Agriculture Commons^™

Editorial: Genomics-Enabled Triticeae Improvement, Xue-Feng Ma, Xianchun Xia, Shuyu Liu, P. Stephen Baenziger, Hakan Özkan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

2022 Nebraska Farmland Values And Cash Rental Rates, Jim Jansen, Jeffrey Stokes

Cornhusker Economics

The market value of agricultural land in Nebraska increased by 16% over the prior year to an average of $3,360 per acre, according to the 2022 Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey. This marks the largest increase in the market value of agricultural land in Nebraska since 2014 and is the highest non-inflation-adjusted state-wide land value in the history of the survey.

Chile Pepper Variety Evaluation, Charlie Rohwer, Natalie Hoidal

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Producing chile peppers for fresh and dried markets has garnered special interest from Latino growers in Minnesota, and remains of interest to all growers. To increase understanding of market potential, we performed a single-location replicated variety trial. We measured yield, fruit size, and Scoville heat units on harvested fruit from 10 chile varieties representing jalapeños, serranos, poblanos, and habaneros. Yield was similar across chile types (3–4.9 pounds per plant), except 'Ancho Poblano' and 'Habanero Orange' only averaged 1.2–1.8 pounds. 'Habanero Orange' had the highest scoville, followed by jalapeño, serrano, and poblano. There were notable differences in fruit size within each …

The Design Of An Agricultural Youth-Centered Rural Development Program In Rwanda, Laetitia Igiraneza Sinyigenga

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Rwanda is primarily a rural, young, and agriculture-based country. The referred variables- agriculture, rural population, and youth- can be creatively merged to engage and empower youth for rural development. This paper indicates the utilization of cross-disciplinary knowledge to design an agricultural youth-centered rural development program in Rwanda. The program uses the interdependence of economic sectors (agriculture and education) with resources (environmental & natural resources and human resources) to boost rural community development. The program’s main activities- mentorship, agribusiness training, tutoring, exposure visits, and community work- highly reflect the requirement for advancing the selected main economic sectors and resources. There is …

Iowa Wine Industry And Its Educational Needs, Aude A. Watrelot

Journal of Extension

The grape and wine industry in Iowa is based on non-Vitis vinifera grapes, which are not well-known and come with their own set of challenges. An industry survey revealed that wine business and marketing are the main concerns for the Iowa grape and wine industry members. The educational resources already provided by Extension personnel were highly appreciated and events should be offered in several locations around Iowa. The main topics of roundtables and discussions should be about vineyard management and winemaking practices, specifically practices to avoid microbial spoilage, to reduce wine acidity and to select appropriate yeasts for fermentation.

Thinking Outside The Box Of Evaluation Platforms: Adapting Qualtrics For Virtual 4-H Judging Competitions, Maria Calvert, Ty Peckman

Journal of Extension

Competitive events represent a major component of 4-H programming. These events are typically held in person; however, unforeseen circumstances, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have required Extension professionals to adapt these programs to virtual settings. This paper outlines some unique features of Qualtrics, a web-based tool commonly used to build surveys, that led Missouri 4-H to use the platform to administer agriculture and natural resource science contests.

Water Conservation: Extension Agents’ Perceptions Of Issue Importance, Professional Abilities, And Landowner Needs, Audrey Mccrary, Leslie M. Burger, Laura Downey, Beth H. Baker

Journal of Extension

The Extension Service is one of many agencies charged with increasing awareness and knowledge of research-based agricultural conservation practices. A regional survey of Extension agents with agriculture and natural resources responsibilities was conducted to assess the need for in-service training on 11 water resource conservation topics. The highest priority training needs were for topics related to complex interactions and drivers of agricultural water pollution. This article highlights the implications of these results and offers broader perspective on bringing the Borich model of needs assessment into the agricultural and natural resources realm of subject matter expertise.

Examining Farm Financial Management: How Do Small Us Farms Meet Their Agricultural Expenses?, Omobolaji Omobitan, Aditya R. Khanal

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Small farms in the US have significant challenges in financial management. This study examines how small farmers undertake farm financial management to meet their agricultural and farm-related spending and expenses. Using primary survey data from Tennessee, the study investigates the factors influencing the extent of use of five financing sources to meet the spending and expenses: cash/fund directly generated from the sale of agricultural products, farmer’s past savings, farm household’s off-farm income, income/incentives from government payments, and external loans. Using negative binomial regression estimation of generalized linear models, findings suggest that the decision on the use of financing sources is …

Application Of Pheromone Is Potential Ecological Approach In Management Of Tuta Absoluta In Tomatoes: The Case Of Ruaha River Basin In Iringa, Tanzania, Theonest Kombe, Nicodemus D. Matojo, Fikira Kimbokota

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is currently considered to be one of the most destructive insect pests of tomatoes worldwide. The present study was conducted in three study sites along Ruaha River Basin, Iringa, Tanzania, to assess community awareness about T. absoluta infestation and its management. The study also evaluated the susceptibility of three tomato varieties against T. absoluta in a greenhouse setting, as well as the effect of colours of traps and doses of pheromone in attracting T. absoluta in a field environment. The field survey revealed that 97% of the respondents were aware of the …

Comparison Of Transcervical Insemination Versus Surgical Insemination Methods In Dogs At A Veterinary Clinic In Lincoln, Nebraska, Lauren Ahlers

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Artificial insemination paved the way for many advancements in reproductive technology. Two common artificial insemination methods recommended for use with frozen semen are transcervical insemination and surgical insemination. To better understand the conception rates of dogs for each method, data was collected from Hillcrest Animal Clinic. The data suggested that neither transcervical insemination nor surgical insemination was significantly better than the other. 50% of the dogs conceived when inseminated using the transcervical method, and 54.5% of the dogs conceived when inseminated using the surgical method. Based on the results, more data needs to be collected on both insemination procedures to …

Climate Effects On Black Spruce And Trembling Aspen Productivity In Natural Origin Mixed Stands, Mahadev Sharma

Aspen Bibliography

Forest managers need site productivity estimates for tree species growing in mixed stands. Models developed in the past are generally for pure stands and don’t factor in the effects of climate change on site productivity. Therefore, site index (SI) models were developed for black spruce (Picea mariana Mill. B.S.P.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) trees grown in natural origin mixed stands. For this, 186 trees (93 black spruce and trembling aspen each) were sampled from 31 even-aged natural mixed stands (sites) (3 trees/species/site) across Ontario, Canada. Stand height growth models were developed by incorporating climate variables during …

Drainage Law Proposal, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Legislative Bill 806 would significantly change Nebraska drainage law and bring long-overdue reform to Nebraska water law. This newsletter gives a quick overview of LB 806 and how it would impact the resolution of drainage disputes in Nebraska.

Wind And Fire: Rapid Shifts In Tree Community Composition Following Multiple Disturbances In The Southern Boreal Forest, Elias Anoszko, Lee E. Frelich, Roy L. Rich, Peter B. Reich

Aspen Bibliography

Under a warming climate, the southern boreal forest of North America is expected to see a doubling in fire frequency and potential for increased wind disturbance over the next century. Although boreal forests are often considered fire-adapted, projected increases in disturbance frequency will likely result in novel combinations of disturbances with severities and impacts on community composition outside historic norms. Using a network of repeatedly measured vegetation monitoring plots, we followed changes in tree community composition in areas of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), in Minnesota, USA, experiencing disturbances ranging from severe windstorms or wildfires to areas affected …

Facilitation Differentially Affects Competitive Responses Of Aspen And Subalpine Fir Through Stages Of Stand Development, Rebecca Lee Molinari, Matthew F. Bekker, Benjamin D. St. Clair, Jason Bartholomew, R. Justin Derose, Stanley G. Kitchen, Samuel B. St. Clair

Aspen Bibliography

Spatial interactions between trees influence forest community succession. The objective of this study was to investigate how shifts in forest composition and proximity between tree species affect stand development over time in mixed forest systems. At six locations across the Fishlake National Forest, Utah, USA, in stands where facilitation has been documented previously, tree-ring samples were collected from aspen and subalpine fir trees. Basal area increment was calculated to characterize the effects of the proximity of overstory trees on multidecadal growth responses of aspen and subalpine fir in aspen-dominant and mixed aspen–conifer stands. Subalpine fir seedlings were established next to …

Influence Of Fertilizer Rate On Swollen Stem Formation (“Bulbing”) And Vitamin C Content In Different Kohlrabi Cultivars, Mark Iradukunda, Paul E. Read

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group) is a vegetable crop found in the Brassicaceae, and it is rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in oxidative damage repair and strengthens the immune system, so exploring vitamin C sources may contribute to improving human health. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different fertilizer rates on kohlrabi yield, in terms of the swollen stem and the vitamin C content, and if those effects are similar in different kohlrabi cultivars. In this greenhouse study, we fertilized four potted kohlrabi cultivars with a common water-soluble greenhouse fertilizer …

An Industry Life Cycle Assessment (Lca) For Sheep Production In Western Australia, Stephen Wiedemann, Darcia Mcrae, Emma Longworth

Animal production and livestock research reports

The Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has identified the need to understand greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the livestock sector in detail, with a view to developing emission reduction plans for the state. To achieve this, DPIRD commissioned a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the sheep industry in Western Australia (WA) for the financial years (FY) 2005 (July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005) and 2020 (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020). The analysis of one historic period provided a baseline reference point for the more recent results, and the intent was to develop …

The Nebraska Ranch Practicum, Jay Parsons, Travis Mulliniks, Troy Walz

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Ranch Practicum is a multi-disciplinary, hands-on educational program designed to give participants the skills and education needed to succeed in today's ranching industry. The Practicum was established in 1999 as a “three-season” program designed to integrate information producers encounter throughout the beef production year into a framework for decision making. The Practicum seeks to improve decision-making skills, enhance stewardship of natural resources, improve skills critical for evaluation of ranching enterprises, and enhance ranch sustainability.

No-Till Farming And Greenhouse Gas Fluxes: Insights From Literature And Experimental Data, S. J. Ruis, H. Blanco-Canqui, P. J. Jasa, V. L. Jin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Tillage intensity may differently impact gaseous losses of C and N to the atmosphere, but data from long-term experiments are relatively few. Yet, this information is needed to better understand C and N losses and gains in agricultural systems. The objective of this study was to determine how tillage intensity affects soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes (CO₂, N₂O, and CH₄) by comparing experimental data from moldboard plow (MP), chisel plow (CP), double disk (DD), and no-till (NT) soils after 38–40 yr of management in a rainfed corn (Zea mays L.)- soybean (Glycine …

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari (2020): Having An Amerikorean Life, Nagehan Uzuner

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Minari by Lee Isaac Chung is a drama which chronicles the life of a Korean family who moves to the USA during 1980s in pursuit for a better life. The acculturation process is experienced differently by family members. Children are mostly bored with their new life in the rural area of Arkansas while their mother, Monica, is terrified of living in a mobile home which is made of a truck trailer in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile, the grandmother joins the family from Korea to take care of the kids with a more positive approach dealing with their struggles. The …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Edition 3, March 2022, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

CASNR L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter

The purpose of this L.I.N.K.S. newsletter is to provide a monthly update of opportunities and resources for K-12 schools to connect with the University of Nebraska's CASNR Food, Energy, Water, and Societal Systems (FEWS²) programs and partners.

Included in this edition:

Classroom resources for all levels

Eye on curriculum and resources

Teacher opportunities

List of new partnerships

Ask an expert

Eye on CASNR research: Trenton Franz

Send your students to campus

Success stories