Agriculture Commons^™

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 12, 2015, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 12, 2015 (5/12/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Variation In Trembling Aspen And White Spruce Wood Quality Grown In Mixed And Single Species Stands In The Boreal Mixedwood Forest, Francis De Araujo, James F. Hart, Shawn D. Mansfield

Aspen Bibliography

The Canadian boreal forest is largely represented by mixed wood forests of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx). In this study, a total of 300 trees originating from three sites composed of trembling aspen and white spruce with varying compositions were investigated for wood quality traits: one site was composed mainly of aspen, one mainly of spruce and a third was a mixed site. Four wood quality traits were examined: wood density, microfibril angle (MFA), fibre characteristics, and cell wall chemistry. Social classes were also determined for each site in an attempt …

Farm Newsletter, Usu Student Organic Farm

USU Student Organic Farm Newsletter

As we warm up from the cold season, expect the variety in the shares in increase. For the first few weeks there will be cold hardy plants such as leafy greens and some herbs. By next spring you will be craving our thick dark green spinach! Check out the recipe for ideas of how to use all these fabulous greens in your meals!

Assessing The Educational Program Needs Of Small And Limited Resource Meat Goat Producers, Francisca Quarcoo

College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ASSESSING THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM NEEDS OF

SMALL AND LIMITED RESOURCE MEAT GOAT PRODUCERS

by

Francisca A. Quarcoo

The purpose of this study was to assess the preferred educational program needs of small meat goat producers. The specific objectives were to (1) determine if current educational programs by the Caprine Research and Education Unit and/or the Cooperative Extension Program, Tuskegee University, reflect the actual needs of meat goat producers, (2) measure adoption and impact of past educational efforts by the Caprine Research and Education Unit and/or the Cooperative Extension Program, (3) determine the desired presentation or delivery format for future …

The Effects Of Phytochemical Tannin-Containing Diets On Animal Performance And Internal Parasite Control In Meat Goats, Chassity Wright

College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The Effects of Phytochemical Tannin-Containing Diets on Animal Performance and Internal Parasite Control in Meat Goats

By

Chassity Wright

Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus) resistance has been reported against almost all chemical anthelmintics available for its control. H. contortus has a remarkable ability to develop resistance and threatens the viability of the goat industry in many regions of the world. Consequently, there is an urgent need to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying anthelmintic resistance and to discover new alternative methods of chemical and non-chemical control. With chemical anthemintics failing, this has led to the evaluation of plants as a natural …

Genetic Diversity Of Miscanthus In The Us Naturalized Populations Based On Molecular Marker, Suma Basak

College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Miscanthus is a fast growing bioenergy grass, tolerant of adverse conditions and has high biomass production, and is increasingly attractive as a potential source of cellulosic ethanol. An understanding of genetic variation in naturalized populations of Miscanthus in the US may help in selecting appropriate parents for breeding superior cultivars that are adapted in the wide-ranging and changing environments. The molecular marker analysis of Miscanthus is an important tool towards the genetic improvement program of this bioenergy grass. As sugarcane is closely related to Miscanthus, we employed its DNA markers as probes to explore genetic diversity within and among …

Insomniac Of The Soil: A Collection Of Poetry And Essays, Sarah E. Golibart

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

“Insomniac of the Soil” is a homage to a landscape that has deeply informed Sarah Golibart's life and her artistic voice – the tidewater flatlands of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay peninsula where her family lives and where Golibart has worked on farms since high school. Both her poems and essays are earthy, imagistic, and grounded – quite literally – in the soil as well as in a sensibility of ecological ethics and sustainability. “Insomniac of the Soil” is also a love song to the fervent and fallow cycles of the soil.

Fishing For A Sustainable Future: Aquaponics As A Method Of Food Production, Richard Ramsundar

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis compares and explains the advantages aquaponics farming has over modern industrial intensive farming. Through a comparison natural capital usage, conservation, recycling and cost, the thesis advocates for the expansion of aquaponics usage in urban settings. The thesis also explains the history of intensive farming and aquaponics in America, the science of how aquaponics operates, the economic and environmental costs of modern intensive farming versus aquaponics farming, and the social implications of aquaponics. Lastly, I propose a policy that reallocates farm subsidies by modifying the Farm Bill. Then I propose policies that support creating a new standard of farm …

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 5, 2015, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 5, 2015 (5/5/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Effects Of The Developmental Environment On Oxidative Damage And Antioxidants In Red-Eared Slider Turtle ( Trachemys Scripta Elegans ) Hatchlings, Lisa Allison Treidel

Theses and Dissertations

Developmental environments influence many individual phenotypes. However, currently we have a limited understanding of how the developmental environment influences oxidative stress resistance phenotypes. Oxidative stress is defined as a physiological state during which the production of harmful free radicals exceeds the protective capabilities of antioxidants. Variations among adults in susceptibility to oxidative stress can have important consequences for life history strategies and fitness related traits. Our work was aimed at providing insight in to the role that the developmental environment plays on oxidative stress phenotypes in the model oviparous reptile the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans). Here, we conducted …

Section Abstracts: Agriculture, Forestry And Aquaculture

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture Section for the 93rd Annual Virginia Academy of Science Meeting, May 2015, at James Madison University

Saccharomyces Boulardii As An Enteric Health Promoter In Broiler Chickens, Caroline Stephanie Philpot

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast that has been shown to have a probiotic effect on the gut health of humans, ruminants, and swine by helping to control intestinal homeostasis, preventing pathogens from colonizing, promoting beneficial enzyme production, and by other mechanisms. This trial is designed to test whether the addition of S. boulardii to the diet improves the enteric health of broilers. Forty-eight test pens each containing fifteen birds, a water line, and a hanging feed pan were set up in a commercial broiler house from day eighteen to day thirty-six of the flock. The pens were evenly divided into …

Nebline, May 2015

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: It is Important for Youth to Keep Learning and Stay Active During Summer

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Accessing Chilling Conditions For Perennial Fruit Crop Production In Kentucky, Yao Xue

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Temperate Region fruit and nut trees, and many other perennial plants, require cool winter temperatures (chilling hours) to ensure leaf and flower bud production in the following season. Temperate Regions are characterized by variable winter and spring temperatures. Failure of meeting sufficient chilling requirement results in deformed fruits, unequal maturation, and other plant deformities, thereby reducing quality and yields. Chilling requirements are expressed as number of accumulated hours within a range of approximately 32º to 45ºF or 0º to 7.2ºC. These requirements are specific for level of temperature, length of temperature period, and species and cultivar of plants. Information on …

Cockatoo Sands In The Victoria Highway And Carlton Hill Areas, East Kimberley: Land Capability Assessment For Developing Irrigated Agriculture, Henry Smolinski, Shahab Pathan, Paul Galloway, Kus Kuswardiyanto, Justin Laycock

Resource management technical reports

This report identifies areas of Cockatoo Sands adjacent to the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA), Kununurra, with high potential for developing irrigated agriculture. It builds on a reconnaissance soil survey conducted in 2009 which identified significant areas of sandy and loamy soils in the Kununurra area that could be suitable for agriculture.

Characterization Of A Novel Clade Of Transporters In Phytophthora, Stephanie Padula, Paul F. Morris Dr, Howard Casey Cromwell Dr., Menaka Ariyaratne, Andrew Wagner

Honors Projects

The oomycete Phytophthora parasitica has a worldwide distribution and is an economically important pathogen of more than 100 species⁴. RNA-seq analysis showed that one gene, PPTG_16698 has the 5^th highest level of expression of all transport proteins in the zoospore stage, and is highly conserved throughout Phytophthora species. This project attempts to characterize the important biological role that PPTG_16698 plays in P. parasitica and other oomycetes. Three strategies have been implemented to accomplish this goal: growth analysis by heterologous expression in yeast, metabolite analysis in yeast, and construction of a GFP fusion protein to enable localization of …

Impact Of Wet Distillers' Grains Plus Solubles And Antioxidants On A Basic Mechanism Of Beef Tenderization, Michael D. Chao

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

Feeding high levels of wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) increases polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels in beef. Perhaps, WDGS in feedlot diets increases PUFA concentration in the SR membrane, thereby altering membrane integrity, resulting in more rapid calcium leakage and improved tenderness. Feeding antioxidants may mitigate such effects. In the first study, effects of feeding 50 % WDGS on SR membrane composition, free calcium concentration and tenderness were studied. The SR membrane from steers fed WDGS were more tender, had higher free calcium concentration, had more PUFA, more phosphatidylcholine (PC), less phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and less total phospholipids when compared …

Use Of Endocrine And Immune Responses As Predictors Of Bull Sperm Motility, Lydia Mitchener

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Research has shown that immune cells increased from an immune response, and endocrine concentrations directly affect sperm characteristics (Jones and Mann, 1976; Hansson et al., 1989; Grattan et al., 2007). Previous findings show a negative relationship between leukocytes and sperm function (Jones and Mann, 1976) and prolactin and fertility (Grattan et al., 2007). On the other hand, research has shown a positive relationship between insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and sperm characteristics (Hansson et al., 1989). The objective of this study is to identify biomarkers for yearling bull sperm associated with endocrine response and activation of the immune system. Seventeen Brahman-influenced …

The Role Of Rfamide-Related Peptide 3 (Rfrp3) In Regulation Of The Neuroendocrine Reproductive And Growth Axes Of The Boar, Jennifer F. Thorson, Amy T. Desaulniers, Chanho Lee, Brett R. White, J. Joe Ford, Clay A. Lents

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

RFamide-related peptide 3 (RFRP3) has been implicated in regulating reproduction and growth. This regulation appears to be dependent upon sex, species, physiological status, and developmental stage. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of RFRP3 on circulating concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and growth hormone (GH) in mature boars. The hypothesis was RFRP3 would reduce circulating concentrations of LH and increase concentrations of GH. Meishan boars (716.6±2.8 days of age; 125.0±12.4kg BW) were randomly assigned to treatment: saline (n=4) or RFRP3 (8.5mg; n=5). Plasma was collected at 15-min intervals during 3 periods: pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment. …

Practicing Good Stewardship When Applying Herbicides For Pasture Weed Control, Jonathan D. Green

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Various methods and strategies can be used to combat weed problems in pasture fields. These include mechanical and cultural practices such as mowing or clipping fields, maintaining a good soil fertility program, grazing methods, and other management practices that promote the growth of desirable forage grasses which in turn compete against weeds. Herbicides can be the best alternative to effectively control several troublesome broadleaf weeds. However, it is important to understand the proper use of herbicides and practice good stewardship. Below are some important tips to consider when choosing and applying a herbicide product.