Production Practices of Arkansas Beef Cattle Producers

This report contains information from a 1996 survey on production practices of Arkansas beef cattle producers. While several studies have been completed on the profitability of retained ownership of beef cattle, few empirical data are available on production practices of cow/calf and stocker operations in Arkansas. This report shows that there are some differences in production methods across operation types. Further, the report summarizes demographic characteristics of Arkansas cow/calf and stocker operations. The results of this study can be particularly helpful in providing the needed data for studying the potential economic impact of feeding weaned calves to heavier weights in Arkansas as a value-added production alternative to selling calves at weaning. It should also prove helpful in the formulation of budgets and simulation models

FACTORS AFFECTING THE ADOPTION OF VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTION ON COW-CALF FARMS

Factors that affect the decision to feed or sell calves at weaning are analyzed for Arkansas cow-calf operators. A discrete choice logit model is used to analyze the adoption of value-added cattle production. Farm size, human capital, perception of risk/returns and enterprise diversification are hypothesized to explain this decision. Regional factors and land quality are also accounted for. Operator perceptions towards risk, profitability and facilities were important. Production control and attention to marketing were also significant, but farm size and scale of cattle production had a minimal impact. Effects of human capital and off-farm labor opportunities need further investigation.backgrounding, cow-calf production, production control vs. marketing, risk/return relationship, technology adoption, Livestock Production/Industries,

ADOPTION OF BACKGROUNDING ON COW-CALF FARMS

A discrete choice model is used to analyze the decision to feed or sell calves at weaning. After accounting for regional factors, results show that operator perceptions toward profitability, risk, and facilities as well as control over production and attention to marketing impacted retained ownership of calves. Farm size had a minimal impact.Livestock Production/Industries,

Marketing Practices of Arkansas Beef Cattle Producers

This report contains information from a 1996 survey on marketing practices of Arkansas beef cattle producers. While several studies have been completed on the profitability of retained ownership of beef cattle, few data are available on what marketing techniques and decision criteria cow-calf and stocker operations use to market their cattle. This report shows that there are some differences in opinions on marketing issues such as pooled cattle sales and retained ownership across cow-calf and stocker operations. Further, these operations use different sources of information to make marketing decisions. The results of this study can be particularly helpful in providing the needed data for studying the potential economic impact of feeding weaned calves to heavier weights in Arkansas as a value-added marketing alternative to selling calves at weaning

Arkansas Landlord Selection of Land-Leasing Contract Type and Terms

Land leasing is a major source of the land input to production agriculture. Responses from a survey of landlords leasing crop land in Arkansas are analyzed to better understand those factors motivating landlords in the type of lease they select and the terms of those leases. Probit models are estimated to determine the relative importance of variables representing credit constraint, agency problem, and risk aversion factors. Regression models then estimate the impact of site, landlord, and tenant characteristics on contract terms – the percentage of crop and cost sharing arrangements between landlord and tenant. Probit results suggest credit constraint factors influence lease-type selection. Risk aversion, managerial ability, and social capital factors are also supported. Regression models show that land and crop characteristics are significant determinants of contract terms.Land leasing, Probit, Contract, Production agriculture, Land Economics/Use,

CONTRACT CHOICE SELECTION WITH LAND-LEASING AGREEMENTS

This study tests cropland contract hypotheses utilizing a landlord data set. Ordered probit and classical regression models are estimated and presented identifying factors that affect the contract type selection and terms. Results suggest credit constraints are a viable land-leasing hypothesis. Risk aversion, managerial ability, and social capital are also supported.Land Economics/Use,

Optimal Allocation and Scheduling of Irrigation Water for Cotton and Soybeans

This study evaluated alternative irrigation scheduling strategies for cotton and soybean production on Sharkey clay soils in southeast Arkansas. Strategies were ranked on the basis of two basic criteria: expected net revenue and risk efficiency. Risk efficiency was defined for different risk preferences using stochastic dominance techniques. Preferred strategies for cotton employed tensiometer thresholds between -.45 atm and -.75 atm. Risk efficient soybean irrigation strategies varied with the degree of risk aversion--more risk averse decision makers prefer strategies with lower thresholds

Practice of sedation and analgesia in German intensive care units: results of a national survey

INTRODUCTION: Sedation and analgesia are provided by using different agents and techniques in different countries. The goal is to achieve early spontaneous breathing and to obtain an awake and cooperative pain-free patient. It was the aim of this study to conduct a survey of the agents and techniques used for analgesia and sedation in intensive care units in Germany. METHODS: A survey was sent by mail to 261 hospitals in Germany. The anesthesiologists running the intensive care unit were asked to fill in the structured questionnaire about their use of sedation and analgesia. RESULTS: A total of 220 (84%) questionnaires were completed and returned. The RAMSAY sedation scale was used in 8% of the hospitals. A written policy was available in 21% of hospitals. For short-term sedation in most hospitals, propofol was used in combination with sufentanil or fentanyl. For long-term sedation, midazolam/fentanyl was preferred. Clonidine was a common part of up to two-thirds of the regimens. Epidural analgesia was used in up to 68%. Neuromuscular blocking agents were no longer used. CONCLUSION: In contrast to the US 'Clinical practice guidelines for the sustained use of sedatives and analgesics in the critically ill adult', our survey showed that in Germany different agents, and frequently neuroaxial techniques, were used

An annotated bird checklist for Gam island, Raja Ampat, including field notes on species monitoring and conservation

Species checklists are a fundamental component of biodiversity research. They foster understanding of species distributions and habitat preferences, thus reducing gaps of knowledge in geographical occurrences of species. Especially in light of the limited availability of data on species distributions for Tanah Papua, an increasing scientific focus on the region is crucial to foster and refine the knowledge of species occurrences and to inform potential conservation planning. Despite a strong focus on conservation of Raja Ampat´s marine areas, surprisingly few studies have focused on the terrestrial biodiversity of the archipelago. As a consequence, detailed species checklists are largely missing. Here, we provide a preliminary bird species checklist for the island of Gam and its surrounding islands, located in the central Raja Ampat archipelago. During nine sampling periods between 2013 and 2019, we recorded 132 bird species in six distinct habitat types. Of the detected species, six are considered threatened by IUCN Red List criteria. We further recorded three new species for Gam Island, thereby expanding their known extent of occurrence

Both Size and GC-Content of Minimal Introns Are Selected in Human Populations

Background: We previously have studied the insertion and deletion polymorphism by sequencing no more than one hundred introns in a mixed human population and found that the minimal introns tended to maintain length at an optimal size. Here we analyzed re-sequenced 179 individual genomes (from African, European, and Asian populations) from the data released by the 1000 Genome Project to study the size dynamics of minimal introns. Principal Findings: We not only confirmed that minimal introns in human populations are selected but also found two major effects in minimal intron evolution: (i) Size-effect: minimal introns longer than an optimal size (87 nt) tend to have a higher ratio of deletion to insertion than those that are shorter than the optimal size; (ii) GC-effect: minimal introns with lower GC content tend to be more frequently deleted than those with higher GC content. The GC-effect results in a higher GC content in minimal introns than their flanking exons as opposed to larger introns ($125 nt) that always have a lower GC content than that of their flanking exons. We also observed that the two effects are distinguishable but not completely separable within and between populations. Conclusions: We validated the unique mutation dynamics of minimal introns in keeping their near-optimal size and GC content, and our observations suggest potentially important functions of human minimal introns in transcript processin