Agriculture Commons^™

An Evaluation Of Key Components Of Natural Resource Camps, Undergraduate Persistence And Success In Natural Resources, Brandy Bishop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the key components that connect natural resource camps, undergraduate persistence, and overall success through gainful employment within the natural resource industry. The aim of this study was to assess early interest and attitudes towards natural resource career pathways and how education interventions shape students’ career outcomes thus leading to overall success. A longitudinal mixed method design was used combining Conservation Careers Camp survey data (n = 39) with institutional records for Forestry majors (n =655) in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus. Quantitative data was analyzed through …

Associations Of Variation In Mtdna With Feed Efficiency In Beef Cattle And The Evaluation Of Transcriptomic Changes In Fetal Kidney Due To Hydrallantois, Lauren Elizabeth Seier

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

Project 1 focused on the central role that mitochondria play in ATP production, highlighting that variation within the mtDNA may influence feed efficiency. Variation in the mitochondrial genome was uncovered, and associations with feed efficiency in beef cattle were identified. Growth and feed intake phenotypes, as well as low-pass sequencing, were collected on beef steers across two populations. Protein coding variants were identified and used to classify animals into mitochondrial haplotypes. A linear mixed model was employed, which detected a significant association between mitochondrial haplotype and DMI. A significant haplotype with a variant in Complex I was associated with reduced …

Performance And Feasibility Of Pasture Rangeland And Forage Insurance In The Delta Region, Walker Bradley Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite being available nationwide since 2016, enrollment in Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) insurance remains low in many regions of the country. The program's performance also presents regional discrepancies, with loss ratios varying significantly. Studies that have simplified the complexity of interval selection for producers have been shown to positively affect PRF enrollment. Such studies remain limited in several forage-producing areas. This study aims to address the lack of information in Arkansas specifically. Arkansas has among the nation's lowest participation rates and loss ratios. Low loss ratios signal that participants pay more in premiums than received in indemnities and may …

Farming With Data: Tracing Critical Tensions Using Data Science For Food Justice, Marc Sager, Maximilan Sherard, Anthony Petrosino

Publications

In this manuscript, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and equitable learning in higher education, focusing on data science as a subset of AI and social justice as the core theme of equity. Our investigation sheds light on the nuanced tensions inherent in employing data science for social justice. Rooted in situated perspectives of learning and consequential learning, our study employs an instrumental case-study methodology and analysis techniques from interaction and conversation analysis. Collaborating with three undergraduate students and an urban farm, the students used data science practices to highlight inequities surrounding food justice and access to food. …

Multi-Crop Systems And Crop-Switching Strategies To Enhance Water Use Efficiency And Climate Resilience In Arid Agricultural Regions, Shahryar Fazli, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Agriculture in the Lower Colorado River (LCR) region faces mounting challenges from climate change, arid conditions, and water scarcity. This study evaluates water use efficiency (WUEc) and crop-switching strategies under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios for 2025–2049, 2050–2074, and 2075–2099. Using historical data, climatic drivers such as temperature and precipitation were analyzed for their influence on key crops, including durum wheat, winter wheat, and corn. Results show SSP2-4.5 supports water use reductions up to 16%, stable profits (80–90%), and modest calorie increases (up to 15%), while SSP5-8.5 poses severe challenges, with water use reductions of 2–5%, profits dropping to around 20%, …

Plant Nutrient Interactions In High-Yielding Soybean Environments, Victoria Inklman

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

Plant nutrient demands and limitations are usually studied individually by nutrient. Here, we investigated how nitrogen (N) limitation in high-yielding soybean environments affects the uptake, removal, and residual of other plant macro- and micronutrients. The objective of this study was to quantify the uptake, removal, and residual levels of soybean macro- and micronutrients under N-limited conditions and to identify nutrient priorities for high-yielding soybean systems. Aboveground plant samples at physiological maturity were collected in 19 high-yielding soybean fields with N limitation across the state of Nebraska. Reference plots with ample N supply were included within each field to compare macro- …

What’S The Beef With Agriculture? Evaluating The Effectiveness Of An Agricultural Literacy Intervention On Students’ Attitudes And Knowledge Toward Sustainability And Animal Agriculture, Jenny E. Bennett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Agricultural literacy is essential for helping individuals understand how food systems impact their daily lives and society. While most research has focused on students’ knowledge, this study addresses the underexplored role of attitudes—critical predictors of behavior—as outcomes of educational interventions. This research analyzed survey data collected before and after an agricultural literacy intervention delivered to high school students in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) programs. The curriculum focused on sustainability in animal agriculture.

Findings from paired samples t-tests showed statistically significant improvements in students' attitudes (from moderately neutral to more positive) and knowledge scores. Further analyses revealed that demographic factors such …

A Simple Guide For Describing Soils, 2nd Edition, Angela Stuart-Street, Nicolyn Short Dr, Paul Galloway, Noel R. Schoknecht

Natural resources published reports

Soils are enormously diverse and can be very confusing to understand and talk about. This simple guide for describing soils helps to identify the most important parts of a soil profile and provide an easy way to understand and explain what you see. It gives you a step-by-step guide of what soil properties to describe and how to describe them, along with the tools to make basic soil classifications. The soil descriptors help you to identify the soil type and aid in assigning a simple and standardised name to the soil. While this guide is designed to link with a …

A Convergent Mixed Methods Study Of The Social Studies Academy In South Carolina Middle Schools, Audie Cherry

All Dissertations

There is a global labor shortage in the agricultural industry and middle school is a critical time to get students serious about career decision making. The Studies of Occupations, Culture, and Innovations toward Agricultural Literacy (SOCIAL) Studies Academy is a high impact professional development program in South Carolina that provides experiences and for middle school social studies teachers (N = 12) to become more suited to teach their standards associated with the agricultural sciences with hopes of encouraging more students to pursue agricultural careers. This study was a mixed-methods convergent parallel design that examined 1) Academy Fellows (n = 4) …

Microbial And Ecophysiological Indices Of Agricultural Soils As Affected By Different Farming Practices In Tropical Monsoon Climate, Gulshan Ara Begum, Sajal Roy, Nasrin Chowdhury

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Organic farming is increasingly promoted as a sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture due to its positive effects on soil microbial dynamics, a critical component of ecosystem functioning. However, empirical comparisons of microbial responses across these systems are scarce. Therefore, we conducted a study to assess the various microbial indices of soils taken from distinct crop fields (e.g., brinjal, chilli, tomato, bean, and fallow lands) managed under both conventional and organic farming techniques. Composite soil samples from surface layer (0–15 cm) were collected in a completely random way from Bandarban upazila of Bangladesh (22°11'24.0"N 92°09'00.0"E, organic fields; 22°10'12.0"N 92°09'36.0"E, conventional fields). …

Potential Impact Of Dotted Paropsine Beetle And Other Leaf Beetles On Eucalyptus In Utah, Marion Murray, Victoria Xiong, Megan Kast

All Current Publications

Dotted paropsine leaf beetle (DPLB) is an invasive eucalyptus pest native to Australia. Its first U.S. detection was in California in 2022. DPLB feeds on several eucalyptus species, with blue gum as its primary host. Feeding damage includes semicircular notches on leaf edges, defoliation of young leaves, and dieback of shoot tips. DPLB poses a threat to eucalyptus plantings across the western U.S. and to cut foliage producers in Utah.

How Beliefs Shape What We Consider When Choosing What To Eat, Christopher Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

What determines which foods we consider? One factor, certainly, is what we like to eat, and if liking what we eat were the sole relevant outcome of food consumption, there would be little to say about incomplete consideration. However, diet quality has important, well-documented effects on health outcomes (as well as other important considerations, such as differential environmental impact). Close to 75 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, which increases the likelihood that the individual will experience one or more serious non-communicable diseases. A food’s healthiness is an important consideration for many people when making food choices, but, …

Cultivating The Wild: Strategies For Entrepreneurs Navigating Niche And Specialty Food Markets, Trey Malone, Courtney F. Cooper

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction Consumer demand for authenticity and sustainability in food systems is growing, creating both opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs in niche and specialty markets. While wild-foraged and hunted foods are often perceived as more "natural" and sustainable, attempts to scale these products through farming may compromise their perceived authenticity.Methods To explore these dynamics, we conducted discrete choice experiments with a nationally representative sample of 1,039 U.S. consumers. Participants evaluated their willingness to pay (WTP) for salmon, venison, and morel mushrooms, presented in both wild-foraged/hunted and farm-raised forms.Results Consumers exhibited strong preferences for wild versions of all three products, with average …

Adaptive Crop Switching For Irrigated Agriculture In Response To Climate Change In The Western U.S., Shahryar Fazli, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Rejoice Thomas, Aqil Tariq, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Adaptive irrigation strategies are crucial for balancing water use, economic viability, and food security in the arid Western United States. However, as a key indicator vital in regulating agricultural productivity and crop irrigation, water use efficiency (WUEc) is becoming increasingly complex to estimate due to climate change. This study explores the critical role of key meteorological drivers, such as maximum temperature (tmax) and vapor pressure deficit (vpd), and their impacts on crop-specific WUEc. Future impacts are also assessed through integrating machine learning models with climate projections from the CMIP6 framework under SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5 scenarios to forecast WUEc trends from …

High Spatial Resolution Crop Type And Land Use Land Cover Classification Without Labels: A Framework Using Multi-Temporal Planetscope Images And Variational Bayesian Gaussian Mixture Model, Minh Tri Le

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Previous studies often combined high spatial resolution data (e.g., PlanetScope) with wider spectral range data (e.g., Sentinel-2) and relied on supervised classification methods to produce land use and land cover (LULC) maps. This study proposed a new unsupervised framework to generate crop type and LULC maps at high spatial resolution (< 5 m) using available PlanetScope data solely without requiring ground truths. We used PlanetScope surface reflectance images and their derived spectral indices during growing seasons to create multi-temporal input features, which were fed into an unsupervised Variational Bayesian Gaussian Mixture Model (VBGMM). The VBGMM, unlike the traditional unsupervised classification methods, (1) first estimated optimal parameters that are most suitable based on the input features and then (2) assigned pixels to the cluster with maximum posteriori probability of a mixture of several Gaussian distributions. The crop type and LULC maps were then generated by labeling the derived clusters using the best possible assignment method, referring to the existing crop type or LULC products. We evaluated the produced PlanetScope-based crop type and LULC maps using true labels, corresponding reference maps, and other unsupervised classification methods. The results demonstrated the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed framework in mapping crop types and LULC at 3–5 m pixels across various ecosystems, climate zones, and human-managed landscapes. The spatial patterns of PlanetScope-based maps were (1) highly comparable with all the reference datasets at 10–30 m spatial resolution and (2) better than the traditional GMM and K-means clustering methods. The VBGMM produced classification maps with high confidence, yielding class probabilities above 0.9 for over 90 % of all study areas. The area percentage for all crop type and LULC classes agreed well with their reference maps, with R2 of 0.95 and RMSE of 1.04 %. The confusion matrices using true labels indicated that PlanetScope-based maps achieved a higher overall accuracy of 84 % than the supervised referenced maps of 81 %. Besides, the entropy comparison showed that our framework-based maps were better at capturing fine-scale features such as developed areas within cities that commonly mix with open space and vegetation, deforestation and cropland conversion in South America, smallholder croplands in Africa and Asia, and generating homogeneous crop fields in North America. This study further highlighted the potential for future research to implement our proposed framework to generate timely and extensive annotated datasets, which can be used for operationally training machine learning models to map crop types and LULC, track deforestation, detect wildfires, and delineate flooded areas at larger scales using medium/coarse Earth observations.

Cultural Worldview And Rural Consumer Preferences For Genetically Modified Foods, Nathan P. Kemper

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

The consumer acceptance of genetically modified (GM) foods varies widely based on personal values and social context. This study investigates how cultural worldviews—measured through the Individualism–Communitarianism and Hierarchical–Egalitarianism dimensions—affect willingness to pay (WTP) for food labeling attributes related to GM content. We surveyed 932 U.S. primary grocery shoppers and conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with poultry product options. Using a Mixed Logit model and supplemental cognitive data from Query Theory, we find that rural individualists are more accepting of GM-labeled products. At the same time, urban communitarians show a stronger preference for non-GM labels. These results offer insight into …

Miniature Carnation Cut Flower Production In Utah, Kellie Webb, Melanie Stock, Benjamin Scow, Cheyenne Reid, Victoria Xiong, Claudia Nischwitz, Nick Volesky

All Current Publications

Carnation is one of the most popular cut flowers worldwide and has been grown for centuries. The delicate, fringed petals of miniature carnation have a spicy, clove-like scent and are often used commercially in potpourri and perfume. Florists value the scent, versatility in both large and small design work, long vase life, and broad range of colors, which include yellow, orange, pink, white, red, and purple. While traditionally grown under cover in regions like Colombia and Ecuador, carnation may be a viable cut flower for U.S. Intermountain West growers, as plants tolerate frost and grow well in both cool and …

Changing Aspen Stand Structure Following Large Carnivore Restoration In Yellowstone, Luke E. Painter, Robert L. Beschta, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

Restoration of large carnivores in northern Yellowstone National Park in the late 20th century resulted in a sustained reduction of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis) and their herbivory, facilitating new growth of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) saplings. In 2020–21, we examined 87 randomly selected, previously sampled aspen stands across northern Yellowstone, combining random plots with stand-wide observations. Forty-three percent of stands contained a new cohort of small trees (5–10 cm dbh), the first documented recruitment of overstory aspen trees in northern Yellowstone since the 1940s. Both aspen saplings ( ≥2 m tall) and small trees were …

Cropland Acres Vs Base Acres In Nebraska, Jessica J. Groskopf, Cory Walters

Cornhusker Economics

Discusses cropland acres versus base acres in Nebraska.

Delphinium Cut Flower Production In Utah, Nick Volesky, Melanie Stock

All Current Publications

Delphinium is a perennial crop that produces tall racemes in two flushes per season. Its long stems serve as vertical line elements, adding height and balance to floral arrangements. Popular series are available in striking shades of blue, which are not commonly found among cut flowers, making delphinium an excellent choice for local market production. This fact sheet provides an overview of how to grow, harvest, and store delphinium, including yields for various cultivars. It also covers its common pests and diseases, and reviews its economic value for cut flower producers.

Measuring The Determinants Of Women's Empowerment In Agricultural Index In Bangladesh: Application Of The Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Paresh Kumar Sarma, Mohammad Jahanghir Alam, Ismat Ara Begum, Dilshad Zahan Ethen, Farzana Yeasmin, Lin Crase, Andrew M. Mckenzie

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study investigates the determinants of women's empowerment utilizing data from the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey 2018, specifically through the construction of the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index. Using structural equation modeling, it assesses how various indicators such as decision-making, freedom of mobility, access to agricultural extension services, group membership, and birth control decisions contribute to women's empowerment outcomes. This index is based on decision-making regarding production, resources, income, leadership, time use, and gender parity sub-index. The study employs structural equation modeling to explore the association among key indicators of women's empowerment, including decision-making, freedom of mobility, access to agricultural …

Canopy Insect Communities Are Shaped By The Genes And Phenotypes Of Their Aspen Hosts, Clay J. Morrow, Jennifer Lind-Riehl, Christopher T. Cole, Kennedy Rubert-Nason, Cécile Ané, Richard L. Lindroth

Aspen Bibliography

1. Community genetics research aims to identify genetic and phenotypic mechanisms that shape communities as extended phenotypes. To date, most progress has been made identifying variation in herbivore communities associated with intraspecific variation in plants, with little focus on identifying specific genes or traits responsible for that variation. Here, we identify how extended phenotype variation of a foundation tree species, Populus tremuloides, arises from trait variation among individuals and specific genes. 2. We quantified heritability for 13 tree traits -- including phenology, defense chemistry, reproduction, and morphology -- and for 18 associated insect species (640,557 individuals). We performed genomic …

Veterinary Drug Residue Regulations In Major U.S. Export Markets, Elliott James Dennis, Akinbode Okunola

Cornhusker Economics

Trade agreements shape the global agricultural trade landscape, encompassing both tariff and non-tariff measures. Among the latter, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures such as maximum residue limits (MRLs) are gaining attention. As trade tensions escalate, there is growing concern that countries could use SPS measures as a tool of retaliation in international agricultural markets, as they are often a focal point in trade negotiations (Disdier and Marette, 2010; Disdier and van Tongeren 2010; Grant et al., 2015).

Aeroponic System Optimization For Butterhead Lettuce Growth And Future Sustainability Using Flow Blurring Atomization: An Overview, Taylor J. Johnson

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

The global population has grown by 6 billion people over the last century and is trending toward 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. Agriculture accounts for 70% of global fresh water usage. Technology must be developed to accommodate the increase of food production demanded by the growing global population and the subsequent increase in water usage. Aeroponic technology is a water-efficient vertical farming technology that can reduce water usage by 90% by suspending plant roots in air within a controlled chamber and supplying atomized droplets of a water-nutrient solution directly to the roots.

This study simultaneously tests six droplet …

Assessing Natural Resources Conservation Service (Nrcs) Impacts On Rice And Soybean Efficiency In The Mid-South, Ayodeji Samuel Ayiti

LSU Master's Theses

The study investigates how the Mid-South region of the U.S. rice and irrigated soybean production efficiency is influenced by (NRCS) incentives. To evaluate the effect of crop insurance, subsidies, and conservation incentives on lowering inefficiency, this study used a stochastic frontier model (SFA). The dataset covered the years 2010 – 2023, which allowed for a thorough evaluation of efficiency trends over time. While crop insurance programs reduce inefficiency in rice production, it shockingly increases inefficiency in soybean production, according to the study, which highlights the disparate effects of net support (insurance-subsidy).

The results show that while external factors like changes …

First Detection And Tracing Of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus (Grbv) In Australia Using Tiled Amplicon Sequencing, Tonny Kinene, Andrew S. Taylor, Richard Fennessy, Brenda A. Coutts, David Lovelock, Cuiping Wang, Kamalpreet Kaur, Thao Tran, Brendan Rodoni, Fiona E. Constable, Monica A. Kehoe

Viticulture Research Articles

Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV; species Grablovirus vitis, genus Grablovirus, family Geminiviridae) poses a significant threat to viticulture worldwide, impacting grapevine health and wine quality. Here, we report the first detection and tracing of GRBV in Australia and provide a summary of a subsequent survey to determine the extent of GRBV distribution in Western Australia. Additionally, the study introduces a tiled amplicon sequencing method, which, when combined with long-read nanopore sequencing, enables rapid GRBV genome sequencing. Our analysis suggests a single introduction of GRBV from North America to Australia through the state of Victoria and subsequently to …

Larger Price Limits For Cattle Futures Contracts: Should We Pay Attention To That?, Fabio Mattos

Cornhusker Economics

The CME Group has recently announced an increase in price limits for its cattle futures contracts. This means that cattle futures prices now have a wider range to fluctuate on any given day, and the possibility of larger price fluctuations implies that traders may find larger gains as well as larger losses in their trading accounts at the end of the day. This is certainly something that people trading in futures markets should be aware of, but the change in price limits itself is just a regular update that happens every year. Let's take a closer look at this.

Aspen Impedes Wildfire Spread In Southwestern United States Landscapes, Matthew P. Harris, Jonathan D. Coop, Jared A. Balik, Jessika R. Mcfarland, Sean A. Parks, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests are generally thought to impede fire spread, yet the extent of this effect is not well quantified in relation to other vegetation types. We examined the influence of aspen cover on interpolated daily fire spread rates, the relative abundance of aspen at fire perimeters versus burn interiors, and whether these relationships shifted under more fire-conducive atmospheric conditions. Our study incorporated 314 fires occurring between 2001 and 2020 in the southwestern United States and a suite of gridded vegetation, topography, and fire weather predictor variables. We found that aspen slows fire progression: as aspen cover …

Squash Bug Integrated Pest Management, Nick Volesky, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

This infographic reviews integrated pest management for squash bugs. It includes information on the following: resistant varieties of vegetables to plant and crop rotation, homemade traps, mechanical destruction, mulches, trap crops, natural enemies, and organic and synthetic insecticides.

Western Australia’S Agricultural R&D Ecosystem, Ross Kingwell

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

• Decades ago, the agricultural R&D ecosystem in Western Australia (WA) was fairly simple with few funders and some key providers of R&D services such as the Department of Agriculture, CSIRO and the University of Western Australia.
• Since then, the agricultural R&D ecosystem in WA has increased in complexity with more R&D providers and a greater injection of industry and private funding.
• These changes have occurred against a backdrop of the total investment in agricultural R&D declining as a share of agriculture’s gross value of production.
• State and federal governments have reduced their share of the total investment in agricultural R&D. …