Thermal infrared research: Where are we now?

The use of infrared temperatures in agriculture and hydrology is based on the energy balance equation which is used to estimate evapotranspiration and crop stress over small areas within a field as well as large areas. For its full utilization, this measurement must be combined with other spectral data collected at a time resolution sufficient to detect changes in the agricultural or hydrological systems and at a spatial resolution with enough detail to sample within individual fields. The most stringent requirement is that the data be readily available to the user. The spatial resolution necessary for IR measurements to be incorporated into evapotranspiration models to accurately estimate field and regional transpiration or measure crop stress; methods to estimate crop stress and yield over large areas and different cultivars within a species; the temporal resolution adequate for detecting crop stress or inclusion in evapotranspiration models; and ancillary parameters for estimating thermal IR measurements must be investigated

Cropping and livestock systems: Manure and soil quality

Agriculture across the Midwest was founded on the integration of crop and livestock systems. This integration was based on the utilization of crop production for animal feed and utilization of the manure as the nutrient sources for the crops. This same integration of components of the agricultural system exists today but we no longer view these components as an integrated puzzle and tend to consider crop and livestock production as separate systems. The Midwest is one of the most intensive agricultural systems leading in corn and soybean production, dairy, hog and poultry production and can serve as an example of the value of returning to viewing agriculture as an integrated system

Special Issue from the 4\u3csup\u3eth\u3c/sup\u3e USDA Greenhouse Gas Symposium

Greenhouse gases emitted from agricultural and forest systems continue to be a topic of interest because of their potential role in the global climate and the potential monetary return in the form of carbon credits from the adoption of mitigation strategies. There has been a history of excellent conferences as part of the USDA Greenhouse Gas Symposium effort sponsored by the USDA Global Change office with cooperation from different agencies and organizations. Rice (2006) described the contribution of agricultural and forest systems to greenhouse gas emissions and how these inventories serve as a baseline for how we regard the potential impacts of these systems. The continuing increase in worldwide concentrations of CO2 has implications for plant growth and climate feedbacks. Understanding the implications of these changes lead to the theme of the 4th USDA Greenhouse Gas Symposium “Positioning Agriculture and Forestry to meet the Challenges of Climate Change” at the conference held in Baltimore, Maryland from 6–8 Feb. 2007

Where Is Moly?

Is moly in hiding or has it gone down the river? Recent tests in Graves County suggest that it is probably just in hiding. Moly (molybdenum) is of importance to Kentucky farmers because of its unique relation to soil acidity and legume growth. Many other trace or minor elements necessary for plant growth are most available to crops under acid soil conditions. Molybdenum becomes more available as the soil acidity approaches neutrality

Integrating Wellness and Forensics: Tournament Management as a Starting Point

Though wellness on college campuses has begun to gain recognition and support, forensics activities have yet to be influenced by the wellness movement. Starting from the premise that attending forensics tournaments is essentially an \u27unnatural\u27 experience, this paper examines the basic dimensions of the wellness lifestyle as well as provides specific examples of how wellness can be integrated into forensics tournament management practices

Climate Change and the Potential Impact on the Soil Resource

Climatic change will lead to changes in the carbon dioxide C02, temperature, and precipitation. There have been many predictions of the effect of climatic change on plant growth but none on the soil parameters or water use. To fully understand the implications on soil management from climate change the expected changes in soil temperature, water use, and water and nutrient use efficiency need quantification

Soil Tilth and Sustainable Agriculture

Soil tilth is defined as the physical condition of soil as related to its ease of tillage, fitness as a seedbed, and its impedance to seedling emergence and root penetration. Sustainable agriculture has been defined in Iowa as the appropriate use of crop and livestock systems and agricultural inputs supporting those activities which maintain economic and social viability while preserving the high productivity and quality of Iowa\u27s land. Thus, it is not possible to discuss sustainable agriculture without considering soil tilth. Development of a sustainable agricultural system requires a viable and stable soil resource, so we will explore linkages between the two concepts

BIOMASS FOR ELECTRICITY AND PROCESS HEAT AT ETHANOL PLANTS

Published in: Applied Engineering in Agriculture, Vol. 22(5): 723-728Biomass, Process heat, Ethanol production, Electricity, Combined heat and power, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Reframing competitive critical analyses: An argument for education-application based methods for speech writing in CA and Rhetorical Criticism

This project offers a contemporary exemplar that students and coaches in competitive speech, specifically in the events of rhetorical criticism or communication analysis can use to help reframe traditional notions or methods of how to write a speech for competition. I contend that the event in competition has become too “cookie-cutter” and devoid of innovation or “thinking outside the box,” which can limit the educational experience for our students. Thus, this project begins as a full critical analysis employing the theoretical framework of public memory and follows with a discussion of how a student in competitive speech could approach the event with a broader and more open notion of how to conduct an analysis. Finally, I offer suggestions to coaches and teachers in the event or the classroom for rhetorical criticism about how to guide students towards a more scholarly understanding of critical investigation and provide an exemplar that begins to re-frame the writing process of rhetorical criticism