Cool-season Annual Legumes and Forbs for Grazing and Cover Crop Systems

Annual forage legumes and non-leguminous forbs can be used to interseed into perennial forage grasses or as a short-term grazing option between row crop rotations. Diversification of cropping systems by increasing number or type of cover crops in crop rotation plays an important role in improving land-use efficiency and in promoting sustainable agriculture. Legumes and other broadleaf forages provide increased forage digestibility and crude protein as a result of their greater leaf-to-stem ratio. In the Southeast U.S, few novel cultivars have been released in the last 20 years, resulting in the reliance on only a few forage cultivars and species. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) is the most used annual clover in forage mixtures as a result of its high early season productivity. Red clover (T. pratense L.) is also a high producing legume, growing as an annual in much of the Southeast. Ball (T. nigrescens Viv.) and arrowleaf (T. vesiculosum Savi) clovers are used to a much lower extent due to their inconsistent forage production in the Southeast. Other annual forage legumes such as hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and winter pea (Pisum sativum L.) are becoming more commonly used in multi-species forage mixtures. While these forages are popular as cover crop species, reduced yields and lack of grazing tolerance has limited their used in forage systems. Non-leguminous forbs, such as Brassica spp., have increased production in Southeast forage systems tremendously. Research has shown that these forages can produce over 2000 kg DM/ha forage biomass within the first 45 days. Annual forage legumes and forbs are a critical component to any cool-season annual forage mixture in the Southeast. While a few species and cultivars are widely used, there is a critical need for more research needed in cultivar development and agronomic management of these species

Animal and Forage Performance of Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems

Grazing of cool-season cover crops has been shown to be a viable tool for extending the grazing season while mitigating environmental risks associated with row-crop farming systems. Grazing cover crops is not novel, but most recent information available on this practice focuses on soil health as opposed to forage production and animal performance. Research has shown that forage quality of cool-season annual cover crops is sufficient to maintain an average daily gain of at least 1 kg/d and as high as 1.5 kg/d. Forage species selection plays an important role in the success of an integrated crop-livestock system. Grasses typically dominate the stand with over 75% of the mixture, however, other species such as clovers and brassicas provide improved forage quality and ecosystem services such as reduced enteric methane emissions. However, multiple studies have shown that increased fiber fractions have the greatest impact on animal performance and enteric methane emissions, regardless of species in the forage mixture. Grazed cover crop systems allow for grazing of land that otherwise would be void of any livestock and would be out of production for 3-6 months each year. The use of grazed cover crops increases efficiency of land use and greater production output per hectare for producers as a result of cattle income potential. However, cattle performance and effects on the agroecosystem are variable within each system and each grazing system based on cover crop mixture, grazing management, and forage maturity and quality

Elder Financial Exploitation: Implications for Future Policy and Research in Elder Mistreatment

Recent advances in the understanding of elder mistreatment have demonstrated that financial exploitation tends to be one of the most common forms of mistreatment affecting older populations. Agencies such as the World Bank and World Health Organization show significant concern regarding financial exploitation and its connection to physical and emotional injury to victims. The World Bank uses the term “financial violence” as a means of generally describing the harm caused to an individual as a result of financial exploitation or abuse. The proportion of financial exploitation in relation to other forms of elder mistreatment is defined in our research. We discuss the potential impact of elder financial exploitation on victims as well as explore the implications for future research and policy development focused on financial aspects of elder mistreatment and call for further study in the concept of financial exploitation as a violent act

Lessons learned in transitioning to an open systems environment

Software development organizations, both commercial and governmental, are undergoing rapid change spurred by developments in the computing industry. To stay competitive, these organizations must adopt new technologies, skills, and practices quickly. Yet even for an organization with a well-developed set of software engineering models and processes, transitioning to a new technology can be expensive and risky. Current industry trends are leading away from traditional mainframe environments and toward the workstation-based, open systems world. This paper presents the experiences of software engineers on three recent projects that pioneered open systems development for NASA's Flight Dynamics Division of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Development of Forage Curriculum for Extension Educators in the Southeast USA

In the Southeast USA, livestock production is one of the largest agricultural activities, and forages are the primary feed source. Most livestock systems are highly dependent on off-farm inputs to support forage production and animal performance, which elevates production costs and the activity\u27s carbon footprint. There is a strong need to develop forage educational resources to enhance productivity, environmental sustainability, resilience, and profitability of agricultural systems in the region. This multi-disciplinary initiative was a collaboration among several land-grant Universities across the region. The objective was to develop decision tools and provide in-classroom training associated with hands-on demonstrations to Extension agents and agricultural educators in the Southeast. A textbook was developed for the two-day training, and the in-person program was held in Columbiana, AL, through a collaboration among 20 Specialists from several land-grant Universities. The book included basic concepts and management strategies for forages, livestock (e.g., beef, horse, small ruminants), soil, economics, nutrient management, animal genetics, and marketing strategies for forage-based systems. There were 62 participants from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The majority of the participants were Extension agents or educators, and close to half of them had been in the job position for less than five years (n= 28 participants). A significant emphasis was set on newer agents` participation aiming to allow them to address gaps in knowledge. The training sessions supported critical thinking and deepening of knowledge and network. Post-training surveys were applied to gather change in knowledge and feedback from participants and identify potential barriers to be used in structuring future curriculum development and trainings. Regional joint efforts can be a tool to address multi-disciplinary training while incentivizing collaboration across regions for Specialists and agents through their programming activities

Design and Development of an Adhesive Joint Testing Apparatus for Mixed-Mode Evaluation

The present work is dedicated to the development and design of a load jig inspired in theproposed solution by Fernlund and Spelt in order to characterize fracture of bonded joints undermixed-mode I+II loading. The jig allows for easy alteration of the mode-mixity and permits coveringthe full range of mixed-mode I+II combinations. A data reduction scheme based on specimencompliance, beam theory and crack equivalent concept is proposed to overcome several difficultiesinherent to the test analysis. The development was based in a design methodology using numericalvalidation based on experimental data obtained with a Dual Loading Frame from Virginia Tech. Thismethodology is presented and then validated with the experimental application of the jig

In Vitro Methane Production from Heifers Offered Four Bermudagrass Cultivars

Though bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers.) is one of the predominant warm-season perennial forage supporting the southeastern United States livestock production systems, little is known about its influence on parameters of ruminal metabolism, including carbon loss as methane. With the multitude of cultivars of this grass that have been developed and released, one may question whether the physiological cultivar differences will manifest varying results in digestive efficiency and subsequent methane emissions. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro methane (CH4) production as influenced by four bermudagrass cultivars. Ruminally-fistulated heifers (n = 4) were assigned randomly to one of four bermudagrass cultivars (Coastal [COS], Russell [RUS], Tifton 44 [T44], or Tifton 85 [T85]) for four 30-d in vivo periods in a Latin square design. On d 28 of each period, rumen fluid was collected from each heifer for use in CH4 production evaluation. Samples of each bermudagrass, corresponding to the cultivar fed, were weighed into duplicate 10-mL serum bottles and incubated at 39°C for 0, 2, 4, and 24 h. Following incubation, headspace samples were assayed for CH4 concentrations by gas chromatography. There was an interaction of cultivar and time (P \u3c 0.01). There was no difference among cultivars (P \u3c 0.05) at 0, 2, or 4 h of incubation. After 24 h of incubation, however, CH4 concentrations were greater (P \u3c 0.05) from T44 and T85 (7.7 and 6.2 mmol/L, respectively) than from RUS and COS (3.4 and 3.0 mmol/L, respectively). Results are interpreted to mean that cultivar type has an influence on the potential CH4 production of bermudagrass

Speciesistic Veganism: An Anthropocentric Argument

The paper proposes an anthropocentric argument for veganism based on a speciesistic premise that most carnists likely affirm: human flourishing should be promoted. I highlight four areas of human suffering promoted by a carnistic diet: (1) health dangers to workers (both physical and psychological), (2) economic dangers to workers, (3) physical dangers to communities around slaughterhouses, and (4) environmental dangers to communities-at-large. Consequently, one could ignore the well-being of non-human animals and nevertheless recognize significant moral failings in the current standard system of meat production

The independence and interdependence of coacting observers in regard to performance efficiency, workload, and stress in a vigilance task

Objective We investigated performance, workload, and stress in groups of paired observers who performed a vigilance task in a coactive (independent) manner. Background Previous studies have demonstrated that groups of coactive observers detect more signals in a vigilance task than observers working alone. Therefore, the use of such groups might be effective in enhancing signal detection in operational situations. However, concern over appearing less competent than one's cohort might induce elevated levels of workload and stress in coactive group members and thereby undermine group performance benefits. Accordingly, we performed the initial experiment comparing workload and stress in observers who performed a vigilance task coactively with those of observers who performed the vigilance task alone. Method Observers monitored a video display for collision flight paths in a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle control task. Self-reports of workload and stress were secured via the NASA-Task Load Index and the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire, respectively. Results Groups of coactive observers detected significantly more signals than did single observers. Coacting observers did not differ significantly from those operating by themselves in terms of workload but did in regard to stress; posttask distress was significantly lower for coacting than for single observers. Conclusion Performing a visual vigilance task in a coactive manner with another observer does not elevate workload above that of observers working alone and serves to attenuate the stress associated with vigilance task performance. Application The use of coacting observers could be an effective vehicle for enhancing performance efficiency in operational vigilance

Determination of the envelopes for mode-mixity evaluation of adhesively bonded steel

This study is about the effect of the adhesive thickness and adhesive ductility on the mixed mode loading of DoubleCantilever Beam joints.The project is divided into three main tasks. The first task is about the development of a finite element model using acohesive zone model to design an experimental device based on the standard ASTM D6671D.The second task is concerned with the generation of experimental results in mixed mode varying the type of adhesiveand the adhesive thickness. In the third task, the experimental results will be used to develop an adhesive toughnessmodel as a function of the mode mixity.A dual actuator load frame from Virginia Techs Engineering Science & Mechanics Dept. was used to obtain theenvelopes for mode mixity for three different adhesives and thicknesses.A proposal for a data reduction scheme for the determination of the strain energy release rate is presented and validatedin this paper without the need of the experimental measure of the crack length