Hop Pest Scouting Report

During the 2016 growing season, the major pest challenges we encountered at the hop yard at the Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, Vermont were two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae), and hop downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora humuli)

Parents and Children Together: Design and Implementation of Two Healthy Marriage Programs

The Parents and Children Together (PACT) evaluation, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for the Office of Research, Planning, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is examining a set of Healthy Marriage (HM) and Responsible Fatherhood (RF) grantees funded by ACF's Office of Family Assistance (OFA) in 2011. Recognizing that grantees' programs continue to grow and develop, the PACT evaluation aims to provide foundational information to guide ongoing and future program design and evaluation efforts, and to build the evidence base for programming

Hop Harvest Timing

In the Northeast, hop harvest generally begins in mid-August and continues through mid-September. Harvest date is primarily dependent on the hop variety but weather can delay or hasten maturation and impact when harvest will occur. In addition to weather, various pests, such as spider mites and downy mildew, can similarly impact harvest timing. The time at which you harvest hops can affect the various qualities of your finished product. Alpha and beta acid content peaks before many essential oils have fully developed. Delaying harvest can provide time for these oils to develop but increases the amount of time the hops are left vulnerable to disease and fall rains which can result in degradation of resins

Sunflower Insect Monitoring Projects

During the 2013 growing season, UVM Extension’s Northwest Crops & Soils Program conducted studies to document the prevalence and impact of sunflower insect pests. Understanding the pest pressures unique to this region is crucial in producing a viable crop. Surveys of sunflower fields in the Northeast have shown that though plant populations are similar to the national averages, estimated yields are lower, primarily due to pest issues. Entire sunflower fields have been lost to pest pressures such as birds, weeds, insects, and disease, but Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies can help sunflower growers mitigate these problems

Do lemurs know when they could be wrong? An investigation of information seeking in three species of lemur (<i>Lemur catta, Eulemur rubriventer, </i>and<i> Varecia variegata</i>)

Sixteen lemurs, including representatives from three species (Lemur catta, Eulemur rubriventer, Varecia variegata), were presented with a food seeking task where information about the rewards location, in one of two plastic tubes, was either known or not known. We evaluated whether lemurs would first look into the tube prior to making a choice. This information-seeking task aimed to assess whether subjects would display memory awareness, seeking additional information when they became aware they lacked knowledge of the rewards location. We predicted lemurs would be more likely to look into the tube when they had insufficient knowledge about the rewards position. Lemurs successfully gained the reward on most trials. However, they looked on the majority of trials regardless of whether they had all the necessary information to make a correct choice. The minimal cost to looking may have resulted in checking behaviour both to confirm what they already knew and to gain knowledge they did not have. When the cost of looking increased (elevating end of tube requiring additional energy expenditure to look inside - Experiment 2), lemurs still looked into tubes on both seen and unseen trials; however, the frequency of looking increased when opaque tubes were used (where they could not see the rewards location after baiting). This could suggest they checked more when they were less sure of their knowledge state

Hop Crowning Trial

Downy mildew has been identified as the primary pathogen plaguing our northeastern hop yards. This disease causes reduced yield, poor hop quality, and can cause the plant to die in severe cases. Control measures that reduce disease infection and spread while minimizing the impact on the environment, are desperately needed for the region. Mechanical control is one means to reduce downy mildew pressure in hop yards. Scratching, pruning, or crowning is a practice initiated in the early spring when new growth has just emerged from the soil

Implementation of sensory modulation for de-escalation on an adolescent, female psychiatric inpatient unit.

Background: Epidemiological data suggested high rates of aggressive incidents involving adolescent patients occurred on inpatient psychiatric mental health units. To mitigate these incidents, mental health staff utilized de-escalation techniques to help alleviate distress, yet the data suggested many occurrences resulted in a seclusion or restraint event. Consequently, national healthcare entities and mental health organizations have advocated for eliminating seclusion and restraint practices due to their potential for re-traumatization, injury, or death. Purpose: This evidence-based project aimed to increase nurses\u27 self-efficacy when utilizing sensory modulation as a de-escalation technique for aggressive behavior to reduce the seclusion/restraint rate. Methods: Mental health staff on a female adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit participated in an education session that reviewed the benefits of sensory modulation, the policy and procedure for the sensory room/cart, and the appropriate use of the sensory room/cart. A pre-test/post-test design evaluated the impact of the education session upon mental health staff\u27s beliefs regarding sensory modulation and their self-efficacy in de-escalating agitated patients. After using a sensory cart for one month, the participants completed a second evaluation measuring the impact of the intervention on practice change. Results: A convenience sample of mental health staff (N=22), mental health technicians, nurses, and therapists, participated in the education session and utilization of the sensory cart. A paired samples test evaluated the impact of the education session on participants\u27 scores concerning their beliefs about sensory modulation and their self-efficacy related to de-escalation. The results showed the educational session had a statistically significant impact on staff\u27s beliefs about sensory modulation and de-escalation self-efficacy, as evidenced by the increase in the mean scores on both the sensory beliefs survey and the Clinician Confidence in Coping with Aggression Instrument (CCPAI). Conversely, the follow-up evaluation showed a statistically significant decline in sensory modulation beliefs after one SENSORY MODULATION 4 month of using the intervention. Seclusion/restraint rates declined in the two months following implementation. Discussion: The staff readily adopted the intervention and utilized the sensory cart for de-escalation on average once per day. The results highlighted the importance of providing a thorough education session regarding the benefits of sensory modulation and how to use the sensory cart to increase the self efficacy of staff in using this de-escalation technique. Continued refinement of future educational sessions is needed to address staff concerns about the appropriateness of when to use the sensory cart. Additionally, it is uncertain of the long-term impact on seclusion/restraint rates from one month of data. A more extended evaluation period is needed to fully understand the effect of the intervention on seclusion/restraint rates

Hop Biofungicide Trial

Downy mildew has been identified as the primary pathogen plaguing northeastern hop yards. This disease causes reduced yield, poor hop quality, and, in severe cases, plant death. Control measures that reduce disease incidence and have a low environmental impact are desperately needed for the region. Regular application of protectant fungicide sprays is an effective method for managing downy mildew pressure in hop yards. However, regular chemical applications can lead to residual toxicity in the soil and have a negative effect on beneficial organisms. Extended use of protectant and curative fungicides can also lead to pathogen resistance. The goal of this project was to evaluate the efficacy of organic approved biofungicides with a variety of active ingredients for control of downy mildew in hops

Hop Optimal Irrigation Trial

Hops reportedly use about 610 to 715 mm (24 to 28 inches) of water per year (Evans 2003). Rainfall can contribute to this total, however, due to climatic variability, it is important that hops are irrigated regularly to combat moisture stress. Moisture deficit during the hop growing season has been shown to cause reductions in hop cone yield (Hnilickova et al. 2009). Irrigation systems can help to alleviate some of the potential drought stress, but timing of water application is just as important as the amount of water hops are receiving. Hops require the majority of their water in the critical period between training and flowering for optimal vegetative growth. The hop yard is irrigated through a well-fed drip irrigation system, which delivers 3000 gal ac-1 each week, beginning in late May. Over the 14-week irrigation period, this equates to 1.54 inches of water, or 0.11 inches each week, which is well below the 23.5 inches required, adjusting for potential evapotranspiration. The goal of this project was to evaluate differences in yield, insect pests, and disease presence between plants at the Borderview Research Farm that were watered at the optimal level, and plants that were irrigated at the level sustained by the on-farm well