Selecting Blackberry Cultivars for Utah

This fact sheet explains that blackberries can be successfully grown in Utah and can be a profitable fresh-market crop. It includes blackberry biology, results of the Kaysville cultivar trial study, and a description of the various cultivars

Low adherence with antihypertensives in actual practice: the association with social participation – a multilevel analysis

BACKGROUND: Low adherence is a key factor in explaining impaired effectiveness and efficiency in the pharmacological treatment of hypertension. However, little is known about which factors determine low adherence in actual practice. The purpose of this study is to examine whether low social participation is associated with low adherence with antihypertensive medication, and if this association is modified by the municipality of residence. METHODS: 1288 users of antihypertensive medication were identified from The Health Survey in Scania 2000, Sweden. The outcome was low adherence with antihypertensives during the last two weeks. Multilevel logistic regression with participants at the first level and municipalities at the second level was used for analyses of the data. RESULTS: Low social participation was associated with low adherence with antihypertensives during the last two weeks (OR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.05–3.99), independently of low educational level. However, after additional adjustment for poor self-rated health and poor psychological health, the association between low social participation and low adherence with antihypertensives during the last two weeks remained but was not conclusive (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 0.90–3.61). Furthermore, the association between low social participation and low adherence with antihypertensives during the last two weeks varied among municipalities in Scania (i.e., cross-level interaction). CONCLUSION: Low social participation seems to be associated with low adherence with antihypertensives during the last two weeks, and this association may be modified by the municipality of residence. Future studies aimed at investigating health-related behaviours in general and low adherence with medication in particular might benefit if they consider area of residence

A Framework for Action: Addressing Skills Shortages in British Columbia

British Columbia’s economy is at risk of a shortfall in future economic production due to increasing skills gaps and mismatches. The fact that the province faces this growing problem is evidence of a historical lack of policy directed toward providing the workforce with proper skills training. Now is the time for the government, private enterprise and postsecondary institutions to band together to help solve this encroaching issue. If a concerted effort does not take place, British Columbia’s economy will be more reliant on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which will diminish opportunities for citizens residing in this province. Stakeholders must work toward building the economy internally and providing students with the skills that will help them become economically competitive. The research presented in this analysis shows that certain sectors in British Columbia face looming skills shortages that will continue to widen in the future. The provincial government’s Labour Market Outlook 2012-2022 argues that firms will need to fill up to one million job openings over the course of this decade. Despite the fact that the province has one of the highest post-secondary educated workforces in the country, people are finding it difficult to translate education to employment. The qualitative research methodology that is utilized for this analysis also explores relevant literature on the steps that other jurisdictions have taken to deal with similar issues in productivity, and the benefits of experiential learning. The analysis recommends a set of policy proposals that should be utilized by stakeholders in the province to help ensure that British Columbians are receiving the training they need to be globally competitive. This includes reform of the education system, with a broader focus on properly skilling and placing students with economically competitive jobs. The project calls for the implementation of an expert working group to better assess labour market strengths and weaknesses as well as explore policy alternatives, the adoption of the sponsor-a-school policy to help facilitate more experiential learning opportunities for students enrolled in post-secondary institutions, and the establishment of a skills coordinator office that will serve as a quality assurance mechanism. The funding for these policies will require a redirection in the education and training spending that the province currently distributes each year. These targets are feasible, but it will take a strong coordinated effort to dedicate the time and resources that are necessary for success. The provincial government has already undertaken its effort to market the Jobs Blueprint, which has been an accepted economic stimulus effort to reform the province’s education and training structure. The policies set out in this analysis will strengthen the blueprint and be marketed as support for the future economic prosperity of British Columbia. Change is necessary; change is essential; and change is what these policies will accomplish.Ye

A Comparison of 16 Summer-Bearing Raspberry Cultivars for Northern Utah

This fact sheet compares summer-bearing raspberry cultivars for northern Utah, including their winter hardiness, yield, fruit quality and resistance to common insects and diseases

Establishing Peach Trees for Organic Production in Utah and the Intermountain West

Adequate weed control and nutrient supply are critical for successful establishment of fruit trees. This is of particular concern in organic orchard establishment. In order to determine the best approach for establishing peach trees (Prunus persica L.) organically in climates characterized by hot dry summers and cold winters such as the North American Intermountain West, seven organic and three integrated and conventional treatment combinations were established in two first leaf orchards at the USU Kaysville Research Farm, Utah, in 2008 and 2009. Treatments consisted of different tree-row and alleyway mulch and fertilizer combinations. Compost or conventional fertilizer (16-16-16 and urea) were applied at a baseline rate of 4.9, 9.6, 19 g and 114 g of available nitrogen (N) per 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th leaf tree respectively and adjusted up or down on a plot basis based on tree growth. Compost was supplemented with a feather meal 13-0-0 fertilizer starting in year three to avoid over application of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Organic experiment tree growth was initially slowed by living and straw mulches present in the tree-row. By 2011, 3rd leaf trees were largest in treatments with Birdsfoot trefoil alleyways, despite considerable tree-row weed/living mulch pressure. In the integrated experiment, trees were larger in the compost plus conventional herbicide compared to conventional fertilizer and herbicide treatment. Paper mulch depressed tree growth in combination with both compost and conventional N sources, but more so in combination with compost and organic herbicide where weed control was moderate. Weed pressure not lack of N was determined to limit organic tree growth in this study. A trefoil alleyway may alleviate the need for intensive weed control when establishing organic peach orchards