Meat consumption: Trends and quality matters

peer-reviewedThis paper uses quality theory to identify opportunities for the meat sector that are consistent with trends in meat consumption. Meat consumption has increased and is likely to continue into the future. Growth is largely driven by white meats, with poultry in particular of increasing importance globally. The influence of factors such as income and price is likely decline over time so that other factors, such as quality, will become more important. Quality is complex and consumers' quality expectations may not align with experienced quality due to misconception of certain intrinsic cues. Establishing relevant and effective cues, based on extrinsic and credence attributes, could offer advantage on the marketplace. The use of extrinsic cues can help convey quality characteristics for eating quality, but also for more abstract attributes that reflect individual consumer concerns e.g. health/nutrition, and collective concerns, e.g. sustainability. However, attributes are not of equal value to all consumers. Thus consumer segmentation and production differentiation is needed.The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Irish Department of Agriculture Food and Marine for funding through their Stimulus Fund for the project entitled “Genetic selection for improved milk and meat product quality in dairy, beef and sheep”: project reference no: 11/SF/311

Joint stewardship of the Barents Sea: Russian and Norwegian policy expectations for preventing offshore oil spills

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016As Arctic environmental conditions fluctuate, ongoing economic-related agreements established for the Barents Region continue to support and attract Norwegian and Russian oil-producing expeditions within the shared maritime zone. Increased industrial activity throughout the Circumpolar North heightens the need to understand the factors that influence policies responsible for protecting the environment – in particular, preventive measures. Agency theory provides the framework for an analysis of various dynamics that influence the Norwegian and Russian governments (principals) as they develop and enforce rules that regulate petroleum industries (agents). The research question asks about differences between the prevention policies of the two nations even though both acknowledge a very similar need to protect the Barents. Since the regulatory and governance structures cannot fully explain the differences between the two countries’ prevention policies, the hypothesis presents an argument that the strategic goals of Norway and Russia in the global political economy provide sufficient conditions for policy divergence. This research presents case studies of economic and environmental factors that influence how Russia and Norway develop energy-related prevention policies in the Barents Sea. The findings suggest that differing strategic goals between the two countries influence their oil spill prevention policies. Russia’s oil spill prevention policy enables it to maintain high production levels that it can leverage to further its geopolitical aims. Norway’s more cautious prevention policies promote domestic economic stability. In a progressively interdependent world, this study contributes insight into contemporary international relations regarding aspects of partnerships, energy economics, and geostrategic policy

The Economics of Selling Crop Residue Biomass for Cellulosic Ethanol Production at the Farm Level

A partial budget decision making framework has been developed to assist crop producers in analyzing the profitability of selling cellulosic biomass from their fields for ethanol production. A multidisciplinary approach is taken in assessing the agronomic and economic factors relevant to biomass contract sales decisions – with direct application made to western Great Plains cropping systems and enterprises. Within this framework the benefits of increased revenue from cellulosic biomass contract sales and potential government assistance payments are considered against possible decreased revenue from diminished crop yields resulting from less crop residue cover and subsequent soil moisture evaporation. Increased biomass harvesting and handling are also considered, as is the cost of replacing crop nutrients removed as part of biomass harvest operations. Examples of the profitability of cellulosic biomass contract sales in center pivot irrigated corn and non-irrigated wheat enterprises are shown.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Computer modeling of neutron radiography

The need to examine materials and system components without compromising their integrity has spurred the development of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. NDE can range from a simple visual inspection of a surface to the measurement of physical properties of materials. The most prominent methods of NDE currently in use include ultrasonic testing, eddy current examination, x-ray radiography, neutron radiography, magnetic flux leakage testing, and liquid penetrant testing. Many of these fields are well developed in terms of their abilities to detect and characterize flaws within a sample. When nondestructive testing (NDT) was first introduced, the practice consisted of comparison between signals and standards. The standards were generated from a defined set of machined samples incorporated with desired flaws. The testing method was applied to these samples to yield reference signals. Thus when NDT was applied to a component, the resulting signal was compared to the reference signals to determine whether this component was acceptable in a go - no go sense. This type of testing was just a comparison of signals to set points. There was little extraction of the flaw information present in the signal, and the NDT personnel performing the testing often did not understand the physics underlying the generation of the signals

Plant and Animal Performance in Tall Fescue and Tall Fescue/Legume Pastures

Tall fescue is the one of most common grasses in irrigated pastures throughout the Intermountain West. Two limitations of tall fescue are a decrease in productivity during hot summer months and the need for supplemental nitrogen (N). The objective of this research was to compare tall fescue-alfalfa (TF+ALF), tall fescue-birdsfoot trefoil (TF+BFT), tall fescue-nitrogen fertilizer (TF+N), and tall fescue without nitrogen fertilizer (TF-N) on forage yield, nutritional quality, and livestock performance. Research plots were established at the Utah State University Pasture Research Facility in Lewiston, UT in 2010 and grazed in 2012 and 2013. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications and divided into four paddocks per replication. Three Angus crossbred steers with an average starting weight of 380 kg were placed on each treatment and rotated to a new paddock every 7 days. A put-and-take method was used throughout the growing season such that each paddock received 80% utilization. Four forage samples were collected from each paddock just prior to grazing using a 0.5 m2 quadrat for determination of dry matter (DM) and nutrient content. ADF, NDF, IVTD, and TDN were used to estimate nutrient content and steers were weighed every 28 days to determine livestock performance. Forage yield was highest (

Modeling Carbon Allocation, Growth And Recovery In Scrub Oaks Experiencing Aboveground Disturbance

Allocation of assimilated carbon amongst plant metabolic processes and tissues is important to understanding ecosystem carbon cycles. Due to the range of spatio-temporal scales and complex process interactions involved, direct measurements of allocation in natural environments are logistically difficult. Modeling approaches provide tools to examine these patterns by integrating finer scale process measurements. One such method is root:shoot balance, where plant growth is limited by either shoot activity (i.e. photosynthesis) or root activity (i.e. water and nutrient uptake). This method shows promise for application on frequently disturbed systems which perturb aboveground biomass and thus create imbalances in root and shoot activities. In this study, root:shoot balance, allometric relationships and phenological patterns were used to model carbon allocation and growth in Florida scrub oaks. The model was tested using ecosystem gas exchange (i.e. eddy covariance) and meteorological data from two independent sites at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, FL which experienced two different types of disturbance events: a prescribed burn in 2006 and wind damage from Hurricane Frances in 2004. The effects of the two disturbance events, which differed greatly in magnitude and impact, were compared to identify similarities and differences in plant allocation response. Model results and process-based sensitivity analysis demonstrated the strong influence of autotrophic respiration on plant growth and allocation processes. Also, fine root dynamics were found to dominate partitioning trends of carbon allocated to growth. Overall, model results aligned well with observed biomass trends, with some discrepancies that suggest fine root turnover to be more dynamic than currently iv parameterized in the model. This modeling approach can be extended through the integration with more robust process models, for example, mechanistic photosynthesis, nitrogen uptake and/or dynamic root turnover models