Winter and Spring Cereal Production in the Maritimes

Organic producers have expressed an interest in diversifying their crop rotations through the inclusion of winter cereals. Winter cereals have many potential benefits, as they provide soil cover over the winter months, can often out-compete weeds in the spring and can be harvested earlier than other cereal crops. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of management history on the performance of winter cereals versus spring cereals

Management Practices for Control of European Wireworms in Canada

Significant losses in crop yield, quality and marketability have been attributed to wireworms, a pest of growing concern and widening distribution in Nova Scotia and across Canada. While the Maritime Provinces harbour indigenous wireworm species, three species introduced to North America from European ship ballast cause the lion's share of damage. The destructive larvae of these three species, Agriotes lineatus, A. obscurus, and A. sputator, persist in the soil for several years, feeding on the roots of host plants and causing significant reductions in the yield and quality of economically important crops. Root crops such as potatoes and carrots are particularly susceptible because damage (holes produced by feeding larvae) to the new tubers and carrots can appreciably reduce quality, yield and storability. To control this pest, the adult must be deterred from entering and depositing eggs in the field, the larvae must be deterred from attacking the cash crop and/or the larvae themselves must be controlled. This is a difficult challenge due to the lifecycle, feeding preferences and movement habits of the wireworm

Production de cérérales d'hiver et de printemps dans les Maritimes

Des producteurs d’aliments biologiques souhaitent étendre la rotation de leurs cultures en ajoutant les céréales d’hiver à leur production. Les céréales d’hiver peuvent offrir bien des avantages : elles peuvent servir de couverture de sol durant les mois d’hiver, faire concurrence aux mauvaises herbes au printemps et être récoltées plus tôt par rapport à d’autres types de céréales. La présente étude vise à évaluer l’incidence de l’historique de gestion de cultures sur le rendement des céréales d’hiver par rapport aux céréales du printemps

Pratiques de gestion pour le contrôle de la larve de taupin Européenne au Canada

Des pertes considérables du rendement, de la qualité et de la commercialité des cultures ont été attribuées à la larve de taupin, un ravageur qui préoccupe sans cesse davantage et dont la distribution progresse en Nouvelle-Écosse et partout au Canda. Alors que les Maritimes abritent des espèces indigènes de la larve de taupin, trois espèces introduites en Amérique du Nord par les eaux de ballast des navires européens causent la majeure partie des dommages. La larve destructrice de ces trois espèces, Agriotes lineatus, A. obscurus, et A. sputator, demeure dans le sol pendant de nombreuses années, se nourrit des racines des plantes hôtes et réduit considérablement le rendement et la qualité de cultures importantes au plan économique. Les plantes cultivées pour les tubercules ou la racine, comme les pommes de terre et les carottes, sont particulièrement vulnérables parce que les dégâts (les trous produits par les larves qui se nourrissent) aux jeunes tubercules et carottes peuvent réduire considérablement la qualité, le rendement et la facilité d’entreposage

Socially constructing healthy eating: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of healthy eating information and advice

Background It is well recognised that eating a poor quality diet can lead to a number of long term health conditions and premature mortality. In response, a variety of materials, offering healthy eating advice from both state and commercial sources, have been produced in the UK to help and encourage people to eat well and avoid diet related health issues. However, a large proportion of the population still suffer from long term conditions which could have been avoided through an improved diet. The aim of this research was to consider how healthy eating advice is relayed to the public and how people relate to it by exploring how healthy eating is socially constructed in the 21st century in the East of England. The research aimed to uncover the discourses used in healthy eating texts in the UK, how people positioned themselves in relation to these discourses and the power relations between institutions and the UK public. Method A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis was applied to a range of healthy eating texts from both state and commercial sources. In addition, five focus groups were carried out to determine how the participants positioned themselves within the text’s discourses and their sense of trust in the materials. Findings The analysis of the texts uncovered a combination of discourses including scientific, thermodynamic, natural, childcare, medical and moral discourses which offered up subject positions to their readers in relation to moral citizenship and personal responsibility. Through the use of bio-power, foods within the texts appeared to be categorised as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods in which bad foods were considered to be risky to health due to their nutritional composition. Most of the texts assumed people have the agency to follow the text’s advice and failed to consider the readers’ personal context. Focus group findings revealed that many participants felt that healthy eating should be based on common sense and ideally it is better to listen to your body to understand what it needs and there is no one size fits all approach such as that presented in the texts

CANADA’S ORGANIC SCIENCE CLUSTER: SCIENCE WITH IMPACT FOR PROFITABILITY, SUSTAINABILITY AND COMPETITIVENESS

In this paper we provide an overview of the goals and potential benefits of a national science program for organic agriculture in Canada from 2013-2018 (application currently under review). The “Organic Science Cluster II (OSCII): Science With Impact for Profitability, Sustainability and Competitiveness” is linked with Canada’s Organic Value Chain Roundtable, the think tank addressing priorities for increasing capacity and market development for organic. OSCII will increase competitiveness by addressing barriers that are constraining production and by capturing new market opportunities such as emerging crops, aquaculture, and ornamental horticulture. OSCII will be coordinated and managed by the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture on behalf of the industry applicant, the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC)

Peer-Facilitated Cognitive Dissonance versus Healthy Weight Eating Disorders Prevention: A Randomized Comparison

Research supports the efficacy of both cognitive dissonance (CD) and healthy weight (HW) eating disorders prevention, and indicates that CD can be delivered by peer-facilitators, which facilitates dissemination. This study investigated if peer-facilitators can deliver HW when it is modified for their use and extended follow-up of peer-facilitated CD as compared to previous trials. Based on pilot data, we modified HW (MHW) to facilitate peer delivery, elaborate benefits of the healthy-ideal, and place greater emphasis on consuming nutrient dense foods. Female sorority members (N=106) were randomized to either two 2-hour sessions of CD or MHW. Participants completed assessment pre- and post-intervention, and at 8-week, 8-month, and 14-month follow-up. Consistent with hypotheses, CD decreased negative affect, thin-ideal internalization, and bulimic pathology to a greater degree post-intervention. Both CD and MHW reduced negative affect, internalization, body dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, and bulimic pathology at 14 months

Management Structure that Supports and Facilitates Social Good: Phase II for Paths of Hope, Inc.

In fall 2012, Molloy College embarked on an educational experiment that has now been fully integrated into the curriculum of the business programs. Over these past five years, a pedagogical philosophy has developed; students learn by doing and the evidence of learning must be demonstrated. Accreditors demand that program level outcomes reflect evidence of learning. There is no better evidence than the students’ self-report and demonstration in the real world that the knowledge and the skills acquired within the learning environment can be applied. The documentation has been published in a series of conference papers coupled with student presentations at the annual meetings of the Northeast Business and Economics Association. The mission of Molloy College articulates the call to action related to social responsibility, service, community, and study. Molloy’s commitment to academic excellence and the promotion of lifelong learning demonstrates the transformative education experienced by the students (source: Molloy Mission Statement). Therefore, the evidence of learning for the Molloy graduate program is a set of business solutions that will support social good. This paper reports on the phase II consulting work conducted for Paths of Hope, Inc. The phase II student consultants built upon the successful work on the phase I team. The details of phase I were presented at the 2017 NBEA Conference (Rodriguez, Riegel, and Mackenzie, 2017). The phase I team was faced with a significant problem, which was solved with the legal solution and the creation of a not-for-profit corporation. The phase II team’s collaboration with the newly formed corporation is focused on the development of management practices that would allow this new corporation, to survive

Social Entrepreneurship: Marketing Hunger Awareness

This paper emerges from a pedagogical philosophy that business students should experience working with a real-world consulting client prior to graduation. An equally important component of this capstone experience is the opportunity for the students to study a problem and to make a set of solution-driven recommendations that will lead to social good. This research is part of a series of conference papers from graduate students at Molloy College. This paper focuses on the consulting work performed for Island Harvest. Island Harvest is the largest food bank on Long Island. The student consultants were charged with recommending a marketing program for the Coin Harvest Campaign, with the intent of refreshing this important campaign focused on Hunger Awareness. The goal was to increase the campaign’s breadth and depth