Malawi Market Link: Understanding small farmers’ profits through an excel model

Malawi is food insecure due, in part, to lack of consistent marketplace access. This essay analyzes a linear simulation model in excel. The purpose of the model is to understand which variables affect the quantity of pigeon peas shipped from farm to market in small villages. The model’s objective function maximizes small farmers’ profits in Malawi. The variables in the model are base price, infrastructure rate, distance traveled, warehouse rate, and days to sell date. Due to inconsistent data in rural Africa, the model’s input variables may be easily changed. For example, the user of the model could see how changes in base price affect the quantity shipped. The quantity shipped is used to calculate the small farmers’ profits. The results of the model show the importance of economies of scale and differences in transportation and warehousing costs

Nitrogen Application Timing and Cereal Rye (\u3cem\u3eSecale Cereale\u3c/em\u3e L.) Cover Crop Influence Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Dryland contributions to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are increased by N fertilizer applications and high soil water contents. Fertilizer timing and spring growth of cover crops prior to cash crop planting were investigated in separate studies to examine impacts on overall GHG emissions using a near continuous measurement system. There was a significant interaction between N fertilizer rate (0 vs. 224 kg N ha-1 surface-applied as urea) and application date (p= 0.01) for CO2 emissions. This interaction occurred because N fertilizer increased CO2 emissions by 35% for the 21 d interval following early spring application. When application was delayed until mid-spring, the opposite response occurred, and N fertilizer application reduced CO2 emissions by 19% (p=0.06). CO2 and non-CO2 emissions (N2O plus CH4) were analyzed separately in this study because previous research demonstrated that C addition from crop residues can offset CO2 emissions at this location. The soil was a CH4 sink for all six application dates, but atmospheric CH4 consumption was 85% greater during spring and early summer [averaging -85.8 g CO2e (ha×h)-1] than during fall/early winter [averaging -46.3 g CO2e (ha×h)-1]. The soil consumed CH4 at a rate to offset N2O emissions by 9.6% during midspring and early summer when N fertilizer wasn’t applied and by 3.1% when N fertilizer was applied. Dormant-seeded cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) produced an average of 445 kg biomass ha-1 during the first three weeks of spring growth, which is normally prior to corn (Zea mays L.) emergence. The cover crop reduced N2O emissions by 53% and did not increase CO2 emissions. However, since N2O emissions only made up 4% of total GHG emissions, the cover crop only reduced total GHG emissions by 2%. These results indicate that early spring in eastern South Dakota climates may be a key time to target mitigation strategies for soil GHG emissions in a corn and soybean production system. Delaying N fertilizer application from early spring to mid-spring has more potential to reduce these emissions (26% reduction) than growing a cereal rye cover crop that is terminated just prior to corn planting (2% reduction)

SHELF LABELING OF ORGANIC FOODS: EFFECTS ON CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS AND SALES

The organic food industry is undergoing tremendous expansion. Retail grocers and organic food suppliers are interested in promoting organic foods to customers in mainstream grocery stores. The purpose of this study was to determine if point of purchase (POP) signage in retail grocery stores affects customer perceptions of organic foods and organic food purchasing behavior (sales). An experimental study was designed in which control and two levels of POP signage were tested in two grocery store environments in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Ten stores were involved; six from an upscale chain and four from a discount/warehouse chain. A customer intercept interview method was used to determine the perceptions of approximately 400 customers in each store; and sales data were tracked for 14 selected organic food items. Results revealed that customers in upscale stores were more likely than discount/warehouse store customers to recognize signs designating organic foods. Younger people, women and those having larger household sizes recognized organic signage most often. In both chains, signage increased the proportion of customers who reported ever buying and planning to buy organic foods. Sales data suggest a positive effect of POP signage on volume of sales for some, but not all tracked foods. Signage significantly increased the sales of skim milk, butter, eggs, deli bread, fresh carrots, spaghetti and flaked cereal in the discount/warehouse stores. In the upscale stores, significant effects of POP signage were found for skim milk, spaghetti, peach nectar and fresh carrots when the sales figures were adjusted for the store's weekly sales volume. The mixed sales results underscore the dynamic interplay between the store environment, its customers, and POP technology.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing,

Preventing The Spead of Salmonella

In an effort to improve animal health and food safety, Chris Tuggle and colleagues are finding new ways to identify animals harboring salmonella. We are developing a blood test to identify animals that shed the least amount of salmonella into the environment, says Tuggle. Pigs can contact and carry salmonella without showing any symptoms. Infected animals shed the bacteria in their manure, which often is used to fertilize crops. Tuggle, professor of animal science, and his research team examine the genetic makeup of pigs and sample blood and fecal matter for evidence of salmonella. Then they look for relationships between the expression of genes in blood and the level of salmonella shed by the pig

People Truly Are The Key To Animal Welfare Efforts

In addition to animal health, performance and productivity, animal welfare is an important component of livestock research at Iowa State University. Anna Johnson, assistant professor of animal behavior and welfare in the Department of Animal Science, and Suzanne Millman, associate professor of animal welfare in the College of Veterinary Medicine, lead Iowa State\u27s animal welfare efforts. While their research involves animals, Johnson says animal welfare depends on people. Animal welfare depends on the person looking after the animals. The caretakers are the key. The best facilities won\u27t matter if you don\u27t have the best people working there, Johnson says. Good animal welfare practices depend on experience and education

A Witness To Eras Of Hybrids and Biotech

Did you grow up on a farm? Owen Newlin asks a recent visitor. He nods appreciatively when he hears the answer - yes. It\u27s a piece of information that\u27s particularly meaningful to this seed industry retiree who has seen the industry evolve from conventional hybrids to biotechnology. Newlin (\u2751 agronomy, \u2753 MS) is a retired senior vice president and director of Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. The first commercial hybrid seed corn was produced in 1925 and sold to farmers in 1926 by Pioneer. By 1955 over 95 percent of corn grown in the U.S. Corn Belt was hybrid

Acker: Agriculture Is Powerful Tool V

Landing in Greece with 10 Greek words in his vocabulary, David Acker felt like a Boy Scout dropped off in the woods during a survival exercise. In a way, he was. Acker, associate dean for academic and global programs, learned not only how to survive in a foreign land during his first trip in 1972, but how to thrive. I learned the importance of listening and understanding as a first step in operating in a cross-cultural setting and the importance of learning foreign language as a way to break down barriers and understand a culture at a deeper level, he says

Enriching The Student Experience, Paying It Forward

For many students, receiving a scholarship not only supports them financially, it gives them that extra boost of confidence needed to take advantage of all the opportunities college presents. Alyssa Swam is such a student. As a Dean\u27s Leadership Scholar she receives financial support for working at least 10 hours per week in an area related to her major. Our scholarships come from someone who believes in us and in the college, she says. Being selected as a Dean\u27s Leadership Scholar was fantastic. It was like someone saying, \u27Here you go, you can do this!\u27 The donors believe in CALS and they believe I can make an impact and that helps me go that extra mile. Make that miles. Swan, a junior in animal science from Milwaukee is an officer in the ISU Horseman\u27s Association and a member of the Pre-Vet Club. She also is a member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Alpha Lambda Delta / Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Zeta honor societies as well as the University Honors Program. She has worked as undergraduate research assistant in Matthew Ellinwood\u27s lab since her freshman year (see story on Ellinwood on page four). Swan worked as an animal caretaker and assisted Ellinwood with a surgical procedure related to his genetic research on the mucopolysaccharidoses diseases