Agricultural Education Commons^™

Farming Systems Education: Case Study Of Swedish Test Pilots, Lennart Salomonsson, Anna Nilsson, Sofia Palmer, Adam Roigart, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

We describe and analyze a pedagogical experiment that introduced a broad and holistic perspective on complete farming systems, systemic learning tools, and a participatory learning strategy at an early stage in agronomy education. The paper describes the adventure of three students, who came from a conventional agronomy program at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), who were frustrated with the lack of integrated approaches to the study of agricultural systems and a strong focus on molecular-level processes in their first year of education. They encountered a narrow focus in most courses and the overall curricula of agricultural education that …

Mullewa Research Annexe Spring Field Day Future Farming Systems For North-Eastern Districts 21 August 2008, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Grain and other field crops research reports

Papers:

• Mullewa Research Annexe activities 2008

• Wheat for today and the future

• Consequences of strongly acidic and alkaline soils

• Break crop influence on low rainfall heavy soil

• Chemical fallow options for the north-east agricultural region

• Herbicide tolerance of new wheat varieties

• Lowrainfall oilseed crops for food and biofuel

• Utilising stock to reduce business risk in Binnu! A case study

Policy Tools For Smart Growth In New England, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

Across New England communities have been experiencing a rapid outward surge of development away from our community and downtown centers. Effects of sprawl include a loss of wildlife habitat, farm and timber lands; increased costs of community services and higher taxes; auto-dependency, longer commutes, and increased congestion; increases in air and water pollution; a sedentary lifestyle and increased obesity; and losses to one’s sense of place and social ties.

State-level responses to sprawl have surfaced throughout New England in recent years. This report describes 11 examples of these responses, representing all six New England states and a diversity of recent …

Deep Drainage Is It For Me? Workshop Manual For Participants, Richard Odonnell

Agriculture reports

A Million Hectares for the Future. This workshop forms part of a series of workshops dealing with dryland salinity and options to manage it. All of the workshops have the common theme of identifying the risk at the catchment and farm level, assessing the potential consequences if the risk is not managed and determining the course of action to be taken. You will be able to determine the course of action based on your specific circumstances and goals. There is no one recipe that is suited to all situations.

Glossary Of Terms For Use With The 'A Million Hectares For The Future' Salinity Management Workshops, Rebecca Heath, Paul Raper

Agriculture reports

This Glossary has been developed as part of the GRDC/NDSP-funded, 'A Million Hectares for the Future' project with support and input from key personnel from the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia.

Step Workshops - Guide For Facilitators, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Agriculture reports

The STEP workshops can be run as independent modules or as part of the ?A Million Hectares for the Future? workshop series of which the overarching learning outcome is: Participants will be able to identify and make informed decisions to profitably manage salinity on their farms. Outlines the preferred pathway for the modules in the Million Hectares for the Future series.

Gross Margins Guide 2005 Western Australia, Allan Herbert

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

The Western Australian Department of Agriculture has prepared this 2005 booklet with the following aim:

To provide budgeting information for farmers, agribusiness, and other students of agriculture to enhance understanding and more informed decision making.

It builds on a previous similar booklet - "Gross Margins Guide 2003" - which was produced in 2002 with Commonwealth Bank sponsorship. 2,500 copies of that booklet were produced and gained wide readership. Gross margins for broad area agriculture had not been published by the Department for the previous 1 O years. Feedback and further requests suggested that an update was necessary - hence this …

Science-Based Organic Farming: A Resource For Educators, Charles A. Francis, Mindi Schneider, Brad Kindler

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Organic farming is an important and growing part of the United States food system. The organic sector has grown by at least 20% per year for the past two decades, and currently shows no indication of slowing in this growth. There is increasing consumer concern about where and how food is produced, and people want to be assured access to safe and healthy food products. Interest and concern about food security, and discussion about the merits of a local food system as compared to the vulnerable globalized marketplace are also becoming increasingly important. In Nebraska we have only limited local …

Miscellaneous Publication 8/2004 - Midas User Manual. Version 1, Ross Kingwell, Felicity Flugge, Emma Kopke, Michael O'Connell

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

What is MIDAS?

It's a computer model of dryland farming in Western Australia. MIDAS is an acronym (Model of an Integrated Dryland Agricultural System). Currently there are five versions of MIDAS, each describes a representative farm in a particular farming region of Western Australia. Versions exist for the following regions (see Figure 1):

• the Eastern Wheatbelt;
• the Central Wheatbelt;
• the West Midlands;
• the Great Southern; and,
• the South Coast.

Each of these versions is a mathematical programming model of a representative farm.

Action Education In Land Use Decisions: Student Views On Urbanization And Farmland Loss, Mindi Schneider, Charles A. Francis, Dick Esseks

CARI Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Loss of prime farmland is a serious concern in the United States and around the globe. With rapid urban population increases, the activities and perceived needs of concentrated groups of people result in the swallowing of some of the most fertile lands in this country. Today we have just under 2 acres of productive farmland per person in the United States. Given the current population growth rate due to births and immigration, plus the present rate of farmland loss, World Watch Institute estimates that we will have about 0.6 acres or one-third as much farmland available per person by 2055--a …

Affects Of Organic Fertilizers On The Growth And Biomass Production Of Agricultural Crops, Deanna Marshik

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Pasture Condition Guides For The Pilbara, A L. Payne, A A. Mitchell

Agriculture reports

These pasture condition guides are relevant to about 192 000 square kilometres of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The rangeland of the Pilbara can be separated into 12 very broad pasture types. The ‘pasture type’ is not strictly a botanical classification because, in determining such a class of pastoral lands, the perennial plant species that contribute to stock production have an over-riding importance. Even so, each pasture type represents a broad group of similar vegetation associations or ‘site types’ which will have similar management requirements for pastoralism. The aim of this publication is to provide pastoralists with descriptions and …

1080 Summary Information, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia, Department Of Conservation And Land Management, Western Australia, Department Of Health, Western Australia

Biosecurity research reports

Fluoroacetate, the active ingredient of 1080, occurs naturally in toxic plants in Australia, South Africa, and South America. Manufactured I080 underpins most vertebrate pest control programs in Australia and New Zealand. Fluoroacetate occurs naturally in about 40 plant species in Australia with most of these plants restricted to the south-west of WA.

I080 was introduced to rabbit control programs in the early 1950s and therefore has a long history of proven effectiveness and safety in Australia. There have been few repo1ted problems associated with human safety, environmental persistence, bioaccumulation or impact on populations of non-target species.

In particular, I080 baits …

Declared Plant Control Handbook Recommendations For The Control Of Declared Plants In Western Australia, John R. Peirce, Rachael A. Pratt

Biosecurity published reports

Sixth Edition.

Reviewed October 2005.

Plants may be "declared" by the Agriculture Protection Board under the Agriculture and Related Resources Protection Act 1976.If a plant is declared, all landholders are obliged to control that plant on their properties. Declarations specifies a category, or categories, for each plant according to the control strategies or objectives which the Agriculture Protection Board believes are appropriate in a particular place.

Among the factors considered in categorising declared plants are:

* the impact of the plant on individuals, agricultural production and the community in general,

* whether it is already established in the area, and …

Developing An Environmental Management System A Practical Guidebook For Agricultural Businesses, Lucy Taylor

Natural resources published reports

An environmental management system is a tool that many businesses use to improve their environmental performance. Having an environmental management system enables a business to identify and improve management of their significant environmental impacts.

Environmental management systems work to minimise environmental impacts by following a standard 'plan-do-check-improve' management framework. This framework focuses on identifying significant environmental impacts, setting performance targets, establishing means of achieving targets and maintaining sufficient records to show that targets have been reached. Environmental management systems can assist agricultural businesses in:

* improving resource management

* building public confidence in the environmental management of agriculture

* increasing …

Farming Systems To Manage Salinity. Farmer Directed Research, Development And Extension. Research Results 2001, Richard Olive

Natural resources published reports

More and more of Western Australia's agnicultural lands are becoming saline. Currently it is estimated that about 18 milliion ha of land are affected to a greater or lesser degree by salinity causing production losses estimated at about $70 million a year.

Unless ways are found to halt and reverse the salinisation of land it is estimated that another 4.4 million ha could become saline over the next 50 years.

Grain growers and the Federal Government, through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). are investing $12 4 million in R&D across Australia to develop productive solutions to the salinity …

Burakin Focus Catchment Report, Mike Clarke

Natural resources published reports

The Burakin Focus Catchment Project was developed between farmers and Agriculture _ Western Australia. The project was designed to give farmers an understanding of the salinity processes occurring within the Catchment and suggestions on appropriate management.

Work began in the Catchment early in 1999 and was complete at the end of 2000. Intensive hydrological investigations formed the basis of the study, which was complemented by surface water control and revegetation strategies. Agronomic issues associated with sandplain soils were raised by the farmers at the initial meeting and this led to a soil survey to determine the pH status of the …

Low Recharge Farming Systems. Case Studies On The South Coast, Arjen Ryder, Jamie Bowyer, Gerry Skinner, Clare Mccarron

Natural resources published reports

This booklet is intended as a guide to assist land managers to design or select low recharge farming systems. Options that increase water use are described with benefits and issues for each option.

Case studies describe the experiences of landholders who have had a go at establishing and managing such systems. Examples are included from different rainfall zones. The systems mentioned in this manual are only a guide.

Case studies describe the experiences of landholders who have hada go at establishing and managing such systems. Examples are included from different rainfall zones. The systems mentioned in this manual are only …

Agriculture Western Australia's Great Southern Agricultural Research Institute Katanning, Agriculture Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Agriculture Western Australia's Great Southern Agricultural Research Institute has been established as a centre of excellence for research, development and extension into sustainable farming systems The. agency has a long association with the town of Katanning dating back to 1925 when the agency provided a general agricultural advisor.

The new Institute is strategically located in the heart of key sheep and cropping production areas with significant growth potential.

Its role is to stimulate the contribution of ideas from individuals, groups and organisations with an interest in research, development and extension relating to innovative, profitable and sustainable animal and cropping based …

Miscellaneous Publication 53/99 - Ideas A Diversification Manual For The Pastoral Rangelands, Kaz Price, Lee Verios

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

In 1993 the Pastoral Wool Industry Task Force recognised the diminishing returns to wool production and the need for Rangeland enterprise diversification and other risk management strategies

This manual has been developed to assist pastoralists through the decision making process when considering diversification and contains:

• business and finance planning;
• business structures;
• legislative requirements and also includes;
• current contacts for a range of industries

The manual has been produced in response to a range of questions from pastoralists wishing to investigate and develop alternate enterprises for the semi-arid Rangelands of Western Australia.

Horticulture Research Report 1994 - 1998, Frank Wise Institute, Kununurra, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia, D. Robinson, M. Howes, R. Randell

Horticulture research reports

This report summarises horticultural research, development and extension activities undertaken by staff from the Kununurra District Office during the period 1993 to 1998 and reported annually at the Frank Wise Institute Horticultural Research Review. The range and extent of activities presented and supported by Agriculture Western Australia with industry collaboration indicates the importance of horticulture in the economies of the Kimberley Region and Western Australia. Further support by funding bodies and agribusiness, and collaboration with other research organizations is also acknowledged. Since the early 1980's, horticultural output and value of production from the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) have risen …

Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy. Weeds Target List, B. M. Waterhouse, A A. Mitchell

Biosecurity published reports

Second edition.

The Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) was established in 1989 as an outcome of a major evaluation of quarantine in Australia (AGPS 1987, 1988). NAQS activities include surveying for weeds,insect pests and diseases of plants; and pests and diseases of animals in northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The primary goal is to provide early detection and warning of new quarantine threats or incursions.

A targetted approach was adopted for all pests, diseases and weeds. For each category of pest, experts in the discipline compiled lists of organisms not known from Australia but known to occur in …

Focus On The Future Agriculture Western Australia's Strategic Directions 1998 - 2008, Agriculture Western Australia

Reports

Strong growth in global demand combined with productivity gains, product innovation and sustainability improvements throughout the 1990s enable Western Australia agriculture to look to the 21st century with confidence.

This optimistic outlook is largely the result of innovation across the agricultural industries based on research, development and extension - activities in which Agriculture Western Australia continues to be the State's leading provider.

Focus on the Future is ambitious, and sends a unequivocal message about our strategic directions and the rationale guiding the agency in allocating resources to those areas which offer the biggest benefits to the Western Australian agriculture, food …

Buntine-West Wubin And West Maya Catchment Management Report, William Oldfield, Natalie Hunt

Natural resources published reports

Buntine West/Wubin land Conservation District was formed when a number of landholders wanted to extend and join on to some existing deep drains. At first the group concentrated on the deep drains with some farmers joining on anda project to connect the drains up througha naturally occurring saline area and to run the main drain into a salt lake system. Funding was attained for 50% of the project and farmers with drains paid for the rest. It was considered unfair for landowners whose land this drain went through to pay all the cost as it was not draining arable land. …

Kimberley Landcare Teachers Resource Kit. Cross Curriculum Resources For Upper Primary And Lower Secondary Students, Carolyn Davey, Philip Belfrage

Natural resources published reports

The project has been funded by the National Landcare Program and administered by the Department of Agriculture.

The project was established to improve community awareness and education of landcare and management issues in the Kimberley.

The Kimberley has a diverse and often fragile environment that requires careful management. To care for this land we need to understand the dynamics of its environment, appreciate how important the land is to us and recognise how our interactions effect all components.

The resources in the kit will provide the understandings needed for the development of lifestyles that integrate knowledge and appreciation of the …

A Guide To Floodplain Cattle Fencing, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia, Main Roads, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock published reports

A seminar and workshop was held at Fitzroy Crossing in October 1993 to address the consequences of flooding to landholders and communities.

Damage to flood plain fencing was identified as one of the major concerns to landholders.

An outcome from the workshop was the decision to draw on local knowledge and collate information on options for fence and floodgate designs.

This information was to be made available to land holders and other interested parties - hence this publication.

Msda A Machinery Selection Decision Aid For Stubble Management Practices, Linda Leonard, Andrew Green

Grain and other field crops published reports

MSDA is a user friendly program developed to help farmers predict stubble outcomes before acting on their management practice. This manual is an accompaniment to a computer program designed on Micorsoft Excel-macros. Its aim is to help farmers assess their current machinery and stubble handling ability and view options that may be adopted as best practice for their properties.

The program is designed with the complete season in mind. Information is gathered on the full complement of machinery used from harvest through to seeding, to allow farmers to see all choices available and enable them to choose the best system …

Extension And Education Materials For Sustainable Agriculture, Volume 1, Charles A. Francis, Jim King

CARI Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Future Harvest Teaching Manual

A Teacher's Guide to Cropping System Design

A Guide to Nitrogen Optimization

Preventative Weed Management

Integrated Soil Fertility Management

The Economics of Sustainable Agriculture

A Guide for Lease Structures and Landlord-Tenant Agreements for Converting to More Sustainable Agriculture

The Green Revolution Simulation

The Use of Decision Cases in Agricultural Education and Research

Teaching with Cases

Sustainable Systems for the Future: The Nebraska Program

Integration of Environmental and Sustainable Development in Extension: Case Study from Nebraska, USA

Agricultural Producers and Environmentalists: What are Common Goals?

Designing the Future Farmscape

Sustainable …

Extension And Education Materials For Sustainable Agriculture, Volume 2, James W. King, Charles A. Francis

CARI Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Curricula in Sustainable Agriculture

Introduction to Curricula in Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture, Agronomy 493/593 Course Outline

Sustainable Agriculture, Agronomy 493/AG*SAT

Principles and Practices of Sustainable Agriculture

Agricultural Ecosystems

Agricultural Ecology

Agroecology

Agricultural Ecology and Sustainability

Alternative Agriculture Curriculum

Sustainable Agriculture (B.S.)

Environment and World Food Production

Issues (Advanced) in Sustainable Agriculture

Crops, Soil, and Civilization, Agronomy 440

Master of Science in Sustainable Systems

Agricultural Ecology

National Curriculum for Sustainable Agriculture

Reshaping Undergraduate and Graduate Education to Include a Whole Systems Emphasis

Sustainable Agriculture Education: A Panel

Impact of Sustainable Agriculture Programs on United.States …

Miscellaneous Publication 42/93 - Development And Dissemination Of Design Methods For Rangeland Paddocks Which Maximise Animal Production And Minimise Land Degradation, Shane Cridland, Mark Stafford Smith

Animal production and livestock published reports

Surveys of rangeland resources in Western Australia to date have shown that 23% of the area surveyed is in poor range condition. Poor condition is characterised by the loss of perennial vegetation allowing wind and water erosion. Approximately another 37% is in only fair range condition (Curry and Hacker 1990).

The loss of range condition is partly due to uneven use of paddocks by sheep and cattle. The areas close to water and the preferred pasture types are often over-utilised, while areas well away from water and less preferred pasture types are under-utilised. The result is that rangeland in good, …