Farm accidents and injuries among farm families and workers. A pilot study.

PubMed

Cummings, P H

1991-09-01

Farm accident facts traditionally have been difficult to collect because of the wide array of farm family and non-family involvement in farming practices. Areas commonly involved in farm related accidents include farm machinery, tractor overturns, farm animals, farm trucks, hand and power tools, household items, chemicals, and garden equipment. Two purposes of this descriptive study were to examine, over a 1 year period, the demographic features and types, severity, and mechanisms of injury among farm families and their workers in a representative county in South Carolina, and to develop a two part mail-out questionnaire for data collection relative to farm work related accidents. The researcher concluded that farm accidents are sparsely researched; that traditional data collection methods are difficult, expensive, and time consuming; and that mail-out questionnaires are not a very effective method of collecting data relative to farm accidents, since farmers proved very reluctant to report accidents.

Descriptions and Abstracts of Regular Education Inservice Projects (REGI).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erwin, Barbara, Comp.; And Others

This description of the Regular Education Inservice (REGI) effort in fiscal year 1981 includes a summary analysis of data from the REGI projects and a state by state compilation of project abstracts. Following the summary analysis of the REGI effort, project abstracts are organized by state or territory. Within each state or territory section,…

Surface-water-quality assessment of the Yakima River basin, Washington; project description

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKenzie, S.W.; Rinella, J.F.

1987-01-01

In April 1986, the U.S. Geological Survey began the National Water Quality Assessment program to: (1) provide a nationally consistent description of the current status of water quality, (2) define water quality trends that have occurred over recent decades, and (3) relate past and present water quality conditions to relevant natural features, the history of land and water use, and land management and waste management practices. At present (1987), The National Water Quality Assessment program is in a pilot studies phase, in which assessment concepts and approaches are being tested and modified to prepare for possible full implementation of the program. Seven pilot projects (four surface water projects and three groundwater projects) have been started. The Yakima River basin in Washington is one of the pilot surface water project areas. The Yakima River basin drains in area of 6,155 sq mi and contains about 1,900 river mi of perennial streams. Major land use activities include growing and harvesting timber, dryland pasture grazing, intense farming and irrigated agriculture, and urbanization. Water quality issues that result from these land uses include potentially large concentrations of suspended sediment, bacteria, nutrients, pesticides, and trace elements that may affect water used for human consumption, fish propagation and passage, contact recreation, livestock watering, and irrigation. Data will be collected in a nine year cycle. The first three years of the cycle will be a period of concentrated data acquisition and interpretation. For the next six years, sample collection will be done at a much lower level of intensity to document the occurrence of any gross changes in water quality. This nine year cycle would then be repeated. Three types of sampling activities will be used for data acquisition: fixed location station sampling, synoptic sampling, and intensive reach studies. (Lantz-PTT)

75 FR 2138 - Interconnection of the Proposed Hermosa West Wind Farm Project, Wyoming (DOE/EIS-0438)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-14

... SWE's proposed Project would consist of up to 200 wind turbine generators with a combined total... siting process for the wind turbine strings and associated facilities considered sensitive resources, and... West Wind Farm Project, Wyoming (DOE/EIS-0438) AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE. ACTION...

A PLANNED COMMUNITY FOR MIGRATORY FARM WORKERS--A PROPOSAL FOR A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PEERY, A.B.

A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR MIGRATORY FARM LABORERS HOME-BASED IN SOUTH TEXAS IS PROPOSED. THE PURPOSE IS TO DESIGN A PLANNED COMMUNITY CONTAINING HOUSING, HEALTH FACILITIES, ORIENTATION AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES, JOB-PLACEMENT FACILITIES, AND SOCIAL, RECREATIONAL, AND COMMERCIAL FACILITIES. THE PLANNED COMMUNITY WOULD PROVIDE SAFE, SANITARY, AND…

The School Farm--A Practical Facility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puckett, James D.

1977-01-01

This description of the development and operation of a school farm, by the William Campbell High School in Virginia, includes suggestions for planning and management of a school farm set up for teaching agricultural principles. (TA)

Water Resources Research Grant Program Project Descriptions: Fiscal Year 1988

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lew, Melvin; McCoy, Beverly M.

1989-01-01

This report contains information on the 38 new projects funded by the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Resources Research Grant Program in fiscal year 1988 and on 11 projects completed during the year. For the new projects, the report gives the grant number, project title, performing organization, principal investigator(s), project duration, and a project description that includes: (1) identification of water-related problems and problem-solution approach, (2) contribution to problem solution, (3) objectives, and (4) approach. The 38 projects include 14 in the area of ground-water quality problems, 10 in the science and technology of water-quality management, 4 in climate variability and the hydrologic cycle, 7 in institutional change in water-resources management, and 3 in miscellaneous water-resources management problems. For the 11 completed projects, the report gives the grant number, project title, performing organization, principal investigator(s), starting date, date of receipt of final report, and an abstract of the final report. Each project description provides the information needed to obtain a copy of the final report. The report also contains tables showing (1) proposals received according to area of research interest, (2) grant awards and funding according to area of research interest, (3) proposals received according to type of submitting organization, and (4) awards and funding according to type of organization.

Water Resources Research Grant Program project descriptions, fiscal year 1987

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1987-01-01

This report contains information on the 34 new projects funded by the United States Geological Survey 's Water Resources Research Grant Program in fiscal year 1987 and on 3 projects completed during the year. For the new projects, the report gives the grant number, project title, performing organization, principal investigator(s), and a project description that includes: (1) identification of water related problems and problem-solution approach (2) contribution to problem solution, (3) objectives, and (4) approach. The 34 projects include 12 in the area of groundwater quality problems, 12 in the science and technology of water quality management, 1 in climate variability and the hydrologic cycle, 4 in institutional change in water resources management, and 5 in surface water management. For the three completed projects, the report furnishes the grant number; project title; performing organization; principal investor(s); starting data; data of receipt of final report; and an abstract of the final report. Each project description provides the information needed to obtain a copy of the final report. The report contains tables showing: (1) proposals received according to area of research interest, (2) grant awards and funding according to area of research interest, (3) proposals received according to type of submitting organization, and (4) awards and funding according to type of organization. (Author 's abstract)

Project demonstration of wind turbine electricity: Interconnecting a northern Michigan fruit farm with a major utility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amon, D. M.

1982-10-01

A project to interconnect a farm wind turbine with a utility is reported. Included are a summary of accomplishments and daily major events, correspondence relevant to the project (letters explaining the delay of installation, extending the period of performance, tax credits, net energy sellback legislation, etc.), publicity, legal aspects, maintenance and repair, analysis of test data, and accounting.

77 FR 60281 - Regarding the Acquisition of Four U.S. Wind Farm Project Companies by Ralls Corporation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-03

... Acquisition of Four U.S. Wind Farm Project Companies by Ralls Corporation By the authority vested in me as... Pine City Windfarm, LLC (collectively, the Project Companies), all limited liability companies... Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), do not, in my judgment, provide adequate and appropriate authority...

Datasets on hub-height wind speed comparisons for wind farms in California.

PubMed

Wang, Meina; Ullrich, Paul; Millstein, Dev

2018-08-01

This article includes the description of data information related to the research article entitled "The future of wind energy in California: Future projections with the Variable-Resolution CESM"[1], with reference number RENE_RENE-D-17-03392. Datasets from the Variable-Resolution CESM, Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd Virtual Met, MERRA-2, CFSR, NARR, ISD surface observations, and upper air sounding observations were used for calculating and comparing hub-height wind speed at multiple major wind farms across California. Information on hub-height wind speed interpolation and power curves at each wind farm sites are also presented. All datasets, except Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd Virtual Met, are publicly available for future analysis.

78 FR 57173 - Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Mohave County Wind Farm Project, Mohave...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-17

... generated by the Project. The approved Project includes up to 243 wind turbine generators and associated..., operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of the Project to BP Wind Energy; and for the BLM to issue a ROW...; AZA32315AA] Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Mohave County Wind Farm Project, Mohave...

Employers' Perspective on Childcare Services for Hired Farm Workers.

PubMed

Lee, Barbara C; Salzwedel, Marsha A; Chyou, Po-Huang; Liebman, Amy K

2017-01-01

The goal of this project was to protect children while parents work in agriculture by improving off-farm services for children of migrant and seasonal farm workers. Large agricultural enterprises have policies forbidding children in the worksite. At the same time, their employees, who are trying to generate income, seek as many work hours as possible but often lack viable options for childcare services. As employers strive to increase their labor pool, and workers seek off-farm childcare, there is mutual interest in improving access to childcare services in agricultural regions dependent on large numbers of full-time and seasonal workers. This report describes the employers' perspectives on childcare needs of hired farm workers' families and their barriers and motivators to facilitating off-farm childcare services. Using descriptive survey research methodology, data were collected from a convenience sample of 102 agribusiness owners and Human Resource directors attending an agricultural conference regarding labor laws or personnel management. Results revealed significant differences for those companies employing more than 25 workers compared to their counterparts. Primary motivators for offering childcare as an employment benefit were improved employee morale, enhanced company reputation, and a more stable workforce. A major barrier was that half of large-scale enterprises lack guidance on how to provide childcare options for their workers. Survey results are being used to facilitate collaboration among employers, farm workers, and childcare providers to offer a safe, nurturing environment for children while their parents work in agriculture.

Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Project Descriptions for 2009

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Project Descriptions for the 2009 award recipients of the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program which is designed to assist recipients in building collaborative partnerships that will help them understand and address the environmental and/or public health issues in their communities.

Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Project Descriptions for 2007

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Project Descriptions for the 2007 award recipients of the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program which is designed to assist recipients in building collaborative partnerships that will help them understand and address the environmental and/or public health issues in their communities.

Plutonium Immobilization Project System Design Description for Can Loading System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kriikku, E.

2001-02-15

The purpose of this System Design Description (SDD) is to specify the system and component functions and requirements for the Can Loading System and provide a complete description of the system (design features, boundaries, and interfaces), principles of operation (including upsets and recovery), and the system maintenance approach. The Plutonium Immobilization Project (PIP) will immobilize up to 13 metric tons (MT) of U.S. surplus weapons usable plutonium materials.

Descriptive survey and Salmonella surveillance of pastured poultry layer farms in California.

PubMed

Dailey, Naomi; Niemeier, Deb; Elkhoraibi, Carine; Sentíes-Cué, C Gabriel; Pitesky, Maurice

2017-04-01

While pasture-raised poultry comprises a small portion of the commercial poultry industry in North America, these alternative rearing systems have become increasingly popular. As such, it is critical to improve our understanding of husbandry practices and prevalence of zoonotic and epizoonotic diseases in these systems. This research reviews the results of a survey sent to 82 commercial pastured poultry farms in California. While the survey response was low (13.4%), it was enhanced by detailed in-person interviews and farm visits. In addition, we conducted drag swabs for Salmonella Enteritidis. On average, farms utilized 12.3% of their total farmland for pastured poultry operations, which often coexisted with other livestock (45%), touch crops (27%), and non-touch crops (45%). While the mean (44.6 sq. ft./hen) and median (22.2 sq. ft./hen) pasture stocking densities were within auditing guidelines, the mean (1.2 sq. ft./hen) and median (0.5 sq. ft./hen) coop stocking densities were below the pending USDA (2016) guidelines recommended in 7 CFR Part 205. Drag swab results showed the presence of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) in the environment of one of the 11 farms (9.1%). In addition, Salmonella Pullorum (SP) whole blood agglutination tests were used to understand the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in laying hens within the studied farms. Results showed the presence of antibodies in flocks at six of the seven non-SE vaccinated farms, with a mean on-farm prevalence of 25.6% in laying hens. Logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for Group D Salmonella exposure in non-vaccinated flocks, using the SP blood agglutination data as the dependent variable and the survey questions as the independent variables. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) risk factors included exposed wire floors and flock size. These results improve our understanding of Salmonella prevalence and husbandry practices on commercial pastured poultry farms in California. © 2016 Poultry

Farming the Sea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, William

1971-01-01

Florida has initiated a training program in an entirely new dimension--Sea Farming. Presented is a description of the vocational agriculture program designed to teach propagation, cultivation, harvesting, marketing, and conservation practices related to production of oysters, shrimp, scallops, crabs, and fin fishes. (Editor/GB)

North Carolina farm women: opportunities for support and farm-related education.

PubMed

Tutor-Marcom, Robin; Bruce, Jacklyn; Greer, Annette

2014-01-01

The stress that farming visits upon male farmers has been acknowledged for decades. Stress- and work-related injuries among nonmigrant farm women is well documented from 1980 through the mid-1990s. A void of literature concerning nonmigrant farm women exists since that time. One possible explanation for this deficit is that United States Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture data only consider the contributions of women on the farm if they are reported as farm operators. From 2002 to 2007, the number of women farm operators in North Carolina (NC) increased by 3%, and currently 13% of the state's farms are operated by women. These numbers emphasize the importance of understanding the self-perceived needs of women farmers. A qualitative research project was conducted to investigate the social-emotional needs of NC farm women. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 women with whom the NC Agromedicine Institute had previously worked in collaboration on farm health and safety. Key themes from interviews were (1) chameleonic, (2) inseparable connectedness, (3) farm sword, (4) women of a feather, and (5) one size doesn't fit all. Participants reported multiple roles, difficulty separating from the farm, preferring the farm over any other place, and viewing themselves as misperceived farm professionals. Participants need opportunities to interact with other farm women for support and sharing farm-management techniques. Future study recommendations include (1) inventory existing programs for farm women; (2) further investigate the support and educational needs of farm women; and (3) examine how farm women are perceived by nonfarm individuals.

Ships as future floating farm systems?

PubMed

Moustafa, Khaled

2018-04-03

Environmental and agriculture challenges such as severe drought, desertification, sprawling cities and shrinking arable lands in large regions in the world compel us to think about alternative and sustainable farming systems. Ongoing projects to build floating cities in the sea suggest that building specific ships for farming purposes (as farming ships or farming boats) would also be attainable to introduce new farming surfaces and boost food production worldwide to cope with food insecurity issues.

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Project Descriptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (ED), Washington, DC.

Descriptions of 155 programs supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education are provided. In addition to a brief statement of the scope of each program, the project director, address, and phone number are identified. Topics addressed by the programs include: ensuring adequate math preparation for college work through…

Welfare and Support Services for Farm Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stayner, Richard; Barclay, Elaine

Following the extended Australian drought of the 1990s, a review was undertaken to assess the programs and services that support farm families and respond to their welfare needs. A total of 43 service providers and 21 farm families were interviewed in New South Wales and Queensland. Following an introduction and description of methodology, the…

Farm animal genomics and informatics: an update

PubMed Central

Fadiel, Ahmed; Anidi, Ifeanyi; Eichenbaum, Kenneth D.

2005-01-01

Farm animal genomics is of interest to a wide audience of researchers because of the utility derived from understanding how genomics and proteomics function in various organisms. Applications such as xenotransplantation, increased livestock productivity, bioengineering new materials, products and even fabrics are several reasons for thriving farm animal genome activity. Currently mined in rapidly growing data warehouses, completed genomes of chicken, fish and cows are available but are largely stored in decentralized data repositories. In this paper, we provide an informatics primer on farm animal bioinformatics and genome project resources which drive attention to the most recent advances in the field. We hope to provide individuals in biotechnology and in the farming industry with information on resources and updates concerning farm animal genome projects. PMID:16275782

Farm Mapping to Assist, Protect, and Prepare Emergency Responders: Farm MAPPER.

PubMed

Reyes, Iris; Rollins, Tami; Mahnke, Andrea; Kadolph, Christopher; Minor, Gerald; Keifer, Matthew

2014-01-01

Responders such as firefighters and emergency medical technicians who respond to farm emergencies often face complex and unknown environments. They may encounter hazards such as fuels, solvents, pesticides, caustics, and exploding gas storage cylinders. Responders may be unaware of dirt roads within the farm that can expedite their arrival at critical sites or snow-covered manure pits that act as hidden hazards. A response to a farm, unless guided by someone familiar with the operation, may present a risk to responders and post a challenge in locating the victim. This project explored the use of a Web-based farm-mapping application optimized for tablets and accessible via easily accessible on-site matrix barcodes, or quick response codes (QR codes), to provide emergency responders with hazard and resource information to agricultural operations. Secured portals were developed for both farmers and responders, allowing both parties to populate and customize farm maps with icons. Data were stored online and linked to QR codes attached to mailbox posts where emergency responders may read them with a mobile device. Mock responses were conducted on dairy farms to test QR code linking efficacy, Web site security, and field usability. Findings from farmer usability tests showed willingness to enter data as well as ease of Web site navigation and data entry even with farmers who had limited computer knowledge. Usability tests with emergency responders showed ease of QR code connectivity to the farm maps and ease of Web site navigation. Further research is needed to improve data security as well as assess the program's applicability to nonfarm environments and integration with existing emergency response systems. The next phases of this project will expand the program for regional and national use, develop QR code-linked, Web-based extrication guidance for farm machinery for victim entrapment rescue, and create QR code-linked online training videos and materials for limited

Monitored Geologic Repository Project Description Document

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

P. M. Curry

2001-01-30

The primary objective of the Monitored Geologic Repository Project Description Document (PDD) is to allocate the functions, requirements, and assumptions to the systems at Level 5 of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS) architecture identified in Section 4. It provides traceability of the requirements to those contained in Section 3 of the ''Monitored Geologic Repository Requirements Document'' (MGR RD) (YMP 2000a) and other higher-level requirements documents. In addition, the PDD allocates design related assumptions to work products of non-design organizations. The document provides Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) technical requirements in support of design and performance assessment in preparing formore » the Site Recommendation (SR) and License Application (LA) milestones. The technical requirements documented in the PDD are to be captured in the System Description Documents (SDDs) which address each of the systems at Level 5 of the CRWMS architecture. The design engineers obtain the technical requirements from the SDDs and by reference from the SDDs to the PDD. The design organizations and other organizations will obtain design related assumptions directly from the PDD. These organizations may establish additional assumptions for their individual activities, but such assumptions are not to conflict with the assumptions in the PDD. The PDD will serve as the primary link between the technical requirements captured in the SDDs and the design requirements captured in US Department of Energy (DOE) documents. The approved PDD is placed under Level 3 baseline control by the CRWMS Management and Operating Contractor (M and O) and the following portions of the PDD constitute the Technical Design Baseline for the MGR: the design characteristics listed in Table 1-1, the MGR Architecture (Section 4.1), the Technical Requirements (Section 5), and the Controlled Project Assumptions (Section 6).« less

Mental Health Services to Rural Consumers. Lessons Learned from a Four Year Iowa Farm Crisis Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Link, Emerson A.

The Southwest Iowa Mental Health Center recently completed a 4-year project to increase use of mental health services by normally reluctant rural populations and to increase coping ability among persons affected by the farm crisis. During the first 2 years, program goals included aggressive outreach to potential patients, mental health education…

Renewable Energy From Animal Biomass – Farm Methane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

St. Amour, Kenneth

2013-08-31

The major goal of the project is to develop 2 anaerobic digesters on family farms in rural Vermont. We have accomplished half of that goal, with 1 digester operating on the Gebbie Maplehurst Farm in Greensboro, Vermont. The 2nd digester is planned as a student demonstration unit at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, Vermont. That half of the project has not commenced. We will limit our discussion to the Gebbie Maplehurst Farm project. A 150MW generator is installed on the farm and is producing electricity which is being sold as part of the Standard Offer Program within the Statemore » of Vermont. The induction generator is the first of its kind manufactured by Martin Machinery of Latham, Missouri. The project is currently generating approximately 15% - 20% of the capacity as shown in appendix I. However, it is anticipated that details will quickly be worked out to increase that capacity factor.« less

"Picturing the Past": Farm Women on the Grasslands Frontier, 1850-1900

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sundberg, Sara Brooks

2010-01-01

This study analyzes fifty-two accounts by pioneer farm women from a less well known part of the U.S. grasslands, the Minnesota prairie between 1850 and 1900. Using Hamlin Garland's frequently cited description of his mother's experience as a baseline for comparison to Minnesota farm women's experiences, this study finds that pioneer farm women…

Water Resources Research Grant Program project descriptions, fiscal year 1986

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1986-01-01

Information is presented on the 43 projects funded by the United States Geological Survey 's Water Resources Grant Program in fiscal year 1986. The report gives the grant number; project title; performing organization; principal investigator(s); dates; and a project description which includes (1) identification of the water related problems and problem-solution approach, (2) contribution to problem solution, (3) objectives, (4) approach, and (5) result users. The 43 projects include 14 in the area of groundwater management, 6 in surface-water management, 2 in systems-operating/planning, 3 in irrigation management, 8 in desalination/reuse, 6 in economic/institutional studies, and 4 in climate variability. The reports contain tables showing (1) funding according to research topic, (2) projects funded to type of submitting organization, (3) proposals received, research topic, and funding levels, and (4) submitting organization. A comparison is given to fiscal year 1985 in each case. (USGS)

Long Island Solar Farm

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anders, R.

2013-05-01

The Long Island Solar Farm (LISF) is a remarkable success story, whereby very different interest groups found a way to capitalize on unusual circumstances to develop a mutually beneficial source of renewable energy. The uniqueness of the circumstances that were necessary to develop the Long Island Solar Farm make it very difficult to replicate. The project is, however, an unparalleled resource for solar energy research, which will greatly inform large-scale PV solar development in the East. Lastly, the LISF is a superb model for the process by which the project developed and the innovation and leadership shown by the differentmore » players.« less

Wind Farm Recommendation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

John Reisenauer

On April 21, 2011, an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Land Use Committee meeting was convened to develop a wind farm recommendation for the Executive Council and a list of proposed actions for proceeding with the recommendation. In terms of land use, the INL Land Use Committee unanimously agrees that Site 6 is the preferred location of the alternatives presented for an INL wind farm. However, further studies and resolution to questions raised (stated in this report) by the INL Land Use Committee are needed for the preferred location. Studies include, but are not limited to, wind viability (6 months), batsmore » (2 years), and the visual impact of the wind farm. In addition, cultural resource surveys and consultation (1 month) and the National Environmental Policy Act process (9 to 12 months) need to be completed. Furthermore, there is no documented evidence of developers expressing interest in constructing a small wind farm on INL, nor a specific list of expectations or concessions for which a developer might expect INL to cover the cost. To date, INL assumes the National Environmental Policy Act activities will be paid for by the Department of Energy and INL (the environmental assessment has only received partial funding). However, other concessions also may be expected by developers such as roads, fencing, power line installation, tie-ins to substations, annual maintenance, snow removal, access control, down-time, and remediation. These types of concessions have not been documented, as a request, from a developer and INL has not identified the short and long-term cost liabilities for such concessions should a developer expect INL to cover these costs. INL has not identified a go-no-go funding level or the priority this Wind Farm Project might have with respect to other nuclear-related projects, should the wind farm remain an unfunded mandate. The Land Use Committee recommends Legal be consulted to determine what, if any, liabilities exist with the Wind Farm

The Farm--Its Function and Future. Environmental Ecological Education Project. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkway School District, Chesterfield, MO.

This unit, designed for use in the primary grades (K-3), focuses on the farm and its functions. The various aspects of farming are discussed from an ecological and environmental point of view through such topics as soil, plants, animals, machinery, production of food, job opportunities, and the future of the farm. There is also a comparison of the…

A Descriptive Study of Farm-Related Injuries Presenting to Emergency Departments in North Carolina: 2008-2012.

PubMed

Allen, Daniel Landon; Kearney, Gregory D; Higgins, Sheila

2015-01-01

Farming is among the most dangerous industries for fatal and nonfatal injuries. A comprehensive agricultural injury surveillance system is absent in North Carolina (NC), and data sets traditionally used to provide estimates of nonfatal farm injuries surveillance in the United States are relatively incomplete. In the absence of a comprehensive farm injury surveillance system, individual local administrative data sources can provide a useful profile of the epidemiology of injuries in a population. The objective of this study was to use emergency department data to help describe the burden of farm-related injuries in NC and explore its usefulness in conducting work-related injury surveillance. Emergency department data from the North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool (NC DETECT) was utilized to identify farm injury cases. The study sample included all farm injury cases for the period of 2008-2012 that contained International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) E code 919.0 (agricultural machinery) or 849.1 (place of occurrence = farm; this E code excludes farm house and home premises of farm). Results indicated that an average of 459 cases of farm injury occurred annually from 2008 to 2012, with no significant change between years. Among the patients, 79.7% were male, 74.7% were between 18 and 64 years old, and 28.1% had no form of insurance coverage. Injuries were more heavily concentrated in the Piedmont and Coastal Plains regions (41.3% and 42.2%, respectively). Of farm-coded incidents, 73.2% were given injury- or poisoning-related primary diagnosis codes, and of these, the most frequent specific codes were related to open wounds of upper limbs (16.2%), contusions (12.0%), and sprains and strains (9.3%). Some significant relationships between diagnoses and sex, region, and age are also identified. Injuries occurring on a farm have been well documented and constitute a significant public health

77 FR 23275 - Notice of Availability of the Draft enXco Desert Harvest Solar Farm Project Environmental Impact...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-18

...-way (ROW) authorization to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a solar photovoltaic (PV... grant to construct, operate, and decommission a solar PV facility on public lands in compliance with... CACA49491] Notice of Availability of the Draft enXco Desert Harvest Solar Farm Project Environmental Impact...

Adapting dairy farms to climate change

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Climate change is projected to affect many aspects of dairy production. These aspects include the growing season length, crop growth processes, harvest timing and losses, heat stress on cattle, nutrient emissions and losses, and ultimately farm profitability. To assess the sensitivity of dairy farms...

Water Resources Research Grant Program project descriptions, fiscal year 1985

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1985-01-01

Information on each of the 24 projects funded by the U.S. Geological Survey in FY 1985 under section 105 of Public Law 93-242 (the Water Resources Research Act of 1984) is presented, including the grant number, organization, the period of performance, and a brief description of the work to be carried out. (Lantz-PTT)

Onshore Wind Farms: Value Creation for Stakeholders in Lithuania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burinskienė, Marija; Rudzkis, Paulius; Kanopka, Adomas

With the costs of fossil fuel consistently rising worldwide over the last decade, the development of green technologies has become a major goal in many countries. Therefore the evaluation of wind power projects becomes a very important task. To estimate the value of the technologies based on renewable resources also means taking into consideration social, economic, environmental, and scientific value of such projects. This article deals with economic evaluation of electricity generation costs of onshore wind farms in Lithuania and the key factors that have influence on wind power projects and offer a better understanding of social-economic context behind wind power projects. To achieve these goals, this article makes use of empirical data of Lithuania's wind power farms as well as data about the investment environment of the country.Based on empirical data of wind power parks, the research investigates the average wind farm generation efficiency in Lithuania. Employing statistical methods the return on investments of wind farms in Lithuania is calculated. The value created for every party involved and the total value of the wind farm is estimated according to Stakeholder theory.

Health impact of wind farms.

PubMed

Kurpas, Donata; Mroczek, Bozena; Karakiewicz, Beata; Kassolik, Krzysztof; Andrzejewski, Waldemar

2013-01-01

Wind power is employed worldwide as an alternative source of energy. At the same time, however, the health effects of wind turbines have become a matter of discussion. The purpose of this study is a critical review of available reports providing arguments both for and against the construction of wind farms. The authors also attempt to propose recommendations in accordance with the Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) guidelines. In the case of exposure to wind farms, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is impossible. To obtain the highest-level recommendations, analysis of case-control studies or cohort studies with control groups should be performed. Preferably, it should include geostatistical analysis conducted with the use of variograms and the kriging technique. Combinations of key words were entered into the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge (SM) and the Internet search engine Google. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF STATE OF THE ART: The nuisance caused by wind turbines is stereotypically linked with the noise that they produce. Nevertheless, the visual aspect of wind farms, opinions about them, and sensitivity to sound seem to be of the greater importance. To date, the direct correlations between the vicinity of modern wind farms, the noise that wind turbines make, and possible consequences to health have not been described in peer reviewed articles. Health effects are more probably associated with some environmental factors leading to annoyance or frustration. All types of studies share the same conclusion: wind turbines can provoke annoyance. As with any project involving changes in the local environment, a certain level of irritation among the population can be expected. There are elected officials and government representatives who should decide what level of social annoyance is acceptable, and whether wind power advantages outweigh its potential drawbacks. The influence of wind turbines on human emotional and physical health is a relatively new field of research. Further

The Skylab Student Project. [high school winners selection and experiments description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Floyd, H. B.

1973-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Teachers' Association (NSTA) undertook in 1971 a cooperative effort which brought high school students of the Nation into the mainstream of Skylab research through the Skylab Student Project. This paper presents the background, objectives and scope of the project, experiment selection procedures, as well as experiment descriptions and status. The paper includes observations on student caliber and inclinations and implications of some developments for the benefit of future researchers.

Give Water a Hand. Farm and Ranch Site Action Guide. Organizing Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention Service Projects in Your Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Coll. of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Students grades 4-8 can use this guide to explore the topics of water, and water conservation on a farm or ranch, while conducting an environmental community service project. Youth groups, led by a group leader, work with local experts from business, government, or environmental organizations to complete the project. Nine activity sections involve…

The role of renewable energy on animal farms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csatári, Nándor; Vántus, András

2015-04-01

energy applications energy saving or recycling solutions. Mentioning the two most important: 70% of the farms used frequency regulated vacuum pump, and 65% of farms used the heat of the cooled milk in a recycling system for heating water. The investment supports plays great role in renewable energy projects by lowering the return time; and through additional points in application assessing, which is an incentive for farmers to include renewable energy element in their modernization projects. The Animal Farm Modernization Support program is the most important for animal farms. Among the examined farms 80% have more than one Animal Farm Modernization Support projects during CAP 2007-2014 period. Four renewable projects were supported, with the intensity of 40 - 75%. In three cases the additional point of a renewable energy solution in the application was an important incentive. All the farms are aware of the renewable energy options, and most of them have further plans in this topic. It is advised to the businesses to seek the best suitable technologies in energy saving, and to adopt the good practices from other businesses.

Fishermen's Energy Atlantic City Wind Farm

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wissemann, Chris

Fishermen's Energy Atlantic City Wind Farm final report under US DOE Advanced Technology Demonstration project documents achievements developing a demonstration scale offshore wind project off the coast of New Jersey.

Final Report DE-EE0005380: Assessment of Offshore Wind Farm Effects on Sea Surface, Subsurface and Airborne Electronic Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ling, Hao; Hamilton, Mark F.; Bhalla, Rajan

2013-09-30

Offshore wind energy is a valuable resource that can provide a significant boost to the US renewable energy portfolio. A current constraint to the development of offshore wind farms is the potential for interference to be caused by large wind farms on existing electronic and acoustical equipment such as radar and sonar systems for surveillance, navigation and communications. The US Department of Energy funded this study as an objective assessment of possible interference to various types of equipment operating in the marine environment where offshore wind farms could be installed. The objective of this project was to conduct a baselinemore » evaluation of electromagnetic and acoustical challenges to sea surface, subsurface and airborne electronic systems presented by offshore wind farms. To accomplish this goal, the following tasks were carried out: (1) survey electronic systems that can potentially be impacted by large offshore wind farms, and identify impact assessment studies and research and development activities both within and outside the US, (2) engage key stakeholders to identify their possible concerns and operating requirements, (3) conduct first-principle modeling on the interactions of electromagnetic signals with, and the radiation of underwater acoustic signals from, offshore wind farms to evaluate the effect of such interactions on electronic systems, and (4) provide impact assessments, recommend mitigation methods, prioritize future research directions, and disseminate project findings. This report provides a detailed description of the methodologies used to carry out the study, key findings of the study, and a list of recommendations derived based the findings.« less

76 FR 62052 - Issuance of a Loan Guarantee to First Solar, Inc., for the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm Project

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-06

... The proposed DSSFP is a photovoltaic solar electrical generating facility using commercial, thin-film... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Issuance of a Loan Guarantee to First Solar, Inc., for the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm Project AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy. ACTION: Record of decision. SUMMARY: The U.S...

75 FR 45617 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-03

... Numbers: ER08-1226-007; ER08-1225-010; ER08-1111-008. Applicants: Cloud County Wind Farm, LLC, Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm I, LLC, Arlington Wind Power Project LLC. Description: Arlington Wind Power Project LLC... Wind Farm, L.P. Description: Waymart Wind Farm, L.P. submits tariff filing per 35.12: Waymart Baseline...

Baseline process description for simulating plutonium oxide production for precalc project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pike, J. A.

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) started a multi-year project, the PreCalc Project, to develop a computational simulation of a plutonium oxide (PuO 2) production facility with the objective to study the fundamental relationships between morphological and physicochemical properties. This report provides a detailed baseline process description to be used by SRNL personnel and collaborators to facilitate the initial design and construction of the simulation. The PreCalc Project team selected the HB-Line Plutonium Finishing Facility as the basis for a nominal baseline process since the facility is operational and significant model validation data can be obtained. The process boundary as wellmore » as process and facility design details necessary for multi-scale, multi-physics models are provided.« less

Social capital on poultry farms in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sri Lestari, V.; Natsir; Patrick, I. W.; Ali, H. M.; Asya, M.; Sirajuddin, S. N.

2018-05-01

Social capital plays an important role in the development of poultry farms in South Sulawesi. Poultry farms consisted of laying hen and broiler farms. Most of laying hen farms were located in Sidrap Regency, while broiler farms were located in Maros regency. The aim of this research was to know social capital on beef cattle farms in South Sulawesi. Population of this research was 120 farmers which consisted of 6o were laying hen farmers and 60 were broiler farmers. Variable of social capital was mutual trust, reciprocity, shared norms and linkage. The data were collected from observation and depth interview by using questionnaire. There were 10 questions. The answer was scored by using Likert scale ranging from 1 refer to strongly agree; 2 refer to agree; 3 refer to not sure; 4 refer to disagree and 5 refer to strongly disagree. The data were analyzed descriptively using frequency distribution. The research revealed that mutual trust and shared norms members of the group in broiler farms have higher level than that on laying hen farms, on the other hand, linkage or net working members of the group among laying hen farmers has higher level than that on broiler farms.

FARM WASTE TO ENERGY: A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR SMALL-SCALE FARMS

EPA Science Inventory

Through this project, it was determined that the utilization of anaerobic digestion on small farms for the purpose of managing varying waste streams and odor issues and decreasing fossil fuel consumption and cost was feasible. The feedstocks necessary to run the digester are r...

Stakeholders' interest in and challenges to implementing farm-to-school programs, Douglas County, Nebraska, 2010-2011.

PubMed

Pinard, Courtney A; Smith, Teresa M; Carpenter, Leah R; Chapman, Mary; Balluff, Mary; Yaroch, Amy L

2013-12-19

Schools are uniquely positioned to influence the dietary habits of children, and farm-to-school programs can increase fruit and vegetable consumption among school-aged children. We assessed the feasibility of, interest in, and barriers to implementing farm-to-school activities in 7 school districts in Douglas County, Nebraska. We used a preassessment and postassessment survey to obtain data from 3 stakeholder groups: school food service directors, local food producers, and food distributors. We had a full-time farm-to-school coordinator who was able to engage multiple stakeholders and oversee the development and dissemination of a toolkit. We used descriptive statistics to make comparisons. Seven food service directors, 5 distributors identified by the food service directors, and 57 local producers (9 completed only the preassessment survey, 16 completed only the postassessment survey, and 32 completed both) completed various components of the assessment. Interest in pursuing farm-to-school activities to incorporate more local foods in the school lunch program increased during the 2-year project; mean interest in purchasing local foods by food service directors for their districts increased from 4.4 to 4.7 (on a scale of 1 to 5). Implementing farm-to-school programming in Douglas County, Nebraska, is feasible, although food safety and distribution is a main concern among food service directors. Additional research on feasibility, infrastructure, and education is recommended.

Projected shell model description of N = 114 superdeformed isotone nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, R. S.; Chen, L. M.; Chou, C. H.

2006-03-01

A systematic description of the yrast superdeformed (SD) bands in N = 114, Z = 80-84 isotone nuclei using the projected shell model is presented. The calculated γ-ray energies, moment of inertia and M1 transitions are compared with the data for which spin is assigned. Excellent agreement with the available data for all isotones is obtained. The calculated electromagnetic properties provide a microscopic understanding of those measured nuclei. Some predictions in superdeformed nuclei are also discussed.

Technical indicators of economic performance in dairy sheep farming.

PubMed

Theodoridis, A; Ragkos, A; Roustemis, D; Arsenos, G; Abas, Z; Sinapis, E

2014-01-01

In this study, the level of technical efficiency of 58 sheep farms rearing the Chios breed in Greece was measured through the application of the stochastic frontier analysis method. A Translog stochastic frontier production function was estimated using farm accounting data of Chios sheep farms and the impact of various socio-demographic and biophysical factors on the estimated efficiency of the farms was evaluated. The farms were classified into efficiency groups on the basis of the estimated level of efficiency and a technical and economic descriptive analysis was applied in order to illustrate an indicative picture of their structure and productivity. The results of the stochastic frontier model indicate that there are substantial production inefficiencies among the Chios sheep farms and that these farms could increase their production through the improvement of technical efficiency, whereas the results of the inefficiency effects model reveal that the farm-specific explanatory factors can partly explain the observed efficiency differentials. The measurement of technical inefficiency and the detection of its determinants can be used to form the basis of policy recommendations that could contribute to the development of the sector.

Capital Strategy in Diversification Farming Efforts Using SWOT Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damanhuri; Setyohadi, D. P. S.; Utami, M. M. D.; Kurnianto, M. F.; Hariono, B.

2018-01-01

Wetland farm diversification program in the district of Bojonegoro, Tulungagung, and Ponorogo can not provide an optimal contribution to the income of farmers caused because farmers are not able to cultivate high value-added commodities due to limited capital. This study aims to identify the characteristics of farming, capital pattern, stakeholder role, to analyze farming to know the pattern of planting suggestions and prospects, and to formulate capital facilitation strategy. Farming capital is obtained through loans in financial institutions with different patterns. Small farmers tend to utilize savings and credit cooperatives, microcredit, and loan sharks, while farmers with large wetland holdings tend to utilize commercial banks. P enelitian using descriptive method of farming profit analysis, and SWOT. The government through the banking institutions have provided much facilitation in the form of low-interest loans with flexible payment method. The generic strategy of selected capital facilitation is to empower farmers through farmer groups who have the capability in managing the capital needs of their members.

IEA Wind Task 26: Offshore Wind Farm Baseline Documentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smart, Gavin; Smith, Aaron; Warner, Ethan

This document has been produced to provide the definition and rationale for the Baseline Offshore Wind Farm established within IEA Wind Task 26--Cost of Wind Energy. The Baseline has been developed to provide a common starting point for country comparisons and sensitivity analysis on key offshore wind cost and value drivers. The baseline project reflects an approximate average of the characteristics of projects installed between 2012 and 2014, with the project life assumed to be 20 years. The baseline wind farm is located 40 kilometres (km) from construction and operations and maintenance (O&M) ports and from export cable landfall. Themore » wind farm consists of 100 4-megawatt (MW) wind turbines mounted on monopile foundations in an average water depth of 25 metres (m), connected by 33-kilovolt (kV) inter-array cables. The arrays are connected to a single offshore substation (33kV/220kV) mounted on a jacket foundation, with the substation connected via a single 220kV export cable to an onshore substation, 10km from landfall. The wind farm employs a port-based O&M strategy using crew-transfer vessels.« less

Occupational Injuries on Thoroughbred Horse Farms: A Description of Latino and Non-Latino Workers’ Experiences

PubMed Central

Swanberg, Jennifer E.; Clouser, Jessica M.; Westneat, Susan C.; Marsh, Mary W.; Reed, Deborah B.

2013-01-01

Animal production is a dangerous industry and increasingly reliant on a Latino workforce. Within animal production, little is known about the risks or the occupational hazards of working on farms involved in various aspects of thoroughbred horse breeding. Extant research suggests that horse workers are at risk of musculoskeletal and respiratory symptoms, kicks, and other injuries. However, limited known research has examined the experiences of the industry’s workers, including immigrant workers, despite their prominence and increased vulnerability. Using data collected from thoroughbred farm representatives via a phone-administered survey, a 2-hour face-to-face semi-structured interview, and farm injury logs, this article identifies and describes types of injuries experienced by workers (N = 284) and their surrounding circumstances. Results indicate that general injuries and musculoskeletal strains, sprains, and tears account for a majority of injuries among workers on thoroughbred farms. Upper limbs and extremities are most frequently injured, while direct contact with the horse accounted for over half of all injuries. No differences in the diagnoses or distribution of injury were found by ethnicity; however, Latinos were more often struck by or trampled by a horse while non-Latinos were more often injured by an insect or plant. Implications and opportunities for future research are discussed. PMID:24351785

75 FR 2127 - Basin Farm Renewable, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-14

... the feasibility of the Basin Farm Renewable Energy Project Project, to be located on Saxtons River, in... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 13643-000] Basin Farm Renewable, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments...

Stakeholders’ Interest in and Challenges to Implementing Farm-to-School Programs, Douglas County, Nebraska, 2010–2011

PubMed Central

Smith, Teresa M.; Carpenter, Leah R.; Chapman, Mary; Balluff, Mary; Yaroch, Amy L.

2013-01-01

Introduction Schools are uniquely positioned to influence the dietary habits of children, and farm-to-school programs can increase fruit and vegetable consumption among school-aged children. We assessed the feasibility of, interest in, and barriers to implementing farm-to-school activities in 7 school districts in Douglas County, Nebraska. Methods We used a preassessment and postassessment survey to obtain data from 3 stakeholder groups: school food service directors, local food producers, and food distributors. We had a full-time farm-to-school coordinator who was able to engage multiple stakeholders and oversee the development and dissemination of a toolkit. We used descriptive statistics to make comparisons. Results Seven food service directors, 5 distributors identified by the food service directors, and 57 local producers (9 completed only the preassessment survey, 16 completed only the postassessment survey, and 32 completed both) completed various components of the assessment. Interest in pursuing farm-to-school activities to incorporate more local foods in the school lunch program increased during the 2-year project; mean interest in purchasing local foods by food service directors for their districts increased from 4.4 to 4.7 (on a scale of 1 to 5). Conclusion Implementing farm-to-school programming in Douglas County, Nebraska, is feasible, although food safety and distribution is a main concern among food service directors. Additional research on feasibility, infrastructure, and education is recommended. PMID:24355103

Report on a Two-Year Farm Management/Agricultural Mechanics Curriculum Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eighmy, Myron A.; Tews, Bradley D.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this project was to review the Farm Management curriculum at the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) to determine if current curriculum content provides the knowledge and skills needed to be an entry-level farm manager in a contemporary farming operation. The nominal group technique was selected for this curriculum review.…

Molokai Farm Project. An Agricultural Training Program of the Maui Community College, University of Hawaii. Report for Fiscal Year 1982-83.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawaii State Dept. of Agriculture, Honolulu.

The Molokai Farm Project at Maui Community College grew out of a grant for a Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Demonstration Program. The program, which can lead either to an associate degree or to a certification of completion for any number of smaller units of course work, is designed to develop students' managerial proficiency and the…

Designing Albaha Internet of Farming Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alahmadi, A.

2017-04-01

Up to now, most farmers in Albaha, Saudi Arabia are still practicing traditional way, which is not optimized in term of water usage, quality of product, etc. At the same time, nowadays ICT becomes a key driver for Innovation in Farming. In this project, we propose a smart Internet of farming system to assist farmers in Albaha to optimize their farm productivity by providing accurate information to the farmers the right time prediction to harvest, to fertilize, to watering and other activities related to the farming/agriculture technology. The proposed system utilizes wireless sensor cloud to capture remotely important data such as temperature, humidity, soil condition (moisture, water level), etc., and then they are sent to a storage servers at Albaha University cloud. An adaptive knowledge engine will process the captured data into knowledge and the farmers can retrieve the knowledge using their smartphones via the Internet.

A Structured Process Description of a Pragmatic Implementation Project: Improving Integrated Care for Older Persons in Residential Care Homes

PubMed Central

Poot, Antonius J.; de Waard, Claudia S.; Wind, Annet W.; Caljouw, Monique A. A.; Gussekloo, Jacobijn

2017-01-01

Evaluation of the implementation of integrated care can differ from trial-based research due to complexity. Therefore, we examined whether a theory-based method for process description of implementation can contribute to improvement of evidence-based care. MOVIT, a Dutch project aimed at implementing integrated care for older vulnerable persons in residential care homes, was used as a case study. The project activities were defined according to implementation taxonomy and mapped in a matrix of theoretical levels and domains. Project activities mainly targeted professionals (both individual and group). A few activities targeted the organizational level, whereas none targeted the policy level, or the patient, or the “social, political, and legal” domains. However, the resulting changes in care delivery arrangement had consequences for professionals, patients, organizations, and the social, political, and legal domains. A structured process description of a pragmatic implementation project can help assess the fidelity and quality of the implementation, and identify relevant contextual factors for immediate adaptation and future research. The description showed that, in the MOVIT project, there was a discrepancy between the levels and domains targeted by the implementation activities and those influenced by the resulting changes in delivery arrangement. This could have influenced, in particular, the adoption and sustainability of the project. PMID:29161944

A Structured Process Description of a Pragmatic Implementation Project: Improving Integrated Care for Older Persons in Residential Care Homes.

PubMed

Poot, Antonius J; de Waard, Claudia S; Wind, Annet W; Caljouw, Monique A A; Gussekloo, Jacobijn

2017-01-01

Evaluation of the implementation of integrated care can differ from trial-based research due to complexity. Therefore, we examined whether a theory-based method for process description of implementation can contribute to improvement of evidence-based care. MOVIT, a Dutch project aimed at implementing integrated care for older vulnerable persons in residential care homes, was used as a case study. The project activities were defined according to implementation taxonomy and mapped in a matrix of theoretical levels and domains. Project activities mainly targeted professionals (both individual and group). A few activities targeted the organizational level, whereas none targeted the policy level, or the patient, or the "social, political, and legal" domains. However, the resulting changes in care delivery arrangement had consequences for professionals, patients, organizations, and the social, political, and legal domains. A structured process description of a pragmatic implementation project can help assess the fidelity and quality of the implementation, and identify relevant contextual factors for immediate adaptation and future research. The description showed that, in the MOVIT project, there was a discrepancy between the levels and domains targeted by the implementation activities and those influenced by the resulting changes in delivery arrangement. This could have influenced, in particular, the adoption and sustainability of the project.

Project Turnover Deliverables for the SY Farm Enraf Annulus Leak Detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

SCAIEF, C.C.

2000-09-19

This document identifies the deliverables that ensure the end user of the SY Farm Enraf Annulus Leak Detectors (ALD) has all the documentation and training required for operating and maintaining the new system. All deliverable items checked on the Acceptance For Beneficial Use (ABU) form have been completed and are available to the end user. This document was written as required by HNF-IP-0842, Volume IV section 3.12 Acceptance of Structures, Systems, and Components for Beneficial Use. This document applies to the deliverable documentation required to operate and maintain the SY Farm Enraf ALD System. Appendix A provides a copy ofmore » the ABU form as listed in the appendix of TWR-4092, Engineering Task Plan for the New SY Farm Annulus Leak Detectors. This document attests that all required deliverable items checked on the ABU have been completed and are available to the end user.« less

People on the Farm: Raising Beef Cattle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crain, Robert L.

This booklet provides information on raising beef cattle through profiles of two families, the Ritschards of Colorado and the Schuttes of Missouri. Through descriptions of daily life for these families, the booklet discusses the way of life on modern beef cattle farms and the problems and decisions faced by farmers. The booklet explains how…

Farm-Level Effects of Soil Conservation and Commodity Policy Alternatives: Model and Data Documentation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutton, John D.

This report documents a profit-maximizing linear programming (LP) model of a farm typical of a major corn-soybean producing area in the Southern Michigan-Northern Indiana Drift Plain. Following an introduction, a complete description of the farm is provided. The next section presents the LP model, which is structured to help analyze after-tax…

Dairy farm demographics and management factors that played a role in the re-emergence of brucellosis on dairy cattle farms in Fiji.

PubMed

Tukana, Andrew; Gummow, B

2017-08-01

Little is published on risk factors associated with bovine brucellosis in Pacific island communities. The 2009 re-emergence of bovine brucellosis in Fiji enabled us to do an interview-based questionnaire survey of 81 farms in the Wainivesi locality of the Tailevu province on the main island of Fiji to investigate what risk factors could have played a role in the re-emergence of the disease. The survey was conducted on 68 farms that had no positive cases of bovine brucellosis and on 13 farms in the same area where cattle had returned a positive result to the Brucella Rose Bengal test. Descriptive statistical methods were used to describe the demographic data while univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between the selected risk factors and the presence of brucellosis on the farms at the time of the outbreak. The demographics of Fijian dairy farms are presented in the article and the biosecurity implications of those farming systems are discussed. Two risk factors were strongly associated with farms having brucellosis, and these were history of reactor cattle to brucellosis and or bovine tuberculosis on the farm (OR = 29, P ≤ 0.01) and farms that practised sharing of water sources for cattle within and with outside farms (OR = 39, P ≤ 0.01). Possible reasons why these were risk factors are also discussed. The potential risks for human health was also high as the use of personal protective equipment was low (15%). A high proportion of farmers (62%) could not recognise brucellosis thus contributing to the low frequency of disease reports (44%) made. The article also highlights other important risk factors which could be attributed to farming practices in the region and which could contribute to public health risks and the re-emergence of diseases.

Mental health recovery on care farms and day centres: a qualitative comparative study of users' perspectives.

PubMed

Iancu, Sorana C; Zweekhorst, Marjolein B M; Veltman, Dick J; van Balkom, Anton J L M; Bunders, Joske F G

2014-01-01

Mental health services increasingly incorporate the vision of recovery. This qualitative study analysed and compared experiences of recovery on prevocational services, in order to assess if users make progress towards recovery, relative to a staged recovery model. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants on care farms (n = 14), work (n = 7) and creative projects (n = 5). The transition from past to current lives was described as a progressive, non-linear process, with different stages guided by different goals. Participants on creative projects lacked clear goals, presented less interest in peers and high need for emotional support. Participants on work projects aimed for occupational rehabilitation, but struggled with the patient culture of the peer community. Participants on care farms aimed for daytime occupations and closer contact with society. They experienced care farms as open, real-life work settings where they could exercise responsibility and connect with people. Participants progressed towards recovery, as care farms, work- and creative projects empowered them to leave behind inactive, isolated or disorganized living. In day centres, users focused on self-reflection and personal development (creative projects) or on occupational performance (work projects), whereas on care farms, users fulfilled worker roles in a real-life, open community environment. Organized as open communities in real-life settings, care farms facilitate the reflection on personal and social responsibility, and therefore have the potential to help users internalize worker identities and improve their motivation to progress towards recovery. Supervisors on care farms are regarded by users as close contacts within the social networks they develop on the service, a position that allows supervisors to actively engage and promote users' progress towards recovery. Elements of the farm environment (such as the "normal life", presence of family

AN EVALUATION OF HANFORD SITE TANK FARM SUBSURFACE CONTAMINATION FY2007

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MANN, F.M.

2007-07-10

The Tank Farm Vadose Zone (TFVZ) Project conducts activities to characterize and analyze the long-term environmental and human health impacts from tank waste releases to the vadose zone. The project also implements interim measures to mitigate impacts, and plans the remediation of waste releases from tank farms and associated facilities. The scope of this document is to report data needs that are important to estimating long-term human health and environmental risks. The scope does not include technologies needed to remediate contaminated soils and facilities, technologies needed to close tank farms, or management and regulatory decisions that will impact remediation andmore » closure. This document is an update of ''A Summary and Evaluation of Hanford Site Tank Farm Subsurface Contamination''. That 1998 document summarized knowledge of subsurface contamination beneath the tank farms at the time. It included a preliminary conceptual model for migration of tank wastes through the vadose zone and an assessment of data and analysis gaps needed to update the conceptual model. This document provides a status of the data and analysis gaps previously defined and discussion of the gaps and needs that currently exist to support the stated mission of the TFVZ Project. The first data-gaps document provided the basis for TFVZ Project activities over the previous eight years. Fourteen of the nineteen knowledge gaps identified in the previous document have been investigated to the point that the project defines the current status as acceptable. In the process of filling these gaps, significant accomplishments were made in field work and characterization, laboratory investigations, modeling, and implementation of interim measures. The current data gaps are organized in groups that reflect Components of the tank farm vadose zone conceptual model: inventory, release, recharge, geohydrology, geochemistry, and modeling. The inventory and release components address residual wastes

The dairy industry: a brief description of production practices, trends, and farm characteristics around the world.

PubMed

Douphrate, David I; Hagevoort, G Robert; Nonnenmann, Matthew W; Lunner Kolstrup, Christina; Reynolds, Stephen J; Jakob, Martina; Kinsel, Mark

2013-01-01

The global dairy industry is composed of a multitude of countries with unique production practices and consumer markets. The global average number of cows per farm is about 1-2 cows; however, as a farm business model transitions from sustenance to market production, the average herd size, and subsequent labor force increases. Dairy production is unique as an agricultural commodity because milk is produced daily, for 365 days per year. With the introduction of new technology such as the milking parlor, the global industry trend is one of increasing farm sizes. The farm sizes are the largest in the United States; however, the European Union produces the most milk compared with other global producers. Dairy production is essential for economic development and sustainable communities in rural areas. However, the required capital investment and availability of local markets and labor are continued challenges. Due to farm expansion, international producers are faced with new challenges related to assuring food safety and a safe working environment for their workforce. These challenges exist in addition to the cultural and language barriers related to an increasing dependence on immigrant labor in many regions of the world. Continued success of the global dairy industry is vital. Therefore, research should continue to address the identification of occupational risk factors associated with injuries and illnesses, as well as develop cost-effective interventions and practices that lead to the minimization or elimination of these injuries and illnesses on a global scale, among our valuable population of dairy producers and workers.

Energy Economics of Farm Biogas in Cold Climates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pillay, Pragasen; Grimberg, Stefan; Powers, Susan E

Anaerobic digestion of farm and dairy waste has been shown to be capital intensive. One way to improve digester economics is to co-digest high-energy substrates together with the dairy manure. Cheese whey for example represents a high-energy substrate that is generated during cheese manufacture. There are currently no quantitative tools available that predict performance of co-digestion farm systems. The goal of this project was to develop a mathematical tool that would (1) predict the impact of co-digestion and (2) determine the best use of the generated biogas for a cheese manufacturing plant. Two models were developed that separately could bemore » used to meet both goals of the project. Given current pricing structures of the most economical use of the generated biogas at the cheese manufacturing plant was as a replacement of fuel oil to generate heat. The developed digester model accurately predicted the performance of 26 farm digesters operating in the North Eastern U.S.« less

The Farm in Montessori Adolescent History: The First Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewert-Krocker, Laurie

2001-01-01

Details, first-hand, start-up year experiences of the Hershey Montessori Farm School in Huntsburg, Ohio. Describes the emerging organization of the project, including: full-time staff roles; the typical daily schedule; occupation projects for the 2000-2001 school year; and projects for 2000-2001 related to humanities, creative expression, physical…

Building a stakeholder's vision of an offshore wind-farm project: A group modeling approach.

PubMed

Château, Pierre-Alexandre; Chang, Yang-Chi; Chen, Hsin; Ko, Tsung-Ting

2012-03-15

This paper describes a Group Model Building (GMB) initiative that was designed to discuss the various potential effects that an offshore wind-farm may have on its local ecology and socioeconomic development. The representatives of various organizations in the study area, Lu-Kang, Taiwan, have held several meetings, and structured debates have been organized to promote the emergence of a consensual view on the main issues and their implications. A System Dynamics (SD) model has been built and corrected iteratively with the participants through the GMB process. The diverse interests within the group led the process toward the design of multifunctional wind-farms with different modalities. The scenario analyses, using the SD model under various policies, including no wind-farm policy, objectively articulates the vision of the local stakeholders. The results of the SD simulations show that the multifunctional wind-farms may have superior economic effects and the larger wind-farms with bird corridors could reduce ecological impact. However, the participants of the modeling process did not appreciate any type of offshore wind-farm development when considering all of the identified key factors of social acceptance. The insight gained from the study can provide valuable information to actualize feasible strategies for the green energy technique to meet local expectations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Outsourcing mental health care services? The practice and potential of community-based farms in psychiatric rehabilitation.

PubMed

Iancu, Sorana C; Zweekhorst, Marjolein B M; Veltman, Dick J; van Balkom, Anton J L M; Bunders, Joske F G

2015-02-01

Psychiatric rehabilitation supports individuals with mental disorders to acquire the skills needed for independent lives in communities. This article assesses the potential of outsourcing psychiatric rehabilitation by analysing care farm services in the Netherlands. Service characteristics were analysed across 214 care farms retrieved from a national database. Qualitative insights were provided by five case descriptions, selected from 34 interviews. Institutional care farms were significantly larger and older than private care farms (comprising 88.8% of all care farms). Private, independent care farms provide real-life work conditions to users who are relatively less impaired. Private, contracted care farms tailor the work activities to their capacities and employ professional supervisors. Institutional care farms accommodate for the most vulnerable users. We conclude that collaborations with independent, contracted and institutional care farms would provide mental health care organizations with a diversity in services, enhanced community integration and a better match with users' rehabilitation needs.

75 FR 30391 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-01

... Time on Tuesday, June 8, 2010. Docket Numbers: EC10-72-000. Applicants: Cloud County Wind Farm, LLC, Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm I, LLC, Arlington Wind Power Project LLC. Description: Application for... Power Project LLC, Cloud County Wind Farm, LLC, and Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm I, LLC. Filed Date: 05/20...

75 FR 2128 - Basin Farm Renewable, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-14

... the feasibility of the Basin Farm Renewable Energy Project, to be located on Saxtons River, in... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 13640-000] Basin Farm Renewable, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments...

Comparing offshore wind farm wake observed from satellite SAR and wake model results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bay Hasager, Charlotte

2014-05-01

Offshore winds can be observed from satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR). In the FP7 EERA DTOC project, the European Energy Research Alliance project on Design Tools for Offshore Wind Farm Clusters, there is focus on mid- to far-field wind farm wakes. The more wind farms are constructed nearby other wind farms, the more is the potential loss in annual energy production in all neighboring wind farms due to wind farm cluster effects. It is of course dependent upon the prevailing wind directions and wind speed levels, the distance between the wind farms, the wind turbine sizes and spacing. Some knowledge is available within wind farm arrays and in the near-field from various investigations. There are 58 offshore wind farms in the Northern European seas grid connected and in operation. Several of those are spaced near each other. There are several twin wind farms in operation including Nysted-1 and Rødsand-2 in the Baltic Sea, and Horns Rev 1 and Horns Rev 2, Egmond aan Zee and Prinses Amalia, and Thompton 1 and Thompton 2 all in the North Sea. There are ambitious plans of constructing numerous wind farms - great clusters of offshore wind farms. Current investigation of offshore wind farms includes mapping from high-resolution satellite SAR of several of the offshore wind farms in operation in the North Sea. Around 20 images with wind farm wake cases have been retrieved and processed. The data are from the Canadian RADARSAT-1/-2 satellites. These observe in microwave C-band and have been used for ocean surface wind retrieval during several years. The satellite wind maps are valid at 10 m above sea level. The wakes are identified in the raw images as darker areas downwind of the wind farms. In the SAR-based wind maps the wake deficit is found as areas of lower winds downwind of the wind farms compared to parallel undisturbed flow in the flow direction. The wind direction is clearly visible from lee effects and wind streaks in the images. The wind farm wake cases

Residents' Perceptions toward Utility-Scale Wind Farm Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Joseph; Romich, Eric

2015-01-01

Increased development of wind farms in the U.S. has fostered debates surrounding the siting and support for the projects. Prior research demonstrates the importance of understanding the attitudes and opinions of community members when developing projects. This article reviews a case study of an Ohio community that integrated a local survey to…

Projecting carbon footprint of Canadian dairy farms under future climate conditions with the integrated farm system model

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dairy farms are an important sector of Canadian agriculture, and there is an on-going effort to assess their environmental impact. In Canada, like many northern areas of the world, climate change is expected to increase agricultural productivity. This will likely come along with changes in environme...

Evaluation of ionophore sensitivity of Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima isolated from the Algerian Jijel province poultry farms

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The present study represents the first description of ionophore resistance in Eimeria recovered from commercial Algerian (Jijel-Algeria) broiler farms. Microscopy and ITS1 PCR revealed only 2 Eimeria species present in litter from these farms- namely E. acervulina and E. maxima. A pool of these is...

Project Design Concept for Monitoring and Control System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MCGREW, D.L.

2000-10-02

This Project Design Concept represents operational requirements established for use in design the tank farm Monitoring and Control System. These upgrades are included within the scope of Project W-314, Tank Farm Restoration and Safe Operations.

Are large farms more efficient? Tenure security, farm size and farm efficiency: evidence from northeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yuepeng; Ma, Xianlei; Shi, Xiaoping

2017-04-01

How to increase production efficiency, guarantee grain security, and increase farmers' income using the limited farmland is a great challenge that China is facing. Although theory predicts that secure property rights and moderate scale management of farmland can increase land productivity, reduce farm-related costs, and raise farmer's income, empirical studies on the size and magnitude of these effects are scarce. A number of studies have examined the impacts of land tenure or farm size on productivity or efficiency, respectively. There are also a few studies linking farm size, land tenure and efficiency together. However, to our best knowledge, there are no studies considering tenure security and farm efficiency together for different farm scales in China. In addition, there is little study analyzing the profit frontier. In this study, we particularly focus on the impacts of land tenure security and farm size on farm profit efficiency, using farm level data collected from 23 villages, 811 households in Liaoning in 2015. 7 different farm scales have been identified to further represent small farms, median farms, moderate-scale farms, and large farms. Technical efficiency is analyzed with stochastic frontier production function. The profit efficiency is regressed on a set of explanatory variables which includes farm size dummies, land tenure security indexes, and household characteristics. We found that: 1) The technical efficiency scores for production efficiency (average score = 0.998) indicate that it is already very close to the production frontier, and thus there is little room to improve production efficiency. However, there is larger space to raise profit efficiency (average score = 0.768) by investing more on farm size expansion, seed, hired labor, pesticide, and irrigation. 2) Farms between 50-80 mu are most efficient from the viewpoint of profit efficiency. The so-called moderate-scale farms (100-150 mu) according to the governmental guideline show no

The CROPROTECT project and wider opportunities to improve farm productivity through web-based knowledge exchange.

PubMed

Bruce, Toby J A

2016-05-01

A key global 21st century challenge is to maximize agricultural production while minimizing use of resources such as land, water, and energy to meet rising demand for produce. To meet this challenge, while also adapting to climate change, agriculture will have to become more knowledge intensive and deploy smarter farming techniques. The intention of this study was to: (1) Highlight the opportunity for web-based knowledge exchange to increase farm productivity and thus contribute to achieving food and energy security, (2) Give some examples of online farming information services such as the "CROPROTECT" tool I am developing in the UK, the CABI "Plantwise" Knowledge Bank and the IRRI "Rice Doctor," and (3) Consider lessons learnt so far. There are huge opportunities to facilitate knowledge exchange through online systems for farmers and people who advise farmers. CROPROTECT is interacting with users to determine priorities in terms of the pests, weeds, and diseases covered and is providing key information to assist with their management. Knowledge is a critical input for farming systems. Crop protection in particular is becoming more difficult due to evolution of pest resistance and changes in legislation. Up to date information can be made rapidly available and shared online through websites and smartphone Apps. Agricultural extension no longer relies solely on physical meetings and printed documents. The capacity to share information via the Internet is tremendous with its potential to reach a wide audience in the farming community, to provide rapid updates and to interact more with the users. However, in an era of information deluge, accessing relevant information and ensuring reliability are essential considerations. There is also a need to bring science and farming communities together to turn information into relevant farming knowledge.

Towards a deeper understanding of parenting on farms: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Elliot, Valerie; Cammer, Allison; Pickett, William; Marlenga, Barbara; Lawson, Joshua; Dosman, James; Hagel, Louise; Koehncke, Niels; Trask, Catherine

2018-01-01

Children living on farms experience exceptionally high risks for traumatic injury. There is a large body of epidemiological research documenting this phenomenon, yet few complementary studies that have explored the deep underlying reasons for such trends. Fundamental to this is understanding the decision-making processes of parents surrounding their choice to bring children, or not, into the farm worksite. To (1) document farm parent views of the risks and benefits of raising children on a family farm, and, (2) understand more deeply why children are brought into the farm worksite. Interviews were conducted as part of a larger cohort study, The Saskatchewan Farm Injury Cohort. Subsequent to an initial mail-out question focused on parental decision-making, 11 semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with rural Saskatchewan farm parents. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, then thematically analyzed using interpretive description methodology. This parental decision-making process on farms fundamentally involves weighing the risks vs. benefits of bringing children into the worksite, as if on a balance scale. One side of this scale holds potential risks such as exposure to physical and chemical farm hazards, in the absence of full supervision. The other side holds potential benefits such as meeting family needs for childcare, labour, and family time; building work ethic and pride; and the positive impacts of involvement and responsibility. Decision-making 'tips the scales', in part dependent upon parental perceptions of the risk-benefit trade-off. This 'perceptual lens' is influenced by factors such as: the agricultural way of life, parents' prior knowledge and past experience, characteristics of children, and safety norms. This novel qualitative study provides deep insight into how Saskatchewan farm parents approach a fundamental decision-making process associated with their parenting. The proposed model provides insight into the

Towards a deeper understanding of parenting on farms: A qualitative study

PubMed Central

Elliot, Valerie; Cammer, Allison; Pickett, William; Marlenga, Barbara; Lawson, Joshua; Dosman, James; Hagel, Louise; Koehncke, Niels

2018-01-01

Background Children living on farms experience exceptionally high risks for traumatic injury. There is a large body of epidemiological research documenting this phenomenon, yet few complementary studies that have explored the deep underlying reasons for such trends. Fundamental to this is understanding the decision-making processes of parents surrounding their choice to bring children, or not, into the farm worksite. Objectives To (1) document farm parent views of the risks and benefits of raising children on a family farm, and, (2) understand more deeply why children are brought into the farm worksite. Methods Interviews were conducted as part of a larger cohort study, The Saskatchewan Farm Injury Cohort. Subsequent to an initial mail-out question focused on parental decision-making, 11 semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with rural Saskatchewan farm parents. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, then thematically analyzed using interpretive description methodology. Findings This parental decision-making process on farms fundamentally involves weighing the risks vs. benefits of bringing children into the worksite, as if on a balance scale. One side of this scale holds potential risks such as exposure to physical and chemical farm hazards, in the absence of full supervision. The other side holds potential benefits such as meeting family needs for childcare, labour, and family time; building work ethic and pride; and the positive impacts of involvement and responsibility. Decision-making 'tips the scales', in part dependent upon parental perceptions of the risk-benefit trade-off. This 'perceptual lens' is influenced by factors such as: the agricultural way of life, parents' prior knowledge and past experience, characteristics of children, and safety norms. Conclusions This novel qualitative study provides deep insight into how Saskatchewan farm parents approach a fundamental decision-making process associated with their

Farming for a Better Climate by Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (FarmClim)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amon, Barbara; Winiwarter, Wilfried; Schröck, Andrea; Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Sophie; Kasper, Martina; Sigmund, Elisabeth; Schaller, Lena; Moser, Tobias; Baumgarten, Andreas; Dersch, Georg; Zethner, Gerhard; Anderl, Michael; Kitzler, Barbara

2014-05-01

The project FarmClim (Farming for a better climate) assesses impacts of agriculture on N and GHG fluxes in Austria and proposes measures for improving N efficiency and mitigating emissions, including their economic assessment. This paper focuses on animal husbandry and crop production measures, and on N2O emissions from soils. FarmClim applies national inventory reporting methods to assess Austrian NH3 and GHG fluxes in order to develop flux estimates with implementation of mitigation measures. Based on scientific literature and on the outcome of the Austrian working group agriculture and climate protection a list of potential mitigation measures has been produced: phase feeding, dairy cattle diet, biogas production. Data cover resulting production levels as well as GHG mitigation. In crop production, an optimisation potential remains with respect to N fertilization and nutrient uptake efficiency. Projected regional yield data and information on the N content of arable crops have been delivered from field experiments. These data complement official statistics and allow assessing the effect of increasing proportions of legume crops in crop rotations and reducing fertilizer input on a regional scale. Economic efficiency of measures is a crucial factor for their future implementation on commercial farms. The economic model evaluates investment costs as well as changes in direct costs, labour costs and economic yield. Biophysical modelling with Landscape DNDC allows establishing a framework to move from the current approach of applying the IPCC default emission factor for N2O emissions from soils. We select two Austrian model regions to calculate N fluxes taking into account region and management practices. Hot spots and hot moments as well as mitigation strategies are identified. Two test regions have been identified for soil emission modelling. The Marchfeld is an intensively used agricultural area in North-East Austria with very fertile soils and dry climate. The

White meat-Green farm: case study of Brinson Farms

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Comprehensive on-farm resource utilization and renewable energy generation at the farm scale are not new concepts. However, truly encompassing implementation of these ideals is lacking. Brinson Farms operates 10 commercial broiler houses. The farm generates heat for its houses using biomass boile...

Certified safe farm: identifying and removing hazards on the farm.

PubMed

Rautiainen, R H; Grafft, L J; Kline, A K; Madsen, M D; Lange, J L; Donham, K J

2010-04-01

This article describes the development of the Certified Safe Farm (CSF) on-farm safety review tools, characterizes the safety improvements among participating farms during the study period, and evaluates differences in background variables between low and high scoring farms. Average farm review scores on 185 study farms improved from 82 to 96 during the five-year study (0-100 scale, 85 required for CSF certification). A total of 1292 safety improvements were reported at an estimated cost of $650 per farm. A wide range of improvements were made, including adding 9 rollover protective structures (ROPS), 59 power take-off (PTO) master shields, and 207 slow-moving vehicle (SMV) emblems; improving lighting on 72 machines: placing 171 warning decals on machinery; shielding 77 moving parts; locking up 17 chemical storage areas, adding 83 lockout/tagout improvements; and making general housekeeping upgrades in 62 farm buildings. The local, trained farm reviewers and the CSF review process overall were well received by participating farmers. In addition to our earlier findings where higher farm review scores were associated with lower self-reported health outcome costs, we found that those with higher farm work hours, younger age, pork production in confinement, beef production, poultry production, and reported exposure to agrichemicals had higher farm review scores than those who did not have these characteristics. Overall, the farm review process functioned as expected. encouraging physical improvements in the farm environment, and contributing to the multi-faceted CSF intervention program.

Farming systems and sanitary problems in mountain cattle farms.

PubMed

Bernúes, A; Manrique, E; Maza, M T

1994-01-01

On the basis of concepts established by ecopathology and the systems theory, certain aspects of the 'Ecosanitary System', which forms part of the 'Farming System', were studied. Multivariant statistical methods were used to analyze and classify 69 mountain cattle farms into different types and to establish relationships between variables relating to pathological problems and others relating to aspects of production and farm structure. Stable mastitis characterized farms with a higher milk production, more intensive farming and greater hygiene measures. The pattern of diarrhoea in the calves was similar. Problems relating to reproduction and calving were more characteristic of traditional, small farms.

The Montessori Farm School: Erdkinder Beginnings 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahn, David

2001-01-01

Discusses the development of the Montessori Farm School in Huntsburg, Ohio, summarizing prototype activities of the Erdkinder project and discussing psychological and pedagogical outcomes. Considers areas of struggle in how the school opened and includes diagrams for linking pedagogical and work experiences. Describes community transformations…

Changes in productivity and profitability of wool-growing farms that follow recommendations from agricultural and veterinary studies.

PubMed

Lean, G R; Vizard, A L; Ware, J K

1997-10-01

To estimate the changes in productivity and profitability in a group of wool-growing farms as they adopted major recommendations from agricultural and veterinary studies. FARMS: Four wool-growing farms in south western Victoria were selected from the clients of the Mackinnon Project, a farm consultancy service run from the University of Melbourne. Each farm had closely followed recommended procedures, kept comprehensive financial and physical records and had been clients for at least 5 years. The comparison group was the South Western Victoria Monitor Farm Project (SWVMFP), about 45 farms in the same region as the study farms that were monitored annually by Agriculture Victoria. For a 7-year period, the financial and physical performance of both groups of farms was estimated. Stocking rate, wool production, gross farm income, farm operating costs, net farm income and return on assets were compared. Mean gross farm income of the four study farms steadily rose from 86% of the average SWVMFP farm before the adoption of recommendations to an average of 155%. During the same period, net farm income rose from 70% to 207% of the average of the SWVMFP. Return on asset of the four farms rose irregularly from 26% to 145% of the average of the SWVMFP. Farm operating costs on the four farms were higher than for the SWVMFP group, but the ratio of costs remained relatively constant. The adoption of proven research results was associated with large increases in net farm income. An increase in gross income, rather than a reduction in costs was the main reason for this. Research results offer a way to increase the financial viability of wool-growing farmers, many of whom are currently unable to maintain their lifestyle, resources and infrastructure.

Improving hearing health for farming families.

PubMed

Lower, Tony; Fragar, Lyn; Depcynzksi, Julie; Challinor, Kathy; Mills, Jan; Williams, Warwick

2010-01-01

Occupational noise injury and hearing loss are common features of agricultural workforces internationally. Farmsafe Australia has identified hearing health as one of its 4 key priority goals and targets. Currently, approximately 60-70% of Australian farmers have measurable hearing loss, compared with 27% of those in the general Australian community. This article describes the findings of a community based demonstration project to address hearing health issues conducted in the Australian state of New South Wales. This program sought to implement local demonstration projects in 3 communities to identify what works well in hearing health promotion with farmers and what could be applied more broadly throughout Australia. Local advisory groups were established in each community to guide project development and implementation. Project implementation focused on 3 major aspects: (1) increasing awareness of priority noise injury prevention and hearing health practices; (2) improving access to hearing health services; and (3) networking services in local communities. Area-specific training was undertaken for stakeholders to maximize local information links. Service utilization data were monitored and analysed. There was variability among sites; however in general there was an increased awareness of hearing health issues by farming families and expanded opportunities for farmers to access screening services. Utilization rates of hearing services also increased markedly in one community. Local hearing health networks were strengthened by linkages to key stakeholders outside the health sector. Previously unidentified methods of promoting hearing health (eg using agricultural retail outlets that supply hearing protection equipment and are accepted by farmers as an information source) were identified and utilized. Hearing health promotion with farmers in local communities can be enhanced through utilization and strengthening of local networks. Integration of hearing health

75 FR 71144 - Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the Solar Millennium, LLC, Amargosa Farm Road...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-22

... 241A; 11-08807; TAS:14X5017] Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the Solar Millennium, LLC, Amargosa Farm Road Solar Energy Project AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of... (ROD) for the Solar Millennium, LLC, Amargosa Farm Road Solar Energy Project Environmental Impact...

Exposure to respirable crystalline silica in South African farm workers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanepoel, Andrew; Rees, David; Renton, Kevin; Kromhout, Hans

2009-02-01

Although listed in some publications as an activity associated with silica (quartz) exposure, agriculture is not widely recognized as an industry with a potential for silica associated diseases. Because so many people work in agriculture; and because silica exposure and silicosis are associated with serious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), particular in those immunological compromised by the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), silica exposure in agriculture is potentially very important. But in South Africa (SA) very little is known about silica exposure in this industry. The objectives of this project are: (a) to measure inhalable and respirable dust and its quartz content on two typical sandy soil farms in the Free State province of SA for all major tasks done on the farms; and (b) to characterise the mineralogy soil type of these farms. Two typical farms in the sandy soil region of the Free State province were studied. The potential health effects faced by these farm workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica are discussed.

FY 1991 RDT&E Descriptive Summaries

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

OF PROJECT : The Defense Sciences program element provides the technical foundation for long-term improvements in military equiment...DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT : Develop the fundamental technology in advanced digital structures and network concepts for smaller, more powerful, less expensive...DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT : The 1985 Defense Science Board (DSB) noted that the United States was behind and failing further behind in armor and

Farm Safety - Time to Act.

PubMed

Lower, Tony; Temperley, John

2018-04-18

Agriculture is recognised as a highly dangerous sector worldwide, hence the use of evidence-based solutions to address injury related incidents are critical to prevention. The main of this paper is to determine the potential for prevention by use of existing controls based on deaths data from 2001-2016. This study assesses data from the National Coroner's Information System for the period 2001-2016 in regards to unintentional farm injury deaths in Australia (n = 1,271). The six leading causes of death (tractors, quads (ATVs), water/dams, farm utilities (pickups), motorcycles and horses: n=644), are reviewed against existing evidence-based practice recommendations to ascertain the potential capacity to prevent and/or ameliorate the severity of the fatal incidents. Projections of economic costs associated with these incidents in the past five years (2012-2016) are outlined. Of the cases involving the six leading agents (n=644), 36% (n=235) have the potential to be prevented with the use of designated evidence-based controls. Meanwhile the costs attributed to deaths involving the six leading agents in the 2012-2016 period, exceeded AU$313 million. Farm injury incidents and their related economic costs, can be reduced by enhanced adoption of the existing evidence-based controls. SO WHAT?: Farm safety efforts in Australia require re-invigoration and funding to focus on evidence-based controls supported by enforcement to attain maximum impact. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Farm Safety Practices and Farm Size in New South Wales.

PubMed

Bailey, Jannine; Dutton, Tegan; Payne, Kristy; Wilson, Ross; Brew, Bronwyn K

2017-01-01

There is some evidence to suggest that safety on small-area farms may not be high priority due to economic constraints and lack of knowledge. This has important ramifications for injury and economic burden. The objective of this research was to conduct a pilot study to investigate whether small- to medium-area farms implement fewer safety practices than large-area farms. Farmers were recruited from farm safety training days, field days, and produce stores in rural New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Small- and medium-area farms less than 500 ha (1235 acres) in size were aggregated for analysis and compared with large-area farms (≥500 ha) for survey items, including safety equipment owned and used, safety practices protecting children, barriers to improving safety, and causes of injury. Overall, small/medium-area farms were found to own less safety equipment and to employ less safety practices than large-area farms. In particular, fewer tractors were fitted with rollover protection structures, there was less signage, less hearing protection, and fewer machinery guides. Injury rates were slightly less for small/medium-area farms, particularly involving vehicles. Small- and medium-area farmers were more likely to report lack of skills as barriers to making safety improvements. This pilot study found some evidence that small/medium-area farms implement fewer safety practices than large-area farms. A larger study is warranted to investigate this further, with particular focus on barriers and ways to overcome them. This could have important ramifications for government policies supporting struggling farmers on small/medium-area farms.

Wind Farm LES Simulations Using an Overset Methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ananthan, Shreyas; Yellapantula, Shashank

2017-11-01

Accurate simulation of wind farm wakes under realistic atmospheric inflow conditions and complex terrain requires modeling a wide range of length and time scales. The computational domain can span several kilometers while requiring mesh resolutions in O(10-6) to adequately resolve the boundary layer on the blade surface. Overset mesh methodology offers an attractive option to address the disparate range of length scales; it allows embedding body-confirming meshes around turbine geomtries within nested wake capturing meshes of varying resolutions necessary to accurately model the inflow turbulence and the resulting wake structures. Dynamic overset hole-cutting algorithms permit relative mesh motion that allow this nested mesh structure to track unsteady inflow direction changes, turbine control changes (yaw and pitch), and wake propagation. An LES model with overset mesh for localized mesh refinement is used to analyze wind farm wakes and performance and compared with local mesh refinements using non-conformal (hanging node) unstructured meshes. Turbine structures will be modeled using both actuator line approaches and fully-resolved structures to test the efficacy of overset methods for wind farm applications. Exascale Computing Project (ECP), Project Number: 17-SC-20-SC, a collaborative effort of two DOE organizations - the Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Barriers and Possible Facilitators to Participation in Farm to School Week

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landry, Alicia S.; Lingsch, Kelsey J.; Weiss, Caitlin; Connell, Carol L.; Yadrick, Kathleen

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate child nutrition directors' (CNDs) Farm to School (F2S) Week participation. This cross-sectional, census survey was completed by CNDs working in Mississippi public school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic data and the…

Cape Blanco wind farm feasibility study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1987-11-01

The Cape Blanco Wind Farm (CBWF) Feasibility Study was undertaken as a prototype for determining the feasibility of proposals for wind energy projects at Northwest sites. It was intended to test for conditions under which wind generation of electricity could be commercially feasible, not by another abstract survey of alternative technologies, but rather through a site-specific, machine-specific analysis of one proposal. Some of the study findings would be most pertinent to the Cape Blanco site - local problems require local solutions. Other findings would be readily applicable to other sites and other machines, and study methodologies would be designed to be modified for appraisal of other proposals. This volume discusses environmental, economic, and technical issues of the Wind Farm.

A Brief Description of My Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Tobin

2016-01-01

My internship was in the IDC which consist of a machine shop and an array of design space. During my tour I worked on a wide variety of projects some of which included design, research, machining and fabrication. I gained further knowledge on some machines that I have had prior experience on such as the lathe and Hurco CNC machines. The first thing we did was complete our checkout in the machine shop which went pretty well, since I was already familiar with most of the machines. I also did a couple of practice parts on some of the machines, I made a name block on the CNC machine and I also used the vertical milling machine to complete this project. One of the other projects that I did was machine a hammer with my initials with the use of the lathe and CNC machine, this project took much longer since I had to set up a cylindrical piece on the CNC machine. The first project that I began work on was the Systems Engineering & Management Advancement Program (SEPMAP) Hexacopter project and helped them to assemble and modify one of their particle capture doors on their boxes. After a while we ended up helping them make a hinge and holes to reduce the weight of their design. We helped the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) team a bit with some of their name tags and assembly of some of their underwater parts. One of the more challenging projects was a rail that came in with a rather weirdly drawn part. The biggest project that I worked on was the solar array project. Which consisted of a variety of machining and 3D printing and it took me about 3 different times of re-designing to come up with a final prototype. Along with this project I also had to complete a project in which I had to modify a thermos. This was rather simple since I just had to draw up a part and print it out on the 3D printer. I also learned how to use Pro E/Creo parametric to design a square block and print it on the 3D Printer. All of these projects increased my experience on all of

The Hierarchy of Control in the Epidemic of Farm Injury.

PubMed

Dosman, James; Hagel, Louise; King, Nathan; Koehncke, Niels; Kirychuk, Shelley; Trask, Catherine; Neudorf, Joshua; Day, Lesley; Voaklander, Donald; Pickett, William

2015-01-01

The application of the hierarchy of control (HOC) is a well-established approach to hazard reduction in industrial workplaces. However, it has not been generally applied in farm workplaces. The objective was to determine current practices of farmers in the context of a modified HOC, and the effect of these practices on farm injury outcomes. A self-reported mail survey of 1196 Saskatchewan farm operations was conducted in 2013. Selected survey questions were used as proxy measures of the farm owner-operator's practices relevant to each of the six steps of increasing importance in a modified HOC: (1) hazard identification; (2) risk assessment; (3) personal protection; (4) administrative controls; (5) engineering controls; and (6) elimination of the hazard. Analysis used basic descriptive statistics and logistic regression to examine associations of interest. When four of the six HOC steps were adhered to, there was a significant protective effect: odds ratio (OR) = 0.32 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14-0.74) for any injury and OR = 0.27 (95% CI: 0.07-0.99) for serious injury in the overall study population. For farm owner-operators utilizing four of the six steps in the modified HOC, there was a significant protective effect for any injury (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.11-0.83). Although there is a considerable absence of use of elements of the HOC among farm operators, for farmers who adhere to these steps, there is a significant reduction in their risk for injury. Prevention strategies that embrace the practice of these principles may be effective in the control of farm workplace injury.

Automatic milking systems, farm size, and milk production.

PubMed

Rotz, C A; Coiner, C U; Soder, K J

2003-12-01

Automatic milking systems (AMS) offer relief from the demanding routine of milking. Although many AMS are in use in Europe and a few are used in the United States, the potential benefit for American farms is uncertain. A farm-simulation model was used to determine the long-term, whole-farm effect of implementing AMS on farm sizes of 30 to 270 cows. Highest farm net return to management and unpaid factors was when AMS were used at maximal milking capacity. Adding stalls to increase milking frequency and possibly increase production generally did not improve net return. Compared with new traditional milking systems, the greatest potential economic benefit was a single-stall AMS on a farm size of 60 cows at a moderate milk production level (8600 kg/cow). On other farm sizes using single-stall type robotic units, losses in annual net return of 0 dollars to 300 dollars/cow were projected, with the greatest losses on larger farms and at high milk production (10,900 kg/cow). Systems with one robot serving multiple stalls provided a greater net return than single-stall systems, and this net return was competitive with traditional parlors for 50- to 130-cow farm sizes. The potential benefit of AMS was improved by 100 dollars/cow per year if the AMS increased production an additional 5%. A 20% reduction in initial equipment cost or doubling milking labor cost also improved annual net return of an AMS by up to 100 dollars/cow. Annual net return was reduced by 110 dollars/cow, though, if the economic life of the AMS was reduced by 3 yr for a more rapid depreciation than that normally used with traditional milking systems. Thus, under current assumptions, the economic return for an AMS was similar to that of new parlor systems on smaller farms when the milking capacity of the AMS was well matched to herd size and milk production level.

Characteristics of Wind-Infective Farms of the 2006 Bluetongue Serotype 8 Epidemic in Northern Europe.

PubMed

Sedda, Luigi; Morley, David; Brown, Heidi E

2015-09-01

Bluetongue is a Culicoides-borne viral disease of livestock. In 2006, northern Europe experienced a major outbreak of this disease with devastating effects on the livestock industry. The outbreak quickly spread over the region, primarily affecting cattle and sheep. A previous analysis of the role of vector flight and wind in the spread of this virus across northern Europe indicated that infection at 1,326 (65%) of the reported infected farms could be traced back to just 599 (29%) farms (wind-infective farms). Rather than focusing on presence or absence of vectors or difference between infected and non-infected farms, we investigate the zoological and environmental characteristics of these 599 wind-infective farms (which can be thought of as super-spreaders) in order to characterize what makes them distinct from non-infective farms. Differences in temperature, precipitation, and the density of sheep at individual farms were identified between these two groups. These environmental and zoological factors are known to affect vector abundance and may have promoted bluetongue virus transmission. Identifying such ecological differences can help in the description and quantification of relative risk in affected areas.

Within-farm spread of infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV) in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar farms in Chile.

PubMed

Mardones, F O; Jansen, P A; Valdes-Donoso, P; Jarpa, M; Lyngstad, T M; Jimenez, D; Carpenter, T E; Perez, A M

2013-09-24

Spread of infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV) at the cage level was quantified using a subset of data from 23 Atlantic salmon Salmo salar farms located in southern Chile. Data collected from official surveillance activities were systematically organized to obtain detailed information on infectious salmon anemia (ISA) outbreaks. Descriptive statistics for outbreak duration, proportion of infected fish, and time to secondary infection were calculated to quantify the magnitude of ISAV incursions. Linear and multiple failure time (MFT) regression models were used to determine factors associated with the cage-level reproduction number (Rc) and hazard rate (HR) for recurrent events, respectively. In addition, the Knox test was used to assess if cage-to-cage transmissions were clustered in space and time. Findings suggest that within farms, ISA outbreaks, on average, lasted 30 wk (median = 26 wk, 95% CI = 24 to 37 wk) and affected 57.3% (95% CI = 47.7 to 67.0%) of susceptible cages. The median time to secondarily diagnosed cages was 23 d. Occurrence of clinical ISAV outbreaks was significantly associated with increased Rc, whereas increased HR was significantly associated with clinical outbreaks and with a large number of fish. Spatio-temporal analysis failed to identify clustering of cage cases, suggesting that within-farm ISAV spread is independent of the spatial location of the cages. Results presented here will help to better understand ISAV transmission, to improve the design of surveillance programs in Chile and other regions in which salmon are intensively farmed, and to examine the economic impact of ISAV and related management strategies on various cost and demand shifting factors.

Clostridium botulinum in Scottish fish farms and farmed trout.

PubMed

Burns, G F; Williams, H

1975-02-01

Rainbow trout and specimens of pond mud were collected from three fish farms and examined for the presence of Clostridium botulinum. Two of the farms were constructed with concrete channels and one was mud-bottomed. Cl. botulinum was isolated only from the mud-bottomed farm (24% of muds), and the isolates were all non-proteolytic type B. The implications of the presence of Cl. botulinum spores in the mud of fish farms is discussed.

First description of atypical furunculosis in freshwater farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in Chile.

PubMed

Godoy, M; Gherardelli, V; Heisinger, A; Fernández, J; Olmos, P; Ovalle, L; Ilardi, P; Avendaño-Herrera, R

2010-05-01

We report the first isolation, identification and characterization of a group of Chilean strains of atypical Aeromonas salmonicida isolated from freshwater farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar. Affected fish showed superficial ulcers and pale liver with or without petechial haemorrhages. Outbreaks of the disease occurred in two farms in the south of Chile about 2200 km apart. Five strains were isolated in pure culture and identified by serological assays and immunofluorescence tests as belonging to Aeromonas salmonicida. Although the bacterial isolates were phenotypically homogeneous, minor differences with the reference strain A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida ATCC 33658 were noted. Three specific primer sets and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing allowed the identification of the Chilean isolates as atypical A. salmonicida, with A. salmonicida subsp. achromogenes and A. salmonicida subsp. masoucida as their closest relatives (100% sequence similarity). Molecular typing indicated that the atypical isolates belong to two genetic groups that were associated with the geographical origin.

The Uplands after Neoliberalism?--The Role of the Small Farm in Rural Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shucksmith, Mark; Ronningen, Katrina

2011-01-01

The modernist project foresaw no role for small farms, but this can no longer be regarded as axiomatic as neoliberalism enters what Peck et al. call its "zombie phase". This paper asks what contribution small farms in the uplands can make to societies' goals, what role they might play in the sustainability of rural communities in such…

Integrating Farm Production and Natural Resource Management in Tasmania, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cotching, W. E.; Sherriff, L.; Kilpatrick, S.

2009-01-01

This paper reports on the social learning from a project aimed to increase the knowledge and capacity of a group of farmers in Tasmania, Australia, to reduce the impacts of intensive agriculture on soil health and waterways, and to optimise the efficient use of on-farm inputs. The plan-do-check-review cycle adopted in this project required the…

Development of Farming Diversification with Implementation Plant Patterns as a Strategy of Economic Strengthening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anwar, S.; Setyohadi, D. P. S.; Utami, M. M. D.; Damanhuri; Hariono, B.

2018-01-01

Bojonegoro, Tulungagung, and Ponorogo districts are an agrarian area and become one of the leading food crops producers in East Java Province. Diversification of farming in this region is done by applying season-based cropping pattern, which is cultivating various commodities in rotation. Farmers need diversification programs wetland cannot provide an optimal contribution to the income of farmers caused because farmers are not able to cultivate high value-added commodities due to limited capital. This research is to identify the characteristics of farming and to analyse the farming system to know the pattern of planting suggestion and prospect. The research used descriptive method, profit farming analysis, and SWOT. The results showed that each region has a specific planting pattern with rice as the main commodity grown in the rainy season followed by crops and horticultural crops and a suggested planting pattern that needs to be implemented by farmers to increase their income. The prospect of diversification of farming development through the implementation of the proposed planting pattern is very suitable with the character of the region and the market demand.

Impact of preparing for OSHA local emphasis program inspections of New York dairy farms: Case studies and financial cost analysis.

PubMed

Gadomski, Anne M; Vargha, Marybeth; Tallman, Nancy; Scribani, Melissa B; Kelsey, Timothy W

2016-03-01

OSHA inspection of dairy farms began in July 1, 2014 in New York State. As of September 2014, a total of eight farms were randomly selected for inspection. This case study addresses how dairy farm managers prepared for these inspections, and identifies farm level costs preparing for inspection and/or being inspected. Four farms that were OSHA inspected and 12 farms that were not inspected were included in this mixed method evaluation using a multimodal (telephone, email, or mail) survey. Descriptive analysis was carried out using frequencies, proportions, means, and medians. Overall, the impact of OSHA inspections was positive, leading to improved safety management and physical changes on the farm and worker trainings, although the farmers' perspectives about OSHA inspection were mixed. The cost of compliance was low relative to estimated overall production costs. Clarifications and engineering solutions for specific dairy farm hazard exposures are needed to facilitate compliance with OSHA regulations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Whole-farm phosphorus loss from grazing-based dairy farms

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural farms persists as a water quality impairment issue. For dairy farms, P can be lost from cropland, pastures, and open-air lots. We used interview surveys to document land use, cattle herd characteristics, and manure management for four grazing-based dairy farms i...

Descriptive and Computer Aided Drawing Perspective on an Unfolded Polyhedral Projection Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzwierzynska, Jolanta

2017-10-01

The aim of the herby study is to develop a method of direct and practical mapping of perspective on an unfolded prism polyhedral projection surface. The considered perspective representation is a rectilinear central projection onto a surface composed of several flat elements. In the paper two descriptive methods of drawing perspective are presented: direct and indirect. The graphical mapping of the effects of the representation is realized directly on the unfolded flat projection surface. That is due to the projective and graphical connection between points displayed on the polyhedral background and their counterparts received on the unfolded flat surface. For a significant improvement of the construction of line, analytical algorithms are formulated. They draw a perspective image of a segment of line passing through two different points determined by their coordinates in a spatial coordinate system of axis x, y, z. Compared to other perspective construction methods that use information about points, for computer vision and the computer aided design, our algorithms utilize data about lines, which are applied very often in architectural forms. Possibility of drawing lines in the considered perspective enables drawing an edge perspective image of an architectural object. The application of the changeable base elements of perspective as a horizon height and a station point location enable drawing perspective image from different viewing positions. The analytical algorithms for drawing perspective images are formulated in Mathcad software, however, they can be implemented in the majority of computer graphical packages, which can make drawing perspective more efficient and easier. The representation presented in the paper and the way of its direct mapping on the flat unfolded projection surface can find application in presentation of architectural space in advertisement and art.

Employment Decisions of Farm Couples: Full-Time or Part-Time Farming?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wozniak, Patricia J.; Scholl, Kathleen K.

1988-01-01

The employment of one farm spouse is positively related to the off-farm employment of the other spouse. Wives' off-farm employment is most closely related to their personal characteristics, whereas husbands' decisions are best predicted by a combination of farm, family, and personal characteristics. (Author)

Involvement of Wives in Farm Tasks as Related to Characteristics of the Farm, the Family and Work Off the Farm.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkening, Eugene A.; Ahrens, Nancy

In an attempt to determine the basis of the farm wife's involvement in farm tasks, hypotheses regarding farm size and type, family cycle and wife's age, off-farm work of husband or wife, and family educational levels were tested in a 1978 random questionnaire survey of 532 Wisconsin farm families. As expected, wives were more involved with farm…

Skylab Student Project: Summary Description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Floyd, Henry B.

1973-01-01

In 1971 the NASA conceived the Skylab student project in an effort to involve the general public in the Skylab program. The primary aim of this project was to stimulate national interest in science and technology. NASA decided to direct the Skylab student project to those young people who have indicated an interest in science and technology and to foster this interest through direct participation in an ongoing program emphasizing as wide a spectrum of science and technology as possible. Skylab, with the opportunity it gives to provide experiments in areas of science and technology provided the ideal opportunity for such participation. In implementing this project, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), having an existing, closely associated contact with students, grades 9 through 12, in United States schools, was asked to sponsor, organize, and administer a national competition for high school students. This competition called for individual students (or groups of students) to develop meaningful experiments to be flown on Skylab. To facilitate the organization and administration of this program, the NSTA divided the participating students into their 12 geographical regions with a regional chairmen appointed to receive all proposals for his region. The regional chairmen then appointed a committee of eminent scientists, engineers, and science educators to evaluate each proposal. Some 80,000 applications were requested by teachers and 3409 proposals were submitted. Moreover, because of team proposals, over 4000 students participated and approximately 300 regional winners selected. Each participant received a certification of merit. The 300 winning regional proposals were transmitted to the NSTA headquarters where they were further screened. In March of 1972 twenty-five national winners and 22 special mentions were announced. The 25 winning students were then assigned science advisers at the George C. Marshall Space Flight center (MSFC), the center selected

Analysis to develop a program for energy-integrated farm systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eakin, D. E.; Clark, M. A.; Inaba, L. K.; Johnson, K. I.

1981-09-01

A program to use renewable energy resources and possibly develop decentralization of energy systems for agriculture is discussed. The program's objective is determined by: (1) an analysis of the technologies that could be utilized to transform renewable farm resources to energy by the year 2000, (2) the quantity of renewable farm resources that are available, and (3) current energy-use patterns. Individual research, development, and demonstration projects are fit into a national program of energy-integrated farm systems on the basis of market need, conversion potential, technological opportunities, and acceptability. Quantification of these factors for the purpose of establishing program guidelines is conducted using the following four precepts: (1) market need is identified by current use of energy for agricultural production; (2) conversion potential is determined by the availability of renewable resources; and (3) technological opportunities are determined by the state-of-the-art methods, techniques, and processes that can convert renewable resources into farm energy.

Investigation of Wind Turbine Rotor Concepts for Offshore Wind Farms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceyhan, Özlem; Grasso, Francesco

2014-06-01

Current plans in offshore wind energy developments call for further reduction of cost of energy. In order to contribute to this goal, several wind turbine rotor concepts have been investigated. Assuming the future offshore wind turbines will operate only in the offshore wind farms, the rotor concepts are not only evaluated for their stand-alone performances and their potential in reducing the loads, but also for their performance in an offshore wind farm. In order to do that, the 10MW reference wind turbine designed in Innwind.EU project is chosen as baseline. Several rotor parameters have been modified and their influences are investigated for offshore wind turbine design purposes. This investigation is carried out as a conceptual parametrical study. All concepts are evaluated numerically with BOT (Blade optimisation tool) software in wind turbine level and with Farmflow software in wind farm level for two wind farm layouts. At the end, all these concepts are compared with each other in terms of their advantages and disadvantages.

Bio Diesel Cellulosic Ethanol Research Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanlon, Edward A.; Capece, John C.; McAvoy, Eugene

The objective of the project is to create the Hendry County Sustainable Biofuels Center and initiate its research, development, and education programs. The mission is to develop engineering and economic assessment methods to evaluate the natural resources impacts of biomass farming and fuel conversion systems; provide sustainability assessments of specific biofuels productions proposals; develop biomass farming and fuel conversion systems that are compatible with south Florida ecosystem restoration priorities; create ecosystem services opportunities and structures to diversify farm income; monitor the range of research and development activities necessary to the creation of sutstainable biofuels production systems in south Florida, identifymore » gaps in the regional research, and assist in the development and coordination of additional projects to fill out the required knowledge base; prepare the workforce of southwest Florida for employment in biofuels related professions; and assist businesses & governmental design and realize sustainable biofuels projects.« less

Metrics and methods for characterizing dairy farm intensification using farm survey data.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Mejia, Alejandra; Styles, David; Wilson, Paul; Gibbons, James

2018-01-01

Evaluation of agricultural intensification requires comprehensive analysis of trends in farm performance across physical and socio-economic aspects, which may diverge across farm types. Typical reporting of economic indicators at sectorial or the "average farm" level does not represent farm diversity and provides limited insight into the sustainability of specific intensification pathways. Using farm business data from a total of 7281 farm survey observations of English and Welsh dairy farms over a 14-year period we calculate a time series of 16 key performance indicators (KPIs) pertinent to farm structure, environmental and socio-economic aspects of sustainability. We then apply principle component analysis and model-based clustering analysis to identify statistically the number of distinct dairy farm typologies for each year of study, and link these clusters through time using multidimensional scaling. Between 2001 and 2014, dairy farms have largely consolidated and specialized into two distinct clusters: more extensive farms relying predominantly on grass, with lower milk yields but higher labour intensity, and more intensive farms producing more milk per cow with more concentrate and more maize, but lower labour intensity. There is some indication that these clusters are converging as the extensive cluster is intensifying slightly faster than the intensive cluster, in terms of milk yield per cow and use of concentrate feed. In 2014, annual milk yields were 6,835 and 7,500 l/cow for extensive and intensive farm types, respectively, whilst annual concentrate feed use was 1.3 and 1.5 tonnes per cow. For several KPIs such as milk yield the mean trend across all farms differed substantially from the extensive and intensive typologies mean. The indicators and analysis methodology developed allows identification of distinct farm types and industry trends using readily available survey data. The identified groups allow the accurate evaluation of the consequences of the

Farm Population Trends and Farm Characteristics. Rural Development Research Report No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Vera J.

While total farm population is declining, the number of people living on the farms which produce the bulk of the nation's food and fiber is increasing. The 1970-75 total farm population decline was 13 percent, but the number of people living on farms with annual sales greater than $40,000 increased 76 percent. Such farms account for about 80…

Farm-Size Structure and Off-Farm Income and Employment Generation in the North Central Region.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heady, Earl O.; Sonka, Steven T.

The relationship between size of farm and the welfare of farm and nonfarm society was examined in terms of total income in the farm sector, the number and size of farms, income per farm, secondary income generation, and consumer food costs using four alternative farm structures: large farm (gross farm sales of at least $40,000); medium farm (gross…

Climate Change Impact Uncertainties for Maize in Panama: Farm Information, Climate Projections, and Yield Sensitivities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruane, Alex C.; Cecil, L. Dewayne; Horton, Radley M.; Gordon, Roman; McCollum, Raymond (Brown, Douglas); Brown, Douglas; Killough, Brian; Goldberg, Richard; Greeley, Adam P.; Rosenzweig, Cynthia

2011-01-01

We present results from a pilot project to characterize and bound multi-disciplinary uncertainties around the assessment of maize (Zea mays) production impacts using the CERES-Maize crop model in a climate-sensitive region with a variety of farming systems (Panama). Segunda coa (autumn) maize yield in Panama currently suffers occasionally from high water stress at the end of the growing season, however under future climate conditions warmer temperatures accelerate crop maturation and elevated CO (sub 2) concentrations improve water retention. This combination reduces end-of-season water stresses and eventually leads to small mean yield gains according to median projections, although accelerated maturation reduces yields in seasons with low water stresses. Calibrations of cultivar traits, soil profile, and fertilizer amounts are most important for representing baseline yields, however sensitivity to all management factors is reduced in an assessment of future yield changes (most dramatically for fertilizers), suggesting that yield changes may be more generalizable than absolute yields. Uncertainty around General Circulation Model (GCM)s' projected changes in rainfall gain in importance throughout the century, with yield changes strongly correlated with growing season rainfall totals. Climate changes are expected to be obscured by the large inter-annual variations in Panamanian climate that will continue to be the dominant influence on seasonal maize yield into the coming decades. The relatively high (A2) and low (B1) emissions scenarios show little difference in their impact on future maize yields until the end of the century. Uncertainties related to the sensitivity of CERES-Maize to carbon dioxide concentrations have a substantial influence on projected changes, and remain a significant obstacle to climate change impacts assessment. Finally, an investigation into the potential of simple statistical yield emulators based upon key climate variables characterizes the

What Happens to the Farm? Australian Farmers' Experiences after a Serious Farm Injury.

PubMed

Beattie, Jessica; McLeod, Candis; Murray, Meg; Pedler, Daryl; Brumby, Susan; Gabbe, Belinda

2018-01-01

To investigate the experiences of farmers on returning to farming following a serious farm-related injury. Patients who had sustained major trauma on a farm in Victoria, Australia, were identified using the Victorian State Trauma Registry (VSTR). In depth, semistructured phone interviews were conducted with 31 participants. Interview data were subjected to thematic analysis to identify important recurring themes. Interviews continued until data saturation was achieved. Interviewees included self-employed full-time farmers, part-time farmers with a supplementary income, and agricultural employees. Analysis of participant responses connected to returning to farming after a serious farm-related injury identified five major interconnected themes: (i) effect on farm work, (ii) farming future, (iii) safety advocacy, (iv) changes to farming practices, and (v) financial ramifications. Farmers who have sustained a serious farm-related injury are an important resource; their experiences and perspectives could assist in the development of educational and transitional support services from recovery back to working at a preinjury level, while ensuring farming production is sustainable during this period. Furthermore, farm safety programs can be enhanced by the engagement of farmers, such as participants in this study as advocates for improved farm safety practices.

76 FR 12356 - Farm Credit Administration Board; Sunshine Act; Regular Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-07

... concludes its business. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dale L. Aultman, Secretary to the Farm Credit... on Borrowers Rights--Part II. Update on Dodd-Frank Rulemaking Projects. Dated: March 2, 2011. Dale L...

Metrics and methods for characterizing dairy farm intensification using farm survey data

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Mejia, Alejandra; Styles, David; Wilson, Paul

2018-01-01

Evaluation of agricultural intensification requires comprehensive analysis of trends in farm performance across physical and socio-economic aspects, which may diverge across farm types. Typical reporting of economic indicators at sectorial or the “average farm” level does not represent farm diversity and provides limited insight into the sustainability of specific intensification pathways. Using farm business data from a total of 7281 farm survey observations of English and Welsh dairy farms over a 14-year period we calculate a time series of 16 key performance indicators (KPIs) pertinent to farm structure, environmental and socio-economic aspects of sustainability. We then apply principle component analysis and model-based clustering analysis to identify statistically the number of distinct dairy farm typologies for each year of study, and link these clusters through time using multidimensional scaling. Between 2001 and 2014, dairy farms have largely consolidated and specialized into two distinct clusters: more extensive farms relying predominantly on grass, with lower milk yields but higher labour intensity, and more intensive farms producing more milk per cow with more concentrate and more maize, but lower labour intensity. There is some indication that these clusters are converging as the extensive cluster is intensifying slightly faster than the intensive cluster, in terms of milk yield per cow and use of concentrate feed. In 2014, annual milk yields were 6,835 and 7,500 l/cow for extensive and intensive farm types, respectively, whilst annual concentrate feed use was 1.3 and 1.5 tonnes per cow. For several KPIs such as milk yield the mean trend across all farms differed substantially from the extensive and intensive typologies mean. The indicators and analysis methodology developed allows identification of distinct farm types and industry trends using readily available survey data. The identified groups allow the accurate evaluation of the consequences of

Off-farm applications of solar energy in agriculture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berry, R.E.

1980-01-01

Food processing applications make up almost all present off-farm studies of solar energy in agriculture. Research, development and demonstration projects on solar food processing have shown significant progress over the past 3 years. Projects have included computer simulation and mathematical models, hardware and process development for removing moisture from horticultural or animal products, integration of energy conservation with solar energy augmentation in conventional processes, and commercial scale demonstrations. The demonstration projects include solar heated air for drying prunes and raisins, soy beans and onions/garlic; and solar generated steam for orange juice pasteurization. Several new and planned projects hold considerable promisemore » for commerical exploitation in future food processes.« less

The farm apprentice: agricultural college students recollections of learning to farm "safely".

PubMed

Sanderson, L L; Dukeshire, S R; Rangel, C; Garbes, R

2010-10-01

A consistent message in the farm safety literature is the need to develop effective interventions to manage the unacceptably high rate of injury and death among farm children. To better understand the influence of childhood farm experiences on safety beliefs, attitudes, and practices, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 farm youth attending the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. The interviews were designed to elicit information pertaining to participants' earliest memories of involvement in farm activities, the decision-making processes that led them to assume work-related responsibilities, and the roles that their parents played in their safety training. A common theme of experiencing childhood as a "farm apprentice" emerged across all narratives whereby farm activities were learned primarily through observational learning and modeling of parents and then mastered through repetition. As "farm apprentices," the youths' involvement in dangerous activities such as tractor driving and livestock handling began at early ages, with very little formal training and supervision. Although participants clearly described themselves as being exposed to dangerous activities, they believed that they had the capacity to control the risks and farm safely. Based on our findings, the concept of the "farm apprentice" appears to be integral to the social context of the farming community and should be considered in the design of interventions to reduce child injury and death.

Mukhabarah as Sharia Financing Model in Beef Cattle Farm Entrepise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asnawi, A.; Amrawaty, A. A.; Nirwana

2018-02-01

Financing constraints on beef cattle farm nowadays have received attention by the government through distributed various assistance programs and program loans through implementing banks. The existing financing schemes are all still conventional yet sharia-based. The purpose of this research is to formulate financing pattern for sharia beef cattle farm. A qualitative and descriptive approach is used to formulate the pattern by considering the profit-sharing practices of the beef cattle farmers. The results of this study have formulated a financing pattern that integrates government, implementing banks, beef cattle farmers group and cooperative as well as breeders as its members. This pattern of financing is very accommodating of local culture that develops in rural communities. It is expected to be an input, especially in formulating a business financing policy Sharia-based beef cattle breeding.

Detection of environmental impacts of shrimp farming through multiple lines of evidence.

PubMed

Hatje, Vanessa; de Souza, Manuel M; Ribeiro, Luisa F; Eça, Gilmara F; Barros, Francisco

2016-12-01

In order to evaluate the impact of semi-intensive shrimp farming, comparisons between Control and Impact areas were made based on multiple lines of evidence using an asymmetrical design. Water and sediment samples were collected in four shrimp farms located in Todos os Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil. Nutrients, trace elements and macrobenthic assemblages were evaluated using uni- and multivariate analyzes. Significant differences were observed between Impact and Control areas for the water column dataset (i.e., ancillary variables, SPM, dissolved nutrients and major and trace elements in SPM), whereas no significant differences were observed for the chemistry of sediments. Macrobenthic assemblages were negatively affected by shrimp farm activities. Impacted sites presented the lowest abundance, richness and different structure of macrofaunal benthic assemblages. Farms clearly produced negative impacts in the Todos os Santos Bay. This conclusion was only possible to be reached through the use of multiple lines of evidence. Chemistry and benthic assemblages data combined produced a better description of the quality and impacts of the evaluated environments. Different conclusions would have been reached if chemistry and ecology results were studied separately vs. together. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ICPP tank farm closure study. Volume 2: Engineering design files

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-02-01

Volume 2 contains the following topical sections: Tank farm heel flushing/pH adjustment; Grouting experiments for immobilization of tank farm heel; Savannah River high level waste tank 20 closure; Tank farm closure information; Clean closure of tank farm; Remediation issues; Remote demolition techniques; Decision concerning EIS for debris treatment facility; CERCLA/RCRA issues; Area of contamination determination; Containment building of debris treatment facility; Double containment issues; Characterization costs; Packaging and disposal options for the waste resulting from the total removal of the tank farm; Take-off calculations for the total removal of soils and structures at the tank farm; Vessel off-gas systems; Jet-groutedmore » polymer and subsurface walls; Exposure calculations for total removal of tank farm; Recommended instrumentation during retrieval operations; High level waste tank concrete encasement evaluation; Recommended heavy equipment and sizing equipment for total removal activities; Tank buoyancy constraints; Grout and concrete formulas for tank heel solidification; Tank heel pH requirements; Tank cooling water; Evaluation of conservatism of vehicle loading on vaults; Typical vault dimensions and approximately tank and vault void volumes; Radiological concerns for temporary vessel off-gas system; Flushing calculations for tank heels; Grout lift depth analysis; Decontamination solution for waste transfer piping; Grout lift determination for filling tank and vault voids; sprung structure vendor data; Grout flow properties through a 2--4 inch pipe; Tank farm load limitations; NRC low level waste grout; Project data sheet calculations; Dose rates for tank farm closure tasks; Exposure and shielding calculations for grout lines; TFF radionuclide release rates; Documentation of the clean closure of a system with listed waste discharge; and Documentation of the ORNL method of radionuclide concentrations in tanks.« less

Quantitative analysis of antimicrobial use on British dairy farms.

PubMed

Hyde, Robert M; Remnant, John G; Bradley, Andrew J; Breen, James E; Hudson, Christopher D; Davies, Peers L; Clarke, Tom; Critchell, Yvonne; Hylands, Matthew; Linton, Emily; Wood, Erika; Green, Martin J

2017-12-23

Antimicrobial resistance has been reported to represent a growing threat to both human and animal health, and concerns have been raised around levels of antimicrobial usage (AMU) within the livestock industry. To provide a benchmark for dairy cattle AMU and identify factors associated with high AMU, data from a convenience sample of 358 dairy farms were analysed using both mass-based and dose-based metrics following standard methodologies proposed by the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption project. Metrics calculated were mass (mg) of antimicrobial active ingredient per population correction unit (mg/PCU), defined daily doses (DDDvet) and defined course doses (DCDvet). AMU on dairy farms ranged from 0.36 to 97.79 mg/PCU, with a median and mean of 15.97 and 20.62 mg/PCU, respectively. Dose-based analysis ranged from 0.05 to 20.29 DDDvet, with a median and mean of 4.03 and 4.60 DDDvet, respectively. Multivariable analysis highlighted that usage of antibiotics via oral and footbath routes increased the odds of a farm being in the top quartile (>27.9 mg/PCU) of antimicrobial users. While dairy cattle farm AMU appeared to be lower than UK livestock average, there were a selection of outlying farms with extremely high AMU, with the top 25 per cent of farms contributing greater than 50 per cent of AMU by mass. Identification of these high use farms may enable targeted AMU reduction strategies and facilitate a significant reduction in overall dairy cattle AMU. © British Veterinary Association (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Animal Science Basic Core Curriculum. Kansas Postsecondary Farm and Ranch Management Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albracht, James, Ed.

Thirty-six units of instruction are included in this core curriculum in animal science for postsecondary farm and ranch management programs. Units of instruction are divided into seven instructional areas: (1) Livestock Types, (2) Livestock Programs, (3) Nutrition, (4) Animal Health, (5) Animal Breeding, (6) Animal Improvement, and (7) Livestock…

50 CFR 14.23 - Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. 14.23 Section 14.23 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Exportation at Designated Ports § 14.23 Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. Live farm-raised fish...

50 CFR 14.23 - Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. 14.23 Section 14.23 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Exportation at Designated Ports § 14.23 Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. Live farm-raised fish...

50 CFR 14.23 - Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. 14.23 Section 14.23 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Exportation at Designated Ports § 14.23 Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. Live farm-raised fish...

78 FR 5172 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-24

.... Applicants: Caney River Wind Project, LLC, Rocky Ridge Wind Project, LLC, Smoky Hills Wind Farm, LLC, Smoky.... Description: Notice of Change in Status of Smokey Hills Wind Farm, LLC, et al. Filed Date: 1/14/13. Accession... Commission received the following exempt wholesale generator filings: Docket Numbers: EG13-11-000. Applicants...

Farming characteristics and self-reported health outcomes of Irish farmers.

PubMed

van Doorn, D; Richardson, N; Storey, A; Osborne, A; Cunningham, C; Blake, C; McNamara, J

2018-05-17

Irish farmers represent a 'high-risk' group for non-communicable diseases, which, arguably, pose a greater occupational health challenge for farmers. To date, there has been little exploration of the farming characteristics associated with farmers' poor health outcomes. To examine the relationship between farming and male farmers' self-reported health outcomes and to compare the study findings to national health studies to explore which factors specifically are associated with Irish farmers' poorer health outcomes relative to the general population. This cross-sectional survey research used self-reported quantitative data on the health outcomes and health behaviours of male farmers from the South-East of Ireland. Data were entered into SPSS and descriptive and binary regression techniques were used for data analysis. There were 314 participants (99% response rate). Age, full-time farming and dairy farming significantly impacted self-reported health outcomes and health behaviours. There was a high prevalence of self-reported arthritis compared with the national average of Irish males. 'Younger' farmers (<45 years) were more likely to engage in harmful health behaviours such as smoking and 'binge-drinking' one or more times per week. This study identified self-reported patterns of risky lifestyle behaviours among particular subgroups of Irish farmers for whom targeted health interventions are warranted. Interventions are particularly important for younger farmers who may see themselves as invincible and impregnable to ill-health.

Farm Population of the United States: 1975. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Vera J.; And Others

Presented via narrative and tabular data, this report includes: Population of the U.S., Total and Farm: 1960-1975; Metropolitan-Nonmetropolitan Residence of the Farm and Nonfarm Population, by Race: 1975; Fertility Characteristics of Farm and Nonfarm Women, by Race: 1975; Persons 14 Years Old and Over Employed in Agriculture, by Farm-Nonfarm…

Spatiotemporal structure of wind farm-atmospheric boundary layer interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cervarich, Matthew; Baidya Roy, Somnath; Zhou, Liming

2013-04-01

Wind power is currently one of the fastest growing energy sources in the world. Most of the growth is in the utility sector consisting of large wind farms with numerous industrial-scale wind turbines. Wind turbines act as a sink of mean kinetic energy and a source of turbulent kinetic energy in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). In doing so, they modify the ABL profiles and land-atmosphere exchanges of energy, momentum, mass and moisture. This project explores theses interactions using remote sensing data and numerical model simulations. The domain is central Texas where 4 of the world's largest wind farms are located. A companion study of seasonally-averaged Land Surface Temperature data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on TERRA and AQUA satellites shows a warming signal at night and a mixed cooling/warming signal during the daytime within the wind farms. In the present study, wind farm-ABL interactions are simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The simulations show that the model is capable of replicating the observed signal in land surface temperature. Moreover, similar warming/cooling effect, up to 1C, was observed in seasonal mean 2m air temperature as well. Further analysis show that enhanced turbulent mixing in the rotor wakes is responsible for the impacts on 2m and surface air temperatures. The mixing is due to 2 reasons: (i) turbulent momentum transport to compensate the momentum deficit in the wakes of the turbines and (ii) turbulence generated due to motion of turbine rotors. Turbulent mixing also alters vertical profiles of moisture. Changes in land-atmosphere temperature and moisture gradient and increase in turbulent mixing leads to more than 10% change in seasonal mean surface sensible and latent heat flux. Given the current installed capacity and the projected installation across the world, wind farms are likely becoming a major driver of anthropogenic land use change on Earth. Hence

77 FR 70182 - Impact Report for the Proposed Stateline Solar Farm, San Bernardino County, CA and Draft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-23

... application for a ROW grant to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a photovoltaic solar energy... Proposed Stateline Solar Farm, San Bernardino County, CA and Draft California Desert Conservation Area Land... Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Stateline Solar Farm Project (Stateline) and by this...

[Swine dysentery eradication in a grower-finisher farm in Switzerland].

PubMed

Speiser, S A; Zeeh, F; Goy, N; Albini, S; Zimmermann, W; Luginbühl, A

2011-01-01

On a Swiss grower-finisher farm blood-tinged-diarrhoea in pigs weighing 40 to 60 kg was observed during several months, resulting in reduced feed efficiency and a prolonged fattening period. As part of a research project, in February 2007 faecal samples were analysed and one diseased pig was euthanised and sent for necropsy where typical gut lesions indicative for a Brachyspira (B.) hyodysenteriae infection were found. B. hyodysenteriae was demonstrated by PCR in 4 out of 5 faecal samples. The pig farm thereafter underwent an eradication process with timed depopulation of the consecutive pigpens. During February to June 2008 the farm was regularly inspected and tested for B. hyodysenterieae. Testing continued for another year after the eradication process and all faecal samples proved negative. Until January 2010 neither diarrhoea with blood nor B. hyodysenterieae reoccurred.

Flow adjustment inside large finite-size wind farms approaching the infinite wind farm regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Ka Ling; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2017-04-01

Due to the increasing number and the growing size of wind farms, the distance among them continues to decrease. Thus, it is necessary to understand how these large finite-size wind farms and their wakes could interfere the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) dynamics and adjacent wind farms. Fully-developed flow inside wind farms has been extensively studied through numerical simulations of infinite wind farms. The transportation of momentum and energy is only vertical and the advection of them is neglected in these infinite wind farms. However, less attention has been paid to examine the length of wind farms required to reach such asymptotic regime and the ABL dynamics in the leading and trailing edges of the large finite-size wind farms. Large eddy simulations are performed in this study to investigate the flow adjustment inside large finite-size wind farms in conventionally-neutral boundary layer with the effect of Coriolis force and free-atmosphere stratification from 1 to 5 K/km. For the large finite-size wind farms considered in the present work, when the potential temperature lapse rate is 5 K/km, the wind farms exceed the height of the ABL by two orders of magnitude for the incoming flow inside the farms to approach the fully-developed regime. An entrance fetch of approximately 40 times of the ABL height is also required for such flow adjustment. At the fully-developed flow regime of the large finite-size wind farms, the flow characteristics match those of infinite wind farms even though they have different adjustment length scales. The role of advection at the entrance and exit regions of the large finite-size wind farms is also examined. The interaction between the internal boundary layer developed above the large finite-size wind farms and the ABL under different potential temperature lapse rates are compared. It is shown that the potential temperature lapse rate plays a role in whether the flow inside the large finite-size wind farms adjusts to the fully

76 FR 76393 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-07

...; ER11-4499-002; ER11-4500-002; ER11- 4507-002; ER11-4501-002. Applicants: Smoky Hills Wind Farm, LLC, Smoky Hills Wind Project II, LLC, Enel Stillwater, LLC, Caney River Wind Project, LLC, Canastota Windpower, LLC. Description: Notice of Non-Material Change in Status re Smoky Hills Wind Farm, LLC, et al...

Vertical farming monitoring system using the internet of things (IoT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Yap Shien; Audah, Lukman

2017-09-01

Vertical farming had become a hot topic among peak development countries. However, vertical farming is hard to practice because minor changes on the surrounding would leave big impact to the productivity and quality of farming activity. Thus, the aim of this project is to provide a vertical farming monitoring system to help keeping track on the physical conditions of crops. In this system, varieties of sensors will be used to detect current physical conditions, and send the data to BeagleBone Black (BBB) microcontroller either in analog or digital input. Then, the data will be processed by BBB and upload to the Thingspeak Cloud. Furthermore, the system will record the position of equipment in used, which make it easier for maintenance when there is equipment broken down. The system also provide basic remote function where users could turn on/off the watering system, and the LED light via web-based application. The web-based application will also be designed to analyze and display data gathered in the form of graphs, charts or figures, for better understanding. With the improvement implemented on the vertical farming culture, it is expected that the productivity and quality of crops would increase significantly.

Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

WEIR, W.R.

The Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor describes configuration management the contractor uses to manage and integrate its technical baseline with the programmatic and functional operations to perform work. The Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor supports the management of the project baseline by providing the mechanisms to identify, document, and control the technical characteristics of the products, processes, and structures, systems, and components (SSC). This plan is one of the tools used to identify and provide controls for the technical baseline of the Tank Farm Contractor (TFC). The configuration management plan is listed in themore » management process documents for TFC as depicted in Attachment 1, TFC Document Structure. The configuration management plan is an integrated approach for control of technical, schedule, cost, and administrative processes necessary to manage the mission of the TFC. Configuration management encompasses the five functional elements of: (1) configuration management administration, (2) configuration identification, (3) configuration status accounting, (4) change control, and (5 ) configuration management assessments.« less

A framework for guiding sustainability assessment and on-farm strategic decision making

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coteur, Ine, E-mail: ine.coteur@ilvo.vlaanderen.be; Marchand, Fleur; University of Antwerp, Ecosystem Management Research Group and IMDO, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk

Responding to future challenges and societal needs, various actions are taken in agriculture to evolve towards more sustainable farming practices. These actions imply strategic choices and suppose adequate sustainability assessments to identify, measure, evaluate and communicate sustainable development. However, literature is scarce on the link between strategic decision making and sustainability assessment. As questions emerge on how, what and when to measure, the objective of this paper is to construct a framework for guiding sustainability assessment and on-farm strategic decision making. Qualitative research on own experiences from the past and a recent project revealed four categories of actual needs farmers,more » advisors and experts have regarding sustainability assessment: context, flexibility, focus on farm and farmer and communication. These stakeholders' needs are then incorporated into a two-dimensional framework that marries the intrinsic complexity of sustainability assessment tools and the time frame of strategic decision making. The framework allows a farm-specific and flexible approach leading to harmonized actions towards sustainable farming. As this framework is mainly a procedural instrument to guide the use of sustainability assessment tools within strategic decision making, it fits to incorporate, even guide, future research on sustainability assessment tools themselves and on their adoption on farms. - Highlights: • How to link sustainability assessment and on-farm strategic decision making is unclear. • Two-dimensional framework incorporating stakeholders' needs regarding sustainability assessment • Linking complexity of sustainability assessment tools and the time frame of strategic decision making • Farm-specific and flexible approach to harmonize action towards sustainable farming.« less

Forest farming practices

Treesearch

J.L. Chamberlain; D. Mitchell; T. Brigham; T. Hobby; L. Zabek; J. Davis

2009-01-01

Forest farming in North America is becoming popular as a way for landowners to diversify income opportunities, improve management of forest resources, and increase biological diversity. People have been informally "farming the forests" for generations. However, in recent years, attention has been directed at formalizing forest farming and improving it...

Estimating Phosphorus Loss at the Whole-Farm Scale with User-Friendly Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vadas, P.; Powell, M.; Brink, G.; Busch, D.; Good, L.

2014-12-01

Phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural fields and delivery to surface waters persists as a water quality impairment issue. For dairy farms, P can be lost from cropland, pastures, barnyards, and open-air cattle lots; and all these sources must be evaluated to determine which ones are a priority for P loss remediation. We used interview surveys to document land use, cattle herd characteristics, and manure management for four grazing-based dairy farms in Wisconsin, USA. We then used the APLE and Snap-Plus models to estimate annual P loss from all areas on these farms and determine their relative contribution to whole-farm P loss. At the whole-farm level, average annual P loss (kg ha-1) from grazing-based dairy farms was low (0.6 to 1.8 kg ha-1), generally because a significant portion of land was in permanently vegetated pastures or hay and had low erosion. However, there were areas on the farms that represented sources of significant P loss. For cropland, the greatest P loss was from areas with exposed soil, typically for corn production, and especially on steeper sloping land. The farm areas with the greatest P loss had concentrated animal housing, including barnyards, and over-wintering and young-stock lots. These areas can represent from about 5% to almost 30% of total farm P loss, depending on lot management and P loss from other land uses. Our project builds on research to show that producer surveys can provide reliable management information to assess whole-farm P loss. It also shows that we can use models like RUSLE2, Snap-Plus, and APLE to rapidly, reliably, and quantitatively estimate P loss in runoff from all areas on a dairy farm and identify areas in greatest need of alternative management to reduce P loss.

7 CFR 1291.4 - Eligible grant project.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... partners. (d) Multi-state projects that address solutions to problems that cross state boundaries are... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Eligible grant project. 1291.4 Section 1291.4... PROGRAM-FARM BILL § 1291.4 Eligible grant project. (a) To be eligible for a grant, the project(s) must...

Secondary School Senior Capstone Projects: A Descriptive and Interpretive Case Study on Post-Secondary Students' Perspectives of Learning Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yasuda, Vanessa Applbaum

2017-01-01

This descriptive and interpretive case study investigates how 12 undergraduate college students perceived participation in their high school Senior Capstone Project (SCP) impacted their college academic experience. Learning transfer was explored from the learner's perspective. Data was collected using qualitative methods in three sequential phases…

Involvement of the US Department of Defense in Civilian Assistance, Part I: a quantitative description of the projects funded by the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid Program.

PubMed

Bourdeaux, Margaret Ellis; Lawry, Lynn; Bonventre, Eugene V; Burkle, Frederick M

2010-03-01

To review the history and goals of the US Department of Defense's largest civilian assistance program, the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid Program and to describe the number, geographic regions, years, key words, countries, and types of projects carried out under this program since 2001. Using the program's central database, we reviewed all approved projects since 2001 and tabulated them by year, combatant command, country, and key word. We also reviewed the project descriptions of projects funded between January 1, 2006, and February 9, 2008, and examined how their activities varied by combatant command and year. Of the 5395 projects in the database, 2097 were funded. Projects took place in more than 90 countries, with Southern, Pacific, and Africa Command hosting the greatest number. The most common types of projects were school, health, disaster response, and water infrastructure construction, and disaster-response training. The "global war on terror" was the key word most frequently tagged to project descriptions. Project descriptions lacked stated goals as well as implementation and coordination strategies with potential partners, and did not report outcome or impact indicators. The geographic reach of the program is vast and projects take place in a wide variety of public sectors. Yet their security and civilian assistance value remains unclear given the lack of stated project goals, implementation strategies, or measures of effectiveness. To facilitate transparency and policy discussion, we recommend project proposals include hypotheses as to how they will enhance US security, their relevance to the public sector they address, and outcome and impact indicators that can assess their value and effectiveness.

Management Innovations in Higher Education: A Descriptive Study of Information Technology Managers' Perceptions Regarding the Use and Value of Project Management in Institutions of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durbin, Michael P.

2013-01-01

This study examined the perspectives of IT managers working in colleges and universities regarding their use of and value for project management. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to understand individual innovativeness, innovation characteristics of project management, and the perceived use of and value for project management best…

Description of ARCAL XXXIV Project: Repair and Calibration of Electrometers and Ionization Chambers Used in Radiotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz-Estrada, P.; Ramírez-Jiménez, F. J.; Villaverde-Lozano, A.

2003-09-01

The technological tools for the diagnosis of diseases and treatment of cancer are based mostly on the use of ionizing radiations. This situation worries to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has implemented programs of technical cooperation for the protection of the human health. One of these programs is running in Latin America under the ARCAL project (Regional Agreement of Cooperation for the Promotion of the Nuclear Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean). One objective of the ARCAL XXXIV project is the establishment of three Regional Centres for the repair, maintenance and electrical calibration of clinical dosimeters, in Mexico we have one of these centres. Some other objectives of the project are: the generation of calibration procedures, the release of training courses in the region, the establishment of an inter-comparison network for the region in the control of standards of calibration with electrometers and the design of low current sources that simulates the ionization chamber and can serve as field standards for each of the participant countries. A description of the results of the project is presented in this work.

Revising the Depreciation and Investment Credit Lessons for Farm Management and Supervised Occupational Experience for Use in Missouri Programs of Vocational Agriculture. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rohrbach, Norman; And Others

This project developed four lessons that reflect the 1981 tax laws as they relate to the use of investment credit and depreciation in farm accounting systems. Project staff reviewed tax laws and related materials and identified four lessons in farm management and supervised occupational experience that needed revision. Materials were then…

Organic farming benefits local plant diversity in vineyard farms located in intensive agricultural landscapes.

PubMed

Nascimbene, Juri; Marini, Lorenzo; Paoletti, Maurizio G

2012-05-01

The majority of research on organic farming has considered arable and grassland farming systems in Central and Northern Europe, whilst only a few studies have been carried out in Mediterranean agro-systems, such as vineyards, despite their economic importance. The main aim of the study was to test whether organic farming enhances local plant species richness in both crop and non-crop areas of vineyard farms located in intensive conventional landscapes. Nine conventional and nine organic farms were selected in an intensively cultivated region (i.e. no gradient in landscape composition) in northern Italy. In each farm, vascular plants were sampled in one vineyard and in two non-crop linear habitats, grass strips and hedgerows, adjacent to vineyards and therefore potentially influenced by farming. We used linear mixed models to test the effect of farming, and species longevity (annual vs. perennial) separately for the three habitat types. In our intensive agricultural landscapes organic farming promoted local plant species richness in vineyard fields, and grassland strips while we found no effect for linear hedgerows. Differences in species richness were not associated to differences in species composition, indicating that similar plant communities were hosted in vineyard farms independently of the management type. This negative effect of conventional farming was probably due to the use of herbicides, while mechanical operations and mowing regime did not differ between organic and conventional farms. In grassland strips, and only marginally in vineyards, we found that the positive effect of organic farming was more pronounced for perennial than annual species.

The health farm concept in the primary prevention of coronary artery disease.

PubMed

Ahmad, A M

1995-12-01

The purpose of the study is as a preliminary outline of the effectiveness of initiating high-risk individuals into the Health Farm concept in the primary prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD). Thirty-five (35) Army personnel, all male, with risk-factors for CAD were brought together on a Health Farm concept to go through a predesigned ten-day Farm programme comprising CAD risk-assessment, comprehensive medical examination, relevant blood chemistry analysis, physical fitness evaluation, individualised weekly exercise routine, physical fitness workouts, individualised diet, lectures, group discussion and individual counselling. Description of the participants (as measurements of various relevant parameters) are made at the start and as participant-achievement. The results show general participant-compliance to the programme which was reflected by significant changes in weight (p < 0.005), percentile VO2Max (p < 0.005), percentile push-ups (p < 0.005) and girth-difference (p < 0.005). The study showed that the Health Farm concept is effective in initiating high-risk individuals into lifestyles conducive to the primary prevention of CAD. Sustained results towards primary prevention of CAD can be expected with compliance to a long-term follow-up that has been identified and to which participants have been made aware of. Other previous intervention studies are briefly discussed.

Exploring the Role of Farm Animals in Providing Care at Care Farms

PubMed Central

Hassink, Jan; De Bruin, Simone R.; Berget, Bente; Elings, Marjolein

2017-01-01

Simple Summary This paper provides insight into the role of farm animals in farm-based programs and their importance to different types of participants. Farm animals provide real work, close relationships, challenging tasks and opportunities for reflection. They also contribute to a welcoming atmosphere for various types of participants. Abstract We explore the role of farm animals in providing care to different types of participants at care farms (e.g., youngsters with behavioural problems, people with severe mental problems and people with dementia). Care farms provide alternative and promising settings where people can interact with animals compared to a therapeutic healthcare setting. We performed a literature review, conducted focus group meetings and carried out secondary data-analysis of qualitative studies involving care farmers and different types of participants. We found that farm animals are important to many participants and have a large number of potential benefits. They can (i) provide meaningful day occupation; (ii) generate valued relationships; (iii) help people master tasks; (iv) provide opportunities for reciprocity; (v) can distract people from them problems; (vi) provide relaxation; (vii) facilitate customized care; (viii) facilitate relationships with other people; (ix) stimulate healthy behavior; (x) contribute to a welcoming environment; (xi) make it possible to experience basic elements of life; and (xii) provide opportunities for reflection and feedback. This shows the multi-facetted importance of interacting with animals on care farms. In this study the types of activities with animals and their value to different types of participants varied. Farm animals are an important element of the care farm environment that can address the care needs of different types of participants. PMID:28574435

REPORT OF CHICO STATE COLLEGE GRIDLEY FARM LABOR CAMP, SUMMER PROJECT (1964).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HOWSDEN, ARLEY L.; AND OTHERS

A SUMMER SCHOOL AND CHILD CARE CENTER WAS OPERATED BY CHICO STATE COLLEGE AT A FARM LABOR CAMP IN GRIDLEY, CALIFORNIA. THE SUMMER SCHOOL WAS TAUGHT BY COLLEGE STUDENTS AND OFFERED CLASSES AT ALL LEVELS. THESE CLASSES, WITH AN AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE OF 68.15, SOUGHT A POSITIVE SELF-IMAGE AMOUNG THE MIGRANT CHILDREN BY RELATING TO THEM ON AN…

uFarm: a smart farm management system based on RFID

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyoungsuk; Lee, Moonsup; Jung, Jonghyuk; Lee, Hyunwook; Kim, Taehyoun

2007-12-01

Recently, the livestock industry in Korea has been threatened by many challenges such as low productivity due to labor intensiveness, global competition compelled by the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and emerging animal disease issues such as BSE or foot-and-mouth. In this paper, we propose a smart farm management system, called uFarm, which would come up with such challenges by automating farm management. First, we automate labor-intensive jobs using equipments based on sensors and actuators. The automation subsystem can be controlled by remote user through wireless network. Second, we provide real-time traceability of information on farm animals using the radio-frequency identification (RFID) method and embedded data server with network connectivity.

Studies of Sub-Synchronous Oscillations in Large-Scale Wind Farm Integrated System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Liu; Hang, Mend

2018-01-01

With the rapid development and construction of large-scale wind farms and grid-connected operation, the series compensation wind power AC transmission is gradually becoming the main way of power usage and improvement of wind power availability and grid stability, but the integration of wind farm will change the SSO (Sub-Synchronous oscillation) damping characteristics of synchronous generator system. Regarding the above SSO problem caused by integration of large-scale wind farms, this paper focusing on doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind farms, aim to summarize the SSO mechanism in large-scale wind power integrated system with series compensation, which can be classified as three types: sub-synchronous control interaction (SSCI), sub-synchronous torsional interaction (SSTI), sub-synchronous resonance (SSR). Then, SSO modelling and analysis methods are categorized and compared by its applicable areas. Furthermore, this paper summarizes the suppression measures of actual SSO projects based on different control objectives. Finally, the research prospect on this field is explored.

50 CFR 14.23 - Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... eggs. 14.23 Section 14.23 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Exportation at Designated Ports § 14.23 Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs meet the definition of “bred in captivity” as stated in 50 CFR 17.3. Except...

Whole farm quantification of GHG emissions within smallholder farms in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seebauer, Matthias

2014-03-01

The IPCC has compiled the best available scientific methods into published guidelines for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and emission removals from the land-use sector. In order to evaluate existing GHG quantification tools to comprehensively quantify GHG emissions and removals in smallholder conditions, farm scale quantification was tested with farm data from Western Kenya. After conducting a cluster analysis to identify different farm typologies GHG quantification was exercised using the VCS SALM methodology complemented with IPCC livestock emission factors and the cool farm tool. The emission profiles of four farm clusters representing the baseline conditions in the year 2009 are compared with 2011 where farmers adopted sustainable land management practices (SALM). The results demonstrate the variation in both the magnitude of the estimated GHG emissions per ha between different smallholder farm typologies and the emissions estimated by applying two different accounting tools. The farm scale quantification further shows that the adoption of SALM has a significant impact on emission reduction and removals and the mitigation benefits range between 4 and 6.5 tCO2 ha-1 yr-1 with significantly different mitigation benefits depending on typologies of the crop-livestock systems, their different agricultural practices, as well as adoption rates of improved practices. However, the inherent uncertainty related to the emission factors applied by accounting tools has substantial implications for reported agricultural emissions. With regard to uncertainty related to activity data, the assessment confirms the high variability within different farm types as well as between different parameters surveyed to comprehensively quantify GHG emissions within smallholder farms.

Descriptive statistics.

PubMed

Nick, Todd G

2007-01-01

Statistics is defined by the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus as the science and art of collecting, summarizing, and analyzing data that are subject to random variation. The two broad categories of summarizing and analyzing data are referred to as descriptive and inferential statistics. This chapter considers the science and art of summarizing data where descriptive statistics and graphics are used to display data. In this chapter, we discuss the fundamentals of descriptive statistics, including describing qualitative and quantitative variables. For describing quantitative variables, measures of location and spread, for example the standard deviation, are presented along with graphical presentations. We also discuss distributions of statistics, for example the variance, as well as the use of transformations. The concepts in this chapter are useful for uncovering patterns within the data and for effectively presenting the results of a project.

Marcellus Shale Drilling's Impact on the Dairy Industry in Pennsylvania: A Descriptive Report.

PubMed

Finkel, Madelon L; Selegean, Jane; Hays, Jake; Kondamudi, Nitin

2013-01-01

Unconventional natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania has accelerated over the past five years, and is unlikely to abate soon. Dairy farming is a large component of Pennsylvania's agricultural economy. This study compares milk production, number of cows, and production per cow in counties with significant unconventional drilling activity to that in neighboring counties with less unconventional drilling activity, from 1996 through 2011. Milk production and milk cows decreased in most counties since 1996, with larger decreases occurring from 2007 through 2011 (when unconventional drilling increased substantially) in five counties with the most wells drilled compared to six adjacent counties with fewer than 100 wells drilled. While this descriptive study cannot draw a causal association between well drilling and decline in cows or milk production, given the importance of Pennsylvania's dairy industry and the projected increase in unconventional natural gas drilling, further research to prevent unintended economic and public health consequences is imperative.

Off-Farm Labour Decision of Canadian Farm Operators: Urbanization Effects and Rural Labour Market Linkages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alasia, Alessandro; Weersink, Alfons; Bollman, Ray D.; Cranfield, John

2009-01-01

Understanding the factors affecting off-farm labour decisions of census-farm operators has significant implications for rural development and farm income support policy. We examine the off-farm labour decisions of Canadian farm operators using micro-level data from the 2001 Census of Agriculture combined with community level data from the 2001…

Project W-211 Initial Tank Retrieval Systems (ITRS) Description of Operations for 241-AZ-102

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

BRIGGS, S.R.

2000-02-25

The primary purpose of the Initial Tank Retrieval Systems (ITRS) is to provide systems for retrieval of radioactive wastes stored in underground double-shell tanks (DSTs) for transfer to alternate storage, evaporation, pretreatment or treatment, while concurrently reducing risks associated with safety watch list and other DSTs. This Description of Operation (DOO) defines the control philosophy for the waste retrieval system for Tank 241-AZ-102 (AZ-102). This DOO provides a basis for the detailed design of the Project W-211 Retrieval Control System (RCS) for AZ-102 and also establishes test criteria for the RCS.

Contesting facts about wind farms in Australia and the legitimacy of adverse health effects.

PubMed

Clark, Shannon; Botterill, Linda Courtenay

2017-02-01

The development of wind energy in Australia has been subject to ongoing public debate and has been characterised by concerns over the health impacts of wind turbines. Using discursive psychology, we examine 'wind turbine syndrome' as a contested illness and analyse how people build and undermine divergent arguments about wind-farm health effects. This article explores two facets of the dispute. First, we consider how participants construct 'facts' about the health effects of wind farms. We examine rhetorical resources used to construct wind farms as harmful or benign. Second, we examine the local negotiation of the legitimacy of health complaints. In the research interviews examined, even though interviewees treat those who report experiencing symptoms from wind farms as having primary rights to narrate their own experience, this epistemic primacy does not extend to the ability to 'correctly' identify symptoms' cause. As a result, the legitimacy of health complaints is undermined. Wind turbine syndrome is an example of a contested illness that is politically controversial. We show how stake, interest and legitimacy are particularly relevant for participants' competing descriptions about the 'facts' of wind turbine health effects.

The Extent of Off-Farm Employment and Its Impact on Farm Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danes, Sharon M.; Keskinen, Susan M.

1990-01-01

Surveys off-farm employment of farm women and its impact on their lives. Describes survey data illustrating financial hardships experienced by working farm women. Describes imbalance between work and leisure as major source of dissatisfaction. Suggests service providers recognize women's "role overload" and its effects on families. (TES)

Fort Hood Solar Total Energy Project. Volume II. Preliminary design. Part 1. System criteria and design description. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None,

1979-01-01

This volume documents the preliminary design developed for the Solar Total Energy System to be installed at Fort Hood, Texas. Current system, subsystem, and component designs are described and additional studies which support selection among significant design alternatives are presented. Overall system requirements which form the system design basis are presented. These include program objectives; performance and output load requirements; industrial, statutory, and regulatory standards; and site interface requirements. Material in this section will continue to be issued separately in the Systems Requirements Document and maintained current through revision throughout future phases of the project. Overall system design and detailedmore » subsystem design descriptions are provided. Consideration of operation and maintenance is reflected in discussion of each subsystem design as well as in an integrated overall discussion. Included are the solar collector subsystem; the thermal storage subsystem, the power conversion sybsystem (including electrical generation and distribution); the heating/cooling and domestic hot water subsystems; overall instrumentation and control; and the STES building and physical plant. The design of several subsystems has progressed beyond the preliminary stage; descriptions for such subsystems are therefore provided in more detail than others to provide complete documentation of the work performed. In some cases, preliminary design parameters require specific verificaton in the definitive design phase and are identified in the text. Subsystem descriptions will continue to be issued and revised separately to maintain accuracy during future phases of the project. (WHK)« less

Implementing the patient-centered medical home: observation and description of the national demonstration project.

PubMed

Stewart, Elizabeth E; Nutting, Paul A; Crabtree, Benjamin F; Stange, Kurt C; Miller, William L; Jaén, Carlos Roberto

2010-01-01

We provide an overall description of the National Demonstration Project (NDP) intervention to transform family practices into patient-centered medical homes. An independent evaluation team used multiple data sources and methods to describe the design and implementation of the NDP. These included direct observation of the implementation team and project meetings, site visits to practices, depth interviews with practice members and implementation team members, access to practice communications (eg, telephone calls, e-mails), and public domain materials (eg, the NDP Web site). The American Academy of Family Physicians created a new division called TransforMED, which launched the 24-month NDP in June 2006. From 337 family medicine practices completing an extensive online application, 36 were selected and randomized to a facilitated group, which received tailored, intensive assistance and services from TransforMED, or a self-directed group, which received very limited assistance. Three facilitators from diverse backgrounds in finance, practice management, and organizational psychology used multiple practice change strategies including site visits, e-mails, metrics, and learning sessions. The self-directed practices worked primarily on their own, but self-organized a retreat midway through the project. The intervention model for the project evolved to be consistent with the emerging national consensus principles of the patient-centered medical home. The independent evaluation team studied the NDP and provided ongoing feedback to inform the implementation process. The NDP illustrates that complex practice change interventions must combine flexibility in the intervention model, implementation strategy, and the evaluation, in order to maximize ongoing learning.

Implementing the Patient-Centered Medical Home: Observation and Description of the National Demonstration Project

PubMed Central

Stewart, Elizabeth E.; Nutting, Paul A.; Crabtree, Benjamin F.; Stange, Kurt C.; Miller, William L.; Jaén, Carlos Roberto

2010-01-01

PURPOSE We provide an overall description of the National Demonstration Project (NDP) intervention to transform family practices into patient-centered medical homes. METHODS An independent evaluation team used multiple data sources and methods to describe the design and implementation of the NDP. These included direct observation of the implementation team and project meetings, site visits to practices, depth interviews with practice members and implementation team members, access to practice communications (eg, telephone calls, e-mails), and public domain materials (eg, the NDP Web site). RESULTS The American Academy of Family Physicians created a new division called TransforMED, which launched the 24-month NDP in June 2006. From 337 family medicine practices completing an extensive online application, 36 were selected and randomized to a facilitated group, which received tailored, intensive assistance and services from TransforMED, or a self-directed group, which received very limited assistance. Three facilitators from diverse backgrounds in finance, practice management, and organizational psychology used multiple practice change strategies including site visits, e-mails, metrics, and learning sessions. The self-directed practices worked primarily on their own, but self-organized a retreat midway through the project. The intervention model for the project evolved to be consistent with the emerging national consensus principles of the patient-centered medical home. The independent evaluation team studied the NDP and provided ongoing feedback to inform the implementation process. CONCLUSIONS The NDP illustrates that complex practice change interventions must combine flexibility in the intervention model, implementation strategy, and the evaluation, in order to maximize ongoing learning. PMID:20530392

Farm Population of the United States: 1976. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Vera J.; And Others

Prepared cooperatively by the Bureau of the Census and the Economic Research Service of the U.S. DeparLment of Agriculture, this document presents narrative and tabular data on: demographic and social characteristics of the farm population; economic characteristics of the farm population; revision of farm population processing procedures; and…

Contribution of science to farm-level aquatic animal health management.

PubMed

Corsin, F; Giorgetti, G; Mohan, C V

2007-01-01

The contribution of science to farm level disease management is a story of two worlds. The development of effective vaccines has allowed for the control of important salmonid diseases such as furunculosis, yersiniosis and vibriosis and has significantly reduced farmers' reliance on antibiotics. Control of diseases for which cost-effective vaccines have yet to be developed has been achieved through the development of increasingly targeted antibiotics and chemotherapeutants. Increasingly, accurate and rapid diagnostic and water quality tests have allowed farmers to improve farm-level aquatic animal health management. In developed countries, these achievements have been possible thanks to the strong link between science and farm management. This link has been assisted by the presence of strong farmer organizations capable of coordinating research projects and hosting meetings at which scientific information is discussed and disseminated. Although Asia is responsible for the production of about 90% of aquaculture products, it presents a rather different picture from the above. Science has indeed made significant progress in health management but the links with farm management are still weak. Management practices capable of preventing important health problems in shrimp and fish farming are still poorly adopted by farmers. This is largely due to constraints in the dissemination of information to the large number of producers involved, the limited resources of both producers and their countries and the lack of effective farmer organizations capable of liaising with the scientific world. Recently, the Asian region has witnessed some successful examples of aquatic animal health management through the adoption of simple Better Management Practices. Efforts so far have been largely focused on shrimp farming, although activities have been initiated to adopt a similar approach to other commodities. The need for both observational and experimental epidemiological studies to

Cacao Intensification in Sulawesi: A Green Prosperity Model Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moriarty, K.; Elchinger, M.; Hill, G.

2014-09-01

NREL conducted eight model projects for Millennium Challenge Corporation's (MCC) Compact with Indonesia. Green Prosperity, the largest project of the Compact, seeks to address critical constraints to economic growth while supporting the Government of Indonesia's commitment to a more sustainable, less carbon-intensive future. This study evaluates techniques to improve cacao farming in Sulawesi Indonesia with an emphasis on Farmer Field Schools and Cocoa Development Centers to educate farmers and for train the trainer programs. The study estimates the economic viability of cacao farming if smallholder implement techniques to increase yield as well as social and environmental impacts of the project.

Improving Environmental Management on Small-scale Farms: Perspectives of Extension Educators and Horse Farm Operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebecca, Perry-Hill; Linda, Prokopy

2015-01-01

Although the number of small-scale farms is increasing in North America and Europe, few studies have been conducted to better understand environmental management in this sector. We investigate this issue by examining environmental management on horse farms from both the perspective of the "expert" extension educator and horse farm operator. We conducted a Delphi survey and follow-up interviews with extension educators in Indiana and Kentucky. We also conducted interviews and farm assessments with 15 horse farm operators in the two states. Our results suggest a disconnection between the perceptions of extension educators and horse farm operators. Extension educators believed that operators of small horse farms are unfamiliar with conservation practices and their environmental benefits and they found it difficult to target outreach to this audience. In the interviews with horse farm operators, we found that the majority were somewhat familiar with conservation practices like rotational grazing, soil testing, heavy use area protection, and manure composting. It was not common, however, for practices to be implemented to generally recognized standards. The horse farm respondents perceived these practices as interrelated parts of a system of farm management that has developed over time to best deal with the physical features of the property, needs of the horses, and available resources. Because conservation practices must be incorporated into a complex farm management system, traditional models of extension (i.e., diffusion of innovations) may be inappropriate for promoting better environmental management on horse farms.

Improving environmental management on small-scale farms: perspectives of extension educators and horse farm operators.

PubMed

Rebecca, Perry-Hill; Linda, Prokopy

2015-01-01

Although the number of small-scale farms is increasing in North America and Europe, few studies have been conducted to better understand environmental management in this sector. We investigate this issue by examining environmental management on horse farms from both the perspective of the "expert" extension educator and horse farm operator. We conducted a Delphi survey and follow-up interviews with extension educators in Indiana and Kentucky. We also conducted interviews and farm assessments with 15 horse farm operators in the two states. Our results suggest a disconnection between the perceptions of extension educators and horse farm operators. Extension educators believed that operators of small horse farms are unfamiliar with conservation practices and their environmental benefits and they found it difficult to target outreach to this audience. In the interviews with horse farm operators, we found that the majority were somewhat familiar with conservation practices like rotational grazing, soil testing, heavy use area protection, and manure composting. It was not common, however, for practices to be implemented to generally recognized standards. The horse farm respondents perceived these practices as interrelated parts of a system of farm management that has developed over time to best deal with the physical features of the property, needs of the horses, and available resources. Because conservation practices must be incorporated into a complex farm management system, traditional models of extension (i.e., diffusion of innovations) may be inappropriate for promoting better environmental management on horse farms.

First in situ evidence of wakes in the far field behind offshore wind farms.

PubMed

Platis, Andreas; Siedersleben, Simon K; Bange, Jens; Lampert, Astrid; Bärfuss, Konrad; Hankers, Rudolf; Cañadillas, Beatriz; Foreman, Richard; Schulz-Stellenfleth, Johannes; Djath, Bughsin; Neumann, Thomas; Emeis, Stefan

2018-02-01

More than 12 GW of offshore wind turbines are currently in operation in European waters. To optimise the use of the marine areas, wind farms are typically clustered in units of several hundred turbines. Understanding wakes of wind farms, which is the region of momentum and energy deficit downwind, is important for optimising the wind farm layouts and operation to minimize costs. While in most weather situations (unstable atmospheric stratification), the wakes of wind turbines are only a local effect within the wind farm, satellite imagery reveals wind-farm wakes to be several tens of kilometres in length under certain conditions (stable atmospheric stratification), which is also predicted by numerical models. The first direct in situ measurements of the existence and shape of large wind farm wakes by a specially equipped research aircraft in 2016 and 2017 confirm wake lengths of more than tens of kilometres under stable atmospheric conditions, with maximum wind speed deficits of 40%, and enhanced turbulence. These measurements were the first step in a large research project to describe and understand the physics of large offshore wakes using direct measurements, together with the assessment of satellite imagery and models.

Aesthetics at the Impasse: The Unresolved Property of Dale Farm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Lynne

2015-01-01

"Soil Depositions" was an art activist project that responded to the 2011 Irish Traveller eviction at Dale Farm in Essex when three resident women donated small amounts of soil from the site of their former home. The soil was subsequently deposited, framed and documented in various national and international locations. This article…

Cultivating and Reflecting on Intergenerational Environmental Education on the Farm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer-Smith, Jolie; Bartosh, Oksana; Peterat, Linda

2009-01-01

Based on the idea that eating is an environmental act, we designed an environmental education project where elementary school children and community elders work as partners to raise food crops on an urban organic farm. Our goal was to illustrate how eco-philosophies could be translated into educational programs that foster environmental…

Farm Household Survival Strategies and Diversification on Marginal Farms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meert, H.; Van Huylenbroeck, G.; Vernimmen, T.; Bourgeois, M.; van Hecke, E.

2005-01-01

On marginal farms, and in agriculture in general, sustainability is largely guaranteed by a broad range of survival strategies, closely interlinked and embedded in the household structure of typical family farms. This paper reports results of a socio-economic study carried out among Belgian farmers, focusing specifically on the opportunities…

Neither "Family" nor "Corporate" Farming: Australian Tomato Growers as Farm Family Entrepreneurs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pritchard, Bill; Burch, David; Lawrence, Geoffrey

2007-01-01

For the past two decades there has been much debate about the future of family farming. The basic question on which this debate has turned is whether current pressures on family farm systems should be understood as symptomatic of a terminal condition, in which farmers are replaced progressively by corporate ownership; or whether family farms will…

Farm Population of the United States: 1971. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of the Census (DOC), Suitland, MD. Population Div.

Based on data derived from the Current Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census, this statistical report presents demographic and labor force characteristics of the U.S. farm population and comparisons of the farm and nonfarm populations. Tabular data are presented as follows: (1) U.S. Population, Total and Farm: April 1960 and 1971; (2)…

Farm Population of the United States: 1972. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of the Census (DOC), Suitland, MD. Population Div.

Based on data derived from the Current Population Survey of the Bureau of Census, this statistical report presents demographic and labor force characteristics of the U.S. farm population and comparisons of the farm and nonfarm populations. Tabular data are presented as follows: (1) U.S. Population, Total and Farm: April 1960 to 1972; (2) Persons…

Assessment of Primary Production of Horticultural Safety Management Systems of Mushroom Farms in South Africa.

PubMed

Dzingirayi, Garikayi; Korsten, Lise

2016-07-01

Growing global consumer concern over food safety in the fresh produce industry requires producers to implement necessary quality assurance systems. Varying effectiveness has been noted in how countries and food companies interpret and implement food safety standards. A diagnostic instrument (DI) for global fresh produce industries was developed to measure the compliancy of companies with implemented food safety standards. The DI is made up of indicators and descriptive grids for context factors and control and assurance activities to measure food safety output. The instrument can be used in primary production to assess food safety performance. This study applied the DI to measure food safety standard compliancy of mushroom farming in South Africa. Ten farms representing almost half of the industry farms and more than 80% of production were independently assessed for their horticultural safety management system (HSMS) compliance via in-depth interviews with each farm's quality assurance personnel. The data were processed using Microsoft Office Excel 2010 and are represented in frequency tables. The diagnosis revealed that the mushroom farming industry had an average food safety output. The farms were implementing an average-toadvanced HSMS and operating in a medium-risk context. Insufficient performance areas in HSMSs included inadequate hazard analysis and analysis of control points, low specificity of pesticide assessment, and inadequate control of suppliers and incoming materials. Recommendations to the industry and current shortcomings are suggested for realization of an improved industry-wide food safety assurance system.

Occupational risky business: injury prevention behaviors of farm women and children.

PubMed

Pryor, Susan K; Carruth, Ann K; LaCour, Georgia

2005-01-01

On farms in the United States, there are approximately 100 fatal and 32,800 nonfatal injuries annually in children 19 years and younger (United States Department of Labor, 1999). Up to 40% of nonfatally injured children are left with permanent disabilities. The impact of injury and death on children associated with farming in the United States is substantial. Research suggests that modeling of health behaviors may be an effective technique for the socialization of children's health behaviors. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, the study describes the participation and use of protective farm equipment or practices by the caregiver and the child. The second purpose is to compare the practices of the caregivers and the children in relation to the use of protective farm equipment and practices. Descriptive and categorical data analysis methods were used to examine the associations of 177 pairs of caregivers and children and their use of protective equipment and preventative behaviors. Greater than 50% of the children under the age of 7 had handled or touched livestock, as well as rode as passengers on tractors. Many children in all age categories had ridden in the back of pick-up trucks. Modeling of the prevention behavior by the caregivers did parallel the use of the equipment by the children. However, the opposite also was true; if the caregiver did not use the equipment, neither did the child.

Education Outreach Associated with Technology Transfer in a Colonia of South Texas: Green Valley Farms Science and Space Club for Middle School Aged Children in Green Valley Farms, San Benito, Texas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potess, Marla D.; Rainwater, Ken; Muirhead, Dean

2004-01-01

Texas colonias are unincorporated subdivisions characterized by inadequate water and wastewater infrastructure, inadequate drainage and road infrastructure, substandard housing, and poverty. Since 1989 the Texas Legislature has implemented policies to halt further development of colonias and to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs in existing and new colonias along the border with Mexico. Government programs and non-government and private organization projects aim to address these infrastructure needs. Texas Tech University's Water Resources Center demonstrated the use of alternative on-site wastewater treatment in the Green Valley Farms colonia, San Benito, Texas. The work in Green Valley Farms was a component of a NASA-funded project entitled Evaluation of NASA's Advanced Life Support Integrated Water Recovery System for Non-Optimal Conditions and Terrestrial Applications. Two households within the colonia are demonstration sites for constructed wetlands. A colonia resident and activist identified educational opportunities for colonia children as a primary goal for many colonia residents. Colonia parents view education as the door to opportunity and escape from poverty for their children. The educational outreach component of the project in Green Valley Farms was a Science and Space Club for middle-school age students. Involved parents, schoolteachers, and school administrators enthusiastically supported the monthly club meetings and activities. Each month, students participated in interactive learning experiences about water use and reuse in space and on earth. Activities increased knowledge and interest in water resource issues and in science and engineering fields. The Institute for the Development and Enrichment of Advanced Learners (IDEAL) at Texas Tech University provided full scholarships for five students from Green Valley Farms to attend the Shake Hands With Your Future camp at Texas Tech University in June 2003. The educational outreach

Control strategies for wind farm power optimization: LES study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciri, Umberto; Rotea, Mario; Leonardi, Stefano

2017-11-01

Turbines in wind farms operate in off-design conditions as wake interactions occur for particular wind directions. Advanced wind farm control strategies aim at coordinating and adjusting turbine operations to mitigate power losses in such conditions. Coordination is achieved by controlling on upstream turbines either the wake intensity, through the blade pitch angle or the generator torque, or the wake direction, through yaw misalignment. Downstream turbines can be adapted to work in waked conditions and limit power losses, using the blade pitch angle or the generator torque. As wind conditions in wind farm operations may change significantly, it is difficult to determine and parameterize the variations of the coordinated optimal settings. An alternative is model-free control and optimization of wind farms, which does not require any parameterization and can track the optimal settings as conditions vary. In this work, we employ a model-free optimization algorithm, extremum-seeking control, to find the optimal set-points of generator torque, blade pitch and yaw angle for a three-turbine configuration. Large-Eddy Simulations are used to provide a virtual environment to evaluate the performance of the control strategies under realistic, unsteady incoming wind. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, Grants No. 1243482 (the WINDINSPIRE project) and IIP 1362033 (I/UCRC WindSTAR). TACC is acknowledged for providing computational time.

Food Processing and Agriculture. Wisconsin Annual Farm Labor Report, 1968.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin State Employment Service, Madison.

A yearly report on the migrant farm worker situation in Wisconsin evaluates the year 1968 in relation to past years and makes projections for the future. Comparisons are made of trends in year-round employment practices, seasonal food processing, the cherry industry, and the cucumber industry. The report includes a discussion on the social aspects…

Piscicultura. Productor Comercial de Peces. Guia Tecnica. Documento de trabajo, Programa de Educacion Agricola (Fish Farming. Commercial Fish Producer. Technical Guide. Curriculum Document, Agriculture Education Program).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puerto Rico State Dept. of Education, Hato Rey. Area for Vocational and Technical Education.

This curriculum guide begins with an introduction, course description, and description of the occupation of commercial fish farmer. A course outline covers five units: starting a business, establishing the fish farm, managing the enterprise, harvesting the fish, and administering the business. For each unit, the following are provided: terminal…

Health effects of agrochemicals among farm workers in commercial farms of Kwekwe district, Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

Magauzi, Regis; Mabaera, Bigboy; Rusakaniko, Simbarashe; Chimusoro, Anderson; Ndlovu, Nqobile; Tshimanga, Mufuta; Shambira, Gerald; Chadambuka, Addmore; Gombe, Notion

2011-01-01

Introduction Farm workers are at a very high risk of occupational diseases due to exposure to pesticides resulting from inadequate education, training and safety systems. The farm worker spends a lot of time exposed to these harmful agrochemicals. Numerous acute cases with symptoms typical of agrochemical exposure were reported from the commercial farms. We assessed the health effects of agrochemicals in farm workers in commercial farms of Kwekwe District (Zimbabwe), in 2006. Methods An analytical cross sectional study was conducted amongst a sample of 246 farm workers who handled agrochemicals when discharging their duties in the commercial farms. Plasma cholinesterase activity in blood specimens obtained from farm workers was measured using spectrophotometry to establish levels of poisoning by organophosphate and/or carbamates. Information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of farm workers on agrochemicals use was collected using a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine factors that were associated with abnormal cholinesterase activity. Results The prevalence of organophosphate poisoning, indicated by cholinesterase activity of 75% or less, was 24.1%. The median period of exposure to agrochemicals was 3 years (Q1:=1 year, Q3:=7 years). Ninety eight (41.5%) farm workers knew the triangle colour code for the most dangerous agrochemicals. Not being provided with personal protective equipment (OR 2.00; 95% CI: 1.07 – 3.68) and lack of knowledge of the triangle colour code for most dangerous agrochemicals (OR 2.02; 95% CI: 1.02 – 4.03) were significantly associated with abnormal cholinesterase activity. Conclusion There was organophosphate poisoning in the commercial farms. Factors that were significantly associated with the poisoning were lack of protective clothing and lack of knowledge of the triangle colour code for most dangerous agrochemicals. We recommended intensive health

Health effects of agrochemicals among farm workers in commercial farms of Kwekwe district, Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Magauzi, Regis; Mabaera, Bigboy; Rusakaniko, Simbarashe; Chimusoro, Anderson; Ndlovu, Nqobile; Tshimanga, Mufuta; Shambira, Gerald; Chadambuka, Addmore; Gombe, Notion

2011-01-01

Farm workers are at a very high risk of occupational diseases due to exposure to pesticides resulting from inadequate education, training and safety systems. The farm worker spends a lot of time exposed to these harmful agrochemicals. Numerous acute cases with symptoms typical of agrochemical exposure were reported from the commercial farms. We assessed the health effects of agrochemicals in farm workers in commercial farms of Kwekwe District (Zimbabwe), in 2006. An analytical cross sectional study was conducted amongst a sample of 246 farm workers who handled agrochemicals when discharging their duties in the commercial farms. Plasma cholinesterase activity in blood specimens obtained from farm workers was measured using spectrophotometry to establish levels of poisoning by organophosphate and/or carbamates. Information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of farm workers on agrochemicals use was collected using a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine factors that were associated with abnormal cholinesterase activity. The prevalence of organophosphate poisoning, indicated by cholinesterase activity of 75% or less, was 24.1%. The median period of exposure to agrochemicals was 3 years (Q(1):=1 year, Q(3):=7 years). Ninety eight (41.5%) farm workers knew the triangle colour code for the most dangerous agrochemicals. Not being provided with personal protective equipment (OR 2.00; 95% CI: 1.07 - 3.68) and lack of knowledge of the triangle colour code for most dangerous agrochemicals (OR 2.02; 95% CI: 1.02 - 4.03) were significantly associated with abnormal cholinesterase activity. There was organophosphate poisoning in the commercial farms. Factors that were significantly associated with the poisoning were lack of protective clothing and lack of knowledge of the triangle colour code for most dangerous agrochemicals. We recommended intensive health education and training of farm workers on

Operation and Equivalent Loads of Wind Turbines in Large Wind Farms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, Soren Juhl; Sorensen, Jens Norkaer; Mikkelsen, Robert Flemming

2017-11-01

Wind farms continue to grow in size and as the technology matures, the design of wind farms move towards including dynamic effects besides merely annual power production estimates. The unsteady operation of wind turbines in large wind farms has been modelled with EllipSys3D(Michelsen, 1992, and Sørensen, 1995) for a number of different scenarios using a fully coupled large eddy simulations(LES) and aero-elastic framework. The turbines are represented in the flow fields using the actuator line method(Sørensen and Shen, 2002), where the aerodynamic forces and deflections are derived from an aero-elastic code, Flex5(Øye, 1996). The simulations constitute a database of full turbine operation in terms of both production and loads for various wind speeds, turbulence intensities, and turbine spacings. The operating conditions are examined in terms of averaged power production and thrust force, as well as 10min equivalent flapwise bending, yaw, and tilt moment loads. The analyses focus on how the performance and loads change throughout a given farm as well as comparing how various input parameters affect the operation and loads of the wind turbines during different scenarios. COMWIND(Grant 2104-09- 067216/DSF), Nordic Consortium on Optimization and Control of Wind Farms, Eurotech Greentech Wind project, Winds2Loads, and CCA LES. Ressources Granted on SNIC and JESS. The Vestas NM80 turbine has been used.

Armed to farm: Veteran labeled marketing, education and research strategies to soldier success for military veteran farmers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Farming opportunities for veterans are a natural fit and capitalize on skills that made them successful in the military. The project is specifically designed to develop comprehensive training and technical assistance programs and enhance market profitability for military veteran farmers. The project...

Project W-320 acceptance test report for AY-farm electrical distribution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bevins, R.R.

1998-04-02

This Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) has been prepared to demonstrate that the AY-Farm Electrical Distribution System functions as required by the design criteria. This test is divided into three parts to support the planned construction schedule; Section 8 tests Mini-Power Pane AY102-PPI and the EES; Section 9 tests the SSS support systems; Section 10 tests the SSS and the Multi-Pak Group Control Panel. This test does not include the operation of end-use components (loads) supplied from the distribution system. Tests of the end-use components (loads) will be performed by other W-320 ATPs.

Farm and cow-level prevalence of bovine digital dermatitis on dairy farms in Taranaki, New Zealand.

PubMed

Yang, D A; Heuer, C; Laven, R; Vink, W D; Chesterton, R N

2017-09-01

The aims of this cross-sectional study were to investigate the herd and cow-level prevalence of bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) in dairy farms in the northern Taranaki region of New Zealand, and to identify whether there was any spatial clustering of herds with the disease. A survey of 224 dairy farms in the northern Taranaki region of New Zealand was undertaken from September 2014 to February 2015. Following training in robust criteria to confirm BDD visually, a technician inspected the rear feet of every milking cow on the farms during milking. The identity of cows with lesions and the feet involved were recorded. The proportion of cows affected among the inspected population (cow-level prevalence), the proportion of a herd affected (farm-level prevalence), and proportion of farms with ≥1 cow with lesions, were calculated. A bivariate K function analysis was then used to assess whether farms with ≥1 cow with lesions were clustered, after accounting for the distribution of the farms involved in the study. Bovine digital dermatitis lesions were observed on 143/224 (63.8 (95% CI=57.5-70.1)%) farms. Within-farm prevalence was 0% on 81 (36.2%) farms, between >0 and <3% on 120 (53.5%) farms, with a maximum prevalence of 12.7% on one farm. Overall, cow-level prevalence was 707/60,455 (1.2 (95% CI=0.9-3.0)%), and on affected farms was 707/41,116 (1.7 (95% CI=1.4-2.1)%). In affected cows, 268/707 (37.9%) had a lesion on left foot only, 262/707 (37.1%) on the right foot only and 177/707 (25.0%) on both feet. The K function analysis showed no evidence of clustering of farms with BDD. Bovine digital dermatitis was widespread among the survey farms, but there was no evidence that there was any clustering of herds with BDD. The cow-level prevalence on affected farms was much lower than reported elsewhere. Although the prevalence at the cow level was low, if these data are representative of other regions of New Zealand, BDD could easily become a major problem on dairy farms

The History of Recent Farm Legislation: Implications for Farm Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Linda F.; And Others

1987-01-01

Presents history of modern farm legislation and looks at recent legislation and tax policies. Asserts that family scientists attempting to help farm families can benefit from understanding legislation and policies. Discusses family intervention strategies in the larger context of macroeconomic and political forces. (Author/NB)

SIMS(DAIRY): a modelling framework to identify sustainable dairy farms in the UK. Framework description and test for organic systems and N fertiliser optimisation.

PubMed

Del Prado, A; Misselbrook, T; Chadwick, D; Hopkins, A; Dewhurst, R J; Davison, P; Butler, A; Schröder, J; Scholefield, D

2011-09-01

Multiple demands are placed on farming systems today. Society, national legislation and market forces seek what could be seen as conflicting outcomes from our agricultural systems, e.g. food quality, affordable prices, a healthy environmental, consideration of animal welfare, biodiversity etc., Many of these demands, or desirable outcomes, are interrelated, so reaching one goal may often compromise another and, importantly, pose a risk to the economic viability of the farm. SIMS(DAIRY), a farm-scale model, was used to explore this complexity for dairy farm systems. SIMS(DAIRY) integrates existing approaches to simulate the effect of interactions between farm management, climate and soil characteristics on losses of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon. The effects on farm profitability and attributes of biodiversity, milk quality, soil quality and animal welfare are also included. SIMS(DAIRY) can also be used to optimise fertiliser N. In this paper we discuss some limitations and strengths of using SIMS(DAIRY) compared to other modelling approaches and propose some potential improvements. Using the model we evaluated the sustainability of organic dairy systems compared with conventional dairy farms under non-optimised and optimised fertiliser N use. Model outputs showed for example, that organic dairy systems based on grass-clover swards and maize silage resulted in much smaller total GHG emissions per l of milk and slightly smaller losses of NO(3) leaching and NO(x) emissions per l of milk compared with the grassland/maize-based conventional systems. These differences were essentially because the conventional systems rely on indirect energy use for 'fixing' N compared with biological N fixation for the organic systems. SIMS(DAIRY) runs also showed some other potential benefits from the organic systems compared with conventional systems in terms of financial performance and soil quality and biodiversity scores. Optimisation of fertiliser N timings and rates showed a

Respirator Use Among US Farm Operators With Asthma: Results From the 2011 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey

PubMed Central

Casey, Megan L.; Mazurek, Jacek M.

2017-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to estimate the national prevalence of respirator use among farm operators with farm work–related asthma and factors associated with respirator use. Methods The authors examined the 2011 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey, a national survey collected from 11,210 actively farming farm operators in the United States. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPORs) of respirator use were calculated by demographic characteristics, farm characteristics, asthma characteristics, and selected exposures and hazards. Results Among the estimated 2.2 million farm operators in 2011, 35.7% reported using a respirator in the past 12 months. Respirator use was significantly (P <.05) associated with age, marital status, sex, smoking status, farm value of sales, farm type, farm acreage, and geographic region. Operators who work with pesticides were 3.5 times more likely to use respirator than those who did not work with pesticides (P < .0001). Among those with current asthma, 60.8% of operators with farm work–related asthma used respirators compared with 44.4% of operators with non–farm work–related asthma (P = .03). Farm operators with farm work–related asthma who had an asthma attack at work were 11.3 times more likely to report respirator use than those who did not have an asthma attack at work (P = .03). Conclusions Personal protective equipment, including respirators, is an approach to reducing respiratory exposures in agricultural settings, in particular among those with farm work–related asthma. Education for respirator use and evaluation for respirator tolerance should be considered. PMID:28095135

Farm Population of the United States: 1977. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Vera J.; DeAre, Diana

The farm population has declined fairly steadily for more than half a century. By 1970 the proportion of the U.S. population residing on farms had fallen to about 5 per cent, and by 1977 had dropped to 3.6 per cent. About 1.4 per cent of the farm population was of Spanish origin (represented for the first time in this year's report), as compared…

Agricultural Energy Curriculum Development Project. Research and Development Project in Career Education, Vocational. Final Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wacholz, Marlin

A project was conducted to develop energy instructional units which would fit into each year of a three-year farm business management curriculum. Four curriculum units which focus on fertilizer management in crop production were developed. The first unit was designed to develop farmers' awareness of energy as a vital resource to their businesses…

Empirically Estimating the Potential for Farm-Level Adaptation to Climate Change in Western European Agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, F. C.; Lobell, D. B.

2013-12-01

Agriculture is one of the economic sectors most exposed to climate change and estimating the sensitivity of food production to these changes is critical for determining the severity of climate change impacts and for informing both adaptation and mitigation policy. While climate change might have adverse effects in many areas, it has long been recognized that farmers have a suite of adaptation options at their disposal including, inter alia, changing planting date, varieties, crops, or the mix and quantity of inputs applied. These adaptations may significantly reduce the adverse impacts of climate change but the potential effectiveness of these options and the speed with which farmers will adopt them remain uncertain. We estimate the sensitivity of crop yields and farm profits in western Europe to climate change with and without the adoption of on-farm adaptations. We use cross-sectional variation across farms to define the long-run response function that includes adaptation and inter-annual variation within farms to define the short-run response function without adaptation. The difference between these can be interpreted as the potential for adaptation. We find that future warming will have a large adverse impact on wheat and barley yields and that adaptation will only be able to mitigate a small fraction of this. Maize, oilseed and sugarbeet yields are more modestly affected and adaptation is more effective for these crops. Farm profits could increase slightly under moderate amounts of warming if adaptations are adopted but will decline in the absence of adaptation. A decomposition of variance gives the relative importance of different sources of uncertainty in projections of climate change impacts. We find that in most cases uncertainty over future adaptation pathways (whether farmers will or will not adopt beneficial adaptations) is the most important source of uncertainty in projecting the effect of temperature changes on crop yields and farm profits. This

Closure report for Corrective Action Unit 211, Area 15 EPA Farm waste sites, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-04-01

This Closure Report summarizes the corrective actions which were completed at the Corrective Action Sites within Corrective Action Unit 211 Area 15 Farm Waste Sties at the Nevada Test Site. Current site descriptions, observations and identification of wastes removed are included on FFACO Corrective Action Site housekeeping closure verification forms.

Change, Training and Farm Profitability. A National Farmers Federation Discussion Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilpatrick, Sue

1996-01-01

A project collected empirical data on the effectiveness of training in agriculture in Australia. Emphasis was on types of training and delivery modes most effective in enabling profitable changes to farm management or agricultural practice and on other catalysts that result in farmers making changes to increase profitability. Data were obtained…

29 CFR 500.41 - Farm labor contractor is responsible for actions of his farm labor contractor employee.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., prior to such employee's engagement in any activity enumerated in section 3(6) of the Act. A farm labor... farm labor contractor employee. 500.41 Section 500.41 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued... PROTECTION Registration of Farm Labor Contractors and Employees of Farm Labor Contractors Engaged in Farm...

29 CFR 500.41 - Farm labor contractor is responsible for actions of his farm labor contractor employee.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., prior to such employee's engagement in any activity enumerated in section 3(6) of the Act. A farm labor... farm labor contractor employee. 500.41 Section 500.41 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued... PROTECTION Registration of Farm Labor Contractors and Employees of Farm Labor Contractors Engaged in Farm...

Hazards of Farming

PubMed Central

Guilfoyle, John

1992-01-01

Farming is the most dangerous occupation in the industrialized world. Children, in particular, are at high risk for injury and disability. There is ample scope to improve this situation. Parents are the most important group to be educated. Emergency response services in rural areas are sometimes unable to provide optimum care for victims. Better surveillance methods need to be in place, both to gather information and to evaluate strategies aimed at prevention. Farm safety needs to be higher on the agenda for farmers, farm organizations, government, and health care professionals. PMID:21221275

Integrative modeling and novel particle swarm-based optimal design of wind farms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Souma

To meet the energy needs of the future, while seeking to decrease our carbon footprint, a greater penetration of sustainable energy resources such as wind energy is necessary. However, a consistent growth of wind energy (especially in the wake of unfortunate policy changes and reported under-performance of existing projects) calls for a paradigm shift in wind power generation technologies. This dissertation develops a comprehensive methodology to explore, analyze and define the interactions between the key elements of wind farm development, and establish the foundation for designing high-performing wind farms. The primary contribution of this research is the effective quantification of the complex combined influence of wind turbine features, turbine placement, farm-land configuration, nameplate capacity, and wind resource variations on the energy output of the wind farm. A new Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, uniquely capable of preserving population diversity while addressing discrete variables, is also developed to provide powerful solutions towards optimizing wind farm configurations. In conventional wind farm design, the major elements that influence the farm performance are often addressed individually. The failure to fully capture the critical interactions among these factors introduces important inaccuracies in the projected farm performance and leads to suboptimal wind farm planning. In this dissertation, we develop the Unrestricted Wind Farm Layout Optimization (UWFLO) methodology to model and optimize the performance of wind farms. The UWFLO method obviates traditional assumptions regarding (i) turbine placement, (ii) turbine-wind flow interactions, (iii) variation of wind conditions, and (iv) types of turbines (single/multiple) to be installed. The allowance of multiple turbines, which demands complex modeling, is rare in the existing literature. The UWFLO method also significantly advances the state of the art in wind farm optimization by

The rain water management model on an appropriate hilly area to fulfil the needs of cocoa farm during dry season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasbi, M.; Darma, R.; Yamin, M.; Nurdin, M.; Rizal, M.

2018-05-01

Cocoa is an important commodity because 90% farmers involved, easily marketed, and potentially harvested along the year. However, cocoa productivity tended to decrease by an average of only 300 kg hectare-1 year-1 or away from the potential productivity of two tons. Water management was an alternative method to increase its productivity by harvesting rainwater on the hilly cocoa farm area and distributing the water based on the gravity law. The research objective was to describes how to manage rainwater at the hilly cocoa farm area, so that the water needs of cocoa farm were met during the dry season. The important implication of the management was the water availability that supports the cocoa cultivation during the year. This research used qualitative method with descriptive approach to explain the appropriate technical specification of infrastructure to support the rainwater management. This research generated several mathematical formulas to support rainwater management infrastructure. The implementation of an appropriate rainwater utilization management for cocoa farm will ensuring the availability of water during dry season, so the cocoa farm allowed to produce cacao fruit during the year.

Wind Farm Feasibility Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richard Curry; Erik Foley; DOE Project Officer - Keith Bennett

Saint Francis University has assessed the Swallow Farm property located in Shade Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania as a potential wind power development site. Saint Francis worked with McLean Energy Partners to have a 50-meter meteorological tower installed on the property in April 2004 and continues to conduct a meteorological assessment of the site. Results suggest a mean average wind speed at 80 meters of 17 mph with a net capacity factor of 31 - 33%. Approximate electricity generation capacity of the project is 10 megawatts. Also, the University used matching funds provided by the federal government to contract with ABR,more » Inc. to conduct radar studies of nocturnal migration of birds and bats during the migrations seasons in the Spring and Fall of 2005 with a mean nocturnal flight altitude of 402 meters with less than 5% of targets at altitudes of less than 125 meters. The mean nocturnal passage rate was 166 targets/km/h in the fall and 145 targets/km/h in the spring. Lastly, University faculty and students conducted a nesting bird study May - July 2006. Seventy-three (73) species of birds were observed with 65 determined to be breeding or potentially breeding species; this figure represents approximately 30% of the 214 breeding bird species in Pennsylvania. No officially protected avian species were determined to be nesting at Swallow Farm.« less

Analysis of Farm Records. Teacher Edition. Farm Business Management Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Dept. of Vocational and Technical Education, Stillwater. Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center.

This curriculum guide for the Oklahoma Farm Business Management Program contains three instructional units that teach students how to interpret farm records to get optimum use of facilities and maximize profits. Each unit of instruction includes some or all of these components: performance objectives, suggested activities for the instructor,…

Whole Farm Nutrient Balance Calculator for New York Dairy Farms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soberon, Melanie A.; Ketterings, Quirine M.; Rasmussen, Caroline N.; Czymmek, Karl J.

2013-01-01

Nutrient loss and accumulation as well as associated environmental degradation have been a concern for animal agriculture for many decades. Federal and New York (NY) regulations apply to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and a comprehensive nutrient management plan (CNMP) is required for regulated farms. The whole farm nutrient mass balance…

Farm Building Contractors and Manufacturers: Their Role in Midwest Farm Construction

Treesearch

Lyle Solverson; David C. Baumgartner

1974-01-01

Describes and analyzes the activities of farm building contractors and manufacturers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri. Contractors and manufacturers are setting the trend in the farm building market in terms of building type and size and materials used.

Respiratory Protection Behavior and Respiratory Indices among Poultry House Workers on Small, Family-Owned Farms in North Carolina: A Pilot Project.

PubMed

Kearney, Gregory D; Gallagher, Barbara; Shaw, Robert

2016-01-01

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate respiratory behavior and respiratory indices of poultry workers on family-owned, poultry farms with 10 or less employees in North Carolina. A field study was conducted to collect data on participants (N = 24) using spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (Feno), and an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The majority of workers (76%) ranked respiratory protection as being important, yet 48% reported never or rarely wearing respiratory protection when working in dusty conditions. A large percent of workers reported eye (55%) and nasal (50%) irritation and dry cough (50%). On average, pulmonary lung function and Feno tests were normal among nonsmokers. In bivariate analysis, significant associations were identified between working 7 days on the farm (P = .01), with eye irritation, and working 5 or fewer years in poultry farming (P = .01). Poultry workers on family-owned farms spend a considerable amount of work time in poultry houses and report acute respiratory-related health symptoms. Administrative controls among small, family-owned poultry farms are necessary to improve and promote safety and health to its employees.

Ground-water quality assessment of the central Oklahoma Aquifer, Oklahoma; project description

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christenson, S.C.; Parkhurst, D.L.

1987-01-01

In April 1986, the U.S. Geological Survey began a pilot program to assess the quality of the Nation's surface-water and ground-water resources. The program, known as the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program, is designed to acquire and interpret information about a variety of water-quality issues. The Central Oklahoma aquifer project is one of three ground-water pilot projects that have been started. The NAWQA program also incudes four surface-water pilot projects. The Central Oklahoma aquifer project, as part of the pilot NAWQA program, will develop and test methods for performing assessments of ground-water quality. The objectives of the Central Oklahoma aquifer assessment are: (1) To investigate regional ground-water quality throughout the aquifer in the manner consistent with the other pilot ground-water projects, emphasizing the occurrence and distribution of potentially toxic substances in ground water, including trace elements, organic compounds, and radioactive constituents; (2) to describe relations between ground-water quality, land use, hydrogeology, and other pertinent factors; and (3) to provide a general description of the location, nature, and possible causes of selected prevalent water-quality problems within the study unit; and (4) to describe the potential for water-quality degradation of ground-water zones within the study unit. The Central Oklahoma aquifer, which includes in descending order the Garber Sandstone and Wellington Formation, the Chase Group, the Council Grove Group, the Admire Group, and overlying alluvium and terrace deposits, underlies about 3,000 square miles of central Oklahoma and is used extensively for municipal, industrial, commercial, and domestic water supplies. The aquifer was selected for study by the NAWQA program because it is a major source for water supplies in central Oklahoma and because it has several known or suspected water-quality problems. Known problems include concentrations of arsenic, chromium

Farm Women, Farming Systems, and Agricultural Structure: Suggestions for Scholarship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flora, Cornelia Butler

1981-01-01

Suggests research agenda to analyze the class struggle occurring with farm women. Views the household as the unit of analysis, both internally from a farming-systems perspective and externally as responding to shifts in policy and technology. Available from: Rural Sociological Society, 325 Morgan Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37916.…

Finding Farms: Comparing Indicators of Farming Dependence and Agricultural Importance in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson-Smith, Douglas B.; Jensen, Eric

2009-01-01

Many scholars have commented on the changing significance of farming for understanding the dynamics of social and economic change in contemporary rural America. Quantitative analyses of relationships between farming, local socioeconomic conditions, demographic trends, and policy have often relied on an indicator of "farm-dependent" (FD) counties…

Mass cultures of marine algae for energy farming in coastal deserts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagener, K.

1983-09-01

This paper provides a description of construction and subsequent operation of a seawater based system for biomass farming of micro-algae. Seawater was pumped through shallow artificial ponds located in coastal areas of Calabria, Italy. We describe pond construction, mixing procedure for micro algae mass cultures, optimization of the carbon and mineral nutrient budget, potential algal yields, methods for harvesting micro-algae, a source of energy to run the seawater pumps, and environmental variables of the pond system under subtropical conditions of Calabria, Italy.

Emergence of highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (HP-PRRS) in medium-scale swine farms in southeastern Cambodia.

PubMed

Tornimbene, B; Frossard, J-P; Chhim, V; Sorn, S; Guitian, J; Drew, T W

2015-01-01

Since 2006, reports from China and Viet Nam have alerted of an emergent highly pathogenic variant of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) in that region. The frequent occurrence of outbreaks in these countries puts Cambodian pig farms at high risk of infection, but no study had been conducted to investigate the presence of HP-PRRS in Cambodian farms. We investigated the presence of HP-PRRS in medium-scale (semi-commercial) swine farms in the Cambodian southeastern region. Specifically, one province bordering Viet Nam (Takeo) was selected due to the concentration of most semi-commercial farms in that province. A cross-sectional study was carried out, between July and September 2010 to assess whether the prevalence of infection in these farms was indicative of recent spread of PPRSV and to identify risk factors for infection. The number of farms to be sampled was established using methods for Lot Quality Assurance Surveys (LQAS), in order to achieve a pre-established ability to discriminate between two different prevalence settings. The target population comprised all semi-commercial farms in Takeo province from which a random sample of 35 farms was selected. Selected farms were visited and questionnaires administered to gather information on farm characteristics and husbandry practices. Blood samples from individual pigs were collected in each of the study farms and tested for PRRSV, along with a number of other swine respiratory pathogens in order to investigate potential interactions. Our results showed that the virus was already present in Takeo semi-commercial pig population (LQAS herd prevalence ≥85%) at the time of sampling. The presence of sows in the farm and farm density were significantly associated (P<0.05) with the introduction and the presence of PRRS - but this was an unadjusted association as small sample size precluded multivariate analysis. Spatiotemporal description of the supposed pattern of infection revealed that the

Long-term epidemiological survey of Kudoa thyrsites (Myxozoa) in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) from commercial aquaculture farms.

PubMed

Marshall, W L; Sitjà-Bobadilla, A; Brown, H M; MacWilliam, T; Richmond, Z; Lamson, H; Morrison, D B; Afonso, L O B

2016-08-01

Kudoa thyrsites (Myxozoa) encysts within myocytes of a variety of fishes. While infected fish appear unharmed, parasite-derived enzymes degrade the flesh post-mortem. In regions of British Columbia (BC), Canada, up to 4-7% of fillets can be affected, thus having economic consequences and impacting the competitiveness of BC's farms. K. thyrsites was monitored in two farms having high (HP) or low (LP) historical infection prevalence. At each farm, 30 fish were sampled monthly for blood and muscle during the first year followed by nine samplings during year two. Prevalence and intensity were measured by PCR and histology of muscle samples. In parallel, fillet tests were used to quantify myoliquefaction. Infections were detected by PCR after 355 and 509 degree days at LP and HP farms, respectively. Prevalence reached 100% at the HP farm by 2265 degree days and declined during the second year, whereas it plateaued near 50% at the LP farm. Infection intensities decreased after 1 year at both farms. Blood was PCR-positive at both farms between 778 and 1113 degree days and again after 2000 degree days. This is the first monitoring project in a production environment and compares data between farms with different prevalence. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Chile's experience with developing abalone (Haliotis spp.) farming: opportunities and challenges].

PubMed

Enríquez, R; Villagrán, R

2008-04-01

Intensive abalone farming--specifically of the red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) and the green (or Japanese) abalone (Haliotis discus hannai)--has expanded rapidly in Chile since the late 1990s, and this article presents an overview of the challenges facing the industry and the factors which favour its development. At present, 100% of Chile's abalone enterprises farm the H. rufescens species, owing to its suitability for full-cycle culture. In the analysis of factors that facilitate the development of abalone farming in Chile, those that stand out include the characteristics of the aquatic ecosystem, existing entrepreneurial and professional skills, decisive government support in co-financing scientific and technological projects, infrastructure and associated services to support these development initiatives and a market where prices have remained stable and demand for abalone products has been steady. The greatest challenges facing intensive abalone farming in Chile are providing a constant supply of macroalgae for abalone feed and developing complementary feed, as well as updating current legislation on intensive abalone farming, strengthening producer associations and establishing health certification. The article discusses examples of the impact that native organisms can have on animals introduced into an aquatic ecosystem and the international transmission of agents such as withering syndrome and sabellid polychaete infestation disease, associated with the movement of abalone seeds and broodstock. The article also emphasises the importance of implementing the recommendations of the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Single-Shell Tanks Leak Integrity Elements/ SX Farm Leak Causes and Locations - 12127

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Girardot, Crystal; Harlow, Don; Venetz, Theodore

2012-07-01

Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) developed an enhanced single-shell tank (SST) integrity project in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. One primary recommendation was to expand the leak assessment reports (substitute report or LD-1) to include leak causes and locations. The recommendation has been included in the M-045-91F Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) as one of four targets relating to SST leak integrity. The 241-SX Farm (SX Farm) tanks with leak losses were addressed on an individual tank basis as part of LD-1.more » Currently, 8 out of 23 SSTs that have been reported to having a liner leak are located in SX Farm. This percentage was the highest compared to other tank farms which is why SX Farm was analyzed first. The SX Farm is comprised of fifteen SSTs built 1953-1954. The tanks are arranged in rows of three tanks each, forming a cascade. Each of the SX Farm tanks has a nominal 1-million-gal storage capacity. Of the fifteen tanks in SX Farm, an assessment reported leak losses for the following tanks: 241-SX-107, 241-SX-108, 241-SX-109, 241-SX- 111, 241-SX-112, 241-SX-113, 241-SX-114 and 241-SX-115. The method used to identify leak location consisted of reviewing in-tank and ex-tank leak detection information. This provided the basic data identifying where and when the first leaks were detected. In-tank leak detection consisted of liquid level measurement that can be augmented with photographs which can provide an indication of the vertical leak location on the sidewall. Ex-tank leak detection for the leaking tanks consisted of soil radiation data from laterals and dry-wells near the tank. The in-tank and ex-tank leak detection can provide an indication of the possible leak location radially around and under the tank. Potential leak causes were determined using in-tank and ex-tank information that is not directly

SINGLE-SHELL TANKS LEAK INTEGRITY ELEMENTS/SX FARM LEAK CAUSES AND LOCATIONS - 12127

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

VENETZ TJ; WASHENFELDER D; JOHNSON J

2012-01-25

Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) developed an enhanced single-shell tank (SST) integrity project in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. One primary recommendation was to expand the leak assessment reports (substitute report or LD-1) to include leak causes and locations. The recommendation has been included in the M-045-9IF Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) as one of four targets relating to SST leak integrity. The 241-SX Farm (SX Farm) tanks with leak losses were addressed on an individual tank basis as part of LD-1.more » Currently, 8 out of 23 SSTs that have been reported to having a liner leak are located in SX Farm. This percentage was the highest compared to other tank farms which is why SX Farm was analyzed first. The SX Farm is comprised of fifteen SSTs built 1953-1954. The tanks are arranged in rows of three tanks each, forming a cascade. Each of the SX Farm tanks has a nominal I-million-gal storage capacity. Of the fifteen tanks in SX Farm, an assessment reported leak losses for the following tanks: 241-SX-107, 241-SX-108, 241-SX-109, 241-SX-111, 241-SX-112, 241-SX-113, 241-SX-114 and 241-SX-115. The method used to identify leak location consisted of reviewing in-tank and ex-tank leak detection information. This provided the basic data identifying where and when the first leaks were detected. In-tank leak detection consisted of liquid level measurement that can be augmented with photographs which can provide an indication of the vertical leak location on the sidewall. Ex-tank leak detection for the leaking tanks consisted of soil radiation data from laterals and drywells near the tank. The in-tank and ex-tank leak detection can provide an indication of the possible leak location radially around and under the tank. Potential leak causes were determined using in-tank and ex-tank information that is not directly

Improved milk production performance of smallholder farms in West Java (Indonesia).

PubMed

Sembada, Pria; Duteurtre, Guillaume; Purwanto, Bagus Priyo; Suryahadi

2016-04-01

In Indonesia, because of the rapidly growing demand for dairy products, the development of milk production in rural communities can play a strong role in reducing poverty. However, the development of smallholder dairy production requires adequate support from the government, development organizations, and private firms. To assess the needs and situations of poor dairy farmers, we conducted a study in Ciater sub-district in West Java Province to compare the current situation with the situation that prevailed 4 years ago, i.e., before the implementation of a dairy development project. Data were collected from 61 farms in June 2014. The average number of cows on the farms surveyed was three to four, and each relied on cultivating an average of 0.4 ha of forage. Results showed that thanks to the project activities, milk productivity per cow and net income from milk production increased by 25% between 2010 and 2014. These results underline the importance of providing training and technical support for the development of the livelihoods of dairy smallholders.

Should future wind speed changes be taken into account in wind farm development?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devis, Annemarie; Van Lipzig, Nicole P. M.; Demuzere, Matthias

2018-06-01

Accurate wind resource assessments are crucial in the development of wind farm projects. However, it is common practice to estimate the wind yield over the next 20 years from short-term measurements and reanalysis data of the past 20 years, even though wind climatology is expected to change under the future climate. The present work examines future changes in wind power output over Europe using an ensemble of ESMs. The power output is calculated using the entire wind speed PDF and a non-constant power conversion coefficient. Based on this method, the ESM ensemble projects changes in near-future power outputs with a spatially varying magnitude between ‑12% and 8%. The most extreme changes occur over the Mediterranean region. For the first time, the sensitivity of these future change in power output to the type of wind turbine is also investigated. The analysis reveals that the projected wind power changes may vary in up to half of their magnitude, depending on the type of turbine and region of interest. As such, we recommend that wind industries fully account for projected near-future changes in wind power output by taking them into account as a well-defined loss/gain and uncertainty when estimating the yield of a future wind farm.

Economic Indicators of the Farm Sector. Farm Sector Review, 1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Economic Research Service (USDA), Washington, DC.

Farm production rose 6 percent in 1985 due to record high yields in corn, soybeans, cotton, and several other crops. While United States consumption increased slightly, exports of farm products fell 23 percent in value and 19 percent in volume. Net cash income increased 12 percent due to increased output, lower cash expenses, and unusually high…

Monitoring and remediation of on-farm and off-farm ground current measured as step potential on a Wisconsin dairy farm: A case study.

PubMed

Stetzer, Dave; Leavitt, Adam M; Goeke, Charles L; Havas, Magda

2016-01-01

Ground current commonly referred to as "stray voltage" has been an issue on dairy farms since electricity was first brought to rural America. Equipment that generates high-frequency voltage transients on electrical wires combined with a multigrounded (electrical distribution) system and inadequate neutral returns all contribute to ground current. Despite decades of problems, we are no closer to resolving this issue, in part, due to three misconceptions that are addressed in this study. Misconception 1. The current standard of 1 V at cow contact is adequate to protect dairy cows; Misconception 2. Frequencies higher than 60 Hz do not need to be considered; and Misconception 3. All sources of ground current originate on the farm that has a ground current problem. This case study of a Wisconsin dairy farm documents, 1. how to establish permanent monitoring of ground current (step potential) on a dairy farm; 2. how to determine and remediate both on-farm and off-farm sources contributing to step potential; 3. which step-potential metrics relate to cow comfort and milk production; and 4. how these metrics relate to established standards. On-farm sources include lighting, variable speed frequency drives on motors, radio frequency identification system and off-farm sources are due to a poor primary neutral return on the utility side of the distribution system. A step-potential threshold of 1 V root mean square (RMS) at 60 Hz is inadequate to protect dairy cows as decreases of a few mV peak-peak at higher frequencies increases milk production, reduces milking time and improves cow comfort.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF DEMONSTRATION/RESEARCH WETLANDS FOR TREATMENT OF DAIRY FARM WASTEWATER

EPA Science Inventory

There are no constructed wetlands currently used in Oregon for treating agricultural wastes. his report discusses the construction of nine wetland cells at the Oregon State University dairy farm. hese wetlands will be used in a long-term project which will attempt to: 1) Develop ...

The Ocean Food and Energy Farm Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Howard A.

1976-01-01

This three-phase, 15-year project is designed to explore and develop the ability to raise the grant California kelp and other marine organisms for food, fuels, fertilizers and plastics in the temperate and tropical oceans. The needed technology is established, but the economic feasibility is yet to be determined. (BT)

Experimental study of the impact of large-scale wind farms on land-atmosphere exchanges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, wei; Markfort, Corey; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2013-04-01

Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy world-wide, and it is expected that many more large-scale wind farms will be built and cover a significant portion of land and ocean surfaces. By extracting kinetic energy from the atmospheric boundary layer and converting it to electricity, wind farms may affect the transport of momentum, heat, moisture and trace gases (e.g. CO2) between the atmosphere and the land surface locally and globally. Understanding wind farm-atmosphere interactions and subsequent environmental impacts are complicated by the effects of turbine array configuration, wind farm size, land-surface characteristics and atmospheric thermal stability. In particular, surface scalar flux is influenced by wind farms and needs to be appropriately parameterized in meso-scale and/or high-resolution numerical models. Wind-tunnel experiments of model wind farms with perfectly aligned and staggered configurations, having the same turbine distribution density, were conducted in a neutral turbulent boundary layer with a surface heat source. Turbulent flow and fluxes over and through the wind farm were measured using a custom x-wire/cold-wire anemometer; and surface scalar flux was measured with an array of surface-mounted heat flux sensors within the quasi-developed flow regime. Although the overall surface heat flux change produced by the wind farms was found to be small, with a net reduction of 4% for the staggered wind farm and nearly zero for the aligned wind farm, the highly heterogeneous spatial distribution of the surface heat flux, dependent on wind farm layout, is significant. The difference between the minimum and maximum surface heat fluxes could be up to 12% and 7% in aligned and staggered wind farms, respectively. This finding is important for planning intensive agriculture practices and optimizing agricultural land use with regard to wind energy project development. The well-controlled wind-tunnel experiments presented here

USDA/Regional Dairy Quality Management Alliance (RDQM) Project-2008 Report

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Regional Dairy Quality Management Alliance (RDQMA) research project has been underway for four years. We have so far been able to study best management practices on three dairy farms in the Northeast. ON these farms very precise data are collected with regard to the health status of the animals ...

Tunisia Renewable Energy Project systems description report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scudder, L. R.; Martz, J. E.; Ratajczak, A. F.

1986-01-01

In 1979, the Agency for International Development (AID) initiated a renewable energy project with the Government of Tunisia to develop an institutional capability to plan and institute renewable energy technologies in a rural area. The specific objective of the district energy applications subproject was to demonstrate solar and wind energy systems in a rural village setting. The NASA Lewis Research Center was asked by the AID Near East Bureau to manage and implement this subproject. This report describes the project and gives detailed desciptions of the various systems.

Wind Power Curve Modeling Using Statistical Models: An Investigation of Atmospheric Input Variables at a Flat and Complex Terrain Wind Farm

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wharton, S.; Bulaevskaya, V.; Irons, Z.

The goal of our FY15 project was to explore the use of statistical models and high-resolution atmospheric input data to develop more accurate prediction models for turbine power generation. We modeled power for two operational wind farms in two regions of the country. The first site is a 235 MW wind farm in Northern Oklahoma with 140 GE 1.68 turbines. Our second site is a 38 MW wind farm in the Altamont Pass Region of Northern California with 38 Mitsubishi 1 MW turbines. The farms are very different in topography, climatology, and turbine technology; however, both occupy high wind resourcemore » areas in the U.S. and are representative of typical wind farms found in their respective areas.« less

ANEMOS: Development of a next generation wind power forecasting system for the large-scale integration of onshore and offshore wind farms.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kariniotakis, G.; Anemos Team

2003-04-01

Objectives: Accurate forecasting of the wind energy production up to two days ahead is recognized as a major contribution for reliable large-scale wind power integration. Especially, in a liberalized electricity market, prediction tools enhance the position of wind energy compared to other forms of dispatchable generation. ANEMOS, is a new 3.5 years R&D project supported by the European Commission, that resembles research organizations and end-users with an important experience on the domain. The project aims to develop advanced forecasting models that will substantially outperform current methods. Emphasis is given to situations like complex terrain, extreme weather conditions, as well as to offshore prediction for which no specific tools currently exist. The prediction models will be implemented in a software platform and installed for online operation at onshore and offshore wind farms by the end-users participating in the project. Approach: The paper presents the methodology of the project. Initially, the prediction requirements are identified according to the profiles of the end-users. The project develops prediction models based on both a physical and an alternative statistical approach. Research on physical models gives emphasis to techniques for use in complex terrain and the development of prediction tools based on CFD techniques, advanced model output statistics or high-resolution meteorological information. Statistical models (i.e. based on artificial intelligence) are developed for downscaling, power curve representation, upscaling for prediction at regional or national level, etc. A benchmarking process is set-up to evaluate the performance of the developed models and to compare them with existing ones using a number of case studies. The synergy between statistical and physical approaches is examined to identify promising areas for further improvement of forecasting accuracy. Appropriate physical and statistical prediction models are also developed for

California Solar Farms

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-04-02

On February 15, 2015 the Desert Sunlight solar project in California’s Mojave Desert became operational. This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows the 550-megawatt plant generates enough electricity to power 160,000 average homes. Covering an area of 16 km2, the 8.8 million cadmium telluride photovoltaic modules take advantage of the more than 300 days of sunshine. Desert Sunlight joins the similar-sized Topaz Solar Farm in San Luis Obispo County, CA, that became operational in June, 2014. The Desert Sunlight image (left) was acquired March 12, 2015 and is located at 33.8 degrees north, 115.4 degrees west; the Topaz image (right) was acquired September 11, 2014 and is located at 35.4 degrees north, 120.1 degrees west. Each image covers an area of 10.5 x 12 km. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19268

7 CFR 718.201 - Farm constitution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Farm constitution. 718.201 Section 718.201 Agriculture... Reconstitution of Farms, Allotments, Quotas, and Bases § 718.201 Farm constitution. (a) In order to implement... this section. The constitution and identification of land as a farm for the first time and the...

7 CFR 718.201 - Farm constitution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Farm constitution. 718.201 Section 718.201 Agriculture... Reconstitution of Farms, Allotments, Quotas, and Bases § 718.201 Farm constitution. (a) In order to implement... this section. The constitution and identification of land as a farm for the first time and the...

7 CFR 718.201 - Farm constitution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Farm constitution. 718.201 Section 718.201 Agriculture... Reconstitution of Farms, Allotments, Quotas, and Bases § 718.201 Farm constitution. (a) In order to implement... this section. The constitution and identification of land as a farm for the first time and the...

7 CFR 718.201 - Farm constitution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Farm constitution. 718.201 Section 718.201 Agriculture... Reconstitution of Farms, Allotments, Quotas, and Bases § 718.201 Farm constitution. (a) In order to implement... this section. The constitution and identification of land as a farm for the first time and the...

7 CFR 718.201 - Farm constitution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Farm constitution. 718.201 Section 718.201 Agriculture... Reconstitution of Farms, Allotments, Quotas, and Bases § 718.201 Farm constitution. (a) In order to implement... this section. The constitution and identification of land as a farm for the first time and the...

Wind farm optimization using evolutionary algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ituarte-Villarreal, Carlos M.

In recent years, the wind power industry has focused its efforts on solving the Wind Farm Layout Optimization (WFLO) problem. Wind resource assessment is a pivotal step in optimizing the wind-farm design and siting and, in determining whether a project is economically feasible or not. In the present work, three (3) different optimization methods are proposed for the solution of the WFLO: (i) A modified Viral System Algorithm applied to the optimization of the proper location of the components in a wind-farm to maximize the energy output given a stated wind environment of the site. The optimization problem is formulated as the minimization of energy cost per unit produced and applies a penalization for the lack of system reliability. The viral system algorithm utilized in this research solves three (3) well-known problems in the wind-energy literature; (ii) a new multiple objective evolutionary algorithm to obtain optimal placement of wind turbines while considering the power output, cost, and reliability of the system. The algorithm presented is based on evolutionary computation and the objective functions considered are the maximization of power output, the minimization of wind farm cost and the maximization of system reliability. The final solution to this multiple objective problem is presented as a set of Pareto solutions and, (iii) A hybrid viral-based optimization algorithm adapted to find the proper component configuration for a wind farm with the introduction of the universal generating function (UGF) analytical approach to discretize the different operating or mechanical levels of the wind turbines in addition to the various wind speed states. The proposed methodology considers the specific probability functions of the wind resource to describe their proper behaviors to account for the stochastic comportment of the renewable energy components, aiming to increase their power output and the reliability of these systems. The developed heuristic considers a

Farm Education at Stony Kill.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parisio, Richard

1986-01-01

Describes typical winter farm lessons for students visiting Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center located 70 miles north of New York City: butter and corncake making, soil erosion experiments, dissecting and growing seeds. Emphasizes major theme of conservation of farmland from destructive farming practices and careless development. (NEC)

An Integrated Method to Analyze Farm Vulnerability to Climatic and Economic Variability According to Farm Configurations and Farmers' Adaptations.

PubMed

Martin, Guillaume; Magne, Marie-Angélina; Cristobal, Magali San

2017-01-01

The need to adapt to decrease farm vulnerability to adverse contextual events has been extensively discussed on a theoretical basis. We developed an integrated and operational method to assess farm vulnerability to multiple and interacting contextual changes and explain how this vulnerability can best be reduced according to farm configurations and farmers' technical adaptations over time. Our method considers farm vulnerability as a function of the raw measurements of vulnerability variables (e.g., economic efficiency of production), the slope of the linear regression of these measurements over time, and the residuals of this linear regression. The last two are extracted from linear mixed models considering a random regression coefficient (an intercept common to all farms), a global trend (a slope common to all farms), a random deviation from the general mean for each farm, and a random deviation from the general trend for each farm. Among all possible combinations, the lowest farm vulnerability is obtained through a combination of high values of measurements, a stable or increasing trend and low variability for all vulnerability variables considered. Our method enables relating the measurements, trends and residuals of vulnerability variables to explanatory variables that illustrate farm exposure to climatic and economic variability, initial farm configurations and farmers' technical adaptations over time. We applied our method to 19 cattle (beef, dairy, and mixed) farms over the period 2008-2013. Selected vulnerability variables, i.e., farm productivity and economic efficiency, varied greatly among cattle farms and across years, with means ranging from 43.0 to 270.0 kg protein/ha and 29.4-66.0% efficiency, respectively. No farm had a high level, stable or increasing trend and low residuals for both farm productivity and economic efficiency of production. Thus, the least vulnerable farms represented a compromise among measurement value, trend, and variability of

An Integrated Method to Analyze Farm Vulnerability to Climatic and Economic Variability According to Farm Configurations and Farmers’ Adaptations

PubMed Central

Martin, Guillaume; Magne, Marie-Angélina; Cristobal, Magali San

2017-01-01

The need to adapt to decrease farm vulnerability to adverse contextual events has been extensively discussed on a theoretical basis. We developed an integrated and operational method to assess farm vulnerability to multiple and interacting contextual changes and explain how this vulnerability can best be reduced according to farm configurations and farmers’ technical adaptations over time. Our method considers farm vulnerability as a function of the raw measurements of vulnerability variables (e.g., economic efficiency of production), the slope of the linear regression of these measurements over time, and the residuals of this linear regression. The last two are extracted from linear mixed models considering a random regression coefficient (an intercept common to all farms), a global trend (a slope common to all farms), a random deviation from the general mean for each farm, and a random deviation from the general trend for each farm. Among all possible combinations, the lowest farm vulnerability is obtained through a combination of high values of measurements, a stable or increasing trend and low variability for all vulnerability variables considered. Our method enables relating the measurements, trends and residuals of vulnerability variables to explanatory variables that illustrate farm exposure to climatic and economic variability, initial farm configurations and farmers’ technical adaptations over time. We applied our method to 19 cattle (beef, dairy, and mixed) farms over the period 2008–2013. Selected vulnerability variables, i.e., farm productivity and economic efficiency, varied greatly among cattle farms and across years, with means ranging from 43.0 to 270.0 kg protein/ha and 29.4–66.0% efficiency, respectively. No farm had a high level, stable or increasing trend and low residuals for both farm productivity and economic efficiency of production. Thus, the least vulnerable farms represented a compromise among measurement value, trend, and

Farming-Dependent Counties and the Financial Well-Being of Farm Operator Households. Agriculture Information Bulletin Number 544.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahearn, Mary; And Others

The financial well-being of farmers varies with the local economy's dependence on farming. Farming-dependent counties (where farming contributes at least 20 percent of the county's total earnings in 1980-84), offer limited nonfarm employment opportunities. These operators earn high farm incomes but face large debts. Declining land values have…

Content Priorities for Farm Mechanics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knotts, C. Don; Webb, Earl S.

1974-01-01

Fifty successful young Texas farmers evaluated agricultural mechanics skills (in the broad areas of farm power and machinery, farm shop, farm electricity, buildings and conveniences, and soil and water management) in terms of their importance. Teachers can use the findings to plan course content relevant to their students' needs. (AJ)

Dairying. People on the Farm. [Revised].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. Office of Governmental and Public Affairs.

This booklet, one in a series about life on modern farms, describes the daily lives of two dairy farm families, the Schwartzbecks and the Bealls of Maryland. Beginning with early morning milking, the booklet traces the farm families through their daily work and community activities, explaining how a modern dairy farm is run. Although this booklet…

Black Families. People on the Farm.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. Office of Governmental and Public Affairs.

This booklet, one in a series about life on modern farms, describes the daily life of two black farm families, the Minisees of Michigan and the Sims brothers of Arkansas. Beginning with early morning chores, the booklet describes some of the chores they do in running their diversified farms and how they got started in farming. Although the booklet…

Evaluation of Quality of Life of Those Living near a Wind Farm.

PubMed

Mroczek, Bożena; Banaś, Joanna; Machowska-Szewczyk, Małgorzata; Kurpas, Donata

2015-05-29

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) can serve as a multidimensional means of evaluating the relationship between the presence of wind turbines in residential areas and their consequence for health. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the presence of wind farms at different stages of development and the HRQoL of people living in their vicinity in Poland. The instruments employed in this study were the SF-36v2, a questionnaire measuring self-reported health problems, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The study involved 1277 people who lived within 2 km from a wind turbine. The highest overall QoL scores were obtained by respondents living the closest to wind turbines. The mental health, role emotional, and social functioning scores were significantly higher among respondents living near wind farms and wind-farm construction sites than among those living close to locations where wind farms were planned but where construction had not yet begun. Positive correlations were found between physical and mental component scores and reactions to the news of plans to construct a wind farm. Significant differences in physical and mental component scores were observed between residents who reacted calmly and those who responded with apprehension. Residents who expected the improvement of their financial standing as a result of the wind farm assessed their general health higher than those who did not expect to receive any economic benefits. The lowest QoL scores corresponded to frequent headaches, stomach aches, and back pain over the previous three months, as well as recurrent problems with falling asleep, anxiety, and a lack of acceptance of the project. The lowest overall QoL and general health scores were noted among residents of places where wind-farm developments were either at the stage of planning or under construction. In order to find ways of reducing environmental stress and its adverse effects on health, it is

INSTRUCTION IN FARM MECHANICS, SUGGESTIONS FOR DEVELOPING TRAINING PROGRAMS IN FARM MECHANICS IN VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HOLLENBERG, A.H.; JOHNSON, E.J.

THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM GUIDE IS TO ASSIST TEACHERS IN TRAINING YOUNG FARMERS AND FARM WORKERS IN THE SELECTION, OPERATION, UTILIZATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF FARM TOOLS, MACHINERY, AND MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT. DESIGNED BY NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION SPECIALISTS, THE DOCUMENT INCLUDES CHAPTERS ON THE CHANGING FARM, SETTING UP PROGRAMS, FARM…

Digesters and demographics: identifying support for anaerobic digesters on dairy farms.

PubMed

Sanders, D J; Roberts, M C; Ernst, S C; Thraen, C S

2010-11-01

The dairy industry in the United States is amidst a long-running trend toward fewer, larger dairy farms. This development has created a backlash in some communities over concerns such as odor, waste management, and environmental degradation. Separately, anaerobic digestion has advanced as a waste management technology that potentially offers solutions to some of these issues, providing odor control and a combustible biogas among other things. These digesters require significant capital investments. Voluntary consumer premiums for the renewable energy produced have been used in some instances as a means to move adoption of such systems toward financial feasibility. This project employed a survey to measure Ohio consumers' willingness to pay a premium for renewable energy produced by anaerobic digesters on dairy farms. Cluster analysis was used to segment consumers by willingness to pay, age, education, income, self-identified political inclination, and a composite variable that served as a proxy for respondents' environmental stewardship. Four distinctive groups emerged from the data. Older, less educated respondents were found to have the least amount of support for digesters on dairy farms, whereas politically liberal, environmentally proactive respondents demonstrated the strongest support. Well-educated, affluent respondents and young respondents fell between these 2 groups. Most large dairy farms are generally met with fairly negative responses from their local communities; in contrast, this research finds some popular support for anaerobic digestion technology. Going forward, establishing a positive link between support for anaerobic digesters and for their use on large dairies could open up a new route for less-contested large dairy farm developments. Evaluation of community demographics could become an important part of finding an optimal location for a large dairy farm. Copyright © 2010 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All

Field application of farm-food safety risk assessment (FRAMp) tool for small and medium fresh produce farms.

PubMed

Soon, J M; Davies, W P; Chadd, S A; Baines, R N

2013-02-15

The objective of this study was to develop a farm food safety-risk assessment tool (FRAMp) which serves as a self-assessment and educational tool for fresh produce farms. FRAMp was developed in Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet software using standard mathematical and logical functions and utilised a qualitative risk assessment approach for farmers to evaluate their food safety practices. The FRAMp tool has since been tested on 12 fresh produce farms throughout UK. All the farms determined that FRAMp was interesting but 17% found it too long while 25% of the farms felt the tool was too complicated. The instructions on FRAMp usage were revised and farmers were given the options to skip and select specific steps in the farm risk assessment. The end users (farmers/farm managers) determined that developing their own action plans and using it as proof of assessment for future third-party audits were most useful to them. FRAMp tool can be described as an illustrative risk ranking tool to facilitate farms to identify potential risk factors during their crop production. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Livestock farming and atmospheric emissions.

PubMed

Zicari, Giuseppe; Soardo, Vincenzo; Rivetti, Daniela; Cerrato, Elena; Russo, Domenico

2013-01-01

Livestock farming produces atmospheric emissions that may pose a risk to workers and a disturbance to the population. Emissions into the atmosphere produced by livestock farming consist of gases such as ammonia, dust, compounds such as aliphatic hydrocarbons and bio-aerosols formed by microorganisms. Some gases, such as ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, have foul odours and are thus potentially annoying to the population. Gaseous or volatile molecules produced by livestock installations and related activities may have several adverse effects on health and environment. The most significant exposure certainly relates to workers in the confined spaces of farms, rather than to residents in the surrounding areas. In this article we examine potential hazards to farm workers and to the population living in the vicinity of livestock farms, arising from emissions into the atmosphere.

Sensory quality and fatty acid content of springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) meat: influence of farm location and sex.

PubMed

Neethling, Jeannine; Muller, Magdalena; van der Rijst, Marieta; Hoffman, Louwrens C

2018-05-01

Springbok are harvested for meat production irrespective of farm location or sex from which the meat is derived. The present study investigated the influence of farm location (three farms containing different vegetation types) and sex on the sensory quality of springbok longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle. The sensory profile (aroma, flavour and texture) was determined by descriptive sensory analysis, in addition to determination of the physical meat quality, proximate and fatty acid composition. Farm location had a significant influence on the sensory quality (gamey and liver-like aroma; beef, liver-like, lamb-like and herbaceous flavour; sweet taste; tenderness; residue; mealiness; Warner-Bratzler shear force; moisture, protein and intramuscular lipid content) and fatty acid content (oleic acid; α-linolenic acid; total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids; polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio; total omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid; and omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio) of springbok meat. Sex influenced the chemical composition of springbok meat; however, the influence on the sensory profile was minor (sweet taste; P < 0.001). Farm location could influence the sensory quality and composition of springbok meat and should be considered when harvesting for meat production. Sex does not have to be considered for the marketing of springbok meat. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Development of FAST.Farm: A New Multiphysics Engineering Tool for Wind Farm Design and Analysis: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jonkman, Jason; Annoni, Jennifer; Hayman, Greg

2017-01-01

This paper presents the development of FAST.Farm, a new multiphysics tool applicable to engineering problems in research and industry involving wind farm performance and cost optimization that is needed to address the current underperformance, failures, and expenses plaguing the wind industry. Achieving wind cost-of-energy targets - which requires improvements in wind farm performance and reliability, together with reduced uncertainty and expenditures - has been eluded by the complicated nature of the wind farm design problem, especially the sophisticated interaction between atmospheric phenomena and wake dynamics and array effects. FAST.Farm aims to balance the need for accurate modeling of the relevantmore » physics for predicting power performance and loads while maintaining low computational cost to support a highly iterative and probabilistic design process and system-wide optimization. FAST.Farm makes use of FAST to model the aero-hydro-servo-elastics of distinct turbines in the wind farm, and it is based on some of the principles of the Dynamic Wake Meandering (DWM) model, but avoids many of the limitations of existing DWM implementations.« less

12 CFR 619.9145 - Farm Credit Bank.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Farm Credit Bank. 619.9145 Section 619.9145 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 619.9145 Farm Credit Bank. The term Farm Credit Bank refers to a bank resulting from the mandatory merger of the Federal land...

12 CFR 619.9145 - Farm Credit Bank.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Farm Credit Bank. 619.9145 Section 619.9145 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 619.9145 Farm Credit Bank. The term Farm Credit Bank refers to a bank resulting from the mandatory merger of the Federal land...

Comparisons of management practices and farm design on Australian commercial layer and meat chicken farms: Cage, barn and free range.

PubMed

Scott, Angela Bullanday; Singh, Mini; Toribio, Jenny-Ann; Hernandez-Jover, Marta; Barnes, Belinda; Glass, Kathryn; Moloney, Barbara; Lee, Amanda; Groves, Peter

2017-01-01

There are few published studies describing the unique management practices, farm design and housing characteristics of commercial meat chicken and layer farms in Australia. In particular, there has been a large expansion of free range poultry production in Australia in recent years, but limited information about this enterprise exists. This study aimed to describe features of Australian commercial chicken farms, with particular interest in free range farms, by conducting on-farm interviews of 25 free range layer farms, nine cage layer farms, nine barn layer farms, six free range meat chicken farms and 15 barn meat chicken farms in the Sydney basin bioregion and South East Queensland. Comparisons between the different enterprises (cage, barn and free range) were explored, including stocking densities, depopulation procedures, environmental control methods and sources of information for farmers. Additional information collected for free range farms include range size, range characteristics and range access. The median number of chickens per shed was greatest in free range meat chicken farms (31,058), followed by barn meat chicken (20,817), free range layer (10,713), barn layer (9,300) and cage layer farms (9,000). Sheds had cooling pads and tunnel ventilation in just over half of both barn and free range meat chicken farms (53%, n = 8) and was least common in free range layer farms (16%, n = 4). Range access in free range meat chicken farms was from sunrise to dark in the majority (93%, n = 14) of free range meat chicken farms. Over half of free range layer farms (56%, n = 14) granted range access at a set time each morning; most commonly between 9:00 to 10.00am (86%, n = 12), and chickens were placed back inside sheds when it was dusk.

Comparisons of management practices and farm design on Australian commercial layer and meat chicken farms: Cage, barn and free range

PubMed Central

Singh, Mini; Toribio, Jenny-Ann; Hernandez-Jover, Marta; Barnes, Belinda; Glass, Kathryn; Moloney, Barbara; Lee, Amanda; Groves, Peter

2017-01-01

There are few published studies describing the unique management practices, farm design and housing characteristics of commercial meat chicken and layer farms in Australia. In particular, there has been a large expansion of free range poultry production in Australia in recent years, but limited information about this enterprise exists. This study aimed to describe features of Australian commercial chicken farms, with particular interest in free range farms, by conducting on-farm interviews of 25 free range layer farms, nine cage layer farms, nine barn layer farms, six free range meat chicken farms and 15 barn meat chicken farms in the Sydney basin bioregion and South East Queensland. Comparisons between the different enterprises (cage, barn and free range) were explored, including stocking densities, depopulation procedures, environmental control methods and sources of information for farmers. Additional information collected for free range farms include range size, range characteristics and range access. The median number of chickens per shed was greatest in free range meat chicken farms (31,058), followed by barn meat chicken (20,817), free range layer (10,713), barn layer (9,300) and cage layer farms (9,000). Sheds had cooling pads and tunnel ventilation in just over half of both barn and free range meat chicken farms (53%, n = 8) and was least common in free range layer farms (16%, n = 4). Range access in free range meat chicken farms was from sunrise to dark in the majority (93%, n = 14) of free range meat chicken farms. Over half of free range layer farms (56%, n = 14) granted range access at a set time each morning; most commonly between 9:00 to 10.00am (86%, n = 12), and chickens were placed back inside sheds when it was dusk. PMID:29166389

Project Atlas Field Definitions | NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration

Science.gov Websites

Archive Home Project Atlas Field Definitions Project Atlas Field Definitions Field Definition Project Title The Project Title as listed in the Final Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (FERP /EA). General Information: Project Description Narrative description of the project. General

Patterns and Correlates of Nutrition Among Migrant Farm-Worker Children

PubMed Central

Kilanowski, Jill F.

2013-01-01

Past research has demonstrated a higher incidence of overweight children in migrant farm-worker (MFW) families than in the general U.S. population. This study provided descriptive data on MFWs’ acculturation, household food security, and general self-efficacy, and children’s food patterns and body mass index. Convenience samples of 60 parent–child dyads were obtained from six MFW camps in two Midwest states. Acculturation and food security were low, higher general self-efficacy was associated with low acculturation, and the majority of children did not meet their U.S. Food Guide Pyramid recommendations. It was noteworthy that 48% of the sample, including siblings (excluded from data analysis), was overweight or obese. The knowledge learned concerning the food patterns and correlates of nutrition in this descriptive phase of the DINE study will direct counseling to MFW mothers on the purchase and preparation of affordable, nutritious, and culturally acceptable foods to achieve healthy weight in their children. PMID:20935214

SmartPark Technology Demonstration Project

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-11-01

This research project studied causes and possible remediation inspection strategies to prevent failures for anhydrous ammonia (NH3) nurse tanks. Nurse tanks are steel tanks used to transport NH3 locally over public roadways and farm fields. Many of t...

Competency model for the project managers of technical projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, William R.

1992-05-01

Traditional job description techniques were developed to support compensation decisions for hourly wage earners in a manufacturing environment. Their resultant focus on activities performed on the job works well in this environment where the ability to perform the activity adequately is objectively verifiable by testing and observation. Although many organizations have adapted these techniques for salaried employees and service environments, the focus on activities performed has never been satisfactory. For example, stating that a project manager `prepares regular project status reports' tells us little about what to look for in a potential project manager or how to determine if a practicing project manager is ready for additional responsibilities. The concept of a `competency model' has been developed within the last decade to address this shortcoming. Competency models focus on what skills are needed to perform the tasks defined by the job description. For example, a project manager must be able to communicate well both orally and in writing in order to `prepare regular project status reports.'

78 FR 7387 - Continuation of Farm Service Agency 2008 Farm Bill Programs

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-01

..., Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill) through the 2013 crop year, fiscal year (FY), or... conservation programs administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). This notice provides information about... eligibility requirements, commodity programs, and conservation programs previously authorized or amended in...

Orchid bees as bio-indicators for organic coffee farms in Costa Rica: does farm size affect their abundance?

PubMed

Hedström, Ingemar; Denzel, Andrew; Owens, Gareth

2006-09-01

The potential of Euglossini bees, especially Euglossa, as biological indicators of organic vs nonorganic coffee farms was studied in Atenas and San Isidro, Alajuela, Costa Rica using 1.8-cineole as lure. Observations were made for three days at each of four farms and complemented with data from a year of observations. Orchid bees were in greater abundance in the organic farms (t-Student test). However, lower abundances suggest that an organic farm may be negatively affected by the proximity of non-organic farms, depending on its size and distance. Orchid bees may be indicators of organic coffee farms.

Farm Viability: Results of the USDA Family Farm Surveys. Rural Development Research Report No. 60.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salant, Priscilla; And Others

The financial well-being of farm households in 29 Mississippi and Tennessee counties in 1980 and 8 Wisconsin counties in 1982 were analyzed. More than 90 percent of families planning to leave farming were viable under economic conditions at survey time. Almost half of Wisconsin dairy farm households were not viable. Higher debt, younger operator…

Farm accidents in children.

PubMed Central

Cameron, D.; Bishop, C.; Sibert, J. R.

1992-01-01

OBJECTIVE--To examine the problem of accidental injury to children on farms. DESIGN--Prospective county based study of children presenting to accident and emergency departments over 12 months with injuries sustained in a farm setting and nationwide review of fatal childhood farm accidents over the four years April 1986 to March 1990. SETTING--Accident and emergency departments in Aberystwyth, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, and Llanelli and fatal accidents in England, Scotland, and Wales notified to the Health and Safety Executive register. SUBJECTS--Children aged under 16. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Death or injury after farm related accidents. RESULTS--65 accidents were recorded, including 18 fractures. Nine accidents necessitated admission to hospital for a mean of two (range one to four) days. 13 incidents were related to tractors and other machinery; 24 were due to falls. None of these incidents were reported under the statutory notification scheme. 33 deaths were notified, eight related to tractors and allied machinery and 10 related to falling objects. CONCLUSIONS--Although safety is improving, the farm remains a dangerous environment for children. Enforcement of existing safety legislation with significant penalties and targeting of safety education will help reduce accident rates further. PMID:1638192

Fostering food security in areas of extreme poverty through Integrated Farm Management: the case of Burundi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessler, Aad; van Duivenbooden, Niek; van Beek, Christy

2014-05-01

Extreme poverty in Burundi's rural area and tensions between families with limited access to arable land hinder development towards a more stable and peaceful society. Due to these tensions and a rapid population growth, agricultural land is currently subject to increased degradation and low agricultural productivity. A whole range of other limiting factors contributes to this, such as: poor seed quality, poor nutrient management combined with low soil fertility, inadequate agronomic practices, pests and crop diseases, poorly developed supply chains, health problems, difficult access to credit, and insecurity. Solving one of these problems will not solve the chain that eventually leads to low food production; it will simply move the emphasis to the next constraining factor. An integrated rural development approach is therefore required to break this vicious circle. The project Fanning the Spark, a Public-Private-Partnership between Achmea Foundation, Alterra of Wageningen University and Research Centre, and HealthNet-TPO in Burundi started in September 2013 with an intervention in several rural villages in Gitega. The project's objective is to increase food production at village level, by means of investments in crop production, a family (income) insurance package that protects rural families against the financial consequences of catastrophic events (natural and health) and making micro-credits available. This will enhance farmers' workability and generate income from agricultural activities in order to break the poverty cycle and enhance food security. The insurance package comprises agricultural and health insurances, and will be jointly implemented with the sustainable agriculture component. The latter component focuses on Integrated Farm Management and the use of innovative soil management practices. Farmer-to-farmer training and scaling-up are crucial components, and in the first phase of the project "innovative farmer groups" have a central role in the

Community perspectives on barriers and strategies for promoting locally grown produce from an urban agriculture farm.

PubMed

Hu, Alice; Acosta, Angela; McDaniel, Abigail; Gittelsohn, Joel

2013-01-01

Although much is understood about barriers to healthy food consumption in low-income, urban communities, knowledge regarding the crucial next step of building feasible, community-supported approaches to address those barriers remains limited. This qualitative study used in-depth interviews (n = 20), focus groups (n = 2), and participant observations (n = 3) to identify strategies to promote locally grown produce from an urban food security project, Produce From the Park (PFP), an urban farm. Informants included community organization representatives and residents from low-income neighborhoods in a mid-Atlantic city. Informants identified structural and cultural barriers to purchasing healthy food, including price, location, food culture, and lack of interest. Participants proposed a number of strategies, such as distribution through mobile food carts and farm stands, marketing new foods through taste tests and cooking demonstrations, and youth mentorship. Informants also described their perceptions of the local urban farm and suggested ways to increase community buy-in. Strategies mentioned were inexpensive and incorporated cultural norms and local assets. These community perspectives can provide insights for those promoting healthy eating in urban African American communities through urban food security projects.

Farm Family Adaptations to Severe Economic Distress: Wisconsin. Results of the 1989 Regional Farm Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saupe, William E.; Eisenhauer, Janet

During the farm crisis of the 1980s, many midwestern farm families suffered financial distress, but by 1989 an uneven financial recovery was under way. This report summarizes data collected from 622 Wisconsin farm operators (a 39% response rate) and 525 spouses as part of a large survey conducted in 12 North Central states. The purpose of the…

[Nitrogen balance in dairy farm: research progress].

PubMed

Lü, Chao; Qin, Wen-Xiao; Gao, Teng-Yun; Wang, Xiao-Xiao; Han, Zhi-Guo; Li, Jia

2013-01-01

Large dairy farm with intensive management has high stocking density, but generally does not have enough space and normative feces disposal system, resulting in the discharged nitrogen surpassed the environmental carrying capacity of unit area land. Dairy farm is one of the major emission sources of nitrogen discharges in agriculture, where the nitrogen balance has being aroused attention by the experts abroad. The research on the nitrogen flow and nitrogen balance in dairy farm is the basis of the dairy farm nitrogen cycling and management study, as well as the basis for the construction of environmental laws, regulations and policies. The most reliable indicators to evaluate the nitrogen flow and nitrogen balance in dairy farm are nitrogen surplus and nitrogen use efficiency. This paper introduced the concept of nitrogen balance on farm-scale and the nitrogen flow within farm, compared the application scope of nitrogen surplus and nitrogen use efficiency, analyzed the factors affecting the nitrogen balance in dairy farm, and summarized the effective strategies to reduce the nitrogen discharges from dairy farm, aimed to provide references for the nitrogen management of dairy farm in China.

78 FR 21926 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-12

... Service Agreements with Expressway Solar A and B LLC to be effective 6/4/2013. Filed Date: 4/4/13...: ER13-1245-000. Applicants: Southern California Edison Company. Description: LGIA with Rising Tree Wind Farm LLC for Rising Tree Wind Farm Project to be effective 4/5/2013. Filed Date: 4/4/13. Accession...

12 CFR 619.9140 - Farm Credit bank(s).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Farm Credit bank(s). 619.9140 Section 619.9140 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 619.9140 Farm Credit bank(s). Except as otherwise defined, the term Farm Credit bank(s) includes Farm Credit Banks...

12 CFR 619.9140 - Farm Credit bank(s).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Farm Credit bank(s). 619.9140 Section 619.9140 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 619.9140 Farm Credit bank(s). Except as otherwise defined, the term Farm Credit bank(s) includes Farm Credit Banks...

Stall dimensions and the prevalence of lameness, injury, and cleanliness on 317 tie-stall dairy farms in Ontario

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

Abstract The study objectives were to provide a province-wide description of stall dimensions and the aspects of cattle welfare linked to stall design in the tie-stall industry. Data on stall design; stall dimensions; and the prevalence of lameness, injury, and hind limb and udder cleanliness in lactating dairy cattle were collected from a sample of 317 tie-stall farms across Ontario. The majority of the study farms (90%) had stalls with dimensions (length, width, tie-chain length, and tie rail height) that were less than the current recommendations. This may explain, in part, the prevalence of lameness measured as the prevalence of back arch (3.2%) and severe hind claw rotation (23%), hock lesions (44%), neck lesions (3.8%), broken tails (3%), dirty hind limbs (23%), and dirty udders (4.6%). Veterinarians and producers may use this information to compare farms with the industry averages and target areas in need of improvement. PMID:16454382

GeneFarm, structural and functional annotation of Arabidopsis gene and protein families by a network of experts

PubMed Central

Aubourg, Sébastien; Brunaud, Véronique; Bruyère, Clémence; Cock, Mark; Cooke, Richard; Cottet, Annick; Couloux, Arnaud; Déhais, Patrice; Deléage, Gilbert; Duclert, Aymeric; Echeverria, Manuel; Eschbach, Aimée; Falconet, Denis; Filippi, Ghislain; Gaspin, Christine; Geourjon, Christophe; Grienenberger, Jean-Michel; Houlné, Guy; Jamet, Elisabeth; Lechauve, Frédéric; Leleu, Olivier; Leroy, Philippe; Mache, Régis; Meyer, Christian; Nedjari, Hafed; Negrutiu, Ioan; Orsini, Valérie; Peyretaillade, Eric; Pommier, Cyril; Raes, Jeroen; Risler, Jean-Loup; Rivière, Stéphane; Rombauts, Stéphane; Rouzé, Pierre; Schneider, Michel; Schwob, Philippe; Small, Ian; Soumayet-Kampetenga, Ghislain; Stankovski, Darko; Toffano, Claire; Tognolli, Michael; Caboche, Michel; Lecharny, Alain

2005-01-01

Genomic projects heavily depend on genome annotations and are limited by the current deficiencies in the published predictions of gene structure and function. It follows that, improved annotation will allow better data mining of genomes, and more secure planning and design of experiments. The purpose of the GeneFarm project is to obtain homogeneous, reliable, documented and traceable annotations for Arabidopsis nuclear genes and gene products, and to enter them into an added-value database. This re-annotation project is being performed exhaustively on every member of each gene family. Performing a family-wide annotation makes the task easier and more efficient than a gene-by-gene approach since many features obtained for one gene can be extrapolated to some or all the other genes of a family. A complete annotation procedure based on the most efficient prediction tools available is being used by 16 partner laboratories, each contributing annotated families from its field of expertise. A database, named GeneFarm, and an associated user-friendly interface to query the annotations have been developed. More than 3000 genes distributed over 300 families have been annotated and are available at http://genoplante-info.infobiogen.fr/Genefarm/. Furthermore, collaboration with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics is underway to integrate the GeneFarm data into the protein knowledgebase Swiss-Prot. PMID:15608279

76 FR 17163 - Submission of OMB Review; Comments Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-28

... per investor per project. Type of Respondents: Business or other institution (except farms); individuals. Standard Industrial Classification Code: All. Description of Affected Public: U.S. companies or... the document used by OPIC to determine investor's and project eligibility for political risk insurance...

The structure and strength of public attitudes towards wind farm development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bidwell, David Charles

A growing social science literature seeks to understand why, despite broad public support for wind energy, proposals for specific projects are often met with strong local opposition. This gap between general and specific attitudes is viewed as a significant obstacle to the deployment of wind energy technologies. This dissertation applies theoretical perspectives and methodological tools from social psychology to provide insights on the structure and strength of attitudes towards the potential development of commercial wind farm in three coastal areas of Michigan. A survey of attitudes was completed by 375 residents in these communities and structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationship among variables. The analysis found that attitudes towards wind farm development are shaped by anticipated economic benefits to the community, but expectations of economic benefit are driven by personal values. Social psychology has long recognized that all attitudes are not created equal. Weak attitudes are fleeting and prone to change, while strong attitudes are stable over time and resistant to change. There are two fundamental paths to strong attitudes: repeated experience with an attitude object or the application of deeply held principles or values to that object. Structural equation models were also used to understand the strength of attitudes among the survey respondents. Both the anticipated effects of wind farm development and personal values were found to influence the strength of attitudes towards wind farms. However, while expectations that wind farm development will have positive effects on the economy bolster two measures of attitude strength (collective identity and importance), these expectations are associated with a decline in a third measure (confidence). A follow-up survey asking identical questions was completed by completed by 187 respondents to the initial survey. Linear regressions models were used to determine the effects of attitude

Farm Family Adaptations to Severe Economic Distress: Ohio. Results of the 1989 Regional Farm Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lobao, Linda; Meyer, Katherine

During the farm crisis of the 1980s, many midwestern farm families suffered financial distress, but by 1989 an uneven financial recovery was under way. This report summarizes data collected from 388 Ohio farm operators (a 38.8% response rate) and 353 spouses as part of a large survey conducted in 12 North Central states. The purpose of the survey…

Push-pull farming systems.

PubMed

Pickett, John A; Woodcock, Christine M; Midega, Charles A O; Khan, Zeyaur R

2014-04-01

Farming systems for pest control, based on the stimulo-deterrent diversionary strategy or push-pull system, have become an important target for sustainable intensification of food production. A prominent example is push-pull developed in sub-Saharan Africa using a combination of companion plants delivering semiochemicals, as plant secondary metabolites, for smallholder farming cereal production, initially against lepidopterous stem borers. Opportunities are being developed for other regions and farming ecosystems. New semiochemical tools and delivery systems, including GM, are being incorporated to exploit further opportunities for mainstream arable farming systems. By delivering the push and pull effects as secondary metabolites, for example, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene repelling pests and attracting beneficial insects, problems of high volatility and instability are overcome and compounds are produced when and where required. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Farm level risk factors for fluoroquinolone resistance in E. coli and thermophilic Campylobacter spp. on poultry farms.

PubMed

Taylor, N M; Wales, A D; Ridley, A M; Davies, R H

2016-10-01

Data on husbandry practices, performance, disease and drug use were collected during a cross-sectional survey of 89 poultry meat farms in England and Wales to provide information on possible risk factors for the occurrence of fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant bacteria. Faeces samples were used to classify farms as "affected" or "not affected" by FQ-resistant (FQr) Escherichia coli or Campylobacter spp. Risk factor analysis identified the use of FQ on the farms as having by far the strongest association, among the factors considered, with the occurrence of FQr bacteria. Resistant E. coli and/or Campylobacter spp. were found on 86% of the farms with a history of FQ use. However, a substantial proportion of farms with no history of FQ use also yielded FQr organisms, suggesting that resistant bacteria may transfer between farms. Further analysis suggested that for Campylobacter spp., on-farm hygiene, cleaning and disinfection between batches of birds and wildlife control were of most significance. By contrast, for E. coli biosecurity from external contamination was of particular importance, although the modelling indicated that other factors were likely to be involved. Detailed studies on a small number of sites showed that FQr E. coli can survive routine cleaning and disinfection. It appears difficult to avoid the occurrence of resistant bacteria when FQ are used on a farm, but the present findings provide evidence to support recommendations to reduce the substantial risk of the incidental acquisition of such resistance by farms where FQ are not used.

Preliminary survey of the marketing of farm woodland products in the northern New England states

Treesearch

James C. Rettie; Wayne G. Banks; George E. Doverspike

1949-01-01

The Station in l948 initiated a study of the problems of marketing and pricing of farm woodland products. The first step in this project involved some preliminary surveys designed to give an over-all view of the principal conditions and problems.

Organic Farming Improves Pollination Success in Strawberries

PubMed Central

Andersson, Georg K. S.; Rundlöf, Maj; Smith, Henrik G.

2012-01-01

Pollination of insect pollinated crops has been found to be correlated to pollinator abundance and diversity. Since organic farming has the potential to mitigate negative effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity, it may also benefit crop pollination, but direct evidence of this is scant. We evaluated the effect of organic farming on pollination of strawberry plants focusing on (1) if pollination success was higher on organic farms compared to conventional farms, and (2) if there was a time lag from conversion to organic farming until an effect was manifested. We found that pollination success and the proportion of fully pollinated berries were higher on organic compared to conventional farms and this difference was already evident 2–4 years after conversion to organic farming. Our results suggest that conversion to organic farming may rapidly increase pollination success and hence benefit the ecosystem service of crop pollination regarding both yield quantity and quality. PMID:22355380

Effect of farming strategies on environmental impact of intensive dairy farms in Italy.

PubMed

Guerci, Matteo; Bava, Luciana; Zucali, Maddalena; Sandrucci, Anna; Penati, Chiara; Tamburini, Alberto

2013-08-01

Agriculture and animal husbandry are important contributors to global emissions of greenhouse (GHG) and acidifying gases. Moreover, they contribute to water pollution and to consumption of non-renewable natural resources such as land and energy. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology allows evaluation of the environmental impact of a process from the production of inputs to the final product and to assess simultaneously several environmental impact categories among which GHG emissions, acidification, eutrophication, land use and energy use. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate, using the LCA methodology, the environmental impact of milk production in a sample of 41 intensive Italian dairy farms and to identify, among different farming strategies, those associated with the best environmental performances. The functional unit was 1 kg Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM). Farms showed characteristics of high production intensity: FPCM, expressed as tonnes per hectare, was 30·8±15·1. Total GHG emission per kg FPCM at farm gate was 1·30±0·19 kg CO2 eq. The main contributors to climate change potential were emissions from barns and manure storage (50·1%) and emissions for production and transportation of purchased feeds (21·2%). Average emission of gases causing acidification to produce 1 kg FPCM was 19·7±3·6 g of SO2 eq. Eutrophication potential was 9·01±1·78 ${\\rm PO}_{\\rm 4}^{{\\rm 3} -} {\\rm eq}.$ per kg FPCM on average. Farms from this study needed on average 5·97±1·32 MJ per kg FPCM from non-renewable energy sources. Energy consumption was mainly due to off-farm activities (58%) associated with purchased factors. Land use was 1·51±0·25 m2 per kg FPCM. The farming strategy based on high conversion efficiency at animal level was identified as the most effective to mitigate the environmental impact per kg milk at farm gate, especially in terms of GHG production and non-renewable energy use per kg FPCM.

African swine fever outbreak on a medium-sized farm in Uganda: biosecurity breaches and within-farm virus contamination.

PubMed

Chenais, Erika; Sternberg-Lewerin, Susanna; Boqvist, Sofia; Liu, Lihong; LeBlanc, Neil; Aliro, Tonny; Masembe, Charles; Ståhl, Karl

2017-02-01

In Uganda, a low-income country in east Africa, African swine fever (ASF) is endemic with yearly outbreaks. In the prevailing smallholder subsistence farming systems, farm biosecurity is largely non-existent. Outbreaks of ASF, particularly in smallholder farms, often go unreported, creating significant epidemiological knowledge gaps. The continuous circulation of ASF in smallholder settings also creates biosecurity challenges for larger farms. In this study, an on-going outbreak of ASF in an endemic area was investigated on farm level, including analyses of on-farm environmental virus contamination. The study was carried out on a medium-sized pig farm with 35 adult pigs and 103 piglets or growers at the onset of the outbreak. Within 3 months, all pigs had died or were slaughtered. The study included interviews with farm representatives as well as biological and environmental sampling. ASF was confirmed by the presence of ASF virus (ASFV) genomic material in biological (blood, serum) and environmental (soil, water, feed, manure) samples by real-time PCR. The ASFV-positive biological samples confirmed the clinical assessment and were consistent with known virus characteristics. Most environmental samples were found to be positive. Assessment of farm biosecurity, interviews, and the results from the biological and environmental samples revealed that breaches and non-compliance with biosecurity protocols most likely led to the introduction and within-farm spread of the virus. The information derived from this study provides valuable insight regarding the implementation of biosecurity measures, particularly in endemic areas.

12 CFR 614.4000 - Farm Credit Banks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... institutions. (3) Farm Credit Banks, in their capacity as certified agricultural mortgage marketing facilities... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Farm Credit Banks. 614.4000 Section 614.4000 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM LOAN POLICIES AND OPERATIONS Lending...

Agricultural Incentives: Implications for Small-Scale and Subsistence Farming in the US Caribbean Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez-Berrios, N.; Parés-Ramos, I.; Gould, W. A.

2017-12-01

The effects of climate change threaten the world's most sensitive agroecosystems and our potential to reach agricultural productivity levels needed to feed a projected global population of 9.7 billion people by 2050. The US Caribbean agriculture is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, due to the region's frequent exposure to extreme weather events, its geographic and economic scale, shortage of labor force, and rapid urban expansion. Currently, agriculture contributes less than 1% of the island's GDP, and over 80% of the food consumed in the region is imported. Despite low production levels, there is widespread interest in reinvigorating the agricultural sector's contribution to the economy. Local and federal institutions play a major role strengthening the agricultural sector by providing access to incentives, loans, and education for best management practices. However, many of these efforts conform to agricultural systems of larger scale of production and temperate environments. In this study, we explore agricultural incentives programs and their implication for highly diverse, small-scale, and subsistence operations that characterize agricultural systems in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. We analyze records and maps from the USDA Farm Service Agency, to typify participating farms, and to track changes in land cover, farm size, crop diversity, practices, and production levels resulting from their enrollment in such programs. Preliminary results indicate that many incentives programs are not tailored to agricultural tropical systems and prescribe alternatives that exclude traditional farming methods employed in small-scale and subsistence farms (e.g. crop insurance that benefit monoculture over intercropped systems). Moreover, many of the incentives are contradictory in their recommendations (e.g., crop insurance benefit sun-grown coffee production, while best agricultural practices recommend agroforestry with shade-grown coffee

Public farms: hygiene and zoonotic agents.

PubMed

Heuvelink, A E; Valkenburgh, S M; Tilburg, J J H C; Van Heerwaarden, C; Zwartkruis-Nahuis, J T M; De Boer, E

2007-10-01

In three successive years, we visited petting farms (n=132), care farms (n=91), and farmyard campsites (n=84), respectively, and completed a standard questionnaire with the objective of determining the hygienic status of these farms and describing hygiene measures implemented to reduce the risk of transmission of zoonotic agents from the animals to humans. For at least 85% of the farms, the overall impression of hygiene was recorded as good. However, more attention must be paid to: informing visitors on hygiene and handwashing, provision of handwashing facilities, and a footwear cleaning facility. Examination of samples of freshly voided faeces resulted in the detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 and/or Salmonella spp. and/or Campylobacter spp. at almost two-thirds (64.9%) of the petting farms, and around half of the care farms (56.0%) and farmyard campsites (45.2%). These data reinforce the need for control measures for both public and private farms to reduce human exposure to livestock faeces and thus the risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases. Public awareness of the risk associated with handling animals or faecal material should be increased.

Real time wind farm emulation using SimWindFarm toolbox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topor, Marcel

2016-06-01

This paper presents a wind farm emulation solution using an open source Matlab/Simulink toolbox and the National Instruments cRIO platform. This work is based on the Aeolus SimWindFarm (SWF) toolbox models developed at Aalborg university, Denmark. Using the Matlab Simulink models developed in SWF, the modeling code can be exported to a real time model using the NI Veristand model framework and the resulting code is integrated as a hardware in the loop control on the NI 9068 platform.

76 FR 6775 - Combined Notice of Filings #1

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-08

... Services Corporation; Fowler Ridge II Wind Farm LLC. Description: Notice of Non-Material Change in Status... Open Access Transmission Tariff, a Small Generator Interconnection Agreement Facilities Maintenance..., Inc.; Atlantic Renewable Projects II LLC; Barton Windpower LLC; Big Horn Wind Project LLC; Big Horn II...

12 CFR 614.4000 - Farm Credit Banks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Farm Credit Banks. 614.4000 Section 614.4000 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM LOAN POLICIES AND OPERATIONS Lending Authorities § 614.4000 Farm Credit Banks. (a) Long-term real estate lending. Except to the extent such...

Evaluation of Quality of Life of Those Living near a Wind Farm

PubMed Central

Mroczek, Bożena; Banaś, Joanna; Machowska-Szewczyk, Małgorzata; Kurpas, Donata

2015-01-01

Objectives: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) can serve as a multidimensional means of evaluating the relationship between the presence of wind turbines in residential areas and their consequence for health. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the presence of wind farms at different stages of development and the HRQoL of people living in their vicinity in Poland. Method: The instruments employed in this study were the SF-36v2, a questionnaire measuring self-reported health problems, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The study involved 1277 people who lived within 2 km from a wind turbine. Results: The highest overall QoL scores were obtained by respondents living the closest to wind turbines. The mental health, role emotional, and social functioning scores were significantly higher among respondents living near wind farms and wind-farm construction sites than among those living close to locations where wind farms were planned but where construction had not yet begun. Positive correlations were found between physical and mental component scores and reactions to the news of plans to construct a wind farm. Significant differences in physical and mental component scores were observed between residents who reacted calmly and those who responded with apprehension. Residents who expected the improvement of their financial standing as a result of the wind farm assessed their general health higher than those who did not expect to receive any economic benefits. The lowest QoL scores corresponded to frequent headaches, stomach aches, and back pain over the previous three months, as well as recurrent problems with falling asleep, anxiety, and a lack of acceptance of the project. Conclusion: The lowest overall QoL and general health scores were noted among residents of places where wind-farm developments were either at the stage of planning or under construction. In order to find ways of reducing environmental stress and its

Crashes involving farm tractors and other farm vehicles/equipment in North Carolina 1995-1999

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-04-01

Tables and figures are shown to depict a statistical representation of crashes involving farm tractors and other farm vehicles or equipment, in North Carolina. Information displayed includes crash frequency, crashes by county, accident severity, type...

Farm Population of the United States: 1974. Current Population Reports, Farm Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Vera J.; And Others

Based on data derived primarily from the Current Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census, this statistical report presents demographic and labor force characteristics of the U.S. farm population and a comparison of selected characteristics of the farm and nonfarm population. Tabular data are presented as follows: (1) Population of the U.S.,…

Stability analysis of offshore wind farm and marine current farm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shawon, Mohammad Hasanuzzaman

Renewable energy has been playing an important role to meet power demand and 'Green Energy' market is getting bigger platform all over the world in the last few years. Due to massive increase in the prices of fossil fuels along with global warming issues, energy harvesting from renewable energy sources has received considerable interest, nowadays, where extensive researches are going on to ensure optimum use of renewable sources. In order to meet the increasing demand of electricity and power, integration of renewable energy is getting highest priorities around the world. Wind is one of the most top growing renewable energy resources and wind power market penetration is expected to reach 3.35 percent by 2013 from its present market of about 240 GW. A wind energy system is the most environmental friendly, cost effective and safe among all renewable energy resources available. Another promising form of renewable energy is ocean energy which covers 70 % of the earth. Ocean energy can be tapped from waves, tides and thermal elements. Offshore Wind farm (OWF) has already become very popular for large scale wind power integration with the onshore grid. Recently, marine current farm (MCF) is also showing good potential to become mainstream energy sources and already successfully commissioned in United Kingdom. However, squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG) has the stability problem similar to synchronous generator especially during fault location to restore the electromagnetic torque. Series dynamic braking resistor (SDBR) has been known as a useful mean to stabilize fixed speed wind generator system. On the other hand, doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) has the capability of coupling the control of active and reactive power and to provide necessary reactive power demand during grid fault conditions. Series dynamic braking resistor (SDBR) can also be employed with DFIG to limit the rotor over current. An integration of wind and tidal energy represents a new

Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety: A Farm and Research Team Participatory Model.

PubMed

Galvin, Kit; Krenz, Jen; Harrington, Marcy; Palmández, Pablo; Fenske, Richard A

2016-01-01

Development of the Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety guide used participatory research strategies to identify and evaluate solutions that reduce pesticide exposures for workers and their families and to disseminate these solutions. Project principles were (1) workplace chemicals belong in the workplace, and (2) pesticide handlers and farm managers are experts, with direct knowledge of production practices. The project's participatory methods were grounded in self-determination theory. Practical solutions were identified and evaluated based on five criteria: practicality, adaptability, health and safety, novelty, and regulatory compliance. Research activities that had more personal contact provided better outcomes. The Expert Working Group, composed of farm managers and pesticide handlers, was key to the identification of solutions, as were farm site visits. Audience participation, hands-on testing, and orchard field trials were particularly effective in the evaluation of potential solutions. Small work groups in a Regional Advisory Committee provided the best direction and guidance for a "user-friendly" translational document that provided evidence-based practical solutions. The "farmer to farmer" format of the guide was endorsed by both the Expert Working Group and the Regional Advisory Committee. Managers and pesticide handlers wanted to share their solutions in order to "help others stay safe," and they appreciated attribution in the guide. The guide is now being used in educational programs across the region. The fundamental concept that farmers and farmworkers are innovators and experts in agricultural production was affirmed by this study. The success of this process demonstrates the value of participatory industrial hygiene in agriculture.

The effect of feed demand on greenhouse gas emissions and farm profitability for organic and conventional dairy farms.

PubMed

Kiefer, Lukas; Menzel, Friederike; Bahrs, Enno

2014-12-01

The reduction of product-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in milk production appears to be necessary. The reduction of emissions on an individual farm might be highly accepted by farm owners if it were accompanied by an increase in profitability. Using life cycle assessments to determine the product carbon footprints (PCF) and farm-level evaluations to record profitability, we explored opportunities for optimization based on analysis of 81 organic and conventional pasture-based dairy farms in southern Germany. The objective of the present study was to detect common determining factors for low PCF and high management incomes (MI) to achieve GHG reductions at the lowest possible operational cost. In our sample, organic farms, which performed economically better than conventional farms, produced PCF that were significantly higher than those produced by conventional farms [1.61 ± 0.29 vs. 1.45 ± 0.28 kg of CO₂ equivalents (CO₂eq) per kg of milk; means ± SD)]. A multiple linear regression analysis of the sample demonstrated that low feed demand per kilogram of milk, high grassland yield, and low forage area requirements per cow are the main factors that decrease PCF. These factors are also useful for improving a farm's profitability in principle. For organic farms, a reduction of feed demand of 100 g/kg of milk resulted in a PCF reduction of 105 g of CO₂eq/kg of milk and an increase in MI of approximately 2.1 euro cents (c)/kg of milk. For conventional farms, a decrease of feed demand of 100 g/kg of milk corresponded to a reduction in PCF of 117 g of CO₂eq/kg of milk and an increase in MI of approximately 3.1 c/kg of milk. Accordingly, farmers could achieve higher profits while reducing GHG emissions. Improved education and training of farmers and consultants regarding GHG mitigation and farm profitability appear to be the best methods of improving efficiency under traditional and organic farming practices.

Energy balance in olive oil farms: comparison of organic and conventional farming systems.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, Marta M.; Meco, Ramón; Moreno, Carmen

2013-04-01

The viability of an agricultural production system not only depends on the crop yields, but especially on the efficient use of available resources. However, the current agricultural systems depend heavily on non-renewable energy consumption in the form of fertilizers, fossil fuels, pesticides and machinery. In developed countries, the economic profitability of different productive systems is dependent on the granting of subsidies of diverse origin that affect both production factors (or inputs) and the final product (or output). Leaving such external aids, energy balance analysis reveals the real and most efficient form of management for each agroclimatic region, and is also directly related to the economic activity and the environmental state. In this work we compare the energy balance resulting from organic and conventional olive oil farms under the semi-arid conditions of Central Spain. The results indicate that the mean energy supplied to the organic farms was sensitively lower (about 30%) in comparison with the conventional management, and these differences were more pronounced for the biggest farms (> 15 ha). Mean energy outputs were about 20% lower in the organic system, although organic small farms (< 15 ha) resulted more productive than the conventional small ones. However, these lower outputs were compensated by the major market value obtained from the organic products. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides reached about 60% of the total energy inputs in conventional farming; in the organic farms, however, this ratio scarcely reached 25%. Human labor item only represented a very small amount of the total energy input in both cases (less than 1%). As conclusions, both management systems were efficient from an energy point of view. The value of the organic production should be focused on the environmental benefits it provides, which are not usually considered in the conventional management on not valuing the damage it produces to the environment. Organic

Reduced soil cultivation and organic fertilization on organic farms: effects on crop yield and soil physical traits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surböck, Andreas; Gollner, Gabriele; Klik, Andreas; Freyer, Bernhard; Friedel, Jürgen K.

2017-04-01

A continuous investment in soil fertility is necessary to achieve sustainable yields in organic arable farming. Crucial factors here besides the crop rotation are organic fertilization and the soil tillage system. On this topic, an operational group (Project BIOBO*) was established in the frame of an European Innovation Partnership in 2016 consisting of organic farmers, consultants and scientists in the farming region of eastern Austria. The aim of this group is the development and testing of innovative, reduced soil cultivation, green manure and organic fertilization systems under on-farm and on-station conditions to facilitate the sharing and transfer of experience and knowledge within and outside the group. Possibilities for optimization of the farm-specific reduced soil tillage system in combination with green manuring are being studied in field trials on six organic farms. The aim is to determine, how these measures contribute to an increase in soil organic matter contents, yields and income, to an improved nitrogen and nutrient supply to the crops, as well as support soil fertility in general. Within a long-term monitoring project (MUBIL), the effects of different organic fertilization systems on plant and soil traits have been investigated since 2003, when the farm was converted to organic management. The examined organic fertilization systems, i.e. four treatments representing stockless and livestock keeping systems, differ in lucerne management and the supply of organic manure (communal compost, farmyard manure, digestate from a biogas plant). Previous results of this on-station experiment have shown an improvement of some soil properties, especially soil physical properties, since 2003 in all fertilization systems and without differences between them. The infiltration rate of rainwater has increased because of higher hydraulic conductivity. The aggregate stability has shown also positive trends, which reduces the susceptibility to soil erosion by wind and

Not Your Family Farm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tenopir, Carol; Baker, Gayle; Grogg, Jill E.

2007-01-01

The information industry continues to consolidate, just as agribusiness has consolidated and now dominates farming. Both the family farm and the small information company still exist but are becoming rarer in an age of mergers, acquisitions, and increased economies of scale. Small companies distinguish themselves by high quality, special themes,…

Reducing Stress of Farm Men and Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keating, Norah C.

1987-01-01

Questioned 753 farm men and women to identify factors associated with stress in farm families. Results suggest that high mastery provides the best buffer against stress for both farm men and women. The task of family life educators is to help farm families augment their personal and social resources while managing high financial and work demands.…

Organic Farming, Gender, and the Labor Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Alan; Mogyorody, Veronika

2007-01-01

This paper seeks to explain variations in gender participation in farm production and decision-making through an analysis of organic farm types, sizes, and orientations. Based on both survey and case study data, the analysis shows that female farmers on vegetable farms and mixed livestock/cash crop farms are more likely to be involved in farm…

Offshore wind farm layout optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkinton, Christopher Neil

Offshore wind energy technology is maturing in Europe and is poised to make a significant contribution to the U.S. energy production portfolio. Building on the knowledge the wind industry has gained to date, this dissertation investigates the influences of different site conditions on offshore wind farm micrositing---the layout of individual turbines within the boundaries of a wind farm. For offshore wind farms, these conditions include, among others, the wind and wave climates, water depths, and soil conditions at the site. An analysis tool has been developed that is capable of estimating the cost of energy (COE) from offshore wind farms. For this analysis, the COE has been divided into several modeled components: major costs (e.g. turbines, electrical interconnection, maintenance, etc.), energy production, and energy losses. By treating these component models as functions of site-dependent parameters, the analysis tool can investigate the influence of these parameters on the COE. Some parameters result in simultaneous increases of both energy and cost. In these cases, the analysis tool was used to determine the value of the parameter that yielded the lowest COE and, thus, the best balance of cost and energy. The models have been validated and generally compare favorably with existing offshore wind farm data. The analysis technique was then paired with optimization algorithms to form a tool with which to design offshore wind farm layouts for which the COE was minimized. Greedy heuristic and genetic optimization algorithms have been tuned and implemented. The use of these two algorithms in series has been shown to produce the best, most consistent solutions. The influences of site conditions on the COE have been studied further by applying the analysis and optimization tools to the initial design of a small offshore wind farm near the town of Hull, Massachusetts. The results of an initial full-site analysis and optimization were used to constrain the boundaries of

THE HUNT FOR EXOMOONS WITH KEPLER (HEK). I. DESCRIPTION OF A NEW OBSERVATIONAL PROJECT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kipping, D. M.; Bakos, G. A.; Buchhave, L.

2012-05-10

Two decades ago, empirical evidence concerning the existence and frequency of planets around stars, other than our own, was absent. Since that time, the detection of extrasolar planets from Jupiter-sized to, most recently, Earth-sized worlds has blossomed and we are finally able to shed light on the plurality of Earth-like, habitable planets in the cosmos. Extrasolar moons may also be frequently habitable worlds, but their detection or even systematic pursuit remains lacking in the current literature. Here, we present a description of the first systematic search for extrasolar moons as part of a new observational project called 'The Hunt formore » Exomoons with Kepler' (HEK). The HEK project distills the entire list of known transiting planet candidates found by Kepler (2326 at the time of writing) down to the most promising candidates for hosting a moon. Selected targets are fitted using a multimodal nested sampling algorithm coupled with a planet-with-moon light curve modeling routine. By comparing the Bayesian evidence of a planet-only model to that of a planet-with-moon, the detection process is handled in a Bayesian framework. In the case of null detections, upper limits derived from posteriors marginalized over the entire prior volume will be provided to inform the frequency of large moons around viable planetary hosts, {eta} leftmoon. After discussing our methodologies for target selection, modeling, fitting, and vetting, we provide two example analyses.« less

Research Projects 1968.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swedish Council for Personnel Administration, Stockholm.

The 39 research projects described cover several fields within the social and behavioral sciences related to personnel administration. The project description format includes: (1) project title, (2) principal investigator, (3) institution, (4) advisor, (5) grants, (6) background and purpose, (7) scope, material, methods, experimental design, (8)…

The Farm as an Educative Tool in the Development of Place Attachments among Irish Farm Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassidy, Anne

2017-01-01

This paper focuses on the educative role of the farm in the development of relationships between young people and the homeplace they grew up on. The paper is based on qualitative interviews with a cohort of 30 Irish university students (15 men and 15 women) brought up on Irish family farms who would not become full-time farmers. The farm acts as…

Farm Population of the United States: 1973. Current Population Reports, Farm Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Vera J.; And Others

Selected characteristics of the United States' farm population for 1973 are presented. The farm population consists of all persons living in rural territory on places of: (1) 10 or more acres if as much as $50 worth of agricultural products were sold from the place in the reporting year and (2) under 10 acres if as much as $250 worth of…

Teaching Diversified Organic Crop Production Using the Community Supported Agriculture Farming System Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falk, Constance L.; Pao, Pauline; Cramer, Christopher S.

2005-01-01

An organic garden operated as a community supported agriculture (CSA) venture on the New Mexico State University (NMSU) main campus was begun in January 2002. Students enroll in an organic vegetable production class during spring and fall semesters to help manage and work on the project. The CSA model of farming involves the sale of shares to…

Missouri Small Farm Family Program. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enlow, George; And Others

Records maintained by rural extension designees on the Missouri Small Farm Family Program, (initiated in 1972 by the cooperative extension service to help low income farm families learn to use available resources to improve their quality of life) provided data re: family characteristics, farm improvement progress, and improvement in the quality of…

38 CFR 21.126 - Farm cooperative course.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... rehabilitation services. The areas in which proficiency is to be established include: (1) Planning; (2) Producing; (3) Marketing; (4) Maintaining farm equipment; (5) Conserving farm resources; (6) Financing the farm...

Projecting trends in agronomic, economic, and environmental performance of Canadian dairy farms under future climate conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Climate change is expected to increase agricultural productivity in Canada as in many northern areas in the world. This will likely come along with changes in the environmental and economic performance of dairy farms, one of the most important agricultural sectors in Canada. The objective of this s...

Suicide and accidental death in Australia's rural farming communities: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Kennedy, Alison J; Maple, Myfanwy J; McKay, Kathy; Brumby, Susan A

2014-01-01

Australia's farmers constitute a heterogeneous group within the rural population. This literature review incorporates four broad areas: an understanding of farming communities, families and individuals and the contexts in which they live and work; an exploration of the challenges to morbidity and mortality that these communities face; a description of the patterns of suicide and accidental death in farming communities; and an outline of what is missing from the current body of research. Recommendations will be made on how these gaps may be addressed. In developing this comprehensive literature review, a snowballing and saturation approach was adopted. Initial search terms included suicid*, farm*, accident*, fatal*, death, sudden death, rural OR remote, Australia and NOT Australia. Databases searched included SCOPUS, PubMed, Proquest and SafetyLit; research from 1995 onwards was examined for relevance. Earlier seminal texts were also included. Reference lists of retrieved articles were searched and citations explored for further relevant research material. The primary focus was on Australian peer-reviewed research with supplementary grey literature. International material was used as examples. The literature variously describes farmers as members of both rural farming communities and farming families, and as individuals within an occupational classification. Within each of these classifications, there is evidence of the cumulative impact of a multiplicity of social, geographical and psychological factors relating to work, living and social arrangements that impact the health and wellbeing of Australia's farmers and their families, particularly accidental death and suicide. Research consistently demonstrates traumatic death to be at a greater rate than in the general Australian population, with reductions found more recently in some modes of farming-related accidental death. Patterns of accidental death and suicide are commonly linked to the changing shape of

Advances in greenhouse automation and controlled environment agriculture: A transition to plant factories and urban farming

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Greenhouse cultivation has evolved from simple covered rows of open-fields crops to highly sophisticated controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facilities that projected the image of plant factories for urban farming. The advances and improvements in CEA have promoted the scientific solutions for ...

Household and farm transitions in environmental context

PubMed Central

Deane, Glenn D.; Gutmann, Myron P.

2010-01-01

Recent debate in the literature on population, environment, and land use questions the applicability of theory that patterns of farm extensification and intensification correspond to the life course of farmers and to the life cycle of farm families. This paper extends the debate to the agricultural development of the United States Great Plains region, using unique data from 1875 to 1930 that link families to farms over time in 25 environmentally diverse Kansas townships. Results of multilevel statistical modeling indicate that farmer’s age, household size, and household structure are simultaneously related to both the extent of farm operations and the intensity of land use, taking into account local environmental conditions and time trends as Kansas was settled and developed. These findings validate farm- and life cycle theories and offer support for intergenerational motivations for farm development that include both daughters and sons. Environmental variation in aridity was a key driver of farm structure. PMID:21643468

Occupations and the Farm.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewert-Krocker, Laurie

2001-01-01

Describes "occupation" as a Montessori term, which the Hershey Montessori Farm School, in Huntsburg, Ohio, has adopted for any task arising from the needs of the farm that then generates a scientific or historic study. Includes lists of occupations pursued during 2000-2001 and samples of record forms students used to manage their work.…

Projections of on-farm salinity in coastal Bangladesh.

PubMed

Clarke, D; Williams, S; Jahiruddin, M; Parks, K; Salehin, M

2015-06-01

This paper quantifies the expected impacts of climate change, climate variability and salinity accumulation on food production in coastal Bangladesh during the dry season. This forms part of a concerted series of actions on agriculture and salinity in Bangladesh under the UK funded Ecosystems for Poverty Alleviation programme and the British Council INSPIRE scheme. The work was undertaken by developing simulation models for soil water balances, dry season irrigation requirements and the effectiveness of the monsoon season rainfall at leaching accumulated salts. Simulations were run from 1981 to 2098 using historical climate data and a daily climate data set based on the Met Office Hadley Centre HadRM3P regional climate model. Results show that inter-seasonal and inter-annual variability are key factors that affect the viability of dry season vegetable crop growing. By the end of the 21(st) century the dry season is expected to be 2-3 weeks longer than now (2014). Monsoon rainfall amounts will remain the same or possibly slightly increase but it will occur over a slightly shorter wet season. Expectations of sea level rise and additional saline intrusion into groundwater aquifers mean that dry season irrigation water is likely to become more saline by the end of the 21(st) century. A study carried out at Barisal indicates that irrigating with water at up to 4 ppt can be sustainable. Once the dry season irrigation water quality goes above 5 ppt, the monsoon rainfall is no longer able to leach the dry season salt deposits so salt accumulation becomes significant and farm productivity will reduce by as a much as 50%, threatening the livelihoods of farmers in this region.

Urban Farm Business Plan Handbook

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Urban Farm Business Plan Handbook (this document) provides guidance for developing a business plan for the startup and operation of an urban farm. It focuses on food and non-food related cultivated agriculture.

A Project Approach to Teaching Aquaculture and Entrepreneurial Skills in the Cage Culture of Salmonids Program at the Marine Institute.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Churchill, Edgar; Smith, Boyd

Between September and December 1986, the Marine Institute in Newfoundland, Canada, used a "projects approach" to train aquaculture workers for 10 new salmon farms to be opened in spring 1987 by a producers' cooperative. The projects approach combined instruction in the aquaculture skills needed to operate a salmon farm and the entrepreneurial…

Comparison of heavy metal levels of farmed and escaped farmed rainbow trout and health risk assessment associated with their consumption.

PubMed

Varol, Memet; Sünbül, Muhammet Raşit

2017-10-01

In this study, levels of ten metals (arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, and zinc) in muscles of farmed and escaped farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Keban Dam Reservoir (Turkey) were determined. Also, human health risks associated with their consumption were assessed. Of ten metals, only Co and Fe levels in escaped rainbow trout were significantly higher than those in farmed rainbow trout. The metal levels in farmed and escaped rainbow trout were below the maximum permissible limits. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of each metal in both farmed and escaped farmed rainbow trout was much lower than the respective tolerable daily intake (TDI). The target hazard quotient (THQ) values for individual metal and the total THQ values for combined metals were lower than 1 in both farmed and escaped rainbow trout, indicating no health risk for humans. The cancer risk (CR) values estimated for inorganic As in both farmed and escaped rainbow trout indicated low carcinogenic risk to the consumers. According to the maximum allowable monthly consumption limits (CR mm) , adults may safely consume 24 meals of farmed rainbow trout per month or 39 meals of escaped rainbow trout per month, with minimal adverse carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health effects. This study revealed that the risk from consuming farmed and escaped farmed rainbow trout in the Keban Dam Reservoir due to these trace elements is minimal.

Growing Vegetables. People on the Farm.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. Office of Governmental and Public Affairs.

This booklet, one in a series about life on modern farms, describes farm operations and some activities in the lives of six vegetable farmers throughout the United States. The booklet visits the tomato growing of Carl Schneider and his partners and the lettuce growing farm of Norman Martella, both in California. It then includes brief accounts of…

Leininger's model for discoveries at The Farm and midwifery services to the Amish.

PubMed

Finn, J

1995-01-01

This paper is a descriptive report and analysis of a transcultural nurse's experiences immersed in a hippie subculture at The Farm near Summertown, Tennessee. This subcultural group initially was established over 20 years ago as a community with a unique worldview which included pacifistic, vegetarian, and collective values and beliefs. This community prefers health care provided by their own community members who serve as generic care providers and also as folk midwives for home births. Leininger's (1991) Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality and her Sunrise Model provided the framework for discovering and understanding this unique subcultural group. The major components of Leininger's Sunrise Model including worldview, cultural values, and lifeways were used in the analysis. The important social structure factors discovered included environmental context, technological factors, religious and philosophical factors, political and legal factors, economic factors, and educational factors. The Farm community's culture care expressions, patterns and practices for health and well being were discovered including generic and folk systems of care. The farm midwives provide primary care and home birthing care to a nearby Old Order Amish community. The Amish culture and health care seeking patterns are discussed including their selective use of generic, folk, and professional care systems. The discoveries that resulted from the application of Leininger's Sunrise Model are presented including implications for transcultural nurse caregiving.

Prevalence of Salmonella in diverse environmental farm samples.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Andres; Pangloli, Philipus; Richards, Harold A; Mount, John R; Draughon, F Ann

2006-11-01

The development of suitable intervention strategies to control Salmonella populations at the farm level requires reliable data on the occurrence and prevalence of the pathogen. Previous studies on Salmonella prevalence have focused on acquiring data from specific farm types and/or selected regions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution of this pathogen across a variety of farm types and regions in order to generate comparative data from a diverse group of environmental samples. Farm samples (n = 2,496) were collected quarterly from 18 different farms across five states (Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, California, and Washington) over a 24-month period. The participating farms included beef and dairy cattle operations, swine production and farrowing facilities, and poultry farms (both broiler chicken and turkey). The samples were analyzed for the presence of Salmonella by means of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual methods optimized for farm samples. Salmonella isolates were characterized by automated riboprinting. Salmonella serovars were recovered from 4.7% of all samples. The majority of positive findings were isolated from swine farms (57.3%). The occurrence of Salmonella was lower on dairy farms (17.9%), poultry farms (16.2%), and beef cattle farms (8.5%). The most commonly isolated serovar was Salmonella Anatum (48.4%), which was isolated notably more frequently than the next most common Salmonella serovars, Arizonae (12.1%) and Javiana (8.8%). The results of this study suggest that significant reservoirs of Salmonella populations still exist on swine production facilities and to a lesser extent in other animal production facilities. Data showed that the surrounding farm environment could be an important source of contamination.

Determinants Affecting on Smallholder Madura Cattle Farming at Pamekasan Regency, East Java, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami, H. D.; Yakin, A.; Seruni, A. P.

2018-02-01

Study was case study at Pamekasan Regency of Madura Island, East Java, Indonesia. The research aimed to examine income of smallholder beef cattle farming and its influencing factors. The research used 30 members of the Pancong Jaya group farmer that obtained by purposive sampling method. Research regarded descriptive analysis using economic formulation and multiple regression technique. Results found that R2 Adjusted obtained 73.70% and F-calculation (12.625) indicated significant (P< 0.000). Partial analysis confirmed that five out of nine variables have effected on the beef cattle farming income. Farmer’s experience in raising cattle and their education revealed a positive and high significant (P< 0.000 and P<0.005, respectively), associated with the farm earning. Farmer’s age, the number of household members, and purchasing breeding stock appeared a negative and significant (P <0.05) and (P<0.1, accordingly) influence on farmer’s income. This study concluded that producing per AU cattle required capital approximately IDR 16,861,718 (structured by 59.99% of fixed and 40.01 % of working capital) and IDR 6,745,512 of production costs (composed by 57.47% of feeder cattle procurement, 17.78% of feed concentrate and 14.48 % of forage expenses) to obtain IDR 8,834 of revenue and IDR 2,089,512 of income. The efficient beef cattle farming also existed in corresponding with 1.31 of R/C Ratio. Farmers’ education and experience in handling cattle strongly influenced on increasing income. However, the contrast view come from farmers’ age, the number of family members, and purchasing feeder cattle in which these seemed to reduce farmers’ income.

Corporate Reporting on Farm Animal Welfare: An Evaluation of Global Food Companies’ Discourse and Disclosures on Farm Animal Welfare

PubMed Central

Sullivan, Rory; Amos, Nicky; van de Weerd, Heleen A.

2017-01-01

Simple Summary Companies that produce or sell food products from farm animals can have a major influence on the lives and welfare of these animals. The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) conducts an annual evaluation of the farm animal welfare-related disclosures of some of the world’s largest food companies. The programme looks at companies’ published policies and commitments and examines whether these might lead to actions that can improve animal welfare on farms. It also assesses whether companies show leadership in this field. The BBFAW found that, in 2012 and 2013, around 70% of companies acknowledged animal welfare as a business issue, and that, between 2012 and 2013, there was clear evidence of an increased level of disclosure on farm animal welfare awareness in the companies that were assessed. However, only 34% (2012) and 44% (2013) of companies had published comprehensive farm animal welfare policies, suggesting that many companies have yet to report on farm animal welfare as a business issue or disclose their approach to farm animal welfare to stakeholders and society. Abstract The views that food companies hold about their responsibilities for animal welfare can strongly influence the lives and welfare of farm animals. If a company’s commitment is translated into action, it can be a major driver of animal welfare. The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) is an annual evaluation of farm animal welfare-related practices, reporting and performance of food companies. The framework evaluates how close, based on their disclosures, companies are to best practice in three areas: Management Commitment, Governance & Performance and Leadership & Innovation. The BBFAW analysed information published by 68 (2012) and 70 (2013) of the world’s largest food companies. Around 70% of companies acknowledged animal welfare as a business issue. Between 2012 and 2013, the mean BBFAW score increased significantly by 5% (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon

Armed to farm: Soldiering the success of military veterans in new poultry, livestock and agroforestry enterprises

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Farming offers a viable avenue for returning veterans to transition into society and capitalizes on skills that made them successful in the military. The goal of this project is to develop and expand on a personalized comprehensive/integrated educational program that provides military veterans begin...

Farm-level risk factors for fluoroquinolone resistance in E. coli and thermophilic Campylobacter spp. on finisher pig farms.

PubMed

Taylor, N M; Clifton-Hadley, F A; Wales, A D; Ridley, A; Davies, R H

2009-08-01

Logistic regression, supported by other statistical analyses was used to explore the possible association of risk factors with the fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistance status of 108 pig finisher farms in Great Britain. The farms were classified as 'affected' or 'not affected' by FQ-resistant E. coli or Campylobacter spp. on the basis of isolation of organisms from faecal samples on media containing 1 mg/l FQ. The use of FQ was the most important factor associated with finding resistant E. coli and/or Campylobacter, which were found on 79% (FQ-resistant E. coli) and 86% (FQ-resistant Campylobacter) of farms with a history of FQ use. However, resistant bacteria were also found on 19% (FQ-resistant E. coli) and 54% (FQ-resistant Campylobacter) of farms with no history of FQ use. For FQ-resistant E. coli, biosecurity measures may be protective and there was strong seasonal variation, with more farms found affected when sampled in the summer. For FQ-resistant Campylobacter, the buying-in of grower stock may increase risk and good on-farm hygiene may be protective. The findings suggest that resistant organisms, particularly Campylobacter, may spread between pig farms.

Stereo Orthogonal Axonometric Perspective for the Teaching of Descriptive Geometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Méxas, José Geraldo Franco; Bastos Guedes, Karla; da Silva Tavares, Ronaldo

2014-01-01

The representation of figures in mongean projection (double system planned orthographic projection used in the studies of Descriptive Geometry), specially when placed in a particular situation in relation to the projection plans, possesses the quality that, through them, the actual dimensions of represented spatial objects can be found directly…

Harvard Project Physics Newsletter 10. The Project Physics Course, Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Harvard Project Physics.

A short description of the availability of Harvard Project Physics course components is given as is a discussion of the growth of the use of Project Physics in schools, including some enrollment data and survey results. Locations of the 1970 and 1971 Summer Institutes are listed. Adaptations of Project Physics course outside the United States are…

Handing down the Farm? The Increasing Uncertainty of Irrigated Farm Succession in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, S.; Bjornlund, H.; Zuo, A.; Edwards, J.

2012-01-01

Farming is still primarily a family concern in Australia. Having a farm successor in place is important as it is associated with the likelihood of the current farmer adapting to external conditions and hence may have long-term implications for the structure and profitability of agriculture. We used current and historical surveys across a number of…

Analysing wind farm efficiency on complex terrains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castellani, Francesco; Astolfi, Davide; Terzi, Ludovico; Schaldemose Hansen, Kurt; Sanz Rodrigo, Javier

2014-06-01

Actual performances of onshore wind farms are deeply affected both by wake interactions and terrain complexity: therefore monitoring how the efficiency varies with the wind direction is a crucial task. Polar efficiency plot is therefore a useful tool for monitoring wind farm performances. The approach deserves careful discussion for onshore wind farms, where orography and layout commonly affect performance assessment. The present work deals with three modern wind farms, owned by Sorgenia Green, located on hilly terrains with slopes from gentle to rough. Further, onshore wind farm of Nprrekffir Enge has been analysed as a reference case: its layout is similar to offshore wind farms and the efficiency is mainly driven by wakes. It is shown and justified that terrain complexity imposes a novel and more consistent way for defining polar efficiency. Dependency of efficiency on wind direction, farm layout and orography is analysed and discussed. Effects of atmospheric stability have been also investigated through MERRA reanalysis data from NASA satellites. Monin-Obukhov Length has been used to discriminate climate regimes.

Fish farming as an innovative strategy for promoting food security in drought risk regions of Zimbabwe

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This article examines the implementation of fish farming as an innovative and economic strategy for promoting food security and dietary diversities among vulnerable households in drought risk areas of Zimbabwe. The declining climatic conditions and lack of economic opportunities in Mwenezi district of Zimbabwe attracted the attention of three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to implement fish farming as an innovative mechanism to stimulate food security and generate employment in the district. The article used a qualitative research approach that includes semi-structured interviews and secondary data. The purposive sampling technique was adopted to interview participants in Mwenezi district who were involved in fish farming to assess and explore the experiences and benefits they derive from such development projects. Results for the article revealed that fish farming was well embraced by local communities as it led to improvements in food security, household income and employment regeneration. The local government including traditional leadership (Chiefs and Headmen’s) supported the NGO activities as they benefited local communities. The article concludes that although fish farming was instrumental in regenerating employment, some participants still fail to participate because of laziness and desire to maintain dependency syndrome. The article recommends the NGOs to launch awareness campaigns in rural communities and increase networking with the donor community which is fundamental in attracting sustainable funding. The government can also promote fish farming in vulnerable rural communities by providing funding and capacity building programmes. PMID:29955350

Project Lodestar Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Peggy, Ed.

1981-01-01

The Association of American Colleges' (AAC) Project Lodestar is addressed in an article and descriptions of the pilot phase of the project at 13 institutions. In "Project Lodestar: Realistically Assessing the Future," Peggy Brown provides an overview of the project, which is designed to help colleges and universities in assessment of…

Studying the Strawberry Farm: Investigation and Representation in a Standards-Based Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Charlene; Blank, Jolyn

2011-01-01

This article documents a first project undertaken by kindergarten children and their teacher in a public school in the southeastern United States. Images, work samples, records of children's comments, and the teacher's description tell the story of the project as it unfolds. The authors provide interpretation of the project events documented in…

Simulations of an Offshore Wind Farm Using Large-Eddy Simulation and a Torque-Controlled Actuator Disc Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creech, Angus; Früh, Wolf-Gerrit; Maguire, A. Eoghan

2015-05-01

We present here a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of Lillgrund offshore wind farm, which is located in the Øresund Strait between Sweden and Denmark. The simulation combines a dynamic representation of wind turbines embedded within a large-eddy simulation CFD solver and uses hr-adaptive meshing to increase or decrease mesh resolution where required. This allows the resolution of both large-scale flow structures around the wind farm, and the local flow conditions at individual turbines; consequently, the response of each turbine to local conditions can be modelled, as well as the resulting evolution of the turbine wakes. This paper provides a detailed description of the turbine model which simulates the interaction between the wind, the turbine rotors, and the turbine generators by calculating the forces on the rotor, the body forces on the air, and instantaneous power output. This model was used to investigate a selection of key wind speeds and directions, investigating cases where a row of turbines would be fully aligned with the wind or at specific angles to the wind. Results shown here include presentations of the spin-up of turbines, the observation of eddies moving through the turbine array, meandering turbine wakes, and an extensive wind farm wake several kilometres in length. The key measurement available for cross-validation with operational wind farm data is the power output from the individual turbines, where the effect of unsteady turbine wakes on the performance of downstream turbines was a main point of interest. The results from the simulations were compared to the performance measurements from the real wind farm to provide a firm quantitative validation of this methodology. Having achieved good agreement between the model results and actual wind farm measurements, the potential of the methodology to provide a tool for further investigations of engineering and atmospheric science problems is outlined.

A systems approach to assess farm-scale nutrient and trace element dynamics: a case study at the Ojebyn dairy farm.

PubMed

Oborn, Ingrid; Modin-Edman, Anna-Karin; Bengtsson, Helena; Gustafson, Gunnela M; Salomon, Eva; Nilsson, S Ingvar; Holmqvist, Johan; Jonsson, Simon; Sverdrup, Harald

2005-06-01

A systems analysis approach was used to assess farmscale nutrient and trace element sustainability by combining full-scale field experiments with specific studies of nutrient release from mineral weathering and trace-element cycling. At the Ojebyn dairy farm in northern Sweden, a farm-scale case study including phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and zinc (Zn) was run to compare organic and conventional agricultural management practices. By combining different element-balance approaches (at farmgate, barn, and field scales) and further adapting these to the FARMFLOW model, we were able to combine mass flows and pools within the subsystems and establish links between subsystems in order to make farm-scale predictions. It was found that internal element flows on the farm are large and that there are farm internal sources (Zn) and loss terms (K). The approaches developed and tested at the Ojebyn farm are promising and considered generally adaptable to any farm.

Farm Business Management Analysis: Analyzing the Farm Business. Unit II. Volume 13, Number 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denker, Robert; And Others

Intended for use by Missouri vocational agricultural instructors in Farm Business Management Analysis programs for young and adult farmers, this curriculum guide contains 10 lessons in analyzing records. Each lesson is a self-contained instructional package and includes materials for monthly classroom sessions and monthly on-the-farm instructional…

Data Farming in Support of NATO

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

What are your national/international experiences on data farming ? • Finland : Technology forecasting, indirect fire studies (19,000 different...from the military bringing their questions to the data farming community. • Which simulation systems have been used in the past? • Finland : SANDIS...sponsors. • Do you have standardized procedures to conduct a data farming experiment? • Finland : No standard procedure (ad hoc at the moment, still

Is agritourism eco-friendly? A comparison between agritourisms and other farms in Italy using farm accountancy data network dataset.

PubMed

Mastronardi, Luigi; Giaccio, Vincenzo; Giannelli, Agostino; Scardera, Alfonso

2015-01-01

This paper presents the results of research regarding the environmental performances of Italian farms with agritourism compared with farms without agritourism. In Italy, agritourism is considered an agricultural activity and can only be performed by a farmer. Moreover, Italian national legislation forces the farmer to dedicate himself mainly to traditional farming, rather than to tourism activities. For this reason, environmental performances have been highlighted by analyzing only features and production systems of the farms. By utilizing the most frequent indicators used in studies regarding sustainability, the authors show how Italian agritourisms tend to develop more environmentally friendly agricultural methods, which have a positive impact on biodiversity, landscape and natural resources. The empirical analysis is based on the Italian FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) dataset. The European FADN was created to represent farms' technical and economic operation in the European Union and on which it drafts the agricultural and rural policies. The dichotomous structure of the dependent variable (presence or absence of agritourism at the farm) has a propensity for an assessment method based on Binary Response Model Regression.

Project W-320, tank 241-C-106 sluicing acceptance for beneficial use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

BAILEY, J.W.

The purpose of this document is to identify the Project W-320 Chiller Documentation required to be turned over from the Projects Organization to Tank Farm Operations as part of the acceptance of the new equipment for beneficial use.

Farm Operating and Financial Characteristics, 1985. Statistical Bulletin Number 762.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morehart, Mitchell J.

This report contains 56 tables that provide an overview of the operating and financial characteristics of farms in the United States in 1985. The report provides information on farms and land in farms; farm acreage purchased, sold, and rented; farm labor and wages; capital investments and improvement; farm production expenses; farm and nonfarm…

Armed to farm: Soldiering the success of military veterans in new poultry, livestock and agroforestry enterprises

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Farming offers a viable avenue for returning veterans to transition into society and capitalizes on skills that made them successful in the military. The goal of this project is to develop and expand on a personalized comprehensive/integrated educational program that provides military veterans and b...

Conducting On-Farm Animal Research: Procedures & Economic Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amir, Pervaiz; Knipscheer, Hendrik C.

This book is intended to give animal scientists elementary tools to perform on-farm livestock analysis and to provide crop-oriented farming systems researchers with methods for conducting animal research. Chapter 1 describes farming systems research as a systems approach to on-farm animal research. Chapter 2 outlines some important…

Agricultural Adjustment and the Diversification of Farm Households and Corporate Farms in Central Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaplin, Hannah; Davidova, Sophia; Gorton, Matthew

2004-01-01

Survey evidence from three Central European Countries (Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland) is analysed to identify the degree of non-agricultural farm diversification and the factors facilitating or impeding it in individual and corporate farms. The effect of diversification on rural job creation and household incomes is investigated. The results…

The Establishment of the Colombian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (COIPARS): A Pilot Project on Poultry Farms, Slaughterhouses and Retail Market.

PubMed

Donado-Godoy, P; Castellanos, R; León, M; Arevalo, A; Clavijo, V; Bernal, J; León, D; Tafur, M A; Byrne, B A; Smith, W A; Perez-Gutierrez, E

2015-04-01

The development of antimicrobial resistance among bacteria (AMR) is currently one of the world's most pressing public health problems. The use of antimicrobial agents in humans and animals has resulted in AMR which has narrowed the potential use of antibiotics for the treatment of infections in humans. To monitor AMR and to develop control measures, some countries, such as the USA, Canada and Denmark, have established national integrated surveillance systems (FDA, , CIPARS, 2007, DANMAP,2002). The components of these programs monitor changes in susceptibility/resistance to antimicrobial agents of selected zoonotic pathogens and commensal organisms recovered from animals, retail meats and humans. The rapid development of Colombia's animal production industry has raised food safety issues including the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The Colombian Integrated Surveillance Program for Antimicrobial Resistance (COIPARS) was established as a pilot project to monitor AMR on poultry farms, slaughter houses and retail markets. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Library Digitisation Project Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middleton, Michael

Supervision of library digitization is the focus of this paper. First outlined are the definition, formalization, implementation, and completion phases of project management. Descriptions of management decisions involved in digitization projects follow on matters such as: collection analysis, resourcing, project personnel, production, access and…

Farm Animal Welfare and Human Health.

PubMed

Goldberg, Alan M

2016-09-01

The paper examines the relationship between farm animal welfare, industrial farm animal production, and human health consequences. The data suggest that when the animal welfare of land-based farm animals is compromised, there are resulting significant negative human health consequences due to environmental degradation, the use of non-therapeutic levels of antibiotics for growth promotion, and the consequences of intensification. This paper accepts that even if meat and fish consumption is reduced, meat and fish will be part of the diet of the future. Industrial production modified from the current intensified systems will still be required to feed the world in 2050 and beyond. This paper identifies the concept of sustainable intensification and suggests that if farm animal welfare is improved, many of the human health consequences of intensified industrial production can be eliminated or reduced. In water-based farm animal production, many new systems are resulting in a product that actually protects the environment and can be done at industrial levels without the use of antibiotics.

How to measure the agroecological performance of farming in order to assist with the transition process.

PubMed

Trabelsi, Meriam; Mandart, Elisabeth; Le Grusse, Philippe; Bord, Jean-Paul

2016-01-01

The use of plant protection products enables farmers to maximize economic performance and yields, but in return, the environment and human health can be greatly affected because of their toxicity. There are currently strong calls for farmers to reduce the use of these toxic products for the preservation of the environment and the human health, and it has become urgent to invest in more sustainable models that help reduce these risks. One possible solution is the transition toward agroecological production systems. These new systems must be beneficial economically, socially, and environmentally in terms of human health. There are many tools available, based on a range of indicators, for assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems on conventional farm holdings. These methods are little suitable to agroecological farms and do not measure the performance of agroecological transition farms. In this article, we therefore develop a model for the strategic definition, guidance, and assistance for a transition to agroecological practices, capable of assessing performance of this transition and simulating the consequences of possible changes. This model was built by coupling (i) a decision-support tool and a technico-economic simulator with (ii) a conceptual model built from the dynamics of agroecological practices. This tool is currently being tested in the framework of a Compte d'Affectation Spéciale pour le Développement Agricole et Rural (CASDAR) project (CASDAR: project launched in 2013 by the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, on the theme "collective mobilisation for agroecology," http://agriculture.gouv.fr/Appel-a-projets-CASDAR ) using data from farms, most of which are engaged in agroenvironmental process and reducing plant protection treatments since 2008.

Crop Farm Employee. Agricultural Cooperative Training. Vocational Agriculture. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Chester; And Others

Designed for students enrolled in the Vocational Agricultural Cooperative Part-Time Training Program, this course of study contains 13 units for crop farm employees. Units include (examples of unit topics in parentheses): introduction (opportunities in farming, farming as a science, and farming in the United States), farm records (keeping farm…

Research on large-scale wind farm modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Longfei; Zhang, Baoqun; Gong, Cheng; Jiao, Ran; Shi, Rui; Chi, Zhongjun; Ding, Yifeng

2017-01-01

Due to intermittent and adulatory properties of wind energy, when large-scale wind farm connected to the grid, it will have much impact on the power system, which is different from traditional power plants. Therefore it is necessary to establish an effective wind farm model to simulate and analyze the influence wind farms have on the grid as well as the transient characteristics of the wind turbines when the grid is at fault. However we must first establish an effective WTGs model. As the doubly-fed VSCF wind turbine has become the mainstream wind turbine model currently, this article first investigates the research progress of doubly-fed VSCF wind turbine, and then describes the detailed building process of the model. After that investigating the common wind farm modeling methods and pointing out the problems encountered. As WAMS is widely used in the power system, which makes online parameter identification of the wind farm model based on off-output characteristics of wind farm be possible, with a focus on interpretation of the new idea of identification-based modeling of large wind farms, which can be realized by two concrete methods.

38 CFR 21.126 - Farm cooperative course.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Farm cooperative course.... Chapter 31 Educational and Vocational Training Services § 21.126 Farm cooperative course. (a) Definition. An approvable farm cooperative course is a full-time course designated to restore employability by...

38 CFR 21.126 - Farm cooperative course.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Farm cooperative course.... Chapter 31 Educational and Vocational Training Services § 21.126 Farm cooperative course. (a) Definition. An approvable farm cooperative course is a full-time course designated to restore employability by...

38 CFR 21.126 - Farm cooperative course.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Farm cooperative course.... Chapter 31 Educational and Vocational Training Services § 21.126 Farm cooperative course. (a) Definition. An approvable farm cooperative course is a full-time course designated to restore employability by...

38 CFR 21.126 - Farm cooperative course.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Farm cooperative course.... Chapter 31 Educational and Vocational Training Services § 21.126 Farm cooperative course. (a) Definition. An approvable farm cooperative course is a full-time course designated to restore employability by...

Training and the Development of Curriculum Standards in On Farm Water Management: Pakistan, 1984-1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergsma, Harold M.

The document describes the 18-month Phase I of the On Farm Management Project--supported by the World Bank and operated by Colorado State University and the Consortium for International Development--to design more systematic approaches to train people who will work in technical settings related to water management and irrigation channel…

Capturing farm diversity with hypothesis-based typologies: An innovative methodological framework for farming system typology development

PubMed Central

Alvarez, Stéphanie; Timler, Carl J.; Michalscheck, Mirja; Paas, Wim; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Tittonell, Pablo; Andersson, Jens A.; Groot, Jeroen C. J.

2018-01-01

Creating typologies is a way to summarize the large heterogeneity of smallholder farming systems into a few farm types. Various methods exist, commonly using statistical analysis, to create these typologies. We demonstrate that the methodological decisions on data collection, variable selection, data-reduction and clustering techniques can bear a large impact on the typology results. We illustrate the effects of analysing the diversity from different angles, using different typology objectives and different hypotheses, on typology creation by using an example from Zambia’s Eastern Province. Five separate typologies were created with principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), based on three different expert-informed hypotheses. The greatest overlap between typologies was observed for the larger, wealthier farm types but for the remainder of the farms there were no clear overlaps between typologies. Based on these results, we argue that the typology development should be guided by a hypothesis on the local agriculture features and the drivers and mechanisms of differentiation among farming systems, such as biophysical and socio-economic conditions. That hypothesis is based both on the typology objective and on prior expert knowledge and theories of the farm diversity in the study area. We present a methodological framework that aims to integrate participatory and statistical methods for hypothesis-based typology construction. This is an iterative process whereby the results of the statistical analysis are compared with the reality of the target population as hypothesized by the local experts. Using a well-defined hypothesis and the presented methodological framework, which consolidates the hypothesis through local expert knowledge for the creation of typologies, warrants development of less subjective and more contextualized quantitative farm typologies. PMID:29763422

Capturing farm diversity with hypothesis-based typologies: An innovative methodological framework for farming system typology development.

PubMed

Alvarez, Stéphanie; Timler, Carl J; Michalscheck, Mirja; Paas, Wim; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Tittonell, Pablo; Andersson, Jens A; Groot, Jeroen C J

2018-01-01

Creating typologies is a way to summarize the large heterogeneity of smallholder farming systems into a few farm types. Various methods exist, commonly using statistical analysis, to create these typologies. We demonstrate that the methodological decisions on data collection, variable selection, data-reduction and clustering techniques can bear a large impact on the typology results. We illustrate the effects of analysing the diversity from different angles, using different typology objectives and different hypotheses, on typology creation by using an example from Zambia's Eastern Province. Five separate typologies were created with principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), based on three different expert-informed hypotheses. The greatest overlap between typologies was observed for the larger, wealthier farm types but for the remainder of the farms there were no clear overlaps between typologies. Based on these results, we argue that the typology development should be guided by a hypothesis on the local agriculture features and the drivers and mechanisms of differentiation among farming systems, such as biophysical and socio-economic conditions. That hypothesis is based both on the typology objective and on prior expert knowledge and theories of the farm diversity in the study area. We present a methodological framework that aims to integrate participatory and statistical methods for hypothesis-based typology construction. This is an iterative process whereby the results of the statistical analysis are compared with the reality of the target population as hypothesized by the local experts. Using a well-defined hypothesis and the presented methodological framework, which consolidates the hypothesis through local expert knowledge for the creation of typologies, warrants development of less subjective and more contextualized quantitative farm typologies.

The profitability of automatic milking on Dutch dairy farms.

PubMed

Bijl, R; Kooistra, S R; Hogeveen, H

2007-01-01

Several studies have reported on the profitability of automatic milking based on different simulation models, but a data-based study using actual farm data has been lacking. The objective of this study was to analyze the profitability of dairy farms having an automatic milking system (AMS) compared with farms using a conventional milking system (CMS) based on real accounting data. In total, 62 farms (31 using an AMS and 31 using a CMS) were analyzed for the year 2003 in a case control study. Differences between the years 2002 and 2003 also were analyzed by comparing a subgroup of 16 farms with an AMS and 16 farms with a CMS. Matching was based on the time of investment in a milking system (same year), the total milk production per year, and intensity of land use (kg/ha). Results from 2003 showed that the farms with an AMS used, on average, 29% less labor than farms with a CMS. In contrast, farms using a CMS grew faster (37,132 kg of milk quota and 5 dairy cows) than farms with an AMS (-3,756 kg milk quota and 0.5 dairy cows) between 2002 and 2003. Dairy farmers with a CMS had larger (euro7,899) revenues than those with an AMS. However, no difference in the margin on dairy production was detected, partly because of numerically greater (euro6,822) variable costs on CMS farms. Dairy farms were compared financially based on the amount of money that was available for rent, depreciation, interest, labor, and profit (RDILP). The CMS farms had more money (euro15,566) available for RDILP than the AMS farms. This difference was caused by larger fixed costs (excluding labor) for the AMS farms, larger contractor costs (euro6,422), and larger costs for gas, water, and electricity (euro1,549). Differences in costs for contractors and for gas, water, and electricity were statistically significant. When expressed per full-time employee, AMS farms had greater revenues, margins, and gross margins per full-time employee than did CMS farms. This resulted in a substantially greater

Integrated watershed- and farm-scale modeling framework for targeting critical source areas while maintaining farm economic viability.

PubMed

Ghebremichael, Lula T; Veith, Tamie L; Hamlett, James M

2013-01-15

Quantitative risk assessments of pollution and data related to the effectiveness of mitigating best management practices (BMPs) are important aspects of nonpoint source pollution control efforts, particularly those driven by specific water quality objectives and by measurable improvement goals, such as the total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements. Targeting critical source areas (CSAs) that generate disproportionately high pollutant loads within a watershed is a crucial step in successfully controlling nonpoint source pollution. The importance of watershed simulation models in assisting with the quantitative assessments of CSAs of pollution (relative to their magnitudes and extents) and of the effectiveness of associated BMPs has been well recognized. However, due to the distinct disconnect between the hydrological scale in which these models conduct their evaluation and the farm scale at which feasible BMPs are actually selected and implemented, and due to the difficulty and uncertainty involved in transferring watershed model data to farm fields, there are limited practical applications of these tools in the current nonpoint source pollution control efforts by conservation specialists for delineating CSAs and planning targeting measures. There are also limited approaches developed that can assess impacts of CSA-targeted BMPs on farm productivity and profitability together with the assessment of water quality improvements expected from applying these measures. This study developed a modeling framework that integrates farm economics and environmental aspects (such as identification and mitigation of CSAs) through joint use of watershed- and farm-scale models in a closed feedback loop. The integration of models in a closed feedback loop provides a way for environmental changes to be evaluated with regard to the impact on the practical aspects of farm management and economics, adjusted or reformulated as necessary, and revaluated with respect to effectiveness of

78 FR 58555 - Notice of Segregation of Public Lands for the Proposed Stateline Solar Farm, CA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-24

... Solar Energy right-of-way (ROW) application and provide for the orderly administration of public lands... solar energy project on a portion of its ROW-application area. The BLM is segregating the following...; CACA-048669] Notice of Segregation of Public Lands for the Proposed Stateline Solar Farm, CA AGENCY...

Farm Wives' Labor Force Participation and Earnings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godwin, Deborah D.; Marlowe, Julia

1990-01-01

Examines relationship between employment earnings and farm wives' decisions to work off-farm. Examines effects of wives' human capital, home factors, and labor market on work decisions and earnings. Education, experience, debt, and farm size were stronger influences on wives' decisions than on their earnings variations, once employed. (TES)

Compatibility of switchgrass as an energy crop in farming systems of the southeastern USA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bransby, D.I.; Rodriguez-Kabana, R.; Sladden, S.E.

1993-12-31

The objective of this paper is to examine the compatibility of switchgrass as an energy crop in farming systems in the southeastern USA, relative to other regions. In particular, the issues addressed are (1) competition between switchgrass as an energy crop and existing farm enterprises, based primarily on economic returns, (2) complementarity between switchgrass and existing farm enterprises, and (3) environmental benefits. Because projected economic returns for switchgrass as an energy crop are highest in the Southeast, and returns from forestry and beef pastures (the major existing enterprises) are low, there is a very strong economic incentive in this region.more » In contrast, based on current information, economic viability of switchgrass as an energy crop in other regions appears doubtful. In addition, switchgrass in the southeastern USA would complement forage-livestock production, row crop production and wildlife and would provide several additional environmental benefits. It is concluded that the southeastern USA offers the greatest opportunity for developing switchgrass as an economically viable energy crop.« less

Evaluating the impact of farm scale innovation at catchment scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Breda, Phelia; De Clercq, Willem; Vlok, Pieter; Querner, Erik

2014-05-01

-scale farms are well-aligned to the objectives of WAR, the CMS and ISRDS. The farms have a limited contribution to the ideals of the NDP and NFSD and results against the IDP, the SDF and the LED differ considerably for each farm. Furthermore, the results of the farms' alignment with regional objectives do not correspond to the hydrologically ideal locations. Therefore, the development of small-scale farming should take hydrological information into consideration. The Integrated Evaluation Model proves to be valuable, understandable and applicable to evaluate the alignment of small-scale farms to the visions of regulatory authorities. It is also foreseen that the Evaluation model be linked to the hydrological model. The work was also kindly supported and executed in the framework of the EU project EAU4Food.

Constraints for nutritional grouping in Wisconsin and Michigan dairy farms.

PubMed

Contreras-Govea, F E; Cabrera, V E; Armentano, L E; Shaver, R D; Crump, P M; Beede, D K; VandeHaar, M J

2015-02-01

A survey was conducted in Wisconsin (WI) and Michigan (MI) to quantify the proportion of farms that use a single diet for all lactating cows and to better understand the reasons for current grouping strategies and the limitations to grouping for better nutritional management. A questionnaire was mailed to all WI dairy farmers with ≥200 lactating cows (971 farms) and to a random sample of grade-A MI dairy farmers (800 farms) of varying herd sizes. The survey return rate was 20% in WI (196 farms) and 26% in MI (211 farms; 59 of them had ≥200 lactating cows). Feeding 2 or more different diets to lactating cows was predominant: 63% in WI (124 farms, all ≥200 lactating cows), 76% in MI farms with ≥200 lactating cows (45 farms), and 28% in MI farms with <200 lactating cows (43 farms). Farmers feeding more than 1 diet used 1 or more of the following criteria for grouping lactating cows: stage of lactation, milk production, or body condition score. Overall for both states, 52% of the farms (211 from 407 farms) feeding more than 1 diet grouped cows according to their nutritional needs. However, a notable population of farms fed the same diet to all lactating cows: 37% in WI (72 farms), 24% in MI (14 farms) for herds of ≥200 lactating cows, and 72% in MI for herds of <200 lactating cows (109 MI farms). "Desire to keep it simple" and "milk drops when cows are moved to a different group" were identified as main constraints to having more groups within a farm for nutritional purposes. Farm facilities and labor were also limiting factors to grouping in farms with herd sizes of <200 lactating cows. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reclamation and the Red Man: Relationships on the Truckee-Carson Project, Nevada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townley, John M.

1978-01-01

Four years after selection of the Western Nevada area for development as a federally-administered reclamation project, and but a single full season of farming, the Indian situation had assumed problem proportions to the Reclamation Service and the Truckee-Carson Project. (NQ)

Notes on Methods for Studying Farm Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colman, Gould P.

1981-01-01

Supports several of Frances Hill's positions on research about farm women (RC 504 387). States that regarding farm and family as separate dynamic systems whose integration varies in differing situations provides a context for evaluating impacts on farm and family. Available from: Rural Sociological Society, 325 Morgan Hall, University of…

American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture - Homepage

Science.gov Websites

Literacy? What We Do Resources Sustainable Agriculture Food and Farm Facts Free Resources & Lesson Agriculture Food and Farm Facts Free Resources & Lesson Plans Bringing Biotech to Life Learn About Beef Farm For Teachers Free Resources Outreach Team Grow your Ag Literacy Impact Career Spotlight

How do farm models compare when estimating greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cattle production?

PubMed

Hutchings, N J; Özkan Gülzari, Ş; de Haan, M; Sandars, D

2018-01-09

differences between models in the annual milk production per ha and the amounts of N fertiliser and concentrate feed imported. This was because the models differed in their description of biophysical responses and feedback mechanisms, and in the extent to which management functions were internalised. We conclude that comparing the results of different farm-scale models when applied to a range of scenarios would build confidence in their use in achieving ESR targets, justifying further investment in the development of a wider range of scenarios and software tools.

Incorporation and the Farm Family.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salamon, Sonya; Markan, Kathleen K.

1984-01-01

Studied Illinois farm households (N=13), some already incorporated from five to ten years, regarding ethnic values and intergenerational land transfers. Concluded that farm families need to question whether the tax savings involved with incorporation are worth the potential complications such as estate settlement, marital satisfaction, migration,…

Farm Business Management Analysis: Adjusting the Farm Business to Increase Profit. Unit III. Volume 15, Number 3. Instructor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denker, Robert; And Others

Designed primarily for Missouri vocational agricultural instructors participating in the Farm Business Management Analysis Program, this instructor's guide, consisting of 10 lessons, deals with adjusting a farm business to increase profits. The following topics are covered in the individual lessons: law and the farm family, planning income tax…

Effects of stored feed cropping systems and farm size on the profitability of Maine organic dairy farm simulations.

PubMed

Hoshide, A K; Halloran, J M; Kersbergen, R J; Griffin, T S; DeFauw, S L; LaGasse, B J; Jain, S

2011-11-01

United States organic dairy production has increased to meet the growing demand for organic milk. Despite higher prices received for milk, organic dairy farmers have come under increasing financial stress due to increases in concentrated feed prices over the past few years, which can make up one-third of variable costs. Market demand for milk has also leveled in the last year, resulting in some downward pressure on prices paid to dairy farmers. Organic dairy farmers in the Northeast United States have experimented with growing different forage and grain crops to maximize on-farm production of protein and energy to improve profitability. Three representative organic feed systems were simulated using the integrated farm system model for farms with 30, 120, and 220 milk cows. Increasing intensity of equipment use was represented by organic dairy farms growing only perennial sod (low) to those with corn-based forage systems, which purchase supplemental grain (medium) or which produce and feed soybeans (high). The relative profitability of these 3 organic feed systems was strongly dependent on dairy farm size. From results, we suggest smaller organic dairy farms can be more profitable with perennial sod-based rather than corn-based forage systems due to lower fixed costs from using only equipment associated with perennial forage harvest and storage. The largest farm size was more profitable using a corn-based system due to greater economies of scale for growing soybeans, corn grain, winter cereals, and corn silages. At an intermediate farm size of 120 cows, corn-based forage systems were more profitable if perennial sod was not harvested at optimum quality, corn was grown on better soils, or if milk yield was 10% higher. Delayed harvest decreased the protein and energy content of perennial sod crops, requiring more purchased grain to balance the ration and resulting in lower profits. Corn-based systems were less affected by lower perennial forage quality, as corn silage

Limitations and barriers for adopting sustainable management practices in different farm types across Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzmán, Gema; Portero, Ángela; Vanwalleghem, Tom; Pedrera, Ana; Jesús Gaitán, Antonio; Ten Berge, Hein

2014-05-01

Although apparently the conservation of natural resources such as water and soil does not represent important concerns for our society, the evolution of the world population and the degradation of these resources pose a challenge to improving agricultural food production capacity and conserving, and in some cases restoring, the environmental quality. Unfortunately, the history contains numerous examples of abandonment of these resources (McNeill 1992, Montgomery 2007). Although most of the agronomic conservation practices have been known for millennia, their implementation has often been hindered by non-agricultural motives (Davis et al. 2012). The European project CATCH-C (ten Berge 2011) started last year with the aim of evaluating sustainable soil management practices and exploring the difficulties for their adoption, both at farm and institutional level, to overcome them in the near future. As a first step with that purpose, a selection of best management practices (BMPs) based on interviews with advisors and scientific knowledge were proposed for each of the considered farm typologies: arable crops, permanent crops and pasture. These farm types are representative of the Mediterranean area in terms of agroecological properties, extension, economical importance and soil degradation problems. Semi-structured interviews were carried out by addressing different profiles of farmers to identify in a qualitative way the main limitations for adopting these BMPs on their farms. Different questionnaires were prepared based on the farmers' responses and launched at a larger scale, with the aim of achieving approximately 100 responses per each farm typology. Finally, responses from the questionnaires will be analyzed to explore the causes that hinder or impede the adoption of BMPs in different farm typologies. References: Davis A.S. et al. 2012. Plos ONE 7(10): e4719. doi:10.1371/journalpone.0047149. McNeill, J.R. 1992. The mountains of the Mediterranean world. Cambridge

The Gunite and Associated Tanks Remediation Project Tank Waste Retrieval Performance and Lessons Learned, vol. 1 [of 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewis, BE

2003-10-07

The Gunite and Associated Tanks (GAAT) Remediation Project was the first of its kind performed in the United States. Robotics and remotely operated equipment were used to successfully transfer almost 94,000 gal of remote-handled transuranic sludge containing over 81,000 Ci of radioactive contamination from nine large underground storage tanks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The sludge was transferred with over 439,000 gal of radioactive waste supernatant and {approx}420,500 gal of fresh water that was used in sluicing operations. The GAATs are located in a high-traffic area of ORNL near a main thoroughfare. A phased and integrated approach tomore » waste retrieval operations was used for the GAAT Remediation Project. The project promoted safety by obtaining experience from low-risk operations in the North Tank Farm before moving to higher-risk operations in the South Tank Farm. This approach allowed project personnel to become familiar with the tanks and waste, as well as the equipment, processes, procedures, and operations required to perform successful waste retrieval. By using an integrated approach to tank waste retrieval and tank waste management, the project was completed years ahead of the original baseline schedule, which resulted in avoiding millions of dollars in associated costs. This report is organized in two volumes. Volume 1 provides information on the various phases of the GAAT Remediation Project. It also describes the different types of equipment and how they were used. The emphasis of Volume 1 is on the description of the tank waste retrieval performance and the lessons learned during the GAAT Remediation Project. Volume 2 provides the appendixes for the report, which include the following information: (A) Background Information for the Gunite and Associated Tanks Operable Unit; (B) Annotated Bibliography; (C) Comprehensive Listing of the Sample Analysis Data from the GAAT Remediation Project; (D) GAAT Equipment Matrix; and (E

Farmed Atlantic salmon: potential invader in the Pacific Northwest?

Treesearch

Jonathan Thompson; Pete Bisson

2008-01-01

Commercial farming of Atlantic salmon in marine net-pens has become a booming industry. At present, approximately 130 salmon farms exist along the Pacific coast of North America. Most of these farms are in cold marine bays within British Columbia, where farmed salmon have become the province’s most valuable agricultural export. Each year, thousands of farmed Atlantic...

Native American Projects and Projects Recruiting Native Americans: FY 91, FY 92, FY 93.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Betty C.

This document presents descriptions of projects supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Division of Personnel Preparation which prepare Native Americans to serve students with disabilities. Two types of projects are included in this listing: Native American Projects (funded for fiscal years 1991, 1992, and 1993) and Projects Recruiting…

Fun on the farm: evaluation of a lesson to teach students about the spread of infection on school farm visits.

PubMed

Hawking, Meredith K D; Lecky, Donna M; Verlander, Neville Q; McNulty, Cliodna A M

2013-01-01

School visits to farms are a positive educational experience but pose risks due to the spread of zoonotic infections. A lesson plan to raise awareness about microbes on the farm and preventative behaviours was developed in response to the Griffin Investigation into the E. coli outbreak associated with Godstone Farm in 2009. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the delivery of the lesson plan in increasing knowledge about the spread of infection on the farm, amongst school students. Two hundred and twenty-five 9-11 year old students from seven junior schools in England participated. Two hundred and ten students filled in identical questionnaires covering microbes, hand hygiene, and farm hygiene before and after the lesson. Statistical analysis assessed knowledge change using difference in percentage correct answers. Significant knowledge improvement was observed for all sections. In the 'Farm Hygiene' section, girls and boys demonstrated 18% (p<0.001) and 11% (p<0.001) improvement, respectively (girls vs. boys p<0.004). As girls had lower baseline knowledge the greater percentage improvement resulted in similar post intervention knowledge scores between genders (girls 80%, boys 83%). The lesson plan was successful at increasing awareness of microbes on the farm and infection prevention measures and should be used by teachers in preparation for a farm visit.

Lay Outreach Workers and the Ohio Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Health Education Needs Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvarez, Olga L.

The Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Project sought to determine the health education needs of this indigent population in Ohio using the help of lay outreach workers. A bilingual needs assessment survey was developed containing questions on demographics, place of permanent residence, points of travel after working in Ohio, and type of work and…

Two-spinor description of massive particles and relativistic spin projection operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isaev, A. P.; Podoinitsyn, M. A.

2018-04-01

On the basis of the Wigner unitary representations of the covering group ISL (2 , C) of the Poincaré group, we obtain spin-tensor wave functions of free massive particles with arbitrary spin. The wave functions automatically satisfy the Dirac-Pauli-Fierz equations. In the framework of the two-spinor formalism we construct spin-vectors of polarizations and obtain conditions that fix the corresponding relativistic spin projection operators (Behrends-Fronsdal projection operators). With the help of these conditions we find explicit expressions for relativistic spin projection operators for integer spins (Behrends-Fronsdal projection operators) and then find relativistic spin projection operators for half integer spins. These projection operators determine the numerators in the propagators of fields of relativistic particles. We deduce generalizations of the Behrends-Fronsdal projection operators for arbitrary space-time dimensions D > 2.

Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll. Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lasley, Paul

The 1984 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll is summarized in this report. Responses from 1,585 randomly selected Iowa farm families showed that respondents opposed relaxing current state laws limiting foreign investors and non-farm corporations' ownership of farmland; had mixed feelings on absentee ownership, changing banking laws to allow banks to…

Farm Animals

MedlinePlus

... accidentally breathe in or swallow spores in contaminated soil, food, or water. The greatest risk is from ... spread to people and animals through contaminated food, soil, or water. Farm animals that are at risk ...

Descriptive epidemiology of captive cervid herds in Michigan, USA.

PubMed

Bruning-Fann, C S; Shank, K L; Kaneene, J B

1997-01-01

A study was designed to determine the species composition, disease period prevalence, and utilization of preventive practices in captive cervid herds in Michigan. This is the first description of cervid farming in the United States. Data for the 12 months preceding the study were collected by means of a mail questionnaire conducted from March 3 through June 28, 1993. Completed questionnaires were returned by 228 of 362 (63%) farms. Study respondents reported ownership of a total of 4972 (80.9%) white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), 766 (12.5%) elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis), 284 (4.6%) fallow deer (Dama dama), 114 (1.9%) sika deer (Cervus nippon), 6 (0.1%) red deer (Cervus elaphus), 4 (< 0.1%) axis deer (Axis axis), and 2 (< 0.1%) caribou (Rangifer tarandus). The respondents provided disease data for 5493 captive cervids. The most frequent categories of illness in captive cervids (as determined by the period prevalence rates for the 12 months preceding the study) were injuries (1.9%), respiratory disorders (1.1%), foot and leg problems (1.0%), stress due to handling or transport (0.8%), and dystocia (0.8%). The most frequent causes of death were injuries (1.0%), respiratory disorders (0.8%), stress due to handling or transport (0.7%), and unknown causes (0.7%). Use of anthelmintics was reported by 173 of 219 (79%) farms. Only 13% [28/215] vaccinated their cervids. One hundred and fifty-nine of 219 farms reported having a veterinarian who provides cervid consultation. Services provided by these veterinarians include general consultation (58.5% [93/159]), treatment of injuries (27.7% [44/159]), anthelmintic administration (25.2% [40/159]), issuance of health certificates (19.5% [31/159]), diagnosis and treatment of illnesses (17.6% [28/159]), vaccination (13.8% [22/159]), disease diagnosis (treatment provided by farmer) (8.8% [14/159]), foot care (3.8% [6/159]), and other purposes (ie, necropsy, dystocia, antler removal) (11.3% [18/159]).

Empirical Analysis of Farm Credit Risk under the Structure Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yan, Yan

2009-01-01

The study measures farm credit risk by using farm records collected by Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) during the period 1995-2004. The study addresses the following questions: (1) whether farm's financial position is fully described by the structure model, (2) what are the determinants of farm capital structure under the structure model, (3)…

Manpower Research and Development Projects; 1973 Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC.

The third edition of Manpower Research and Development Projects presents descriptions of 455 projects which are grouped by subject matter to facilitate description of the research and development program and the use of the material. The 199 doctoral dissertation grants and the 12 manpower research institutional grants are classified by subject…

Attitudes of farm consultants in the South Island of New Zealand towards the role of veterinarians in farm businesses.

PubMed

Bates, A J; Wapenaar, W; Campbell, A C; Eggleton, R G

2016-09-01

To assess the attitude of dairy farm consultants to the role of veterinarians on dairy farms and whether they viewed veterinary advice as impartial, free from commercial bias and central to farm productivity and profitability. A telephone survey was commissioned in September 2014 of 36 full-time farm consultants in the Canterbury and Otago region of New Zealand using a pre-prepared questionnaire to explore their attitudes towards the veterinary profession. Of those approached, 25 completed the survey. The consultants surveyed agreed or strongly agreed (21/23) that they were the custodians of animal health expenditure on farms, which was seen as an expense to be controlled (19/25 agreed or strongly agreed). This view was held more strongly (9/9 agreed or strongly agreed) by consultants with >5 years' professional experience, compared to 10/16 consultants with ≤5 years' experience. Most consultants (24/25) disagreed that they did not respect veterinary advice, but agreed (24/25) that veterinarians almost always had a vested interest in the advice that they gave. The role of veterinarians was seen by respondents to be mainly treatment of sick animals (22/25) and provision of animal health products (24/25), but not in maximising farm profitability (selected by 8/25 respondents). Consultants viewed their own roles as providing advice on the influence of animal health on farm profitability (21/25), nutrition (22/25) and reproduction (20/25). Most respondents (21/25) stated that reducing disease and animal health issues was important, but they (21/25) also identified a reduction in farm animal health expenditure as a measure of success. Only 7/25 consultants felt that they should work in partnership with veterinarians. This was a small scale study from one region of New Zealand but it indicates that consultants are ambivalent about the role and value of working more closely with veterinarians, and about the benefit that veterinary intervention may bring to a farm

Modeling greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farms.

PubMed

Rotz, C Alan

2017-11-15

Dairy farms have been identified as an important source of greenhouse gas emissions. Within the farm, important emissions include enteric CH 4 from the animals, CH 4 and N 2 O from manure in housing facilities during long-term storage and during field application, and N 2 O from nitrification and denitrification processes in the soil used to produce feed crops and pasture. Models using a wide range in level of detail have been developed to represent or predict these emissions. They include constant emission factors, variable process-related emission factors, empirical or statistical models, mechanistic process simulations, and life cycle assessment. To fully represent farm emissions, models representing the various emission sources must be integrated to capture the combined effects and interactions of all important components. Farm models have been developed using relationships across the full scale of detail, from constant emission factors to detailed mechanistic simulations. Simpler models, based upon emission factors and empirical relationships, tend to provide better tools for decision support, whereas more complex farm simulations provide better tools for research and education. To look beyond the farm boundaries, life cycle assessment provides an environmental accounting tool for quantifying and evaluating emissions over the full cycle, from producing the resources used on the farm through processing, distribution, consumption, and waste handling of the milk and dairy products produced. Models are useful for improving our understanding of farm processes and their interacting effects on greenhouse gas emissions. Through better understanding, they assist in the development and evaluation of mitigation strategies for reducing emissions and improving overall sustainability of dairy farms. The Authors. Published by the Federation of Animal Science Societies and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article

Risk-based audit selection of dairy farms.

PubMed

van Asseldonk, M A P M; Velthuis, A G J

2014-02-01

Dairy farms are audited in the Netherlands on numerous process standards. Each farm is audited once every 2 years. Increasing demands for cost-effectiveness in farm audits can be met by introducing risk-based principles. This implies targeting subpopulations with a higher risk of poor process standards. To select farms for an audit that present higher risks, a statistical analysis was conducted to test the relationship between the outcome of farm audits and bulk milk laboratory results before the audit. The analysis comprised 28,358 farm audits and all conducted laboratory tests of bulk milk samples 12 mo before the audit. The overall outcome of each farm audit was classified as approved or rejected. Laboratory results included somatic cell count (SCC), total bacterial count (TBC), antimicrobial drug residues (ADR), level of butyric acid spores (BAB), freezing point depression (FPD), level of free fatty acids (FFA), and cleanliness of the milk (CLN). The bulk milk laboratory results were significantly related to audit outcomes. Rejected audits are likely to occur on dairy farms with higher mean levels of SCC, TBC, ADR, and BAB. Moreover, in a multivariable model, maxima for TBC, SCC, and FPD as well as standard deviations for TBC and FPD are risk factors for negative audit outcomes. The efficiency curve of a risk-based selection approach, on the basis of the derived regression results, dominated the current random selection approach. To capture 25, 50, or 75% of the population with poor process standards (i.e., audit outcome of rejected), respectively, only 8, 20, or 47% of the population had to be sampled based on a risk-based selection approach. Milk quality information can thus be used to preselect high-risk farms to be audited more frequently. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of Sphagnum farming on the greenhouse gas balance of donor and propagation areas, irrigation polders and commercial cultivation sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oestmann, Jan; Tiemeyer, Bärbel

2017-04-01

Drainage of peatlands for agriculture, forestry and peat extraction turned these landscapes into hotspots of greenhouse gas emissions. Climate protection now fosters rewetting projects to restore the natural peatland function as a sink of atmospheric carbon. One possible way to combine ecological and economical goals is Sphagnum farming, i.e. the cultivation of Sphagnum mosses as high-quality substrates for horticulture. This project scientifically evaluates the attempt of commercial Sphagnum farming on former peat extraction sites in north-western Germany. The exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) of the whole peatland-based production chain comprising a donor mire, a propagation area, an irrigation polder and a cultivation site will be determined in a high temporal resolution for two years using manual chambers. This will allow evaluating the greenhouse gas balance of Sphagnum farming sites in comparison to near-natural sites and the potential of Sphagnum farming for restoring drained peatlands to sinks of atmospheric carbon. The influence of different irrigation techniques will also be tested. Additionally, selected plots will be equipped with open top chambers in order to examine the greenhouse gas exchange under potential future climate change conditions. Finally, a 13C pulse labeling experiment will make it possible to trace the newly sequestered CO2 in biomass, soil, respiration and dissolved organic carbon.

Precipitation-runoff relations and water-quality characteristics at edge-of-field stations, Discovery Farms and Pioneer Farm, Wisconsin, 2003-8

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stuntebeck, Todd D.; Komiskey, Matthew J.; Peppler, Marie C.; Owens, David W.; Frame, Dennis R.

2011-01-01

A cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Discovery Farms program (Discovery Farms), and the UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm program (Pioneer Farm) was developed to identify typical ranges and magnitudes, temporal distributions, and principal factors affecting concentrations and yields of sediment, nutrients, and other selected constituents in runoff from agricultural fields. Hydrologic and water-quality data were collected year-round at 23 edge-of-field monitoring stations on 5 privately owned Discovery Farms and on Pioneer Farm during water years 2003-8. The studied farms represented landscapes, soils, and farming systems typical of livestock farms throughout southern Wisconsin. Each farm employed a variety of soil, nutrient, and water-conservation practices to help minimize sediment and nutrient losses from fields and to improve crop productivity. This report summarizes the precipitation-runoff relations and water-quality characteristics measured in edge-of-field runoff for 26 "farm years" (aggregate years of averaged station data from all 6 farms for varying monitoring periods). A relatively wide range of constituents typically found in agricultural runoff were measured: suspended sediment, phosphorus (total, particulate, dissolved reactive, and total dissolved), and nitrogen (total, nitrate plus nitrite, organic, ammonium, total Kjeldahl and total Kjeldahl-dissolved), chloride, total solids, total suspended solids, total volatile suspended solids, and total dissolved solids. Mean annual precipitation was 32.8 inches for the study period, about 3 percent less than the 30-year mean. Overall mean annual runoff was 2.55 inches per year (about 8 percent of precipitation) and the distribution was nearly equal between periods of frozen ground (54 percent) and unfrozen ground (46 percent). Mean monthly runoff was highest during two periods: February to March and May to June. Ninety percent of annual runoff occurred

Social environments, risk-taking and injury in farm adolescents

PubMed Central

Pickett, William; Berg, Richard L; Marlenga, Barbara

2017-01-01

Background Farm environments are especially hazardous for young people. While much is known about acute physical causes of traumatic farm injury, little is known about social factors that may underlie their aetiology. Objectives In a nationally representative sample of young Canadians aged 11–15 years, we described and compared farm and non-farm adolescents in terms of the qualities of their social environments, engagement in overt multiple risk-taking as well as how such exposures relate aetiologically to their reported injury experiences. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of survey reports from the 2014 (Cycle 7) Canadian Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study was conducted. Children (n=2567; 2534 weighted) who reported living or working on farms were matched within schools in a 1:1 ratio with children not living or working on farms. Scales examining quality of social environments and overt risk-taking were compared between the two groups, stratified by gender. We then related the occurrence of any serious injury to these social exposures in direct and interactive models. Results Farm and non-farm children reported social environments that were quite similar, with the exception of overt multiple risk-taking, which was demonstrably higher in farm children of both genders. Engagement in overt risk-taking, but not the other social environmental factors, was strongly and consistently associated with risks for serious injury in farm as well as non-farm children, particularly among males. Conclusions Study findings highlight the strength of associations between overt multiple risk-taking and injury among farm children. This appears to be a normative aspect of adolescent farm culture. PMID:28137978

Urban farming model in South Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Indrawati, E.

2018-01-01

The development of infrastructure rapidly, large of population and large of urbanization. Meanwhile, agricultural land is decreasing and agricultural production continues to decline. The productive crops is needed for consumption and it is also to improve the environment from oxygen provisioning, antidote to air pollution and to improve soil conditions. The use of yard land for horticultural crops (vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants), spices, medicines, herbs etc. can benefit for the owners of the yard particularly and the general public. The purpose of this research is to identify the model of home yard utilization, mosque yard, office, school, urban park and main road and sub main road, which can improve environmental quality in Pesanggrahan district. The method of analysis used descriptive analysis method by observation. Then analyzed the percentage of the use of yard with productive crops as urban farming. The results showed that the most productive crops were planted in Kelurahan Pesanggrahan 67% which compared with in Kelurahan Ulujami 47%, and in Kelurahan Petukangan Utara 27%. The most types of productive crops were grown as fruit trees and vegetable crops.

Exploring contacts facilitating transmission of influenza A(H5N1) virus between poultry farms in West Java, Indonesia: A major role for backyard farms?

PubMed

Wibawa, Hendra; Karo-Karo, Desniwaty; Pribadi, Eko Sugeng; Bouma, Annemarie; Bodewes, Rogier; Vernooij, Hans; Diyantoro; Sugama, Agus; Muljono, David H; Koch, Guus; Tjatur Rasa, Fadjar Sumping; Stegeman, Arjan

2018-08-01

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 has been reported in Asia, including Indonesia since 2003. Although several risk factors related to the HPAIV outbreaks in poultry in Indonesia have been identified, little is known of the contact structure of farms of different poultry production types (backyard chickens, broilers, layers, and ducks). This study aims to quantify the contact rates associated with the movement of people, and movements of live birds and products and equipment that affect the risk of HPAIV H5N1 transmission between poultry farms in Indonesia. On 124 poultry farms in 6 districts in West Java, logbooks were distributed to record the movements of farmers/staff and visitors and their poultry contacts. Most movements in backyard chicken, commercial native chicken, broiler and duck farms were visits to and from other poultry farms, whilst in layer farms visits to and from poultry companies, visits to egg collection houses and visit from other poultry farms were most frequent. Over 75% of persons visiting backyard chicken and duck farms had previously visited other poultry farms on the same day. Visitors of backyard chicken farms had the highest average contact rate, either direct contact with poultry on other farms before the visits (1.35 contact/day) or contact during their visits in the farms (10.03 contact/day). These results suggest that backyard chicken farms are most at risk for transmission of HPAIV compared to farms of the other poultry production types. Since visits of farm-to-farm were high, backyard farms could also a potential source for HPAIV transmission to commercial poultry farms. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The U.S. Farm Problem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alston, Lee

1985-01-01

Intended to provide teachers with an analysis of contemporary United States agriculture, this analysis begins with an overview of the farm community focusing on the income distinction between wealthy commercial farmers and other farmers. The cause of farm unrest is that earnings are too low relative to expenses. The problems of declining farm…

Grieving for the Family Farm.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeller, Simon H.

1986-01-01

Reviews impact of recent agricultural trends in South Dakota. Outlines Kubler-Ross' stages of grief/adaptation that farm families must negotiate as they cope with the trauma of the loss of their farms. Indicates service providers must overcome farmers' mistrust for human welfare services and reach out to this vulnerable population. (NEC)

Using a whole farm model to determine the impacts of mating management on the profitability of pasture-based dairy farms.

PubMed

Beukes, P C; Burke, C R; Levy, G; Tiddy, R M

2010-08-01

An approach to assessing likely impacts of altering reproductive performance on productivity and profitability in pasture-based dairy farms is described. The basis is the development of a whole farm model (WFM) that simulates the entire farm system and holistically links multiple physical performance factors to profitability. The WFM consists of a framework that links a mechanistic cow model, a pasture model, a crop model, management policies and climate. It simulates individual cows and paddocks, and runs on a day time-step. The WFM was upgraded to include reproductive modeling capability using reference tables and empirical equations describing published relationships between cow factors, physiology and mating management. It predicts reproductive status at any time point for individual cows within a modeled herd. The performance of six commercial pasture-based dairy farms was simulated for the period of 12 months beginning 1 June 2005 (05/06 year) to evaluate the accuracy of the model by comparison with actual outcomes. The model predicted most key performance indicators within an acceptable range of error (residual<10% of observed). The evaluated WFM was then used for the six farms to estimate the profitability of changes in farm "set-up" (farm conditions at the start of the farming year on 1 June) and mating management from 05/06 to 06/07 year. Among the six farms simulated, the 4-week calving rate emerged as an important set-up factor influencing profitability, while reproductive performance during natural bull mating was identified as an area with the greatest opportunity for improvement. The WFM presents utility to explore alternative management strategies to predict likely outcomes to proposed changes to a pasture-based farm system. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effects of farm management practices on liver fluke prevalence and the current internal parasite control measures employed on Irish dairy farms.

PubMed

Selemetas, Nikolaos; Phelan, Paul; O'Kiely, Padraig; de Waal, Theo

2015-01-30

Fasciolosis caused by Fasciola hepatica is responsible for major production losses in cattle farms. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of farm management practices on liver fluke prevalence on Irish dairy farms and to document the current control measures against parasitic diseases. In total, 369 dairy farms throughout Ireland were sampled from October to December 2013, each providing a single bulk tank milk (BTM) sample for liver fluke antibody-detection ELISA testing and completing a questionnaire on their farm management. The analysis of samples showed that cows on 78% (n=288) of dairy farms had been exposed to liver fluke. There was a difference (P<0.05) between farms where cows were positive or negative for liver fluke antibodies in (a) the total number of adult dairy cows in herds, (b) the number of adult dairy cows contributing to BTM samples, and (c) the size of the total area of grassland, with positive farms having larger numbers in each case. There was no difference (P>0.05) between positive and negative farms in (a) the grazing of dry cows together with replacement cows, (b) whether or not grazed grassland was mowed for conservation, (c) the type of drinking water provision system, (d) spreading of cattle manure on grassland or (e) for grazing season length (GSL; mean=262.5 days). Also, there were differences (P<0.001) between drainage statuses for GSL with farms on good drainage having longer GSL than moderately drained farms. The GSL for dairy cows on farms with good drainage was 11 days longer than for those with moderate drainage (P<0.001). The percentage of farmers that used an active ingredient during the non-lactating period against liver fluke, gastrointestinal nematodes, lungworm, and rumen fluke was 96%, 85%, 77% and 90%, respectively. Albendazole was the most frequently used active ingredient for treatment against gastrointestinal nematodes (57%), liver fluke (40%) and lungworm (47%), respectively. There was a difference

78 FR 63158 - Information Collection; Guaranteed Farm Loan Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-23

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Farm Service Agency Information Collection; Guaranteed Farm Loan Program... collection associated with the Guaranteed Farm Loan Program. The amended estimate adds the merger of the information collection for the Land Contract Guarantee Program (0560-0279) into the Guaranteed Farm Loan...

78 FR 63380 - Farm Credit Administration Board Policy Statements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-24

... FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION 12 CFR Chapter VI Farm Credit Administration Board Policy Statements AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration. ACTION: Notice of policy statements and index. SUMMARY: The Farm Credit Administration (FCA), as part of its annual public notification process, is publishing for notice...

Will He Take Over? A Longitudinal, Five County Study of Patterns of Establishment in Farming by Wisconsin's Farm Youth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjoraker, W. T.; And Others

The main purpose of this investigation was to determine patterns of establishment in farming followed by youth in five Wisconsin counties. Specific objectives were: (1) to determine who among the 1957 high-school graduates had ever farmed and were actually farming in 1968; (2) to determine the similarities and differences of those who stayed in…

Within-farm variability in age structure of breeding-female pigs and reproductive performance on commercial swine breeding farms.

PubMed

Koketsu, Yuzo

2005-03-15

This study investigated relationships between herd age structure and herd productivity in breeding herds; it also investigated a pattern in parity proportions of females over 2 years and its relationship with herd productivity in commercial swine herds. This study was based on data from 148 commercial farms in North America stored in the swine database program at the University of Minnesota. The primary selection criterion was fluctuations in breeding-female pig (female) inventories over a 2-year interval. Productivity measurements and parity proportions of females were extracted from the database. A 24-month time-plot in proportions of Parity 0 and Parities 3-5 females (mid-parity) was charted for each farm. Using these charts, a change in proportions of Parity 0 and mid-parity for each farm was categorized into patterns: FLUCTUATE (Parity 0 and mid-parity proportion lines crossed) or STABLE (the two proportion lines never crossed). Higher proportions of mid-parity sows were correlated with greater pigs weaned per female per year (PWFY; P < 0.01). Farms with a FLUCTUATE (73% of the 148 farms) pattern had lower PWFY than those with a STABLE pattern (P < 0.01). The STABLE farms had higher proportions of mid-parity sows, higher parity at culling, higher frequency of gilt deliveries per year, and lower replacement rate than the FLUCTUATE farms (P < 0.01). In conclusion, maintaining stable subpopulations with mid-parity and Parity 0 are recommended to optimize herd productivity.

The Resistome of Farmed Fish Feces Contributes to the Enrichment of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Sediments below Baltic Sea Fish Farms

PubMed Central

Muziasari, Windi I.; Pitkänen, Leena K.; Sørum, Henning; Stedtfeld, Robert D.; Tiedje, James M.; Virta, Marko

2017-01-01

Our previous studies showed that particular antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were enriched locally in sediments below fish farms in the Northern Baltic Sea, Finland, even when the selection pressure from antibiotics was negligible. We assumed that a constant influx of farmed fish feces could be the plausible source of the ARGs enriched in the farm sediments. In the present study, we analyzed the composition of the antibiotic resistome from the intestinal contents of 20 fish from the Baltic Sea farms. We used a high-throughput method, WaferGen qPCR array with 364 primer sets to detect and quantify ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGE), and the 16S rRNA gene. Despite a considerably wide selection of qPCR primer sets, only 28 genes were detected in the intestinal contents. The detected genes were ARGs encoding resistance to sulfonamide (sul1), trimethoprim (dfrA1), tetracycline [tet(32), tetM, tetO, tetW], aminoglycoside (aadA1, aadA2), chloramphenicol (catA1), and efflux-pumps resistance genes (emrB, matA, mefA, msrA). The detected genes also included class 1 integron-associated genes (intI1, qacEΔ1) and transposases (tnpA). Importantly, most of the detected genes were the same genes enriched in the farm sediments. This preliminary study suggests that feces from farmed fish contribute to the ARG enrichment in farm sediments despite the lack of contemporaneous antibiotic treatments at the farms. We observed that the intestinal contents of individual farmed fish had their own resistome compositions. Our result also showed that the total relative abundances of transposases and tet genes were significantly correlated (p = 0.001, R2 = 0.71). In addition, we analyzed the mucosal skin and gill filament resistomes of the farmed fish but only one multidrug-efflux resistance gene (emrB) was detected. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the resistome of farmed fish using a culture-independent method. Determining the possible sources of ARGs, especially

The Resistome of Farmed Fish Feces Contributes to the Enrichment of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Sediments below Baltic Sea Fish Farms.

PubMed

Muziasari, Windi I; Pitkänen, Leena K; Sørum, Henning; Stedtfeld, Robert D; Tiedje, James M; Virta, Marko

2016-01-01

Our previous studies showed that particular antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were enriched locally in sediments below fish farms in the Northern Baltic Sea, Finland, even when the selection pressure from antibiotics was negligible. We assumed that a constant influx of farmed fish feces could be the plausible source of the ARGs enriched in the farm sediments. In the present study, we analyzed the composition of the antibiotic resistome from the intestinal contents of 20 fish from the Baltic Sea farms. We used a high-throughput method, WaferGen qPCR array with 364 primer sets to detect and quantify ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGE), and the 16S rRNA gene. Despite a considerably wide selection of qPCR primer sets, only 28 genes were detected in the intestinal contents. The detected genes were ARGs encoding resistance to sulfonamide ( sul1 ), trimethoprim ( dfrA1 ), tetracycline [ tet(32), tetM, tetO, tetW ], aminoglycoside ( aadA1, aadA2 ), chloramphenicol ( catA1 ), and efflux-pumps resistance genes ( emrB, matA, mefA, msrA ). The detected genes also included class 1 integron-associated genes ( intI1, qacE Δ 1 ) and transposases ( tnpA ). Importantly, most of the detected genes were the same genes enriched in the farm sediments. This preliminary study suggests that feces from farmed fish contribute to the ARG enrichment in farm sediments despite the lack of contemporaneous antibiotic treatments at the farms. We observed that the intestinal contents of individual farmed fish had their own resistome compositions. Our result also showed that the total relative abundances of transposases and tet genes were significantly correlated ( p = 0.001, R 2 = 0.71). In addition, we analyzed the mucosal skin and gill filament resistomes of the farmed fish but only one multidrug-efflux resistance gene ( emrB ) was detected. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the resistome of farmed fish using a culture-independent method. Determining the possible sources of

Fun on the Farm: Evaluation of a Lesson to Teach Students about the Spread of Infection on School Farm Visits

PubMed Central

Hawking, Meredith K. D.; Lecky, Donna M.; Verlander, Neville Q.; McNulty, Cliodna A. M.

2013-01-01

Background School visits to farms are a positive educational experience but pose risks due to the spread of zoonotic infections. A lesson plan to raise awareness about microbes on the farm and preventative behaviours was developed in response to the Griffin Investigation into the E. coli outbreak associated with Godstone Farm in 2009. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the delivery of the lesson plan in increasing knowledge about the spread of infection on the farm, amongst school students. Methods Two hundred and twenty-five 9–11 year old students from seven junior schools in England participated. Two hundred and ten students filled in identical questionnaires covering microbes, hand hygiene, and farm hygiene before and after the lesson. Statistical analysis assessed knowledge change using difference in percentage correct answers. Results Significant knowledge improvement was observed for all sections. In the ‘Farm Hygiene’ section, girls and boys demonstrated 18% (p<0.001) and 11% (p<0.001) improvement, respectively (girls vs. boys p<0.004). As girls had lower baseline knowledge the greater percentage improvement resulted in similar post intervention knowledge scores between genders (girls 80%, boys 83%). Conclusions The lesson plan was successful at increasing awareness of microbes on the farm and infection prevention measures and should be used by teachers in preparation for a farm visit. PMID:24146765

Space construction system analysis study: Project systems and missions descriptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Three project systems are defined and summarized. The systems are: (1) a Solar Power Satellite (SPS) Development Flight Test Vehicle configured for fabrication and compatible with solar electric propulsion orbit transfer; (2) an Advanced Communications Platform configured for space fabrication and compatible with low thrust chemical orbit transfer propulsion; and (3) the same Platform, configured to be space erectable but still compatible with low thrust chemical orbit transfer propulsion. These project systems are intended to serve as configuration models for use in detailed analyses of space construction techniques and processes. They represent feasible concepts for real projects; real in the sense that they are realistic contenders on the list of candidate missions currently projected for the national space program. Thus, they represent reasonable configurations upon which to base early studies of alternative space construction processes.

Single Parent/Homemaker Project Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kentucky State Dept. of Education, Frankfort. Office of Vocational Education.

Annual reports, project descriptions, and various other materials are provided for 35 projects. Most of the projects focus on homemaking; some are on sex equity. Project titles include: Single Parent/Adult Homemaker Reentry Program (Ashland Community College); Career Awareness Class for the Single Parent and/or Homemaker (Cumberland Valley Health…

DairyWise, a whole-farm dairy model.

PubMed

Schils, R L M; de Haan, M H A; Hemmer, J G A; van den Pol-van Dasselaar, A; de Boer, J A; Evers, A G; Holshof, G; van Middelkoop, J C; Zom, R L G

2007-11-01

A whole-farm dairy model was developed and evaluated. The DairyWise model is an empirical model that simulated technical, environmental, and financial processes on a dairy farm. The central component is the FeedSupply model that balanced the herd requirements, as generated by the DairyHerd model, and the supply of homegrown feeds, as generated by the crop models for grassland and corn silage. The output of the FeedSupply model was used as input for several technical, environmental, and economic submodels. The submodels simulated a range of farm aspects such as nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, nitrate leaching, ammonia emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and a financial farm budget. The final output was a farm plan describing all material and nutrient flows and the consequences on the environment and economy. Evaluation of DairyWise was performed with 2 data sets consisting of 29 dairy farms. The evaluation showed that DairyWise was able to simulate gross margin, concentrate intake, nitrogen surplus, nitrate concentration in ground water, and crop yields. The variance accounted for ranged from 37 to 84%, and the mean differences between modeled and observed values varied between -5 to +3% per set of farms. We conclude that DairyWise is a powerful tool for integrated scenario development and evaluation for scientists, policy makers, extension workers, teachers and farmers.

The THERMIE energy farm project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lange, H.J. de; Barbucci, P.; Greil, C.

1998-07-01

At a site close to Pisa (Italy), a plant with a net power-output of approximately 12 MWe will be erected; it features an atmospheric, air-blown, circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) gasifier, integrated with a 10.9 MWe, single-shaft, heavy-duty gas-turbine, suited to burn the low-calorific value fuel-gas produced by the gasifier, and a heat-recovery steam-generator (HRSG), which provides steam to a 5 MWe condensing steam-turbine. The plant's net thermal-efficiency amounts to about 32%. Wet wood is shredded to chips, mixed with the agricultural residues and fed to a dryer. Here, flue gases from the HRSG are used to dry the fuel to themore » desired moisture content. The dried fuel is gasified in a CFB reactor to produce a fuel-gas. This fuel-gas is cooled in two stages during which the gasification air is preheated and steam is produced in a gas-cooler (GC). Then, it is washed in a wet-scrubber and compressed in several intercooled stages before it is delivered to the gas turbine model PGT10 B/1. The gas turbine adopts a newly developed, high-efficiency air-compressor and its special, dual-fuel combustion-chamber is now under development. The combined-cycle is completed with a dual pressure-level HRSG. The steam turbine is fed by the steam produced in the HRSG and the GC located in the gasification island. As a consequence of the changed agricultural market, the fuel will consist not only of short rotation forestry (SRF) but also of forestry and agricultural residues. The wood species include poplar, black locust, willow and chestnut, whereas the agricultural residues comprise olive stones and grape-seed flour. The financial viability of the project relies on the incentive provided by the Italian government with a premium price per kWh of electricity produced from renewables and on the financial contribution from the EU.« less

Social environments, risk-taking and injury in farm adolescents.

PubMed

Pickett, William; Berg, Richard L; Marlenga, Barbara

2017-12-01

Farm environments are especially hazardous for young people. While much is known about acute physical causes of traumatic farm injury, little is known about social factors that may underlie their aetiology. In a nationally representative sample of young Canadians aged 11-15 years, we described and compared farm and non-farm adolescents in terms of the qualities of their social environments, engagement in overt multiple risk-taking as well as how such exposures relate aetiologically to their reported injury experiences. Cross-sectional analysis of survey reports from the 2014 (Cycle 7) Canadian Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study was conducted. Children (n=2567; 2534 weighted) who reported living or working on farms were matched within schools in a 1:1 ratio with children not living or working on farms. Scales examining quality of social environments and overt risk-taking were compared between the two groups, stratified by gender. We then related the occurrence of any serious injury to these social exposures in direct and interactive models. Farm and non-farm children reported social environments that were quite similar, with the exception of overt multiple risk-taking, which was demonstrably higher in farm children of both genders. Engagement in overt risk-taking, but not the other social environmental factors, was strongly and consistently associated with risks for serious injury in farm as well as non-farm children, particularly among males. Study findings highlight the strength of associations between overt multiple risk-taking and injury among farm children. This appears to be a normative aspect of adolescent farm culture. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

A Multi-Collaborative Ambient Assisted Living Service Description Tool

PubMed Central

Falcó, Jorge L.; Vaquerizo, Esteban; Artigas, José Ignacio

2014-01-01

Collaboration among different stakeholders is a key factor in the design of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) environments and services. Throughout several AAL projects we have found repeated difficulties in this collaboration and have learned lessons by the experience of solving real situations. This paper highlights identified critical items for collaboration among technicians, users, company and institutional stakeholders and proposes as a communication tool for a project steering committee a service description tool which includes information from the different fields in comprehensible format for the others. It was first generated in the MonAMI project to promote understanding among different workgroups, proven useful there, and further tested later in some other smaller AAL projects. The concept of scalable service description has proven useful for understanding of different disciplines and for participatory decision making throughout the projects to adapt to singularities and partial successes or faults of each action. This paper introduces such tool, relates with existing methodologies in cooperation in AAL and describes it with a example to offer to AAL community. Further work on this tool will significantly improve results in user-centered design of sustainable services in AAL. PMID:24897409

12 CFR 1400.1 - Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. 1400.1 Section 1400.1 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS Organization and Functions § 1400.1 Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. The Farm Credit...

12 CFR 1400.1 - Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. 1400.1 Section 1400.1 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS Organization and Functions § 1400.1 Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. The Farm Credit...

12 CFR 1400.1 - Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. 1400.1 Section 1400.1 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS Organization and Functions § 1400.1 Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. The Farm Credit...

12 CFR 1400.1 - Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 10 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. 1400.1 Section 1400.1 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS Organization and Functions § 1400.1 Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. The Farm Credit...

12 CFR 1400.1 - Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. 1400.1 Section 1400.1 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS Organization and Functions § 1400.1 Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. The Farm Credit...

7 CFR 762.123 - Insurance and farm inspection requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Insurance and farm inspection requirements. 762.123 Section 762.123 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS GUARANTEED FARM LOANS § 762.123 Insurance and farm inspection...

Gender Relations and the Family Farm in Western Europe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanc, Michel; MacKinnon, Niall

1990-01-01

Examines impact of changing relations between farmers and spouses in context of rural economic change and increasing female participation in labor market. Argues wives' off-farm work, and farm-based enterprises result from family power-relations negotiations. Examines family farming future, farming ideology, women's aspirations, and domestic…

Sewing machines and bank loans, farming and family planning.

PubMed

Sai, F A; Nsarkoh, J D

1980-03-01

Half of a $10,000 grant was given by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) to finance the rural development project activities of Danfa, a village of about 835 people in Ghana. In this community the women are hard working but doubly disadvantaged. Along with a high illiteracy rate, the women are limited by inadequate income due to underemployment, under productivity, unfavorable farming conditions, and a lack of resources. Large families, frequent pregnancies, poor mother and child health, and high infant mortality all make matters worse for both the rural farm wife and her family. The project began with a nucleus of women that soon grew to between 24-30. Members soon formed small groups according to their occupational interests. The women grasped the self-help idea immediately. Once or twice a month there were demonstrations and the group worked together in such activities as making soap and pomade, preparing meals, and sewing. Meetings generally ended with a general group brainstorming and then members gathered in smaller groups to review their activities and plan for the future. During the 1st year of the project the men in the group rarely attended meetings. The group gave priority attention to their community's urgent need for working capital. 15 women farmers who met the criteria determined by the group received loans in the 1st round; only 8 satisfied the criteria in the 2nd round. At the beginning of the small loans scheme, the group decided to seek bigger loans from the bank if members proved credit worthy. This requirement was satisfied, and the group began negotiations for a loan with the Agricultural Development Bank. The group received the total group loan. The Ghana Home Science Association considers the project to be successful in several respects. Team spirit has developed the group, and the women play important and respected roles. Family planning problems are regularly presented for discussion, but it is difficult to correlate

"A New Life in the Countryside Awaits": Interactive Lessons in the Rural Utopia in "Farming" Simulation Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Matthew; Stewart, Kate

2017-01-01

This paper critically analyses the legitimation of exploitative human-nonhuman animal relations in online "farming" simulation games, especially the game Hay Day. The analysis contributes to a wider project of critical analyses of popular culture representations of nonhuman animals. The paper argues that legitimation is effected in Hay…

The impact of seasonal rice price changes on rice self-consumption in farm household of rural Java

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ani, S. W.; Antriyandarti, E.

2018-03-01

Seasonal rice price changes are very volatile and not predictable. This price changes have a heterogeneous impact on public consumption. The problem of seasonal rice price changes is not only experienced by consumers, but also in the farmers side as producers. The objective of this study is to provide a detail overview and description of the changing seasonal rice self-consumption of farm households in rural Java in response to seasonal rice price changes and income shocks to anticipate seasonal scarcity. This paper constructs a theoretical model to address such seasonality of food deprivation by using one year of seasonally farm household panel data, empirically tests the extent to which farmers in rural Java can smooth their rice self-consumption from season to season in response to income shocks. The result shows that rice farmers increase their rice self-consumption when prices are high.

Visit a Farm? Surely Not!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Bill

2012-01-01

Popular myth has it that visiting a farm can be dangerous, but there are only a few occasions when children have become ill during a school visit to a farm. Simple, sensible precautions, including wearing appropriate clothing, such as trousers and wellington boots (if wet) or sensible shoes, and careful hand-washing, are all that is required. The…

29 CFR 780.157 - Other transportation incident to farming.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT... operations, such as seed, animal or poultry feed, farm machinery or equipment, etc., would be incidental to... farm products from farms to a processing establishment by employees of a person who owns both the farms...

29 CFR 780.157 - Other transportation incident to farming.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT... operations, such as seed, animal or poultry feed, farm machinery or equipment, etc., would be incidental to... farm products from farms to a processing establishment by employees of a person who owns both the farms...

29 CFR 780.157 - Other transportation incident to farming.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT... operations, such as seed, animal or poultry feed, farm machinery or equipment, etc., would be incidental to... farm products from farms to a processing establishment by employees of a person who owns both the farms...

29 CFR 780.157 - Other transportation incident to farming.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT... operations, such as seed, animal or poultry feed, farm machinery or equipment, etc., would be incidental to... farm products from farms to a processing establishment by employees of a person who owns both the farms...

29 CFR 780.157 - Other transportation incident to farming.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01