Agriculture Commons^™

Two Approaches For Optimizing Water Productivity, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

Agricultural Research Service researchers in Bushland, Texas, are helping farmers make the most of their water supplies in a region where they depend on the Ogallala Aquifer, a massive underground reservoir under constant threat of overuse.

Steve Evett, Susan O’Shaughnessy, and their colleagues at the Conservation and Production Research Laboratory are developing and testing soil-water and plant-stress sensors and automated irrigation systems that will irrigate fields only as necessary. Automated systems are considered key to sustainable use of the aquifer and to helping growers reduce water and labor costs.

“As water becomes more precious and the costs to pump it …

Irrigation Wastewater: Waste Not, Want Not, Dennis Corwin, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

Agricultural producers on the west side of California’s San Joaquin Valley (WSJV) used to drain irrigation wastewater into Kesterson Reservoir, a series of holding ponds that were part of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. But selenium levels in the water became hazardous to waterfowl, so the storage facility was closed in 1987. Since then, farmers have been keeping the wastewater—which also contains salt and traces of arsenic, boron, and molybdenum—in evaporation ponds on their own land, which takes around 10 percent of the crop land out of production.

Agricultural Research Service soil scientist Dennis Corwin and his colleagues had …

Improved Vitamin B12 Test May, John W. Newman, Lindsay H. Allen, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Vitamin B12 helps your body perform many vital chores, including forming healthy red blood cells; keeping your brain functioning smoothly; and processing (metabolizing) the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in foods that you eat.

Like all vitamins, B12 is a micronutrient, meaning that we need it in only very small amounts. We get B12 from animal products— meats, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt, for instance—or from B12-fortified foods, notably breakfast cereals. We can also obtain it from nutritional supplements, such as B12 tablets or multivitamin pills. People who need to boost their B12 levels quickly may do so via shots …

Vineyard Layout And Design For A Pinot Noir Vineyard In The Santa Rita Hills Ava, Joseph G. Pollock

Horticulture and Crop Science

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is an important area for California pinot noir. To develop a pinot noir vineyard requires a substantial amount of research to be done before any planting occurs in the soil. The purpose of this project was to study the facets of planting a vineyard from a fallow field and then construct a design for the finished vineyard. The site is located on an unused portion of a ranch property in roughly the middle of the AVA. Climatological data places the potential site within acceptable parameters for growing pinot noir. The soil on site is Arnold …

Judging Market Goats, Matthew M. Marshall

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to develop a judging guide for FFA members who participate in Livestock Judging Contests. One of the classes to be judged is Boer goat market wethers. Resources from breeders, industry judges, and handouts were utilized. The PowerPoint that was created can be used as a tool for students to learn the basics of market goat judging. This can also be a useful guide for students who are interested in selecting market goats as a supervised agricultural experience project.

El Proceso De La Certificación Orgánica En Cerro Punta, Panamá: Cómo Promover Cambios Sostenibles, Michelle Velez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A pesar del desarrollo de agricultura orgánica al nivel mundial en los últimos años, Panamá falta su propia certificadora nacional. Por eso el proceso de certificación es un reto para los productores entrandoen este mercado creciendo. Cerro Punta, en la provincia de Chiriquí, está ubicado entre dos parques nacionales y produce alrededor de 80 por ciento de las hortalizas del país. Es el lugar del nacimiento de GORACE (Grupo Orgánico de Agricultores Cerropunteños), una organización local sin fines de lucro dedicado al desarrollo de la agricultura orgánica. GORACE esel único grupo de productores en el país con la certificación orgánica. …

Livelihood Decisions “Choosing” Protein Deficiency: Relationship Between Meat Consumption, Livestock Production, And Globalization In The Bangatan Household, Corey Wood

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the protein deficiency in Tanzania from a livelihood, decision based perspective, by looking at household decisions concerning meat protein consumption and production, in the Bangatan village area. More specifically it examines decisions regarding selling livestock rather than consuming it, the purpose of this cash generation, and globalization’s effects on these livelihood decisions. Predictions included: 1) no correlation or possibly a negative correlation between amount of livestock owned and meat protein consumed 2) families with more cash wealth eat more meat and 3) globalization has effected livelihood decisions regarding the direction of cash over the last 10 years …

Transmission Of Traditional Agricultural Knowledge: Intergenerational Or International? Examining Youth’S Involvement In Agriculture, Georgia Elgar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the Earth’s changing ecological and economic climates, traditional, ecosystem-specific, culture-specific systems of agriculture has more value than ever before for rural India. Children’s involvement in agricultural work is an important variable in the preservation of such systems. With urban migration of young people and increases in formal education leading to non-farm employment, detailed agricultural knowledge such as soil and water conservation, non-chemical methods of pest control, and are rapidly fading with each generation. This descriptive study aimed to explore and understand the ways in which youth participation in farm work contributes to the preservation of traditional agricultural knowledge in …

A Portrait Of A Farm: A Short Film Documenting Small-Scale Livestock Production On Hayters Hill Farm In Byron Bay, Noah Throop

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over the past two-hundred years, the industrialization and mechanization of agriculture has slowly dissolved the centuries-old bond between human beings, the land and their food. Today, this disconnect threatens to exacerbate wide scale environmental degradation and a wide array of chronic diseases. However small, local farms that sell their produce directly to consumers are in a position to reverse this trend and reconnect consumers with their food. Small-scale farmers are able to see the health of the environment as instrumental to their economic and personal wellbeing and are able to be held accountable for their farming practices by their customers. …

Tanzanian Agricultural Markets And The Resulting Effects On Farmers Market Mechanisms At A Local Level In The Western Usambara’S Lushoto District, Carson A. Casey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As a developing nation Tanzania is highly dependent on its agricultural sector, serving as a source of income generation for more than 80 percent of the population. Moreover, agriculture in Tanzania currently accounts for more than half of the country’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Currently smallholder farmers dominate the Tanzanian agricultural market. In the Western Usambara’s Lushoto District there is a high concentration of smallholder farmers who are involved in both the cash crop and subsistence agricultural markets of Tanzania. The sample population was Lushoto District farmers identifying as head of household individuals from either the village of Mazumbai, …

Can Yamhill County Feed Itself?, Katie O'Brien, Katharine Holm, Kourtney Bailey, Suzannah Klaniecki, Zach Lea, Madison Sanchez

Papers from ENVS 485 (Environmental Problem-Solving Seminar)

In this paper, we considered the following question: If Yamhill County in northwest Oregon were to become isolated, would the population be able to survive off the agricultural products grown within its boundaries? We looked at what the farms in Yamhill County grow and how large of a population they could support. Essentially, this looked at the feasibility of a purely local food system within the borders of Yamhill County. We hypothesized that Yamhill County would not be able to feed itself without outsourcing; stemming from this hypothesis, we examined the maximum amount of food that can be produced locally …

Water Quality Trading In The Presence Of Abatement-Cost Sharing, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This paper examines how water quality trading interacts with nonpoint-source abatement-cost sharing (e.g., as currently practiced by the National Resource Conservation Service through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program [EQIP]) to promote the participation of nonpoint sources in a water quality market, participation that has thus far been noticeably lacking nationwide. As such, an idealized version of water quality trading is envisioned, where water quality trading and nonpoint cost sharing are treated as complementary policy instruments rather than substitutes. Toward this end, the subgame-perfect equilibrium concept is used to model a “multilateral contracting” relationship between the regulatory authority and nonpoint sources …

There's A New Crop In Town, Margaret (Peg) A. Van_Patten Ms.

Wrack Lines

This food is being grown and sold in Connecticut for the first time--maybe it's not what you think!

Department Of Economics Publication List 2012, Penny Stover

Economics Pamphlet Series (1985-2016)

This compilation lists works authored by Department of Economics faculty members and other staff working on projects funded through the Department of Economics. Publications resulting from their research and academic activities are indexed by author at the end of this pamphlet for easy access by the public. The articles were published between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012, except for those works printed in italics which have been accepted for publication but not actually printed as of December 31, 2012.

Chiriquí, Panamá: Una Investigación Del Esfuerzo Multi-Nivel Que Aspira A Mejorar La Alimentación En Escuelas Primarias De Zonas Rurales Y Urbanas, Ni Cole Sofia Smallwood

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study aimed to discover how external organizations, teachers, and parents impact primary student health in rural and urban areas in the Chiriquí Province of Panama. The objectives were to analyze the role of the stated variables in student nutrition and to evaluate the effectiveness of the food programs implemented at the schools. With permission and help from MEDUCA I chose two urban and two rural schools in the David, Chiriquí area. I conducted semi-structured interview with four parents and five teachers in the rural area; three parents and five teachers in the urban area; and one government official. Panama …

Cultivating Resistance: Food Justice In The Criminal Justice System, Caitlin M. Watkins

Pitzer Senior Theses

This Senior Thesis in Environmental Analysis seeks to explore the ways in which certain food-oriented programs for incarcerated women and women on parole critically resist the Prison Industrial Complex and the Industrial Food System by securing social and ecological equity through the acquisition of food justice. It focuses on three case studies: the Crossroads’ Meatless Mondays program, Fallen Fruit from Rising Women: A Crossroads Social Enterprise, and Cultivating Dreams Prison Garden Project: An Organic Garden for Women in Prison. Each project utilizes food as a tool to build community, provide valuable skill sets of cooking and gardening, and educate women …

Louisiana Agriculture Spring, 2013

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Nebline, April 2013

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Landscapes in Drought

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Weed Awareness Special Pullout Section

Food Security On Maui: Reinventing Agriculture In The Aloha State, Jade Silver

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis focuses on the past, present, and future of food sustainability on Maui. It begins by explaining ancient Hawaiian agriculture and how this complex system of agriculture was deeply rooted in the customs and traditions of the Hawaiian people. The second section explores how this sustainable agricultural system changed after the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. After western settlement, land that was once a communal resource became privatized. As land ownership shifted, the traditional subsistence agricultural system of Hawai’i began to change. Export crops such as sugar cane and pineapple became more widespread. As these crops shifted the …

Growing South Dakota (Spring 2013), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Food Focus: SDSU Leading National Effort To Promote Healthy Food Choices
[Page] 3 In Stores Now: “Pick It, Try It, Like It” Fruit & Vegetable Campaign
[Page] 4 Coaching Food Entrepreneurs: SDSU Extension Outreach Includes Entrepreneur Workshops
[Page] 5 From South Dakota to South America: College of Agriculture & Biological Science Students Experience Argentine Agriculture
[Page] 6 Spring College News
[Page] 8 Showcasing Ag’s Evolution: SDSU’s Ag Museum Is More Than Just Tractors [Page] 10 Mastering Marketing: Students Host Bull Sale Through Unique Class [Page] 11 Following Pheasants: SDSU Researchers Analyze Nesting Needs
[Page] 12 Faculty Highlights
[Page] …