Evaluating Animal Agriculture Impacts on Water Quality: Data Gaps in West Central Minnesota Case Study

Balancing the economic and food system contributions of animal agriculture with negative impacts such as water quality degradation has been a recurring question in Minnesota and other agricultural states (e.g., Iowa and North Carolina). Over the past 15 years significant federal- and state-level changes in the regulation of animal feeding operations (AFOs) and associated practices have attempted to improve water quality. The impacts of these changes are unclear; therefore, the main purpose of this project was to evaluate policies designed to protect water quality from manure runoff and spills within the context of a manageable geographic area. Project work was based on manure reports and other publicly available data (2010–2011) on large AFOs in nine counties that encompass the Pomme de Terre River and Chippewa River watersheds in west central Minnesota. Based on summarizing and evaluating the completeness of annual manure reports, and an understanding of the distribution of and practices surrounding manure in the study area, it is clear that there has been progress in the form of collecting more information about manure generation and related practices, as well as keeping large AFOs farther from open water and perennial streams. However, there are still major data gaps (e.g., incomplete information about application methods, and a lack of water quality monitoring during the manure application season) that prevent more thorough evaluation of the effectiveness of manure application practices and AFO siting policies. Funding is required from the Minnesota legislature to enable the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, local watershed groups, and producers to collaboratively address these data gaps; to compile, compare, and evaluate manure application best practices; and to revisit state policy related to siting AFOs near conduits to surface waters. The research in this article was supported by a grant from CURA’s Faculty Interactive Research Program

Wastewater Challenges in Small Minnesota Communities: Wastewater Treatment Operator Survey Results and Affordability Analysis

Well-maintained and properly functioning wastewater systems are critical infrastructure because they protect public health and make local economic development possible in small communities. Such systems, however, can also be expensive and difficult for small communities to keep up with. The purpose of this study was to assess regulatory, structural, operational, and affordability challenges associated with municipal wastewater infrastructure in small Minnesota communities. The findings of this study are based on data from three major sources: 1) a survey of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operators, 2) the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Water Infrastructure Needs Survey (MPCA WINS), and 3) the 2011-2015 American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau).https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/cst/1080/thumbnail.jp

Stevens County Food Assessment

This report is the culmination of a year-long community food assessment conducted by staff, students, and faculty at the University of Minnesota Morris, and informed by an advisory council made up of key local stakeholders. The main goal of the community food assessment is to describe food security in Stevens County at both community and individual scales. This assessment examines what food is grown in the county, what food is available, where food can be obtained in various forms, accessibility and affordability of food, as well as county residents’ experiences with and thoughts and suggestions about food. Findings summarized below rely on several different types of data, including a household food security survey, a survey of prices and availability at area grocery stores, personal communications and observations, and secondary data (e.g., from the US Census Bureau). More details about data collection and the key findings presented below are available in the full version of this report. Based on the (available and newly collected) data for this community food assessment, it is clear that Stevens County does not fit the definition of community food security because many residents are food insecure, food insecure residents tend to share characteristics of marginalized populations, and little of the food consumed in Stevens County is produced and processed in Stevens County. Challenges with community food security are of course not necessarily uniquely to Stevens County, MN as they are at least in part a product of the way our regional, national, and global food supply chains presently function.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/cst/1083/thumbnail.jp

Reciprocal Interaction between Macrophages and T cells Stimulates IFN-γ and MCP-1 Production in Ang II-induced Cardiac Inflammation and Fibrosis

Background: The inflammatory response plays a critical role in hypertension-induced cardiac remodeling. We aimed to study how interaction among inflammatory cells causes inflammatory responses in the process of hypertensive cardiac fibrosis. Methodology/Principal Findings: Infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II, 1500 ng/kg/min) in mice rapidly induced the expression of interferon c (IFN-c) and leukocytes infiltration into the heart. To determine the role of IFN-c on cardiac inflammation and remodeling, both wild-type (WT) and IFN-c-knockout (KO) mice were infused Ang II for 7 days, and were found an equal blood pressure increase. However, knockout of IFN-c prevented Ang II-induced: 1) infiltration of macrophages and T cells into cardiac tissue; 2) expression of tumor necrosis factor a and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and 3) cardiac fibrosis, including the expression of a-smooth muscle actin and collagen I (all p,0.05). Cultured T cells or macrophages alone expressed very low level of IFN-c, however, co-culture of T cells and macrophages increased IFN-c expression by 19.860.95 folds (vs. WT macrophage, p,0.001) and 20.9 6 2.09 folds (vs. WT T cells, p,0.001). In vitro co-culture studies using T cells and macrophages from WT or IFN-c KO mice demonstrated that T cells were primary source for IFN-c production. Co-culture of WT macrophages with WT T cells, but not with IFN-c-knockout T cells, increased IFN-c production (p,0.01). Moreover, IFN-c produced by T cells amplified MCP-1 expression in macrophages and stimulated macrophag

Extreme events are more likely to affect the breeding success of lesser kestrels than average climate change

Climate change is predicted to severely impact interactions between prey, predators and habitats. In Southern Europe, within the Mediterranean climate, herbaceous vegetation achieves its maximum growth in middle spring followed by a three-month dry summer, limiting prey availability for insectivorous birds. Lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) breed in a time-window that matches the nestling-rearing period with the peak abundance of grasshoppers and forecasted climate change may impact reproductive success through changes in prey availability and abundance. We used Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a surrogate of habitat quality and prey availability to investigate the impacts of forecasted climate change and extreme climatic events on lesser kestrel breeding performance. First, using 14 years of data from 15 colonies in Southwestern Iberia, we linked fledging success and climatic variables with NDVI, and secondly, based on these relationships and according to climatic scenarios for 2050 and 2070, forecasted NDVI and fledging success. Finally, we evaluated how fledging success was influenced by drought events since 2004. Despite predicting a decrease in vegetation greenness in lesser kestrel foraging areas during spring, we found no impacts of predicted gradual rise in temperature and decline in precipitation on their fledging success. Notwithstanding, we found a decrease of 12% in offspring survival associated with drought events, suggesting that a higher frequency of droughts might, in the future, jeopardize the recent recovery of the European population. Here, we show that extreme events, such as droughts, can have more significant impacts on species than gradual climatic changes, especially in regions like the Mediterranean Basin, a biodiversity and climate change hotspotinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chasing Sustainable Sanitiation in Developing Nations

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Ecological Impacts of Reclaimed vs. New Rigid Foam Board Insulation

https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/tafs/1041/thumbnail.jp