Agriculture Commons^™

Electrospun Membranes From Bio-Renewable Poly (Ethylene Furanoate)/Poly (Ethylene Teraphthalate) (Pef/Pet) Blend For Emulsification Application, Aya Sayed Ali

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This thesis focuses on manufacturing electrospun fibrous membranes from a blend of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly (ethylene furanoate) (PEF) and using in premix emulsification. PEF, which is a 100% bio renewable polymer being blended with synthetic PET for membrane fabrication contributes towards sustainability in the production of food and pharmaceutical emulsions. The primary objective of this research is to optimize the fabrication conditions of PET/PEF porous membranes, characterize their properties, and evaluate their performance in emulsification. This study compares PET/PEF blend membrane with individual PET and PEF electro-spun membranes, demonstrating that the PET/PEF blend membrane exhibits superior thermal …

Nebraska National Agri-Marketing Association (Nama), Marissa Davis, Rosalee A. Swartz

Cornhusker Economics

NAMA PALOOZA, the 2025 Agri-Marketing Conference, was held April 9-11 in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference is an annual event that brings together National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) professional and student members. There are 27 professional chapters and 32 student chapters from across the United States and Canada. The conference is a great opportunity to foster connections between students and professionals in marketing, advertising, communications, promotion, sales, and public relations.

Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates For Utah, Shawn Olsen

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides suggested planting dates for vegetables in various areas throughout Utah. It also identifies resources for starting seeds at home.

Arts-Based Sustainability: From New York To Malawi, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Recognizing that libraries serve multiple constituencies and subject areas, this chapter documents and advocates for development of transdisciplinary arts-based research (ABR) and culture-related projects linked to environmental challenges. Libraries contribute collections and spaces, as well as the research of library and information scientists. Libraries are currently among invisible contributors to sustainability planning and services. The chapter will link this invisibility to the value of what visual arts refer to as negative space elements in subjects ranging from traditional ecological knowledge to environmental science. Library collections, projects, and research contribute to education for sustainable development (ESD) as required to achieve the …

Seed Careers App Impact On Nextgen Scholars At Tennessee State University, Jazmine Norwood

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

The underrepresentation of minority groups in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANHS) careers remains a challenge, limiting diversity and growth within the industry. Agriculture degrees have been disproportionately awarded to White students, while Hispanic, Black, and Native American students receive significantly fewer degrees. Research suggests that financial assistance, experiential learning, and career outreach improve minority student retention and success in FANHS. To address these challenges, the USDA’s NextGen program awarded $18.1 million to Tennessee State University (TSU) to support underserved students through scholarships, internships, and career development initiatives, including the creation of the Students Exploring Employment and Development …

Soybean Embryogenic Cell Culture Genetically Engineered, Gabriel Carrasquillo

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

The inflation of population in the world has led to a high and consistent food demand which has reinvigorated worldwide interest to create high-yielding varieties of legumes. Soybean Glycine max (L.) Merrill, a member of this legume family has become one of the most essential food crops in the United States as well as in the world due its edible oil and protein content up to 20% and 54%, respectively. Because of its high importance as a food crop, major objectives in soybean breeding, improvement of protein and oil production need to be achieved. These objectives can be addressed using …

Dataset Supporting The Manuscript Promoting Awareness And Adoption Of Biochar As A Soil Amendment: Effect Of Message Framing, Tong Wang, David Wiltse, Filip Viskupic, Akinsola Oyebanji

South Dakota Farm Survey

A farmer survey was conducted from February 22nd to March 9th, 2025 to test the impact of message framing on farmers’ learning and adoption decisions of biochar. The survey targeted operators of farms in Eastern South Dakota where the production of corn requires chemical fertilizer is intensively used as a crucial input. Biochar as a soil amendment has the potential to serve as a partial substitute for chemical fertilizer in our studied region. A sample of 10,000 South Dakota farming operations east of the Missouri River (where climate favors row crop production) was randomly drawn from those who participated in …

Nebline, June/July 2025

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

4-H embryology will crack 50 years of chicks hatching in local classrooms, Vicki Jedlicka

Simple ways to eat more fruits and veggies every day, Alyssa Havlovic

Recipe of the month: Crunchy veggie wraps

Annual flowers for sunny locations, Mary Jane Frogge

Garden guide: Things to do this month, Mary Jane Frogge

2025 Gro Big Red

It’s time for private well maintenance, Becky Schuerman

Monitoring pastures for improving management and productivity, John Nelson

Why play is your child's most important work, Hayley Jackson Perez

Keep an eye out for some common caterpillars, Kait Chapman

Lancaster County Super Fair

Upcoming babysitting trainings …

"The Effect Of Methylobacterium Symbioticum On The Growth And Yield Of Dent Corn And Romaine Lettuce", Sinead Carney

Master's Theses

Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for plant growth and is often a limiting nutrient in cropping systems. An estimated half of applied N fertilizers are lost from cropping systems by processes that can be environmentally destructive, such as leaching and volatilization, and cause economic loss for growers. Effective N biofertilizers offer a means to mitigate the need for high inputs of synthetic N. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of leaf inoculation with the N-fixing bacteria, Methylobacterium symbioticum, in combination with different rates of urea-N fertilizer on the physiology and yield of dent corn …

Managing Predators On Livestock Producing Properties In South Africa And Western Australia – Producer Perspectives, Tracey L. Kreplins, H A. Melville

Biosecurity Research Articles

Context

Predation impacts livestock farming enterprises worldwide. In South Africa and Western Australia, native and non-native predators negatively impact sheep and cattle farming enterprises. Aims

We hoped to compare the perspectives on predator impacts of livestock producers in relation to livestock predation in South Africa and Western Australia. Methods

Online and in-person surveys consisting of 26 questions were posed to farmers and pastoralists in both countries. The questions related to land ownership, property size, livestock management, predation impact (financial and livestock losses), control of predators, and other impacts on productivity. Key results

Livestock production properties are of a similar size …

Productivity Of Lowland Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) As Affected By The Integration Of Nutrio® Biofertilizer, Emil John Cabrera, Cathrene Amante, Virginia Padilla

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Recent developments in rice cultivation in the Philippines are integrating sustainable methods in production systems to boost productivity and safeguard environmental integrity. An example of this is the use of biofertilizers such as Nutrio^®, a microbial-based foliar fertilizer that promotes nitrogen fixation and the production of plant growth-promoting hormones. Nutrio^® has been tested for sugarcane and is being explored for rice cultivation applications to maximize its utilization and benefits. This study aimed to assess the effects of Nutrio^® biofertilizer on rice production in selected farms during the 2019 wet season and the 2020 dry season in …

Impact Of Seed Moisture And Temperature On Hemp Seed Germination, Paul Cockson, Andrea Webb, Natalia Martinez-Ochoa, Lindsey Moffitt, Robert Pearce, Manohar Chakrabarti

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Germination rates of commercial lots of hemp have been highly variable, resulting in poor stand establishment. Germination rates in some seed lots have decreased by 50% after only 1 year of storage. The objective of this trial was to investigate the impact of seed storage conditions on seed germination over time. Industrial hemp (IH) seeds (cv. NWG2730) were harvested from the field. The seeds were cleaned, sorted, and dried to specific moisture contents (MC) 6%, 8%, 10%, and 14%. Seeds were subdivided, placed in hermetically sealed packets, and stored at temperatures of −20°C, 4°C, 10°C, or 21°C for 3, 6, …

Evaluating Nanobubble-Enriched Water Treatments For Cleaning Stainless Steel Winery Tanks At The Gallo Winery Research Station In Livingston, California, Edgar Godoy-Garcia

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Evaluating nanobubble-enriched water treatments for cleaning stainless steel winery tanks at the Gallo winery research station in Livingston, California.

Edgar A. Godoy-Garcia

Sanitation of stainless steel wine storage tanks is a critical component of quality control in commercial winemaking operations. Ineffective cleaning can lead to microbial contamination, product spoilage, and safety concerns. Traditionally, wineries rely on manual scrubbing, chemical cleaning agents, and extensive water rinsing cycles to maintain sanitary tank conditions. However, these methods are resource-intensive and may pose risks to both workers and the environment due to chemical exposure and wastewater generation. In response to growing industry interest …

Summaries Of Arkansas Cotton Research 2024, Fred M. Bourland

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Planted cotton acreage in Arkansas increased in 2024 to 670,000 planted acres, which was 160,000 acres more than in 2023 when Arkansas producers planted approximately 510,000 acres of cotton. A wet spring, and two hurricanes in three weeks in late summer/early fall led to a slight decrease in harvested acres that culminated in a final number of 640,000 (https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=ARKANSAS). Producers harvested 640,00 acres of cotton, which ranked third nationally, behind Texas and Georgia (https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/k3569432s/nk324887m/qn59s0097/cropan25.pdf). The total harvested acreage is the greatest amount since 680,000 acres in 2011. The average cotton yield in Arkansas in 2024 was …

One Health Interventions And Challenges Under Rural African Smallholder Farmer Settings: A Scoping Review, Evanson R. Omuse, Honest Machekano, Bonoukpoè M. Sokame, Daniel M. Mutyambai, Thomas Dubois, Sevgan Subramanian, Frank Chidawanyika

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The global human population is rapidly increasing, escalating interactions of people, animals and the environment. This has led to more convoluted health challenges, for which African smallholder farmers bear the brunt. The One Health (OH) approach recognises the interconnectedness of these health challenges and thus follows a transdisciplinary approach involving diverse stakeholders to address them. Although there have recently been global concerted efforts and studies on OH, an information gap exists in Africa, particularly regarding smallholder farmers and their needs. Additionally, evaluation frameworks and outcome metrics for OH initiatives are still unclear. Thus, this study was conducted to critically map …

Clearing Cloudy Or Coloured Water On Farms In Western Australia, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Cloudy or coloured water can be a nuisance when used for household purposes, and sometimes be unsuitable for livestock, irrigation, or crop spraying. The following is for general information only, it is recommended that people seek expert advice for treating cloudy or coloured water.

State And Transition Models For Mulga Rangelands Of Western Australia, Alison O'Donnell, Anna E. Richards, Suzanne Prober, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Sarah Luxton, Ian Watson, Brett Abbott, Philip Thomas, Joshua E. Foster

Natural resources published reports

This report details a collaborative project between the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and CSIRO that focused on developing State and Transition Models (STMs) for mulga rangelands in Western Australia. The overarching aim of the project was to improve the common understanding of the characteristics and dynamics of mulga rangeland ecosystems and the expected impacts of management. Specifically, the project aimed to collate expert knowledge and monitoring information using a nationally consistent framework to develop quantitative and dynamic STMs. The geographic scope of the project covers the extensive mulga rangelands of Western Australia, particularly the Gascoyne …

Predator Management With A Single Bait? Use Of Eradicat For The Simultaneous Management Of Feral Cats, Red Foxes, And Wild Dogs, Tracey L. Kreplins, David Algar

Biosecurity Research Articles

Context

In Western Australia, there are three invasive predators that require management for agriculture and biodiversity protection, feral cats, wild dogs, and red foxes. These three predators often coexist in the same locality, suggesting potential efficacy gains can be made via simultaneous control. While Western Australian native species have evolved a high tolerance to poison baiting (1080), invasive predators have not. Therefore, landscape-scale baiting is commonly used for predator management. Aims

Eradicat baits designed for feral cat control have also been known to be consumed and control wild dogs and foxes. In this trial, we aimed to evaluate Eradicat as …

Potential Economic Impact Of Grapevine Phylloxera (Hemiptera: Phylloxeridae) On Western Australian Winegrapes, David C. Cook, Andrew S. Taylor, Peter S. Gardiner, Rodrigo Pires, Hamish L R Mckirdy, Karen W. Holmes, Helen Spafford

Viticulture Research Articles

Grapevine phylloxera Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch (Hemiptera: Phylloxeridae) has been present in Australia for almost 150 years but has not spread to south-west Western Australia, in part due to the relative isolation of the region. Recent improvements in tourist access, with interstate flights now arriving at Busselton Margaret River Airport, raise concerns about potential phylloxera introductions via wine tourism. In this paper, we simulate the potential economic impact on the Western Australian winegrape industry following a hypothetical arrival event in the Margaret River wine region. We use soil texture maps to assess the suitability of winegrape-growing areas to phylloxera establishment and …

Sexual And Vegetative Recruitment Of Trembling Aspen Following A High-Severity Boreal Wildfire, Denyse A. Dawe, Ellen Whitman, Michael Michaelian, Alan J. Tepley, Marc-André Parisien

Aspen Bibliography

Background High-severity fire is rare in trembling aspen-dominated forests of the boreal region. The post-fire recruitment strategy of aspen, by either vegetative suckering or sexually (i.e., by seed), has considerable implications for subsequent forest structure, genetic diversity, and ecological resilience to shifting climatic and disturbance regimes. In this study, we take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the Chuckegg Creek Wildfire Fire (310,000 ha) in northern Alberta, Canada, which burned at high severity through aspen stands before and after spring green-up, to document how phenology, fire severity, and stand characteristics affect recruitment one year following the fire.

Results We …

Nebraska Farm Finances In 2024: A Year Of Modest Recovery And Growing Financial Pressure, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska Farm Finances in 2024: A Year of Modest Recovery and Growing Financial Pressure by Tina N. Barrett (Cornhusker Economics, May 21, 2025)

Section headers:

Net Income Recovery Falls Short of Historical Highs

Household Spending Steady Amid Income Fluctuations

Rising Debt and Shifting Balance Sheets

Liquidity Pressures Worsen

Interest Costs Add to Financial Strain

Capital Purchases Shift: Less Equipment, More Land

Crop Enterprise Analysis: Losses Mount Despite Input Savings

Crop Enterprise Analysis: Losses Mount Despite Input Savings

Traceable And Scalable Food Balance Sheets From Agricultural Commodity Supply And Utilization Accounts (2010–2022), Xin Zhao, Maksym Chepeliev, Neus Escobar, Matthew T. Binsted, Pralit Patel, Page Kyle, Marshall A. Wise

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The Food Balance Sheets (FBS), compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), serve as a cornerstone dataset for studies on agricultural development, food security, and dietary health, providing a broad overview of global and regional food systems. However, its limited transparency and scalability hinder its application in empirical analysis and multisector dynamic modeling. Here, we present a traceable Food Balance Sheets (T-FBS) dataset, developed from detailed Supply Utilization Accounts (SUA) using a novel Primary Commodity equivalent (PCe) aggregation approach. This framework enables the aggregation of commodity flows along supply chains while ensuring consistency and balance across multiple dimensions. The …

Factors Impacting The Variability Of Post-Fire Forest Regeneration In Central European Pine Plantations, Florent Jouy, Maren Schüle, Yojana Adhikari, Anja Binder, Danica Clerc, Werner Gerwin, Thilo Heinken, Thomas Raab, Frank Repmann, Susanne Rönnefarth, Marina Schirrmacher, Marie-Therese Schmehl, Jens Schröder, Pierre L. Ibisch

Aspen Bibliography

Fire is increasingly posing a risk to forests and plantations, even in the temperate latitudes of central Europe. Little is known about fire ecology in this region, and therefore, appropriate approaches for the management and reforestation of burned sites are mostly lacking. In a Scots pine plantation region in Brandenburg (northeast Germany), the early tree regeneration of two nearby areas that burned 1 year apart was investigated. We observed that 3 years after the fire events, the forest in one study area showed a relatively high regeneration with a mean density of 7765 saplings/ha, clearly dominated by European aspen (93%); …

Thousand Cankers Disease Of Walnut (Geosmithia Morbida), Claudia Nischwitz, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Causes Of Heterozygosity Excess: The Case Of Mexican Populations Of Populus Tremuloides, Javier Hernández-Velasco, José Ciro Hernández-Díaz, Sergio Leonel Simental-Rodríguez, Juan P. Jaramillo-Correa, David S. Gernandt, José Jesús Vargas-Hernández, Ilga Porth, Roos Goessen, M. Socorro Gonzáles-Elizondo, Matthias Fladung, Cuauhtémoc Sáenz-Romero, José Guadalupe Martínez-Ávalos, Artemio Carrillo-Parra, Eduardo Mendoza-Maya, Arnulfo Blanco-García, Christian Wehenkel

Aspen Bibliography

The presence of heterozygous individuals in a population is crucial for maintaining genetic diversity, which can positively affect fitness and adaptability to environmental changes. While inbreeding generally reduces the proportion of heterozygous individuals in a population, polyploidy tends to increase the proportion. North American Populus tremuloides is one of the most widely distributed and ecologically important tree species in the Northern Hemisphere. However, genetic variation in Mexican populations of P. tremuloides, including the genetic signatures of their adaptation to a variety of environments, remains largely uncharacterized. The aim of this study was to analyze how inbreeding coefficient (F …

Impact Of An Automated Brush System On Intensively Managed Lactating Dairy Cattle Behavior, Production, And Stress Physiology, Allison Lyn Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

The dairy industry has increasingly prioritized improving animal welfare for intensively housed cows. This study evaluated the effects of environmental enrichment (EE) using an automated brush system on stress physiology, behavior, and productivity of lactating dairy cows. Fifty-nine pregnant and lactating dairy cows were divided into two groups: CON (no brush) and TRT (automated brush system). Saliva samples were collected to measure cortisol concentrations, and behaviors were monitored in the morning (07:00 h - 11:00 h) and evening (19:00 h - 23:00 h) using high-resolution cameras. The results indicated that cows with brush access had lower cortisol concentrations, suggesting reduced …

Evaluating The Use Of Translucency Score As An Effective Parameter Of Eggshell Quality, Cassidy Autumn Morris

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to determine if an egg’s translucency score (TS) could be used as an effective predicting parameter to determine eggshell quality in both broiler breeders and commercial laying hens. In broiler breeders, it was determined that TS could be used as an effective predicting parameter for eggshell thickness (P< 0.001) and L* scores (P< 0.001). It was also found that the supplementation of organically sourced trace minerals could significantly decrease the TS of eggs, resulting in a better-quality eggshell (P< 0.001). In two different aged commercial laying hen experiments, there was no conclusive evidence for TS to be a predictive parameter of eggshell quality throughout the storage period. It was found, however, that the storage period did significantly increase the TS throughout storage in both experiments (P< 0.001).

Evaluating The Feeding Value Of Almond Hulls And The Supplementation Of Carbohydrases On Performance, Egg Quality, Nutrient Digestibility And Intestinal Health In Lsl-Lite Hens, Nelly Giovanna Cribillero Chuquihuaccha

Theses and Dissertations

Almond hulls (AH) are a by-product of the almond nut processing rich mainly in insoluble fiber. Addition of fiber in the diet has been shown positive results in performance in poultry. However, scientific literature on the use of AH in poultry is limited. The objective of this dissertation was to determine the effect of the supplementation of ground AH and cellulase-xylanase carbohydrase enzyme (E) inclusions on performance, egg quality, ileal nutrients digestibility, jejunum gene expression and ceca microbiota of Lohmann LSL-Lite pullets and laying hens from 0 to 70 weeks of age. Chapter I describe the knowledge on the composition …

Assessment Of Pagp Gene Function In Avian Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Pathogenicity Using Different Challenge Models, Hailey Fugate

Theses and Dissertations

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in poultry, contributing an estimated $40 million in annual losses in the U.S. broiler industry alone, and contributing to growing concerns over antibiotic resistance. This study investigated the role of the pagP gene, which encodes a lipid A palmitoyl transferase involved in immune evasion, using both a broiler chick and embryo challenge model. Deletion of pagP significantly reduced mortality and lesion severity in broilers, indicating its role in APEC pathogenicity. However, in embryos, pagP deletion had minimal effects on survival and bacterial colonization, suggesting alternative virulence mechanisms …

Climate Resilience For Organic Vegetable Growers In The Midwest: Views, Needs, And Priorities Of Technical Service Providers, Natalie Hoidal, Greta Gramig, James Dedecker, Nicholas Frillman, Katie Black, Sarah Hayward, Rue Genger

Journal of Extension

As organic vegetable production becomes increasingly important in Upper Midwest food systems, Extension programs and partners must rise to the challenge of supporting growers with climate resilience. These growers are uniquely vulnerable to climate impacts, and addressing this challenge requires a networked approach. We report on a needs assessment and social network analysis process with technical service providers across the region to define the challenges, needs, and opportunities for building individual and institutional capacity to address climate change with growers. Results highlighted several focus areas, including improved communication, better access to funding, sound information, and cultural appropriateness.