method of pesticide delivery is not universally regulated/ prescribed in the US, and the equipment and application technique are largely defined by the individual applicator. A wide variety of choices and decisions must be made by applicators to result in a successful pesticide application. Examples of these choices include proper active ingredient(s), carrier volume and equipment (e.g. nozzle type, spacing, and operating pressure) selection while …

Resistance Of Rice Varieties To Sitophilus Oryzae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Diana Cristina Da Silva Costa, André Cirilo De Sousa Almeida, Marcio Da Silva Araújo, Elvis Arden Heinrichs, Mabio Chrisley Lacerda, José Alexandre Freitas Barrigossi, Flávio Gonçalves De Jesus

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Abstract

Rice, Oryza sativa L. (Poaceae), is one of the world’s most important food crops. Among the insects that damage rice grains, the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most important species. The objective of this study was to identify rice varieties with resistance to S. oryzae as measured by grain feeding damage and S. oryzae reproduction. The rice varieties evaluated were obtained from the germplasm bank of the National Center of Research Rice and Beans, Embrapa, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized with 3 replications and 22 treatments (varieties). The varieties Bonança, Esmeralda, and Rio …

Query Theory Applications: Choice Experiments Under Oath, Attendance To Attributes, And Genetically Modified Food Labeling Policy, Nathan Paul Kemper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, there has been an intensifying campaign by some stakeholders regarding concern over genetically modified (GM) foods in the U.S. As a result, the issue of labeling has entered into the federal agenda. This research uses Query Theory to provide a deeper understanding of the demand for GM foods and the preferences for GM policy. Query theory is first applied to the formation of hypothetical bias in the estimation of consumers’ willingness-to-pay. To address this, the honesty oath is used as an ex-ante technique to reduce hypothetical bias.

Paper one using Query Theory in a discrete-choice experiment (DCE) …

Design And Plan Of A Modified Hydroponic Shipping Container For Research, John A. Houtman

Open Access Theses

As the world’s population continues to increase, food production will need to increase in order to meet the predicted rise in food demand. However, with increased pressure on cropland available from environmental effects and urbanization, new innovative methods of crop production need to be researched in order to increase agricultural production with limited land. This research focuses on the design of a single form of urban agriculture that is considered Zfarming and has the potential to produce quality urban agricultural produce through ground-based measures. This project produced detailed step-by-step analysis of the design process, develop variability within the modified hydroponic …

Measuring The Effect Of Cold Storage, Captive Supply, And Concentration On The Marketing Margin In The U.S. Pork Industry, Yuhang Liu

Open Access Theses

This study investigates the implication of key decision variables at the control of processing firms in a concentrated industry. Succinctly, the decisions examined affect the firm's ability to buffer short run supply and demand fluctuations through storage and access to an alternative source of specialized inputs essential to production. What makes them different in the context of this research is a focus on high-throughput processing plants where capacity utilization can result in cost efficiencies and a high degree of market concentration where adjustments in quantity demanded of the specialized input can affect its price and where adjustments in the quantity …

Subsidies, Aquaculture Technology Adoption, And Welfare Impacts In Ghana And Kenya, Akuffo Amankwah

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation empirically examines subsidies, aquaculture technology adoption, and welfare implications of fish farming households in Ghana and Kenya. It is divided into three separate chapters, each addressing a specific empirical issue related to aquaculture in the countries.

The second chapter of this dissertation applies the lognormal double hurdle model to a cross-section of fish farms to analyze commercial demand for improved feed, and whether the government feed subsidy program influences private demand for the feed. The results indicate that households’ decisions to participate in improved feed market are affected by the quantity of the subsidized feed received. Once the …

A Unique Perspective On The Demand For Livestock Product Attributes, Elizabeth S. Byrd

Open Access Dissertations

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the social and environmental impacts of the foods they purchase. Both choice experiments and best-worst scaling (BWS) methodology have been used to elicit consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for food attributes and the relative importance of food attributes to consumers. The dissertation consists of four essays. Chapter 2 presents a formal law review article exploring the laws associated with wild game harvest, consumption, and inspections. The remaining three essays (Chapters 3-5) each address an extension or application of choice experiment and/or BWS methodology focused on credence attributes of meat products. Two online surveys were used …

The Role Of African Leafy Vegetables In Food Security, Marcia M. Croft

Open Access Dissertations

African leafy vegetables (ALVs) are a diverse set of crops grown across sub-Saharan Africa. They have been a staple of traditional diets and contain many critical micronutrients but their importance has been largely ignored by researchers and policymakers at the expense of imported crops. Availability, accessibility, and utilization of ALVs are limited by factors across the supply chain. This research investigated seed systems, drought tolerance, hydroponic production, market barriers, consumer preference, and the impact of gender as related to ALVs. We found that ALVs play an important role in food security and that critical differences exist between formal and informal …

Essays On Malawian Agriculture: Micro-Level Welfare Impacts Of Agricultural Productivity; Profitability Of Fertilizer Use; And Targeting Of Fertilizer Subsidy Programs, Francis Addeah Darko

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation comprises of three essays that address different aspects of agriculture in Malawi using a two-wave panel data collected by the National Statistical Office of Malawi with support from the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) program. Each essay stands alone as an independent study because of differences in research questions and the methodologies used in addressing the questions.

The first essay analyzes the micro-level welfare impacts of agricultural productivity. Welfare is measured by various dimensions of poverty and food insecurity; and agricultural productivity is measured by maize yield and value of crop …

Managing Bacterial Wilt, Caused By Erwinia Tracheiphila, On Muskmelon With Early Control Of Striped Cucumber Beetle ( Acalymma Vittatum (F)), And Through Varietal Selection, Ahmad Shah Mohammadi

Open Access Dissertations

Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L), is an important vegetable crop in the United States. It is grown throughout the US, and Indiana ranked 4th in production after California, Arizona and Georgia with 12.4 thousand metric tons and market value of $7.6 million in 2015. Bacterial wilt of cucurbits, which is caused by Erwinia tracheiphila (E. F. Smith), and vectored by striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma vittatum (F)), is one of the most serious diseases of muskmelon that influences muskmelon quality and yield. Many cultivars of muskmelon are grown around the United States, especially in the Midwest. Muskmelon cultivars differ in …

The Biology And Management Of Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus Palmeri S. Wats) In Indiana, Douglas J. Spaunhorst

Open Access Dissertations

Palmer amaranth is a pernicious summer annual weed that has evolved resistance to six herbicide sites of action in the U.S. and threatens agriculture production. In 2011, Palmer amaranth was identified in flood plains in two southern Indiana counties (Posey and Vanderburgh). Determining if Palmer amaranth can survive and reproduce in northern Indiana may provide insight if this weed will be problematic for northern row crop producers. The objectives of our research were to identify fields containing Palmer amaranth and determine the distribution of herbicide resistance traits in Indiana; determine the influence of tillage frequency and tillage intervals on Palmer …

The Relationship Between Protein And Phosphorus Digestion And Retention In Growing Pigs And Broiler Chickens, Pengcheng Xue

Open Access Dissertations

Xue, Pengcheng. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2016. The Relationship between Protein and Phosphorus Digestion and Retention in Growing Pigs and Broiler Chickens. Major Professor: Dr. Layi Adeola. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between protein and P digestion and retention in growing pigs and broiler chickens. The methodology of determining the digestibility of AA and P and the effect of dietary N and P on the digestion and retention of these two nutrients were investigated.

An experiment was conducted in growing pigs to investigate the additivity of AID or SID of CP and AA in mixed …

Bioenergy And Carbon Farming Opportunities In The Pilbara, Robert Sudmeyer, Kim Brooksbank, David Rogers

Bulletins 4000 -

The Pilbara region covers 270 000 square kilometres of north-west Western Australia. Its main agricultural land use is pastoralism, with beef cattle grazing native pastures. Currently, only 24km² is under irrigation, with irrigated fodder the principal crop, but this could expand to 100km². This expansion has the potential to significantly broaden the economic base of the Pilbara.

Irrigation and the opportunities for changing land use and management may facilitate greater participation in the carbon economy by Pilbara land managers. Bioenergy feedstocks could be sourced from purpose-grown crops or agricultural wastes. Carbon farming activities may be facilitated by …

Red Yucca (Hesperaloe Parvifolia) Use In Utah, Michael Caron, Taun Beddes

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes Red yucca and its use in the landscape, including planting, care, and maintenance, varieties, and diseases and pests.

Buckhorn Plantain Control In Irrigated Pastures, Allan Sulser, Ralph Whitesides, Cory Ransom

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes Buckhorn plantain, a weed with increasing significance in Utah. It includes a management options, and test plot observations and results.

Southern Utah Grass-Fed Beef Production Costs And Returns, 2016, Kynda Curtis, Trevor Knudsen

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is intended to be a guide used to make production decisions, determine potential returns, and prepare business and marketing pans.

Peaches In The Garden, Tiffany Maughan, Brent Black, Andrea Simondi

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes peaches and includes recommended cultivars for Utah, how to grow them; pests and disease;, and harvest, storage and use information.

Northern Flicker - Biology And Damage Management, Nicki Frey, Steve Zanoni

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes the northern flicker, a large woodpecker, It include how to identify it, sources of conflict with humans, and managing damage it may cause,

Successful Secondary Agricultural Programs Outside The Classroom: A View Of Champions, Andrew Bolton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to study select secondary agricultural education programs and determine common traits among these programs which lead them to be successful in a number of different areas including: Career Development Events (CDE) winners, Leadership Development Events (LDE) winners, agricultural science fair winners, chapters of elected state FFA officers, proficiency award winners, national chapter awards, and state fair market show results. This study utilized a modified Delphi approach consisting of three rounds to reach consensus on the importance of traits related to successful SAE and FFA programs. Many traits were identified but the most important traits …

The Role Of Interdisciplinary Scholarship And Research To Meet The Challenges Facing Agriculture In The 21st Century, Joshua Jay Miller

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Throughout human history, scientific advancements have increased our understanding of the physical world. However, as our breadth of knowledge has increased, scholarship and research have become increasingly more specialized in order to add to the body of knowledge. University structures encourage this specialization through disciplinary learning and discovery. Although this model is necessary to continue growing the body of knowledge, the complex issues facing humanity, especially in regards to agriculture, require solutions that no single discipline can provide. These issues require an interdisciplinary approach to integrate the insights across multiple disciplines. Interdisciplinarity can be achieved through collaborative processes, but these …