The efficiency of the farm diary in accounting investigations

Approved May 15, 1914, O.R. JohnsonTypescriptM.A. University of Missouri 1914As stated in the subject, the purpose of this paper is to set forth the efficiency in accounting investigations of the Diary system of keeping Farm records. This system of keeping farm records is known as the farm diary. It has been used to a certain extent and in a modified form by farmers over the country, but it has been used very little, if any, as a means of securing data for investigational purposes, except in a small way by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Washington. The diary has been used in Missouri by the farmers in co-operation with the Farm Management Department of the University for the past two years with increasing popularity among both the farmers and the Department. Six farmers co-operated in this work in 1912, twenty in 1913, and more than forty have begun the work for 1914. All tables, tabulations and results shown herein are given for the purpose of showing the possibilities of this system of keeping farm records, rather than the intention of presenting data from which any definite conclusions can be drawn, because of the small number of records from which this data has been collected. All data shown here is gathered from six diaries kept in 1912, and five which were kept in 1913; the year having been completed February 28th, 1914. In some cases it was possible to use the eleven farms in the tabulations, while in others the data was not complete enough in all farms, but with each table is given the number of farms and animals included

Sustainable water management in Iraq (Kurdistan) as a challenge for governmental responsibility

During the last few decades, a critical scarcity of water has occurred in the Middle East due to climate change and the mismanagement of water resources. The situation is complicated by the absence of an effective legislative framework at the local level as well as by the incapability and disrepute of the local water authorities. Most Iraqi citizens depend on the surface waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which have their sources in upstream neighbouring countries. Water crises concerning the shared waters urgently require a solution at the international level. Unfortunately, Iraq has faced several wars in a row (1980-2003), which has prevented the country from establishing its institutions. The rapid increase in the population of the transboundary countries on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the high demands on agriculture, are accelerating water exploitation. In this paper, the present state of water management in Iraq from the viewpoint of the legislative framework, water balance, and transboundary issues will be discussed, with special attention to Kurdistan. Many legislative documents have been established or amended by the Iraqi and Kurdistan parliaments since 2003. In 2015, the Kurdistan Government Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, in cooperation with the EU, issued a guide for environmental legislation related to all environmental components such as air, water, and soil. The recommendations on actions needed in the water management in Kurdistan will be presented; they are inspired by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC) implemented in EU member states.Web of Science1011art. no. 165

High-resolution coproecology: Using coprolites to reconstruct the habits and habitats of New Zealand’s extinct upland Moa (Megalapteryx didinus)

Knowledge about the diet and ecology of extinct herbivores has important implications for understanding the evolution of plant defence structures, establishing the influences of herbivory on past plant community structure and composition, and identifying pollination and seed dispersal syndromes. The flightless ratite moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) were New Zealand's largest herbivores prior to their extinction soon after initial human settlement. Here we contribute to the knowledge of moa diet and ecology by reporting the results of a multidisciplinary study of 35 coprolites from a subalpine cave (Euphrates Cave) on the South Island of New Zealand. Ancient DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating revealed the coprolites were deposited by the extinct upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus), and span from at least 6,368±31 until 694±30 ¹⁴C years BP; the approximate time of their extinction. Using pollen, plant macrofossil, and ancient DNA analyses, we identified at least 67 plant taxa from the coprolites, including the first evidence that moa fed on the nectar-rich flowers of New Zealand flax (Phormium) and tree fuchsia (Fuchsia excorticata). The plant assemblage from the coprolites reflects a highly-generalist feeding ecology for upland moa, including browsing and grazing across the full range of locally available habitats (spanning southern beech (Nothofagus) forest to tussock (Chionochloa) grassland). Intact seeds in the coprolites indicate that upland moa may have been important dispersal agents for several plant taxa. Plant taxa with putative anti-browse adaptations were also identified in the coprolites. Clusters of coprolites (based on pollen assemblages, moa haplotypes, and radiocarbon dates), probably reflect specimens deposited at the same time by individual birds, and reveal the necessity of suitably large sample sizes in coprolite studies to overcome potential biases in diet interpretation

Infection of cultured and freshwater fishes with monogeneans in Syria

During a survey made in 2004 and 2005 in Syrian fish farms of the Orontes valley and on natural water fishes harvested in the Orontes River and in Lake Assad (a water reservoir of the Euphrates River), 145 specimens of fish belonging to 15 fish species were examined for monogenean infections. Eleven monogenean species (8 Dactylogyrus spp., 1 Silurodiscoides sp. and 2 Cychlidogyrus spp.) were found in the gills. Monogeneans infecting farm-cultured fishes were the same as those commonly occurring in cyprinids (Dactylogyrus anchoratus, D. extensus, D. lamellatus) and filapia (Cychlidogyrus tilapiae, C. arthracan thus) cultured in Europe and in tropical countries. Among monogeneans found in fishes of natural waters, typical representatives of the Tigris-Euphrates Basin (Dactylogyrus carassobarbi, D. holciki) and species common in the Holoarctic zoogeographical zone (D. alatus, D. carpathicus, D. distinguendus and Silurodiscoides vistulensis) were equally found

Water management development and agriculture in Syria

Irrigated agriculture has increased steadily in Syria over the last decades, almost doubling since 1985. This mounting pace has responded to the nation’s food security policy objectives to satisfy the food production needs of an increasing population that features one of the largest growth rates in the world, namely 3,50 percent in 1985 and still 3,39 percent in 2007. Total expenditures for irrigated agriculture accounted for almost 70 percent of all expenditures in agriculture. Sustainable irrigation water policies aimed at increasing the efficiency of water use in agriculture and at conserving water resources by reducing future consumption. The Euphrates River is 2.800 km long and its middle traverses a wide floodplain in Syria, where it is used extensively for irrigation, and the Euphrates Dam is 230 ft (70 m) high. The total estimated water use volume is about 15 billion m3. The Euphrates and Orontes basins account for about 50% and 20% of the water use respectively. About 701.634 ha has been irrigated by ground water in the year 1997. This area represents 60% of the total irrigated land in Syria It has been gradually increased from 30% during 1970 to 44% in 1980 and 49% in 1990. The Government projects extended on 349.820 hectare area, which includes large, medium and small scale farms. The small scale government project is under 2000 hectare, but large scale project over 20.000 hectare areas. The Syrian Government wants to ensure the food supply for sharply increasing population based on established governmental agricultural projects, as state-owned farms. Water balance for Syria indicates that most of the basins are in deficit. This will be exacerbated further especially in basins encompassing large urban areas and if the country’s population continues to grow at its current rate (about 3%) and water use efficiency is not increased effectively.Water utilisation, Water management, Modern irrigation technologies, Benefits of agricultural sector, Governmental supports, Total Renewable Water Resources (TRWR), Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty,

ENERGY AND AGRICULTURAL POLICIES OVER THE TRANSBOUNDARY SURFACE WATER RESOURCES

Allocation of transboundary water resources involves not only the competing parties divided by geographic and administrative boundaries (regional, national and local boundaries) but also takes place among various sectors (agricultural, urban, and industrial etc.) and various time periods (monthly, seasonal, annual). This study uses the Inter-Temporal Euphrates and Tigris River Basin Model (ITETRBM), which is a linear programming model maximizing net economic benefit derived from energy generation, agricultural and urban uses after conveyance costs. While optimally allocating water resources, The ITETRBM enables to pursue various sensitivity analyses in order to measure the impacts of annual changes in the energy and water demand over the countries (Turkey, Syria, Iraq) and sectors (agriculture, urban) in the Euphrates and Tigris River Basin (ETRB). The results present that i) energy and agriculture are two different sectors potentially compete each other, and ii) that competition opens a wide spectrum of water and energy policies in the basin among all countries. The spectrum of policies may cover the issues of a) time preferences of energy generation via hydroelectric power plants especially in the relatively cold upstream countries and b) utilization of alternative energy recourses and their preferential uses in upstream and downstream countries. While managing agriculture and energy sectors, an integrative approach potentially brings a superior allocation solution that provides higher welfare to the basin countries.

International water resources allocation and conflicts - the case of the Euphrates and the Tigris

The Mesopotamia region, within the boundaries of Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, is populated by different ethnic, national, and religious groups (Turks, Arabs, Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites), which have long fought over the control of its fertile lands. Since the early 1970's, there has been an increase in tension among these three countries, primarily related to the sharing of the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. In particular, Turkey's development of Southeastern Anatolia, with water needed for agricultural and energy production projects, has been viewed as a threat to the well-being of Syria and Iraq. This water problem is likely to be exacerbated in the future, when water demand grows in both quantity and quality due to high population growth and urban development. This paper presents a water allocation optimization model, that represents, in network form, the system made of the two rivers and their various consumption (agriculture, urban centers, hydropower plants) and transshipment nodes, including the possibility of transferring water from the Euphrates to the Tigris. The basic model maximizes the aggregate net benefits of the three countries, including the gross benefits from water uses in agriculture, urban functions, and hydroelectricity, minus the costs of water conveyance. The model is formulated as a linear program, and accounts for both evaporation and return flows from consumptive uses. In view of the uncertainty surrounding the values of several parameters (e.g., agricultural benefit derived from using a gallon of water), the model is first used to carry systematic sensitivity analyses to identify the critical parameters. Next, the model is used to generate the net benefit Pareto surface, using multi-objective programming techniques. The systematic analysis of this surface provide information about the benefit trade-offs between any two countries. Finally, cooperative game theory concepts (core, Shapley value, nucleolus) are used to identify stable water allocations, where all three countries find it beneficial to cooperate. These various analyses are carried out under different scenarios related to future energy prices, agricultural production efficiency, and total water availability. The policy implications of the results are discussed, and areas for further research are outlined.