Topic Modeling the President: Conventional and Computational Methods

Legal and policy scholars modeling direct actions into substantive topic classifications thus far have not employed computational methods. To compare the results of their conventional modeling methods with the computational method, we generated computational topic models of all direct actions over time periods other scholars have studied using conventional methods, and did the same for a case study of environmental-policy direct actions. Our computational model of all direct actions closely matched one of the two comprehensive empirical models developed using conventional methods. By contrast, our environmental-case-study model differed markedly from the only empirical topic model of environmental-policy direct actions using conventional methods, revealing that the conventional methods model included trivial categories and omitted important alternative topics. Provided a sufficiently large corpus of documents is used, our findings support the assessment that computational topic modeling can reveal important insights for legal scholars in designing and validating their topic models of legal text. To be sure, computational topic modeling used alone has its limitations, some of which are evident in our models, but when used along with conventional methods, it opens doors towards reaching more confident conclusions about how to conceptualize topics in law. Drawing from these results, we offer several use cases for computational topic modeling in legal research. At the front end, researchers can use the method to generate better and more complete topic-model hypotheses. At the back end, the method can effectively be used, as we did, to validate existing topic models. And at a meta-scale, the method opens windows to test and challenge conventional legal theory. Legal scholars can do all of these without the machines, but there is good reason to believe we can do it better with them in the toolkit

Hemp Flower Variety Trial

Hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of Cannabis sativa L. The crop is one of historical importance in the U.S. and re-emerging worldwide importance as medical providers and manufacturers seek hemp as a renewable and sustainable resource for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. Hemp grown for all types of end-use (health supplement, fiber, and seed) contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some hemp varieties intended to produce a health supplement contain relatively high concentrations of a compound called cannabidiol (CBD), potentially 10-15%. The compound CBD has purported benefits such as relief from inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures, spasms, and other conditions. The CBD compound is the most concentrated in the female flower buds of the plant, however, it is also in the leaves and other plant parts as well. To produce hemp for flower, the plant is generally grown intensively as a specialty crop and the flowers are cultivated for maximum growth. The various cannabinoids and terpenes concentrated in the flower buds are often extracted and incorporated into topical products (salves, lip balm, lotion) and food and is available in pill capsules, powder form, and more, which can be found in the market today. To help farmers succeed, agronomic research on hemp is needed in the United States. University of Vermont, in partnership with the CASE Institute (https://www.caseinstitute.org/), evaluated 27 different hemp varieties for their growth habit, pest tolerance, flower yields, and flower quality. Please note that there are 3 autoflower varieties, which are included for comparison with the full-term plants. They are not part of the statistical analysis, which is why they are not part of the full-term hemp cultivar count

2020 Hemp Flower Variety Trial

Hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of Cannabis sativa L. The crop is one of historical importance in the U.S. and re-emerging worldwide importance as medical providers and manufacturers seek hemp as a renewable and sustainable resource for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. Hemp grown for all types of end-use (health supplement, fiber, and seed) contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some hemp varieties intended to produce a health supplement contain relatively high concentrations of a compound called cannabidiol (CBD), potentially 10-15%. The compound CBD has purported benefits such as relief from inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures, spasms, and other conditions. The CBD compound is the most concentrated in the female flower buds of the plant, however, it is also in the leaves and other plant parts as well. To produce hemp for flower, the plant is generally grown intensively as a specialty crop and the flowers are cultivated for maximum growth. The various cannabinoids and terpenes concentrated in the flower buds are often extracted and incorporated into topical products (salves, lip balm, lotion) and food and is available in pill capsules, powder form, and more, which can be found in the market today. To help farmers succeed, agronomic research on hemp is needed in the United States. University of Vermont, in partnership with the CASE Institute (https://www.caseinstitute.org/), evaluated 27 different hemp varieties for their growth habit, pest tolerance, flower yields, and flower quality. Please note that there are 3 autoflower varieties, which are included for comparison with the full-term plants. They are not part of the statistical analysis, which is why they are not part of the full-term hemp cultivar count

Hemp Flower Fungicide Evaluation Trial

Hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of Cannabis sativa L. The crop is one of historical importance in the U.S. and re-emerging worldwide importance as medical providers and manufacturers seek hemp as a renewable and sustainable resource for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. Hemp grown for all types of end-use (health supplement, fiber, and seed) contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Hemp varieties intended to produce a health supplement contain relatively high concentrations of a compound called cannabidiol (CBD), potentially 10-15%. CBD has purported benefits such as relief from inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures, spasms, and other conditions. The CBD is the most concentrated in the female flower buds of the plant; however, it is also in the leaves and other plant parts as well

SARE Interseeding Cover Crops in Corn Silage Cropping Systems

With increasing focus on minimizing environmental impacts from agriculture, farmers are looking for strategies that are good for farm and environmental viability. Cover cropping is one strategy that has been promoted to help farms improve soil health and minimize soil and nutrient losses to the environment. However, with a short growing season it is often difficult to get an adequate cover cropping following corn silage harvest. Therefore, farmers are interested in using interseeding techniques to establish cover crops into an actively growing corn crop. Being successful with this practice will likely require changes to other aspects of the cropping system such as corn populations, corn relative maturity, and the timing of cover crop seeding. The University of Vermont Extension’s Northwest Crops and Soils Team implemented two field experiments in 2020 to help identify best interseeding practices that support successful cover crop establishment without sacrificing corn silage yields

Annual and Perennial Forage System Impact on Soil Health and Corn Silage Yield

Producing high quality forage crops is exceedingly challenging in Vermont as climate change progresses with more precipitation, faster rates of precipitation, and higher annual temperatures (Faulkner, 2014). Organic farmers in the NE need reliable strategies for increasing quality forage production and decreasing risks associated with extreme weather events and pest outbreaks. Organic farmers who rely on pasture-based forage systems have reported challenges with meeting the dry matter and nutrient requirements of livestock due to short-term droughts and prolonged periods of soil wetness. Increasing forage crop diversity and integrating annual forage crops into perennial-based systems can help to increase forage reserves and protect against weather related crop stress, pest outbreaks, and feed price volatility. Although annual crops can have many benefits it is possible these systems can increase weed pressure and decrease soil health. The objectives of this trial were to compare soil quality, weed pressure, and yields of corn silage following annual or perennial based forage systems

Milkweed Production Trials

Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a plant native to North America and has recently become the focus of conservation programs, as Milkweed is the sole food source for declining populations of Monarch butterfly larvae. Milkweed (Image 1) has long been a foe of agricultural operations and as a result, populations have been on the decline throughout the United States. To increase the abundance and scale of conservation plantings of milkweed, the Natural Resource and Conservation Service (NRCS) has developed an incentive program to compensate landowners for establishing perennial monarch habitat including planting milkweed. Landowners in northern Vermont have a unique opportunity to expand milkweed acreage by producing it as a crop. The silky fiber (floss) from the milkweed plant has a wide variety of oil/chemical absorbent and clothing applications. The floss has insulative properties similar to goose down due to its unique hollow fiber structure which also makes it incredibly light. Furthermore, the floss is equipped with a natural water-repellant waxy coating that allows it to be waterproof while absorbing hydrophobic liquids such as petroleum products. Producing milkweed as a crop will require farms to learn best techniques for cultivating milkweed versus the techniques they currently know which is to eliminate at first sight

Legume Variety Trial

In 2017, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Team initiated a trial investigating forage yield and quality of varieties of different legume species seeded in monocultures. The species selected were alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, red clover, and white clover. These legumes were chosen as they have been shown in previous research to have adequate survivability and forage production in this region. Organic and grass-based dairy systems rely on legumes to help provide balanced nutrition to their animals while also reducing the crop’s need for additional nitrogen compared to a pure grass stand. This information therefore, may help enhance forage production and quality thereby reducing producers’ forage and supplemental feed costs. These varieties were selected and seeded in the late summer of 2017 and were ready for harvest in the 2018 growing season

Soybean Cover Crop Trial

In 2018, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program investigated the impact of various cover crop mixtures on a subsequent soybean crop’s yield and quality at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT. Soybeans are grown for human consumption, animal feed, and biodiesel and can be a useful rotational crop in corn silage and grass production systems. As cover cropping expands throughout Vermont, it is important to understand the potential benefits, consequences, and risks associated with growing cover crops in various cropping systems. In an effort to support the local soybean market and to gain a better understanding of cover cropping in soybean production systems, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crop and Soils (NWCS) Program, as part of a grant from the Eastern Soybean Board, established a trial in 2018 to investigate the impacts on soybean yield and quality following annual cover crop mixtures with a soybean crop