Agriculture Commons^™

United We Stand? Investigating The Impact Of Unified Dues Agreements Between State And National Career & Technical Education (Cte) Professional Organizations On Cte Funding In The Southern States, Justin Ryan Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers have long been active in lobbying the federal and state governments in support of CTE through their professional organizations, but these are not traditionally considered interest groups. This study sought to determine if the formal relationships—dues agreements—between the two largest national professional organizations, and their state affiliates had an impact on state funding for CTE. The impacts of professional organization unity, membership rates, and lobbying expenses on state-level CTE funding were analyzed through the lens of interest group theory, a subfield of political science. Within this population (N = 13), 1) a link …

Biological Remediation Of Fragipan, Corey Hale

Honors College Theses

The fragipan layer in the soil is a naturally occurring subsurface layer that restricts water percolation as well as inhibits root growth. A fragipan layer can be found almost ubiquitously across Southwestern Kentucky. This limits how agriculturalists manage soils in this area. It has been recently discovered by the University of Kentucky that Annual Ryegrass roots produce 3,4 dihydroxyphenylpropionic acid (DHPPA) that reacts with this hardpan to weaken the layer. Certain bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Lactobacilli, and Bifidobacteria can also synthesize DHPPA through a breakdown process of chlorogenic acid. This reaction typically happens in the human digestive tract. …

Adapting Network Theory For Spatial Network Externalities In Agriculture: A Case Study On Hemp Cross-Pollination, Jeffrey S. Young, Tanner J. Mccarty

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Growers have increasingly expressed frustration over the negative externalities created by their neighbor's production practices. These spatial agricultural network problems include issues such as cross-pollination and herbicide drift. We develop novel methods for estimating parameters that allow us to adapt and apply general network diffusion models to these spatial agricultural network problems. Doing so allows us to calculate externality damage within a region and calculate cost-effective policies for alleviating that externality. We empirically illustrate, motivate, and test this approach by applying it to hemp. We find that network structure is an important factor in externality size and cost-effective policy response …

Drought Levels In Nevada Counties, 2022, Julianna Jovillar, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet synthesizes data on drought levels within Nevada counties from the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) in 2022. The information presented in this document focuses on the breakdown of the number of Nevada residents affected by the droughts within each county and the drought experience in each county.

Ten Considerations For Solar-Powered Irrigation In Utah, Ngonidzashe Mufute, Matt Yost, Burdette Barker, Kalen Taylor, Mark Nelson, Randall Violett, Jody Gale

All Current Publications

This fact sheet outlines considerations for using solar-powered irrigation in Utah:

• Solar powered irrigation (SPI) is becoming more cost effective and practical to consider on the farm as the cost of alternative sources of energy are rising.
• Irrigators can now benefit from incentives such as tax credits to help offset costs.
• Investing in solar provides more independence from price fluctuations and energy shortages.
• Considerations for SPI systems include energy demand of the irrigation system, type and value of crops grown, available incentives and support, cost and accessibility of alternative energy sources, and multiple uses of the …

Demonstration Farm Provides Educational Opportunity For Ipm, Nick Volesky, Mair Murray

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

The mission of USU Extension’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is to increase the use of sustainable pest management practices within urban and rural landscapes to provide economic, human, and environmental health in Utah. In the spring of 2022, the IPM program established a vegetable farm to test and demonstrate IPM practices. The farm served as an experiential learning classroom for almost 50 farmers and home gardeners.

Evaluating The Utah Agriculture In The Classroom Preservice Teacher Seminar, Amelia J. Miller, Zak A. Konakis, Emily Yoshikawa-Ruesch, Debra M. Spielmaker, Denise Stewardson

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah Agriculture in the Classroom hosts preservice teacher seminars in partnership with five universities across the state. From 2017-2021, approximately 600 college students participated in these seminars. The preservice seminars provided agriculture-themed lessons aligned to state educational standards for future teachers to use as they build resources for their classrooms.

An Exploratory Guide To The Work, Efficacy & Potential Of The Usda-Natural Resources Conservation Service In Vermont Through The Perspectives Of Nrcs Staff, Ellen L. Friedrich

Food Systems Master's Project Reports

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the largest provider of conservation incentives payments in private agricultural working lands in the United States. This transdisciplinary and action orientated report is an exploratory guide to the work, efficacy, and potential of the USDA-NRCS in the Vermont context through the perspectives of NRCS staff. The report is built around themes identified from semi-structured interviews conducted with seven NRCS-Vermont staff members. Interviews explored a variety of different topics including natural resource & environmental concerns in Vermont, barriers to conservation and sustainable agriculture, the …

Deciphering The Genetic Architecture Of Key Female Floral Traits For Hybrid Wheat Seed Production, Juan Jimenez

Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research in Agronomy and Horticulture

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple cereal that provides 20% of the calories and proteins in human intake (Ray et al., 2013). Global population is projected to increase to 9.7 billion by 2050. Food production must increase by 70% to feed this future population. Wheat production is in crisis due to political and environmental challenges and is projected to decline by 0.8% in 2022 (FAO, 2022). To ensure food security yield genetic gain must increase by around 1.4% annually. Taking advantage of heterosis, hybrid wheat has the potential to boost grain yield. However, hybrid wheat seed production systems …

Geology, Soils And Climate Of Western Australia's Wine Regions, Peter J. Tille, Angela Stuart-Street, Peter S. Gardiner

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin details what is special and unique about the geology, soil and climate of the south-west of Western Australia (WA), an area that encompasses the state’s 9 wine regions.

We have arranged the information into 2 parts:

• In Part 1, we broadly describe the special geological, soil and climate features of the south-west of WA to provide context for the wine regions.

• In Part 2, we describe the geology, soil and climate of the regions and subregions of the Geographical Indications (GI) scheme (administered by Wine Australia) for WA.

Through this work we have found that the wine regions …

Image Analysis And Machine Learning In Agricultural Research, Xinzheng Chen

Doctoral Documents from Doctor of Plant Health Program

Agricultural research has been a focus for academia and industry to improve human well-being. Given the challenges in water scarcity, global warming, and increased prices of fertilizer, and fossil fuel, improving the efficiency of agricultural research has become even more critical. Data collection by humans presents several challenges including: 1) the subjectiveness and reproducibility when doing the visual evaluation, 2) safety when dealing with high toxicity chemicals or severe weather events, 3) mistakes cannot be avoided, and 4) low efficiency and speed.

Image analysis and machine learning are more versatile and advantageous in evaluating different plant characteristics, and this could …

Nitrification Inhibitor, Nitrogen Source, And Herbicide Effects On Soil Nitrogen Transformations And Corn Yield, William Neels

Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research in Agronomy and Horticulture

Nitrogen fertilizer management continue to be challenging due to potential nitrogen losses under variable weather conditions. The objective of this was to evaluate the performance of nitrification inhibitors, nitrogen sources and herbicides on in-season nitrogen availability and agronomy indicators. A two site-year field experiment was conducted in silty clay loam soil in corn phase of the corn-soybean rotation at Central Nebraska. The treatments included three herbicide (no pre-emergence, Acuron, Resicore) and five nitrogen treatments: 1) control, 2) anhydrous ammonia, 3) anhydrous ammonia without nitrification inhibitor, 4) urea with nitrification inhibitors, and 5) urea without nitrification inhibitors. Results indicated that nitrogen …

Evaluation Of Nutritional Factors Affecting Sow Reproductive Longevity, J'Nan E. Wittler

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

Sow reproductive longevity is an important trait for swine operations from a production and economic standpoint. Previous research has shown that a sow needs to produce 3 litters before she covers the costs associated with introducing her to the operation. A literature review of research conducted related to sow longevity is discussed in Chapter 1. Chapters 2 and 3 present data from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s long-term sow longevity research. The research looks at the effects of energy restriction with soy hulls during gilt development on sow reproductive longevity through 4 parities. Chapter 2 presents data from replications …

Impacts Of Feeding Biochar To Beef Cattle On Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Performance And Characterizing Yearling Steers Grazing Smooth Bromegrass Pasture Using Gps, Holly Heil

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

As global warming continues to rise, the pressure and growing demand for sustainable animal production is increasing. Livestock naturally produce greenhouse gas emissions through enteric fermentation. Dietary manipulation strategies have been sought out to decrease emissions in ruminants using feed additives.

Two independent finishing feedlot experiments evaluated two types of biochar and its effects on animal performance, carcass characteristics and greenhouse gas emissions. Experiment 1 utilized pistachio shell biochar and experiment 2 utilized biochar sourced from ponderosa pine wood waste, both types included at 1% of the diet DM. The addition of biochar to the diet did not impact animal …

The Invisible Meat Microcosmos - Investigations Of Processed Meats' Specific Spoilage Organisms, Rebecca Furbeck

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

As humankind grows in population, so will our need to compete against bacterial populations which spoil foodstuffs before we are able to consume them. This dissertation aims to identify the bacterial communities responsible for meat spoilage, and the mechanisms that govern the behaviors of these organisms. The literature review summarizes the state of knowledge regarding factors that influence meat microbiome composition, and how analytical methods can influence research outcomes. Study 1 aimed to identify the impact of additional ingredients and processing steps on the microbial ecology of processed turkey products. The main specific spoilage organisms (SSOs) belonged to the orders …

Timing Of Implants Use In Backgrounding System, Kylie M. Butterfield

Theses & Dissertations in Applied Science

A study was conducted over two years to determine the interactions of winter rate of gain at a high gain (HG) of 0.91 kg and low gain (LG) 0.45 kg, and implant strategy in the backgrounding and subsequent effects in the finishing phases. There were three phases in this study, the winter phase (~148 days), the summer phase (~60 days) and the finishing phase (~120 days). This was a 2 x 3 factorial design. The first factor is a rate of gain at either 0.91 kg (HG) or 0.45 kg (LG). The next factor is the timing of implant where …

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Aberrant Circulating Steroid Hormones In Gnrhr-Ii Knockdown Boars And Their Control Littermates, Dorothy Elsken

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

Swine are the only livestock species that produce a functional protein for both GnRH-II and its receptor (GnRHR-II). Our laboratory reported that the interaction between GnRH-II and GnRHR-II facilitates testosterone production, independent of LH stimulation. To further examine GnRHR-II function, we developed a swine line with 70% reduced GnRHR-II mRNA levels (GnRHR-II KD) compared to control littermates. Mass spectrometry analysis of serum revealed that circulating levels of gonadal steroids were reduced in mature transgenic vs. control boars. Paradoxically, evaluation of testicular tissue indicated no difference between lines for gonadal steroid hormone levels. To address a potential cause for this discrepancy, …

Addressing Challenges Of Dryland Production Of Sunflowers And Corn In The Semi-Arid High Plains Of Nebraska, Zhan Orazov

Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research in Agronomy and Horticulture

Corn and sunflower are value crops for America. Cultivation of corn and sunflower often vary depending on growing environment. Selecting appropriate planting dates, hybrids and plant density frequently concerns farmers. This concern is understandable because the decision made directly impacts final income. The objectives were to evaluate interaction of corn and sunflower planting dates and hybrid maturity and evaluate interaction of corn flex hybrids and plant density under conditions of western Nebraska. Nine corn hybrids with relative maturity ranging from 86 to 105 days were sown between early May and late June in first and between late April and early …

Arkansas Soybean Research Studies 2021, Jeremy Ross

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Arkansas is the leading soybean-producing state in the mid-southern United States. Arkansas ranked 11th in soybean production in 2021 compared to the other soybean-producing states in the U.S. The state represented 3.49% of the total U.S. soybean production and 3.49% of the total acres planted in soybean in 2021. The 2021 state soybean average yield was 52.0 bushels per acre, setting a new state record and surpassing the previous yield record of 51.5 bushels per acre set in 2020. The top five soybean-producing counties in 2021 were Mississippi, Phillips, Crittenden, Poinsett, and Arkansas (Table 1). These five counties accounted for …

Oak Savanna Restoration And Climate Change Mitigation Through Silvopasture In Minnesota, James Siems

Environmental Studies Student Work

Reducing emissions of world food systems will be critical to combatting climate change. Silvopasture systems, which integrate managed forests with pastureland, have been shown to be a more sustainable alternative to traditional livestock production and have the ancillary benefit of diversifying the sources of income for farmers. Silvopasture may also have the capacity to serve as a mechanism for ecological restoration. This paper combines existing literature with an interview of a farmer who is engaging in silvopasture to evaluate the potential of silvopasture as means to restore Minnesota’s disappearing oak savanna ecosystem, while improving the sustainability of food production within …