Silt Project, Colorado: Colorado River Storage Project

The purpose of this report is to present information regarding the soil capabilities for irrigation, the present and future land use and production pattern, the costs associated with on-farm irrigation development, prospective size and type of farm, direct agricultural benefits and probable farm incomes with proposed irrigation development for the Silt project. In addition to the agricultural phases, this report deals with the impacts of the project on the national forests and the relationship of watershed conditions to the project. This report also is intended to aid the Bureau of Reclamation in developing their Definite Plan Report, and to provide information bearing on the relationship of the project to the regular programs of the Department of Agriculture. It is based on the Silt project plan as outlined by the Bureau of Reclamation and is confined to the proposed project facilities and the project lands to which the Bureau of Reclamation plans to furnish irrigation water. The assumptions made concerning the level of management and application of practices as a result of project development are not technical recommendations of the Department of Agriculture for the best land and water use on the project. It is assumed that the level of management and application of practices represent the average that will exist during the project evaluation period

Adobe or Sun-Dried Brick for Farm Buildings

In many localities the cost of farm buildings may be considerably lowered through the use of materials obtainable on or near the farm, such as logs, stone, sand, gravel, or earth, which being easily accessible would not involve heavy transportation charges and which, when used in buildings of simple form, do not require the employment of skilled labor. This bulletin describes the method of making and using adobe in the form of sun-dried bricks. The material consists of a mixture of clayey loam, straw, and water. It is of proven value as a material for walls, its use being traditional in the arid and semiarid areas of the Southeast. The so-called adobe soils are not essential to this type of construction as most clayey loams are suit. able. Nor is the use of adobe construction limited to arid regions; it can be employed in fairly humid climates provided the walls are protected from moisture and the building site is not subject to floods or excessive dampness. Very comfortable adobe houses have been built with but a small cash outlay and with unskilled labor. Many farmers might wel1 consider the use of this material, at least in certain minor structures

Rammed Earth Walls for Buildings

Earth has been used for building dwellings from time immemorial. One method of use, superior to others, and which was known to the Romans has been preserved by tradition .t o modern times. This method consists of ramming slightly moist, specially selected earth, without the addition of straw or other material, between movable forms, and is known by itsFrench name, pise de terre, which means rammed earth. Pise de terre is a reliable building material when properly handled and is admirably adapted to structures on farms distant from transport routes. Little information has been published on rammed earth in the United States. The contents of this bulletin were abstracted chiefly from accounts of experimental work in England

U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers Bulletin No. 1697

A guide on how to use soil-binding can help reclaim gullies in the South. Discusses the threat of erosion on uplands and fields.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/1433/thumbnail.jp

The Dutch Elm Disease Breaks Out Anew

An information bulletin for the press regarding the spreading of Dutch Elm Disease.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/buildings/1424/thumbnail.jp

Protecting Honey Bees from Pesticides

Honey bees frequently are in danger of being killed when crops are treated with pesticides. Honey bees produce honey and beeswax valued at $55 million annually; but even more significant, the annual value of crops that require bee pollination exceeds$1 billion. For this reason, farmers and beekeepers should cooperate in protecting the bees from pesticides. Observance of precautions recommended in this publication can significantly reduce bee losses from pesticide poisoning

Children\u27s Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables: Do School Environment and Policies Affect Choices at School and Away from School?

School environment and policies may affect children\u27s ability to make healthy food choices both at and away from school. Using data from the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study conducted in 2005 we estimate the effect of environment and policies on children\u27s fruit and vegetable intakes. We use an instrumental variable approach to control for the endogeneity of participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). On an average school day, school lunch participants consume more fruits and vegetables, including relatively more at school and less away from school compared to nonparticipants. Meal policies had little effect on NSLP participation itself. Policies that restrict high fat milks or desserts and restrict the sale of competitive foods are associated with greater fruit and/or vegetable intake at school; some policies affected consumption at home as well