Building Partnerships to Address Social and Technological Challenges to Enhance Farm Profitability and Improve Water Quality Through Better Grassland Management

With 2.1 million acres of pastureland and 1.25 million acres of hay land in Virginia, the rural Virginia landscape is predominately grassland. These lands form the base of the $3.96 billion-dollar livestock and dairy industry in Virginia. Managing these livestock in a profitable manner for farmers and beneficial to the environment is important. A cultural tradition with roots in colonial times has been to run animals in large fields year-round throughout Virginia. Livestock often graze from spring until fall (about 220 days), and farmers feed hay the remainder of the year. Spikes in the cost of fuel, fertilizer, and equipment are making traditional grazing/haying systems less profitable. The Virginia Cooperative Extension Farm Enterprise budgets show that that the cost of hay accounts for over 50$75 per cow by extending their grazing season. The same phenomenon applies to other types of grazing livestock. If ten percent of the livestock producers in the state adopted better grazing management to extend their grazing season by 60 days, profitability is expected for Virginia grazing livestock producers by over $5 million per year. Practices such as rotational grazing and stream exclusion are directly tied to National and State goals to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia’s Phase III WIP (Chesapeake Bay Watershed Improvement Plan) seeks the exclusion of livestock from all perennial streams and achieving good rotational grazing practices on 347,000 acres of pasture. A number of agencies and private sector groups have been providing cost share and technical guidance to incentivize livestock stream exclusion and the installation of pasture management infrastructure. Installation is only part of the challenge. Farmers also need to be taught how to how to manage the system in a profitable manner and have been slow to adopt good pasture management practices. Preliminary data show that 87% of Virginia’s cow-calf producers manage their grasslands using traditional methods. Only six percent have extended their grazing season beyond 265 days

Trichomanes krausii Hook et Grev.

Nicaragua, Matagalpa, La Fundadora, Road La Fundadora, Sta. María de Ostuma, Cordillera Central de Niacaragua. LAT (0) N; LONG (0) W. ALT (1300 - 1500). Cloud forest area. Repent on tree in forest

Trichomanes krausii Hook et Grev.

Nicaragua, Matagalpa, Finca Santa Maria de Ostuma, Cordillera Central de Nicaragua. LAT (0) N; LONG (0) W. ALT (1300 - 1500). "Wet montane cloud forest area. On rotten long in forest. Coll. Nov.30-Dec. 4, 1973.

Trichomanes krausii Hook et Grev.

Nicaragua, Jinotega, Santa Lastenia, Ocotillo, Near Sta. Lastenia, Cordillera Central de Nicaragua. LAT (0) N; LONG (0) W. ALT (1550). Montane rain forest or cloud forest. Epiphyte

Introduction into Food vs. Fuel Discussion and possible Solution Strategies

\u201cFood vs. fuel\u201d summarizes the growing debate concerning the risk of shifting farmland or food crops to biofuel production, decreasing the food supply on a global scale. The international discussion has brought to different positions, each having some good and valid points. Research efforts are currently being deployed in the production of second generation biofuels from non-food crops, crop residues and wastes, which could better harmonize farming for food and for fuel. Moreover, electricity could be generated in situ, being beneficial for rural areas in developing countries. The debate reached a global scale during the 2007\u20132008 world food price crisis. The settlement of food prices despite a growing use of farmland for biofuel production (more than twice larger surfaces) is consistent with several studies showing that biofuel production can significantly be increased without raising agricultural land use. 75%. Food commodity prices were relatively stable after reaching lows in 2000 and 2001. Therefore, rapid food price increases occurring in 2007/2008 were considered unusual. Beyond discussions on food/fuel competition, other important factors, influencing food prices, must be taken into account. As a whole, it may be concluded that developing economies increase their demand of both energy and food, amplifying the market price volatility of food commodities, whose production cannot be regulated in short-term periods

Social Aspects

The economic advantages of producing biofuels for the community are maximized through local investment, ownership and the creation of jobs, all of which keep profits within the community. Other important social issues, such as off-grid electricity and fuel for grain processing, can bring a wide range of welfare benefits to remote rural areas. Among biofuel scenarios, biodiesel and vegetable oil seem to be preferable concerning social issues, with respect to bioethanol. For instance, the Brazilian agro-energy plan 2006-2011 addresses specific issues of social improvement in association with biodiesel development. In Africa, some studies referring to the situation of Mozambique showed that the development of biofuel production can lead to significant welfare benefits. However, considerable risks associated with biofuel crops are worth mentioning. Social risks comprise effects of land use changes, particularly if indigenous people are expropriated and pressure is put on scarce natural resources such as water and good quality soil. Food insecurity is an issue receiving more and more attention. Furthermore, food prices can rise, putting more pressure on poorer communities in urban areas. It may be concluded that in the mid to long term the biofuels may lead to significant social benefits, especially in developing countries. However, the expansion of this sector must be strictly ruled by adequate policy: primarily to control the share of food vs. fuel in the allocation of cropland; secondly, to avoid unbalances in income distribution; thirdly, to insure that land ownership and rights are respected and that welfare and security of local communities are held as key issue of any initiative. Several case studies are presented, to better elucidate the concepts: among the favourable cases, a community project in Mozambique (ADPP Project, Bilibiza), the transformation of local Jatropha into electricity in Mali (Practical Action Consulting, 2009), biofuels and gender issues in India (Banda et al., 2009). Among the unfavourable cases, labour and human rights in Brazil (Amnesty International Report, 2008), elephants under threat in Ethiopia (FoE, 2010) and planting Jatropha in India (FoE, 2009)

Lignin reduction in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) does not affect foliar disease resistance

Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Phytopathological Society in August 2018.Disruptions in the lignin biosynthetic pathway have been shown to reduce disease resistance in a number of crops. Recently, genetically modified alfalfa (Medicago sativa) varieties have been marketed with reduced lignin and improved forage quality traits, including increased digestibility by ruminants at later stages of plant maturity. The objective of this study was to compare foliar disease resistance in three reference alfalfa varieties, 54R02, DKA43-22RR, WL355.RR, and the reduced lignin variety, 54HVX41, to evaluate the effect of the reduced lignin trait on foliar disease resistance. Alfalfa plants in research plots at three locations in Minnesota were evaluated for percent defoliation caused by foliar pathogens at four maturity stages; early bud, bud, early flower, and flowering; with natural inoculum. Spring black stem and leaf spot, Leptosphaerulina leaf spot, and common leaf spot were observed from June through September in all locations on all varieties. Summer black stem and leaf spot was most prevalent in August on all varieties at one location. The amount of defoliation increased with maturity stage for all varieties. When harvest was delayed until the flowering stage, moderate to severe (32 to 64%) leaf loss occurred, depending on location. Alfalfa varieties did not differ in percent defoliation at any maturity stage indicating that the reduced lignin trait did not affect foliar disease resistance