Nutrient cycling on organic farms

This paper examines the sustainability of nutrient cycling on organic farms. After a brief consideration of the principles of nutrient cycling in organic agriculture, data on soil P and K indices and farm nutrient budgets is used to assess the integrity of nutrient cycling, including some consideration of losses to the environment. An attempt is made to assess the wider sustainability of organic farming in the context of the limited amount of recycling possible

Peeps, beemers and scooby-doos: exploring community value among Scottish cruisers

Using an ethnographic approach which combines impromptu interviews, participant observation and analysis of online computer mediated communication we explore the consumer culture which surrounds the Scottish cruiser community. The on-going study uses the conceptual framework of neo-tribal consumption, exploring forms of ephemeral and emotional communities which cohere around the car. Our analysis suggests that the cultural practices of customization and the performance of the cruise make explicit a shared sense of collective consciousness which expresses the construction of community value which emerges from such ephemeral gatherings

The Cowl - v.8 - n.9 - Junior Prom Souvenir Edition - Nov 23, 1942

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 8, Number 9 - Junior Prom Souvenir Edition - Nov 23, 1942. 4 pages

The Interplay of Personal Selling and Direct Marketing: An Exploratory Study in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Beyond dispute, personal selling represents the dominant and most effective promotional element in industrial settings, but its costs are quite substantial. Against this background, sales managers are forced to reexamine alternative approaches for servicing and informing customers in order to justify the productivity of their industrial selling mix. In this context, the complementary use of direct marketing to field selling becomes a primary concern as it allows for confidentiality and personalization of the message in contrast to mass communication while it provides information at a lower cost than does personal selling. However, no study has empirically investigated the interplay of personal selling and various direct marketing instruments with regard to several contextual factors determining the preferred use of direct marketing over personal selling so far. Thus, focusing on business-to-business transactions, this study’s objective is to deepen the understanding of the direct marketing and personal selling interplay. Due to limited empirical insights to this area, an exploratory research design is adapted. Results indicate that the advantageousness of direct marketing in comparison to personal selling is determined by customer-related, internal and external contextual conditions. Further, a well-designed interplay helps to improve selling productivity, brand awareness and customer satisfaction – and thus business unit performance. --

Science and user‐based co‐development of a farmland earthworm survey facilitated using digital media: insights and policy implications

Science–farming partnerships can improve our understanding of how land management behaviours sustain or enhance life-sustaining soil ecosystems. However, it remains a challenge to establish partnerships between researchers and practitioners that complement the ways in which farmers acquire and value knowledge and can also advance soil science. A pilot study was conducted to explore these issues in relation to earthworm monitoring. It showed that farmers were interested in comparing their field results to research experiments to inform their decision-making. Social media was used to support farmers' earthworm monitoring schemes, with a concomitant sampling of research experiments to create capacity for shared learning. Constructive feedback from the scientific community was sought using an online questionnaire. An Autumn 2018 survey generated 152 field analyses from farmlands in England, and 48% of participants' fields and the research experiment showed no evidence for earthworms being widespread and/or the presence of all three ecological groups of earthworms. A Spring 2019 survey generated earthworm population data from farmland soils around the world, amassing 11,464 earthworms assessed over 2,200 ha in the UK. A total of 12 scientists (from 30 questionnaire invitations) volunteered their time and expertise to support the survey. Conclusions helped to prioritise future improvements in earthworm monitoring, which should include photographs of earthworms for verification of the data, long-term monitoring and integration with soil properties. Most (83%) perceived this earthworm survey would likely improve farmland soil health and so would recommend its use in the UK. The survey is being independently taken forward and used as a metric by both private and public stakeholders, demonstrating authentic knowledge transfer in soil science

The Cowl - v.8 - n.10 - Dec 4, 1942

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 8, Number 10 - Dec 4, 1942. 4 pages

Engineering soil organic matter quality: Biodiesel Co-Product (BCP) stimulates exudation of nitrogenous microbial biopolymers

Biodiesel Co-Product (BCP) is a complex organic material formed during the transesterification of lipids. We investigated the effect of BCP on the extracellular microbial matrix or ‘extracellular polymeric substance’ (EPS) in soil which is suspected to be a highly influential fraction of soil organic matter (SOM). It was hypothesised that more N would be transferred to EPS in soil given BCP compared to soil given glycerol. An arable soil was amended with BCP produced from either 1) waste vegetable oils or 2) pure oilseed rape oil, and compared with soil amended with 99% pure glycerol; all were provided with 15N labelled KNO3. We compared transfer of microbially assimilated 15N into the extracellular amino acid pool, and measured concomitant production of exopolysaccharide. Following incubation, the 15N enrichment of total hydrolysable amino acids (THAAs) indicated that intracellular anabolic products had incorporated the labelled N primarily as glutamine and glutamate. A greater proportion of the amino acids in EPS were found to contain 15N than those in the THAA pool, indicating that the increase in EPS was comprised of bioproducts synthesised de novo. Moreover, BCP had increased the EPS production efficiency of the soil microbial community (μg EPS per unit ATP) up to approximately double that of glycerol, and caused transfer of 21% more 15N from soil solution into EPS-amino acids. Given the suspected value of EPS in agricultural soils, the use of BCP to stimulate exudation is an interesting tool to consider in the theme of delivering sustainable intensification

Lowe, W. D. High School Yearbook 1970-1971

Yearbook of W. D. Lowe High School, formerly called Walkerville Technical School (and other names); yearbook also called The Towershttps://scholar.uwindsor.ca/essexcountyontariohighschoolyearbooks/1207/thumbnail.jp

Luminus, vol. 16, no. 02 (Spring 1990)

Luminus is the alumni magazine of Memorial University of Newfoundland, begun in 1971