Agriculture Commons^™

Providing Proteins To Belizean Residents Through Poultry Products, Ellis Freel

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Belize is a food insecure, developing country. Although Belize has plenty of nutritious food in-country, the exportation of that food to generate income contributed to a distribution issue of that nutritious food. More impoverished areas of Belize do not have access to nutritious food because of the lack of affordability and high export rates. Diets with a lack of food, or lack of balanced, nutritious food can negatively impact growth and cognitive development, especially in children. Poultry is one of the only products in Belize not able to be exported. Implementing poultry into Belizean diets would affordably alleviate food insecurity …

With Love, ; An Interdisciplinary And Intersectional Look At Why Creativity Is Essential, Theo Starr Gardner

Whittier Scholars Program

My Whittier Scholars Program self-designed major, Teaching Creativity, is a mixture of Art, Literature, and Education classes. My research and praxis classes have been focused on the ‘how?’s and 'why?’s of creativity, so it felt only right that my project should be a constructivist, generative project. The project I have been working on throughout my time at Whittier, and that has just fully come to fruition on April 11th, 2024, was a solo art gallery/open mic event entitled ‘With Love,’. With Love, was conceptually inspired by the research I’ve conducted on creativity and creative arts education over the past few …

Proposing Urban Agroforestry Designs For Lincoln, Nebraska: A Model From Berlin, Germany, Noah Johnson

Honors Theses

Given the threat of a worsening climate crisis, there is a strong need for community and ecosystem resilience. Diverse urban agroforestry systems have the potential to accomplish both and meet many of the objectives outlined in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska’s climate action plan. Additionally, Berlin, Germany could provide an effective model for Lincoln in this regard given the city’s extensive history of established urban agroforestry systems. The objective of this study then is to develop a design for an urban agroforestry site modeled on Berlin’s allotment gardens and tailored to Lincoln’s needs. The methods for creating this design included …

The Future Of The Organization Of The Petroleum Exporting Countries, Mikayla Gross

Honors Theses

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a multinational and intergovernmental organization that dictates the petroleum exportation policies of 13 countries: Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela (About Us, 2023). The mission of OPEC is to ensure a stable supply of petroleum through its shared policies for its Member Countries and consumers (Our Mission, 2023). Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela founded OPEC in 1960 under the foundations and principles that dictated the international world order. Those foundations and principles …

Application Of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy And Chemometrics For The Rapid Detection Of Insect Protein Adulteration From A Simulated Matrix, Dongdong Ni, Joost L. D. Nelis, Amanda L. Dawson, Nicholas Bourne, Pablo Juliano, Michelle L. Colgrave, Angéla Juhász, Utpal Bose

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The popularity of insect protein as a food and feed supplement is growing. Protein quality, end use and prices vary considerably between different insect species, which may incentivise insect protein adulteration. Here, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics were used to detect the presence of cricket, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) and mealworm proteins in a simulated complex insect protein mixture. Additionally, BSFL protein powders collected from three commercial sources were investigated to determine whether the NIR-based technology can discriminate the proteins obtained from different companies based on their composition. The proximate analysis suggests compositional protein, fat and chitin differences between …

Moisture Sorption And Quality Characteristics Of Instant Rice, Anna Mays, Griffiths Atungulu

Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Market demand for instant rice--a processed form of rice that is cooked and dehydrated before it is sold--has risen tremendously and become a significant component of the rice industry. Compared to freshly cooked rice, the quality of instant rice (in terms of texture, color, aroma, etc.) is much lower. There exists little information regarding how instant rice’s storage conditions affect its quality. Such information may be elucidated by studying sorption isotherms which describe the storage temperature, relative humidity, and instant rice moisture relationships.

The purpose of this study was to generate moisture sorption isotherms of instant rice for temperatures and …

Evaluating The Effect Of Garden-Based Education On Young Learners’ Preferences For And Willingness To Try Healthy Food, Sierra Gregory

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Childhood obesity in American children has tripled in the last 20 years, and 85% of current healthcare spending is linked to diet-related diseases. The consumption of highly processed foods is linked to these trends and makes up more than half of an average American youths’ diet. Reducing the consumption of highly processed foods in children’s diets can be addressed, in part, by addressing childhood neophobia (willingness to try new foods) associated with whole foods like fruits and vegetables. Influence over behavioral areas such as nutrition and in early childhood is essential to long-term sustained health, and garden-based interventions shows promise …

Decoding Generation Z: A Perceptions Content Analysis, Olivia Larson

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the multifaceted nature of Generation Z through a content analysis, aiming to identify the range of characteristics and preferences within this cohort. By delving beyond prevalent stereotypes, this study addresses the gap in understanding regarding Generation Z's learning styles, communication preferences, work ethics, and personal values. Through examination, this research provides insights crucial for marketers and educators seeking to engage and educate Generation Z effectively.

Factors Affecting Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera L.) Health As Perceived By South Georgia Commercial Beekeepers, Kimberly Post

The Journal of Extension

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are critical to the pollination of many crops. Bee-oriented organizations survey beekeepers annually to gather information about colony loss and contributing factors. Unfortunately, these surveys provide insufficient data from sideliner and commercial beekeepers in Georgia. Through a survey to better understand South Georgia beekeepers’ perceptions of honey bee health, this project engaged a previously underrepresented group of sideliner and commercial beekeepers.

Effects Of Fungal Biopesticide Doses On Mortality In Bumble Bees, Colton Burris

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Agricultural practices often include the use of pesticides to produce meaningful crop yields. While the pesticide may be used to target “pest” insects (e.g. thrips, aphids, whiteflies), it can also have negative effects on important pollinating insects such as bees. Neonicotinoid pesticides have been found responsible for widespread decline in bee biodiversity, and were even banned in Europe (Sgolastra et al. 2020) . Beauveria bassiana, sold as Botanigard, on the other hand, is a fungal biopesticide that is marketed to be a safer alternative for bees, and has been found to have other possibly harmful effects to the inner …

Net Farm Income Impacts Net Worth Growth, Glennis Mcclure

Center for Agricultural Profitability

The beginning of the year is busy for businesses in finalizing records and filing annual income taxes. Farm and ranch operations are no exception. Beyond the net income or loss showing on the farm’s Schedule F, analyzing the true picture of the operation’s net farm income, and earned net worth change for the year is important.

Preparing an income statement using accrual adjustments will tell us more about the operation’s profitability and performance beyond what income tax statements provide. The income statement tells the story of revenue, expenses, and depreciation between the beginning of year balance sheet and the end …

Ideas For Estate And Transition Planning: Gifting, Jessica Groskopf

Center for Agricultural Profitability

For many farm and ranch families, bringing children or grandchildren into the operation is the ultimate goal. Successfully bringing additional family members into the operation may require some creativity as all parties need to maintain a viable standard of living. This article is part of a series that will highlight ideas and tactics for bringing another family member into the operation. If this is the first article you are seeing in this series, I would encourage you to go back to the previous article for background and additional guidance.

The second tactic to transfer wealth between generations is gifting. The …

Maintaining And Improving Irrigation Application Uniformity In Sprinkler And Drip Systems, Burdette Barker, Sheridan Stewart, Mark Nelson

All Current Publications

The goal of most irrigation system design and management is to provide all plants in an irrigated area with equal access to water. Ideally, each plant should receive the exact amount of water it needs. If a field needs 1 inch of water for irrigation, all parts of the field should receive exactly that. The reality is not so perfect. It is practically impossible to apply the same quantity of water to all plants in an irrigated area, plot, or field. In other words, all irrigation systems have some nonuniformities in the water delivered. Instead of designing and managing irrigation …

The Backyard Garden: Sweet Corn Pests, Nick Volesky, Amelia Olds, Nick Sanchez, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

The Backyard Garden is a series from Utah Pests, Utah State University Extension. This fact sheet explores the pests that affect sweet corn, covering severity, other hosts, general information, symptoms, and management.

The Backyard Garden: Garlic Pests, Nick Volesky, Bridger Carey, Amelia Olds, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

The Backyard Garden is a series from Utah Pests, Utah State University Extension. This fact sheet explores the pests and diseases that affect garlic plants, covering severity, other hosts, general information, symptoms, and management.

Providing Pest Management Education For Home Gardeners In Utah, Nick Volesky, Marion Murray

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

In January 2024, Utah State University (USU) Extension's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program launched a three-part class series targeting Utah's home gardeners. The goal was to enhance their abilities in identifying and managing insect and plant diseases. With over 200 participants, the series notably increased the knowledge of attendees. This initiative aligns with the USU Extension IPM program's mission to promote sustainable pest management practices across Utah, evidencing its commitment to environmental stewardship and community education.

Effect And Mechanisms Of Conifer And Broadleaf Mixtures On The Soil Characteristics In Limestone Mountains, Xueping Zhang, Yuhua Ma, Songling Fu, Jingjing Qian, Qi Zhu, Chun Feng, Zihao Li, Wenhao Zhu, Han Chen

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In the restoration process of limestone mountain ecosystem, the interaction mechanism, between vegetation and soil are the core scientific issues for a better understanding of ecological restoration and ecosystem stability. Based on this, four types of 30 year old artificial forest communities with different coniferous and broad-leaved mixed ratios (0-20 %, 20 - 50 %, 50 – 80 %, 80 – 100 %) in typical limestone mountainous areas of the northern subtropical region are used as research objects to measure understory vegetation diversity, litter, and fine root characteristics. The impact of different mixing ratios on understory vegetation restoration and soil …

In-Silico Analysis For Structural And Functional Characterization Of Phosphorus-Starvation Tolerance 1 (Pstol1) Gene, Quratulain Mehdi Khan, Muhammad Aqeel, Maryam Murtaza, Wajya Ajmal, Muhammad Uzair, Sajid Fiaz, Kotb A. Attia, Asmaa M. Abushady, Itoh Kimiko, Muhammad Ramzan Khan, Ghulam Muhammad Ali

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

As an important macro element for all living cells, phosphorus is essential in agricultural production systems as well and is required in large quantities by elite varieties of crops to maintain yields. Approximately 70% of worldwide cultivated land suffers from phosphorous deficiency, and it has recently been estimated that worldwide phosphorous resources will be shattered by the end of this century thus increasing the demand for crops to be more efficient in their P usage. A greater understanding of how plants can maintain yield with lower phosphorous availability is highly desirable to both breeders and farmers, therefore, significant to develop …

Unraveling The Impact Of Seed Fatty Acid Profiles On Spinach Seed Germination Under Temperature Stress, Mustafa Kaşka, Haluk Çağlar Kaymak

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Limited knowledge exists regarding the fatty acid profiles of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) seeds and their correlation with germination. This study aims to address this gap by thoroughly investigating these profiles and their relationship with seed germination. Therefore, the objectives include assessing how different temperatures influence seed germination in spinach cultivars, identifying tolerant cultivar(s) to temperature stress during germination, and exploring the relationship between fatty acid profiles and seed germination under varying temperature conditions. Nine spinach cultivars (‘Matador-1, 2, and 3’, ‘Ranchero F1’, ‘Aras F1’, ‘El Tajin’, ‘El Real’, ‘Catrina F1’ and ‘Poyraz F1’) were used as seed material. The …

Multi-Node Temperature Monitoring Method For Digital Agricultural Planting Based On Wireless Sensor Network, Pei Wang

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract: In order to monitor the temperature of agricultural planting in time and avoid reducing the yield and quality of crops due to excessive temperature fluctuation, a multi-node temperature monitoring method of digital agricultural planting based on wireless sensor network is proposed. Firstly, the wireless sensor network structure in agricultural digital temperature monitoring is designed, and the overall structure of digital agricultural planting multi-node temperature monitoring is designed by combining it with the upper computer to collect agricultural planting temperature data. Secondly, the characteristics of agricultural planting temperature data are extracted, and the data are transmitted to the upper computer …