Mixing Small Batches of Pesticide from Concentrate (based on percent active ingredient)

Small hand-pump spray bottles of pesticide in a “readyto- use” dilution are commonly available as a convenience for consumers. Frequently they contain lower concentrations of pesticide than would be recommended for an agricultural use. This is a safety precaution because it is assumed that consumers may over-apply the product. Ready-to-use products may add convenience, but generally they are much more expensive than concentrated products based on the amount of active ingredient. Mixing your own dilutions from concentrated pesticides allows you to choose the concentration of active ingredient, often at a much lower price than pre-mixes

Fumonisins in Corn

This NebFact discusses the causes and occurrences of fumonisin in corn

Production and Use of Flax and Field Peas in Iowa

Most Iowa crop producers now rely on only two crops, corn and soybeans, for their livelihood. This has led to many challenges, including increased pest problems, such as bean leaf beetles and soybean aphids, a skewed distribution of labor throughout the year, and vulnerability to adverse weather and poor prices. It has also become increasingly difficult to compete in the world market when these commodities can be produced at a lower cost in other countries, such as Brazil. Crop producers are continually looking for a third crop to include in their rotation, but either the economics are not favorable or there is not a local market for the crop. It is not likely that only one crop will emerge as the elusive third crop for Iowa. But, it is possible that various third crops are suited to our growing conditions and may be integrated on some farms. The key to adoption will be viable markets for these niche grains, forages, and oilseeds. A change in farm policy, so that integrating additional crops would not threaten long-term profitability and land values would also speed adoption of alternative crops for feed and for niche markets

A Book Review – Digging Deeper into Action Research: A Teacher Inquirer’s Field Guide

Digging Deeper into Action Research proves itself a handy companion for practitioners embarking on the journey of action research. The chapters are organized in logical order, beginning with a brief historical overview of teacher research and its critical contribution to the national dialogue on education. Dana frames educational research as highly contextualized, reminding readers that “outside experts,” those removed from the day-to-day operations of school, have historically set the terms for what counts as research in education (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993)

Diffusion Coefficients of Endogenous Cytosolic Proteins from Rabbit Skinned Muscle Fibers

AbstractEfflux time courses of endogenous cytosolic proteins were obtained from rabbit psoas muscle fibers skinned in oil and transferred to physiological salt solution. Proteins were separated by gel electrophoresis and compared to load-matched standards for quantitative analysis. A radial diffusion model incorporating the dissociation and dissipation of supramolecular complexes accounts for an initial lag and subsequent efflux of glycolytic and glycogenolytic enzymes. The model includes terms representing protein crowding, myofilament lattice hindrance, and binding to the cytomatrix. Optimization algorithms returned estimates of the apparent diffusion coefficients, D(r,t), that were very low at the onset of diffusion (∼10−10 cm2 s−1) but increased with time as cytosolic protein density, which was initially high, decreased. D(r,t) at later times ranged from 2.11 × 10−7 cm2 s−1 (parvalbumin) to 0.20 × 10−7 cm2 s−1 (phosphofructose kinase), values that are 3.6- to 12.3-fold lower than those predicted in bulk water. The low initial values are consistent with the presence of complexes in situ; the higher later values are consistent with molecular sieving and transient binding of dissociated proteins. Channeling of metabolic intermediates via enzyme complexes may enhance production of adenosine triphosphate at rates beyond that possible with randomly and/or sparsely distributed enzymes, thereby matching supply with demand

European Shark Fisheries: A Preliminary Investigation into Fisheries, Conversion Factors, Trade Products, Markets and Management Measures

Recommends new regulations to prevent shark finning -- an illegal practice in which a shark's fins are removed and its carcass dumped at sea -- and stresses the urgent need for effective shark conservation measures

Canopy Interception of Acid Deposition in Southern Ontario

The impact of tree canopies on acid deposition was examined. Differences in the chemical composition of unintercepted precipitation (dustfall) and canopy was intercepted precipitation (throughfall) at 18 southern Ontario forests, collected during the summers of 1995-1996, were chemically analyzed. The methodology of collection and analysis validated using consistency checks for interception loss, maintenance of electrical neutrality and ion correlation. T-test analyses found throughfall fluxes of K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and NO3- were significantly higher than dustfall flux (p < 0.05), consistent with other studies. Barrie and nearby sites at Orillia and Bracebridge had larger dustfall depositions of base cations and Cl- suggesting a nearby source of these ions. T-tests revealed large exceedances of pH and sulphate concentration in dustfall over throughfall at the two Scarborough sites; a local point source of sulphates in the Greater Toronto Area was suspected

Impact of Corn Silage Inclusion on Finishing Cattle Performance

Cattle fed high grain diets with little to no roughage are typically at greater risk for acidosis and reduced dry matter intake and average daily gain. An individual feeding study was conducted to compare different inclusions of corn silage used as a roughage source on finishing performance and liver abscess rate. Treatments consisted of 3 inclusions of corn silage at 0, 7.5 and 15% of the diet DM and a control treatment with 7.5% alfalfa. There were no differences for live animal performance or carcass characteristics. There were also no differences in liver abscess incidence. Feeding corn silage at 15% gave similar performance responses compared to 7.5% alfalfa. These data suggest that roughage is not required in a finishing diet when feeding individual animals

Production cow-calf responses from perennial forage-based and integrated beef-cropping systems

An experiment was conducted to measure production responses of an alternative cow-calf production system integrated into a cropping system without access to perennial forage compared to a traditional cow-calf system utilizing perennial forage. Multiparous, cross-bred beef cows (n = 160; average age = 6.2 ± 2.8 yr) were utilized in a randomized complete block experimental design and unstructured treatment design. Upon initiation, cows were blocked by age and stratified by source, assigned randomly to one of two production systems, each with four replicates (n = 20 cows/replicate). Once allotted to their treatment groups, cows remained in their experimental units for the duration of the experiment. Treatments were: 1) a traditional system consisting of April to May calving with smooth bromegrass pasture and grazed corn residue as forage resources (TRAD); 2) an alternative system consisting of July to August calving utilizing partial-drylot feeding, summer-planted oats, and corn residue grazing (ALT). There were no differences (P ≥ 0.27) in calving rates (91.8 vs. 86.7 ± 2.92%), pregnancy rates (89.3 vs. 89.9 ± 2.66%), and weaning rates (87.2 vs. 82.3 ± 3.29%) for TRAD vs. ALT, respectively. However, there was an increase (P = 0.04) in the rate of twin offspring in ALT (2.9 vs. 9.4 ± 2.36% for TRAD vs. ALT, respectively). One calf from the set of twins was selected randomly at birth to be removed from the experiment, so the production data are only from single calves. There was no difference (P = 0.47) in calf body weight at birth (40 vs. 39 ± 0.7 kg for TRAD vs. ALT, respectively). At weaning, calves in the ALT system were lighter (P \u3c 0.01) at the same day of age (184 vs. 229 ± 5.5 kg) compared to TRAD calves. Cows from the ALT system had fewer (P \u3c 0.01) kg weaned per cow exposed to bull (150 vs. 199 ± 7.2 kg) compared to TRAD cows. Apart from the twinning rate, no differences in reproductive performance were observed among systems. However, reduced weaning weights and kilogram of weaned calf per cow exposed may negatively impact revenue to the cow-calf enterprise of the ALT system