Factors behind the rise and fall of farmland prices: a preliminary assessment

Agricultural prices

Effects of added Zn in diets with Ractopamine HCl on growth performance and carcass quality of finishing pigs in a commercial environment

The experiment was conducted in a commercial facility to determine the effects of added Zn on the performance of finishing pigs fed Ractopamine HCl (RAC; Paylean®; Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN). Pigs were randomly assigned to pens based on gender (14 barrow pens, 11 gilt pens, and 23 mixed-gender pens), with 25 to 28 pigs per pen. Previously, pens of pigs were assigned to treatments containing 0, 7.5, or 15% bakery by-product in a completely randomized design while balancing for initial BW and gender. On d 75, treatments were implemented to determine the effects of adding 50 ppm Zn from ZnO on finishing pig performance. A total of 1,234 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; average BW 224.6 lb) were used in a 28-d study. Pens of pigs were randomly assigned to diets with and without 50 ppm added Zn from zinc oxide (ZnO) and balanced by BW, bakery by-product, and gender. All diets contained 5 ppm RAC and 83 ppm Zn from ZnO provided by the trace mineral premix. There were 24 pens per treatment. Overall (d 75 to 102), no differences (P > 0.22) in growth performance or carcass characteristics were observed when pigs were fed diets with 50 ppm added Zn compared with the RAC control. For pigs subsampled on d 84, pigs fed diets with 50 ppm added Zn had decreased (P < 0.05) edge belly thickness compared with pigs fed the control. For pigs subsampled on d 102, pigs fed diets with 50 ppm added Zn had decreased (P < 0.02) backfat thickness, belly weight, and edge belly thickness; a tendency for decreased (P < 0.07) middle belly thickness; and increased (P < 0.01) percentage lean compared with pigs fed the RAC control. In contrast with our previous research, these data indicate that adding 50 ppm Zn from ZnO to finishing pig diets containing RAC did not improve overall performance. Consistent with the earlier research, income over feed cost (IOFC) was numerically increased with the addition of Zn

Ptarithmetic

The present article introduces ptarithmetic (short for "polynomial time arithmetic") -- a formal number theory similar to the well known Peano arithmetic, but based on the recently born computability logic (see http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~giorgi/cl.html) instead of classical logic. The formulas of ptarithmetic represent interactive computational problems rather than just true/false statements, and their "truth" is understood as existence of a polynomial time solution. The system of ptarithmetic elaborated in this article is shown to be sound and complete. Sound in the sense that every theorem T of the system represents an interactive number-theoretic computational problem with a polynomial time solution and, furthermore, such a solution can be effectively extracted from a proof of T. And complete in the sense that every interactive number-theoretic problem with a polynomial time solution is represented by some theorem T of the system. The paper is self-contained, and can be read without any previous familiarity with computability logic.Comment: Substantially better versions are on their way. Hence the present article probably will not be publishe

From the national context to its margins : when the world used literature to respond to the Great War

By shedding light on some original responses to the Great War that are today hardly known, and by asking the same questions of many works written in contexts which were radically different, this STTCL special issue advocates for a genuinely comparative approach to this literature. Born in a context of nationalist withdrawal, these cultural objects also had a paradoxically wide circulation (due to early translations, commentaries, literary reactions, and so on), which is why study of these apparently isolated writers is so valuable

‘Most I saw were very dirty, some very ragged and all of very coarse cloth’: the conservation of the nineteenth-century student gown in the Hunterian, University of Glasgow

A rare and important 19th century student gown in the collection of the Hunterian Museum had survived remarkably intact over the years, but to ensure its future long-term preservation, it was sent to the University of Glasgow Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History for conservation. This paper describes the history of the gown, and details of the decision making and the work of the conservator involved in its preservation

Farmed and Dangerous? A Case Study of Chipotle’s Branded Entertainment Series and Polarized Reactions to its Satirical Depiction of Farming and Agribusiness

This study follows Chipotle’s innovative strategy of using branded entertainment and satire to enhance its brand image and positive consumer perceptions, while negatively portraying an entire industry. The study explores audience reactions to Chipotle’s satirical Farmed and Dangerous program, part of the company’s broader “Food with Integrity” campaign. Increasing agricultural literacy and understanding among the general public is a priority (Doerfert, 2011). Yet marketing communication campaigns—and responses or reactions to those campaigns—that simplify issues into distinct “sides,” or focus on attacks, prevent deep discussion of the complexity of our food system and efforts to collaborate on solutions. Research presented uses a case study, supported by focus group methodology and in-depth survey responses of YouTube commenters, to examine consumer and stakeholder reactions to Chipotle’s content. Findings reveal sharply divided reactions and significant anger and frustration within the agricultural community toward Chipotle for its satirical portrayal of the food production industry. Findings also reveal generally positive attitudes toward Chipotle from those without agricultural experience, and clear perceptions of “sides” in the food debate. Discussion of Chipotle’s marketing strategy explores whether the negative sentiment the company has generated among agricultural stakeholders through efforts like its Farmed and Dangerous webisode series is worth it for the brand, considering the broader positive image the company has gained among much of the general public, as well as related implications for the company linked to more recent struggles with food safety issues and attacks from political groups

The interactive effects of high-fiber diets and Ractopamine HCl on finishing pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, carcass fat quality, and intestinal weights

In previous research, feeding pigs high amounts of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and wheat middlings (midds) has been shown to reduce carcass yield and negatively affect iodine value (IV). The influence of Ractopamine HCl (RAC; Paylean, Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on this response is not known; therefore, a total of 575 finishing pigs (PIC 327 × 1050, initially 123 lb) were used in two consecutive 73-d trials to determine the effects of DDGS and midds (high fiber) withdrawal 24 d before harvest in diets with or without RAC on finishing pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fat quality. From d 0 to 49, pigs were allotted to 1 of 2 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design based on initial pen weight. The dietary treatments included a corn-soybean meal–based control diet or diets with 30% DDGS and 19% wheat midds. Twelve pens of pigs were fed the corn-soybean meal control diet, and 24 pens were fed the high-fiber diet. During this 49 d period, pigs fed the corn-soybean meal diets had improved (P < 0.0001) ADG and F/G compared with those fed the high-fiber diets. On d 49, pens of pigs were re-allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments; pigs remained on the corn-soybean meal diets, switched from the high-fiber diet to corn-soybean meal (withdrawal diet), or were maintained on the high-fiber diet. These 3 regimens were fed with or without 9 g/ton RAC

Presynchronizing PGF2α and GnRH injections before timed artificial insemination CO-Synch + CIDR program

Fixed-time artificial insemination is an effective management tool that reduces the labor associated with more conventional artificial insemination programs requiring detection of estrus. The 7-day CO-Synch + controlled internal drug release (CIDR) insert protocol has been shown to effectively initiate estrus and ovulation in cycling and non-cycling suckled beef cows, producing pregnancy rates at or greater than 50% in beef cows. The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) injection that begins the CO-Synch + CIDR program initiates ovulation in a large proportion of cows, particularly anestrous cows. The CIDR, which releases progesterone intravaginally, prevents short estrous cycles that usually follow the first postpartum ovulation in beef cows. Our hypothesis was that inducing estrus with a prostaglandin injection followed 3 days later with a GnRH injection, 7 days before applying the 7-day CO-Synch + CIDR protocol, might increase the percentage of cycling cows that would exhibit synchronous follicular waves after the onset of the CO-Synch + CIDR protocol. We also hypothesized that the additional GnRH injection would increase the percentage of anestrous cows that would ovulate, thereby increasing pregnancy outcomes

A Discordant Voice from the Trenches: Juan José de Soiza Reilly's War Chronicles

The First World War represented a deep crisis of the European civilization that called into question the values and certitudes of the Belle Époque society. Trenches became the symbol of the dehumanization produced by a conflict that marked a watershed in modern history. As a global conflict, its impact was felt beyond the confines of Europe, involving even neutral countries, puzzled by that unexpected spectacle of violence. In this new scenery, war correspondents were first-hand witnesses of the horrors of the battlefields, transmitted through their journalistic contributions to a public opinion profoundly shaken by this new kind of warfare. Non-European war correspondents were exceptional cultural mediators between the experiences of the theater of war and distant regions like Latin America, contributing to disseminate different understandings of the wartime crisis. This article aims to explore the response of the Argentine war correspondent Juan José de Soiza Reilly (1879-1959) to the challenge of making the nature of the Great War intelligible to his readers. He embodied the new figure of the professional journalist-writer who contributed to establishing commercial mass press as the fulcrum of Argentine cultural life and as the field of convergence of literature and journalism at the beginning of the twentieth century. The primary sources of this study are Soiza Reilly’s war chronicles, published by two large circulation periodicals, the newspaper La Nación and the illustrated magazine Fray Mocho, from October 1914 to October 1916. Those contributions were the result of his more than two years’ experience in the Western and Eastern fronts. Soiza Reilly’s perspectives on the First World War were clearly unconventional for his national framework, where most of the intellectuals and the press took sides early in favor of the Allies, due to the deep-rooted Francophilia prevailing in Argentine cultural field. As a result, they devoted themselves to arguing over the question of the war responsibilities and the belligerents’ attributes. Unlike them, Soiza Reilly denounced the absurdity of the war, which he strongly condemned, and made a pacifist profession of faith. In addition, far from the Argentine social consensus, he was often critical of the Allies and sympathetic to the German Empire. However, since Italy’s entry into the war in May 1915, Soiza Reilly adopted a belligerent attitude in favor of the Allies, expressing an intense admiration for Italy and a virulent anti-Austrian sentiment. These two last features were very unusual in the Argentine context, where the devotion for France was hegemonic as well as the vehement anti-German stance. Through the analysis of Soiza Reilly’s war chronicles and reportages, this article intends to shed light on the reception of the war in a neutral country, the general climate of public opinion, and its dissensions around the significance of the Great War.Fil: Tato, María Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana "Dr. Emilio Ravignani". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana "Dr. Emilio Ravignani"; Argentin

Effects of infrequent dried distillers grain supplementation on spring-calving cow performance

Feed and supplement costs and the expenses associated with delivery of winter supplements account for a large proportion of the total operating expenditures for cow-calf producers. Cattle grazing low-quality dormant native range (<6% crude protein) typically are unable to consume sufficient protein from the forage base, which limits microbial activity and forage digestion. Supplemental protein often is required to maintain cow body weight and body condition score during the last trimester of pregnancy. Low cow body condition scores at calving are common and may negatively affect lactation, rebreeding rates, and calf weaning weight. Failure to maintain proper nutritional status during this period severely affects short-term cow performance, reduces overall herd productivity, and limits profit potential. The most effective means of supplying supplemental protein to cows consuming dormant native range is to provide a small amount of high-protein feedstuff (>30% crude protein). Dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) are a by-product of the ethanol refining process. Distillers grains supply the recommended 30% crude protein level, are readily available, and often are favorably priced compared with more traditional feedstuffs. With the rising costs of inputs in today’s cow-calf sector, reducing cost is necessary to maintain viability of the national cowherd. Reducing the frequency of supplementation results in less labor and fuel use, effectively reducing input costs; however, this is viable only as long as cow performance is maintained at acceptable levels. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of infrequent supplementation of dried distillers grains with solubles on cow body weight and body condition score