Making contract farming work? : society and technology in Philippine transnational agribusiness

OpenAIRE

Vellema, S.

2002-01-01

Keywords: contract farming, agribusiness, Philippines, Southeast Asia, asparagus, hybrid maize

Contract farming is a widespread and important tool for organising agricultural production in line with corporate strategies and market demands. This book analyses how Philippine farmers and transnational agribusiness make contract farming work in two production schemes in Mindanao: the export-oriented production of high-value asparagus and the risky production of hybrid maize see...

Incidence of Poverty and the Role of Non-Farm Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fatima, A.

2015-01-01

The incidence of poverty, poverty gap and the severity of poverty for the nine agro-climatic zones of the country (rice/wheat Punjab, mixed Punjab, cotton/wheat Punjab, low intensity Punjab, Barani Punjab, cotton/wheat Sindh, rice other Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan) were calculated for farming and non-farming households. The indices of poverty were also measured for households that only did farming, undertook farming and non-farm activities and those that did no farming in the various agro-climatic zones. Finally, incidence and severity of poverty as well as the spread of income among the poor for non-farm wage earners, farm wage earners, non-farm self-employed and the crop cultivators in the nine agro-climatic zones of rural Pakistan was also carried out. The relationship between incidence of poverty and non-farm activities is ambivalent with non-farm households being better off in regions that are less fertile. The incidence of poverty was highest amongst farm wage workers, followed by non-farm wage workers, non-farm self-employed and lastly crop cultivators. (author)

75 FR 66699 - Farm Loan Programs Loan Making Activities; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-29

... Loan Programs Loan Making Activities; Correction AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA. ACTION: Proposed rule; correction. SUMMARY: This document contains a correction to the proposed rule titled ``Farm Loan Programs Loan Making Activities'' that was published September 23, 2010. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is...

Differences among Thai Agricultural Workers' Health, Working Conditions, and Pesticide Use by Farm Type.

Science.gov (United States)

Kongtip, Pornpimol; Nankongnab, Noppanun; Mahaboonpeeti, Redeerat; Bootsikeaw, Sasivimol; Batsungnoen, Kiattisak; Hanchenlaksh, Chalalai; Tipayamongkholgul, Mathuros; Woskie, Susan

2018-02-13

More than 11 million Thai people (38%) work in agriculture, but since most are in the informal sector, government enforcement and support are very limited. As a result, working conditions on Thai farms vary greatly, putting the health of many agricultural workers at risk. A cross-sectional study in three Thai provinces collected information on the work activities and conditions of 424 farmers representing five farm types: rice, vegetable, flower, rice/vegetable, and flower/vegetable. The agricultural workers were mainly women (60%); their average age was 53 but ranged from 18 to 87 years. More than 64% worked more than 5 days/week. Seventy-four percent of them had only primary school education. A number of the health and hazardous working conditions surveyed were significantly different by farm type. Rice farmers were found to have the highest prevalence of allergies, nasal congestion, wheezing, and acute symptoms after pesticide use, while flower farmers had the lowest prevalence of these health outcomes. Rice farmers reported the highest prevalence of hazardous working conditions including high noise levels, working on slippery surfaces, sitting or standing on a vibrating machine, spills of chemicals/pesticides, and sharp injuries. The lowest prevalence of these working conditions (except noise) was reported by flower farmers. Vegetable farmers reported the highest prevalence knee problems, while rice farmers had the lowest prevalence. Among these farmers, more than 27 different types of pesticides were reported in use during the past year, with the majority reporting use once a month. The flower/vegetable farming group reported the highest frequency of good exposure prevention practices during pesticide use. They were the most likely to report using cotton or rubber gloves or a disposable paper masks during insecticide spraying. Those farmers who only grew vegetables had the lowest frequency of good exposure prevention practices, including use of personal

Bi-Level Decentralized Active Power Control for Large-Scale Wind Farm Cluster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Shengli; Wu, Qiuwei; Guo, Yifei

2018-01-01

This paper presents a bi-level decentralized active power control (DAPC) for a large-scale wind farm cluster, consisting of several wind farms for better active power dispatch. In the upper level, a distributed active power control scheme based on the distributed consensus is designed to achieve...... fair active power sharing among multiple wind farms, which generates the power reference for each wind farm. A distributed estimator is used to estimate the total available power of all wind farms. In the lower level, a centralized control scheme based on the Model Predictive Control (MPC) is proposed...... to regulate active power outputs of all wind turbines (WTs) within a wind farm, which reduces the fatigue loads of WTs while tracking the power reference obtained from the upper level control. A wind farm cluster with 8 wind farms and totally 160 WTs, was used to test the control performance of the proposed...

Non-farm Activities and Adoption of Improved Cassava and Beans Varieties in South- Kivu, DR Congo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dontsop-Nguezet, PM.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Non-farm activities have been generally considered as important strategy for overcoming credit constraints faced by rural households as well as for reducing poverty through income effect. This paper employs binary probit and average treatment effect to estimate the impact of participation in non-farm activities on adoption of improved cassava and beans varieties in South-Kivu, DR Congo. Results showed on one hand that the participation rate in non-farm activities in South-Kivu was 38% and 52.1% respectively for crafts and small businesses. On the other hand, the rate of adoption of new cassava and beans varieties were 14 and 28% respectively. Factors affecting the adoption rate were gender, education, household size, the presence of non-farm activities, household assets in terms of livestock owned, market access and access to the information on new technologies. These results demonstrate the tendency of rural households to include the practice of non-farm activities among their strategies for survival and diversify their sources of income or supplement farm income. Results of this study indicate a positive relationship between engagement of rural households in non-farm activities and their propensity to adopt improved varieties. There is still a huge gap between potential adoption rate and actual rate of adoption for cassava and beans improved varieties in the study area. Therefore, actors involved in the development of the agricultural sector have to be aware of the importance of these factors even when they are working for the promotion of purely agricultural activities.

Impact of Long Farm Working Hours on Child Safety Practices in Agricultural Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Marlenga, Barbara; Pahwa, Punam; Hagel, Louise; Dosman, James; Pickett, William

2010-01-01

Objectives: To characterize working hours of adult farm owner-operators and their spouses by season, and to examine associations between working hours and farm safety practices affecting children. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected as part of an existing study of injury and its determinants.…

Tank farm health and safety plan. Revision 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mickle, G.D.

1995-01-01

This Tank Farm Health and Safety Plan (HASP) for the conduct of all operations and work activities at the Hanford Site 200 Area Tank Farms is provided in order to minimize health and safety risks to workers and other onsite personnel. The HASP accomplishes this objective by establishing requirements, providing general guidelines, and conveying farm and facility-specific hazard communication information. The HASP, in conjunction with the job-specific information required by the HASP, is provided also as a reference for use during the planning of work activities at the tank farms. This HASP applies to Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC), other prime contractors to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and subcontractors to WHC who may be involved in tank farm work activities. This plan is intended to be both a requirements document and a useful reference to aid tank farm workers in understanding the safety and health issues that are encountered in routine and nonroutine work activities. The HASP defines the health and safety responsibilities of personnel working at the tank farms. It has been prepared in recognition of and is consistent with National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)/Unlimited State Coast Guard (USCG)/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Guidance Manual for Hazardous Waste Site Activities (NIOSH 1985); WHC-CM-4-3, Industrial Safety Manual, Volume 4, open-quotes Health and Safety Programs for Hazardous Waste Operations;close quotes 29 CFR 1910.120, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response; WHC-CM-1-1, Management Policies; and WHC-CM-1-3, Management Requirements and Procedures. When differences in governing regulations or policies exist, the more stringent requirements shall apply until the discrepancy can be resolved

Tank farm health and safety plan. Revision 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mickle, G.D.

1995-03-29

This Tank Farm Health and Safety Plan (HASP) for the conduct of all operations and work activities at the Hanford Site 200 Area Tank Farms is provided in order to minimize health and safety risks to workers and other onsite personnel. The HASP accomplishes this objective by establishing requirements, providing general guidelines, and conveying farm and facility-specific hazard communication information. The HASP, in conjunction with the job-specific information required by the HASP, is provided also as a reference for use during the planning of work activities at the tank farms. This HASP applies to Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC), other prime contractors to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and subcontractors to WHC who may be involved in tank farm work activities. This plan is intended to be both a requirements document and a useful reference to aid tank farm workers in understanding the safety and health issues that are encountered in routine and nonroutine work activities. The HASP defines the health and safety responsibilities of personnel working at the tank farms. It has been prepared in recognition of and is consistent with National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)/Unlimited State Coast Guard (USCG)/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Guidance Manual for Hazardous Waste Site Activities (NIOSH 1985); WHC-CM-4-3, Industrial Safety Manual, Volume 4, {open_quotes}Health and Safety Programs for Hazardous Waste Operations;{close_quotes} 29 CFR 1910.120, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response; WHC-CM-1-1, Management Policies; and WHC-CM-1-3, Management Requirements and Procedures. When differences in governing regulations or policies exist, the more stringent requirements shall apply until the discrepancy can be resolved.

Child Work Safety on the Farms of Local Agricultural Market Producers: Parent and Child Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Summers, Phillip; Quandt, Sara A; Spears Johnson, Chaya R; Arcury, Thomas A

2018-01-01

Agriculture is a hazardous industry, yet there are few regulations on the ages at which children may engage in farm work. Local agricultural market producers (LAMPs) are a growing subset of farmers within "sustainable agriculture" who engage in direct-to-consumer and direct-to-retailer enterprises. This study explores the occupational health and safety perceptions of parents and children for children who work on their families' LAMP farms. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 parent-child dyads from LAMP farms in Illinois and North Carolina. Four themes emerged from these 24 interviews; parents and children perceived that: (1) the nature of small farms makes them safer than industrial agricultural operations; (2) child safety on farms is common sense; (3) avoiding hazardous tasks keeps children safe; and (4) parents know best (compared to regulations) about ways to keep their children safe. Some of these themes echo the results of earlier studies conducted with more conventional farms. Further research is needed to develop programs to improve child occupational safety on LAMP farms.

Active Power Control of Waked Wind Farms: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fleming, Paul A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); van Wingerden, Jan-Willem [Delft University of Technology; Pao, Lucy [University of Colorado; Aho, Jacob [University of Colorado

2017-08-15

Active power control can be used to balance the total power generated by wind farms with the power consumed on the electricity grid. With the increasing penetration levels of wind energy, there is an increasing need for this ancillary service. In this paper, we show that the tracking of a certain power reference signal provided by the transmission system operator can be significantly improved by using feedback control at the wind farm level. We propose a simple feedback control law that significantly improves the tracking behavior of the total power output of the farm, resulting in higher performance scores. The effectiveness of the proposed feedback controller is demonstrated using high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations of a small wind farm.

Farm to Work: Development of a Modified Community-Supported Agriculture Model at Worksites, 2007-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Thi, Christina A; Horton, Karissa D; Loyo, Jennifer; Jowers, Esbelle M; Rodgers, Lindsay Faith; Smiley, Andrew W; Leversen, Eric; Hoelscher, Deanna M

2015-10-22

The Farm to Work program is a modified community-supported agriculture model at worksites in Texas. The objective of the Farm to Work program is to increase fruit and vegetable intake among employees and their households by decreasing cost, improving convenience, and increasing access while also creating a new market for local farmers at worksites. The objectives of this article were to describe the development, implementation, and outcome of a 5-year participation trend analysis and to describe the community relationships that were formed to enable the successful implementation of the program. The Farm to Work program began in November 2007 as a collaborative effort between the nonprofit Sustainable Food Center, the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Web development company WebChronic Consulting LLC, and Naegelin Farm. The program provides a weekly or biweekly opportunity for employees to order a basket of produce online to be delivered to the worksite by a local farmer. A 5-year participation trend analysis, including seasonal variation and sales trends, was conducted using sales data from November 2007 through December 2012. The total number of baskets delivered from November 2007 through December 2012 was 38,343; of these, 37,466 were sold and 877 were complimentary. The total value of sold and complimentary baskets was $851,035 and $21,925, respectively. Participation in the program increased over time and was highest in 2012. The Farm to Work program increased access to locally grown fruits and vegetables for employees and created a new market for farmers. Increased program participation indicates that Farm to Work can increase employees' fruit and vegetable consumption and thus help prevent chronic diseases in this population.

The Profitability of Animal Husbandry Activities on Farms in Dry Farming Areas and the Interaction between Crop Production and Animal Husbandry: The Case of Ankara Province in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harun Tanrıvermis

2007-04-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the linkages between livestock and crop farming activities and provides a comparative analysis of the profitability of different livestock activities in the highlands of Ankara. The data was collected from 52 sample farms in the Nallıhan, Aya¸s, Güdül and Beypazarı districts of Ankara by way of a questionnaire, where the farms have, on average, 20.7 ha of land and are thus regarded as small family farms. Insufficient irrigated land and working capital, weak market relations and the pressure of high population brings about a requirement to strengthen crop-livestock interaction. Production on the farms is generally carried out in extensive conditions, with goat, sheep and cattle husbandry in addition to crop production. Crop production makes up for 20.8% of the total gross production value on the farms. Of this figure, the entire yields of wheat, barley, pulses, straw and fodder crops are used for own consumption by the households, along with 74% of the wheat and 77% of the barley produced. The research results indicate that the current management systems may be defined as mixed farms in terms of crop–livestock linkages. The average total income of the households surveyed is 9,412.0 USD, of which 63.4% comes from farming activities. Every 1 USD invested in animal husbandry provides an income of 1.12 USD from dairy cattle breeding, 1.13 USD from Angora goat breeding, 1.16 USD from sheep breeding and 1.27 USD from ordinary goat breeding. It has been found that ordinary goat breeding, which provides the greatest relative profitability for the farms, offers many advantages, and that the transition from Angora goat breeding to ordinary goat breeding through the breeding of ordinary male goats into the Angora herd has occurred in recent years. The results of the survey indicate that supporting crop production with animal husbandry is considered a requirement in order to maintain economic and social sustainability in the farms

29 CFR 780.136 - Employment in practices on a farm.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... activity (§§ 780.104 through 780.144). Even though an employee may work on several farms during a workweek... an employee occurs off the farm will not affect this conclusion. Thus, an employee may spend a small amount of time within the workweek in transporting necessary equipment for work to be done on farms...

Swamp buffalo keeping – an out-dated farming activity? A case study in smallholder farming systems in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, PR China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Schiborra

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Expansion of rubber tree plantations and agricultural mechanization caused a decline of swamp buffalo numbers in the Naban River National Nature Reserve (NRNNR, Yunnan Province, China. We analysed current use of buffaloes for field work and the recent development of the regional buffalo population, based on interviews with 184 farmers in 2007/2008 and discussions with 62 buffalo keepers in 2009. Three types of NRNNR farms were distinguished, differing mainly in altitude, area under rubber, and involvement in livestock husbandry. While pig based farms (PB; n=37 have abandoned buffalo keeping, 11% of the rubber based farms (RB; n=71 and 100% of the livestock-corn based farms (LB; n=76 kept buffaloes in 2008. Herd size was 2.5 +/-1.80 (n=84 buffaloes in early 2008 and 2.2 +/-1.69 (n=62 in 2009. Field work on own land was the main reason for keeping buffaloes (87.3 %, but lending work buffaloes to neighbours (79.0% was also important. Other purposes were transport of goods (16.1%, buffalo trade (11.3% and meat consumption (6.4%. Buffalo care required 6.2 +/-3.00 working hours daily, while annual working time of a buffalo was 294 +/-216.6 hours. The area ploughed with buffaloes remained constant during the past 10 years despite an expansion of land cropped per farm. Although further replacement of buffaloes by tractors occurs rapidly, buffaloes still provide cheap work force and buffer risks on poor NRNNR farms. Appropriate advice is needed for improved breeding management to increase the efficiency of buffalo husbandry and provide better opportunities for buffalo meat sale in the region.

Urban farming activity towards sustainable wellbeing of urban dwellers

Science.gov (United States)

Othman, N.; Mohamad, M.; Latip, R. A.; Ariffin, M. H.

2018-02-01

In Malaysia, urban farming is viewed as a catalyst towards achieving the well-being of urban dwellers and natural environment. Urban farming is a strategy for Malaysia’s food and economic security, and as one of the foci in the agriculture transformation whereby urban dwellers are encouraged to participate in this activity. Previous study proved that urban farming can help to address social problems of food security, urban poverty and high living cost, also provides leisure and recreation among urban dwellers. Thus, this study investigates the best urban farming practices suitable for urban setting, environment and culture of urban dwellers. Data collection was done via questionnaire survey to urban farmers of a selected community garden in Subang Jaya, Selangor. Meanwhile, on-site observations were carried out on gardening activities and the gardens’ physical attributes. The study sample encompasses of 131 urban farmers of 22 community gardens in Subang Jaya. It was found that most of the community gardens practiced crops planting on the ground or soil base planting and dwellers in the lower income group with monthly low household income constitutes the majority (83.2%) of the respondents. Social and health benefits are the highest motivating factors for urban farmers. This study provides unprecedented insights on urban farming practices and motivations in a Malaysian setting.

Farm Entrepreneurs’ Intentions to Develop Pluriactive Business Activities in Finland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarja Niemelä

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We contribute to the entrepreneurial intentions literature by applying the theory of planned behaviour and resource-based views to the model of active entrepreneurs’ intention to develop their pluriactive usinesses. Using our 2012 survey data from farm firms in Finland, we address the limited focus on active ntrepreneurs and their intentions to develop on-going income-generating, off-farm related business activities. We found that attitudinal proxy antecedents such as innovation, cooperation and growth for pluriactivity differ for active and non-active entrepreneurs and with respect to the entrepreneurs’ age and production line and innovation behaviour.

COLLECTIVE FARMS IN THE WORKS OF A.N. CHELINTSEV AND N.P. MAKAROV (1951-1966

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А М Никулин

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents a part of the intellectual legacy of the Chayanov’s school that is often con-sidered as consisting exclusively of the studies of peasant economy and its cooperative development. Such an interpretation overlooks the school’s contribution to the study of large-scale agrarian production within the establishing soviet system of collective farms. The authors provide another interpretation of the intellectual legacy of Chayanov and his colleagues, and focus on the works of A.N. Chelintsev (1874-1962 and N.P. Makarov (1888-1980, who survived the repressions of the 1930s and since the 1940s returned to the studies of economic organization of collective farms, which had become the main insti-tutional form of the soviet agrarian system. Chelintsev studied lagging collective farms, which were un-popular and even dangerous subject in the soviet agrarian science. Chelintsev’s recommendations were not followed in the collective farms’ economy of the 1950s. However, today they help to understand some system features of weak collective farms. Makarov summarized the results of his collective farms studies at the rise of the Kosygin’s reforms in the monograph published in 1966; it emphasized both the importance of collective farms in the soviet agriculture and alternative strategies of collective farms develop-ment by granting them more independence and involving in inter-farm cooperation. With such works, Chelintsev and Makarov ensured the highest methodological level of social-economic research typical for the 1920s’ soviet agrarian science, thus confirming that the Chayanov’s school introduced many original ideas in the study of peculiarities of the economic organization of both peasant households and large-scale collective farms, which determines the necessity of reevaluating the intellectual legacy of the organizational-production school to understand better the phenomenon of Russian collective farming in the XX century.

Mediating and moderating effects of work-home interference upon farm stresses and psychological distress.

Science.gov (United States)

McShane, Connar Jo; Quirk, Frances

2009-10-01

This study investigated whether work-home (WHI) or home-work interference (HWI) explained or affected the strength of the relationship between farmers' stresses and reported psychological distress. Distribution of questionnaire package; included Work-Home Conflict Scale, Farm Stress Survey, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Participants recruited via advertising in newsletters and newspapers, and distribution through businesses and meetings. The majority of farmers (N = 51, male = 45, female = 5) were recruited from the one district. Farmers were individuals who identified their occupation as a farm owner, farm manager, or farm hand. It was predicted farmers would report higher levels of WHI than HWI; time, a determinant of interference, would mediate the relationship between farmers' stresses and psychological distress; WHI and HWI would moderate farmers' stresses and their psychological distress; overall reported level of psychological distress would be in normal to mild range because of positive general economic conditions. Farmers reported significantly higher levels of WHI than HWI (M = 3.21, M = 2.76, P stresses and psychological distress, particularly anxiety. WHI, time and strain, determinants of WHI mediated personal finances and subcomponents of psychological distress (stress, anxiety, depression). Time-based HWI mediated personal finances and stress. No moderating effects were found for WHI (r = -0.02, P = 0.882) or HWI (r = 0.15, P = 0.306). Farmers of this specific sample presented a unique work-home interface. Limitations include the small sample size, recruitment methods, and culturally irrelevant measures as well as only assessing work-related stresses. Future research should aim to develop measures appropriate for farmers of Australia.

The Fermilab Farms in 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-05-01

The farms in 1996 began a period of transition. The old farms continue to be used but do not provide sufficient CPU power, memory, or network bandwidth for all of the tasks which are required. Therefore we have purchased and installed a substantial increment of new farms and are working on adding another increment during 1997. The purpose of all this activity is to provide computing for the fixed target run and for the other large computing users who cannot be accommodated on the other systems that are available at Fermilab

Diversification of income in rural areas: the issue of supplementary activities on farms in Slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irma Potočnik Slavič

2002-12-01

Full Text Available The issue on supplementary activities on farms as also their impact on farm income does not represent a new phenomena in Slovenia, but a new fluorishing wave is to be seen in the last decade in the area of diversification and extent. The article analyses the motives of accelerated development of supplementary activities, reveals the newest legislation and through the case study of farms in Ljubljana basin indicates the geographical aspect of supplementary activities on farms.

A modelling framework to predict bat activity patterns on wind farms: An outline of possible applications on mountain ridges of North Portugal.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Carmen; Cabral, João Alexandre; Hughes, Samantha Jane; Santos, Mário

2017-03-01

Worldwide ecological impact assessments of wind farms have gathered relevant information on bat activity patterns. Since conventional bat study methods require intensive field work, the prediction of bat activity might prove useful by anticipating activity patterns and estimating attractiveness concomitant with the wind farm location. A novel framework was developed, based on the stochastic dynamic methodology (StDM) principles, to predict bat activity on mountain ridges with wind farms. We illustrate the framework application using regional data from North Portugal by merging information from several environmental monitoring programmes associated with diverse wind energy facilities that enable integrating the multifactorial influences of meteorological conditions, land cover and geographical variables on bat activity patterns. Output from this innovative methodology can anticipate episodes of exceptional bat activity, which, if correlated with collision probability, can be used to guide wind farm management strategy such as halting wind turbines during hazardous periods. If properly calibrated with regional gradients of environmental variables from mountain ridges with windfarms, the proposed methodology can be used as a complementary tool in environmental impact assessments and ecological monitoring, using predicted bat activity to assist decision making concerning the future location of wind farms and the implementation of effective mitigation measures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Poor safety climate, long work hours, and musculoskeletal discomfort among Latino horse farm workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Swanberg, Jennifer; Clouser, Jessica Miller; Gan, Wenqi; Flunker, John C; Westneat, Susan; Browning, Steven R

2017-09-03

This study investigated the prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) and work-related factors associated with elevated MSD among Latino thoroughbred farm workers. Participants (N = 225) were recruited using a community-based purposive sampling approach to participate in in-person interviews. Of these workers, 85% experienced MSD. MSD was divided into tertiles; the upper tertile was defined as elevated. Multivariable Poisson regression revealed associations between any elevated MSD and longer tenure on horse farms, longer work hours, and poor safety climate. Elevated neck/back MSD was associated with longer tenure, longer work hours, and poor safety climate. Elevated upper extremity MSD was associated with age and poor safety climate. Elevated lower extremity MSD was associated with longer tenure, longer work hours, and being female. Musculoskeletal discomfort is common among these workers. Improving safety climate and minimizing long work hours is recommended.

Power control of a wind farm with active stall wind turbines and AC grid connection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anca Daniela; Sørensen, Poul; Iov, Florin

both the control on wind turbine level as well as the central control on the wind farm level. The ability of active stall wind farms with AC grid connection to regulate the power production to the reference power ordered by the operators is assessed and discussed by means of simulations.......This paper describes the design of a centralised wind farm controller for a wind farm made-up exclusively of active stall wind turbines with AC grid connection. The overall aim of such controller is to enable the wind farms to provide the best grid support. The designed wind farm control involves...

Trends in family labour, hired labour and contract work on french fieldcrop farms: the role of agricultural policies

OpenAIRE

Dupraz, Pierre; Latruffe, Laure

2010-01-01

This article analyses the factors driving the evolution of on-farm labour use, including own family labour, hired labour and contract work, in French fieldcrop farms during 1990-2007. Particular attention is given to the level and type of agricultural support. The increase in the farm labour force over the years is due to increases in hired labour and contract work which are complements for each other rather than substitutes, and complement for family labour. Crop area payments and Single Far...

The Welfare Effects of Farm Household Activity Choices in Post-War Mozambique

OpenAIRE

Brück, Tilman

2004-01-01

This paper analyses the effects of activity choices on farm household income and consumption in a war-affected developing country. The study uses household survey data from Mozambique and controls for the endogeneity of activity choices with instrumental variables. War-time activity choices (such as subsistence farming) are shown to enhance welfare in the post-war period. Market and social exchange induce only limited welfare gains. Cotton adoption reduces household welfare, which contradicts...

Cohabitation with farm animals in urban households with and without occupational farm work: associations between participation in educational activities and good hygiene practices in at-risk households cohabiting with farm animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Somphou, Phoupasong; Takano, Takehito; Nakamura, Keiko

2008-11-01

This study was performed to investigate patterns of cohabitation with farm animals in urban households in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, with regard to animal-to-human disease transmission. We also investigated the association between participation in hygiene-related educational activities and good hygiene practices in households with or without cohabitation with animals. A survey regarding cohabitation with animals, socioeconomic characteristics and participation in educational activities was conducted among 1,497 households randomly sampled from urban districts of Vientiane in 2001. Rates of satisfactory performance of recommended good hygiene practices according to a program commencing in 1996 were compared among households cohabiting with animals with or without participation in educational activities (reference group). Even among households not engaged in agriculture as a major source of income, 54.4, 34.9, 7.9, 3.1 and 35.7% cohabited with chickens, ducks, cattle, buffaloes and dogs, respectively. The percentage of households fulfilling the recommendations for good hygiene practices was 56.7%. The rates of satisfactory hygiene practices among households participating in health education and cohabitating with chickens, ducks or cattle were greater than those in the reference group (OR = 1.7, 95%CI = 1.2, 2.3; OR = 2.0, 95%CI = 1.3, 3.0; OR = 2.3, 95%CI = 1.0, 4.9) regardless of socioeconomic factors. Households cohabiting with animals showed poorer rates of satisfactory hygiene practices than those without animals. Cohabitation with farm animals is common in urban Vientiane regardless of household involvement in agriculture. Further effort is required to improve hygiene conditions, despite some positive effects of health education even in households cohabiting with animals.

A Wind Farm Active Power Dispatch Strategy for Fatigue Load Reduction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Baohua; N. Soltani, Mohsen; Hu, Weihao

2016-01-01

One of the biggest challenges in wind farm management is to cope with requirements from the grid companies and to optimize efficiency and minimize wear on wind turbines. This paper addresses an optimized active power dispatch strategy of a wind farm to reduce the fatigue load of wind turbines, wh...

Environmental impacts of coastal farming: carbon and nitrogen budgets for trout farming activity in Kaldbaksfjørđur (Faroe Islands)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordi, Gunnvør a; Glud, Ronnie N.; Gaard, Eilif

2011-01-01

Flow of organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen through a sea cage trout farm was calculated on the basis of detailed studies of the farming operation, water circulation, OC and nutrient transport and recycling processes in sediment. A third of the OC and nitrogen provided by fish food was incorporated...... derived from fish food settled on the seabed, where it was either mineralized or accumulated in the sediment. Based on transect measurements of diagenetic activity, the farm footprint was found to cover an area ~10 times the farm area. OC mineralization in the sediment increased linearly with increasing...

Distributed Model Predictive Control for Active Power Control of Wind Farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Haoran; Wu, Qiuwei; Rasmussen, Claus Nygaard

2014-01-01

This paper presents the active power control of a wind farm using the Distributed Model Predictive Controller (D- MPC) via dual decomposition. Different from the conventional centralized wind farm control, multiple objectives such as power reference tracking performance and wind turbine load can...... be considered to achieve a trade-off between them. Additionally, D- MPC is based on communication among the subsystems. Through the interaction among the neighboring subsystems, the global optimization could be achieved, which significantly reduces the computation burden. It is suitable for the modern large......-scale wind farm control....

Combined Active and Reactive Power Control of Wind Farms based on Model Predictive Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Haoran; Wu, Qiuwei; Wang, Jianhui

2017-01-01

This paper proposes a combined wind farm controller based on Model Predictive Control (MPC). Compared with the conventional decoupled active and reactive power control, the proposed control scheme considers the significant impact of active power on voltage variations due to the low X=R ratio...... of wind farm collector systems. The voltage control is improved. Besides, by coordination of active and reactive power, the Var capacity is optimized to prevent potential failures due to Var shortage, especially when the wind farm operates close to its full load. An analytical method is used to calculate...... the sensitivity coefficients to improve the computation efficiency and overcome the convergence problem. Two control modes are designed for both normal and emergency conditions. A wind farm with 20 wind turbines was used to verify the proposed combined control scheme....

Particularities of farm accounting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lapteș, R.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, agriculture has become one of the most important fields of activity, significant funds being allotted within the EU budget to finance the European agriculture. In this context, organising the accounting of economic entities which carry out their activity in the agricultural sector has acquired new meanings. The goal of the present study is to bring into the light the particularities of the farm accounting on two levels: on the one hand, from the perspective of the international accounting referential and, on the other hand, in compliance with the national accounting regulations. The most important conclusion of this work is that, in post-1990 Romania, no interest was further manifested for the refinement of aspects specific to farm accounting.

The Determining Factors of Entrepreneurial Activity in Broiler Farms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burhanuddin

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Indonesia still requires approximately 4 million entrepreneurs to become a developed country. This research aimed at identifying and analyzing the factors forming the broiler farm entrepreneurial activities that contribute on generating new entrepreneurs in Indonesia. Primary data were collected through questionnaire and analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM. Independent latent variables were innovations (IN, productions (DP, competitiveness (DS, risks (PR, labors (TK, and policies (KP, and then entrepreneurial activities (AK as dependent latent variable. The results showed that the model was built (MODEL1 as measurement model and MODEL2 as structural model had goodness fit and good reliability measurement variables (CR≥0.70, VE≥0.50. Innovation was reflected by the level of willingness to innovate (λ=0.63 and level of technology (λ=0.62. Production was reflected by production efficiency (λ=0.62 and cost control (λ=0.43. Competitiveness was reflected by the internet (λ=0.56, the cost of starting (λ=0.55, and new business formation (λ=0.58. Labor was reflected by the training and development (λ=0.57, and motivation (λ=0.42. Policies was reflected by access to land (λ=0.56, technical assistance (λ=0.60, research and technology (λ=0.66, and copyright protection (λ=0.64. The entrepreneurial activity of broiler farms were formed by innovation (γ=0.91, competitiveness (γ=0.94, and policies (γ=0.98. Broiler farms contributed positively to generate new entrepreneurs. Production and information technology development program, facilitation of the creation of new ventures program, business expansion program, and a program of strengthening intellectual property rights on broiler farms should be a priority of the Indonesian government programs in the future.

THE COOPERATIVE WORK AND FAMILY FARMING ECOLOGICALLY BASED: ACTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FROM THE LOCAL REALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabiana da Silva Andersson

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to characterize the associated farmers to Cooperativa Sul Ecológica de Agricultores Familiares Ltda., and to understand the organization of the cooperative institution. For this, we conducted semi-structured interviews with the family farmers ecological base and development agents along Cooperative, together the use of secondary sources. Since the Cooperative presents their work ethics and press for horizontal beginning, it allows collective decision making. In addition, your audience - family farmers ecological base - has an active history of sustainable and cooperative work. Therefore, we can measure both the public research on the family farm as the institution Cooperativa Sul Ecológica actual actions and what Costabeber & Caporal established as ecologically based agriculture.

Exploring the Role of Farm Animals in Providing Care at Care Farms

Science.gov (United States)

Hassink, Jan; De Bruin, Simone R.; Berget, Bente; Elings, Marjolein

2017-01-01

Simple Summary This paper provides insight into the role of farm animals in farm-based programs and their importance to different types of participants. Farm animals provide real work, close relationships, challenging tasks and opportunities for reflection. They also contribute to a welcoming atmosphere for various types of participants. Abstract We explore the role of farm animals in providing care to different types of participants at care farms (e.g., youngsters with behavioural problems, people with severe mental problems and people with dementia). Care farms provide alternative and promising settings where people can interact with animals compared to a therapeutic healthcare setting. We performed a literature review, conducted focus group meetings and carried out secondary data-analysis of qualitative studies involving care farmers and different types of participants. We found that farm animals are important to many participants and have a large number of potential benefits. They can (i) provide meaningful day occupation; (ii) generate valued relationships; (iii) help people master tasks; (iv) provide opportunities for reciprocity; (v) can distract people from them problems; (vi) provide relaxation; (vii) facilitate customized care; (viii) facilitate relationships with other people; (ix) stimulate healthy behavior; (x) contribute to a welcoming environment; (xi) make it possible to experience basic elements of life; and (xii) provide opportunities for reflection and feedback. This shows the multi-facetted importance of interacting with animals on care farms. In this study the types of activities with animals and their value to different types of participants varied. Farm animals are an important element of the care farm environment that can address the care needs of different types of participants. PMID:28574435

Fatigue Load Sensitivity Based Optimal Active Power Dispatch For Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Haoran; Wu, Qiuwei; Huang, Shaojun

2017-01-01

This paper proposes an optimal active power dispatch algorithm for wind farms based on Wind Turbine (WT) load sensitivity. The control objectives include tracking power references from the system operator and minimizing fatigue loads experienced by WTs. The sensitivity of WT fatigue loads to power...... sensitivity are derived, which significantly improves the computation efficiency of the local WT controller. The proposed algorithm can be implemented in different active power control schemes. Case studies were conducted with a wind farm under balance control for both low and high wind conditions...

Conventional, organic and biodynamic farming: differences in polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of Batavia lettuce.

Science.gov (United States)

Heimler, Daniela; Vignolini, Pamela; Arfaioli, Paola; Isolani, Laura; Romani, Annalisa

2012-02-01

Lactuca sativa L. ssp. acephala L., cv. Batavia red Mohican plants were cultivated under intensive conventional, organic and biodynamic farming and were analyzed for their polyphenol content and antiradical activity in order to demonstrate the influence of farming on yield, polyphenol content and antiradical activity. The yield of plants from conventional farming was the highest (2.89 kg m⁻²), while polyphenol content, measured by spectrophotometry, of these plants was lower at P flavonoid and hydroxycinnamic acid contents. Flavonoid, hydroxycinnamic acid and anthocyan patterns were not affected by the type of cultivation, while quantitative differences were demonstrated and some differences were found between conventional farming and organic or biodynamic farming. The yield of conventionally grown salads was the highest. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Grid support of a wind farm with active stall wind turbines and AC grid connection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anca Daniela; Sørensen, Poul Ejnar; Iov, F.

2006-01-01

grid connection. The designed control system has the task of enabling such a wind farm to provide the best grid support. It is based on two control levels: a supervisory control level, which controls the power production of the whole farm by sending out reference signals to each individual wind turbine......One of the main concerns in the grid integration of large wind farms is their ability to behave as active controllable components in the power system. This article presents the design of a new integrated power control system for a wind farm made up exclusively of active stall wind turbines with AC......, and a local control level, which ensures that the reference power signals at the wind turbine level are reached. The ability of active stall wind farms with AC grid connection to control the power production to the reference power ordered by the operators is assessed and discussed by means of simulations....

Safety on North Carolina and Kentucky trout farms.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogunsanya, T J; Durborow, R M; Myers, M L; Cole, H P; Thompson, S L

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to identify and describe work-related safety hazards, injuries, and near-injury events (close calls) that occurred on trout farms in North Carolina and Kentucky. An interview instrument was used to collect information on occupational hazards, injuries, and near-injury events that resulted from work-related activities. Trout farmers reported occupational hazards including falling live tank lids, slippery surfaces on hauling trucks, lifting strains, falls from raceway walls and walkways, needlesticks while vaccinating fish, allergies, hypothermia/drowning, falls from cranes, chemical exposure, fire/explosions related to oxygen exposure, and electrical contact with overhead power lines. This study also reports solutions suggested by farm safety researchers or used by farmers to prevent the safety hazards found on trout farms.

Structural and economic dynamics in diversified Italian farms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Salvioni

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Objective of this work is to investigate the structural change and economic dynamics of farms pursuing diversification and differentiation strategies in Italy. The analysis was performed on a panel of data built on the basis of information collected by the Italian FADN between 2003-2009. For the purpose of the analysis, we divided the population of commercial Italian farms into a five-fold farm typology based on size and the extent of diversification and differentiation strategies adopted by the farms. In detail, farms are defined as differentiated when they make use of a system of quality certification, while they are defined as diversified when they take up non farming activities (agritourism, social farms etc.. The findings show that conventional farms remain by far the largest category within the population of Italian commercial farms, while only 13% of the total commercial farms are classified as differentiated and/or diversified. Farms adopting product differentiation strategies are found to have an income growth path similar to that of conventional farms. Yet the category of diversified farms is the only one showing an upward trend with regard to income per worker in the observed years, while farms relying entirely on agricultural products appear to perform poorly in terms of labour productivity.

Assessment of the strategy countermeasures by the French farming working group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cessac, B.; Reales, N.; Gallay, F.

2004-01-01

In France, for several years, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has been working on technical solutions for the rehabilitation of rural, urban and industrial areas, contaminated by radioactivity. Then, the complexity of the radioactivity integration' s mechanisms into the environment and into the food chain, but also the important number of concerned actors and the inevitable incompatibilities between their respective expectations of the rehabilitation, make the post accidental management a challenging question for the responsible organisations at local, national and international levels. The involvement of persons in charge of agriculture in a collective reflection on the conditions and means of the post accidental situation's management seemed therefore necessary, in order to allow them to express the farmers point of view. On this basis, IRSN is deeply engaged in actions involving these other stakeholders, in particular in rural environment, in order to collect their appraisal and to obtain data and operational tools for the global evaluation of the countermeasures. The FARMING project, initiated in 2000 by the European Commission, constituted an interesting initiative in this direction. The French group has been constituted around the National Institute for Agronomy of Paris Grignon, which ensures its coordination. Within this framework, this group has notably been involved in the evaluation of a rural countermeasures compendium, at the request of STRATEGY, another European network on the post-accidental situation. With the support of a French farmers national association (FNSEA), the French FARMING group built up a working group composed of technical specialists of agriculture and radiation protection. All these actions facilitated the expression of the specific request for information, coming from the agricultural stakeholders, to the actors of radiation protection, and the design of new projects involving radiation

Agricultural policy and its impact on fuel usage: Empirical evidence from farm household analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Hung-Hao [Department of Agricultural Economics, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei 10617 (China); Mishra, Ashok K. [Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana State University, Ag Center (United States); Livingston, Michael [Production Economics and Technology Branch, Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, 1800 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036-5831 (United States)

2011-01-15

Off-farm work is a growing reality in the US agricultural sector as a whole. Another staple program in the US agriculture is the use of crop insurance. This paper assesses hitherto unaddressed issues of fuel consumption and hence pollution generated by farm households associated with off-farm work and crop insurance. We applied a quantile regression method on a unique national farm-level survey data to address the fuel consumption issues. Results indicate that off-farm work by operators tends to decrease fuel expenses. In contrast, households with crop insurance had higher fuel consumption thereby increasing fuel usage. Finally, our study shows that the net effect of these two activities resulted in an increase in the pollution level. (author)

A retrospective study of gastric dilatation and gastric dilatation and volvulus in working farm dogs in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendriks, M M; Hill, K E; Cogger, N; Jones, B R; Cave, N J

2012-05-01

To present findings from a case series of gastric dilatation (GD) or gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV) in working farm dogs in New Zealand that were examined at veterinary clinics, and to identify possible risk factors for GD or GDV in working farm dogs in New Zealand using a case-control study. This retrospective study included a case-series and a case-control study. The case series analysed information from 62 case records of GD or GDV in working farm dogs seen between August 2004 and September 2009 at 13 veterinary clinics throughout New Zealand. Cases were classified as GD or GDV if the diagnosis was confirmed by radiography, surgery or post-mortem examination. Details of history and treatment, as well as outcomes, were obtained for each case. For the case-control study, records of 41 working farm dogs with GD or GDV (cases) seen between April 2008 and April 2009, and 82 working farm dogs examined because of trauma over the same period and in the same 13 clinics (controls), were used to model the risk factors for GD or GDV. From the case-series study, 40/62 (65%) cases of GD or GDV that were examined and treated at the veterinary clinics returned to work. Of the 41 dogs where the gastric contents were recorded, 25 (61%) had predominantly food or bones in the stomach, and 26/27 dogs had a history of having eaten meat, bones or scavenged a carcass. The case-control study showed that the significant risk factors for GD or GDV, compared with control dogs presenting with trauma, were breed, age and season. The odds that a case of GD or GDV was a Huntaway, after adjusting for age and season, was 19 times higher than the odds a control was a Huntaway. Gender and bodyweight were not identified as risk factors. A high proportion of farm working dogs with GD or GDV were successfully treated by veterinarians. The risk of a case of GD or GDV being a Huntaway was significantly higher than for a dog presenting as a trauma case. However the influences of the season of the

Psychodemographic profile of stockpeople working on independent and integrated swine breeding farms in Quebec.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravel, A; D'Allaire, S; Bigras-Poulin, M; Ward, R

1996-01-01

As a part of a larger study, the psychodemographic profile of Quebec pig stockpeople was described based on a sample of 48 persons working on independent farms randomly selected in the Richelieu-Saint-Hyacinthe region, and on a convenience sample of 38 others employed by 5 organizations of integrated swine production chosen among the largest ones in Québec. The 2 groups of stockpeople were described separately because of the differences between the 2 types of production. Demographic data (age, sex, level of education, training and experience in swine production, seniority on the farm) were obtained through a face-to-face interview. The personality profile was assessed using a standard personality test (French translation of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire). Both the stockpersons on independent farms and those employed by the organizations were more reserved, emotionally stable, serious, conscientious, unsentimental, controlled, introverted, and less anxious than the average person in the general population. However, multivariate analyses revealed some differences between these two groups of stock-persons (P = 0.021) as well as between the employees of the different organizations (P = 0.0038). These differences in personality profiles may reflect differences in working conditions, particularly regarding the human relationships, and in corporate cultures of the organizations. PMID:8904659

Avoidance of wind farms by harbour seals is limited to pile driving activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Debbie J F; Hastie, Gordon D; Thompson, David; Janik, Vincent M; Hammond, Philip S; Scott-Hayward, Lindesay A S; Matthiopoulos, Jason; Jones, Esther L; McConnell, Bernie J

2016-12-01

As part of global efforts to reduce dependence on carbon-based energy sources there has been a rapid increase in the installation of renewable energy devices. The installation and operation of these devices can result in conflicts with wildlife. In the marine environment, mammals may avoid wind farms that are under construction or operating. Such avoidance may lead to more time spent travelling or displacement from key habitats. A paucity of data on at-sea movements of marine mammals around wind farms limits our understanding of the nature of their potential impacts.Here, we present the results of a telemetry study on harbour seals Phoca vitulina in The Wash, south-east England, an area where wind farms are being constructed using impact pile driving. We investigated whether seals avoid wind farms during operation, construction in its entirety, or during piling activity. The study was carried out using historical telemetry data collected prior to any wind farm development and telemetry data collected in 2012 during the construction of one wind farm and the operation of another.Within an operational wind farm, there was a close-to-significant increase in seal usage compared to prior to wind farm development. However, the wind farm was at the edge of a large area of increased usage, so the presence of the wind farm was unlikely to be the cause.There was no significant displacement during construction as a whole. However, during piling, seal usage (abundance) was significantly reduced up to 25 km from the piling activity; within 25 km of the centre of the wind farm, there was a 19 to 83% (95% confidence intervals) decrease in usage compared to during breaks in piling, equating to a mean estimated displacement of 440 individuals. This amounts to significant displacement starting from predicted received levels of between 166 and 178 dB re 1 μPa (p-p) . Displacement was limited to piling activity; within 2 h of cessation of pile driving, seals were distributed as

Centralised power control of wind farm with doubly fed induction generators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, A.D.; Sørensen, Poul Ejnar; Iov, F.

2006-01-01

At the moment, the control ability of wind farms is a prime research concern for the grid integration of large wind farms, due to their required active role in the power system. This paper describes the on-going work of a research project, whose overall objective is to analyse and assess...... the possibilities for control of different wind farm concepts. The scope of this paper is the control of a wind farm made up exclusively of doubly fed induction generators. The paper addresses the design and implementation issues of such a controller and focuses on the ability of the wind farm control strategy...

Green Care Farms as Innovative Nursing Homes, Promoting Activities and Social Interaction for People With Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

de Boer, Bram; Hamers, Jan P H; Zwakhalen, Sandra M G; Tan, Frans E S; Beerens, Hanneke C; Verbeek, Hilde

2017-01-01

Innovative care environments are developed for people with dementia to encourage person-centered care. This study aims to investigate whether residents of green care farms that provide 24-hour nursing care participate more in (physical) activities and social interaction compared with residents of other nursing homes. Longitudinal observation study. Nursing homes in the Netherlands (green care farms, traditional nursing homes, and regular small-scale living facilities). A total of 115 nursing home residents at baseline, 100 at follow-up. Ecological momentary assessments (n = 16,860) were conducted using the Maastricht Electronic Daily Life Observation Tool. Residents living at green care farms were compared with residents living in traditional nursing homes and regular small-scale living facilities. The following aspects were collected for this study: the activity performed by the participant or occurring in his or her vicinity, the engagement in the activity, the level of physical activity during the activity, the physical environment (location where the activity occurred), and the level of social interaction during the activity. In total, 9660 baseline observations and 7200 follow-up observations were conducted. Analyses showed that residents of green care farms significantly more often participated in domestic activities (P = .004, SE = 1.6) and outdoor/nature-related activities (P = .003, SE = 0.9), and significantly less often engaged in passive/purposeless activities (P social interaction (P = .006, SE = 1.1), and came outside significantly more (P = .010, SE = 1.1) than residents of traditional nursing homes. Residents of green care farms were significantly more physically active (P = .013, SE = 0.8) than were residents of regular small-scale living facilities. No other significant differences were found. Green care farms can be a valuable alternative to traditional nursing homes. They provide an attractive, homelike environment and

Farming for Health: Aspects from Germany

OpenAIRE

Neuberger, Konrad; Stephan, Ingrid; Hermanowski, Robert; Flake, Albrecht; Post, Franz-Joseph; van Elsen, Thomas

2006-01-01

Until now, the term ‘Farming for Health’ is unknown in Germany but it would cover a wide spectrum of different kinds of social agriculture already existing in Germany, such as farms that integrate disabled people or drug therapy into their farming system, or farms that integrate children, pupils or older people. Relevant work in Germany is done in ‘Sheltered Workshops’, where supporting and healing powers of farming and gardening are used for disabled people with a diversity of work possibili...

Psychosocial factors and safety behaviour as predictors of accidental work injuries in farming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glasscock, David John; Rasmussen, Kurt; Carstensen, Ole

2006-01-01

be a problem faced by farmers, there is a particular need to investigate the associations between farm accidents and work stressors and stress reactions. Using multivariate logistic regression analyses, this study aimed to uncover the best psychosocial predictors of injury, while controlling for exposure-related......, the relation with accidents occurred via an interaction with safety behaviour. The combination of high levels of stress symptoms and poor safety behaviour was associated with a particularly high accident risk.......Farming is one of the most hazardous occupations in terms of the incidence and seriousness of accidental injuries. Research with other occupational groups has drawn attention to the role of psychosocial factors and stress. Such research needs to be extended to agriculture. Since stress may...

Afvloeiing uit en aanpassing in de landbouw 1968 [Mobility in farming, parttime farming 1968

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weerdenburg, L.

2007-01-01

Farm and personnel / successor / attitude to change in modern times / contacts with immigrants / status of farmers / attitude to the farmer's work / motivations to leave farming / work type preferences / expectations for the future / attitude to reconstruction / re-allocations / cooperation /

Certified safe farm: identifying and removing hazards on the farm.

Science.gov (United States)

Rautiainen, R H; Grafft, L J; Kline, A K; Madsen, M D; Lange, J L; Donham, K J

2010-04-01

This article describes the development of the Certified Safe Farm (CSF) on-farm safety review tools, characterizes the safety improvements among participating farms during the study period, and evaluates differences in background variables between low and high scoring farms. Average farm review scores on 185 study farms improved from 82 to 96 during the five-year study (0-100 scale, 85 required for CSF certification). A total of 1292 safety improvements were reported at an estimated cost of $650 per farm. A wide range of improvements were made, including adding 9 rollover protective structures (ROPS), 59 power take-off (PTO) master shields, and 207 slow-moving vehicle (SMV) emblems; improving lighting on 72 machines: placing 171 warning decals on machinery; shielding 77 moving parts; locking up 17 chemical storage areas, adding 83 lockout/tagout improvements; and making general housekeeping upgrades in 62 farm buildings. The local, trained farm reviewers and the CSF review process overall were well received by participating farmers. In addition to our earlier findings where higher farm review scores were associated with lower self-reported health outcome costs, we found that those with higher farm work hours, younger age, pork production in confinement, beef production, poultry production, and reported exposure to agrichemicals had higher farm review scores than those who did not have these characteristics. Overall, the farm review process functioned as expected. encouraging physical improvements in the farm environment, and contributing to the multi-faceted CSF intervention program.

Agrichem.ical safety practices on farm.s in the western Cape

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Abstract In order to study agrichemical safety practices in a rural farming area in the western ... their work, the environment and intentional misuse.I.}-; Little information is ... the farmer, farm manager or supervisor directly involved in production ...

Local cluster of germ cell cancer in a cohort of male automotive workers in Germany not explained by previous or concurrent activities and exposures in farming and forestry.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmeisser, N; Behrens, T; Mester, B; Gottlieb, A; Langner, I; Ahrens, W

2011-02-01

To examine whether exposures or activities in farming, forestry and related occupations explain the excess incidence of germ cell cancer (GCC) observed among male employees in one of the six car-manufacturing plants that is located in a geographic area where farming is frequent. A cohort based case-control study was conducted among workers in six car-manufacturing plants located in areas with different industrial structure. The study involved 188 cases of germ cell cancer identified through active retrieval in 38 hospitals and 1000 controls, drawn from administrative accounting files, individually matched by year of birth (± 2 years). Information regarding tasks and exposures and potential confounding variables were obtained by face-to-face or telephone interviews. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using a conditional logistic regression model adjusted for cryptorchidism and other potential confounders. In this case-control study 5.3% of cases and 6.3% of controls ever worked in agriculture or livestock farming. No increased risks were observed for working in agriculture (OR=0.8 95% CI: 0.4-1.6), livestock farming (OR=0.8 95% CI: 0.4-1.6) or for exposure to pesticides (OR=0.7 95% CI: 0.3-1.7), for exposure to fertilizers (OR=0.8 95% CI: 0.4-1.8) and disinfectants (OR=1.0 95% CI: 0.3-2.8). There were no statistically significant increases in risk associated with ever exposure to salt based wood protection agents (OR=2.3 95% CI: 0.6-9.1), working with plywood (OR=1.4 95% CI: 0.6-3.2), coated wood (OR=1.4 95% CI: 0.5-3.9) or working in forestry (OR=1.7 95% CI: 0.5-6.4). Lagging of exposures did not alter the results. The observed excess incidence in the cohort of automotive workers can be hardly explained by previous or concurrent work in farming or forestry. Because of the small numbers of subjects ever employed in farming the statistical power in assessing associations between agricultural work and agricultural exposures was limited

29 CFR 780.106 - Employment in “primary” agriculture is farming regardless of why or where work is performed.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Employment in âprimaryâ agriculture is farming regardless of why or where work is performed. 780.106 Section 780.106 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor... for âprimaryâ Agriculture Generally § 780.106 Employment in “primary” agriculture is farming...

Is carbon farming an effective climate mitigation option?

Science.gov (United States)

Zelikova, T. J.; Funk, J.; Deich, N.; Amador, G.; Jacobson, R.

2017-12-01

"Carbon farming" refers to agricultural and land management practices that store carbon in soils and biomass. Carbon-farming techniques can include crop rotation, cover crops, no-till practices, and the application of compost to build up soil organic matter. Carbon farming also improves agricultural production and sustainability, while mitigating climate change. Despite well-documented benefits of carbon farming, these practices continue to be underutilized outside of experimental settings. One barrier to the widespread use of carbon farming is the challenge of fitting these practices into ongoing commercial operations, while managing the consequent market uncertainties across the value chain. To help address this barrier, we are working with landowners and local groups to establish demonstration "test beds" that can build experience among land managers and help resolve market uncertainties. We specifically focus on demonstrating the commercial viability of management practices that can enhance soil health, catalyzing economic and environmental synergies that come from healthy soils. Each test bed has a commercial agricultural operation at its center, and we bring together researchers, local groups, corporate partners, and key policymakers who can support wider adoption of these agricultural techniques. Early challenges have included finding commercial farms willing to shift their practices and face uncertain outcomes. A transition to new practices usually involves changes in equipment, scheduling, activities, and monitoring that have implications for the entire farm operation, its resources, and its bottom line. At the same time, practitioners have difficulty quantifying the carbon benefits they provide, due to persistent uncertainties, even with the benefit of decades of experimental research. We are building a network of farmers who are implementing carbon farming practices and addressing these challenges, step by step. We envision our test beds becoming hubs

ARIZONA FARM LABOR REPORT.

Science.gov (United States)

SALTER, RICHARD H.

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FARM PLACEMENT PROGRAM IS DESCRIBED. INCLUDED ARE THE ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATIONS, THE LOCAL LEVELS, THE STATE FARM LABOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THE PLANNING AND OPERATING METHODS USED BY FARM PLACEMENT PERSONNEL IN MEETING FARM LABOR NEEDS. MAJOR CROP ACTIVITIES ARE RELATED TO COTTON AND VEGETABLES. THE LABOR FORCE IS…

14C specific activity of farm products and marine products collected from the Rokkasho area in Aomori prefecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muranaka, Takeshi; Honda, Kazuya

1996-01-01

We investigated 14 C specific activity of farm products and marine products which were collected from the Rokkasho area in Aomori prefecture from 1988 to 1990. The measured 14 C specific activity of farm products was almost equal to one another with the averaged 14 C specific activity of 0.261 [Bq/g·C]. On the other hand, 14 C specific activity of marine products was slightly lower than those of farm products. Especially that of squid was the lowest among studied marine products. This may be due to the low 14 C specific activity of the sea water surrounding squid. (author)

Real-time measurement of dust in the workplace using video exposure monitoring: Farming to pharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walsh, P T; Forth, A R; Clark, R D R; Dowker, K P; Thorpe, A

2009-01-01

Real-time, photometric, portable dust monitors have been employed for video exposure monitoring (VEM) to measure and highlight dust levels generated by work activities, illustrate dust control techniques, and demonstrate good practice. Two workplaces, presenting different challenges for measurement, were used to illustrate the capabilities of VEM: (a) poultry farming activities and (b) powder transfer operations in a pharmaceutical company. For the poultry farm work, the real-time monitors were calibrated with respect to the respirable and inhalable dust concentrations using cyclone and IOM reference samplers respectively. Different rankings of exposure for typical activities were found on the small farm studied here compared to previous exposure measurements at larger poultry farms: these were mainly attributed to the different scales of operation. Large variations in the ratios of respirable, inhalable and real-time monitor TWA concentrations of poultry farm dust for various activities were found. This has implications for the calibration of light-scattering dust monitors with respect to inhalable dust concentration. In the pharmaceutical application, the effectiveness of a curtain barrier for dust control when dispensing powder in a downflow booth was rapidly demonstrated.

Farmers’ Cohort for Agricultural Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (FARM) Study: Study Design, Methods, and Baseline Characteristics of Enrolled Subjects

Science.gov (United States)

Jo, Hannae; Baek, Sora; Park, Hee-won; Lee, Sang-Ah; Moon, Jiyoung; Yang, Jae E.; Kim, Ki Sung; Kim, Jee Yong; Kang, Eun Kyoung

2016-01-01

Background The ongoing Farmers’ Cohort for Agricultural Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (FARM) study was developed to evaluate health status and related factors in farmers. Methods Farmers in Kangwon Province, South Korea, were recruited. Baseline characteristics were determined using questionnaires about sociodemographic and health characteristics and agricultural work-related factors. In addition, laboratory examinations (lumbar spinal radiography and serologic testing) were conducted. Results The FARM study covers eight rural areas and recruited 1013 subjects (534 women; mean [standard deviation {SD}] age, 57.2 [7.5] years). Musculoskeletal pain in multiple areas was reported by 925 subjects (91.3%), and low back pain (63.8%) was the most frequent site of pain. Farmer’s Stress Inventory (mean [SD], 77.7 [10.2]; range, 28–112] and subjective stress index (mean [SD], 5.3 [2.4]; range, 0–10) were above median scale values, reflecting a stressful condition, while the EuroQol-5D-3L index and the EuroQol-Visual Analog Scale scores were high (mean [SD], 0.9 [0.1]; range −0.171–1 and mean [SD], 67.7 [18.7]; range 0–100, respectively), reflecting good life quality. In total, 53% of participants had worked in farming for more than 30 years, and workers involved in dry-field farming comprised the largest subgroup (41.5%). Most participants (94.3%) had no more than a high school education, and families with annual income below 20 million won constituted the largest subgroup (36.3%). Conclusions The FARM study may provide data on the current health status and related sociodemographic and agricultural work-related risk factors in Korean farmers, with the goal of providing a scientific basis for developing coping interventions and preventive strategies. PMID:26235456

Outsourcing mental health care services? The practice and potential of community-based farms in psychiatric rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Iancu, Sorana C; Zweekhorst, Marjolein B M; Veltman, Dick J; van Balkom, Anton J L M; Bunders, Joske F G

2015-02-01

Psychiatric rehabilitation supports individuals with mental disorders to acquire the skills needed for independent lives in communities. This article assesses the potential of outsourcing psychiatric rehabilitation by analysing care farm services in the Netherlands. Service characteristics were analysed across 214 care farms retrieved from a national database. Qualitative insights were provided by five case descriptions, selected from 34 interviews. Institutional care farms were significantly larger and older than private care farms (comprising 88.8% of all care farms). Private, independent care farms provide real-life work conditions to users who are relatively less impaired. Private, contracted care farms tailor the work activities to their capacities and employ professional supervisors. Institutional care farms accommodate for the most vulnerable users. We conclude that collaborations with independent, contracted and institutional care farms would provide mental health care organizations with a diversity in services, enhanced community integration and a better match with users' rehabilitation needs.

Rural Livelihoods: Interplay Between Farm Activities, Non-Farm Activities and the Resource Base

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuiper, M.H.; Meijerink, G.W.; Eaton, D.J.F.

2007-01-01

Despite ongoing urbanization, over 70% of the world's poor are located in rural areas (IFAD 2001). Agriculture plays an important part in their livelihoods. Rural households play a central role in realizing policy objectives. Production decisions at farm household level determine the current

Health effects of agrochemicals among farm workers in commercial farms of Kwekwe district, Zimbabwe.

Science.gov (United States)

Magauzi, Regis; Mabaera, Bigboy; Rusakaniko, Simbarashe; Chimusoro, Anderson; Ndlovu, Nqobile; Tshimanga, Mufuta; Shambira, Gerald; Chadambuka, Addmore; Gombe, Notion

2011-01-01

Farm workers are at a very high risk of occupational diseases due to exposure to pesticides resulting from inadequate education, training and safety systems. The farm worker spends a lot of time exposed to these harmful agrochemicals. Numerous acute cases with symptoms typical of agrochemical exposure were reported from the commercial farms. We assessed the health effects of agrochemicals in farm workers in commercial farms of Kwekwe District (Zimbabwe), in 2006. An analytical cross sectional study was conducted amongst a sample of 246 farm workers who handled agrochemicals when discharging their duties in the commercial farms. Plasma cholinesterase activity in blood specimens obtained from farm workers was measured using spectrophotometry to establish levels of poisoning by organophosphate and/or carbamates. Information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of farm workers on agrochemicals use was collected using a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine factors that were associated with abnormal cholinesterase activity. The prevalence of organophosphate poisoning, indicated by cholinesterase activity of 75% or less, was 24.1%. The median period of exposure to agrochemicals was 3 years (Q(1):=1 year, Q(3):=7 years). Ninety eight (41.5%) farm workers knew the triangle colour code for the most dangerous agrochemicals. Not being provided with personal protective equipment (OR 2.00; 95% CI: 1.07 - 3.68) and lack of knowledge of the triangle colour code for most dangerous agrochemicals (OR 2.02; 95% CI: 1.02 - 4.03) were significantly associated with abnormal cholinesterase activity. There was organophosphate poisoning in the commercial farms. Factors that were significantly associated with the poisoning were lack of protective clothing and lack of knowledge of the triangle colour code for most dangerous agrochemicals. We recommended intensive health education and training of farm workers on

Off-Farm Employment and Economic Crisis: Evidence from Cyprus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elias Giannakis

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Off-farm employment is an important strategy for complementing farm household income and maintaining rural livelihoods. A multilevel logistic regression model was applied to investigate the effect of farm-level and regional-level factors on off-farm employment in Cyprus during the recent economic crisis period. The performance of nonfarm sectors positively affects off-farm employment; a one-percent increase in the share of the secondary and tertiary sector employment increases the likelihood of off-farm work by 9.5 times. The importance of location was also identified. Farm households located in rural areas are 70% less likely to engage in off-farm work than households located in urban areas. The positive effect of educational attainment and the negative effect of farm training confirmed the importance of human capital characteristics on off-farm labour participation. Farm structural factors are also significant determinants of off-farm employment. A one-hectare increase in the farm size decreases the odds of off-farm labour participation by 50%. Operators of crop farming holdings are 4.2 times more likely to work off the farm than operators of livestock and mixed-farming holdings. The results reveal the importance of adopting a multilevel and integrated approach for the analysis of off-farm employment.

Integrated farm sustainability assessment for the environmental management of rural activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stachetii Rodrigues, Geraldo; Aparecida Rodrigues, Izilda; Almeida Buschinelli, Claudio Cesar de; Barros, Inacio de

2010-01-01

Farmers have been increasingly called upon to respond to an ongoing redefinition in consumers' demands, having as a converging theme the search for sustainable production practices. In order to satisfy this objective, instruments for the environmental management of agricultural activities have been sought out. Environmental impact assessment methods are appropriate tools to address the choice of technologies and management practices to minimize negative effects of agricultural development, while maximizing productive efficiency, sound usage of natural resources, conservation of ecological assets and equitable access to wealth generation means. The 'system for weighted environmental impact assessment of rural activities' (APOIA-NovoRural) presented in this paper is organized to provide integrated farm sustainability assessment according to quantitative environmental standards and defined socio-economic benchmarks. The system integrates sixty-two objective indicators in five sustainability dimensions - (i) Landscape ecology, (ii) Environmental quality (atmosphere, water and soil), (iii) Sociocultural values, (iv) Economic values, and (v) Management and administration. Impact indices are expressed in three integration levels: (i) specific indicators, that offer a diagnostic and managerial tool for farmers and rural administrators, by pointing out particular attributes of the rural activities that may be failing to comply with defined environmental performance objectives; (ii) integrated sustainability dimensions, that show decision-makers the major contributions of the rural activities toward local sustainable development, facilitating the definition of control actions and promotion measures; and (iii) aggregated sustainability index, that can be considered a yardstick for eco-certification purposes. Nine fully documented case studies carried out with the APOIA-NovoRural system, focusing on different scales, diverse rural activities/farming systems, and contrasting

To what extent does organic farming rely on nutrient inflows from conventional farming?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nowak, Benjamin; Nesme, Thomas; Pellerin, Sylvain; David, Christophe

2013-01-01

Organic farming is increasingly recognized as a prototype for sustainable agriculture. Its guidelines ban the use of artificial fertilizers. However, organic farms may import nutrients from conventional farming through material exchanges. In this study, we aimed at estimating the magnitude of these flows through the quantification of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium inflows from conventional farming to organic farming. Material inflows and outflows were collected for two cropping years on 63 farms. The farms were located in three French agricultural districts distributed over a gradient of farming activity defined by both the stocking rate and the ratio of the farm area under arable crops. Our results showed that on average, inflows from conventional farming were 23%, 73% and 53% for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, respectively. These inflows were strongly determined by the farm production systems. However, for farms similar in terms of production systems, the inflows also depended on the local context, such as the proximity of organic livestock farms: the reliance of organic farming on conventional farming was lower in mixed than in specialized districts. These results highlight the necessity to quantify the contribution of nutrient inflows from conventional farming when assessing organic farming and development scenarios. (letter)

Analysis of Goat Farming on Integrated Farming System in Banyumas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NN Hidayat

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research were : 1 to find out the income generated from goat farming and its contribution to farmer income in several farming combination, 2 to find out the economic efficiency in goat farming with paddy and fish production, 3 to determine factors affecting level of production and income in different farming system, partially and aggregately, and 4 to determine the best combination of farming which generated maximum income. Household farmer survey method was performed to conduct this research. Farming model chosen in this research was partial and average aggregate. Cobb-Douglas function were chosen to predict functional relationship. Result stated from this research were : 1 goat farming has a significant contribution in integrated farming system, 2 integrated farming (goat and paddy, goat and fish, and goat, fish and paddy in Banyumas district was economically efficient. 3 partially, factor affecting production level in goat farming was number of goat owned (P<0.01, factor affecting paddy production were urea application and number of land owned (P<0.01, TSP application (P<0.05 and man power (P<0.10. Furthermore, factor affecting fish farming were feed, breed and number of land owned (P<0.01; 4 aggregately, factor affecting integrated farming I were urea application and number of land owned (P<0.01, feed and number of land owned (P<0.01, number of goat owned (P<0.10 integrated farming II, where as in integrated farming III were number of paddy land area and breed (P<0.01 also number of goat owned (P<0.10; 5 integrated farming III (goat, paddy and fish farming gave the highest profit, which gave Rp 6.219.283,81 with relatively high efficiency. Therefore, goat farming could be an alternative solution to be developed in integrated farming and could be combined with other farming activities such as paddy and fish farming. (Animal Production 9(2: 105-110 (2007 Key Words : Goat, income, economic efficiency, survey, contribution

Water Demand Analysis for Tree Crops in Spanish Mediterranean Farms

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Maria Angeles Fernández-Zamudio

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Olive, vine and almond in rainfed farming systems are the most traditional crops in the large inland extensions of the Spanish Mediterranean. Their economic contributions enable farming activities to be maintained meaning that the villages remain inhabited. In the rainfed-farms in the Mediterranean regions it is possible to find only a certain proportion of the farms with some type of irrigation system. Given the water scarcity, the aim of this work is to determine the impact that an irrigationwater pricing policy would have on these regions, as outlined in the European Water Framework Directive. After analysing the direct effect water price would have on the net margin in these crops, demand functions have been obtained, applying the Multiattribute Utility Theory. The calculations, with reference to a farm that is representative of these regions, have been applied to two model scenarios, each with a different level of mechanization. Results show the impact on economic, social and environmental aspects of the pricing policy under the current water allotment. The work is completed by analysing the different contexts of irrigation-water availability on the farm. The study leads to the conclusion that increasing mechanization may be the most straightforward strategy to ensure the survival of these farms in the short to medium term if the current trend of increasing irrigation-water prices is consolidated.

Farm Building Contractors and Manufacturers: Their Role in Midwest Farm Construction

Science.gov (United States)

Lyle Solverson; David C. Baumgartner

1974-01-01

Describes and analyzes the activities of farm building contractors and manufacturers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri. Contractors and manufacturers are setting the trend in the farm building market in terms of building type and size and materials used.

29 CFR 500.41 - Farm labor contractor is responsible for actions of his farm labor contractor employee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., prior to such employee's engagement in any activity enumerated in section 3(6) of the Act. A farm labor... farm labor contractor employee. 500.41 Section 500.41 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued... PROTECTION Registration of Farm Labor Contractors and Employees of Farm Labor Contractors Engaged in Farm...

Making contract farming work? : society and technology in Philippine transnational agribusiness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vellema, S.

2002-01-01

Keywords: contract farming, agribusiness, Philippines, Southeast Asia, asparagus, hybrid maize

Contract farming is a widespread and important tool for organising agricultural production in line with corporate strategies and market demands. This book analyses how Philippine farmers

The Socioeconomic Basis of Farm Enterprise Diversification Decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Anosike, Nnamdi; Coughenour, C. Milton

1990-01-01

Examines research relating farm size inversely to specialization and directly to farm-enterprise diversification. Develops model of farm management decision making. Tests model using survey examining land tenure, off-farm work, education, and environmental factors. Concludes diversification linked to farm size, human capital, and environmental…

Agro-ecological system analysis (AESA) and farm plannning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vaarst, Mette; Nalunga, Jane

2016-01-01

Organic agriculture is based on knowledge, insight and whole farm approaches. The farming system must work for each farmer family. Crop rotation cycles must be based on planning ahead, sometimes more than 2 years, so that different elements of the farm can work together. Intercropping must be bas...

The role of women on Dutch farms

OpenAIRE

Meulen, van der, H.A.B.; Terluin, I.J.; Matser, I.A.

2015-01-01

In this paper an analysis is made of the contribution of women to labour input and management on Dutch farms. We used a written survey among the participants of the Dutch Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), in-depth interviews and a group discussion with farm women. Over half of the women on Dutch farms spend more than ten hours per week on agricultural activitieson the farm. More than 40% of women on Dutch farms have paid work off farm. The majority of the respondents’ farms is legally org...

Social Work Practice in a Rural Health Care Setting: Farm Families.

Science.gov (United States)

Durham, Judith A.; Miah, M. Mizanur Rahman

1993-01-01

Literature review addresses the status of farm families; farm stresses and their effects; dysfunctional family relationships; and the unique attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions of rural culture toward social service intervention. By implementing coordinated service programs and initiating new legislation that addresses rural health care issues,…

Incidence of unintentional injuries in farming based on one year of weekly registration in Danish farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, K; Carstensen, Ole; Lauritsen, J M

2000-01-01

In Denmark, farming ranks as the industry with the highest incidence rate of fatal injuries. For nonfatal injuries, insufficient registration practices prevent valid comparisons between occupations. This study examines the occurrence of farm accidents and injuries, as well as work-specific factors......, via weekly registration in a representative sample of 393 farms in one county during 1 year....

Socioeconomic Characteristics of the Spanish Origin Hired Farm Working Force, 1973.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Leslie W.

The differentials between Spanish origin and other ethnic groups of farm wageworkers were investigated by comparative analyses of age, sex, education, migratory status, employment, and earnings. Farmworkers were defined as persons 14 years and over in the civilian noninstitutional population who performed farm wagework at some time during 1973,…

Exposure to respirable crystalline silica in South African farm workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swanepoel, Andrew; Rees, David; Renton, Kevin; Kromhout, Hans

2009-01-01

Although listed in some publications as an activity associated with silica (quartz) exposure, agriculture is not widely recognized as an industry with a potential for silica associated diseases. Because so many people work in agriculture; and because silica exposure and silicosis are associated with serious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), particular in those immunological compromised by the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), silica exposure in agriculture is potentially very important. But in South Africa (SA) very little is known about silica exposure in this industry. The objectives of this project are: (a) to measure inhalable and respirable dust and its quartz content on two typical sandy soil farms in the Free State province of SA for all major tasks done on the farms; and (b) to characterise the mineralogy soil type of these farms. Two typical farms in the sandy soil region of the Free State province were studied. The potential health effects faced by these farm workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica are discussed.

Iguana farming in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eilers, C.H.A.M.; Koops, W.J.; Udo, H.M.J.; Keulen, van H.; Noordhuizen, J.P.T.M.

2001-01-01

Present and former iguana farmers and neighbours were interviewed to find conditions important for iguana farming. Social aspects that facilitated it included few people working off-farm, as iguana farming was time-consuming; co-operative farming, which increases access to technical knowledge;

Energy balance in olive oil farms: comparison of organic and conventional farming systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Marta M.; Meco, Ramón; Moreno, Carmen

2013-04-01

The viability of an agricultural production system not only depends on the crop yields, but especially on the efficient use of available resources. However, the current agricultural systems depend heavily on non-renewable energy consumption in the form of fertilizers, fossil fuels, pesticides and machinery. In developed countries, the economic profitability of different productive systems is dependent on the granting of subsidies of diverse origin that affect both production factors (or inputs) and the final product (or output). Leaving such external aids, energy balance analysis reveals the real and most efficient form of management for each agroclimatic region, and is also directly related to the economic activity and the environmental state. In this work we compare the energy balance resulting from organic and conventional olive oil farms under the semi-arid conditions of Central Spain. The results indicate that the mean energy supplied to the organic farms was sensitively lower (about 30%) in comparison with the conventional management, and these differences were more pronounced for the biggest farms (> 15 ha). Mean energy outputs were about 20% lower in the organic system, although organic small farms (ratio scarcely reached 25%. Human labor item only represented a very small amount of the total energy input in both cases (less than 1%). As conclusions, both management systems were efficient from an energy point of view. The value of the organic production should be focused on the environmental benefits it provides, which are not usually considered in the conventional management on not valuing the damage it produces to the environment. Organic farming would improve the energy efficiency in these environmental conditions, offering a sustainable production with minimal inputs.

7 CFR 1400.201 - General provisions for determining whether a person or legal entity is actively engaged in farming.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... operation; and (3) All funds and business accounts of the farming operation are separate from that of any... amount of labor and management necessary for such a farming operation in the area; and (4) Whether the... with respect to a particular farming operation, a person or legal entity must be actively engaged in...

Reducing Stress of Farm Men and Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Keating, Norah C.

1987-01-01

Questioned 753 farm men and women to identify factors associated with stress in farm families. Results suggest that high mastery provides the best buffer against stress for both farm men and women. The task of family life educators is to help farm families augment their personal and social resources while managing high financial and work demands.…

IMPACT OF THE EU FUNDS SUPPORTING FARM MODERNISATION ON THE CHANGES OF THE ASSETS IN POLISH FARMS

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Wawrzyniec Czubak

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on the analysis of the changes in the production potential of Polish farms after implementing CAP mechanisms (2004-2011. Two criteria were used to share the farms: investment activity and economic size. Only those farms were selected, which continuously conducted the agricultural accounting FADN system in 2004--2011. Based on the analysis it was found that in the base period, farms making the most complex investments (supported by EU funds or financed on the basin of own financial resources, had greater production potential – in the matter of area and volume of assets. The investment activities contributed to the increase in disparities between groups of farms. Especially the non-investment farms were able to preserve the area of agricultural land, but the value of their assets was significantly reduced.

Havsnaes Wind Farm. A guide on Health and Safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wettin, Martina [Goovinn, Goeteborg (Sweden); Jiven, Anna [Nordisk Vindkraft, Goeteborg (Sweden)

2011-07-01

This guide has been developed by Nordisk Vindkraft in co-operation with Energimyndigheten (the Swedish Energy Agency). The main purpose is to raise the attention to work environment matters when developing, constructing and operating large-scale wind farms in the northern parts of Sweden. The Swedish wind industry is relatively young. Work Environment Management and legal awareness has been identified by the Swedish Government as one crucial factor for ensuring sound and rapid development of the industry. Havsnaes is to date the largest onshore wind farm in Sweden. Whilst developing this project, Nordisk Vindkraft has gained extensive experience and developed a profound understanding of the prerequisites for the Swedish large-scale wind industry. The wind farm's size, complexity and geographical location near Stroemsund in Jaemtland qualify the project as an excellent pilot study. Preventing accidents and ill-health largely depends on your knowledge, competence and the resources you are able and willing to spend. The key for success is a pro-active approach. During the Havsnaes project, Nordisk Vindkraft has spent considerable amount of time and effort on the management of Work Environment. We hope our gained experience will be beneficial for our industry as a whole.

Stability analysis of offshore wind farm and marine current farm

Science.gov (United States)

Shawon, Mohammad Hasanuzzaman

-trend for large electric energy production using offshore wind generators and marine current generators, respectively. Thus DFIG based offshore wind farm can be an economic solution to stabilize squirrel cage induction generator based marine current farm without installing any addition FACTS devices. This thesis first focuses on the stabilization of fixed speed IG based marine current farm using SDBR. Also stabilization of DFIG based variable speed wind farm utilizing SDBR is studied in this work. Finally a co-operative control strategy is proposed where DFIG is controlled in such a way that it can even provide necessary reactive power demand of induction generator, so that additional cost of FACTS devices can be avoided. In that way, the DFIGs of the offshore wind farm (OWF) will actively compensate the reactive power demand of adjacent IGs of the marine current farm (MCF) during grid fault. Detailed modeling and control scheme for the proposed system are demonstrated considering some realistic scenarios. The power system small signal stability analysis is also carried out by eigenvalue analysis for marine current generator topology, wind turbine generator topology and integrated topology. The relation between the modes and state variables are discussed in light of modal and sensitivity analyses. The results of theoretical analyses are verified by MATLAB/SIMULINK and laboratory standard power system simulator PSCAD/EMTDC.

Health and well-being of farm women: contradictory roles in the contemporary economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubik, W; Moore, R J

2005-05-01

To document the roles of farm women in the contemporary farm economy, their physical health and psychological well-being, and their interaction with and evaluation of the health care system, a multi-stage study employing both quantitative and qualitative research strategies was implemented. A total of 717 Canadian farm women in 20 rural Saskatchewan municipalities returned a 20-page objective questionnaire that focused on: (1) health care, (2) health status, (3) social support, (4) well-being, (5) lifestyle and activities, (6) stress, (7) work, (8) male and female roles, (9) demographics, and (10) farm issues. Subsequently, 20 qualitative interviews were conducted to explore in-depth the findings of the survey. Results document long hours of work, on and off the farm, that often went unacknowledged; pressure to assume the role of a "traditional farm wife," expectations they often felt they had difficulty living up to; and high levels of stress in response to economic and family pressures. Although rating the availability and quality of health care as "fair to good," the farm women commented on the lack of access to medical and counseling services, and a perceived lack of understanding by policymakers and professionals. Integrated health and educational service centers, increased use of nurse practitioners, and establishment of mobile health services are recommended policy initiatives.

Some data on the behaviour of kites (Milvus milvus, Milvus migrans nesting close to two active wind farms in Saxony, Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Busse Przemysław

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The main aim of this study was to evaluate how local pairs of kites behave in the vicinity of two wind farms located in the same region (Saxony, Germany and at farms which are to be re-powered. We observed three pairs that had located their nests close to active wind farms (a few hundred to 1500 m from the wind farm. Special attention was focused on variation in the intensity of flights and its dependence on the local landscape and to active avoidance of existing wind turbines. Observations were made at the end of the breeding time, when the young were still in the nest and shortly after fledging. Despite the short observation periods, the results seem to show clearly how differentiated the flight patterns of these birds are in relation to the landscape features around the farm. The distance from the nest to the wind farm cannot be the only measure of the level of potential wind-farm-related danger to the birds nesting close to the farm site.

Flow and wakes in large wind farms. Final report for UpWind WP8

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barthelmie, R.J.; Frandsen, S.T.; Rathmann, O. (Risoe DTU (Denmark)); Hansen, K. (Technical Univ. of Denmark (DTU), Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)); Politis, E.; Prospathopoulos, J. (CRES (Greece)); Schepers, J.G. (ECN, Petten (Netherlands)); Rados, K. (NTUA, Athens (Greece)); Cabezon, D. (CENER, Sarriguren (Spain)); Schlez, W.; Neubert, A.; Heath, M. (Garrad Hassan and Partners (Germany) (United Kingdom))

2011-02-15

This report summarises the research undertaken through the European Commission funded project UpWind Wp8:Flow. The objective of the work was to develop understanding of flow in large wind farms and to evaluate models of power losses due to wind turbine wakes focusing on complex terrain and offshore. A crosscutting activity was to improve and compare the performance of computational fluid dynamics models with wind farm models. The report contains 6 deliverable reports and guideline to wind farm wake analysis as appendices. (Author)

Work Ability Index (WAI) and its health-related determinants among Iranian farmers working in small farm enterprises.

Science.gov (United States)

Rostamabadi, Akbar; Mazloumi, Adel; Rahimi Foroushani, Abbas

2014-01-01

This study aimed to determine the Work Ability Index (WAI) and examine the influence of health dimensions and demographic variables on the work ability of Iranian farmers working in small farm enterprises. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 294 male farmers. The WAI and SF-36 questionnaires were used to determine work ability and health status. The effect of demographics variables on the work ability index was investigated with the independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. Also, multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the association between the mean WAI score and the SF-36 scales. The mean WAI score was 35.1 (SD=10.6). One-way ANOVA revealed a significant relationship between the mean WAI and age. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that work ability was more influenced by physical scales of the health dimensions, such as physical function, role-physical, and general health, whereas a lower association was found for mental scales such as mental health. The average WAI was at a moderate work ability level for the sample population of farmers in this study. Based on the WAI guidelines, improvement of work ability and identification of factors affecting it should be considered a priority in interventional programs. Given the influence of health dimensions on WAI, any intervention program for preservation and promotion of work ability among the studied farmers should be based on balancing and optimizing the physical and psychosocial work environments, with a special focus on reducing physical work load.(J Occup Health 2014; 56: 478-484).

Gender, Diversification and Family Farming in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bock, B.B.

2008-01-01

As a result of the crisis in agriculture in Europe, many farm families try to find extra sources of income that allow them to continue farming. Women play an important role, especially in starting up new on-farm businesses, but also in finding off-farm paid work. We conducted semi-structured

Farm Diversification, Tenancy and CAP Reform: Results from a Survey of Tenant Farmers in England

Science.gov (United States)

Maye, Damian; Ilbery, Brian; Watts, David

2009-01-01

Little work has considered explicitly the role of farm tenancy in influencing the uptake (or not) of diversification activities. The need to examine this link has been heightened because of the 2003 CAP reforms and the decision to tie Single Farm Payment (SFP) entitlement to the land rather than what is produced on that land. The main objective of…

Aggregations of bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (L.) at Mediterranean coastal fish farms: seasonal presence, daily patterns and influence of farming activity

OpenAIRE

Arechavala-Lopez, Pablo; Izquierdo-Gomez, David; Uglem, Ingebrigt; Sanchez-Jerez, Pablo

2014-01-01

Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), is commonly observed close to Mediterranean open-sea fish farms. It usually preys on wild fish that are attracted to farms, but also on farmed fish by biting holes in sea cages net walls. In the current telemetry study, we found that the tagged bluefish stayed close to fish farms during spring and early summer. However, most of the tagged fish disappeared from the farms during autumn, when the sea water temperature dropped. When aggregating at f...

NEW RESEARCHES REGARDING THE FEEDING SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR HOLSTEIN-FRISIAN CATTLE FARMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LAVINIA MOISE

2008-05-01

Full Text Available In the organization and development of production activity, which has like result economical efficiency into a cattle farm, the application of viable breeding technologies it’s the best way to obtain positives results.The feeding system of Holstein-Frisian cattle, applied in the Dambovita farms it’s a model can be extended and applied in all the cattle farms, in the same climate and soil conditions, even if the farm dimensions and working organization are different.At the studied farms the cattle don’t paste; the arable land it’s used for perennial and annual fodder culture, that assure the necessary in green forage during the summer and raw material for fibroses and silo-forage preparing. At these farms it isn’t a practice to feed the cattle only with green fodder in the summer period (for milk production but with a balanced quantity of dry substances represented by fibrouses, industrial succulent and wet corn, near by green fodder.One of the reason that assure a big quantity of milk of Holstein-Frisian cattle it is represented by different feeding, depending on milk quantity and physical estate of each cow.An essential condition for a profitable activity of cattle farms is the presence of arable land to assure, at least, the production of base forage, respectively green and succulent forage, silo corn and hay; without this surfaces can’t speak about efficient breeding of cattle in a farm or agricultural exploitation.

Women's health, equality and empowerment in tobacco farming - findings from two counties in Yunnan, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weilin Jie

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background Research takes place in Yunnan, the most important tobacco producing province in China, to gather empirical evidence of women´s role in tobacco farming. Methods Research adopts mixed methods. Quantitative data was collected with structured questionnaire while qualitative data was obtained through individual interviews and focus group discussions. Participatory research method was employed as well in order to better understand the workload of women. Due to sensitivity of tobacco control in Yunnan, respondents had to be reached through personal contacts. Thus a convenience sampling method was used. The information was collected from a sample of 436 female tobacco farmers in two counties in October - November 2015. Results Women spend 50% of working hours on tobacco farming. In tobacco farming season, women work 16+ hours a day and on average they spend 2-3 hours more than their husbands on tobacco farming. 50.1% of respondents had to hire temporary help and 58.0% had to exchange labour (without pay with neighbours / relatives for tobacco farming. 62.4% of respondents borrowed money for tobacco farming. The average income from tobacco farming is US$1,490, accounting for about 26-35% of the household income. Respondents experienced discomforts while growing and picking tobacco leaf, but did not associate these discomforts with tobacco farming. 50.5% of respondents were not aware of negative health effect of tobacco farming. There is no mechanism or entity representing tobacco farmers to bargain with the tobacco corporation. Instead, farmers lost autonomy over farming activity under the pressure of both government and tobacco corporation. Women are even more vulnerable because they rarely participate in decision making at community and above levels although they have significant power over family finance and household farming activity.. Conclusions Being at the bottom of exploitation chain, women lack awarness, knowledge, resource and

Farm-made aquafeeds

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

New, Michael B; Tacon, Albert G. J; Csavas, I

1995-01-01

.... Five other working papers are on economics, the selection of equipment, feed ingredients, formulation and on-farm management and supplementary feeding in semi-intensive aquaculture, all directed...

76 FR 58711 - National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-21

... National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2011 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation... and processing facilities. Physically demanding and all-encompassing, farm work requires the... worked to create new markets for these products, and to provide assistance to farms, supporting jobs...

Effects of care farms: Scientific research on the benefits of care farms for clients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elings, M.

2012-01-01

Over the last years, the number of care farms has grown rapidly in Europe and beyond. Research was implemented to study how for example young people with behavioural problems or older people with dementia benefit from their stay on a care farm. And what are the effects of working or living on a care

Work activities and workers' health in broiler production: a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M do CB de Alencar

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of health related symptoms and to analyze the work activities of workers in contracted non-mechanized broiler farms in two regions of the state of Paraná in order to determine possible factors associated to those symptoms. The methods consisted in selecting the houses and the workers, and to apply a questionnaire that included demographic data, questions related to work, the Nordic Questionnaire for Musculoskeletal Symptoms, other symptoms (runny nose, skin itching, throat and eye irritation. In addition, workers were asked if they enjoyed their job, if the supervisor motivated them to work, and if they were afraid to lose their job. Activities were submitted to systematic observations, adapted from Ergonomics, and the loads carried were analyzed and some instruments weighted. The study included 80 workers of both genders between 16 and 59 years, being 40 from each region. There were evidences of low back pain risk in the activities of filling drinkers and washing bell drinkers, with a higher prevalence in region A, where automated systems were less frequently used. The study suggests that mechanized filling of feeders, and the use of nipple drinkers may prevent health problems. It was also found that psychosocial aspects were associated to musculoskeletal symptoms. Promoting better working conditions is essential, as these aspects can affect human behavior at work.

Modelling the smart farm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael J. O'Grady

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Smart farming envisages the harnessing of Information and Communication Technologies as an enabler of more efficient, productive, and profitable farming enterprises. Such technologies do not suffice on their own; rather they must be judiciously combined to deliver meaningful information in near real-time. Decision-support tools incorporating models of disparate farming activities, either on their own or in combination with other models, offer one popular approach; exemplars include GPFARM, APSIM, GRAZPLAN amongst many others. Such models tend to be generic in nature and their adoption by individual farmers is minimal. Smart technologies offer an opportunity to remedy this situation; farm-specific models that can reflect near real-time events become tractable using such technologies. Research on the development, and application of farm-specific models is at a very early stage. This paper thus presents an overview of models within the farming enterprise; it then reviews the state-of the art in smart technologies that promise to enable a new generation of enterprise-specific models that will underpin future smart farming enterprises.

Movement as Spatial Practices and Economic Strategies in Cheese Production at Family Farms in Bohinj

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaka Repič

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The article explores dairy and cheese production at family farms in Bohinj, their economical and organisational strategies (variations between family and cooperative organisation of farming and the connection of cheese production with different modes of spatial movement. In the past decade, several family farms have started producing cheese and milk products, which is an economic activity closely linked to traditional forms of cooperatives, and pasture rights of agricultural societies. These farms have revitalised traditional forms of cheese production and established new economic strategies, especially through the plurality of their activities – work outside of the farm, tourism, marketing of their products, etc. The article first presents a development of cheese production in Bohinj, changes in family and cooperative farming and explores movement and the meshwork of paths, tracks, roads and places that are fundamental to cheese economy. Further, the article connects different movements, e.g. daily pastures close to the villages, transhumance in mountain pasturelands, selling products in markets, etc. Modes of movement (walk, cattle herding, driving to markets are basic practices behind economic strategies of dairy and cheese farms, as well as organisations and use of space, in particular mountain paths and pasturelands.

2006 Annual Operations Report for INTEC Operable Unit 3-13, Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D. E. Shanklin

2007-01-01

This annual operations report describes the requirements followed and activities conducted to inspect, monitor, and maintain the items installed during performance of the Waste Area Group 3, Operable Unit 3-13, Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action, at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. This report covers the time period from January 1 through December 31, 2006, and describes inspection and monitoring activities for the surface-sealed areas within the tank farm, concrete-lined ditches and culverts in and around the tank farm, the lift station, and the lined evaporation pond. These activities are intended to assure that the interim action is functioning adequately to meet the objectives stated in the Operable Unit 3-13, Record of Decision for the Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action (DOE/ID-10660) as described in the Group 1 Remedial Design/Remedial Action Work Plan (DOE/ID-10772)

Hanford Tank Farms Vadose Zone, Addendum to the T Tank Farm Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spatz, Robert

2000-07-01

This addendum to the T Tank Farm Report (GJO-99-101-TARA, GJO-HAN-27) published in September 1999 incorporates the results of high-rate and repeat logging activities along with shape factor analysis of the logging incorporates the results of high-rate and repeat logging activities along with shape factor analysis of the logging data. A high-rate logging system was developed and deployed in the T Tank Farm to measure cesium-137 concentration levels in high gamma flux zones where the spectral gamma logging system was unable to collect usable data because of high dead times and detector saturation. This report presents additional data and revised visualizations of subsurface contaminant distribution in the T Tank Farm at the DOE Hanford Site in the state of Washington.

FARM PERFORMANCE AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Li

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This article emphasizes the strategic and operations aspects of managing a farm. In this article, farm management performance is analyzed based on yearly Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM panel data across 9,831 farms from 1996 through 2014. The alpha scores (or skill estimates for farm managers are analyzed to determine if most profitable farmers possess specific skills or knowledge against adverse events in a volatile environment. Farms are evaluated under different scenarios of management skill portfolios. Fundamental farm management basics are discussed in this study, including budgeting, production planning, financial analysis, financial management, investment analysis, and control management. We find substantial difference of farm management styles and performance efficiency in management skill portfolios. We also find evidence of most skilled farm managers are more efficient on both revenue side and costs side. The approaches used in this study also allow comparison among farms of different sizes and types. The activities of top farms can be replicated by poorer performers and the study provide a unique way for comparing the farm management styles and ability of most skilled farm managers to that of less skilled ones. The innovative method is framed by comparing business strategies and performance styles in the following aspects: production and operations planning, land management and control, and production costs evaluation. Farm managers will want to consult it as well to improve the effectiveness, objectivity, and success of their decisions.

Farm profitability and structural challenges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jørgen Dejgård; Kristensen, Inge Toft

2013-01-01

The objective of the paper is to demonstrate a methodology to establish data for analysing the geographical patterns in the economic performance of farms. The methodology combines population-based agricultural register data on physical activity levels with sample-based farm economic accounts data....... Using a least-squares approach, the method estimates economic figures for each farm in the population conditional on farm size, land allocation and number of different types of livestock. The method is used for describing the spatial patterns in economic returns to agriculture, using Denmark...

Mental health recovery on care farms and day centres: a qualitative comparative study of users' perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Iancu, Sorana C; Zweekhorst, Marjolein B M; Veltman, Dick J; van Balkom, Anton J L M; Bunders, Joske F G

2014-01-01

Mental health services increasingly incorporate the vision of recovery. This qualitative study analysed and compared experiences of recovery on prevocational services, in order to assess if users make progress towards recovery, relative to a staged recovery model. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants on care farms (n = 14), work (n = 7) and creative projects (n = 5). The transition from past to current lives was described as a progressive, non-linear process, with different stages guided by different goals. Participants on creative projects lacked clear goals, presented less interest in peers and high need for emotional support. Participants on work projects aimed for occupational rehabilitation, but struggled with the patient culture of the peer community. Participants on care farms aimed for daytime occupations and closer contact with society. They experienced care farms as open, real-life work settings where they could exercise responsibility and connect with people. Participants progressed towards recovery, as care farms, work- and creative projects empowered them to leave behind inactive, isolated or disorganized living. In day centres, users focused on self-reflection and personal development (creative projects) or on occupational performance (work projects), whereas on care farms, users fulfilled worker roles in a real-life, open community environment. Organized as open communities in real-life settings, care farms facilitate the reflection on personal and social responsibility, and therefore have the potential to help users internalize worker identities and improve their motivation to progress towards recovery. Supervisors on care farms are regarded by users as close contacts within the social networks they develop on the service, a position that allows supervisors to actively engage and promote users' progress towards recovery. Elements of the farm environment (such as the "normal life", presence of family

75 FR 71523 - National Farm-City Week, 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-24

... continue supporting the vital relationship between American farms and families, and work to ensure that farming remains an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable way of life for future... friends during this time of Thanksgiving, let us celebrate farms of every size that produce the abundance...

Summary of Data Farming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary Horne

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Data Farming is a process that has been developed to support decision-makers by answering questions that are not currently addressed. Data farming uses an inter-disciplinary approach that includes modeling and simulation, high performance computing, and statistical analysis to examine questions of interest with a large number of alternatives. Data farming allows for the examination of uncertain events with numerous possible outcomes and provides the capability of executing enough experiments so that both overall and unexpected results may be captured and examined for insights. Harnessing the power of data farming to apply it to our questions is essential to providing support not currently available to decision-makers. This support is critically needed in answering questions inherent in the scenarios we expect to confront in the future as the challenges our forces face become more complex and uncertain. This article was created on the basis of work conducted by Task Group MSG-088 “Data Farming in Support of NATO”, which is being applied in MSG-124 “Developing Actionable Data Farming Decision Support for NATO” of the Science and Technology Organization, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (STO NATO.

Reducing Turbine Mechanical Loads Using Flow Model-Based Wind Farm Controller

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kazda, Jonas; Cutululis, Nicolaos Antonio

Cumulated O&M costs of offshore wind farms are comparable with wind turbine CAPEX of such wind farm. In wind farms, wake effects can result in up to 80% higher fatigue loads at downstream wind turbines [1] and consequently larger O&M costs. The present work therefore investigates to reduce...... these loads during the provision of grid balancing services using optimal model-based wind farm control. Wind farm controllers coordinate the operating point of wind turbines in a wind farm in order to achieve a given objective. The investigated objective of the control in this work is to follow a total wind...... farm power reference while reducing the tower bending moments of the turbines in the wind farm. The wind farm controller is tested on a 8 turbine array, which is representative of a typical offshore wind farm. The operation of the wind farm is simulated using the dynamic wind farm simulation tool S imWind...

Organophosphate pesticide exposure in school-aged children living in rice and aquacultural farming regions of Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohitrattana, Juthasiri; Siriwong, Wattasit; Tunsaringkarn, Tanasorn; Panuwet, Parinya; Ryan, P Barry; Barr, Dana Boyd; Robson, Mark G; Fiedler, Nancy

2014-01-01

Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are widely used in agricultural sectors in Thailand. Previous studies have documented that children residing in agricultural areas have higher exposure to OPs than children living in other residential areas. The objective of this study was to quantify urinary biomarkers of OP exposure and determine the environmental conditions and activities that predict their levels among children living in Central Thailand farming regions. In October 2011, 53 6-8-year-old participants were recruited from Pathum Thani Province, Thailand. Twenty-four lived in rice farming communities at Khlong Luang District where OPs are the pesticides used frequently. Twenty-nine participants, living in aquacultural farming communities at Lum Luk Ka District where OPs are not used, were recruited to serve as controls for pathways of exposure (e.g., residential, dietary) other than occupational/paraoccupational exposures encountered in rice farming. Household environments and participants' activities were assessed using a parental structured interview. Urine samples (first morning voids) were collected from participants for OP urinary metabolite (i.e., dialkylphosphates [DAPs] and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol [TCPy]) measurements. The levels of most urinary OP metabolites were significantly higher in participants who lived in a rice farming community than those who lived in an aquacultural farming community (P farms (∑DAP: P = .001; TCPy: P = .001) and living in a rice farming community (∑DAP: P = .009; TCPy: P farm (P = .03), being with parent while working on a farm (P = .02), playing on a farm (P = .03), and the presence of observable dirt accumulated on the child's body (P = .02). In conclusion, OP metabolite levels among children who live in rice farming communities were strongly influenced by farming activity, household environments, and child behaviors, suggesting that these are the primary pathways in which children living in these agricultural

Mental wellbeing of children engaged in agricultural work activities and quality of family environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachowski, Stanisław; Lachowska, Bogusława

2007-01-01

A considerable percentage of Polish children from agricultural families are engaged by their parents in performing work activities on farms. The performance of these tasks arouses various emotional reactions in children, from the feeling of threat, fear and anxiety, to the feeling of satisfaction, being contented and proud. The subjective feeling of happiness and life satisfaction is an extremely important factor affecting the mental health and functioning of a human being. The objective of the study was to show to what extent the quality of communication between children and parents, and the level of family cohesion and adaptability according to the Circumplex Model by D. H. Olson et al., modifies children's emotional reactions associated with the tasks performed. The study covered 192 children aged 12-13, whose parents were running a family farm. Growing up in a healthy family characterised by a balanced level of cohesion, adaptability and good communication with the father and mother, favours the occurrence in children of pleasant emotions in reaction to work which they undertake on behalf of their parents on a farm. In such families, more often than in families with bad communication and dysfunctional families (disengaged, rigid), children experience satisfaction, have a feeling of deepening bonds with their parents, and the feeling of being more adult and preparing themselves well for adult life. Family characteristics which are evidence of disorders in its functioning (lack of good communication with the father, mother, lack of bonds between family members, rigid, chaos in a family) co-occur with the child experiencing unpleasant emotional states in associated with the work performed, there occur feelings of dissatisfaction, unhappiness, unpleasantness, the feeling that it would be better to learn than to work.

Farm management systems and the Future Internet era

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaloxylos, A.; Eigenmann, R.; Teye, F.; Wolfert, J.

2012-01-01

Smart/precision farming systems are expected to play an important role in improving farming activities. During the past years, sophisticated farm management systems have emerged to replace outdated complex and monolithic farm systems and software tools. The latest trend is to enable these management

The effect of physical activity on psychological distress, cortisol and obesity: results of the Farming Fit intervention program.

Science.gov (United States)

Brumby, Susan; Chandrasekara, Ananda; Kremer, Peter; Torres, Susan; McCoombe, Scott; Lewandowski, Paul

2013-10-28

Rural and regional Australians have a higher likelihood of mental illness throughout their lifetime than people living in major cities, although the underlying reasons are not yet well defined. Additionally, rural populations experience more lifestyle associated co-morbidities including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Research conducted by the National Centre for Farmer Health between 2004 and 2009 revealed a positive correlation between obesity and psychological distress among the farming community. Chronic stress is known to overstimulate the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and cortisol secretion which are associated with abdominal adiposity. Increasing physical activity may normalise cortisol secretion and thereby positively impact both physical and mental health. This paper assesses the effects of increasing physical activity on obesity, health behaviors and mental health in Victorian farming men and women. Farming Fit was a six month quasi-experimental (convenience sample) longitudinal design control-intervention study. Overweight or obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) farm men (n = 43) and women (n = 29) were recruited with demographic, health behaviors, anthropometric, blood pressure and biochemistry data collected at baseline and at a six months. Salivary cortisol and depression anxiety stress scale results were collected at baseline, three and six months. The intervention group (n = 37) received a personalized exercise program and regular phone coaching to promote physical activity. The intervention group showed significant reductions in body weight and waist circumference. Results indicated that following the six month exercise program, the intervention group were 2.64 ± 0.65 kg lighter (p physical activity altered measures of obesity in farm men and women but did not affect mental health measures or cortisol secretion levels. ACTRN12610000827033.

"I don't want to go back to the farm": A case study of Working for Water beneficiaries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan A. Hough

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In addition to clearing invasive alien plants, the Working for Water (WfW Programme, as a South African government public works programme, provides short-term employment and training to empower the poor in finding alternative employment within the labour market. Several studies indicate that its beneficiaries become financially dependent on WfW projects and tend to be reluctant to leave the programme. The sociological reasons for this reluctance, however, remain largely unstudied. We therefore address this gap by reporting on a case study of four WfW projects in the Western Cape Province. Face-to-face interviews with beneficiaries suggest that a number of push and pull factors contribute to their dependency on WfW. Chief among these factors is a fear among previous farmworkers of returning to farm work. It was found that the latter can be linked to a historical power-relations legacy between landowners and farmworkers, mainly created by institutional racism still prevailing on many Western Cape farms. These findings bear important implications for the implementation of a new draft WfW policy aimed at encouraging private landowners to employ WfW beneficiaries on their land as clearers of invasive alien plants.

Economic analysis and policy implications of farm and off-farm employment : a case study in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Woldehanna, T.

2000-01-01

The central item of this research is the impact of off-farm employment and income on farm households and agricultural production. The interaction between farm and non-farm activities, the adjustment of labor demand and supply, the performance of the labor market, and wage determination are

Whole farm quantification of GHG emissions within smallholder farms in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seebauer, Matthias

2014-01-01

The IPCC has compiled the best available scientific methods into published guidelines for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and emission removals from the land-use sector. In order to evaluate existing GHG quantification tools to comprehensively quantify GHG emissions and removals in smallholder conditions, farm scale quantification was tested with farm data from Western Kenya. After conducting a cluster analysis to identify different farm typologies GHG quantification was exercised using the VCS SALM methodology complemented with IPCC livestock emission factors and the cool farm tool. The emission profiles of four farm clusters representing the baseline conditions in the year 2009 are compared with 2011 where farmers adopted sustainable land management practices (SALM). The results demonstrate the variation in both the magnitude of the estimated GHG emissions per ha between different smallholder farm typologies and the emissions estimated by applying two different accounting tools. The farm scale quantification further shows that the adoption of SALM has a significant impact on emission reduction and removals and the mitigation benefits range between 4 and 6.5 tCO 2  ha −1  yr −1 with significantly different mitigation benefits depending on typologies of the crop–livestock systems, their different agricultural practices, as well as adoption rates of improved practices. However, the inherent uncertainty related to the emission factors applied by accounting tools has substantial implications for reported agricultural emissions. With regard to uncertainty related to activity data, the assessment confirms the high variability within different farm types as well as between different parameters surveyed to comprehensively quantify GHG emissions within smallholder farms. (paper)

Wind Farms: Modeling and Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soleimanzadeh, Maryam

2012-01-01

is minimized. The controller is practically feasible. Yet, the results on load reduction in this approach are not very significant. In the second strategy, the wind farm control problem has been divided into below rated and above rated wind speed conditions. In the above rated wind speed pitch angle and power....... Distributed controller design commences with formulating the problem, where a structured matrix approach has been put in to practice. Afterwards, an H2 control problem is implemented to obtain the controller dynamics for a wind farm such that the structural loads on wind turbines are minimized.......The primary purpose of this work is to develop control algorithms for wind farms to optimize the power production and augment the lifetime of wind turbines in wind farms. In this regard, a dynamical model for wind farms was required to be the basis of the controller design. In the first stage...

Work plan for SY Farm Integrated Data Acquisition and Control System (DACS-2a)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conner, R.P.; Katz, R.S.

1994-01-01

The SY Farm currently has a temporary Data Acquisition ampersand Control System (DACS) housed in a mobile trailer. The system is currently referred to as DACS-1. It was designed and configured to support engineers and scientists conducting the special performance evaluation and testing program for the safety mitigation test equipment located in waste tank 241-SY-101 (101-SY). It is currently being maintained and utilized by engineering personnel to monitor and control the 101-SY mitigation pump activities. Based upon the results of the mitigation testing program, some of the temporary test mitigation equipment (such as mixing pump) will be replaced with longer-term ''operational'' mitigation equipment. This is resulting in new requirements for the Data Acquisition and Control System which will be full-filled by a newer control facility referred to as the DACS-2. A teaming between Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been established for the SY farm mitigation program in order to develop and implement the ''next generation'' of the data acquisition and control system for the mitigation pump operations. The new system will be configured for use by the tank farm operational personnel. It will support the routine operations necessary for safety mitigation and the future waste retrieval of Project W-211. It is intended to replace the existing DACS-1 and provide the necessary control room space for future integration of W-211

Patterns of functional enzyme activity in fungus farming ambrosia beetles.

Science.gov (United States)

De Fine Licht, Henrik H; Biedermann, Peter H W

2012-06-06

In wood-dwelling fungus-farming weevils, the so-called ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae), wood in the excavated tunnels is used as a medium for cultivating fungi by the combined action of digging larvae (which create more space for the fungi to grow) and of adults sowing and pruning the fungus. The beetles are obligately dependent on the fungus that provides essential vitamins, amino acids and sterols. However, to what extent microbial enzymes support fungus farming in ambrosia beetles is unknown. Here we measure (i) 13 plant cell-wall degrading enzymes in the fungus garden microbial consortium of the ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii, including its primary fungal symbionts, in three compartments of laboratory maintained nests, at different time points after gallery foundation and (ii) four specific enzymes that may be either insect or microbially derived in X. saxesenii adult and larval individuals. We discovered that the activity of cellulases in ambrosia fungus gardens is relatively small compared to the activities of other cellulolytic enzymes. Enzyme activity in all compartments of the garden was mainly directed towards hemicellulose carbohydrates such as xylan, glucomannan and callose. Hemicellulolytic enzyme activity within the brood chamber increased with gallery age, whereas irrespective of the age of the gallery, the highest overall enzyme activity were detected in the gallery dump material expelled by the beetles. Interestingly endo-β-1,3(4)-glucanase activity capable of callose degradation was identified in whole-body extracts of both larvae and adult X. saxesenii, whereas endo-β-1,4-xylanase activity was exclusively detected in larvae. Similar to closely related fungi associated with bark beetles in phloem, the microbial symbionts of ambrosia beetles hardly degrade cellulose. Instead, their enzyme activity is directed mainly towards comparatively more easily accessible hemicellulose components of the ray

Is agritourism eco-friendly? A comparison between agritourisms and other farms in Italy using farm accountancy data network dataset.

Science.gov (United States)

Mastronardi, Luigi; Giaccio, Vincenzo; Giannelli, Agostino; Scardera, Alfonso

2015-01-01

This paper presents the results of research regarding the environmental performances of Italian farms with agritourism compared with farms without agritourism. In Italy, agritourism is considered an agricultural activity and can only be performed by a farmer. Moreover, Italian national legislation forces the farmer to dedicate himself mainly to traditional farming, rather than to tourism activities. For this reason, environmental performances have been highlighted by analyzing only features and production systems of the farms. By utilizing the most frequent indicators used in studies regarding sustainability, the authors show how Italian agritourisms tend to develop more environmentally friendly agricultural methods, which have a positive impact on biodiversity, landscape and natural resources. The empirical analysis is based on the Italian FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) dataset. The European FADN was created to represent farms' technical and economic operation in the European Union and on which it drafts the agricultural and rural policies. The dichotomous structure of the dependent variable (presence or absence of agritourism at the farm) has a propensity for an assessment method based on Binary Response Model Regression.

Production and photosynthetic activity of Mimosa Verde and Mimosa Roxa lettuce in two farming systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Mabel Rosa

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. is the most commonly consumed leaf vegetable in the Brazilian diet, and it is a good source of vitamins and minerals. It is widely grown in the conventional farming system. However, the hydroponic farming system has been gaining importance in the market, wining confidence from consumers, who are becoming increasingly more demanding on food quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of two lettuce cultivars on hydroponic and conventional farming systems for the production of fresh mass (FM and dry mass (DM, photosynthesis, contents of chlorophyll and anthocyanin. The following two experiments were carried out: hydroponics farming (HF and conventional farming (CF, performed in protect and unprotect environments, respectively, in Florianópolis, SC. Mimosa Verde cultivar (MV showed greater fresh mass than Mimosa Roxa (MR, in both farming systems and the two cultivars presented better performance in the hydroponic system (287.7 g MV and 139.1 g MR than the conventional system (129.7 g MV and 111.8 g MR. Mimosa Verde cultivar presented lower average contents of total chlorophyll (7.7 mg g-¹ FM than Mimosa Roxa (11.8 mg g-¹FM, and both cultivars displayed higher means for this variable in the hydroponic farming system. Mimosa Roxa presented higher contents of anthocyanin in the conventional system (88.24 mg g-¹ FM than the ones in the hydroponic system (36.89 mg g-¹ FM. The best results for CO2 net assimilation rate regarded to photosyntheticaly active photon flux density were found in the hydroponic system, for both lettuce cultivars. Variation in the contents of chlorophyll were also found. Those variations were higher in the protected system than in the hydroponic system and contents of anthocyanin were higher in the conventional system.

Hanford Tank Farms Vadose Zone, Addendum to the TX Tank Farm Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spatz, R.

2000-01-01

This addendum to the TX Tank Farm Report (GJO-97-13-TAR, GJO-HAN-11) published in September 1997 incorporates the results of high-rate and repeat logging activities along with shape factor analysis of the logging data. A high-rate logging system was developed and deployed in the TX Tank Farm to measure cesium-137 concentration levels in high gamma flux zones where the spectral gamma logging system was unable to collect usable data because of high dead times and detector saturation. This report presents additional data and revised visualizations of subsurface contaminant distribution in the TX Tank Farm at the DOE Hanford Site in the state of Washington

Validating activity indices from camera traps for commensal rodents and other wildlife in and around farm buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, Mark; Bellamy, Fiona; Budgey, Richard; Callaby, Rebecca; Coats, Julia; Talling, Janet

2018-01-01

Indices of rodent activity are used as indicators of population change during field evaluation of rodenticides. We investigated the potential for using camera traps to determine activity indices for commensal rodents living in and around farm buildings, and sought to compare these indices against previously calibrated survey methods. We recorded 41 263 images of 23 species, including Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus Berk.) and house mice (Mus musculus L.). We found a positive correlation between activity indices from camera traps and activity indices from a method (footprint tracking) previously shown to have a linear relationship with population size for Norway rats. Filtering the camera trap data to simulate a 30-s delay between camera trigger events removed 59.9% of data and did not adversely affect the correlation between activity indices from camera traps and footprint tracking. The relationship between activity indices from footprint tracking and Norway rat population size is known from a previous study; from this, we determined the relationship between activity indices from camera traps and population size for Norway rats living in and around farm buildings. Systematic use of camera traps was used to determine activity indices for Norway rats living in and around farm buildings; the activity indices were positively correlated with those derived from a method previously calibrated against known population size for this species in this context. © 2017 Crown copyright. Pest Management Science © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Crown copyright. Pest Management Science © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Age, breed, sex distribution and nutrition of a population of working farm dogs in New Zealand: results of a cross-sectional study of members of the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, I; Tucker, L A; Gendall, P; Rutherfurd-Markwick, K J; Cline, J; Thomas, D G

2011-05-01

To establish baseline information about age, breed, sex distribution and feeding practices for a population of working farm dogs owned by members of the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association (NZSDTA) throughout New Zealand. Questionnaires were sent to members of the NZSDTA in August 2007, requesting information on the size and terrain of the farms where they worked, as well as the breed, weight, age and sex of each working dog they owned, feeding regime employed, diet fed, work levels, and general health of their dogs. The survey was completed by 542/676 (81%) of the eligible sample population, and provided information on 2,861 dogs, excluding those dog owners surveyed worked on sheep and beef-cattle farms. The median farm size was 440 [Inter-quartile range (IQR) 132-1,200] ha and varied with region. The majority of farms were situated on either hill country (184/542; 34%) or a mixture of hilly and flat terrain (260/542; 48%), and had a median of six (IQR 5-8) working dogs per farm. The median age of dogs was 3.0 (IQR 2.0-6.0) years. Heading dogs were the most common type of working dog (1,510/2,861; 52.8%), followed by Huntaways (1,161/2,861; 40.6%). The gender distribution of all dogs was biased towards males (57%), but this decreased with age. There was a positive association between the number of dogs on a farm and perceived level of tiredness of dogs (pdogs once a day. The most common diet fed was a combination of dry food and homekill, which was fed by 328/542 (61%) owners during peak and 313/542 (58%) during off-peak periods of work. This study has established baseline information on the age, breed, gender and nutrition of a large population of working farm dogs in New Zealand. Current feeding practices employed by owners include offering a substantial amount of homekill to their animals. Homekill may be deficient or marginal in vitamins and minerals, therefore opportunities could exist to improve the diets and therefore the longevity and performance of

The Socioecology of Territory Size and a "Work-Around" Hypothesis for the Adoption of Farming

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, Jacob

2016-01-01

This paper combines theory from ecology and anthropology to investigate variation in the territory sizes of subsistence oriented agricultural societies. The results indicate that population and the dependence of individuals within a society on “wild” foods partly determine the territory sizes of agricultural societies. In contrast, the productivity of an agroecosystem is not an important determinant of territory size. A comparison of the population-territory size scaling dynamics of agricultural societies and human foragers indicates that foragers and farmers face the same constraints on their ability to expand their territory and intensify their use of resources within a territory. However, the higher density of food in an agroecosystem allows farmers, on average, to live at much higher population densities than human foragers. These macroecological patterns are consistent with a “work-around hypothesis” for the adoption of farming. This hypothesis is that as residential groups of foragers increase in size, farming can sometimes better reduce the tension between an individual’s autonomy over resources and the need for social groups to function to provide public goods like defense and information. PMID:27391955

Analyzing the Determinants of Non-farm Income Diversification of Farm Households in Peshawar District of Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kanwal Nazish

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The agricultural sector in Pakistan is not well-established to provide full employment opportunities and sufficient income for needed living standard to the rural population. Stagnant agricultural productivity and low returns in farming have led rural residents to look for alternative livelihoods, especially non-farm employment. With this background, the present study is an endeavor to empirically determine the factors of non-farm income diversification of rural farm households in Peshawar district of Pakistan. The study was undertaken in four villages and data was amassed from 196 small farming households by using the multi-stage sampling technique. The data were analyzed using the descriptive statistical measures, the mean of income shares approach and the ordinary least squares regression analysis. The results indicate that in all the selected villages, the pattern of non-farm employment was more or less the same; however, the income from non-farm employment activities had an important contribution towards incrementing the absolute income of farm households. Non-farm income diversification is hence crucial for sustaining livelihoods and an integral dimension for invigorating rural economies. Therefore, the study recommends the promotion of non-farm employment as a good strategy for supplementing the income of small farmers without shifting attention from agriculture.

Wake characteristics of wind turbines in utility-scale wind farms

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaolei; Foti, Daniel; Sotiropoulos, Fotis

2017-11-01

The dynamics of turbine wakes is affected by turbine operating conditions, ambient atmospheric turbulent flows, and wakes from upwind turbines. Investigations of the wake from a single turbine have been extensively carried out in the literature. Studies on the wake dynamics in utility-scale wind farms are relatively limited. In this work, we employ large-eddy simulation with an actuator surface or actuator line model for turbine blades to investigate the wake dynamics in utility-scale wind farms. Simulations of three wind farms, i.e., the Horns Rev wind farm in Denmark, Pleasant Valley wind farm in Minnesota, and the Vantage wind farm in Washington are carried out. The computed power shows a good agreement with measurements. Analysis of the wake dynamics in the three wind farms is underway and will be presented in the conference. This work was support by Xcel Energy (RD4-13). The computational resources were provided by National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Importance of whole-farm risk management in agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huirne, R.B.M.; Meuwissen, M.P.M.; Asseldonk, van M.A.P.M.

2007-01-01

Risk management is an increasingly important topic. At the farm level, it received little attention in Europe. Research indicates that whole-farm riskmanagement approaches, that is approaches in which multiple risks and farm activities are considered simultaneously, seem more efficient than `single

Alcohol Use, Working Conditions, Job Benefits, and the Legacy of the “Dop” System among Farm Workers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa: Hope Despite High Levels of Risky Drinking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Phillip Gossage

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This study describes alcohol consumption in five Western Cape Province communities. Cross-sectional data from a community household sample (n = 591 describe the alcohol use patterns of adult males and females, and farm workers vs. others. Data reveal that men were more likely to be current drinkers than women, 75.1% vs. 65.8% (p = 0.033; farm laborers were more likely to be current drinkers than individuals in other occupations 83.1% vs. 66.8% (p = 0.004. Group, binge drinking on weekends was the norm; men were more likely to be binge drinkers in the past week than women 59.8% vs. 48.8% (p = 0.086; farm workers were more likely to binge than others 75.0% vs. 47.5% (p < 0.001. The legacy of “Dop” contributes to current risky drinking behaviors. Farm owners or managers were interviewed on 11 farms, they described working conditions on their farms and how the legacy of “Dop” is reflected in the current use of alcohol by their workers. “Dop” was given to farm workers in the past on six of the 11 farms, but was discontinued for different reasons. There is zero tolerance for coming to work intoxicated; farm owners encourage responsible use of alcohol and assist farm workers in getting help for alcohol problems when necessary. The farm owners report some positive initiatives, were ahead of the movement to provide meaningful wages, and provide other important amenities. Further research is needed to assess whether progressive practices on some farms will reduce harmful alcohol use.

Patterns of functional enzyme activity in fungus farming ambrosia beetles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

De Fine Licht Henrik H

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction In wood-dwelling fungus-farming weevils, the so-called ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae, wood in the excavated tunnels is used as a medium for cultivating fungi by the combined action of digging larvae (which create more space for the fungi to grow and of adults sowing and pruning the fungus. The beetles are obligately dependent on the fungus that provides essential vitamins, amino acids and sterols. However, to what extent microbial enzymes support fungus farming in ambrosia beetles is unknown. Here we measure (i 13 plant cell-wall degrading enzymes in the fungus garden microbial consortium of the ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii, including its primary fungal symbionts, in three compartments of laboratory maintained nests, at different time points after gallery foundation and (ii four specific enzymes that may be either insect or microbially derived in X. saxesenii adult and larval individuals. Results We discovered that the activity of cellulases in ambrosia fungus gardens is relatively small compared to the activities of other cellulolytic enzymes. Enzyme activity in all compartments of the garden was mainly directed towards hemicellulose carbohydrates such as xylan, glucomannan and callose. Hemicellulolytic enzyme activity within the brood chamber increased with gallery age, whereas irrespective of the age of the gallery, the highest overall enzyme activity were detected in the gallery dump material expelled by the beetles. Interestingly endo-β-1,3(4-glucanase activity capable of callose degradation was identified in whole-body extracts of both larvae and adult X. saxesenii, whereas endo-β-1,4-xylanase activity was exclusively detected in larvae. Conclusion Similar to closely related fungi associated with bark beetles in phloem, the microbial symbionts of ambrosia beetles hardly degrade cellulose. Instead, their enzyme activity is directed mainly towards comparatively more easily

Biogas and bioethanol production in organic farming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oleskowicz-Popiel, P

2010-08-15

The consumer demand for environmentally friendly, chemical free and healthy products, as well as concern regarding industrial agriculture's effect on the environment has led to a significant growth of organic farming. On the other hand, organic farmers are becoming interested in direct on-farm energy production which would lead them to independency from fossil fuels and decrease the greenhouse gas emissions from the farm. In the presented work, the idea of biogas and bioenergy production at the organic farm is investigated. This thesis is devoted to evaluate such a possibility, starting from the characterization of raw materials, through optimizing new processes and solutions and finally evaluating the whole on-farm biorefinery concept with the help of a simulation software. (LN)

Biogas and bioethanol production in organic farming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oleskowicz-Popiel, P.

2010-08-15

The consumer demand for environmentally friendly, chemical free and healthy products, as well as concern regarding industrial agriculture's effect on the environment has led to a significant growth of organic farming. On the other hand, organic farmers are becoming interested in direct on-farm energy production which would lead them to independency from fossil fuels and decrease the greenhouse gas emissions from the farm. In the presented work, the idea of biogas and bioenergy production at the organic farm is investigated. This thesis is devoted to evaluate such a possibility, starting from the characterization of raw materials, through optimizing new processes and solutions and finally evaluating the whole on-farm biorefinery concept with the help of a simulation software. (LN)

Design criteria tank farm storage and staging facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lott, D.T.

1995-01-01

Tank Farms Operations must store/stage material and equipment until work packages are ready to work. Consumable materials are also required to be stored for routine and emergency work. Safety issues based on poor housekeeping and material deterioration due to weather damage has resulted from inadequate storage space. It has been determined that a storage building in close proximity to the Tank Farm work force would be cost effective. This document provides the design criteria for the design of the storage and staging buildings near 272AW and 272WA buildings

Environmental impacts of coastal fish farming; Carbon and Nitrogen budgets for trout farming in Kaldbacksfjord, Faroe Islands

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordi, Gunnvor A; Glud, Ronnie N.; Gaard, Eilif

2011-01-01

Flow of organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen through a sea cage trout farm was calculated on the basis of detailed studies of the farming operation, water circulation, OC and nutrient transport and recycling processes in sediment. A third of the OC and nitrogen provided by fish food was incorporated......% of nitrogen derived from fish food settled on the seabed, where it was either mineralized or accumulated in the sediment. Based on transect measurements of diagenetic activity, the farm footprint was found to cover an area similar to 10 times the farm area. OC mineralization in the sediment increased linearly...

Farm Recording Kelompok Tani Timbul Karya Kecamatan Paliyan Kabupaten Gunungkidul

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agus Dwi Nugroho

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Farmers group of “Timbul Karya” has variousassets being rent yet systematically recorded. This community service activity aims to help the farmer group for: (1 preparing the rental activities form filling of assets withitsraining and (2 analyzing the feasibility of soybean farming of the farmer group. Methods used in this community service are training and mentoring. Mentoring is done on making asset management form and analyzingthe farming feasibility, while the training is done with administrative management subject. The administration form consists of on farming activities, save and loan of paddy grain, rental of farm equipment, and rental of partyequipment. The training activity to give a performance description of the group empowerment. The results of the analysis of soybean farming provide R/C value of 2.81 which means that the farming were profitable. Farming analysis also shows that the increasing of soybean production can be solved by enlarge the planted area and the use of urea fertilizer. In addition, given advice to review the increase in revenues, government should giving high soybean prices shifting as well as providing assistance for the production facilities to reduce the productioncost.

Farming fit? Dispelling the Australian agrarian myth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McCoombe Scott

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rural Australians face a higher mental health and lifestyle disease burden (obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease than their urban counterparts. Our ongoing research reveals that the Australian farming community has even poorer physical and mental health outcomes than rural averages. In particular, farm men and women have high rates of overweightness, obesity, abdominal adiposity, high blood pressure and psychological distress when compared against Australian averages. Within our farming cohort we observed a significant association between psychological distress and obesity, abdominal adiposity and body fat percentage in the farming population. Presentation of hypothesis This paper presents a hypothesis based on preliminary data obtained from an ongoing study that could potentially explain the complex correlation between obesity, psychological distress and physical activity among a farming population. We posit that spasmodic physical activity, changing farm practices and climate variability induce prolonged stress in farmers. This increases systemic cortisol that, in turn, promotes abdominal adiposity and weight gain. Testing the hypothesis The hypothesis will be tested by anthropometric, biochemical and psychological analysis matched against systemic cortisol levels and the physical activity of the subjects. Implications of the hypothesis tested Previous studies indicate that farming populations have elevated rates of psychological distress and high rates of suicide. Australian farmers have recently experienced challenging climatic conditions including prolonged drought, floods and cyclones. Through our interactions and through the media it is not uncommon for farmers to describe the effect of this long-term stress with feelings of 'defeat'. By gaining a greater understanding of the role cortisol and physical activity have on mental and physical health we may positively impact the current rates of psychological

The Technical Efficiency of Specialised Milk Farms: A Regional View

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jindřich Špička

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to evaluate production efficiency and its determinants of specialised dairy farming among the EU regions. In the most of European regions, there is a relatively high significance of small specialised farms including dairy farms. The DEAVRS method (data envelopment analysis with variable returns to scale reveals efficient and inefficient regions including the scale efficiency. In the next step, the two-sample t-test determines differences of economic and structural indicators between efficient and inefficient regions. The research reveals that substitution of labour by capital/contract work explains the variability of the farm net value added per AWU (annual work unit income indicator by more than 30%. The significant economic determinants of production efficiency in specialised dairy farming are farm size, herd size, crop output per hectare, productivity of energy, and capital (at α=0.01. Specialised dairy farms in efficient regions have significantly higher farm net value added per AWU than inefficient regions. Agricultural enterprises in inefficient regions have a more extensive structure and produce more noncommodity output (public goods. Specialised dairy farms in efficient regions have a slightly higher milk yield, specific livestock costs of feed, bedding, and veterinary services per livestock unit.

Vadose zone characterization project at the Hanford Tank Farms: BY Tank Farm report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kos, S.E.

1997-02-01

The US Department of Energy Grand Junction Office (GJO) was tasked by the DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) to perform a baseline characterization of the contamination distributed in the vadoze zone sediment beneath and around the single-shell tanks (SSTs) at the Hanford Site. The intent of this characterization is to determine the nature and extent of the contamination, to identify contamination sources, and to develop a baseline of the contamination distribution that will permit future data comparisons. This characterization work also allows an initial assessment of the impacts of the vadose zone contamination as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This characterization project involves acquiring information about the vadose zone contamination with borehole geophysical logging methods and documenting that information in a series of reports. Data from boreholes surrounding each tank are compiled into individual Tank Summary Data Reports. The data from each tank farm are then compiled and summarized in a Tank Farm Report. This document is the Tank Farm Report for the BY Tank Farm

Vadose zone characterization project at the Hanford Tank Farms: BY Tank Farm report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kos, S.E.

1997-02-01

The US Department of Energy Grand Junction Office (GJO) was tasked by the DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) to perform a baseline characterization of the contamination distributed in the vadoze zone sediment beneath and around the single-shell tanks (SSTs) at the Hanford Site. The intent of this characterization is to determine the nature and extent of the contamination, to identify contamination sources, and to develop a baseline of the contamination distribution that will permit future data comparisons. This characterization work also allows an initial assessment of the impacts of the vadose zone contamination as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This characterization project involves acquiring information about the vadose zone contamination with borehole geophysical logging methods and documenting that information in a series of reports. Data from boreholes surrounding each tank are compiled into individual Tank Summary Data Reports. The data from each tank farm are then compiled and summarized in a Tank Farm Report. This document is the Tank Farm Report for the BY Tank Farm.

ECONOMICS OF DAIRY FARMING IN TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Özgür Bor

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In this study dairy farming activities in Turkey are employed to prove that small-scale agricultural production is disappearing rapidly due to costly investment and mechanization needs. For that purpose the cost structure and the investment needs in starting a dairy farm are analyzed. The results show that the capital requirements of building a dairy farm with optimal capacity are hard to reach for small farmers unless a system of marketing and production agricultural cooperatives and/or institutions are organized.

Bringing Work Home: Take-Home Pesticide Exposure Among Farm Families

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Curwin, B.D.

2006-01-01

In this thesis take-home pesticide exposure among farm families, with an emphasis on herbicides, was investigated. Take-home exposure occurs when a worker unwittingly brings home a substance on his or her clothing or shoes, thereby potentially exposing his or her family. The pesticides investigated

Organic Farming: Biodiversity Impacts Can Depend on Dispersal Characteristics and Landscape Context

Science.gov (United States)

Feber, Ruth E.; Johnson, Paul J.; Bell, James R.; Chamberlain, Dan E.; Firbank, Leslie G.; Fuller, Robert J.; Manley, Will; Mathews, Fiona; Norton, Lisa R.; Townsend, Martin; Macdonald, David W.

2015-01-01

Organic farming, a low intensity system, may offer benefits for a range of taxa, but what affects the extent of those benefits is imperfectly understood. We explored the effects of organic farming and landscape on the activity density and species density of spiders and carabid beetles, using a large sample of paired organic and conventional farms in the UK. Spider activity density and species density were influenced by both farming system and surrounding landscape. Hunting spiders, which tend to have lower dispersal capabilities, had higher activity density, and more species were captured, on organic compared to conventional farms. There was also evidence for an interaction, as the farming system effect was particularly marked in the cropped area before harvest and was more pronounced in complex landscapes (those with little arable land). There was no evidence for any effect of farming system or landscape on web-building spiders (which include the linyphiids, many of which have high dispersal capabilities). For carabid beetles, the farming system effects were inconsistent. Before harvest, higher activity densities were observed in the crops on organic farms compared with conventional farms. After harvest, no difference was detected in the cropped area, but more carabids were captured on conventional compared to organic boundaries. Carabids were more species-dense in complex landscapes, and farming system did not affect this. There was little evidence that non-cropped habitat differences explained the farming system effects for either spiders or carabid beetles. For spiders, the farming system effects in the cropped area were probably largely attributable to differences in crop management; reduced inputs of pesticides (herbicides and insecticides) and fertilisers are possible influences, and there was some evidence for an effect of non-crop plant species richness on hunting spider activity density. The benefits of organic farming may be greatest for taxa with lower

Organic Farming: Biodiversity Impacts Can Depend on Dispersal Characteristics and Landscape Context.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruth E Feber

Full Text Available Organic farming, a low intensity system, may offer benefits for a range of taxa, but what affects the extent of those benefits is imperfectly understood. We explored the effects of organic farming and landscape on the activity density and species density of spiders and carabid beetles, using a large sample of paired organic and conventional farms in the UK. Spider activity density and species density were influenced by both farming system and surrounding landscape. Hunting spiders, which tend to have lower dispersal capabilities, had higher activity density, and more species were captured, on organic compared to conventional farms. There was also evidence for an interaction, as the farming system effect was particularly marked in the cropped area before harvest and was more pronounced in complex landscapes (those with little arable land. There was no evidence for any effect of farming system or landscape on web-building spiders (which include the linyphiids, many of which have high dispersal capabilities. For carabid beetles, the farming system effects were inconsistent. Before harvest, higher activity densities were observed in the crops on organic farms compared with conventional farms. After harvest, no difference was detected in the cropped area, but more carabids were captured on conventional compared to organic boundaries. Carabids were more species-dense in complex landscapes, and farming system did not affect this. There was little evidence that non-cropped habitat differences explained the farming system effects for either spiders or carabid beetles. For spiders, the farming system effects in the cropped area were probably largely attributable to differences in crop management; reduced inputs of pesticides (herbicides and insecticides and fertilisers are possible influences, and there was some evidence for an effect of non-crop plant species richness on hunting spider activity density. The benefits of organic farming may be greatest for

Grid connection of active stall wind farms using a VSC based DC transmission system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iov, F.; Sørensen, Poul Ejnar; Hansen, A.D.

2005-01-01

Currently, there is an increasing trend to connect large MW wind farms to the transmission system. Requirements that focus on the influence of the farms on the grid stability and power quality, and on the control capabilities of wind farms have already been established. The main trends of modern...... wind turbines/farms are clearly the variable speed operation and a grid connection through a power electronic interface, especially using doubly fed induction generators. Using power electronics the control capabilities of these wind turbines/farms are extended and thus the grid requirements...... are fulfilled. However, the traditional squirrel-cage generators based wind turbines/wind farms directly connected to the grid have less control capabilities. These wind turbines/farms cannot regulate their production and contribute to power system stability. A DC transmission system for connection...

Variable frequency operation of active stall wind farms using a dc connection to grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iov, Florin; Blaabjerg, Frede; Sorensen, Poul

2005-01-01

Currently, there is an increasing trend to connect large MW wind farms to the transmISSIon system. Requirements that focus on the influence of the farms on the grid stability and power quality, and on the control capabilities of wind farms have already been established. The main trends of modern...... wind turbines/farms are clearly the variable speed operation and a grid connection through a power electronic interface, especially using doubly-fed induction generators. Using power electronics the control capabilities of these wind turbines/farms are extended and thus the grid requirements...... are fulfilled. However, the traditional squirrel-cage generators based wind turbines/wind farms directly connected to the grid have less control capabilities. These wind turbines/farms cannot regulate their production and contribute to power system stability. A DC transmission system for connection...

Therapeutic spaces of care farming: Transformative or ameliorating?

Science.gov (United States)

Kaley, Alexandra; Hatton, Chris; Milligan, Christine

2018-05-04

Since Wil Gesler's earliest articulation (Gesler, 1992; Gesler, 1996) key thinkers in the field of therapeutic landscapes have sought to emphasise the embodied, contextual and wholly relational nature of the relationship that exists between people and place. However, the extant research has tended to focus on the relational healing experience as this occurs 'in the moment' and with reference to a specific location or site of healing, with less attention being paid to what happens to people when they return to their ordinary or everyday places. In this paper, we reflect on findings from visual ethnographic work (including photography and film) that explored the therapeutic landscape experiences of people with intellectual disabilities engaged in care farming interventions for health and wellbeing. The study also recruited farm staff and family members or carers to take part, and comprised 20 participants in total. Having identified a gap in our understanding, consideration is given to wider impact that engaging in these sorts of activities had on the everyday lives of the participants in this study. We argue that this study has identified two types of therapeutic journey that broadly fit the experiences of study participants. The first type of journey denotes landscape experiences that are transformative. Here the therapeutic power of the care farm landscape resides in the ability of activities conducted on care farms to influence other aspects of participants' lives in ways that promote wellbeing. By contrast, there is another type of journey where the therapeutic power of the care farm resides in its ability to ameliorate challenging or harmful life situations, thus offering people a temporary site of respite or refuge. We conclude that these findings denote an important development for this sub-field of health geography, not only because they draw attention to the transformative power of the therapeutic encounter, but also the broader socio-spatial environments

Economic activities results and problems of the farm engaged in production of stick tomatoes in Erdemli (Mersin) Province

Science.gov (United States)

Direk, M.; Topkara, S.

2018-03-01

This study was carried out to investigate the socio-economic status of the stick-grown tomatoes located in Erdemli district of Mersin province and to examine the annual activity results and to reveal the problems. The data used in the research were obtained from questionnaires conducted with 44 selected farms by stratified random sampling method. The data obtained is for the 2016 production period. In the farmer surveyed, the operating area per farm was 7.01 da. In the enterprises, the average active capital per farm (69,916 ), 89.62% of the land capital and 2,40% of the operating capital. The ratio of own capital in the passive capital is 85.22%. In the examined farm, the average net yield was 3,150 , the agricultural income was 5,483 , the financial profitability was 4.29% and the economic profitability was 4.39%. As a result of the pie tomato cost analysis, the cost of tomato was determined to be below the tomato sales price. In the study, the cost of 1 kg product was calculated as 0,23 . The surplus supply in the time of the intensive production of tomatoes in the region of the study causes the prices to decrease. For this reason, it is necessary to try to ensure price stability by ensuring balanced distribution of the accrual during the season.

Chain cooperation as a critical success factor in Smart Dairy Farming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lokhorst, C.; Wulfse, B.J.

2015-01-01

The Dutch Smart Dairy Farming (SDF) consortium works on proof of concept and on development of sensors, IT infrastructure, decision models and work instructions designed to support dairy farmers and farm advisors in extending the lifespan of their cows. Various companies (chain partners Friesland

Organic farming at the farm level

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Brian H.; Madsen, Niels; Ørum, Jens Erik

as part of a larger project entitled “Economic analyses of the future development of organic farming – effects at the field, farm, sector and macroeconomic level”. The project links effects at the field-level with analyses at the farm level. These effects are then used in sector and macroeconomic analyses......, which are described in other reports from Food and Resource Economic Institute (Jacobsen, 2005 and Andersen et al., 2005). This gives coherent results from the field to the macroeconomic level regarding changes in technology and legislation.......The purpose of this report is to present possible impacts of new technology and changes in legislation on the profitability of different types of organic farms. The aim is also to look at both the current and future trends in the organic area in Denmark. The farm level analyses are carried out...

A Review of the Social Benefits of Joint Farming Ventures

OpenAIRE

Áine Macken Walsh

2010-01-01

This paper will review some of the main benefits arising from farmers’ working together, whether through Farm Partnerships or Share Farming arrangements. First, some of the general social benefits are overviewed, and then brief case-studies are presented of the specific benefits that have been experienced by farmers working together in the UK and Norway.

Employers' Perspective on Childcare Services for Hired Farm Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Barbara C; Salzwedel, Marsha A; Chyou, Po-Huang; Liebman, Amy K

2017-01-01

The goal of this project was to protect children while parents work in agriculture by improving off-farm services for children of migrant and seasonal farm workers. Large agricultural enterprises have policies forbidding children in the worksite. At the same time, their employees, who are trying to generate income, seek as many work hours as possible but often lack viable options for childcare services. As employers strive to increase their labor pool, and workers seek off-farm childcare, there is mutual interest in improving access to childcare services in agricultural regions dependent on large numbers of full-time and seasonal workers. This report describes the employers' perspectives on childcare needs of hired farm workers' families and their barriers and motivators to facilitating off-farm childcare services. Using descriptive survey research methodology, data were collected from a convenience sample of 102 agribusiness owners and Human Resource directors attending an agricultural conference regarding labor laws or personnel management. Results revealed significant differences for those companies employing more than 25 workers compared to their counterparts. Primary motivators for offering childcare as an employment benefit were improved employee morale, enhanced company reputation, and a more stable workforce. A major barrier was that half of large-scale enterprises lack guidance on how to provide childcare options for their workers. Survey results are being used to facilitate collaboration among employers, farm workers, and childcare providers to offer a safe, nurturing environment for children while their parents work in agriculture.

Energy consumption across European Union farms: Efficiency in terms of farming output and utilized agricultural area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinho, Vítor João Pereira Domingues

2016-01-01

Energy consumption is a global concern, namely due to the limited availability of energy sources and the consequences in terms of gas emissions, with its implications upon greenhouse gas emissions. In the agricultural sector this question bears an additional concern, considering that it is an economic activity which is sensitive to the dimension of the costs associated with production factors. In this way, the objective of the study presented here is to analyze, the efficiency of energy consumption, for the twelve former European Union countries, at farm level, in terms of farming output and utilized agricultural area, over the period 1989–2009 and for the years 2004–2012, with data available in the Farm Accountancy Data Network. On the other hand, the implications of energy consumption in farms' economic performance were analyzed, through econometric techniques (time series, panel data and generalized method of moments) and models based on the Kaldor developments. As a main conclusion, to stress the decrease in efficiency related with energy consumption by farms in the twelve former European Union countries. - Highlights: • It was analyzed the efficiency of energy consumption. • It was considered data for the twelve former European Union states at farm level. • They were evaluated the implications of energy consumption in farms performance. • The conclusions stress the decrease in efficiency of the farms energy consumption.

Are large farms more efficient? Tenure security, farm size and farm efficiency: evidence from northeast China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yuepeng; Ma, Xianlei; Shi, Xiaoping

2017-04-01

How to increase production efficiency, guarantee grain security, and increase farmers' income using the limited farmland is a great challenge that China is facing. Although theory predicts that secure property rights and moderate scale management of farmland can increase land productivity, reduce farm-related costs, and raise farmer's income, empirical studies on the size and magnitude of these effects are scarce. A number of studies have examined the impacts of land tenure or farm size on productivity or efficiency, respectively. There are also a few studies linking farm size, land tenure and efficiency together. However, to our best knowledge, there are no studies considering tenure security and farm efficiency together for different farm scales in China. In addition, there is little study analyzing the profit frontier. In this study, we particularly focus on the impacts of land tenure security and farm size on farm profit efficiency, using farm level data collected from 23 villages, 811 households in Liaoning in 2015. 7 different farm scales have been identified to further represent small farms, median farms, moderate-scale farms, and large farms. Technical efficiency is analyzed with stochastic frontier production function. The profit efficiency is regressed on a set of explanatory variables which includes farm size dummies, land tenure security indexes, and household characteristics. We found that: 1) The technical efficiency scores for production efficiency (average score = 0.998) indicate that it is already very close to the production frontier, and thus there is little room to improve production efficiency. However, there is larger space to raise profit efficiency (average score = 0.768) by investing more on farm size expansion, seed, hired labor, pesticide, and irrigation. 2) Farms between 50-80 mu are most efficient from the viewpoint of profit efficiency. The so-called moderate-scale farms (100-150 mu) according to the governmental guideline show no

Farm and rural adolescents′ perspective on hearing conservation: Reports from a focus group study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-Anne S Rosemberg

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study explored the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of rural and farm adolescents regarding hearing conservation strategies. This qualitative study took place at two high schools in rural Michigan. Twenty-five adolescents living and working on farms or living in rural areas participated in one of two focus groups. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded and analyzed by two researchers and checked by an additional researcher to ensure reliability. Noise exposure was ubiquitous among participants, both in farm-related (e.g., equipment, livestock and non-farm-related (e.g., music, firearms activities. Perceived barriers to use of hearing protection devices outweighed perceived benefits, resulting in uncommon use of protection. When hearing protection was used, it was usually earmuffs or earplugs. Participants indicated a lack of training in noise hazards and protective strategies. Despite their acknowledged risk of hearing loss, participants did not associate their use of hearing protection today with their hearing ability later in life. Categories emerging that relate to hearing protector use included: Barriers, benefits, self-efficacy, situational influences, impersonal influences, cues to action, susceptibility, and severity. Farm and rural adolescents are at risk for noise exposure and hearing loss. The findings stress the significance of work environment and adult modeling in facilitating hearing conservation behaviors. As indicated by the youths′ recommendations, school-based interventions may be an effective approach to address this health concern. Intervention studies are needed to test various approaches that can effectively promote use of hearing conservation strategies among rural and farm adolescents.

The prospects for whole-farm risk management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meuwissen, M.P.M.; Asseldonk, van M.A.P.M.; Huirne, R.B.M.

2002-01-01

Whole-farm risk management approaches, i.e. approaches in which multiple risks and farm activities are considered simultaneously, seem more efficient than ‘single risk and commodity strategies’. This paper first discusses the results of a questionnaire survey among livestock and arable farmers in

Growing Wheat. People on the Farm.

Science.gov (United States)

Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. Office of Governmental and Public Affairs.

This booklet, one in a series about life on modern farms, describes the daily life of the Don Riffel family, wheat farmers in Kansas. Beginning with early morning, the booklet traces the family's activities through a typical harvesting day in July, while explaining how a wheat farm is run. The booklet also briefly describes the wheat growing…

Profitability of labour factor in the typical dairy farms in the world

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Parzonko

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of the article was to analyse the productivity and profitability of labour factor and to present asset endowments of the typical dairy farms distinguished within IFCN (International Farm Comparison Network. Among analysed 103 typical dairy farms from 34 countries, the highest net dairy farm profit characterised large farms from USA, Australia and New Zealand. Those farms generated also significantly higher profit per working hour then the potential wages that could be earned outside the farm. The highest assets value per 100 kg of produced milk characterised European farms (especially with low production scale.

Contract farming with possible reneging in a developing country: Can it work?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woonghee Tim Huh

2012-12-01

Full Text Available We consider a processed-food manufacturer that faces uncertain exogenous demand and procures a farm crop either from the outside market or from local farmers via contract farming. The contract price is determined at the beginning of the season when the market price is still uncertain. When the market price is realised, we allow the farmer the possibility of reneging from the contract, which occurs if the market price is sufficiently high. We show that granting farmers the option of reneging on the contract may improve the manufacturer's expected profit, and identify the conditions under which such an improvement can be expected.

Regulation techniques for smoothing active power in aggregated wind farms distributed within Spain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin-Martinez, Sergio; Vigueras-Rodriguez, Antonio; Gomez-Lazaro, Emilio [Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete (Spain). Renewable Energy Research Inst.

2009-07-01

With the increasing production of wind power worldwide, power fluctuations have an impact on power system operation and costs. Power systems with high wind penetration gives rise to concerns about the adverse effects of wind farms on power operations and its staability. The integration of the power produced by wind farms is evaluated through ramp rates calculated as suggested by Parson et al. The worst cases regarding the power system are the most negative ramp rates in the Wind Farm, where the Power System has to compensate such drops in the wind power production. In most onshore wind farms production fluctuates much less than in offshore farms, due to two main reasons. First, offshore wind turbines are collected in a more reduced area, so fluctuations are more correlated. In addition, offshore meteorological conditions are often different than onshore. Furthermore, the variability of wind power is reduced when looking at a large interconnected sytem with geographically dispersed wind power production. This paper deals with a comparison of the smoothed out variability of wind power production time series for the single and aggregated wind farms, parting from their wind power production. The data analyzed come from a 1 year-period measurements of 9 wind farms spread over Spain. (orig.)

The Potential for Joint Farming Ventures in Irish Agriculture: A Sociological Review

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Cush Peter

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Joint farming ventures (JFVs are promoted within Irish and EU policy discourses as strategies that can enhance the economic and social sustainability of family farming. Research has shown that JFVs, including arrangements such as farm partnerships, contract rearing and share farming, can potentially enable farmers to work cooperatively to improve farm productivity, reduce working hours, facilitate succession, develop skills and improve relationships within the farm household. In the context of increasing policy promotion of JFVs, there is a need to make some attempt at understanding the macro socio-cultural disposition of family farming to cooperation. Reviewing sociological studies of agricultural cooperation and taking a specific focus on the Irish contextual backdrop, this paper draws the reader’s attention to the importance of historical legacy, pragmatic economic and social concerns, communicative norms, inter-personal relationships, individualism and, policy and extension stimuli, all of which shape farmers’ dispositions to cooperation and to JFVs specifically.

Modelling, Analysis and Control of DC-connected Wind Farms to Grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iov, Florin; Sørensen, Poul; Hansen, Anca Daniela

2006-01-01

wind turbines/farms are clearly the variable speed operation and a grid connection through a power electronic interface, especially using doubly-fed induction generators. Using power electronics the control capabilities of these wind turbines/farms are extended and thus the grid requirements...... are fulfilled.  However, the traditional squirrel-cage generators based wind turbines/wind farms directly connected to the grid have less control capabilities. These wind turbines/farms cannot regulate their production and contribute to power system stability. A DC transmission system for connection...... of the active stall wind farms to the grid can provide these features and also maximize the produced power especially at low wind speeds by using variable voltage/frequency for the wind farm. The focus in this paper is in studying the variable speed operation for the active stall wind farms using a voltage...

Evaluating the impact of farm scale innovation at catchment scale

Science.gov (United States)

van Breda, Phelia; De Clercq, Willem; Vlok, Pieter; Querner, Erik

2014-05-01

Hydrological modelling lends itself to other disciplines very well, normally as a process based system that acts as a catalogue of events taking place. These hydrological models are spatial-temporal in their design and are generally well suited for what-if situations in other disciplines. Scaling should therefore be a function of the purpose of the modelling. Process is always linked with scale or support but the temporal resolution can affect the results if the spatial scale is not suitable. The use of hydrological response units tends to lump area around physical features but disregards farm boundaries. Farm boundaries are often the more crucial uppermost resolution needed to gain more value from hydrological modelling. In the Letaba Catchment of South Africa, we find a generous portion of landuses, different models of ownership, different farming systems ranging from large commercial farms to small subsistence farming. All of these have the same basic right to water but water distribution in the catchment is somewhat of a problem. Since water quantity is also a problem, the water supply systems need to take into account that valuable production areas not be left without water. Clearly hydrological modelling should therefore be sensitive to specific landuse. As a measure of productivity, a system of small farmer production evaluation was designed. This activity presents a dynamic system outside hydrological modelling that is generally not being considered inside hydrological modelling but depends on hydrological modelling. For sustainable development, a number of important concepts needed to be aligned with activities in this region, and the regulatory actions also need to be adhered to. This study aimed at aligning the activities in a region to the vision and objectives of the regulatory authorities. South Africa's system of socio-economic development planning is complex and mostly ineffective. There are many regulatory authorities involved, often with unclear

The cattle farming activities in Aǧrı province

Science.gov (United States)

Şahinler, Zeki; Demir, Yücel

2016-04-01

This study aims to present the current data in the existing situation and potential of the cattle breeding. East Anatolia has an important place in Turkey's cattle breeding sector. Thus, Aǧrı is one of the key cities in the region and livestock breeding is a major resource of income for the population. According to Turkish Statistical Institute's data, the city of Aǧrı has the 8th place with its 321 710 head of cattle currently. In cattle gene types, with 170 583 head in local breeds it is in the first place, while it is in the 10thplace with a total of 131 195 head in crossbreeding and it stands in 63th place with 19 932 head culture race. Once again, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute's data, cattle farming brought in 382 987 750 TL as a result of 259 011 tons of the milk, 5 665 tons of meat and 8 887 skins. In 2014, Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock subsidized cattle farming in the city by paying 20 551 816 TL. Therefore, it is important to determine the existing conditions of livestock sector of the city, especially cattle farming, with regard to its potential and problems. Consequently, it would be possible to develop short term, mid-term, long term goals and solutions for the problems. As a conclusion, the city has a remarkable place in the region with its cattle population, characteristics of animal production and its position in the employment. Aǧrı represents a small model in local level for Turkey's overall livestock farming.

Wind farm models and control strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soerensen, Poul; Hansen, Anca D.; Iov, F.; Blaabjerg, F.; Donovan, M.H.

2005-08-01

This report describes models and control strategies for 3 different concepts of wind farms. Initially, the potential in improvement of grid integration, structural loads and energy production is investigated in a survey of opportunities. Then simulation models are described, including wind turbine models for a fixed speed wind turbine with active stall control and a variable speed wind turbine with doubly-fed induction generator. After that, the 3 wind farm concepts and control strategies are described. The 3 concepts are AC connected doubly fed turbines, AC connected active stall turbines and DC connected active stall turbines. Finally, some simulation examples and conclusions are presented. (au)

Vadose zone characterization project at the Hanford Tank Farms: U Tank Farm Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-05-01

The U.S. Department of Energy Grand Junction Office (DOE-GJO) was tasked by the DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) to perform a baseline characterization of the gamma-ray-emitting radionuclides that are distributed in the vadose zone sediments beneath and around the single-shell tanks (SSTs) at the Hanford Site. The intent of this characterization is to determine the nature and extent of the contamination, to identify contamination sources when possible, and to develop a baseline of the contamination distribution that will permit future data comparisons. This characterization work also allows an initial assessment of the impacts of the vadose zone contamination as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This characterization project involves acquiring information regarding vadose zone contamination with borehole geophysical logging methods and documenting that information in a series of reports. This information is presently limited to detection of gamma-emitting radionuclides from both natural and man-made sources. Data from boreholes surrounding each tank are compiled into individual Tank Summary Data Reports. The data from each tank in a tank farm are then compiled and summarized in a Tank Farm Report. This document is the Tank Farm Report for the U Tank Farm. Logging operations used high-purity germanium detection systems to acquire laboratory-quality assays of the gamma-emitting radionuclides in the sediments around and below the tanks. These assays were acquired in 59 boreholes that surround the U Tank Farm tanks. Logging of all boreholes was completed in December 1995, and the last Tank Summary Data Report for the U Tank Farm was issued in September 1996.

Optimization of Wind Farm Layout: A Refinement Method by Random Search

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feng, Ju; Shen, Wen Zhong

2013-01-01

Wind farm layout optimization is to find the optimal positions of wind turbines inside a wind farm, so as to maximize and/or minimize a single objective or multiple objectives, while satisfying certain constraints. Most of the works in the literature divide the wind farm into cells in which turbi...

Water Environmental Carrying Capacity for Activities of Intensive Shrimp Farm in Banyuputih Sub-District, Situbondo Regency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Muqsith

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This research was aimed to determine the width area of an intensive shrimp farm which can be supported by water environment of Banyuputih Sub-District, Situbondo Regency according to the water assimilation capacity towards the farm’s organic waste. We used survey method and secondary data collection from other researches or result report of relevant institution. This study was using two approaches of environmental carrying capacities, i.e. (1 quantitative method on available water volume in coast (coastal water and (2 quantitative method on available Dissolved Oxygen (DO in waste receiving water body of coastal water. The result showed that the utilization of coastal area for intensive shrimp farm activities in this study area is not exceeding its carrying capacity of water yet. Based on the analysis, the water environmental carrying capacity for the farm’s organic waste is 375.637 kg TSS. Organic waste (TSS disposed from an intensive shrimp cultivation at the study area is 6.506 kg TSS.ha-1.MT-1. The width of intensive area which can be supported by Banyuputih Situbondo water environment is 58 ha. The width of available intensive pond area at study site is 113 ha, but only 39 ha is active/productive, the remaining 74 ha is inactive/unproductive area. If unproductive area will be re-operated/reactivated again, then we would recommend only 19 ha according to the water environment carrying capacity for the farm’s organic waste (58 ha. Estimation result of water environment carrying capacity for this organic waste of shrimp farm can be used as reference to determine the development or management threshold of sustainable pond area at this study site.   Keywords: environment carrying capacity, organic waste, shrimp farm

Harmonic Instability Source Identification in Large Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ebrahimzadeh, Esmaeil; Blaabjerg, Frede; Wang, Xiongfei

2017-01-01

A large-scale power electronics based power system like a wind farm introduces the passive and active impedances. The interactions between the active and passive impedances can lead to harmonic-frequency oscillations above the fundamental frequency, which can be called harmonic instability....... This paper presents an approach to identify which wind turbine and which bus has more contribution to the harmonic instability problems. In the approach, a wind farm is modeled as a Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) dynamic system. The poles of the MIMO transfer matrix are used to predict the system...... instability and the eigenvalues sensitivity analysis in respect to the elements of the MIMO matrix locates the most influencing buses of the wind farm. Time-domain simulations in PSCAD software environment for a 400-MW wind farm validate that the presented approach is an effective tool to determine the main...

Not Raising a "Bubble Kid": Farm Parents' Attitudes and Practices Regarding the Employment, Training and Supervision of Their Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Neufeld, Steven; Wright, Sue Marie; Gaut, Jolene

2002-01-01

A survey of 24 farm families in eastern Washington with at least one child aged 4-18 examined parents' attitudes toward children's farm work, children's experiential learning about farm work from an early age, safety instruction and practices with children, and supervision of children performing farm work. (Contains 24 references.) (SV)

Centralised control of wind farm with doubly-fed induction generators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, A.D.; Sørensen, Poul Ejnar; Iov, F.

2005-01-01

This paper describes the development of an advanced wind farm controller for a wind farm made-up exclusively of doubly-fed generators. The overall aim of such controller is to enable the wind farms to behave as active controllable components in the power system. The attention is mainly drawn...... to the ability of the wind farm control strategy to regulate the wind farm power production to the reference power ordered by the system operators. The performance of the control strategy is assessed and discussed by means of normal operation simulations of a grid connected wind farm....

Farm Agrotourism Alternative Sources Of Income In Rural Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia Petroman

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Agrotourist movement in rural areas is influenced by several factors of economic, psychological, demographic, natural or circumstantial nature. Along with increasing of the incomes and exceeding the critical level of satisfaction only of consume requirements intensifies the agrotourist circulation and regarding tariffs practiced, they can have an inhibiting effect if they increase or will promote tourist flows if they decrease. The agrotourist motivation has a major influence, being the one that determines the tourist to move from his place of residence, this referring to the demands, impulses, desires, with personal character and intentions to spend their holidays in the country. Farm agrotourism is an activity of which raw material is represented by the environment surrounding and from the farm, their attractiveness, elements that develop a wide range of shapes, capable of responding to various reasons to spend a holiday in rural area. Through the diversification of agrotourist activities it will improuve the economic activity of the farms with specific and will increase the incomes additional obtained in farms at a time when the main activity is not so intense.

The influence of anaerobic muscle activity, maturation and season on the flesh quality of farmed turbot

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roth, B.; Imsland, A.; Stien, L.H.; Schelvis-Smit, A.A.M.; Gunnarsson, S.; Foss, A.

2010-01-01

In order to test seasonal, rearing, maturing and anaerobic muscle activity effect on the flesh quality of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) a total of 80 farmed turbot from three different strains from reared under natural or continuous light were killed by a percussive blow to the head in November

Sustainable agriculture: how to make it work? : a modeling approach to support management of a mixed ecological farm

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolfert, S.

2002-01-01

Keywords: sustainable agriculture; organic farming; whole farm management; decision support; farming systems research; designing; modeling; beta-gamma integration

The objective of the research described in this thesis was to develop a model that helps

Social capital on poultry farms in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Sri Lestari, V.; Natsir; Patrick, I. W.; Ali, H. M.; Asya, M.; Sirajuddin, S. N.

2018-05-01

Social capital plays an important role in the development of poultry farms in South Sulawesi. Poultry farms consisted of laying hen and broiler farms. Most of laying hen farms were located in Sidrap Regency, while broiler farms were located in Maros regency. The aim of this research was to know social capital on beef cattle farms in South Sulawesi. Population of this research was 120 farmers which consisted of 6o were laying hen farmers and 60 were broiler farmers. Variable of social capital was mutual trust, reciprocity, shared norms and linkage. The data were collected from observation and depth interview by using questionnaire. There were 10 questions. The answer was scored by using Likert scale ranging from 1 refer to strongly agree; 2 refer to agree; 3 refer to not sure; 4 refer to disagree and 5 refer to strongly disagree. The data were analyzed descriptively using frequency distribution. The research revealed that mutual trust and shared norms members of the group in broiler farms have higher level than that on laying hen farms, on the other hand, linkage or net working members of the group among laying hen farmers has higher level than that on broiler farms.

Leisure, Means Of Spending Free Time At Agrotourist Farm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioan Petroman

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Leisure at agrotourist farm includes all recreational and entertainment activities, offered to its visitors willing of uniqueness and beyond, having as purpose the insurance of a good mood, pleasure and relaxation, along with printing some positive impressions and of a pleasant memory about the visited location. In case of agrotourist farm product, leisure has a very diverse content, depending on the profile of the rural area, of the farm, of the motivation, of the visitation season and of the customer segments. Animation from agrotourist farm should contribute to meeting the requirements of active recreation and meeting physical and mental demands of tourists and generate the necessary frame to pleasantly spend a pleasant and instructive leisure. Leisure services can be organized by the staff from agrotourist farm, by specialized personnel or third parties, in order to meet the functions of relaxation and physical comfort, entertainment and improvingits capabilities, satisfying the needs of consumers of such niche tourism.

Farm Typology in the Berambadi Watershed (India: Farming Systems Are Determined by Farm Size and Access to Groundwater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marion Robert

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Farmers’ production decisions and agricultural practices directly and indirectly influence the quantity and quality of natural resources, some being depleted common resources such as groundwater. Representing farming systems while accounting for their flexibility is needed to evaluate targeted, regional water management policies. Farmers’ decisions regarding investing in irrigation and adopting cropping systems are inherently dynamic and must adapt to changes in climate and agronomic, economic and social, and institutional, conditions. To represent this diversity, we developed a typology of Indian farmers from a survey of 684 farms in Berambadi, an agricultural watershed in southern India (state of Karnataka. The survey provided information on farm structure, the cropping system and farm practices, water management for irrigation, and economic performances of the farm. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis (Multiple Correspondence Analysis and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering were used to analyze relationships between observed factors and establish the farm typology. We identified three main types of farms: (1 large diversified and productivist farms; (2 small and marginal rainfed farms, and (3 small irrigated marketing farms. This typology represents the heterogeneity of farms in the Berambadi watershed.

Wind Farm Control Survey

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Torben; Bak, Thomas; Svenstrup, Mikael

2013-01-01

This document is a delivery in the project NORCOWE. It is part of work package WP3.2.2. The main goal is to establish the present state-of-the-art for wind farm control for both research and practice. The main approach will be to study the literature. This will of cause be much more efficient...... for the research part than for the practice part. It is however not the intention to do company interviews or similar. This report is structured into a section for each WF control objective. These sections then includes the important control project issues: choice of input and output, control method, and modelling...... turbine farm based on a dynamic programming type of method....

FARM LABOR OPINIONS OF FARMERS PARTICIPATING IN FARM LABOR STUDY GROUPS IN NINE COUNTIES IN NEW YORK STATE. SPECIAL REPORT, NUMBER 14.

Science.gov (United States)

ALEXANDER, FRANK D.

IN AN ATTEMPT TO LEARN WHETHER THE HUMAN RELATIONS EMPHASIS IN A SERIES OF STUDY GROUPS INFLUENCED THE OPINIONS OF FARM OPERATOR PARTICIPANTS CONCERNING FARM LABOR, 61 OPERATORS WERE PRETESTED AND POSTTESTED WITH A 37 ITEM TEST ON WORK INCENTIVES AND MOTIVATION, PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDES, SALARY AND FRINGE BENEFITS, AND MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS AND…

Precipitation-runoff relations and water-quality characteristics at edge-of-field stations, Discovery Farms and Pioneer Farm, Wisconsin, 2003-8

Science.gov (United States)

Stuntebeck, Todd D.; Komiskey, Matthew J.; Peppler, Marie C.; Owens, David W.; Frame, Dennis R.

2011-01-01

between January and the end of June. Event mean concentrations of suspended sediment in runoff during unfrozen-ground periods were significantly higher (p2= 0.92), indicating that the sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in runoff were likely similar. Analysis of runoff, concentration, and yield data on annual, monthly, and seasonal time scales, when combined with precipitation, soil moisture, soil temperature, and on-farm field-activity information, revealed conditions in which runoff was most likely. The analysis also revealed the effects that field conditions and the timing of field-management activities-most notably, manure applications and tillage-had on the quantity and quality of surface runoff from agricultural fields.

Characterization of Direct Push Vadose Zone Sediments from the 241-U Single-Shell Tank Farm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Christopher F.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Lanigan, David C.; Iovin, Cristian; Clayton, Ray E.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Clayton, Eric T.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Baum, Steven R.; Lindberg, Michael J.; Orr, Robert D.

2007-12-20

The overall goals of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., are 1) to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities, 2) to identify and evaluate the efficacy of interim measures, and 3) to aid, via collection of geochemical information and data, the future decisions that must be made by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regarding the near-term operations, future waste retrieval, and final closure activities for the single-shell tank Waste Management Areas (WMAs). For a more complete discussion of the goals of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, see the overall work plan, Phase 1 RCRA Facility Investigation/Corrective Measures Study Work Plan for the Single-Shell Tank Waste Management Areas (DOE 1999). Specific details on the rationale for activities performed at WMA U are found in Crumpler (2003). To meet these goals, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., asked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to perform detailed analyses of vadose zone sediment collected within the U Single-Shell Tank Farm. Specifically, this report contains all the geochemical and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from ten direct push characterization holes emplaced to investigate vadose zone contamination associated with potential leaks within the 241-U Single-Shell Tank Farm. Specific tanks targeted during this characterization campaign included tanks 241-U-104/241-U-105, 241-U-110, and 241-U-112. Additionally, this report compiles data from direct push samples collected north of tank 241-U-201, as well as sediment collected from the background borehole (C3393). After evaluating all the characterization and analytical data, there is no question that the vadose zone in the vicinity of tanks 241-U-104 and 241-U-105 has been contaminated by tank-related waste. This observation is not new, as gamma logging of drywells in the area has identified uranium contamination at the

Dispersive stresses in wind farms

Science.gov (United States)

Segalini, Antonio; Braunbehrens, Robert; Hyvarinen, Ann

2017-11-01

One of the most famous models of wind farms is provided by the assumption that the farm can be approximated as a horizontally-homogeneous forest canopy with vertically-varying force intensity. By means of this approximation, the flow-motion equations become drastically simpler, as many of the three-dimensional effects are gone. However, the application of the horizontal average operator to the RANS equations leads to the appearance of new transport terms (called dispersive stresses) originating from the horizontal (small-scale) variation of the mean velocity field. Since these terms are related to the individual turbine signature, they are expected to vanish outside the roughness sublayer, providing a definition for the latter. In the present work, an assessment of the dispersive stresses is performed by means of a wake-model approach and through the linearised code ORFEUS developed at KTH. Both approaches are very fast and enable the characterization of a large number of wind-farm layouts. The dispersive stress tensor and its effect on the turbulence closure models are investigated, providing guidelines for those simulations where it is impossible to resolve the farm at a turbine scale due to grid requirements (as, for instance, mesoscale simulations).

Factors affecting farm diversification in rice-wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashfaq, M.; Hassan, S.; Naseer, M.Z.; Baig, I.A.; Asma, J.

2008-01-01

The risk in agriculture sector is due to various factors like weather and market conditions, particularly the demand of the commodities. This uncertainty can result in variable returns (farm income) to the decisions that farmers make in a particular season. Diversification is a frequently used risk management strategy that involves participation in more than one activity. It has the added advantage of mitigating price risk as well as fluctuations in outputs. The main purpose of this paper was to determine the factors affecting crop diversification. For determining the effect of different factors on diversification a multiple regression model was used. The values of Entropy index computed for measuring horizontal diversification were taken as dependent variable and different factors affecting diversification were taken as independent variables. The results showed that the main factors affecting diversification were size of land holding, age of respondent, education level of respondent, farming experience of respondent, off farm income of respondent, distance of farm from main road, distance of farm from main market and farm machinery. (author)

Natural cycles and agricultural inputs: a farm gate Ecological Footprint analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Passeri, Nicolo; Blasi, Emanuele; Borucke, Michael; Galli, Alessandro; Franco, Silvio

2014-05-01

Land suitability for different crops depends on soil, water and climate conditions, as well as farmers' cultivation choices. Moreover, the use of agricultural inputs affects the natural cycles of crops and impacts their production. By assessing the ecological performance of farms as influenced by crop types, cultivation choices and land suitability one can therefore evaluate the effectiveness of agricultural practices and governance's options. Ecological Footprint accounts can be used to measure such ecological performance. These accounts track human demand for natural resources and ecological services and compare this demand with nature ability to regenerate these resource and services. This regenerative capacity is called biocapacity. Both demand (Footprint) and supply (biocapacity) are expressed in global hectares. Farming different from most other human activities, not only uses natural resources, but also enhances or erodes ecological supply. It therefore affects all factors that determine both Footprint and biocapacity. Climate, farmers' skills and choices (fertilizers, pesticides, machines) determine crop productivity, and to what extent crops preserve or compromise soils. The aim of this work is to evaluate how farmer's choices affect resources overexploitation. The study analysed how the use of inputs influences natural cycles within farm boundaries. This result from a pilot case study will show how particular farming practices affect both the farm's biocapacity and Ecological Footprint. Such analysis is relevant for informing involved stakeholders, namely the farmers on more sustainable agricultural practices and the policy makers on more suitable agricultural policies.

Wind farm density and harvested power in very large wind farms: A low-order model

Science.gov (United States)

Cortina, G.; Sharma, V.; Calaf, M.

2017-07-01

In this work we create new understanding of wind turbine wakes recovery process as a function of wind farm density using large-eddy simulations of an atmospheric boundary layer diurnal cycle. Simulations are forced with a constant geostrophic wind and a time varying surface temperature extracted from a selected period of the Cooperative Atmospheric Surface Exchange Study field experiment. Wind turbines are represented using the actuator disk model with rotation and yaw alignment. A control volume analysis around each turbine has been used to evaluate wind turbine wake recovery and corresponding harvested power. Results confirm the existence of two dominant recovery mechanisms, advection and flux of mean kinetic energy, which are modulated by the background thermal stratification. For the low-density arrangements advection dominates, while for the highly loaded wind farms the mean kinetic energy recovers through fluxes of mean kinetic energy. For those cases in between, a smooth balance of both mechanisms exists. From the results, a low-order model for the wind farms' harvested power as a function of thermal stratification and wind farm density has been developed, which has the potential to be used as an order-of-magnitude assessment tool.

Comparative determination of physical stress and strain on milkers in milking parlours on dairy farms in Upper Austria, using ECG, an activity sensor and spirometer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdalena Mayrhofer

2017-05-01

Full Text Available To-date, the impact of modern milking parlors in dairy farming on physical strain has not been the subject of many studies. Therefore, this case study aims to record and evaluate the physical strain during the entire milking process, including the oxygen consumption (VO2, heart rate (HR and metabolic rate (WkJ, Watt of milkers. The recording was conducted with a portable respiratory gas analysis system and an ECG and activity sensor on 4 dairy farms in Austria. Eight subjects aged from 45–52 years, with a mean age 50±2.4 SD, participated and the data were recorded during the milking process in 2 types of milking parlours. For assessment, the entire milking process was divided into preparation, milking and follow-up work. The entire milking process was performed with an average oxygen consumption of 46.5 l/h and a heart rate of 98 bpm, which is below the anaerobic threshold; whereas in the preparation and follow-up work, this threshold was exceeded. Generally, during the milking process, a moderate physical strain (32.4% and a balanced metabolic rate (143 watt/m2 were determined. The physical strain in female milkers was 9.2% higher than in male milkers throughout the entire process. Reduction of physical strain can be achieved through additional breaks, reduced work speed, division of labour and technical devices.

A Wind Farm Electrical Systems Evaluation with EeFarm-II

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Pierik

2010-03-01

Full Text Available EeFarm-II is used to evaluate 13 different electrical systems for a 200 MW wind farm with a 100 km connection to shore. The evaluation is based on component manufacturer data of 2009. AC systems are compared to systems with DC connections inside the wind farm and DC connection to shore. Two options have the best performance for this wind farm size and distance: the AC system and the system with a DC connection to shore. EeFarm-II is a user friendly computer program for wind farm electrical and economic evaluation. It has been built as a Simulink Library in the graphical interface of Matlab-Simulink. EeFarm-II contains models of wind turbines, generators, transformers, AC cables, inductors, nodes, splitters, PWM converters, thyristor converters, DC cables, choppers and statcoms.

Effects on harbour porpoises from Roedsand 2 Off-shore Wind Farm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teilmann, J.; Tougaard, J.; Carstensen, J.

2012-11-15

E.ON Vind Sverige has been commissioned the construction of Roedsand 2 Offshore Wind Farm comprising 90 wind turbines, south of Lolland-Falster, Denmark. The location of the wind farm is 3 km west of the existing Nysted Offshore Wind Farm with 72 turbines. In combination the two wind farms represents the largest wind farm area in the world. Porpoises were monitored by automatic acoustic dataloggers (T-PODs) according to a statistical BACI design and deployed during baseline (Sep 2008-Feb 2009) and during operation (Sep 2011-Mar 2012). These instruments were deployed at 10 stations covering a coastal stretch of 35 km from Gedser to Roedby, including the wind farm area with reference areas on both sides. In addition, background noise at four of the T-POD stations was recorded by automatic noise loggers. In order to assess the potential cumulative effect of two adjacent wind farms, similar data from the Nysted Offshore Wind Farm were also analysed. We found no overall change in echolocation activity over the entire monitoring area from baseline to operation of Roedsand 2 Offshore Wind Farm. Also, there was no significant change in the echolocation activity in Roedsand 2 Offshore Wind Farm relative to each or a combination of the three reference areas, i.e. changes from baseline to operation were similar in the impact and reference areas. Also no significant change in noise levels audible to porpoises was found. This could be due to a generally high noise level in the area, masking the turbine noise or that the noise loggers in the wind farm were deployed between the wind turbines, i.e. at distances {approx}350-450 m from the turbines. This study also shows that the echolocation activity is still significantly lower in Nysted Offshore Wind Farm since the baseline in 2001-2002, although the difference seem to gradually diminish possibly due to a habituation of the porpoises to the wind farm or better feeding posibilities. We found no cumulative effect of the two wind

Analysis of Goat Farming on Integrated Farming System in Banyumas

OpenAIRE

Hidayat, NN

2007-01-01

The objective of this research were : 1) to find out the income generated from goat farming and its contribution to farmer income in several farming combination, 2) to find out the economic efficiency in goat farming with paddy and fish production, 3) to determine factors affecting level of production and income in different farming system, partially and aggregately, and 4) to determine the best combination of farming which generated maximum income. Household farmer survey method was performe...

Productivity and efficiency of economic activity of the Lower Silesia's large area farms in comparison with other large area farms in Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanisław Minta

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The paper shows economical and financial situation of the agricultural companies which have most of the grounds in lease. Analysed objects were settled on Lower Silesia (the province in the south – west Poland. The main part of the results of research was about productivity and efficiency of economic resources in these objects. The research was made in years 2000-2002. The results of research in analyzed Lower Silesia’s companies were compared with the best Polish large area farms in order of law and organisation forms: leased farms, private farms and partnerships of Polish public agency AWRSP.

Optimal Active Power Control of A Wind Farm Equipped with Energy Storage System based on Distributed Model Predictive Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Haoran; Wu, Qiuwei; Guo, Qinglai

2016-01-01

This paper presents the Distributed Model Predictive Control (D-MPC) of a wind farm equipped with fast and short-term Energy Storage System (ESS) for optimal active power control using the fast gradient method via dual decomposition. The primary objective of the D-MPC control of the wind farm...... is power reference tracking from system operators. Besides, by optimal distribution of the power references to individual wind turbines and the ESS unit, the wind turbine mechanical loads are alleviated. With the fast gradient method, the convergence rate of the DMPC is significantly improved which leads...

Wind Farm Dispatch Control for Demand Tracking and Minimized Fatigue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juelsgaard, Morten; Schiøler, Henrik; Leth, John-Josef

2012-01-01

This work presents a strategy for dispatching production references to the individual turbines in a wind farm, such that an overall production demand for the farm is obeyed, while the fatigue experienced by the turbines is minimized. Using a turbine fatigue model for simulating the aging across...... the farm, we show that a 17 % reduction of the turbine aging can be obtained compared to a commonly employed industrial dispatcher, without degrading the power demand tracking....

Design tool for offshore wind farm clusters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Giebel, Gregor; Waldl, Igor

2015-01-01

. The software includes wind farm wake models, energy yield models, inter-array and long cable and grid component models, grid code compliance and ancillary services models. The common score for evaluation in order to compare different layouts is levelized cost of energy (LCoE). The integrated DTOC software...... Research Alliance (EERA) and a number of industrial partners. The approach has been to develop a robust, efficient, easy to use and flexible tool, which integrates software relevant for planning offshore wind farms and wind farm clusters and supports the user with a clear optimization work flow...... is developed within the project using open interface standards and is now available as the commercial software product Wind&Economy....

An Optimal Control Scheme to Minimize Loads in Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soleimanzadeh, Maryam; Wisniewski, Rafal

2012-01-01

This work presents a control algorithm for wind farms that optimizes the power production of the farm and helps to increase the lifetime of wind turbines components. The control algorithm is a centralized approach, and it determines the power reference signals for individual wind turbines...

Activity Analysis: Bridging the Gap between Production Economics Theory and Practical Farm Management Procedures

OpenAIRE

Longworth, John W.; Menz, Kenneth M.

1980-01-01

This paper is addressed to the traditional problem of demonstrating the relevance of production theory to management-oriented people. Activity analysis, it is argued, is the most appropriate pedagogic framework within which to commence either a production economics or a farm management course. Production economics theory has not been widely accepted as a useful method for the analysis of practical management problems. The theory has been traditionally presented in terms of continuous function...

Extension Activity Support System (EASY: A Web-Based Prototype for Facilitating Farm Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Pettit

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In response to disparate advances in delivering spatial information to support agricultural extension activities, the Extension Activity Support System (EASY project was established to develop a vision statement and conceptual design for such a system based on a national needs assessment. Personnel from across Australia were consulted and a review of existing farm information/management software undertaken to ensure that any system that is eventually produced from the EASY vision will build on the strengths of existing efforts. This paper reports on the collaborative consultative process undertaken to create the EASY vision as well as the conceptual technical design and business models that could support a fully functional spatially enabled online system.

Region of birth, sex, and agricultural work of immigrant Latino farm workers: the MICASA study.

Science.gov (United States)

McCurdy, S A; Stoecklin-Marois, M T; Tancredi, D J; Bennett, D H; Schenker, M B

2014-04-01

Agricultural work is hazardous, and immigrant workers perform the majority of production tasks, yet there are few data describing agricultural work and use of protective measures by demographic characteristics. We examined cross-sectionally the influence of region of birth (Mexico vs. Central America) and sex on agricultural work and use of protective measures in the MICASA cohort of immigrant Latino farm workers in Mendota, California. Of 445 participants, 293 (65.8%) were born in Mexico (163 men, 130 women) and 152 (34.2%) were born in Central America (80 men, 72 women). Men worked on average 74.4 more days than women (95% CI 62.0, 86.9) and were more likely to perform tasks requiring high levels of training or strength, such as machine operation, pruning, picking, planting, and irrigation; more likely to work in dusty conditions; and more likely to work directly with pesticides. Women predominated in packing. Respondents from Mexico were more likely to work with tomatoes and less likely to work with melon and lettuce. Central America-born respondents were less likely to engage in planting, irrigation, and pesticide use. Use of task-appropriate personal protective measures on at least a half-time basis was rare, with the exception of persons working with pesticides (a group limited to men) and for facial scarves among Central American women. Further work should focus on identifying barriers to use of preventive measures and programs to further their use. Educational models accounting for cultural factors and driving social norm change, employer engagement, and use of community health workers (promotores) may be helpful in promoting use of preventive measures.

Aboriginal consultation report, Amherstburg solar farm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-05-15

First Solar is constructing many solar farms in North America, Europe and Asia, including a planned solar farm in California expected to generate 550 MW of electricity and a completed 80 MW, 1150 acre solar farm in Sarnia, Ontario representing the largest photovoltaic (PV) solar facility in the world. First Solar is now working on the project of constructing a solar farm that will use thin film photovoltaic modules and convert the solar energy into electrical energy for distribution to the local electricity distribution system. This solar farm, identified as a Class 3 solar facility according to the Regulation, is expected to generate 10 MW of electricity. Class 3 solar facilities are renewable energy facilities presenting a name plate power capacity exceeding 10kW and they take place at any location other than a roof or the wall of a building. During the project development process, First Solar will keep on liaising and communicating with the two identified First Nations, the Windsor Essex Metis Council, MNO and the Crown authorities. The purpose of the process will keep on giving a particular attention to identifying any concerns raising from the project, and if some are identified, it will also focus on methods of reducing or preventing related impacts.

Policies to support women’s paid work

OpenAIRE

Giannelli, Gianna Claudia

2015-01-01

Engaging in paid work is generally difficult for women in developing countries. Many women work unpaid in family businesses or on farms, are engaged in low-income self-employment activities, or work in low-paid wage employment. In some countries, vocational training or grants for starting a business have been effective policy tools for supporting women’s paid work. Mostly lacking, however, are job and business training programs that take into account how mothers’ employment affects child welf...

Modeling and Control of VSC based DC Connection for Active Stall Wind Farms to Grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iov, Florin; Sorensen, Poul; Hansen, Anca-Daniela

2005-01-01

Currently, there is an increasing trend to connect large MW wind farms to the transmission system. Therefore the power system becomes more vulnerable and dependent on the wind energy production. At the same time requirements that focus on the influence of the farms on the grid stability and power...... quality, and on the control capabilities of wind farms have already been established. The main trends of modem wind turbines/farms are clearly the variable speed operation and a grid connection through a power electronic interface, especially using doubly-fed induction generators. Using power electronics...... the control capabilities of these wind turbines/farms are extended and thus the grid requirements are fulfilled. However, the traditional squirrel-cage generators based wind turbines/wind farms directly connected to the grid does not have such control capabilities. They produce maximum possible power...

Modelling and Control of VSC based DC Connection for Active Stall Wind Farms to Grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iov, Florin; Sørensen, Poul; Hansen, Anca Daniela

2006-01-01

Currently, there is an increasing trend to connect large MW wind farms to the transmission system. Therefore the power system becomes more vulnerable and dependent on the wind energy production. At the same time requirements that focus on the influence of the farms on the grid stability and power...... quality, and on the control capabilities of wind farms have already been established. The main trends of modern wind turbines/farms are clearly the variable speed operation and a grid connection through a power electronic interface, especially using doubly-fed induction generators. Using power electronics...... the control capabilities of these wind turbines/farms are extended and thus the grid requirements are fulfilled.  However, the traditional squirrel-cage generators based wind turbines/wind farms directly connected to the grid does not have such control capabilities. They produce maximum possible power...

AN EVALUATION OF HANFORD SITE TANK FARM SUBSURFACE CONTAMINATION FY2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MANN, F.M.

2007-07-10

The Tank Farm Vadose Zone (TFVZ) Project conducts activities to characterize and analyze the long-term environmental and human health impacts from tank waste releases to the vadose zone. The project also implements interim measures to mitigate impacts, and plans the remediation of waste releases from tank farms and associated facilities. The scope of this document is to report data needs that are important to estimating long-term human health and environmental risks. The scope does not include technologies needed to remediate contaminated soils and facilities, technologies needed to close tank farms, or management and regulatory decisions that will impact remediation and closure. This document is an update of ''A Summary and Evaluation of Hanford Site Tank Farm Subsurface Contamination''. That 1998 document summarized knowledge of subsurface contamination beneath the tank farms at the time. It included a preliminary conceptual model for migration of tank wastes through the vadose zone and an assessment of data and analysis gaps needed to update the conceptual model. This document provides a status of the data and analysis gaps previously defined and discussion of the gaps and needs that currently exist to support the stated mission of the TFVZ Project. The first data-gaps document provided the basis for TFVZ Project activities over the previous eight years. Fourteen of the nineteen knowledge gaps identified in the previous document have been investigated to the point that the project defines the current status as acceptable. In the process of filling these gaps, significant accomplishments were made in field work and characterization, laboratory investigations, modeling, and implementation of interim measures. The current data gaps are organized in groups that reflect Components of the tank farm vadose zone conceptual model: inventory, release, recharge, geohydrology, geochemistry, and modeling. The inventory and release components address

AN EVALUATION OF HANFORD SITE TANK FARM SUBSURFACE CONTAMINATION FY 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MANN, F.M.

2007-01-01

The Tank Farm Vadose Zone (TFVZ) Project conducts activities to characterize and analyze the long-term environmental and human health impacts from tank waste releases to the vadose zone. The project also implements interim measures to mitigate impacts, and plans the remediation of waste releases from tank farms and associated facilities. The scope of this document is to report data needs that are important to estimating long-term human health and environmental risks. The scope does not include technologies needed to remediate contaminated soils and facilities, technologies needed to close tank farms, or management and regulatory decisions that will impact remediation and closure. This document is an update of ''A Summary and Evaluation of Hanford Site Tank Farm Subsurface Contamination''. That 1998 document summarized knowledge of subsurface contamination beneath the tank farms at the time. It included a preliminary conceptual model for migration of tank wastes through the vadose zone and an assessment of data and analysis gaps needed to update the conceptual model. This document provides a status of the data and analysis gaps previously defined and discussion of the gaps and needs that currently exist to support the stated mission of the TFVZ Project. The first data-gaps document provided the basis for TFVZ Project activities over the previous eight years. Fourteen of the nineteen knowledge gaps identified in the previous document have been investigated to the point that the project defines the current status as acceptable. In the process of filling these gaps, significant accomplishments were made in field work and characterization, laboratory investigations, modeling, and implementation of interim measures. The current data gaps are organized in groups that reflect Components of the tank farm vadose zone conceptual model: inventory, release, recharge, geohydrology, geochemistry, and modeling. The inventory and release components address residual wastes that will

Performance of Spent Mushroom Farming Waste (SMFW) Activated Carbon for Ni (II) Removal

Science.gov (United States)

Desa, N. S. Md; Ghani, Z. Ab; Talib, S. Abdul; Tay, C. C.

2016-07-01

The feasibility of a low cost agricultural waste of spent mushroom farming waste (SMFW) activated carbon for Ni(II) removal was investigated. The batch adsorption experiments of adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, metal concentration, and temperature were determined. The samples were shaken at 125 rpm, filtered and analyzed using ICP-OES. The fifty percent of Ni(II) removal was obtained at 0.63 g of adsorbent dosage, pH 5-6 (unadjusted), 60 min contact time, 50 mg/L Ni(II) concentration and 25 °C temperature. The evaluated SMFW activated carbon showed the highest performance on Ni(II) removal compared to commercial Amberlite IRC86 resin and zeolite NK3. The result indicated that SMFW activated carbon is a high potential cation exchange adsorbent and suitable for adsorption process for metal removal. The obtained results contribute toward application of developed SMFW activated carbon in industrial pilot study.

78 FR 57463 - National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-18

... agricultural producers and their families and communities to participate in comprehensive farm safety and... respect farming and ranching families by driving rural roadways with care, and I ask communities to... and ranches safer places to live, work, and raise families. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President...

INFORMING EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES FOR FARM WORKERS: AN EXPLORATION OF THE SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND NEEDS OF FARM WORKERS IN THE KOUP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Botes, Jacolise

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Farm workers are viewed as a neglected segment in South African society. This qualitative research study focused on exploring and describing the needs of farm workers in Central Koup in the Western Cape. The aim was to contribute to finding solutions to deal with the identified needs through Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs, a specialisation in the field of occupational social work.

Active Power Dispatch Method for a Wind Farm Central Controller Considering Wake Effect

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tian, Jie; Su, Chi; N. Soltani, Mohsen

2014-01-01

With the increasing integration of the wind power into the power system, wind farm are required to be controlled as a single unit and have all the same control tasks as conventional power plants. The wind farm central controller receives control orders from Transmission System Operator (TSO), the...... Optimization (PSO) is used to obtain the optimal wind power for each wind turbine. A case study is carried out. The available wind power of the wind farm was compared between the traditional dispatch method and the proposed dispatch method with the consideration of the wake effect....

Impact of potato cultivation and cattle farming on physicochemical parameters and enzymatic activities of Neotropical high Andean Páramo ecosystem soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Avellaneda-Torres, Lizeth Manuela; León Sicard, Tomás Enrique; Torres Rojas, Esperanza

2018-08-01

The Andean Páramos are high mountain ecosystems whose soils are essential for the management of South American water resources, but research on anthropic impacts to these soils is currently minimal and insufficient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivation and livestock on the physicochemical parameters and enzymatic activities that determine the soil quality of the Neotropical high Andean Páramo ecosystem in the Nevados National Natural Park (Nevados NNP) in Colombia. It was hypothesised that sites with potato crops and livestock farming would exhibit significant changes in soil physicochemical parameters and enzymatic activities compared with Páramo sites that have been conserved without agriculture. Samples were collected from soils under potato cultivation, livestock and Páramo (subject to the lowest degree of human intervention possible), on three farms in the El Bosque District at three different altitudes (Buenos Aires, El Edén and La Secreta) during two seasons (dry and rainy). The results showed that none of the physical parameters under study presented statistically significant differences due to the type of use (livestock, potato crop or Páramo), season of sampling (dry or rainy season) or altitude (different farms). The chemical parameters that statistically significantly differed due to land use were organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, calcium, potassium, and ammonium and those that showed statistically significant differences associated with the sampling timing were organic carbon, nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, total carbon, C/N and nitrate. Additionally, there were differences in organic carbon due to the altitude of the farms. With respect to enzymatic activities, those of β-glucosidase, phosphodiesterase and urease significantly decreased in soils under potato cultivation and livestock relative to those of Páramo, but those of acid phosphatase and protease increased

CleverFarm - A superSCADA system for wind farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhl, A.; Hansen, K.G.; Giebhardt, J.

2004-01-01

The CleverFarm project started out to build an integrated monitoring system for wind farms, where all information would be available and could be used across the wind farm for maintenance and component health assessments. This would enable wind farmoperators to prioritise their efforts, since the...

Evaluation of the sustainability of contrasted pig farming systems: breeding programmes.

Science.gov (United States)

Rydhmer, L; Gourdine, J L; de Greef, K; Bonneau, M

2014-12-01

The sustainability of breeding activities in 15 pig farming systems in five European countries was evaluated. One conventional and two differentiated systems per country were studied. The Conventional systems were the standard systems in their countries. The differentiated systems were of three categories: Adapted Conventional with focus on animal welfare, meat quality or environment (five systems); Traditional with local breeds in small-scale production (three systems) and Organic (two systems). Data were collected with a questionnaire from nine breeding organisations providing animals and semen to the studied farming systems and from, on average, five farmers per farming system. The sustainability assessment of breeding activities was performed in four dimensions. The first dimension described whether the market for the product was well defined, and whether the breeding goal reflected the farming system and the farmers' demands. The second dimension described recording and selection procedures, together with genetic change in traits that were important in the system. The third dimension described genetic variation, both within and between pig breeds. The fourth dimension described the management of the breeding organisation, including communication, transparency, and technical and human resources. The results show substantial differences in the sustainability of breeding activities, both between farming systems within the same category and between different categories of farming systems. The breeding activities are assessed to be more sustainable for conventional systems than for differentiated systems in three of the four dimensions. In most differentiated farming systems, breeding goals are not related to the system, as these systems use the same genetic material as conventional systems. The breeds used in Traditional farming systems are important for genetic biodiversity, but the small scale of these systems renders them vulnerable. It is hoped that, by

Family vs Village-Based: Intangible View on the Sustainable of Seaweed Farming

Science.gov (United States)

Teniwut, Wellem A.; Teniwut, Yuliana K.; Teniwut, Roberto M. K.; Hasyim, Cawalinya L.

2017-10-01

Compare to other fishery activities for instance fish mariculture and catching fisheries, seaweed farming is considered easier. Also, the market for seaweed is wider and will keep growing. Thus, makes seaweed farming as one of the fastest commodity to improve the welfare of a coastal community. There are technical and non-technical factors in seaweed farming management, for non-technical on this intangible factors vary between family-based and village-based management, therefore aimed of this study was to simulate farmers decision to choose between family-based and village-based on seaweed managing system trigger by intangible factors. We conducted our study in Southeast Maluku, data collecting conducted from October to December 2016 by depth interview and questionnaires on seaweed farmers. We used logistic regression to compare each intangible factors on family and village-based seaweed farming management. The result showed that for family-based management farmers were willing to transfer their knowledge among each member in the household. For village-based revealed that farmers with higher education background tend to work on village-based, also, the result also stated that in village-based management member were those who have better capability and skill, at the same time village-based management had a small probability for conflict to occur compared to family-based.

Benchmarking of wind farm scale wake models in the EERA - DTOC project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Réthoré, Pierre-Elouan; Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose; Barthelmie, R.J.

2013-01-01

-flow to combine wind farm (micro) and cluster (meso) scale wake models. For this purpose, a benchmark campaign is organized on the existing wind farm wake models available within the project, in order to identify which model would be the most appropriate for this coupling. A number of standardized wake cases......Designing offshore wind farms next to existing or planned wind farm clusters has recently become a common practice in the North Sea. These types of projects face unprecedented challenges in term of wind energy siting. The currently ongoing European project FP7 EERA - DTOC (Design Tool for Offshore...... wind farm Clusters) is aiming at providing a new type of model work-flow to address this issue. The wake modeling part of the EERA - DTOC project is to improve the fundamental understanding of wind turbine wakes and modeling. One of these challenges is to create a new kind of wake modeling work...

Livestock systems and farming styles in Eastern Italian Alps: an on-farm survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurizio Ramanzin

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to study the relationships between livestock systems, landscape maintenance and farming styles in the Belluno Province, a mountainous area of the Eastern Italian Alps. A total of 65 farms were sampled on the basis of livestock category farmed and herd size. Farms were visited to collect information on technical and productive aspects, on landscape features of land managed, which was identified by aerial photographs and digitised in a GIS environment, and on the farmers’ background, attitudes and approach to farming. Six different livestock systems were identified: intensive beef cattle (2 farms; extensive beef cattle (12 farms; large sheep/goat farms (9 farms; small sheep/goat farms (6 farms; intensive dairy cattle (14 farms and extensive dairy cattle (22 farms. The intensive systems had larger herds, modern structures and equipment, and were strongly production oriented, whereas the extensive systems had smaller herds and productivity, with often traditional or obsolete structures and equipment, but showed a tendency to diversify production by means of on-farm cheese making and/or mixed farming of different livestock categories. The ability to maintain meadows and pastures was greater for the extensive systems, especially in steep areas, while the annual nitrogen output, estimated as kg N/ha, was lower. Data on the farmers’ background and attitudes were analysed with a non-hierarchical cluster procedure that clustered the farmers into 4 farming styles widely different in motivations to farming, innovative capability, and ability to diversify income sources and ensure farm economic viability. The farming styles were distributed across all livestock systems, indicating the lack of a linkage between the assignment of a farm to a livestock system and the way the farm is managed. This study demonstrates that in mountain areas variability of livestock systems may be high, and that they differ not only in production practices

Transfer of 137Cs to cow's milk: investigations on dairy farms in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karlen, G.; Johanson, K.J.; Bertilsson, J.

1995-01-01

Since 1986, the year of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, 137 Cs activity concentrations in cow's milk on dairy farms were studied in Sweden. Transfer coefficients, F m , of 137 Cs from pasture and fodder to cow's milk were determined on farms in the counties of Uppsala, Gaevleborg and Vaestmanland in central Sweden for one month on winter-fodder, and for the first month in 1987 and 1988 on pasture. The average F m for all investigations (of 10 farms on winter-fodder and 11 farms on pasture in 1987 and 4 farms on pasture in 1988) south of Gaevle was estimated to be 0.0055 with a range of 0.0039 to 0.0080. The 137 Cs activity concentration in milk decreased with time. In summer 1992 and 1993, 137 Cs in milk, on the farms still producing milk, was determined. On these farms, 137 Cs activity concentration in milk was found to be -1 . The effective ecological half-life from 1987 was estimated to be 1.4 ± 0.5(sd) years for milk from 10 farms with a range of 0.8-2.0 years. One farm where 137 Cs milk decreased at a slower rate, or not at all, used semi-natural and uncultivated pasture, forest meadows. On intensely managed farms, where potassium fertilizer was distributed, ploughing was performed and, in 1986, forage was cut at a higher stubble-height, the decrease of 137 Cs in milk was observed to be faster. (Author)

METEOROLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON VAPOR INCIDENTS IN THE 200 EAST and 200 WEST TANK FARMS FROM CY1995 TO CY2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HOCKING, M.J.

2005-01-01

Revised for a more comprehensive overview of vapor incidents reported at the Hanford Tank Farms. Investigation into the meteorological influences on vapor incidents in the tank farm to determine what, if any, meteorological influences contribute to the reporting of odors, smells, vapors, and other gases. Weather phenomena, specifically barometric pressure, and wind velocity and direction can potentially cause or exacerbate a vapor release within the farm systems. The purpose of this document is to gather and evaluate the meteorological and weather information for the Tank Farms Shift Log Vapor Incident entries and determine what, if any, meteorological influences contribute to the reporting of odors, smells, vapors, and other gases such as propane. A part of the evaluation will be determining which of the incidents are related to actual ''intrusive'' work, and which are ''transient.'' Transient vapor incidents are herein defined as those vapors encountered during walkdowns, surveys, or other activities that did not require working directly with the tanks, pits, transfer lines, etc. Another part of the investigation will involve determining if there are barometric pressures or other weather related phenomena that might cause or contribute vapors being released when there are no ''intrusive'' activities. A final purpose is to evaluate whether there is any correlation between the 242-A Evaporator operations and Vapor Incidents entered on the Shift Log

Wild-Caught Versus Farmed Fish – Consumer Perception

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomić Marina

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We have limited knowledge of determinants of consumer preferences for wild-caught versus farmed-raised fish, so this work aims to investigate the impact of sociodemographics, habits and frequency of fresh fish consumption, such as involvement in cooking, on the preferences for wild versus farmed fish. A survey was done on a sample of 1151 fish consumers in Croatia. Results showed that female, older consumers, consumers with higher income and those living in coastal parts of Croatia give higher preferences for wild fish and they detect differences between the taste of wild and farmed fish. Consumers with higher levels of habits of fresh fish consumption, who eat fresh fish often and are more involved in cooking, prefer wild-caught fish. These findings provide valuable information for the aquaculture sector, especially for planning marketing strategies for the promotion of farmed fish.

CleverFarm - A SuperSCADA system for wind farms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giebel, G [ed.; Juhl, A; Gram Hansen, K; Biebhardt, J [and others

2004-08-01

The CleverFarm project started out to build an integrated monitoring system for wind farms, where all information would be available and could be used across the wind farm for maintenance and component health assessments. This would enable wind farm operators to prioritise their efforts, since they have a good view of the farm status from home. A large emphasis was placed on the integration of condition monitoring approaches in the central system, enabling estimates of the remaining lifetime of components, especially in the nacelle. During the 3,5 years of the project, software and hardware was developed and installed in two wind farms in Denmark and Germany. The connected hardware included two different condition monitoring systems based on vibration sensors from Gram&Juhl and ISET, plus a camera system developed by Overspeed. Additionally, short-term predictions of the wind farm output were delivered by DMI and Risoes Prediktor system throughout the period of the project. All these diverse information sources are integrated through a web interface based on Java Server Pages. The software was developed in Java, and is delivered as so-called CleverBeans. The main part of the software is open-sourced. The report contains the experiences and results of a one-year experimental period. This report is a slightly edited version of the final publishable report to the EU Commission as part of the requirements of the CleverFarm project.

Work activities within sustainable development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Duarte

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the main results of a Franco-Brazilian Research project entitled "Work, Innovation and Development". The aim is to conceptually consider work activity within sustainable development, and to contribute methodologically towards developing strategies for designing sustainable work systems. After a brief description of the factors and the dimensions that have contributed to the creation of ideas on sustainable development, we will put forward two main approaches for understanding work activity within the context of sustainability, these being: the durability of work activity and the development of work activities for sustainable development. Both approaches are presented and examples are given. This is followed by a discussion of the design of sustainable work systems that focuses particularly on the political and technical dimensions of project management.

FRESHWATER FISH FARMING CONDITIONS IN 1999 AND THE PRODUCTION PLAN FOR 2000

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zlatko Homen

2000-09-01

Full Text Available One of the activities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Fishery and Mediterranean Agriculture Directorate, i. e. Fishery Directorate to be more specific, is the monitoring of conditions in freshwater fish farming. The objective of this work is to show conditions in freshwater fish farming during 1999. and to provide a production plan for 2000. It will also provide detailed insight into the present conditions in freshwater fish farming and into the production trends of this field. Regarding this issue, the »Questionnaire for the Monitoring of Conditions in Freshwater Fish Farming«, was sent to fish farmers aroud the country data was processed from 22 cap ponds and 13 trout ponds. Roughe estimates of conditions were conducted for 2 fish farms, since they haven’t yet returned the mandatoruy questionnaire, i. e. the necessary data. This work features data on the number of employees in fish farms, as well as their qualifications, on the actual production and distribution of farmed freshwater fish, on the areas where production was conducted and on the overall yield. Fish food, raw materials, used tools and incentive funds paid were also taken into consideration. The difficulties faced in this branch of the economy are also inicated. Compared to 1998, a slight decrease in the number of employees of freshwater fish farms has been recorded. The total number of employees in 1999 was 655, of which 555 were on carp ponds and 100 on trout ponds. Data on the qualifications of employees for 1999 show that most of them were unskilled workers, while highly skilled workers make up a minority in this work force. The total production of freshwater in 1999. amoounted to 6.185,51 tons. Of this amount 5.592,52 tons were warm-water fish specied and 592,99 tons were cold-water fish species. Compared to 1998, production decreased by 4,89 percent. Production for 2000 has been planned to increase by 22,15 percent, i. e. the production quantity is projected

Parents' Attitudes to Risk and Injury to Children and Young People on Farms.

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, Kerstin

2016-01-01

Children and young people growing up in a farm environment run a greater risk of being injured or dying in an accident than their non-farming counterparts. This study examines farming parents' attitudes and experiences of having their children grow up on farms, one of the most dangerous work environments as their home, everyday environment and playground. Data were collected using two ethnological methods, a question list and interviews, with a study population of 20 parents. The data were analysed phenomenologically. The analysis pursued four themes: i) the most dangerous places and situations on the farm; ii) children's tasks on the farm; iii) children as a safety risk on the farm; and iv) farm risk education for children. Most parents know the risks on their farm, but are sometimes careless when working under stress or exhaustion. Some parents wanted more information and some wanted compulsory preventative or safety measures by manufacturers, e.g. a safety belt as standard on the extra seat in tractors. Children's friends were described as one of the greatest risks for injury due to peer pressure. Some parents mentioned that people who grow up on farms are sometimes 'blind' to the dangers. Other parents seemed to overlook the risks and had their children carrying out tasks for which they were not mentally or physically equipped. Some of the tasks the children reportedly carried out on farms contravened Swedish legislation. It is thus important for farming parents to be repeatedly reminded of the risks to their children and to increase their awareness of how to prevent and eliminate risks in order to avoid accidents on the farm. The situation for farm children is highlighted in a critical discussion.

Parents' Attitudes to Risk and Injury to Children and Young People on Farms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerstin Nilsson

Full Text Available Children and young people growing up in a farm environment run a greater risk of being injured or dying in an accident than their non-farming counterparts. This study examines farming parents' attitudes and experiences of having their children grow up on farms, one of the most dangerous work environments as their home, everyday environment and playground.Data were collected using two ethnological methods, a question list and interviews, with a study population of 20 parents. The data were analysed phenomenologically.The analysis pursued four themes: i the most dangerous places and situations on the farm; ii children's tasks on the farm; iii children as a safety risk on the farm; and iv farm risk education for children.Most parents know the risks on their farm, but are sometimes careless when working under stress or exhaustion. Some parents wanted more information and some wanted compulsory preventative or safety measures by manufacturers, e.g. a safety belt as standard on the extra seat in tractors. Children's friends were described as one of the greatest risks for injury due to peer pressure. Some parents mentioned that people who grow up on farms are sometimes 'blind' to the dangers. Other parents seemed to overlook the risks and had their children carrying out tasks for which they were not mentally or physically equipped. Some of the tasks the children reportedly carried out on farms contravened Swedish legislation. It is thus important for farming parents to be repeatedly reminded of the risks to their children and to increase their awareness of how to prevent and eliminate risks in order to avoid accidents on the farm. The situation for farm children is highlighted in a critical discussion.

Invisible work: Child work in households with a person living with HIV/AIDS in Central Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Abimanyi-Ochom, Julie; Inder, Brett; Hollingsworth, Bruce; Lorgelly, Paula

2017-12-01

HIV/AIDS has led to increased mortality and morbidity, negatively impacting adult labour especially in HIV/AIDS burdened Sub-Saharan Africa. There has been some exploration of the effects of HIV/AIDS on paid child labour, but little empirical work on children's non-paid child work. This paper provides quantitative evidence of how child and household-level factors affect children's involvement in both domestic and family farm work for households with a person living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) compared to non-PLWHA households using the 2010/2011 Centre for Health Economics Uganda HIV questionnaire Survey. Descriptive analysis and multivariate logistic modelling is used to explore child and household-level factors that affect children's work participation. This research reveals greater demands on the labour of children in PLWHA households in terms of family farm work especially for boys. Results highlight the expected gendered social responsibilities within the household space, with girls and boys engaged more in domestic and family farm work, respectively. Girls shared a greater proportion of household financial burden by working more hours in paid work outside the household than boys. Lastly, the study revealed that a household head's occupation increases children's participation in farm work but had a partial compensatory effect on their involvement in domestic work. Wealth and socio-economic standing is no guarantee to reducing child work. Children from PLWHA households are more vulnerable to child work in family farm work especially boys; and girls are burdened beyond the household space through paid work. Differing perspectives and solutions need to consider the contextual nature of child work.

Use and non-use values as motivational construct dimensions for farm animal welfare: impacts on the economic outcome for the farm.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansson, H; Lagerkvist, C J; Azar, G

2018-01-24

This study explored how farmers' motivation in terms of use values and/or non-use values to work with farm animal welfare are associated with the economic outcome for the farm. Use values in farm animal welfare refer to economic value derived from productivity and profitability considerations. Non-use values in farm animal welfare refer to economic value derived from good animal welfare, irrespective of the use the farmer derives from the animal, currently or in the future. The analysis was based on detailed information about the income statements of a sample of Swedish dairy farmers, obtained from the Swedish Farm Economic Survey, complemented with survey information about their perceived use and non-use values in farm animal welfare. The findings suggest that farm economic outcome is significantly associated with motivation in terms of use values, but not so much with motivation in terms of non-use values. This is interesting from a policy point of view, because it indicates that farmers with different approaches to farm animal welfare may experience different economic outcomes for their farms. Findings can, for instance, be used to strengthen farmers' engagement in various private quality assurance standards, which generally focus on values of non-use type, by pointing to that realisation of such values will not impair the economic outcome of the farms. Moreover, findings also suggest that farmers' economic incentives for engagement in such standards may need to be further strengthened in order to become more attractive, as findings point to that a focus on non-use values generally is not associated with more favourable economic outcomes.

Robotic milking: Technology, farm design, and effects on work flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodenburg, Jack

2017-09-01

Robotic milking reduces labor demands on dairy farms of all sizes and offers a more flexible lifestyle for farm families milking up to 250 cows. Because milking is voluntary, barn layouts that encourage low-stress access by providing adequate open space near the milking stations and escape routes for waiting cows improve milking frequency and reduce fetching. Because lame cows attend less often, preventing lameness with comfortable stalls, clean alley floors, and effective foot bathing warrants special emphasis in robotic dairies. Variable milking intervals create challenges for foot bathing, sorting and handling, and dealing with special-needs cows. Appropriate cow routing and separation options at the milking stations are needed to address these challenges and ensure that the expected labor savings are realized. Protocols and layout and gating should make it possible for a herd worker to complete all handling tasks alone. Free traffic and guided traffic systems yield similar results when excellent management is applied or when the number of cows is well below capacity. In less ideal circumstances, guided traffic and the use of commitment pens result in longer standing times and stress, particularly for lower ranking cows, and poor management with free traffic results in more labor for fetching. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aggregated Modelling for Wind Farms for Power System Transient Stability Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Hongzhi; Chen, Zhe

2012-01-01

Wind energy is consistently attracting great research effort and actively developed in many countries. As a result, the penetration level of wind power in the power grid is increasing as well as the size of wind farms. A large-scale wind farm may consist of hundreds of wind turbines and its total...... on a wind farm with permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) wind turbines. Simulation results of the aggregated models and the detailed model are compared and analyzed respectively to prove the effectiveness of the aggregating techniques.......Wind energy is consistently attracting great research effort and actively developed in many countries. As a result, the penetration level of wind power in the power grid is increasing as well as the size of wind farms. A large-scale wind farm may consist of hundreds of wind turbines and its total...... installed capacity could be at a level of 1000MW or even more. Consequently, the large-scale wind farm could seriously impact the operation and control of the grid. To represent a large-scale wind farm, aggregated modelling takes advantage of fast computation and simplified implementation compared...

Training needs of farm women in dairy farming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Durgga Rani V. And Subhadra M.R.

2009-12-01

Full Text Available A study was conducted in Thrissur taluk of Thrissur district to assess the training needs of farm women engaged in dairy farming. It was found that out of the five major farm operations studied, the farm women needed training the most in housing. The minor operations preferred the most for knowledge need were proper design of cattle shed, selection of breeds, compounding balanced feed using locally available ingredients, vaccination and banking and insurance. As for skill need, construction of scientific low cost cattle shed, selection of breeds, compounding balanced feed using locally available ingredients, symptoms of common diseases and banking and insurance were preferred the most. [Vet World 2009; 2(6.000: 221-223

Control strategies for wind farm power optimization: LES study

Science.gov (United States)

Ciri, Umberto; Rotea, Mario; Leonardi, Stefano

2017-11-01

Turbines in wind farms operate in off-design conditions as wake interactions occur for particular wind directions. Advanced wind farm control strategies aim at coordinating and adjusting turbine operations to mitigate power losses in such conditions. Coordination is achieved by controlling on upstream turbines either the wake intensity, through the blade pitch angle or the generator torque, or the wake direction, through yaw misalignment. Downstream turbines can be adapted to work in waked conditions and limit power losses, using the blade pitch angle or the generator torque. As wind conditions in wind farm operations may change significantly, it is difficult to determine and parameterize the variations of the coordinated optimal settings. An alternative is model-free control and optimization of wind farms, which does not require any parameterization and can track the optimal settings as conditions vary. In this work, we employ a model-free optimization algorithm, extremum-seeking control, to find the optimal set-points of generator torque, blade pitch and yaw angle for a three-turbine configuration. Large-Eddy Simulations are used to provide a virtual environment to evaluate the performance of the control strategies under realistic, unsteady incoming wind. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, Grants No. 1243482 (the WINDINSPIRE project) and IIP 1362033 (I/UCRC WindSTAR). TACC is acknowledged for providing computational time.

Decommissioning alternatives, process and work activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1986-01-01

The following outlines the topics discussed under Decommissioning Alternatives, Process and Work Activities: (1) decommissioning alternatives, (2) work activities for prompt removal/dismantling, (3) work activities for entombment with delayed dismantling, and (4) work activities for mothballing with delayed dismantling

Dynamic wake model with coordinated pitch and torque control of wind farms for power tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Carl; Meyers, Johan; Meneveau, Charles; Gayme, Dennice

2017-11-01

Control of wind farm power production, where wind turbines within a wind farm coordinate to follow a time-varying power set point, is vital for increasing renewable energy participation in the power grid. Previous work developed a one-dimensional convection-diffusion equation describing the advection of the velocity deficit behind each turbine (wake) as well the turbulent mixing of the wake with the surrounding fluid. Proof-of-concept simulations demonstrated that a receding horizon controller built around this time-dependent model can effectively provide power tracking services by modulating the thrust coefficients of individual wind turbines. In this work, we extend this model-based controller to include pitch angle and generator torque control and the first-order dynamics of the drive train. Including these dynamics allows us to investigate control strategies for providing kinetic energy reserves to the grid, i.e. storing kinetic energy from the wind in the rotating mass of the wind turbine rotor for later use. CS, CM, and DG are supported by NSF (ECCS-1230788, CMMI 1635430, and OISE-1243482, the WINDINSPIRE project). JM is supported by ERC (ActiveWindFarms, 306471). This research was conducted using computational resources at MARCC.

SUSTAINABLE FARMS: INTEGRATION OF AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manolo Muñoz-Espinosa

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The inappropriate use of agrochemicals and technologies in farming systems can cause an accelerated deterioration of agricultural and soil pollution. Thus, agriculture and livestock are becoming an environmental problem in the world, which implies the need to assess the efficiency of agricultural production systems related to sustainability. The traditional peasant system is apparently unsustainable, while farm with an integral production approach have better opportunities for development over time as they tend to sustainability. This type of farms incorporate productive alternatives that improve as a whole, the system and the livelihood of the peasants. The trends towards sustainability of farms are mainly due to a better land use. As well as, implementing systems adapted to each soil and production type to ensure profitability and persistence, achieving the highest possible agricultural productivity. The urgency to produce food for a growing population is almost a paradigm that reinforces the imperative for maximum yield per unit area, and creates a vision of the rural world aimed at increasing profit at the expense of the attributes and core values of livelihood in rural areas. It can be concluded that the integrated farming articulate various subsystems, which working together could allow higher sustainability of agricultural production practices, environmentally friendly, safeguarding the food sovereignty of the population and improving the quality of life of farmers

Metrics and methods for characterizing dairy farm intensification using farm survey data.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Mejia, Alejandra; Styles, David; Wilson, Paul; Gibbons, James

2018-01-01

Evaluation of agricultural intensification requires comprehensive analysis of trends in farm performance across physical and socio-economic aspects, which may diverge across farm types. Typical reporting of economic indicators at sectorial or the "average farm" level does not represent farm diversity and provides limited insight into the sustainability of specific intensification pathways. Using farm business data from a total of 7281 farm survey observations of English and Welsh dairy farms over a 14-year period we calculate a time series of 16 key performance indicators (KPIs) pertinent to farm structure, environmental and socio-economic aspects of sustainability. We then apply principle component analysis and model-based clustering analysis to identify statistically the number of distinct dairy farm typologies for each year of study, and link these clusters through time using multidimensional scaling. Between 2001 and 2014, dairy farms have largely consolidated and specialized into two distinct clusters: more extensive farms relying predominantly on grass, with lower milk yields but higher labour intensity, and more intensive farms producing more milk per cow with more concentrate and more maize, but lower labour intensity. There is some indication that these clusters are converging as the extensive cluster is intensifying slightly faster than the intensive cluster, in terms of milk yield per cow and use of concentrate feed. In 2014, annual milk yields were 6,835 and 7,500 l/cow for extensive and intensive farm types, respectively, whilst annual concentrate feed use was 1.3 and 1.5 tonnes per cow. For several KPIs such as milk yield the mean trend across all farms differed substantially from the extensive and intensive typologies mean. The indicators and analysis methodology developed allows identification of distinct farm types and industry trends using readily available survey data. The identified groups allow the accurate evaluation of the consequences of the

Metrics and methods for characterizing dairy farm intensification using farm survey data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandra Gonzalez-Mejia

Full Text Available Evaluation of agricultural intensification requires comprehensive analysis of trends in farm performance across physical and socio-economic aspects, which may diverge across farm types. Typical reporting of economic indicators at sectorial or the "average farm" level does not represent farm diversity and provides limited insight into the sustainability of specific intensification pathways. Using farm business data from a total of 7281 farm survey observations of English and Welsh dairy farms over a 14-year period we calculate a time series of 16 key performance indicators (KPIs pertinent to farm structure, environmental and socio-economic aspects of sustainability. We then apply principle component analysis and model-based clustering analysis to identify statistically the number of distinct dairy farm typologies for each year of study, and link these clusters through time using multidimensional scaling. Between 2001 and 2014, dairy farms have largely consolidated and specialized into two distinct clusters: more extensive farms relying predominantly on grass, with lower milk yields but higher labour intensity, and more intensive farms producing more milk per cow with more concentrate and more maize, but lower labour intensity. There is some indication that these clusters are converging as the extensive cluster is intensifying slightly faster than the intensive cluster, in terms of milk yield per cow and use of concentrate feed. In 2014, annual milk yields were 6,835 and 7,500 l/cow for extensive and intensive farm types, respectively, whilst annual concentrate feed use was 1.3 and 1.5 tonnes per cow. For several KPIs such as milk yield the mean trend across all farms differed substantially from the extensive and intensive typologies mean. The indicators and analysis methodology developed allows identification of distinct farm types and industry trends using readily available survey data. The identified groups allow the accurate evaluation of the

Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety: A Farm and Research Team Participatory Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Galvin, Kit; Krenz, Jen; Harrington, Marcy; Palmández, Pablo; Fenske, Richard A

2016-01-01

Development of the Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety guide used participatory research strategies to identify and evaluate solutions that reduce pesticide exposures for workers and their families and to disseminate these solutions. Project principles were (1) workplace chemicals belong in the workplace, and (2) pesticide handlers and farm managers are experts, with direct knowledge of production practices. The project's participatory methods were grounded in self-determination theory. Practical solutions were identified and evaluated based on five criteria: practicality, adaptability, health and safety, novelty, and regulatory compliance. Research activities that had more personal contact provided better outcomes. The Expert Working Group, composed of farm managers and pesticide handlers, was key to the identification of solutions, as were farm site visits. Audience participation, hands-on testing, and orchard field trials were particularly effective in the evaluation of potential solutions. Small work groups in a Regional Advisory Committee provided the best direction and guidance for a "user-friendly" translational document that provided evidence-based practical solutions. The "farmer to farmer" format of the guide was endorsed by both the Expert Working Group and the Regional Advisory Committee. Managers and pesticide handlers wanted to share their solutions in order to "help others stay safe," and they appreciated attribution in the guide. The guide is now being used in educational programs across the region. The fundamental concept that farmers and farmworkers are innovators and experts in agricultural production was affirmed by this study. The success of this process demonstrates the value of participatory industrial hygiene in agriculture.

Farm Population Trends and Farm Characteristics. Rural Development Research Report No. 3.

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Vera J.

While total farm population is declining, the number of people living on the farms which produce the bulk of the nation's food and fiber is increasing. The 1970-75 total farm population decline was 13 percent, but the number of people living on farms with annual sales greater than $40,000 increased 76 percent. Such farms account for about 80…

Appreciation to Organic Agriculture Function: Case Study of Rice Farming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tinjung Mary Prihtanti

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Agricultural activities are not only producing the visible (tangible output in the form of food but also the non-visible output (non-marketable goods/non-tangible services. Non-visible output refers to a multifunctionality to supply food to ensure the food sufficiency of farmer household and job opportunities at rural area. The article aims to compare the capability of organic rice farming to conventional, to ensure the food sufficiency of farmer household, the economic value of rice farming to produce food, and the economic estimation of rice farming to its function as an job opportunities. The data for the research is collected in Gentungan Village, Mojogedang District, Karanganyar Regency during the crop year of 2015. In order to study the differences of two rice farming systems, the total of 60 farmers, 30 farmers are dealing with organic farming and other 30 farmers from conventional farming, are subjected for the interview in this research. The results found that the food security of organic farming is higher than conventional farming. The organic rice farming gives the economic value as the food producing and the labor-absorbing function in the study area is higher than the  conventional farming.

Analysis of power loss data for the 200 Area Tank Farms in support of K Basin SAR work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shultz, M.V. Jr.

1994-12-01

An analysis of power loss data for the 200 Area Tank Farms was performed in support of K Basin safety analysis report work. The purpose of the analysis was to establish a relationship between the length of a power outage and its yearly frequency. This relationship can be used to determine whether the duration of a specific power loss is a risk concern. The information was developed from data contained in unusual occurrence reports (UORs) spanning a continuous period of 19.75 years. The average frequency of power loss calculated from the UOR information is 1.22 events per year. The mean of the power loss duration is 32.5 minutes an the median duration is 2 minutes. Nine events resulted in loss of power to both 200 East and 200 West areas simultaneously. Seven events (not necessarily the same events that resulted in loss of power to both 200 areas) resulted in outage durations exceeding 5 minutes. Approximately one-half of the events were caused by human error. The other half resulted from natural phenomena or equipment failures. None of the outages were reported to have any adverse effect on the tank farms

Brazilian Soybean Yields and Yield Gaps Vary with Farm Size

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffries, G. R.; Cohn, A.; Griffin, T. S.; Bragança, A.

2017-12-01

Understanding the farm size-specific characteristics of crop yields and yield gaps may help to improve yields by enabling better targeting of technical assistance and agricultural development programs. Linking remote sensing-based yield estimates with property boundaries provides a novel view of the relationship between farm size and yield structure (yield magnitude, gaps, and stability over time). A growing literature documents variations in yield gaps, but largely ignores the role of farm size as a factor shaping yield structure. Research on the inverse farm size-productivity relationship (IR) theory - that small farms are more productive than large ones all else equal - has documented that yield magnitude may vary by farm size, but has not considered other yield structure characteristics. We examined farm size - yield structure relationships for soybeans in Brazil for years 2001-2015. Using out-of-sample soybean yield predictions from a statistical model, we documented 1) gaps between the 95th percentile of attained yields and mean yields within counties and individual fields, and 2) yield stability defined as the standard deviation of time-detrended yields at given locations. We found a direct relationship between soy yields and farm size at the national level, while the strength and the sign of the relationship varied by region. Soybean yield gaps were found to be inversely related to farm size metrics, even when yields were only compared to farms of similar size. The relationship between farm size and yield stability was nonlinear, with mid-sized farms having the most stable yields. The work suggests that farm size is an important factor in understanding yield structure and that opportunities for improving soy yields in Brazil are greatest among smaller farms.

Reproductive performance and body weight changes in draught cows in a smallholder semi-arid farming area of Zimbabwe.

Science.gov (United States)

Chimonyo, M; Kusina, N T; Hamudikuwanda, H; Nyoni, O

2000-12-01

The reproductive performance of 46 cows in a semi-arid, smallholder farming area of Zimbabwe was monitored for a year. Half the cows were used throughout the monitoring period for various draught purposes, including ploughing and procurement of farm produce for marketing using carts. All the cows lost body weight between July and October, after which the cows that were not worked gained weight until June of the following year. In contrast, the cows that were worked continued to lose body weight until January, throughout the time during which they were used to provide draught power, after which they gained weight. Body weights were significantly higher (p draught purposes caused loss of body weight and reduced ovarian activity and conception rates.

Short communication: planning considerations for on-farm dairy processing enterprises.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, S M; Chaney, E A; Bewley, J M

2013-07-01

Across the world, more dairy producers are considering on-farm dairy processing to add value to the milk produced on their farms. Dairy producers may bottle milk or process their milk into cheese, ice cream, butter, yogurt, or cream. The primary objective of this research was to establish a series of sound factors or indicators of success for those considering on-farm processing. A survey was employed to collect opinions and advice from managers of on-farm processing enterprises. Surveys were distributed online (n=120), with 31 surveys returned, accounting for a 25.8% response rate. Most (64%) respondents had been involved in on-farm dairy processing for less than 10 yr. Sixty-one percent of respondents attained a positive cash flow in 1 to 3 yr. The primary products manufactured were cheese (69%), milk (59%), ice cream (31%), yogurt (25%), and butter (21%). Factors influencing the decision to start an on-farm dairy processing enterprise included commodity milk prices (61%), desire to work with the public (41%), an opportunity to promote the dairy industry (39%), a desire to maintain or expand a small family operation (29%), and product differentiation (16%). Respondents cited dealing with regulations (26%), product marketing (19%), manufacturing technicalities (19%), and securing funding (17%) as the most difficult parts of starting the business. Open-ended responses provided by the respondents of this survey were also documented to give future dairy producers advice. The most common advice to future on-farm processors was to work on realistic business plans, develop and follow realistic budgets, and observe and use market surveys within the industry. These results provide a useful array of information for future on-farm dairy processing enterprises. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

METEOROLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON VAPOR INCIDENTS IN THE 200 EAST & 200 WEST TANK FARMS FROM CY1995 TO CY2004

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

HOCKING, M.J.

2005-01-31

Revised for a more comprehensive overview of vapor incidents reported at the Hanford Tank Farms. Investigation into the meteorological influences on vapor incidents in the tank farm to determine what, if any, meteorological influences contribute to the reporting of odors, smells, vapors, and other gases. Weather phenomena, specifically barometric pressure, and wind velocity and direction can potentially cause or exacerbate a vapor release within the farm systems. The purpose of this document is to gather and evaluate the meteorological and weather information for the Tank Farms Shift Log Vapor Incident entries and determine what, if any, meteorological influences contribute to the reporting of odors, smells, vapors, and other gases such as propane. A part of the evaluation will be determining which of the incidents are related to actual ''intrusive'' work, and which are ''transient.'' Transient vapor incidents are herein defined as those vapors encountered during walkdowns, surveys, or other activities that did not require working directly with the tanks, pits, transfer lines, etc. Another part of the investigation will involve determining if there are barometric pressures or other weather related phenomena that might cause or contribute vapors being released when there are no ''intrusive'' activities. A final purpose is to evaluate whether there is any correlation between the 242-A Evaporator operations and Vapor Incidents entered on the Shift Log.

Optimising an integrated crop-livestock farm using risk programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SE Visagie

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Numerous studies have analysed farm planning decisions focusing on producer risk preferences. Few studies have focussed on the farm planning decisions in an integrated croplivestock farm context. Income variability and means of managing risk continues to receive much attention in farm planning research. Different risk programming models have attempted to focus on minimising the income variability of farm activities. This study attempts to identify the optimal mix of crops and the number of animals the farm needs to keep in the presence of crop production risk for a range of risk levels. A mixed integer linear programming model was developed to model the decision environment faced by an integrated crop-livestock farmer. The deviation of income from the expected value was used as a measure of risk. A case study is presented with representative data from a farm in the Swartland area. An investigation of the results of the model under different constraints shows that, in general, strategies that depend on crop rotation principles are preferred to strategies that follow mono-crop production practices.

Wind Energy Development in India and a Methodology for Evaluating Performance of Wind Farm Clusters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjeev H. Kulkarni

2016-01-01

Full Text Available With maturity of advanced technologies and urgent requirement for maintaining a healthy environment with reasonable price, India is moving towards a trend of generating electricity from renewable resources. Wind energy production, with its relatively safer and positive environmental characteristics, has evolved from a marginal activity into a multibillion dollar industry today. Wind energy power plants, also known as wind farms, comprise multiple wind turbines. Though there are several wind-mill clusters producing energy in different geographical locations across the world, evaluating their performance is a complex task and is an important focus for stakeholders. In this work an attempt is made to estimate the performance of wind clusters employing a multicriteria approach. Multiple factors that affect wind farm operations are analyzed by taking experts opinions, and a performance ranking of the wind farms is generated. The weights of the selection criteria are determined by pairwise comparison matrices of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP. The proposed methodology evaluates wind farm performance based on technical, economic, environmental, and sociological indicators. Both qualitative and quantitative parameters were considered. Empirical data were collected through questionnaire from the selected wind farms of Belagavi district in the Indian State of Karnataka. This proposed methodology is a useful tool for cluster analysis.

INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF FAMILY FARMING IN THE CONTEXT OF A FAMILY BUSINESS IN UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Solonenko

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This article explores the situation of family farms in the world, highlighted their key role in ensuring food security and preserving natural resources. We consider the activities of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO of the United Nations aimed at supporting and developing family farms at the regional, national, international levels. In the process of reforming the agricultural sector of Ukraine is the search for effective forms and methods of management. By introducing international experience progressive institutional approach to a market economy in agricultural production, the country embarked on the creation of family farms. Family farms is the most effective form of economic activity in rural areas, provided their institutionalization, state support, fight against corruption and monopolies in agribusiness. In the article the formation of family farms in Ukraine from institutional positions. Reflects the process of formation of the Institute for Family Business in Ukraine as family farms. Defined intrinsic characteristics and stages of institutionalization of family farms. The analysis measures the state and society on the institutionalization of family farms in Ukraine. Outlined prospects of Ukrainian family farms and proposed institutional arrangements to ensure the balanced functioning of a viable model of family farm management in the context of the family business in Ukraine.

Trends in family labour, hired labour and contract work on French and Swiss crop farms: The role of agricultural policies

OpenAIRE

Dupraz, Pierre; Latruffe, Laure; Mann, Stefan

2010-01-01

The objective of this article is to analyse the trends in on-farm labour use, including own family labour, hired labour and contract work, and to assess the factors driving their evolution in France and in Switzerland during 1990-2007. A particular attention is given to agricultural policies, namely the level and type of support. Results indicate that crop area payments discourage the different labour demands in both countries, while environment and investment payments favour contract and hir...

Leverages for on-farm innovation from farm typologies? An illustration for family-based dairy farms in north-west Michoacán, Mexico

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cortez Arriola, J.; Rossing, W.A.H.; Amendola Massiotti, R.D.; Scholberg, J.M.S.; Groot, J.C.J.; Tittonell, P.A.

2015-01-01

Knowledge on farm diversity provides insight into differences among farms, enables scaling from individual farm to farm population level and vice versa, and has been used in the definition of recommendation domains for introduction of novel technologies. Farm diversity can be broadly described in

Farm management information systems: A case study on a German multifunctional farm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Husemann Christoph

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate and easy to use Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS are of fundamental importance for a successful operational farm management. However, still today many farmers do not use FMISs for various reasons, like lack of knowledge and the complexity of many available FMISs. In particular for small to medium-sized farms and for multifunctional farms appropriate FMISs hardly exist. This paper aims on the deduction of a concrete FMIS from a general FMIS. The concrete FMIS has to focus on the needs of medium-sized and multifunctional farms. This means that the farmer has to be empowered to allocate the scarce resources of the farm. Therefore, we picked a German farm from the state North Rhine Westphalia as a case-study to apply a system analysis. The case study farm helps to identify and to analyze relevant material and information flows, production processes, and their interconnections and synergies.

29 CFR 780.111 - “Dairying” as a farming operation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false âDairyingâ as a farming operation. 780.111 Section 780.111... General Scope of Agriculture Dairying § 780.111 “Dairying” as a farming operation. “Dairying” includes the work of caring for and milking cows or goats. It also includes putting the milk in containers, cooling...

An integrated methodology on the suitability of offshore sites for wind farm development

Science.gov (United States)

Patlakas, Platon; Galanis, George; Péray, Marie; Filipot, Jean-François; Kalogeri, Christina; Spyrou, Christos; Diamantis, Dimitris; Kallos, Gerorge

2016-04-01

During, the last decades the potential and interest in wind energy investments has been constantly increasing in the European countries. As technology changes rapidly, more and more areas can be identified as suitable for energy applications. Offshore wind farms perfectly illustrate how new technologies allow to build bigger, more efficient and resistant in extreme conditions wind power plants. The current work proposes an integrated methodology to determine the suitability of an offshore marine area for the development of wind farm structures. More specifically, the region of interest is evaluated based both on the natural resources, connected to the local environmental characteristics, and potential constrains set by anthropogenic or other activities. State of the art atmospheric and wave models and a 10-year hindcast database are utilized in conjunction with local information for a number of potential constrains, leading to a 5-scale suitability index for the whole area. In this way, sub regions are characterized, at a high resolution mode, as poorly or highly suitable for wind farm development, providing a new tool for technical/research teams and decision makers. In addition, extreme wind and wave conditions and their 50-years return period are analyzed and used to define the safety level of the wind farms structural characteristics.

Modeling needs assessment for Hanford Tank Farm Operations. Vadose Zone Characterization Project at the Hanford Tank Farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-04-01

This report presents the results of a modeling-needs assessment conducted for Tank Farm Operations at the Hanford Site. The goal of this project is to integrate geophysical logging and subsurface transport modeling into a broader decision-based framework that will be made available to guide Tank Farm Operations in implementing future modeling studies. In support of this goal, previous subsurface transport modeling studies were reviewed, and stakeholder surveys and interviews were completed (1) to identify regulatory, stakeholder, and Native American concerns and the impacts of these concerns on Tank Farm Operations, (2) to identify technical constraints that impact site characterization and modeling efforts, and (3) to assess how subsurface transport modeling can best be used to support regulatory, stakeholder, Native American, and Tank Farm Operations needs. This report is organized into six sections. Following an introduction, Section 2.0 discusses background issues that relate to Tank Farm Operations. Section 3.0 summarizes the technical approach used to appraise the status of modeling and supporting characterization. Section 4.0 presents a detailed description of how the technical approach was implemented. Section 5.0 identifies findings and observations that relate to implementation of numerical modeling, and Section 6.0 presents recommendations for future activities

Characterization of odor-active compounds in cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer (Takifugu obscurus using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning-Ping Tao

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The volatile and odor-active compounds in cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer (Takifugu obscurus were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry (GC–MS–O. The volatile compounds were extracted by the simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE method, then separated and identified by GC–MS. Odor-active compounds in the SDE extract were characterized by GC–MS–O. A total of 68 volatile compounds were found, including 23 aldehydes, 10 alcohols, nine ketones, 17 N- or S-containing compounds and aromatics, three acids, three alkanes, and three esters. Of these, 31 odor-active compounds were detected and identified. Trimethylamine (fishy, octanal (grassy, leafy, green, (E-2-octenal (roast, fatty, 1-octen-3-ol (fishy, fatty, mushroom, grassy, 2-ethyl-1-hexanethiol (cooked fish, (E,E-2,4-octadienal (cooked meat, sweet, 2-acetylthiazole (meaty, roast, nutty, sulfur, 2-acetylpyrrole (nutty, walnut, bread were identified as the key odorants in the cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer based on posterior intensity and time-intensity methods.

Family Farming Practices in Taraba State Emodi, A.I. Albert, C.O. ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

E M IGBOKWE

In most countries family farming is the predominant form of agriculture in food ... ill health and fast aging among the farming community (Dugbazah, 2009). ... iii. examine effects of family farming activities on agricultural development; and ..... poor extension contact ( x =2.26), and bad communication network ( x =2.06), lack of.

Management of investment processes on Finnish farms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. MATTILA

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Structural change in agriculture means a continuous need for investing in farm production. It is essential for the sustainable operations and the economy of the farm that such investments are successful. In this research, different stages of the investment process of farms were studied as well as the use of information and the success perceived during the investment process. The study was carried out with mail surveys and telephone interviews on the Finnish Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN farms. The most challenging investments were in animal husbandry buildings and, as to these investments, the comparison of alternatives was the most challenging stage. For most investments, the planning phase was considered more challenging than the implementation. Before making the decision, farmers acquired information from many sources, of which the opinion of the main customer and the experiences of fellow farmers were the most valued. Some of the products considered were so new on the market that it was not easy to get adequate information and, furthermore, the information given by suppliers was not always accurate. Decision-making was supported by calculations, but qualitative factors had a dominating role. Large basic decisions were made relatively quickly, while details needed a longer time to process. In general, farm managers were satisfied with their investments. Improvements in work quality and quantity were especially mentioned and generally qualitative factors were the ones first in mind when evaluating the successfulness of the investment.;

Farm production performance in Russian regions: farm panel data analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bezlepkina, I.

2003-01-01

The Russian agricultural sector has experienced many problems since the beginning of the 1990s that resulted in a fall in farm output. Employing a production function approach and, unlike other studies, farm-level data on more than 20,000 Russian large-scale farms for the period 1995-2000, this

Analyzing farming systems diversity: a case study in south-western France

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choisis, J. P.; Thevenet, C.; Girbon, A.

2012-11-01

The huge changes in agricultural activities, which may be amplified by the forthcoming Common Agriculture Policy reform, call the future of crop-livestock systems into question and hence the impact of these changes on landscapes and biodiversity. We analyzed relationships between agriculture, landscape and biodiversity in south-western France. The study area covered about 4,000 ha and included four villages. We conducted a survey of 56 farms. Multivariate analysis (multiple factor analysis and cluster analysis) were used to analyze relationships between 25 variables and to build a typology. The type of farming (beef and/or dairy cattle, cash crops), size (area and workforce) and cultivation practices, among others, were revealed as differentiating factors of farms. Six farming types were identified (1) hillside mixed crop-livestock farms, (2) large corporate farms, (3) extensive cattle farms, (4) large intensive farms on the valley sides, (5) small multiple-job holdings, and (6) hobby farms. The diversity of farming systems revealed the variable impact of the main drivers of change affecting agricultural development, particularly the enlargement and modernization of farms along with the demography of agricultural holdings. (Author) 41 refs.

Dynamic simulation of sustainable farm development scenarios using cognitive modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuzhyk Kateryna

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Dynamic simulation of sustainable farm development scenarios using cognitive modeling. The paper presents a dynamic simulation system of sustainable development scenarios on farms using cognitive modeling. The system incorporates relevant variables which affect the sustainable development of farms. Its user provides answers to strategic issues connected with the level of farm sustainability over a long-term perspective of dynamic development. The work contains a description of the model structure as well as the results of simulations carried out on 16 farms in northern Ukraine. The results show that the process of sustainability is based mainly on the potential for innovation in agricultural production and biodiversity. The user is able to simulate various scenarios for the sustainable development of a farm and visualize the influence of factors on the economic and social situation, as well as on environmental aspects. Upon carrying out a series of simulations, it was determined that the development of farms characterized by sustainable development is based on additional profit, which serves as the main motivation for transforming a conventional farm into a sustainable one. Nevertheless, additional profit is not the only driving force in the system of sustainable development. The standard of living, market condition, and legal regulations as well as government support also play a significant motivational role.

76 FR 53362 - Approval of Farm Credit System Lending Institutions in FHA Mortgage Insurance Programs

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-26

... marketing activities, and to farm-related businesses. The Farm Credit banks collectively issue debt... institutions. The four farm credit banks, one agricultural credit bank (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Farm Credit banks), and their direct lender associations (the Agricultural Credit Associations...

50 CFR 14.23 - Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. 14.23 Section 14.23 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Exportation at Designated Ports § 14.23 Live farm-raised fish and farm-raised fish eggs. Live farm-raised fish...

Gaming as an Instrument of Farm Management Education-A Development and Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneeberger, Kenneth Clifford

A study of the Oklahoma Farm Management Decision Exercise was made to explore and appraise ways of teaching farm management. A general computer model was developed which allowed the administrator flexibility in teaching, accommodated any size of farm and any set of feasible crop and livestock activities, and identified superior strategies for the…

Influence of Permissive Parenting on Youth Farm Risk Behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Jinnah, Hamida A; Stoneman, Zolinda

2016-01-01

Farm youth continue to experience high rates of injuries and premature deaths as a result of agricultural activities. Increased parental permissiveness is positively associated with many different types of high-risk behaviors in youth. This study explored whether permissive parenting (fathering and mothering) predicts youth unsafe behaviors on the farm. Data were analyzed for 67 youth and their parents. Families were recruited from a statewide farm publication, through youth organizations (i.e., FFA [Future Farmers of America]), local newspapers, farmer referrals, and through the Cooperative Extension Network. Hierarchical multiple regression was completed. Results revealed that fathers and mothers who practiced lax-inconsistent disciplining were more likely to have youth who indulged in unsafe farm behaviors. Key hypotheses confirmed that permissive parenting (lax-inconsistent disciplining) by parents continued to predict youth unsafe farm behaviors, even after youth age, youth gender, youth personality factor of risk-taking, and father's unsafe behaviors (a measure associated with modeling) were all taken into account. A key implication is that parents may play an important role in influencing youth farm safety behaviors. Parents (especially fathers) need to devote time to discuss farm safety with their youth. Farm safety interventions need to involve parents as well as address and respect the culture and values of families. Interventions need to focus not only on safe farm practices, but also promote positive parenting practices, including increased parent-youth communication about safety, consistent disciplining strategies, and increased monitoring and modeling of safe farm behaviors by parents.

UTILISATION OF SUPPORT FROM THE RDP – “DIVERSIFICATION INTO NON-AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES”, ON THE EXAMPLE OF A SELECTED FARM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacek Pieczonka

2014-03-01

Full Text Available As the role of agriculture as a primary source of income of the population residing in rural areas is decreasing, it is necessary to create the possibility of supplementing income from agricultural production by income from non-agricultural activities. The creation of such opportunities is, however, associated with incurring many costs, often exceeding the financial capabilities of people involved in agriculture interested in moving to work in other sectors of the economy. Therefore, great importance of EU programs in the Rural Development Programme (RDP. The aim of this study is to verify the benefits gained by the farm by using support from the RDP – “Diversification into non-agricultur­al activities”, on the example of farm operating in poviat of Opole, and comparing achieved results with the objectives included in Axis 3 of the RDP. The studies related to the commencement of non-agricultural activities shows that the main objectives that guided the implementation such activities on the farm, is connected with the objectives of sustainable socio-economic development of rural areas.

Renewable Energy From Animal Biomass – Farm Methane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

St. Amour, Kenneth [Vermont Public Power Supply Authority, Waterbury Center, VT (United States)

2013-08-31

The major goal of the project is to develop 2 anaerobic digesters on family farms in rural Vermont. We have accomplished half of that goal, with 1 digester operating on the Gebbie Maplehurst Farm in Greensboro, Vermont. The 2nd digester is planned as a student demonstration unit at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, Vermont. That half of the project has not commenced. We will limit our discussion to the Gebbie Maplehurst Farm project. A 150MW generator is installed on the farm and is producing electricity which is being sold as part of the Standard Offer Program within the State of Vermont. The induction generator is the first of its kind manufactured by Martin Machinery of Latham, Missouri. The project is currently generating approximately 15% - 20% of the capacity as shown in appendix I. However, it is anticipated that details will quickly be worked out to increase that capacity factor.

Dermal exposure assessment of pesticide use: The case of sprayers in potato farms in the Colombian highlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lesmes-Fabian, Camilo; García-Santos, Glenda; Leuenberger, Fanny; Nuyttens, David; Binder, Claudia R.

2012-01-01

Quantifying dermal exposure to pesticides in farming systems in developing countries is of special interest for the estimation of potential health risks, especially when there is a lack of occupational hygiene regulations. In this paper we present the results of a dermal exposure assessment for the potato farming system in the highlands of Colombia, where farmers apply pesticides with hand pressure sprayers without any personal protective equipment. The fractioning of the pesticide, in terms of potential and actual dermal exposure, was determined via the whole-body dosimetry methodology, using the tracer uranine as pesticide surrogate, and luminescence spectrometry as analytical method. We assessed the three activities involved in pesticide management: preparation, application, and cleaning; analyzed three types of nozzles: one with a standard discharge and two modified by farmers to increase the discharge; and derived the protection factor given by work clothing. Our results suggest that to reduce the health risk, three aspects have to be considered: (i) avoiding the modification of nozzles, which affects the droplet size spectrum and increases the level of dermal exposure; (ii) using adequate work clothing made of thick fabrics, especially on the upper body parts; and (iii) cleaning properly the tank sprayer before the application activity. - Highlights: ► We assessed dermal exposure to pesticides in the potato farming system in Colombia. ► High potential exposure was found in lower body parts during the application. ► High actual exposure was found in arms and back due to inadequate protection. ► There is a high health risk of using Metamidophos under current working conditions.

Farm Population of the United States: 1975. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Vera J.; And Others

Presented via narrative and tabular data, this report includes: Population of the U.S., Total and Farm: 1960-1975; Metropolitan-Nonmetropolitan Residence of the Farm and Nonfarm Population, by Race: 1975; Fertility Characteristics of Farm and Nonfarm Women, by Race: 1975; Persons 14 Years Old and Over Employed in Agriculture, by Farm-Nonfarm…

Environmental impact of heifer management decisions on Dutch dairy farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mourits, M.C.M.; Berentsen, P.B.M.; Huirne, R.B.M.; Dijkhuizen, A.A.

2000-01-01

Dairy farming contributes substantially to Dutch environmental problems. A dynamic heifer rearing model was used to determine the extent to which the rearing activity influences nutrient flows on a dairy farm. Based on current rearing conditions, the economic optimal rearing policy resulted in an

TOPFARM: Multi-fidelity optimization of wind farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Réthoré, Pierre-Elouan; Fuglsang, Peter; Larsen, Gunner Chr.

2014-01-01

design of the Middelgrunden wind farm, this work focuses on demonstrating a method that optimizes the profit of wind farms over their lifetime based on a balance of the energy production income, the electrical grid costs, the foundations cost, and the cost of wake turbulence induced fatigue degradation...... of different wind turbine components. A multi-fidelity concept is adapted, which uses cost function models of increasing complexity (and decreasing speed) to accelerate the convergence to an optimum solution. In the EU-FP6 TOPFARM project, three levels of complexity are considered. The first level uses...... a simple stationary wind farm wake model to estimate the Annual Energy Production (AEP), a foundations cost model depending on the water depth and an electrical grid cost function dictated by cable length. The second level calculates the AEP and adds a wake-induced fatigue degradation cost function...

Diversity in the dry land mixed system and viability of dairy sheep farming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Rivas

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Castilla La Mancha is a Spanish region where sheep farming system is traditionally pasture-based. Recently, this territory has undergone a recession of dairy sheep activity, which changed the type and intensity of land utilization and led to environmental and landscape degradation. The present study analyzed the diversity and viability of dairy sheep of mixed systems. Multivariate analysis was conducted on 157 dairy sheep farms, factor analysis selected 3 productivity factors (level of intensification, land use, size and family labour, and cluster analysis classified farms into three groups. Group 1, smallholders – with the smallest size (405.5 ewes and 564.7 ha, lowest area in ownership (1.5%, and agriculture activity (6.5% crops area: family farms (90.8% highly dependent on external inputs. Group 2, large-scale farms (1058.7 ewes and 1755.1 ha – with the lowest stocking rate (0.14 livestock unit/ha and productivity: nonfamily farms (39.1% with low area in ownership (4.1% and agriculture activity (7.6%. Group 3, mixed-technified – with the highest levels of technology and least use of family labour (27.0%: large-scale farms (1387.4 ewes and 955.8 ha, combining milk production with agricultural activities (55.7% crops area, with the highest area in ownership (63.1% and the best productivity performance. In conclusion, the dry land mixed system of Castilla La Mancha showed diversity of farms. Improving viability requires a systemic approach where the key tool is grazing, allowing the mixed system to be consolidated as a model that enhances the positive impact of livestock on the environment in the Mediterranean basin.

A Wind Farm Electrical Systems Evaluation with EeFarm-II

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pierik, J.; Axelsson, U.; Eriksson, E.; Salomonsson, D.; Bauer, P.; Czech, B.

2010-01-01

EeFarm-II is used to evaluate 13 different electrical systems for a 200 MW wind farm with a 100 km connection to shore. The evaluation is based on component manufacturer data of 2009. AC systems are compared to systems with DC connections inside the wind farm and DC connection to shore. Two options

The Balanced Scorecard as a Management Tool for Arable Farming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margit Paustian

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Management requirements for crop farming are high and will rise in the future. Arable farms are challenged by volatile markets, growing administrative burdens, increasing operating costs and growing competition for land. Management skills have become much more important for farmers in recent years and this trend will continue in the future. There are numerous instruments like accounting software or crop field cards integrated in daily management practice, but there is a deficiency of a fully integrated management system to give an overview of all areas of the farming business. This gap can be closed by the management tool Balanced Scorecard (BSC that provides an overview of all production and management activities on a farm. Therefore, with the aim to transfer the BSC concept to crop farming, German farmers and agricultural advisors were surveyed to get insights into the success factors and key performance indicators in the four BSC perspectives they consider most relevant for the operational success of arable farms. By the use of a cluster analysis, three different farm types were identified according to their visions and strategies. For the three farm types the key performance indicators that the respondents considered most relevant for farm performance were figured out. Implementation of the BSC to crop farming can result in a big benefit for management practice. The BSC focuses vision and long-term strategy with the main goal to ensure consistency of the farm and increase farm performance.

Sustainable Organic Farming For Environmental Health A Social Development Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ijun Rijwan Susanto

2015-05-01

consider the loss that may be experienced by others as the principles for profit has become very prominent. As a result the development of organic agriculture simply stuck into a commercial activity which would be a criticism of the founders One of the factors that led to the involvement of the government regulated organic farming is because of the bickering about what is called organic agricultural products and because many nonorganic products sold as organic products Organic farmers have difficulty in finding locally based seed for organic farming certification of organic farming has changed it is not just the assurance processes into a tradable commodity 3 The Benefits of Organic Farming in Support for Environmental Health organic farming gives a positive impact on public health because it does not cause environmental pollution water air soil by the residues of chemical fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides. Besides organic farming also healthy communities through the provision of agricultural products that are free of pesticides and chemical fertilizer residues 4 The Social Development Model of Sustainable Organic Farming Sustainable agriculture organic farming seeks acre balance of three long-term goals namely a Social-cultural to create quality of life to satisfy personal and community needs for health food safety and happines b Environment to Enhance utilization of soil water air and other resourches limited c Economics to be profitable market forces. These objectives can be achieved if supported by organizational-oriented good governance principles of sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is the implementation of the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable development will be achieved if conducted prior social development within the broad scope of stakeholders 5 The Policy Recomendation for Organic Farming a National Strategic Agenda The Program Go Organic must be forwarded with the 2010 program Go Organic 2020 where the formulation of

The impact of farm size on sustainability of dutch dairy farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meulen, van der H.A.B.; Dolman, M.A.; Jager, J.H.; Venema, G.S.

2014-01-01

Sustainable milk production systems require economically viable, environmentally sound and socially acceptable practices. This study compared the economic, environmental and societal impact of large-scale farms with other dairy farms in the Dutch Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). Moreover the

The Social Situation of Immigrant Farm Workers : A Comparative Study between Spain and the U.S.

OpenAIRE

Izcara Palacios, Simón Pedro; Yamamoto, Yasutaka; Sawauchi, Daisuke; Sajiki, Takahiro; Demura, Katsuhiko

2009-01-01

In Spain and in the United States domestic farm laborers are not available in sufficient numbers during peak harvest seasons. Therefore, intensive farm production has a dependence on immigrant workers, mainly laborers who lack proper documentation to legally reside or work. Moreover increases in the labor supply, prompted by continued unauthorized entries and employment has adversely affected the wages and working conditions in the farming sector, speeding the exit of local workers from agric...

Quantification of landscape multifunctionality based on farm functionality indices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Peter Stubkjær; Vejre, Henrik; Dalgaard, Tommy

2011-01-01

) wildlife habitats, and (4) recreation. At farm level each of these functions is defined by data on a number of farmers’ activities as well as farm characteristics which can be harvested by a selection of the interview questions. The selected interview questions are attached as indicators to the relevant...... present a bottom-up method in which landscape multifunctionality is quantified by using functional indices developed from farm questionaire data. The interview survey comprised 382 farms in a rural area of Denmark. The functional classes included in the method are: (1) production, (2) residence, (3...... function. A score spectrum is assigned to each indicator to enable a representation of its relative contribution to the function on each farm depending on the question responses from the interviewees. The values for each indicator are weighted in relation to each of the others and all the values are summed...

Enhancement of biodiversity in energy farming: towards a functional approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Londo, M.; Dekker, J.

1997-01-01

When biomass is a substantial sustainable energy source, and special energy crops are grown on a large scale, land use and the environment of agriculture will be affected. Of these effects, biodiversity deserves special attention. The enhancement of biodiversity in energy farming via standard setting is the overall purpose of this project. In this study, the potential functionality of biodiversity in energy farming is proposed as a way of operationalising the rather abstract and broad concept of biodiversity. Functions of biodiversity are reviewed, and examples of functions are worked out, based on the current literature of nature in energy farming systems. (author)

Evaluation by employees of employee management on large US dairy farms.

Science.gov (United States)

Durst, Phillip T; Moore, Stanley J; Ritter, Caroline; Barkema, Herman W

2018-05-23

Employees, many of whom are not native English speakers, perform the majority of work on large US dairy farms. Although management of employees is a critical role of dairy owners and managers, factors that improve employee engagement and retention are not well known. Objectives were to (1) identify key dairy farm employee management issues based on employee perceptions, (2) evaluate strengths and weaknesses of farms based on employee responses, (3) investigate differences between Latino and English-speaking employees, and (4) investigate differences in perception between employers and employees. Employees from 12 US dairy farms (each with a minimum of 10 employees) were interviewed by phone following a questionnaire provided. Employees provided their responses to 21 Likert scale questions and 8 open-ended questions. There was a wide range in employee turnover among farms (100%). Latino employees had much shorter tenure and were more often employed in milking and livestock care than English-speaking employees. Employee perceptions differed among farms regarding whether they would recommend their farm as a place to work, teamwork within the dairy, whether rules were fairly applied, availability of tools and equipment, clear lines of supervision, and recognition for good work in the previous 15 d. Latino employees (n = 91) were more positive in many of these measures than their English-speaking counterparts (n = 77) but less often provided ideas to their employer on how to improve the business. Employers, surveyed on how they thought their employees would answer, underestimated employee responses on several questions, particularly the interest of employees in learning about dairy. When asked to cite 3 goals of the operation, there were differences among owners, managers, and employees. Although employees rated their commitment to the farm and their interest in learning as high, based on turnover, there was an obvious disparity between reality and ideal employee

Organic Farming in Europe

OpenAIRE

Willer, Helga

2014-01-01

In this article latest developments in Europe are presented: › Current statistics › Review of the European political and legal framework for organic agriculture › EU regulation on organic farming › Policy support › Action plans › Research › Progress of the OrganicDataNetwork project › Successful policy work of IFOAM EU › Further reading › Websites

Changes in the Welfare of an Injured Working Farm Dog Assessed Using the Five Domains Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine E. Littlewood

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The present structured, systematic and comprehensive welfare evaluation of an injured working farm dog using the Five Domains Model is of interest in its own right. It is also an example for others wanting to apply the Model to welfare evaluations in different species and contexts. Six stages of a fictitious scenario involving the dog are considered: (1 its on-farm circumstances before one hind leg is injured; (2 its entanglement in barbed wire, cutting it free and transporting it to a veterinary clinic; (3 the initial veterinary examination and overnight stay; (4 amputation of the limb and immediate post-operative recovery; (5 its first four weeks after rehoming to a lifestyle block; and (6 its subsequent life as an amputee and pet. Not all features of the scenario represent average-to-good practice; indeed, some have been selected to indicate poor practice. It is shown how the Model can draw attention to areas of animal welfare concern and, importantly, to how welfare enhancement may be impeded or facilitated. Also illustrated is how the welfare implications of a sequence of events can be traced and evaluated, and, in relation to specific situations, how the degrees of welfare compromise and enhancement may be graded. In addition, the choice of a companion animal, contrasting its welfare status as a working dog and pet, and considering its treatment in a veterinary clinical setting, help to highlight various welfare impacts of some practices. By focussing attention on welfare problems, the Model can guide the implementation of remedies, including ways of promoting positive welfare states. Finally, wider applications of the Five Domains Model are noted: by enabling both negative and positive welfare-relevant experiences to be graded, the Model can be applied to quality of life assessments and end-of-life decisions and, with particular regard to negative experiences, the Model can also help to strengthen expert witness testimony during

Assessing the effect of off-farm income diversification on agricultural production in rural Nigeria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Babatunde, Raphael O.

2012-01-01

Farming as a primary source of income has failed to guarantee sufficient livelihood for most farming households in developing countries, and agricultural development policies have largely produced little improvement, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Diversification into off-farm activities has

The influence of reactive current on wind farm LVRT behavior

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Qing; Zhang, Mei; He, Jing; Qin, Shi-yao [China Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing (China)

2012-07-01

The Low voltage ride through (LVRT) capability of the whole wind farm is required in Chinese grid code published in 2011. In order to analyze the influence of reactive current on wind farm during grid fault, a 100 MW wind farm was simulated with the wind turbines which have been tested. Based on the validated wind turbine model, the wind farm was detailed modelled in DigSILENT/PowerFactory. The model of wind turbines, transformers, feeders, main transformers, static var compensator, and transmission lines was considered in the simulation. Under the weak and strong grid conditions, the wind farm was simulated with different wind turbine reactive current behavior during grid fault, respectively. The voltage distribution, active and reactive power transient behavior at the point of interconnection was analyzed. The results show that wind farm LVRT behavior is related to reactive current and LVRT capability of wind turbine, wind farm electrical structure and grid conditions. And it is very important for wind turbine to have a flexible dynamic reactive current control capability. (orig.)

Farm Management: rethinking directions?

OpenAIRE

Kemp, David R.; Girdwood, John; Parton, Kevin A.; Charry, Al A.

2004-01-01

Farms and farming are major contributors to the world economy, directly responsible for a large part of GDP. These achievements are not trivial and imply that farms are being managed in reasonably effective ways, else agricultural industries would not be sustained. However has the study of Farm Management within Australia made significant contributions to agriculture or lagged in the background. Is it contributing to better Farm Management or merely cataloguing what has happened? Is it leadin...

Use of donkeys and their draught performance in smallholder farming in Zimbabwe.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagmann, J; Prasad, V L

1995-11-01

Animal traction constitutes the most important source of power for agricultural work in smallholder farming in Zimbabwe. Two studies, a survey and a short term on-farm trial were conducted to evaluate the use of donkeys as draught animals. The survey covered 59 households in 2 smallholder farming areas. For the on-farm trial, 12 donkeys and 12 cattle were spanned separately in teams of 4 animals to plough 40 m x 70 m plots of medium textured soil. The survey findings highlighted the drought tolerance of donkeys compared to cattle. Mortality rates of donkeys were lower. Results of the draught performance trial indicated that donkeys ploughed less area per day (P draught force between the 2 species. The work rate per hour for ploughing with donkeys was 65% of that of cattle. It was concluded that donkeys play a critical role in providing draught power for smallholder farmers but that their potential is not fully utilised.

Sample representativeness verification of the FADN CZ farm business sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Prášilová

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Sample representativeness verification is one of the key stages of statistical work. After having joined the European Union the Czech Republic joined also the Farm Accountancy Data Network system of the Union. This is a sample of bodies and companies doing business in agriculture. Detailed production and economic data on the results of farming business are collected from that sample annually and results for the entire population of the country´s farms are then estimated and assessed. It is important hence, that the sample be representative. Representativeness is to be assessed as to the number of farms included in the survey and also as to the degree of accordance of the measures and indices as related to the population. The paper deals with the special statistical techniques and methods of the FADN CZ sample representativeness verification including the necessary sample size statement procedure. The Czech farm population data have been obtained from the Czech Statistical Office data bank.

Characterisation of wild rabbit commercial game farms in Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro González-Redondo

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to characterise the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus commercial game farms in Spain using variables related to structure, management and marketing. To this end, a structured survey was administered in 2009 to 21 privately-owned farms. This subsector was an average age of 13. The average size of the breeding stock of the farms was 431 does and 64 bucks. Eighty-five percent of the farms kept all or part of the breeding stock in cages and 38.1% used artificial insemination. All the farms carried out breeder self-replacement, 4.8% by buying wild rabbits from other farms, whereas 38.1% captured wild rabbits for this purpose. Nineteen percent of the wild rabbit game farms also produced other game species, mainly red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa, pheasant (Phasianus colchicus and quail (Coturnix coturnix. Fourteen percent of the farms supplied wild rabbits to be used as prey to be released in programmes for the conservation of endangered predators, and 38.1% supplied breeding rabbits to be used by other farms to replace culled animals. Eighty-six percent of the farms offered the service of transporting the animals from the farm to the hunting grounds to their clients, and 14.3% advised customers on how to successfully release and restock hunting grounds. Seventy-six percent of the farms marketed their products throughout Spain, and 38.1% exported wild rabbits to neighbouring countries, mainly Portugal and France. Forty-three percent of the farms advertised themselves in hunting magazines, 19.1% promoted themselves by attending livestock and game fairs, and 38.1% had their own websites. In conclusion, this alternative rabbit production system constitutes a well-established subsector in Spain, despite being only 2 decades old. It also seems that it has not yet reached its development maturity. It shows wide diversity in terms of farm size and structure, as well as marketing and promotional activities.

Is Farm Management Skill Persistent?

OpenAIRE

Li, Xin; Paulson, Nicholas

2014-01-01

Farm management skills can affect farm managers' performance. In this article, farm management performance is analyzed based on yearly Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) panel data across 6,760 farms from 1996 through 2011. Two out-of-sample measures of skill are used to analyze the ability of farm managers that consistently perform well over yearly and longer time horizons. Persistence tests show management skills are consistent and predictable. Results also suggest that the most ...

The Implications of Ranaviruses to European farmed and wild freshwater fish

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ann Britt Bang

The present thesis explores the implications of ranaviruses to European farmed and wild freshwater fish. The work presented was carried out as a part of the EU project “Risk assessment of new and emerging systemic iridoviral diseases for European fish and aquatic ecosystems” which was initiated...... in 2005 as a reaction to the speculation that ranaviruses might pose a serious threat to both farmed and wild-living freshwater fish and amphibians within the European community. In the present thesis, the purpose is to determine the implications of ranaviruses to European freshwater farmed and wild...... describing the risk of introduction and spread of exotic ranaviruses in European wild and farmed aquatic ecosystems Objectives 1 and 2 have been addressed by experimental trials involving bath challenges of both European farmed and wild fish species and ornamental fish species. The results showed that some...

Whole farm management to reduce nutrient losses from dairy farms: a simulation study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rotz, C.A.; Oenema, J.; Keulen, van H.

2003-01-01

Whole farm simulation provides a tool for evaluating the impact of nutrient conservation technologies and strategies on dairy farms. A farm simulation model was verified by simulating the production and nutrient flows of the De Marke experimental dairy farm in the Netherlands. Technology such as a

"An Equal Interest in the Soil": Creek Small-Scale Farming and the Work of Nationhood, 1866-1889

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, David A.

2009-01-01

After the war in 1866, slaves became the owners of the lands they once farmed for their masters. The land they farmed became their own because of the nature of Creek citizenship and land tenure. The 1866 treaty of peace between the United States federal government and the Creek Nation (also known as the Muskogee Nation) declared that freed slaves…

The role of renewable energy on animal farms

Science.gov (United States)

Csatári, Nándor; Vántus, András

2015-04-01

The recent measures in the European Union promote the usage of renewable energies and enhancing the energy efficiency. These measures also effect agriculture, on the one hand by using biofuels mixed into fuel for machinery. Besides biofuels animal farms have opportunities in using renewable energy in several other ways. There are sectors in animal farming, where the energy demand is continuously high in electricity (e.g. forage grinders, mixers, milk coolers, air ventilation systems) or in heating (e.g. stables for poultry or piglets). Beside the energy demand in agricultural sector there are several products and side products suitable for energy production. For example different kinds of organic manures and corn silage could be raw materials for biogas production; plant residues like cereal straw and corn stalk bales could be combusted in boilers. Furthermore solar cells or solar collectors can be mounted on the big roof surfaces of animal farm buildings. Among animal farming sectors, dairy farming in the most energy intensive, and uses the widest variety of energy forms. It is often mentioned as the "heavy industry" of animal farming. In this research 14 dairy farms were examined in Hajdú-Bihar County in the topic of energy demand, renewable energy usage. The questioned farms covers 35% of the dairy cow population in Hajdú-Bihar County. The questions covered the general attributes of the farms and the details of the (existing or planned) renewable energy application. In terms of economic analysis saving, the investment return time and the employment effect was examined. The results show wide variety of applied renewable energy application. Fifty percent of farms uses at least one kind of renewable energy. Two biogas plants, 6 boilers for solid biomass, 2 solar cells. Regarding employment effect biogas plants created some full time workplaces, biomass boilers also needs some work hours to maintain, but none of the farms applied more labour. Besides renewable

Farming for a Better Climate by Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (FarmClim)

Science.gov (United States)

Amon, Barbara; Winiwarter, Wilfried; Schröck, Andrea; Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Sophie; Kasper, Martina; Sigmund, Elisabeth; Schaller, Lena; Moser, Tobias; Baumgarten, Andreas; Dersch, Georg; Zethner, Gerhard; Anderl, Michael; Kitzler, Barbara

2014-05-01

The project FarmClim (Farming for a better climate) assesses impacts of agriculture on N and GHG fluxes in Austria and proposes measures for improving N efficiency and mitigating emissions, including their economic assessment. This paper focuses on animal husbandry and crop production measures, and on N2O emissions from soils. FarmClim applies national inventory reporting methods to assess Austrian NH3 and GHG fluxes in order to develop flux estimates with implementation of mitigation measures. Based on scientific literature and on the outcome of the Austrian working group agriculture and climate protection a list of potential mitigation measures has been produced: phase feeding, dairy cattle diet, biogas production. Data cover resulting production levels as well as GHG mitigation. In crop production, an optimisation potential remains with respect to N fertilization and nutrient uptake efficiency. Projected regional yield data and information on the N content of arable crops have been delivered from field experiments. These data complement official statistics and allow assessing the effect of increasing proportions of legume crops in crop rotations and reducing fertilizer input on a regional scale. Economic efficiency of measures is a crucial factor for their future implementation on commercial farms. The economic model evaluates investment costs as well as changes in direct costs, labour costs and economic yield. Biophysical modelling with Landscape DNDC allows establishing a framework to move from the current approach of applying the IPCC default emission factor for N2O emissions from soils. We select two Austrian model regions to calculate N fluxes taking into account region and management practices. Hot spots and hot moments as well as mitigation strategies are identified. Two test regions have been identified for soil emission modelling. The Marchfeld is an intensively used agricultural area in North-East Austria with very fertile soils and dry climate. The

Level of the farm intensity organisation as the index of environmental sustainable agricultural production

OpenAIRE

Józef Sawa

2009-01-01

Intensity of the farm production organisation in relation to soil organic matter balance in different degree of mechanization process of work for 42 farms situated in different regions of Poland was analysed. Coefficients agricultural production process in ecological, economic and social aspects were presented also. It was shown that indexes; intensity farm production organisation and soil organic matter balance are correlated.

Soil Rhizosphere Microbial Communities and Enzyme Activities under Organic Farming in Alabama

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zachary Senwo

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Evaluation of the soil rhizosphere has been limited by the lack of robust assessments that can explore the vast complex structure and diversity of soil microbial communities. Our objective was to combine fatty acid methyl ester (FAME and pyrosequencing techniques to evaluate soil microbial community structure and diversity. In addition, we evaluated biogeochemical functionality of the microbial communities via enzymatic activities of nutrient cycling. Samples were taken from a silt loam at 0–10 and 10–20 cm in an organic farm under lettuce (Lactuca sativa, potato (Solanum tuberosum, onion (Allium cepa L, broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis and Tall fescue pasture grass (Festuca arundinacea. Several FAMEs (a15:0, i15:0, i15:1, i16:0, a17:0, i17:0, 10Me17:0, cy17:0, 16:1ω5c and 18:1ω9c varied among the crop rhizospheres. FAME profiles of the soil microbial community under pasture showed a higher fungal:bacterial ratio compared to the soil under lettuce, potato, onion, and broccoli. Soil under potato showed higher sum of fungal FAME indicators compared to broccoli, onion and lettuce. Microbial biomass C and enzyme activities associated with pasture and potato were higher than the other rhizospheres. The lowest soil microbial biomass C and enzyme activities were found under onion. Pyrosequencing revealed significant differences regarding the maximum operational taxonomic units (OTU at 3% dissimilarity level (roughly corresponding to the bacterial species level at 0–10 cm (581.7–770.0 compared to 10–20 cm (563.3–727.7 soil depths. The lowest OTUs detected at 0–10 cm were under broccoli (581.7; whereas the lowest OTUs found at 10–20 cm were under potato (563.3. The predominant phyla (85% in this soil at both depths were Bacteroidetes (i.e., Flavobacteria, Sphingobacteria, and Proteobacteria. Flavobacteriaceae and Xanthomonadaceae were predominant under broccoli. Rhizobiaceae, Hyphomicrobiaceae, and Acidobacteriaceae were more

A SIMULATION OF CONTRACT FARMING USING AGENT BASED MODELING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuanita Handayati

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to simulate the effects of contract farming and farmer commitment to contract farming on supply chain performance by using agent based modeling as a methodology. Supply chain performance is represented by profits and service levels. The simulation results indicate that farmers should pay attention to customer requirements and plan their agricultural activities in order to fulfill these requirements. Contract farming helps farmers deal with demand and price uncertainties. We also find that farmer commitment is crucial to fulfilling contract requirements. This study contributes to this field from a conceptual as well as a practical point of view. From the conceptual point of view, our simulation results show that different levels of farmer commitment have an impact on farmer performance when implementing contract farming. From a practical point of view, the uncertainty faced by farmers and the market can be managed by implementing cultivation and harvesting scheduling, information sharing, and collective learning as ways of committing to contract farming.

Organic farming benefits local plant diversity in vineyard farms located in intensive agricultural landscapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Nascimbene, Juri; Marini, Lorenzo; Paoletti, Maurizio G

2012-05-01

The majority of research on organic farming has considered arable and grassland farming systems in Central and Northern Europe, whilst only a few studies have been carried out in Mediterranean agro-systems, such as vineyards, despite their economic importance. The main aim of the study was to test whether organic farming enhances local plant species richness in both crop and non-crop areas of vineyard farms located in intensive conventional landscapes. Nine conventional and nine organic farms were selected in an intensively cultivated region (i.e. no gradient in landscape composition) in northern Italy. In each farm, vascular plants were sampled in one vineyard and in two non-crop linear habitats, grass strips and hedgerows, adjacent to vineyards and therefore potentially influenced by farming. We used linear mixed models to test the effect of farming, and species longevity (annual vs. perennial) separately for the three habitat types. In our intensive agricultural landscapes organic farming promoted local plant species richness in vineyard fields, and grassland strips while we found no effect for linear hedgerows. Differences in species richness were not associated to differences in species composition, indicating that similar plant communities were hosted in vineyard farms independently of the management type. This negative effect of conventional farming was probably due to the use of herbicides, while mechanical operations and mowing regime did not differ between organic and conventional farms. In grassland strips, and only marginally in vineyards, we found that the positive effect of organic farming was more pronounced for perennial than annual species.

Whole Farm Management to Reduce Nutrient Losses From Dairy Farms: A Simulation Study

OpenAIRE

Rotz, C.A.; Oenema, J.; Keulen, van, H.

2006-01-01

Whole-farm simulation provides a tool for evaluating long-term impacts of nutrient conservation technologies and strategies on dairy farms. A farm simulation model was verified to predict the production and nutrient flows of the De Marke experimental dairy farm in the Netherlands. On this farm, technologies such as a low ammonia emission barn floor, enclosed manure storage, manure injection into the soil, and intraseeding of a grass cover crop on corn land were used to reduce nitrogen loss an...

Alley Farming in Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teerapol Silakul

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Poverty alleviation and environmental preservation are very important issues to many governments. Alley farming is beneficial to the environment because it conserves soil and sustains yields over time. Specifically, alley farming reduces soil erosion, which is a major problem in Thailand. Alley farming was conducted on a farmer’s field at Khaokwan Thong, a village in Uthaithani Province, Northern Thailand. We did a two-by-two factorial with and without alley farming, and with and without fertilizer. From this study, we observed that the two species used, Leucaena leucocephala and Acacia auriculiformis, grow well in Thailand, and that alley farming is suitable for Thailand. Few Thai farmers have heard about alley farming. However, it is nevertheless useful to know that there is potential for alley farming in Thailand using the two species. These plants, based upon the diameter and height measurements provided, grew well.

Wage and Hour Farm Labor Laws.

Science.gov (United States)

Hertel, Catherine

This paper, by a teacher of migrants, summarizes various farm labor laws and child labor laws pertaining to migrant and seasonal workers. The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act of 1983 provides workers with assurances about pay, hours, and working conditions, including safety and health. This legislation permits anyone…

Application of SMES in wind farm to improve voltage stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, J.; Tang, Y.J.; Ren, L.; Li, J.D.; Chen, S.J.

2008-01-01

For the wind farms introducing doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs), voltage stability is an essential issue which influences their widely integration into the power grid. This paper proposes the application of superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) in the power system integrated with wind farms. SMES can control the active and reactive power flow, realizing the operation in four quadrants independently. The introducing of SMES can smooth the output power flow of the wind farms, and supply dynamic voltage support. Using MATLAB/SIMULINK, the models of the DFIG, the power grid connected and the SMES are created. Simulation results show that the voltage stability of the power system integrated with wind farms can be improved considerably

uFarm: a smart farm management system based on RFID

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyoungsuk; Lee, Moonsup; Jung, Jonghyuk; Lee, Hyunwook; Kim, Taehyoun

2007-12-01

Recently, the livestock industry in Korea has been threatened by many challenges such as low productivity due to labor intensiveness, global competition compelled by the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and emerging animal disease issues such as BSE or foot-and-mouth. In this paper, we propose a smart farm management system, called uFarm, which would come up with such challenges by automating farm management. First, we automate labor-intensive jobs using equipments based on sensors and actuators. The automation subsystem can be controlled by remote user through wireless network. Second, we provide real-time traceability of information on farm animals using the radio-frequency identification (RFID) method and embedded data server with network connectivity.

PERFORMANCES COMPARISON BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL PIG FARMING SYSTEMS IN MANOKWARI, WEST PAPUA PROVINCE INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Desni Triana Ruli Saragih

2015-10-01

were no differences in household members, experience, average pig owned, working hours, selling period, litter size and number of farrowing. There are nine point of pig farming improvement that should be done to sustain pig farming systems in Manokwari Papua. Education may be improved by provide informal and skillful education. Pig ownership should be increased. Working hours must be increased. Pig keeping in the pens should be done by farmers. Managing pigs with additional time is important so that pigs will be maintained well. Litter sizes both in urban and rural are low, therefore further improvements are needed. Recording pig productivities must be done by every farmer. (Key words: Arfak pig farmers, Pig performance, Rural pig farming, Urban pig farming

Honduras - Transportation and Farm to Market Roads

Data.gov (United States)

Millennium Challenge Corporation — The evaluation of the Transport Project and Farm to Market Roads Activity aimed to answer whether or not improved conditions throughout the road network: • Lowered...

Dermal exposure assessment of pesticide use: The case of sprayers in potato farms in the Colombian highlands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lesmes-Fabian, Camilo, E-mail: camilo.lesmes@geographie.uni-muenchen.de [Department of Geography, University of Munich, Luisenstrasse 37, D-80333 Munich (Germany); Institute for Systems Science, Innovation and Sustainability Research, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Merangase 18/I, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Garcia-Santos, Glenda [Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich (Switzerland); Leuenberger, Fanny [Institute of Geology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zurich (Switzerland); Nuyttens, David [Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Technology and Food Science Unit, Agricultural Engineering, Burg. van Gansberghelaan 115 bus 1, 9820 Merelbeke (Belgium); Binder, Claudia R. [Department of Geography, University of Munich, Luisenstrasse 37, D-80333 Munich (Germany); Institute for Systems Science, Innovation and Sustainability Research, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Merangase 18/I, A-8010 Graz (Austria)

2012-07-15

Quantifying dermal exposure to pesticides in farming systems in developing countries is of special interest for the estimation of potential health risks, especially when there is a lack of occupational hygiene regulations. In this paper we present the results of a dermal exposure assessment for the potato farming system in the highlands of Colombia, where farmers apply pesticides with hand pressure sprayers without any personal protective equipment. The fractioning of the pesticide, in terms of potential and actual dermal exposure, was determined via the whole-body dosimetry methodology, using the tracer uranine as pesticide surrogate, and luminescence spectrometry as analytical method. We assessed the three activities involved in pesticide management: preparation, application, and cleaning; analyzed three types of nozzles: one with a standard discharge and two modified by farmers to increase the discharge; and derived the protection factor given by work clothing. Our results suggest that to reduce the health risk, three aspects have to be considered: (i) avoiding the modification of nozzles, which affects the droplet size spectrum and increases the level of dermal exposure; (ii) using adequate work clothing made of thick fabrics, especially on the upper body parts; and (iii) cleaning properly the tank sprayer before the application activity. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We assessed dermal exposure to pesticides in the potato farming system in Colombia. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High potential exposure was found in lower body parts during the application. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High actual exposure was found in arms and back due to inadequate protection. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer There is a high health risk of using Metamidophos under current working conditions.

Production Flexibility in Extensive Beef Farming Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Astigarraga

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is to assess the flexibility of production allowed by extensive production conditions faced with variations in the environment, i.e., market variations and climatic fluctuations, of Limousin beef systems. The study used a case-based methodology in which seven beef farms with less than 1 LU/ha were chosen. Data collection was based on three interviews using a semistructured questionnaire and on the analysis of productive and economic results over a 15-year period (1991-2005. The main evolution of these farms is related to a rise in work productivity associated with an increase in herd size. Herd increase was made possible by enlarging the area, the margin of intensification being limited in these regions. To take advantage of the enlarged land area, females were reared for fattening or for reproduction instead of selling them at weaning. The Limousin female provides a wide product mix because of its plasticity, as has been studied by several researchers. This mix flexibility is achieved by delaying product differentiation, a form of production flexibility that can reduce the risk of under-producing or over-producing varied product configurations. On the other hand, calves sold to the Italian market after weaning are generic products, associated with a flexible production process to overcome fluctuations in forage availability due to climatic variations. The introduction of maize silage for feeding acts as an alternative route, actual and potential, through the system to overcome unexpected forage shortage from natural grasslands as a result of droughts. The study shows that extensive farming systems have developed types of flexibility to match different factors of uncertainty from the environment. Finally, the issue of farm system performance is thus not so much a question of whether a farm is fit at a specific moment in time, but whether it transforms into a less or more sustainable orientation.

Farming with future: making crop protection sustainable

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijnands, F.G.

2011-01-01

The project Farming with future works with parties with a vested interest to promote sustainable crop protection in practice. Besides developing new knowledge, it spends a good deal of its energy in the embedding of sustainable practices within relevant organisations, businesses and agrarian

How the LHC is inspiring a Smart Urban Farm Startup

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Rassat, KT group

2016-01-01

Innovative ideas blossom at the KT Entrepreneurship meet-ups.   Industrial control systems can be used in smart urban farms, for example for aquaponics. (Image: Exodes Urbains) The CERN Knowledge Transfer (KT) entrepreneurship meet-ups (or EM-Us) are the ideal place to discuss entrepreneurship and innovation at CERN. The latest inspiring story comes from a former CERN robotics engineer, Axel Voitier, who worked in the Engineering department. Having worked nearly a decade on managing data coming from the industrial control systems on the LHC, now he will be focusing on the data to help manage “smart urban farms”. Indeed, Axel is currently setting up a company dedicated to this new type of farming, an internet-of-things approach where control systems are used to manage urban farms automatically. “Data is the new petrol,” says Axel, “but I am interested in having a direct impact on the final users. This is why the security aspect is vital, because ev...

Microeconomics of the Productivity, Price Indicators and Farm Incomes. Analytical Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Włodzimierz Rembisz

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The paper develops a farm producer behavior type model to analyze the impact of a input productivity and price change on farm incomes. The theoretical analysis shows the consequences of the balance between the increase of production factor prices and their productivity improvement in the condition of stable procurement price for the farm producers income. The cost effect of the production factors price increment and its neutralization by productivity (TFP-type growth is examined as well as some aspects of the inputs shares (returns and costs in the produce value. The article argues that labor input productivity as an endogenous factor, is an essential for farm incomes growth assuming the specified type of the farm producer utility function (its equations and variables as well as no the compensative procurement price change conditions. Some empirical evidence is attached however more work in that respect is foreseen.

Farm workers' health and pesticide residue analysis of three farms in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cross sectional survey on the health status of the farm workers, engaged with pesticide use, at three agricultural farms; one in Debre zeit and two in Meki, Ethiopia, was conducted. A low prevalence of respiratory symptoms, chronic cough = 2.4%, in the farm workers as well as, chronic cough = 2.7%, in the control group was ...

Uses of glyphosate in German arable farming – operational aspects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wiese, Armin

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Glyphosate is the most frequently used herbicide active ingredient in Germany. Studies regarding its usage in non-GMO arable farming are still rare even though it plays an important role in several agronomic situations. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive survey, which was carried out among conventional German farms in Winter 2014/2015. Based on the results of this survey we analyzed via cluster analysis how types of farms differ in terms of glyphosate usage. An illustration of seven clusters allows deep insights into arable farm structures. The farm types can be distinguished regarding their tillage system and similar to this differentiation also concerning their intensity of glyphosate application. Furthermore, it becomes obvious that farm clusters with a higher level of glyphosate usage are characterized by a lower number of labourers per hectare, more arable land and/or enhanced cover cropping. Moreover, groups of farmers who rely more on glyphosate are more likely to state that they need glyphosate for herbicide resistance management. Farmers’ assessments of the economic importance of glyphosate usage vary depending on the type of farm. By means of the farm clusters, the most important situations of glyphosate usage can be further analyzed economically and scenarios for impact assessments can be made.

A Hybrid Wind-Farm Parametrization for Mesoscale and Climate Models

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Yang; Archer, Cristina L.

2018-04-01

To better understand the potential impact of wind farms on weather and climate at the regional to global scales, a new hybrid wind-farm parametrization is proposed for mesoscale and climate models. The proposed parametrization is a hybrid model because it is not based on physical processes or conservation laws, but on the multiple linear regression of the results of large-eddy simulations (LES) with the geometric properties of the wind-farm layout (e.g., the blockage ratio and blockage distance). The innovative aspect is that each wind turbine is treated individually based on its position in the farm and on the wind direction by predicting the velocity upstream of each turbine. The turbine-induced forces and added turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) are first derived analytically and then implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting model. Idealized simulations of the offshore Lillgrund wind farm are conducted. The wind-speed deficit and TKE predicted with the hybrid model are in excellent agreement with those from the LES results, while the wind-power production estimated with the hybrid model is within 10% of that observed. Three additional wind farms with larger inter-turbine spacing than at Lillgrund are also considered, and a similar agreement with LES results is found, proving that the hybrid parametrization works well with any wind farm regardless of the spacing between turbines. These results indicate the wind-turbine position, wind direction, and added TKE are essential in accounting for the wind-farm effects on the surroundings, for which the hybrid wind-farm parametrization is a promising tool.

INCLUFAR – INCLUSIVE FARMING – A NEW EDUCATIONAL APPROACH IN SOCIAL FARMING

OpenAIRE

van Elsen, Thomas; Herz, Gerhard; Ehlers, Hartwig; Schäfer, Winfried; Merckens, Klaus

2014-01-01

"Social farming" and “Green Care” are being developed throughout Europe: farms which put the "multifunctionality" demanded by the policy makers into practice, contributing to the creation of jobs in rural areas through the creation of social services. The team of authors has applied successfully to run the project “Inclusive farming – transfer of concepts, experiences, skills and training tools for Social Farming and eco-social inclusion” within the “Leonardo da Vinci - Transfer of Innovation...

Level of the farm intensity organisation as the index of environmental sustainable agricultural production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Józef Sawa

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Intensity of the farm production organisation in relation to soil organic matter balance in different degree of mechanization process of work for 42 farms situated in different regions of Poland was analysed. Coefficients agricultural production process in ecological, economic and social aspects were presented also. It was shown that indexes; intensity farm production organisation and soil organic matter balance are correlated.

Farm tourism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blichfeldt, Bodil Stilling; Nielsen, Niels Christian; Just, Flemming

2011-01-01

This paper draws on a study of one specific type of small tourism enterprises (i.e. farm tourism enterprises) and argues that these enterprises differ from other enterprises in relation to a series of issues other than merely size. The analysis shows that enterprises such as these are characterized......, our study suggests that it is problematic to threat farm tourism enterprises as if they have much in common with both larger corporations and other types of SMTEs. Farm tourism enterprises seem to differ significantly from other enterprises as the hosts are not in the tourism business because...

Exploring the Role of Farm Animals in Providing Care at Care Farms.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hassink, Jan; De Bruin, Simone R; Berget, Bente; Elings, Marjolein

2017-01-01

We explore the role of farm animals in providing care to different types of participants at care farms (e.g., youngsters with behavioural problems, people with severe mental problems and people with dementia). Care farms provide alternative and promising settings where people can interact with

Prototyping and farm system modelling - Partners on the road towards more sustainable farm systems?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sterk, B.; Ittersum, van M.K.; Leeuwis, C.; Wijnands, F.G.

2007-01-01

Farm system modelling and prototyping are two research methods proposed to enhance the process of developing sustainable farm systems. Farm system models provide means to formalize, expand and refine expert knowledge and to integrate this with scientific agro-ecological knowledge at the farm level.

Fostering Food citizenship through Farm-School Cooperation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dyg, Pernille Malberg

investigated various farm-school cooperation models and the motivation, learning goals and values among farmers and teachers working together to promote children's understanding of food, nature, agriculture and sustainability. The study is based on four case studies and a review of Danish educational materials......Farm visits and closer collaboration between farmers and teachers through the school can enable children to get a direct understanding and potential interest in how their food is produced, the nature of agriculture and a relationship with a farmer as an authentic teacher and expert. In my study, I...... related to food, agriculture and sustainability as well as international research in this field...

The Research of Computer Aided Farm Machinery Designing Method Based on Ergonomics

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Xiyin; Li, Xinling; Song, Qiang; Zheng, Ying

Along with agricultural economy development, the farm machinery product type Increases gradually, the ergonomics question is also getting more and more prominent. The widespread application of computer aided machinery design makes it possible that farm machinery design is intuitive, flexible and convenient. At present, because the developed computer aided ergonomics software has not suitable human body database, which is needed in view of farm machinery design in China, the farm machinery design have deviation in ergonomics analysis. This article puts forward that using the open database interface procedure in CATIA to establish human body database which aims at the farm machinery design, and reading the human body data to ergonomics module of CATIA can product practical application virtual body, using human posture analysis and human activity analysis module to analysis the ergonomics in farm machinery, thus computer aided farm machinery designing method based on engineering can be realized.

Analysis of the asset position of the Hungarian pig farming sector based on the data of the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ildikó ÁBEL

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The goal of the study was the examination of the Hungarian pig sector with particular attention paid to the available assets, to the composition of the non-current assets, to the depreciation value, to the value of gross and net investments and to the value of various supports. It was found that the position of individual farms was more unfavorable; only from 2012 exceeded the value of their investments the value of depreciation, consequently these investments did not result in farm development. Corporate farms on the other hand were able to increase their investments - partly because they were more successful in utilizing the various support measures. Although individual farms had an increased value of investment in the last examined year, the statement above is still valid. Companies characteristically invested in high-value fixed assets, particularly in real estate property, while individual farms preferred intermediate assets, particularly machinery and breeding stock. The results of the study also show that farms keeping fewer pigs (below 50 livestock units chose to increase the size of their breeding stock while reducing their real estate and machinery investment. In the case of medium size pig farms (livestock units 50-150 the situation were more diverse. In 2010 the biggest investment activity occurred in increasing the size of the breeding stock, in 2011 in real estate investment and from 2012 machinery investment had the biggest value. Farms having more than 150 livestock units purchased mainly breeding stock in the first two years, and invested in real estate property from 2012. The small and medium size pig farms realized negative net investment indicating a decreasing productive capacity and falling behind in terms of development. These farms were not able to replace their depreciated assets. In terms of developments only the big pig farms were successful having sufficient resources and successful partaking in the various support

Integration of a wind farm with a wave- and an aquaculture farm

OpenAIRE

He, J.; Weissenberger, J.; Bergh, Øivind; Hjøllo, Solfrid Sætre; Wehde, Henning; Agnalt, Ann-Lisbeth; Chen, Z.; Olason, D.; Thorsteinson, B.; Fosso, O.B.

2011-01-01

There is a growing interest in placing wind farms offshore. 140 GW of offshore wind are currently being planned to reach the EU energy 2020 goal. However, an offshore wind farm occupies a large area and competes with other users of the maritime space. The integration of an offshore wind farm with other marine energy producers such as wave energy and other maritime users such as aquaculture farms may result in significant benefits in terms of economics, optimising spatial utilization, and mini...

Farm-scale biogas development in Southern Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koeberle, E [Biogaskontor, Obermarchtal (Germany)

1997-08-01

This work provides a description of the development of farm-scale plants in Bayern and Baden-Wuerttemberg. The historical development is explained as well as the technical. Main topics are digester concepts, stirring system and co-generation with dual-fuel and gas-engines. (au)

Exploring the role of farm animals in providing care at care farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hassink, Jan; Bruin, de Simone R.; Berget, Bente; Elings, Marjolein

2017-01-01

We explore the role of farm animals in providing care to different types of participants at care farms (e.g., youngsters with behavioural problems, people with severe mental problems and people with dementia). Care farms provide alternative and promising settings where people can interact with

Tourism as revitalizing factor of farms- example of Cvetni salaš (Flowery farm and Majkin salaš (Grandma′s farm in Palić

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dragićević Vanja

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Farms are cultural and ambience special feature of pannonian plain and, in the sense of cultural heritage, they are the protective symbol of Northern Bačka. Farm or "salaš" on Serbian language, represents green oasis made of house, farm buildings, sweep and the endless cultivated plain, but also represents the way of living. As a specific creation of folk architecture and as a special ethnographic museum, with preserved old tools, pottery, folk costume and folk customs, usually situated in preserved natural ambience, farms are attractive for tourists. Unfortunately, they have never been used enough in tourist presentation. The best results in tourist valorization are achieved with farms near towns Subotica and Sombor. These farms require relatively small investments for tourist arrangement and farmers are interested in developing tourism, which can contribute in different ways to revitalization of farms. Farms should create tourist offer, based on unique experience of the plain, authentic ambience, tradition, healthy food. In many European countries, tourism has been recognized as an appropriate tool to revitalize rural areas and to ensure their sustainable development. In this paper, there is going to be presented tourist arrangement and offer of Cvetni salaš (Flowery farm and Majkin salaš (Grandma’s farm, which are situated on Palić, settlement with long tourist tradition.

TANK FARM REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AN EXERCISE IN TECHNICAL & REGULATORY COLLABORATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JARAYSI, M.N.

2007-01-08

The Tank Farm Remediation Technology Development Project at the Hanford Site focuses on waste storage tanks, pipelines and associated ancillary equipment that are part of the C-200 single-shell tank (SST) farm system located in the C Tank Farm. The purpose of the project is to obtain information on the implementation of a variety of closure activities and to answer questions on technical, operational and regulatory issues associated with closure.

Environmental impact assessment of fish farm hatcheries ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Environmental impact assessment of fish farm hatcheries management in lower ... Environmental impact assessments were taken to determine the causes of ... Of significance of impact assessment were activities like air, traffic, noise, had ...

Draft Animal Power at the Core of Strategies of Family Farms in Sub-Saharan Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Havard

2004-03-01

Full Text Available A comparative analysis was carried out on the use of draft animal power in three contrasted situations: the groundnut basin of Senegal, North-Cameroon, and Eastern Burkina Faso. The objective was to characterize draft animal power within farms. In each situation, data were collected according to specific methods and tools, and with the collaboration of various partners, but they did not allow for comparisons between the three countries. In any case, the analysis shows that farmers’ access to animal draft is often a difficult and step by step project. The first step is the acquisition of draft animals, which can require years of effort. The introduction of animal traction leads to major changes in the production system of farmers who need to find a balance between land and energy availability, and manpower. The use of animals helps expand cultivated areas and develop crop/livestock integration. It changes the work organization and distribution, and generates new incomes. Finally, it creates new tasks related to husbandry activities, which thus lead to more expenses from farmers. At the farm level, analyses show that farmers acquire implements in various ways and therefore use various strategies in order to have access to and retain animal traction. They also confirm the central role of animal traction in the life cycle of the farms. At the village level, they show the determining role of work and land exchanges among farms in the process of animal traction acquisition. This process is at an advanced stage in the Senegalese groundnut basin and at an earlier stage in Eastern Burkina Faso and North-Cameroon. It is essential to assist these processes. Priorities must be given to the acquisition of draft animals for unequipped farmers in Eastern Burkina Faso and North-Cameroon, and to taking sustainable measures in all three countries studied, particularly in Senegal: diversified activities, technique control, area-specific innovations.

The Alcohol Intervention Training Program (AITP: A response to alcohol misuse in the farming community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricciardelli Lina A

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Farm men and women in Australia have higher levels of problematic alcohol use than their urban counterparts and experience elevated health risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption. The Sustainable Farm Families (SFF program has worked successfully with farm men and women to address health, well- being and safety and has identified that further research and training is required to understand and address alcohol misuse behaviours. This project will add an innovative component to the program by training health professionals working with farm men and women to discuss and respond to alcohol-related physical and mental health problems. Methods/Design A mixed method design with multi-level evaluation will be implemented following the development and delivery of a training program (The Alcohol Intervention Training Program {AITP} for Sustainable Farm Families health professionals. Pre-, post- and follow-up surveys will be used to assess both the impact of the training on the knowledge, confidence and skills of the health professionals to work with alcohol misuse and associated problems, and the impact of the training on the attitudes, behaviour and mental health of farm men and women who participate in the SFF project. Evaluations will take a range of forms including self-rated outcome measures and interviews. Discussion The success of this project will enhance the health and well-being of a critical population, the farm men and women of Australia, by producing an evidence-based strategy to assist them to adopt more positive alcohol-related behaviours that will lead to better physical and mental health.

Farm Management Basic Core Curriculum. Kansas Postsecondary Farm and Ranch Management Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Albracht, James, Ed.

Thirty-five units of instruction are included in this core curriculum in farm management for postsecondary farm and ranch management programs. Units of instruction are divided into 12 instructional areas: (1) Introduction to Financial Management, (2) Farm Business Arrangement, (3) Credit Management, (4) Budgeting, (5) Recordkeeping, (6) Record…

Women in fish farming and gender perspectives | Singh | Nigerian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In fish farming, women are actively involved in production and other important activities like catching, cleaning, processing, peeling, drying, fish marketing etc. ... making feed-mix, cleaning ponds and guarding the ponds during day time.

Maximum Energy Yield Oriented Turbine Control in PMSG based Wind Farm

OpenAIRE

Tian, Jie; Zhou, Dao; Su, Chi; Blaabjerg, Frede; Chen, Zhe

2017-01-01

: In the modern power systems, with the fast integration of the wind power into the grid, it turns to develop large-scale offshore wind farms equipped with the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) wind turbine. In large-scale offshore wind farms, the wind turbine operating reliability and the wake effect in the wind farm became important issues. The pitch angle and tip speed ratio are the two degrees of freedom for the PMSG wind turbine active power control, which are also the determ...

Rural Non-Farm Economy in Bangladesh: A View from Household Surveys

OpenAIRE

Mahabub Hossain

2004-01-01

This paper was presented at the dialogue on Promoting Rural Non-farm Economy: Is Bangladesh Doing Enough? The paper presents the findings of the surveys, conducted in 1987 and 2000, on the importance of the rural non-farm activities as a source of rural development and factors affecting participation in it. It estimates the duration of employment and the level of productivity, to examine whether the expansion of the rural non-farm economy (RFNE) is caused by "push" or "pull" factors. It also ...

Farm Mapping to Assist, Protect, and Prepare Emergency Responders: Farm MAPPER.

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, Iris; Rollins, Tami; Mahnke, Andrea; Kadolph, Christopher; Minor, Gerald; Keifer, Matthew

2014-01-01

Responders such as firefighters and emergency medical technicians who respond to farm emergencies often face complex and unknown environments. They may encounter hazards such as fuels, solvents, pesticides, caustics, and exploding gas storage cylinders. Responders may be unaware of dirt roads within the farm that can expedite their arrival at critical sites or snow-covered manure pits that act as hidden hazards. A response to a farm, unless guided by someone familiar with the operation, may present a risk to responders and post a challenge in locating the victim. This project explored the use of a Web-based farm-mapping application optimized for tablets and accessible via easily accessible on-site matrix barcodes, or quick response codes (QR codes), to provide emergency responders with hazard and resource information to agricultural operations. Secured portals were developed for both farmers and responders, allowing both parties to populate and customize farm maps with icons. Data were stored online and linked to QR codes attached to mailbox posts where emergency responders may read them with a mobile device. Mock responses were conducted on dairy farms to test QR code linking efficacy, Web site security, and field usability. Findings from farmer usability tests showed willingness to enter data as well as ease of Web site navigation and data entry even with farmers who had limited computer knowledge. Usability tests with emergency responders showed ease of QR code connectivity to the farm maps and ease of Web site navigation. Further research is needed to improve data security as well as assess the program's applicability to nonfarm environments and integration with existing emergency response systems. The next phases of this project will expand the program for regional and national use, develop QR code-linked, Web-based extrication guidance for farm machinery for victim entrapment rescue, and create QR code-linked online training videos and materials for limited

Work-related agricultural fatalities in Australia, 1982-1984.

Science.gov (United States)

Erlich, S M; Driscoll, T R; Harrison, J E; Frommer, M S; Leigh, J

1993-06-01

Work-related agricultural fatalities were examined as part of a larger population-based study of all work-related fatalities in Australia in the period 1982-1984. A total of 257 farm-related fatalities were identified, of which 223 were deaths of persons in the employed civilian labor force (19.4 deaths per 100,000 persons per year) and 34 were deaths of children less than 15 years of age. The fatality incidence was higher among men, older age groups, and nonmanagers in general and in certain occupations in particular. Mobile mechanical equipment (particularly tractors) was the main fatal agent, roll-overs accounting for many of the fatalities. Better provision of information to agricultural workers, improvements in compliance to and enforcement of legislation, and changes in farming work practices are recommended to improve the safety of farms and farm work.

Farm Population of the United States: 1976. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Vera J.; And Others

Prepared cooperatively by the Bureau of the Census and the Economic Research Service of the U.S. DeparLment of Agriculture, this document presents narrative and tabular data on: demographic and social characteristics of the farm population; economic characteristics of the farm population; revision of farm population processing procedures; and…

The assessment and rating of noise from wind farms. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-09-01

The findings of a Working Group on Wind Turbine Noise in the United Kingdom are presented. The broad topics covered are: the philosophy and practice of noise emission control; description of noise emission from wind turbines; a review of current practice and guidance; a survey of public reaction to noise from wind farms; recommendations on noise limits; noise monitoring; the planning obligation. In deriving suggested noise limits, a reasonable degree of protection to wind farm neighbours has been sought which will not place unreasonable restrictions and undue added costs and administrative burdens on wind farm developers or local authorities. Examples of practice in the control of noise emissions at wind farms in the United Kingdom and the USA are assembled in an Appendix. (29 figures; 13 tables; 32 references) (UK)

Sewing machines and bank loans, farming and family planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Sai, F A; Nsarkoh, J D

1980-03-01

Half of a $10,000 grant was given by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) to finance the rural development project activities of Danfa, a village of about 835 people in Ghana. In this community the women are hard working but doubly disadvantaged. Along with a high illiteracy rate, the women are limited by inadequate income due to underemployment, under productivity, unfavorable farming conditions, and a lack of resources. Large families, frequent pregnancies, poor mother and child health, and high infant mortality all make matters worse for both the rural farm wife and her family. The project began with a nucleus of women that soon grew to between 24-30. Members soon formed small groups according to their occupational interests. The women grasped the self-help idea immediately. Once or twice a month there were demonstrations and the group worked together in such activities as making soap and pomade, preparing meals, and sewing. Meetings generally ended with a general group brainstorming and then members gathered in smaller groups to review their activities and plan for the future. During the 1st year of the project the men in the group rarely attended meetings. The group gave priority attention to their community's urgent need for working capital. 15 women farmers who met the criteria determined by the group received loans in the 1st round; only 8 satisfied the criteria in the 2nd round. At the beginning of the small loans scheme, the group decided to seek bigger loans from the bank if members proved credit worthy. This requirement was satisfied, and the group began negotiations for a loan with the Agricultural Development Bank. The group received the total group loan. The Ghana Home Science Association considers the project to be successful in several respects. Team spirit has developed the group, and the women play important and respected roles. Family planning problems are regularly presented for discussion, but it is difficult to correlate

Intensity of the production organisation in organic and conventional dairy farms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Urszula Malaga-Toboła

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a comparative analysis of the intensity of the production organization between dairy farms conducting agricultural activity in organic and conventional production systems. Study groups of farms were located in the southern (fifteen organic farms, central and eastern part of Poland (fifteen conventional farms. The study was conducted in the form of a directed interview in the marketing year 2010/2011. Area, structure of land use and crop, livestock and the size of plant and animal in the production global and commodity were specified. The analysis showed a lot of differences between the two systems of production, from the area of farm and structure of land use and finally the production outputs. Basic statistical analysis was also conducted. It showed a significant negative correlation between the area of agricultural land and a positive correlation between the livestock and intensity of organisation of production. However, the correlation coefficients between the studied variables in the analysed farm groups differed from each other.

[Storage of plant protection products in farms: minimum safety requirements].

Science.gov (United States)

Dutto, Moreno; Alfonzo, Santo; Rubbiani, Maristella

2012-01-01

Failure to comply with requirements for proper storage and use of pesticides in farms can be extremely hazardous and the risk of accidents involving farm workers, other persons and even animals is high. There are still wide differences in the interpretation of the concept of "securing or making safe", by workers in this sector. One of the critical points detected, particularly in the fruit sector, is the establishment of an adequate storage site for plant protection products. The definition of "safe storage of pesticides" is still unclear despite the recent enactment of Legislative Decree 81/2008 regulating health and work safety in Italy. In addition, there are no national guidelines setting clear minimum criteria for storage of plant protection products in farms. The authors, on the basis of their professional experience and through analysis of recent legislation, establish certain minimum safety standards for storage of pesticides in farms.

Autonomy support and need satisfaction in prevocational programs on care farms: The self-determination theory perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellingsen-Dalskau, Lina H; Morken, Margrete; Berget, Bente; Pedersen, Ingeborg

2015-01-01

Mental health problems are leading causes for early and prolonged withdrawal from the workforce. Green work on care farms represents a prevocational training program intended to stimulate return to work for people with mental health problems. Research suggests that care farms may improve mental health, but there is still little knowledge of the subjective perspective of clients in green work programs. To gain a deeper and broader understanding of the individual experiences of people with mental health problems participating in green work on care farms in Norway. A hermeneutic phenomenological research design was applied. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted. The self-determination theory (SDT) was adapted to gain a deeper understanding of the themes that emerged in the analysis process of the interviews. Five main themes materialize describing participants' experiences within the green work program. The main themes consist of (1) structure and flexibility, (2) understanding and acknowledgement, (3) guidance and positive feedback, (4) nature and animals, and (5) reflections on personal functioning and the future. The main themes identified indicate a high degree of autonomy support and need satisfaction within the care farm context, which according to SDT can facilitate good human functioning, and well-being.

Regenerative agriculture: merging farming and natural resource conservation profitably.

Science.gov (United States)

LaCanne, Claire E; Lundgren, Jonathan G

2018-01-01

Most cropland in the United States is characterized by large monocultures, whose productivity is maintained through a strong reliance on costly tillage, external fertilizers, and pesticides (Schipanski et al., 2016). Despite this, farmers have developed a regenerative model of farm production that promotes soil health and biodiversity, while producing nutrient-dense farm products profitably. Little work has focused on the relative costs and benefits of novel regenerative farming operations, which necessitates studying in situ , farmer-defined best management practices. Here, we evaluate the relative effects of regenerative and conventional corn production systems on pest management services, soil conservation, and farmer profitability and productivity throughout the Northern Plains of the United States. Regenerative farming systems provided greater ecosystem services and profitability for farmers than an input-intensive model of corn production. Pests were 10-fold more abundant in insecticide-treated corn fields than on insecticide-free regenerative farms, indicating that farmers who proactively design pest-resilient food systems outperform farmers that react to pests chemically. Regenerative fields had 29% lower grain production but 78% higher profits over traditional corn production systems. Profit was positively correlated with the particulate organic matter of the soil, not yield. These results provide the basis for dialogue on ecologically based farming systems that could be used to simultaneously produce food while conserving our natural resource base: two factors that are pitted against one another in simplified food production systems. To attain this requires a systems-level shift on the farm; simply applying individual regenerative practices within the current production model will not likely produce the documented results.

Improving environmental management on small-scale farms: perspectives of extension educators and horse farm operators.

Science.gov (United States)

Rebecca, Perry-Hill; Linda, Prokopy

2015-01-01

Although the number of small-scale farms is increasing in North America and Europe, few studies have been conducted to better understand environmental management in this sector. We investigate this issue by examining environmental management on horse farms from both the perspective of the "expert" extension educator and horse farm operator. We conducted a Delphi survey and follow-up interviews with extension educators in Indiana and Kentucky. We also conducted interviews and farm assessments with 15 horse farm operators in the two states. Our results suggest a disconnection between the perceptions of extension educators and horse farm operators. Extension educators believed that operators of small horse farms are unfamiliar with conservation practices and their environmental benefits and they found it difficult to target outreach to this audience. In the interviews with horse farm operators, we found that the majority were somewhat familiar with conservation practices like rotational grazing, soil testing, heavy use area protection, and manure composting. It was not common, however, for practices to be implemented to generally recognized standards. The horse farm respondents perceived these practices as interrelated parts of a system of farm management that has developed over time to best deal with the physical features of the property, needs of the horses, and available resources. Because conservation practices must be incorporated into a complex farm management system, traditional models of extension (i.e., diffusion of innovations) may be inappropriate for promoting better environmental management on horse farms.

Modelling the economics of farm-based anaerobic digestion in a UK whole-farm context

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, Philip; Salter, Andrew

2013-01-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) technologies convert organic wastes and crops into methane-rich biogas for heating, electricity generation and vehicle fuel. Farm-based AD has proliferated in some EU countries, driven by favourable policies promoting sustainable energy generation and GHG mitigation. Despite increased state support there are still few AD plants on UK farms leading to a lack of normative data on viability of AD in the whole-farm context. Farmers and lenders are therefore reluctant to fund AD projects and policy makers are hampered in their attempts to design policies that adequately support the industry. Existing AD studies and modelling tools do not adequately capture the farm context within which AD interacts. This paper demonstrates a whole-farm, optimisation modelling approach to assess the viability of AD in a more holistic way, accounting for such issues as: AD scale, synergies and conflicts with other farm enterprises, choice of feedstocks, digestate use and impact on farm Net Margin. This modelling approach demonstrates, for example, that: AD is complementary to dairy enterprises, but competes with arable enterprises for farm resources. Reduced nutrient purchases significantly improve Net Margin on arable farms, but AD scale is constrained by the capacity of farmland to absorb nutrients in AD digestate. -- Highlights: •Lack of empirical data on UK farm AD is barrier to investment and policy formulation. •A modelling approach used to assess economic viability of AD in whole-farm context. •AD increases dairy and arable farm net margin including by savings in nutrient costs. •AD margins better for a few crops than other uses, especially wheat and beet crops. •AD co-exists with dairy, but to obtain best margin displaces conventional cropping

Analysis of farming types’ characteristics in the Boianu Plain (Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iuliana Vijulie

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to analyze the distribution and dimensional structure of the farms depending on their legal status, and the owners’ perceptions on the current status. The main research methods used in the study were: direct observation method, digital mapping, statistical analysis, surveying (semi-structured interview and SWOT analysis. The Boianu Plain is by excellence an agricultural region. Its arable land is worked/operated by three main categories of farms: individual holdings, family farming associations and farming societies. Production obtained within individual holdings is always lower comparative to family farming associations and especially to farming societies. Partnership helps farmers to join their technical and financial means in order to increase the annual production and, implicitly, gain profit. In this respect, the farmers’ perception resulted from the semi-structured interviews is a good evaluation instrument. The most critical issue at local level is making individual farmers aware of the benefits of family association and/or farmland leasing. The SWOT analysis reveals the possibility of an efficient management as driven by the way that the existing opportunities are able to mitigate or completely remove the weaknesses. The Boianu Plain has a very good agricultural potential in a highly favourable environment, but poorly capitalized.

Education Outreach Associated with Technology Transfer in a Colonia of South Texas: Green Valley Farms Science and Space Club for Middle School Aged Children in Green Valley Farms, San Benito, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Potess, Marla D.; Rainwater, Ken; Muirhead, Dean

2004-01-01

Texas colonias are unincorporated subdivisions characterized by inadequate water and wastewater infrastructure, inadequate drainage and road infrastructure, substandard housing, and poverty. Since 1989 the Texas Legislature has implemented policies to halt further development of colonias and to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs in existing and new colonias along the border with Mexico. Government programs and non-government and private organization projects aim to address these infrastructure needs. Texas Tech University's Water Resources Center demonstrated the use of alternative on-site wastewater treatment in the Green Valley Farms colonia, San Benito, Texas. The work in Green Valley Farms was a component of a NASA-funded project entitled Evaluation of NASA's Advanced Life Support Integrated Water Recovery System for Non-Optimal Conditions and Terrestrial Applications. Two households within the colonia are demonstration sites for constructed wetlands. A colonia resident and activist identified educational opportunities for colonia children as a primary goal for many colonia residents. Colonia parents view education as the door to opportunity and escape from poverty for their children. The educational outreach component of the project in Green Valley Farms was a Science and Space Club for middle-school age students. Involved parents, schoolteachers, and school administrators enthusiastically supported the monthly club meetings and activities. Each month, students participated in interactive learning experiences about water use and reuse in space and on earth. Activities increased knowledge and interest in water resource issues and in science and engineering fields. The Institute for the Development and Enrichment of Advanced Learners (IDEAL) at Texas Tech University provided full scholarships for five students from Green Valley Farms to attend the Shake Hands With Your Future camp at Texas Tech University in June 2003. The educational outreach

Economic Situation of Fish Farming in Southeastern Coast of the Black Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ştefan Mihai Petrea

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Aquaculture industry, like most other industries, has a very powerfull correlation with the economical domain. Being an economic activity that generates profit, practicing fish farming aims profit maximization. The present study gives information regarding the economical indicators and also makes a cost structure analysis of five groups of fish farms from Southeastern Coast of the Black Sea: homestead fish farms, small scale fish farms, middle scale fish farms, big scale fish farms and floating cages. The fish farms were classified in this way by their production capacity. In order to collect data, the most representative fish farms for each group were selected and face to face interviews were made for every one of them. Data related to their source of financing, initial investment, labour costs, selling prices, feed costs and other operational costs were collected, arranged, structured and analyzed and a series of economic indicators as gross production value, gross margin, breakeven quantity, specific investment, profit, profitability ratio, rate of return or labour productivity were calculated. As a result, it was observed that fish production capacity has a big influence over the rate of return, middle scale fish farms being the most profitable, followed closely by small scale fish farms.

The Monitor System for the LHCb on-line farm

CERN Document Server

Bonifazi, F; Carbone, A; Galli, D; Gregori, D; Marconi, U; Peco, G; Vagnoni, V

2005-01-01

The aim of the LHCb on-line farm Monitor System is to keep under control all the working indicators which are relevant for the farm operation, and to set the appropriate alarms whenever an error or a critical condition comes up. Since the most stressing tasks of the farm are the data transfer and processing, relevant indicators includes the CPU and the memory load of the system, the network interface and the TCP/IP stack parameters, the rates of the interrupts raised by the network interface card and the detailed status of the running processes. The monitoring of computers’ physical conditions (temperatures, fan speeds and motherboard voltages) are the subject of a separate technical note, since they are accessed in a different way, by using the IPMI protocol.

Farm Household Survival Strategies and Diversification on Marginal Farms

Science.gov (United States)

Meert, H.; Van Huylenbroeck, G.; Vernimmen, T.; Bourgeois, M.; van Hecke, E.

2005-01-01

On marginal farms, and in agriculture in general, sustainability is largely guaranteed by a broad range of survival strategies, closely interlinked and embedded in the household structure of typical family farms. This paper reports results of a socio-economic study carried out among Belgian farmers, focusing specifically on the opportunities…

Dale Coke: Coke Farm

OpenAIRE

Farmer, Ellen

2010-01-01

Dale Coke grew up on an apricot orchard in California’s Santa Clara Valley. In 1976 he bought ten acres of farmland near Watsonville in Santa Cruz County but continued to work repairing fuel injection systems rather than farming at his new home. In 1981, a struggle with cancer inspired him to rethink his life and become an organic farmer. His neighbor, who had grown strawberries using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, asserted that strawberries could not be grown organically. Coke set out ...

Farm Population of the United States: 1972. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of the Census (DOC), Suitland, MD. Population Div.

Based on data derived from the Current Population Survey of the Bureau of Census, this statistical report presents demographic and labor force characteristics of the U.S. farm population and comparisons of the farm and nonfarm populations. Tabular data are presented as follows: (1) U.S. Population, Total and Farm: April 1960 to 1972; (2) Persons…

Farm Population of the United States: 1971. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of the Census (DOC), Suitland, MD. Population Div.

Based on data derived from the Current Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census, this statistical report presents demographic and labor force characteristics of the U.S. farm population and comparisons of the farm and nonfarm populations. Tabular data are presented as follows: (1) U.S. Population, Total and Farm: April 1960 and 1971; (2)…

Benthic monitoring of salmon farms in Norway using foraminiferal metabarcoding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pawlowski, Jan; Esling, Philippe; Lejzerowicz, Franck

2016-01-01

The rapid growth of the salmon industry necessitates the development of fast and accurate tools to assess its environmental impact. Macrobenthic monitoring is commonly used to measure the impact of organic enrichment associated with salmon farm activities. However, classical benthic monitoring can...... of macrofauna-based benthic monitoring. Here, we tested the application of foraminiferal metabarcoding to benthic monitoring of salmon farms in Norway. We analysed 140 samples of eDNA and environmental RNA (eRNA) extracted from surface sediment samples collected at 4 salmon farming sites in Norway. We sequenced...... of Foraminifera as bioindicators of organic enrichment associated with salmon farming. The foraminiferal diversity increased with the distance to fish cages, and metabarcoding provides an assessment of the ecological quality comparable to the morphological analyses. The foraminiferal metabarcoding approach...

Towards a deeper understanding of parenting on farms: A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliot, Valerie; Cammer, Allison; Pickett, William; Marlenga, Barbara; Lawson, Joshua; Dosman, James; Hagel, Louise; Koehncke, Niels; Trask, Catherine

2018-01-01

Children living on farms experience exceptionally high risks for traumatic injury. There is a large body of epidemiological research documenting this phenomenon, yet few complementary studies that have explored the deep underlying reasons for such trends. Fundamental to this is understanding the decision-making processes of parents surrounding their choice to bring children, or not, into the farm worksite. To (1) document farm parent views of the risks and benefits of raising children on a family farm, and, (2) understand more deeply why children are brought into the farm worksite. Interviews were conducted as part of a larger cohort study, The Saskatchewan Farm Injury Cohort. Subsequent to an initial mail-out question focused on parental decision-making, 11 semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with rural Saskatchewan farm parents. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, then thematically analyzed using interpretive description methodology. This parental decision-making process on farms fundamentally involves weighing the risks vs. benefits of bringing children into the worksite, as if on a balance scale. One side of this scale holds potential risks such as exposure to physical and chemical farm hazards, in the absence of full supervision. The other side holds potential benefits such as meeting family needs for childcare, labour, and family time; building work ethic and pride; and the positive impacts of involvement and responsibility. Decision-making 'tips the scales', in part dependent upon parental perceptions of the risk-benefit trade-off. This 'perceptual lens' is influenced by factors such as: the agricultural way of life, parents' prior knowledge and past experience, characteristics of children, and safety norms. This novel qualitative study provides deep insight into how Saskatchewan farm parents approach a fundamental decision-making process associated with their parenting. The proposed model provides insight into the

Agroedutourism and Ecopreneurship Activities on the Organic Farming Practice in Lawang, Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayu Raisa Khairun Nisa’

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Five farmer groups in Lawang, Malang Regency, East Java Provinces, established organic agricultural practices almost two decades. They were visited frequently for farmer benchmarking activities; therefore they had planned to develop agroedutourism. The aims of this research were to identify potential organic farming activities as agroedutourism attractions as well as farmer ecopreneurship, to find out the existing agroedutourism facilities profile and to propose some strategies for further sustainable development. The data were gathered by interviewing key person of each farmer group in Lawang. Their agroedutourism profiles compared with a developed local agro-tourism using gap analysis. Farmer groups offered some distinct attractions and become their strengths such as out door activities in the organic perfumed and pigmented rice field, fruits and vegetable garden, zero waste management, biological pest control and healthy agricultural products. Establishment of this agroedutourism would be advantageous to lesson sharing among farmers and students, to be ecopreneur activity shown by an effective market system, to show real benefits of healthy agro-ecosystem and its products, as well as to show promising green business or ecopreneurship. Collaboration among them would improve available attractions and length of visit. Moreover, the results showed that 80% of farmer groups were visited regularly 5-10 times per month by potential visitors such as other farmer groups, house wives, staffs of agricultural departments and students. All farmer groups planned to develop agroedutourism; however the policy was only issued by 60% of farmer groups. Most of farmer groups showed a high variability in providing edutourism tours and guides. For sustainable development, farmer groups should provide more interesting attractions and facilities, develop their human resource, net working, and public promotion. Keywords: agroedutourism, attraction, ecopreneurship

Where is Farm Management Going?

OpenAIRE

Kemp, David R.; Girdwood, John; Parton, Kevin A.; Charry, Al A.

2003-01-01

Farms and farming are major contributors to the world economy, directly responsible for a large part of GDP. These achievements are not trivial and imply that farms are being managed in reasonably effective ways, else agricultural industries would not be sustained. However the study of Farm Management within Australia has been limited over recent decades. Is it contributing to better farm management or merely cataloguing what has happened? Is it leading or following? During that time there ha...

MOLECULAR GENETIC MARKERS AND METHODS OF THEIR IDENTIFICATION IN MODERN FISH-FARMING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Hrytsyniak

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The application of molecular genetic markers has been widely used in modern experimental fish-farming in recent years. This methodology is currently presented by a differentiated approach with individual mechanisms and clearly defined possibilities. Numerous publications in the scientific literature that are dedicated to molecular genetic markers for the most part offer purely practical data. Thus, the synthesis and analysis of existing information on the general principles of action and the limits of the main methods of using molecular genetic markers is an actual problem. In particular, such a description will make it possible to plan more effectively the experiment and to obtain the desired results with high reliability. Findings. The main types of variable parts of DNA that can be used as molecular genetic markers in determining the level of stock hybridization, conducting genetic inventory of population and solving other problems in modern fish-farming are described in this paper. Also, the article provides an overview of principal modern methods that can be used to identify molecular genetic markers. Originality. This work is a generalization of modern ideas about the mechanisms of experiments with molecular genetic markers in fish-farming. Information is provided in the form of consistent presentation of the principles and purpose of each method, as well as significant advances during their practical application. Practical value. The proposed review of classic and modern literature data on molecular genetic markers can be used for planning, modernization and correction of research activity in modern fish-farming.

Gender differences in use of hearing protection devices among farm operators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marjorie C McCullagh

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Although farm operators have frequent exposure to hazardous noise and high rates of noise-induced hearing loss, they have low use of hearing protection devices (HPDs. Women represent about one-third of farm operators, and their numbers are climbing. However, among published studies examining use of HPDs in this worker group, none have examined gender-related differences. The purpose of this study was to examine gender-related differences in use of hearing protection and related predictors among farm operators. Materials and Methods: Data previously collected at farm shows and by telephone were analyzed using t-tests and generalized linear model with zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB distribution. Findings: The difference in rate of hearing protector use between men and women farm operators was not significant. There was no difference between men and women in most hearing protector-related attitudes and beliefs. Conclusion: Although men and women farm operators had similar rates of use of hearing protectors when working in high-noise environments, attitudes about HPD use differed. Specifically, interpersonal role modeling was a predictor of HPD use among women, but not for men. This difference suggests that while farm operators of both genders may benefit from interventions designed to reduce barriers to HPD use (e.g., difficulty communicating with co-workers and hearing warning sounds, farm women have unique needs in relation to cognitive-perceptual factors that predict HPD use. Women farm operators may lack role models for use of HPDs (e.g., in peers and advertising, contributing to their less frequent use of protection.

Lightning hazard reduction at wind farms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kithil, R. [National Lightning Safety Institute, Louisville, CO (United States)

1997-12-31

The USA wind farm industry (WFI) largely is centered in low-lightning areas of the State of California. While some evidence of lightning incidents is reported here, the problem is not regarded as serious by most participants. The USA WFI now is moving eastward, into higher areas of lightning activity. The European WFI has had many years experience with lightning problems. One 1995 German study estimated that 80% of wind turbine insurance claims paid for damage compensation were caused by lightning strikes. The European and USA WFI have not adopted site criteria, design fundamentals, or certification techniques aimed at lightning safety. Sufficient evidence about lightning at wind farms is available to confirm that serious potential problems exist.

Design criteria tank farm storage and staging facility. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lott, D.T.

1994-01-01

Tank Farms Operations must store/stage material and equipment until work packages are ready to work. Consumable materials are also required to be stored for routine and emergency work. Connex boxes and open storage is currently used for much of the storage because of the limited space at 272AW and 272WA. Safety issues based on poor housekeeping and material deteriorating due to weather damage has resulted from this inadequate storage space. It has been determined that a storage building in close proximity to the Tank Farm work force would be cost effective. Project W-402 and W-413 will provide a storage/staging area in 200 East and West Areas by the construction of two new storage facilities. The new facilities will be used by Operations, Maintenance and Materials groups to adequately store material and equipment. These projects will also furnish electrical services to the facilities for lighting and HVAC. Fire Protection shall be extended to the 200 East facility from 272AW if necessary

Values in Organic Farming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgård, Bente; Pedersen, Kirsten Bransholm; Land, Birgit

The study focuses on the recent debate about what is, or what constitutes, organic farming and what is the right path for organic farming in the future. The study is based on a critical discourse analysis of the controversy about suspending the private standard for organic farming adopted by the ...

Assessing the status of food safety management systems for fresh produce production in East Africa: evidence from certified green bean farms in Kenya and noncertified hot pepper farms in Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanyunja, J; Jacxsens, L; Kirezieva, K; Kaaya, A N; Uyttendaele, M; Luning, P A

2015-06-01

The farms of fresh produce farmers are major sources of food contamination by microbiological organisms and chemical pesticides. In view of their choice for farming practices, producers are influenced by food safety requirements. This study analyzes the role of food safety standard certification toward the maturity of food safety management systems (FSMS) in the primary production of fresh produce. Kenya and Uganda are two East African countries that export green beans and hot peppers, respectively, to the European Union but have contrasting features in terms of agricultural practices and certification status. In the fresh produce chain, a diagnostic instrument for primary production was used to assess context factors, core control and assurance activities, and system output to measure the performance of FSMS for certified green bean farms in Kenya and noncertified hot pepper farms in Uganda. Overall, our findings show that in Uganda, noncertified hot pepper farms revealed only a "basic level of control and assurance" activities in their FSMS, which was not satisfactory, because no insight into potential pesticide microbial contamination was presented by these farmers. On the other hand, certified green bean farms in Kenya had an "average level of control and assurance," providing insight into the delivered food safety and quality by the farmers. Farm size did not impact the maturity level of FSMS. This study confirms the role played by food safety standard certification toward the maturity of FSMS implemented in developing countries and demonstrates the possibility of Ugandan farms to upgrade agricultural practices in the fresh produce sector.

Fitting in and multi-tasking: Dutch farm women's strategies in rural entrepreneurship

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bock, B.B.

2004-01-01

All over Europe more and more farm families start new income generating activities on and off the farm to supplement the decreasing income from primary productions. Farmwomen play an important role in these strategies but are at the same time perceived as less professional entrepreneurs compared to

An autonomous weeding robot for organic farming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, T.; Asselt, van C.J.; Bontsema, J.; Müller, J.; Straten, van G.

2006-01-01

The objective of this research is the replacement of hand weeding in organic farming by a device working autonomously at ¯eld level. The autonomous weeding robot was designed using a structured design approach, giving a good overview of the total design. A vehicle was developed with a diesel engine,

Factors Affecting the Structural Features of Dairy Farming Organizations in Yalova: Determining the Breeding Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galip BAKIR

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This research has been performed to determine dairy farms’ breeders’ social conditions, presence of animals, care, milk production, happiness with animal farming, problems and situation of being organized in Yalova. The data that obtained from 324 randomly chosen dairy farms around the city by the means of the survey comprised the material of research. The obtained data has been analyzed in SPSS package program by taking animal numbers, age and educational background of breeders as factors affecting the structural condition of farm. In the analysis of race distribution it was determined that breeders having primary education preferred to use crossbred animals, whereas breeders having secondary, high school and higher education tended to use culture breeds. For determining the heat in animals, breeders who have primary school education take bellowing and mounting of animals into consideration. All breeders at any education level considered the 15-18 months of age as age at fist insemination for heifers. As the age of breeders increased, contrary to education level, the ratio for 15-18 month age criterion decreased. In the farms producing less than 10 kg milk the ratio of farmers having primary school education is 68.9%. This ratio is 8.5% for high school and higher graduates. 61.2% of breeders who have middle school education level obtain 11-20 kg milk yield in their farms. While 48.6% of breeders who have less than 5 animals obtain 10 kg milk yield, as the number of animals rises, this rate declined to 23.1%. In the farms having less than 5 animals the proportion of obtaining 10-21 kg milk yield is 48.4%. As the animals numbers increased this proportion increased up to 63.5%.

TANK FARM REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AN EXERCISE IN TECHNICAL and REGULATORY COLLABORATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

JARAYSI, M.N.

2007-01-01

The Tank Farm Remediation Technology Development Project at the Hanford Site focuses on waste storage tanks, pipelines and associated ancillary equipment that are part of the C-200 single-shell tank (SST) farm system located in the C Tank Farm. The purpose of the project is to obtain information on the implementation of a variety of closure activities and to answer questions on technical, operational and regulatory issues associated with closure

Farm Population of the United States: 1977. Current Population Reports: Farm Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Vera J.; DeAre, Diana

The farm population has declined fairly steadily for more than half a century. By 1970 the proportion of the U.S. population residing on farms had fallen to about 5 per cent, and by 1977 had dropped to 3.6 per cent. About 1.4 per cent of the farm population was of Spanish origin (represented for the first time in this year's report), as compared…

Sweatshops in the Sun - Child Labor on the Farm.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Ronald B.

In 1970 about a fourth of the country's farm workers were underage, working and living in conditions which are "sub-sub-substandard" in most parts of the country. These workers are often swindled or exploited by labor contractors or crew men. Since the work is seasonal, families are forced to travel great distances, under difficult circumstances,…

[Sleep apnea, CPAP therapy and work activity].

Science.gov (United States)

Balbi, Bruno; Carli, Sonia; Crevacore, Mirella; Godio, Massimo; Danioni, Alessandro; Sacco, Carlo; Braghiroli, Alberto

2014-01-01

Obstructive Sleep Apnea syndrome (OSAS) is largely prevalent among the general adult population, particularly among obese subjects. Diurnal somnolence is a characteristic feature of OSAS, one that can interfere on daily life of the patients and also on his/her work-related activities. Aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of OSAS, its symptoms and its therapy with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) may have on work-related activities. Fourty-eight subjects were studied, all > 18 years old and in a work-related age (women). There were 34 males and 14 females, 38 actively working, 3 unemployed, 7 not actively working. Before diagnosis the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was 12 +/- 4, after the use of CPAP it was 4 +/- 4 (pwork activity was confirmed in all patients, as all employed patients were still working. Our data seem to indicate that not only OSAS interferes with working performance, mainly due to OSAS-related diurnal somnolence, but also that appropriate CPAP therapy, reinforced with educational activities and followed after one year, is able to ameliorate OSAS-related symptoms, potential cause of inefficiency an occupational risk at work.

ANALYSIS OF THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE WORKFORCE IN THE SOUTH-WEST OLTENIA REGION IN COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES SUCH AS E-WORK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Enăchescu

2013-06-01

Full Text Available South West region covers an area of 29,212 km2, approximately 12.25% of the country (238391 km ² and includes five counties: Dolj, Olt, Valcea, Mehedinti and Gorj. It is bordered by Bulgaria, Serbia and South Muntenia, Central and West. From the total workforce of 828,900 people, 332,300 people are employed in farming, forestry and fishing (40% and only 4500 in the areas of information and communications, respectively in 6600 other activities. The regional unemployment rate was 7.7% in 2011 compared to 7.6% nationally, 7.1% for women respectively 8.3% for men, a level very close to the national average[5][7]. We presented these statistics to highlight the region's potential in the development of e-work activities that would increase employment levels both in urban population and especially in rural areas, low unemployment and thus the local population migration and support sustainable development of the region. This paper aims to analyze the opportunity to develop complementary activities of e-work employment for the South West region.

Sedimentary soils in high erosion, their design and recovery, Armero Farm, Tolima University

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fajardo Puerta, Nestor Fidel

1998-01-01

Since 1984, a recuperation program of soils of sedimentary origin has been developed in the farm of Armero of Tolima University, which up to this year (1996) has already shown many a good positive result. To attain such a remarkable effect in the highly deteriorated soils of this farm, it was decided to develop a project for their conservation consisting of the building of terraces, live and dead hedges and barricades, as well as the planting of fruit and forest trees so that, through a well planned methodology, the community members may learn to design, build, maintain and evaluate practical work oriented towards their own know-how and especially to the recuperation of unproductive areas, together with their integration, at due time, with the land and cattle activity. The soil conservation project began in November, 1983, and today, 12 years after having it been worked out, maintained and evaluated, we can see a land wholly recovered, with abundant native vegetation ready for production, mainly with the setting of perennial crops. Bearing in mind these successful results, our recommendation is to continue to implement this project in the different areas where the setting of soil conservation works is necessary, in order that the benefits obtained may be multiplied through the installment of easy and, especially, very economical set-ups

Assessment of criteria and farming activities for tobacco diversification using the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) technique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chavez, M.D.; Berentsen, P.B.M.; Oude Lansink, A.G.J.M.

2012-01-01

Continuous monocropping of tobacco, excessive tillage and inadequate irrigation management have caused soil degradation in tobacco farms in the Valle de Lerma. Soil degradation due to tobacco monocropping and uncertain economic perspectives for tobacco farming call for diversification strategies for

Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

WEIR, W.R.

2000-01-01

The Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor describes configuration management the contractor uses to manage and integrate its technical baseline with the programmatic and functional operations to perform work. The Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor supports the management of the project baseline by providing the mechanisms to identify, document, and control the technical characteristics of the products, processes, and structures, systems, and components (SSC). This plan is one of the tools used to identify and provide controls for the technical baseline of the Tank Farm Contractor (TFC). The configuration management plan is listed in the management process documents for TFC as depicted in Attachment 1, TFC Document Structure. The configuration management plan is an integrated approach for control of technical, schedule, cost, and administrative processes necessary to manage the mission of the TFC. Configuration management encompasses the five functional elements of: (1) configuration management administration, (2) configuration identification, (3) configuration status accounting, (4) change control, and (5 ) configuration management assessments

Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

WEIR, W.R.

2000-04-21

The Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor describes configuration management the contractor uses to manage and integrate its technical baseline with the programmatic and functional operations to perform work. The Configuration Management Plan for the Tank Farm Contractor supports the management of the project baseline by providing the mechanisms to identify, document, and control the technical characteristics of the products, processes, and structures, systems, and components (SSC). This plan is one of the tools used to identify and provide controls for the technical baseline of the Tank Farm Contractor (TFC). The configuration management plan is listed in the management process documents for TFC as depicted in Attachment 1, TFC Document Structure. The configuration management plan is an integrated approach for control of technical, schedule, cost, and administrative processes necessary to manage the mission of the TFC. Configuration management encompasses the five functional elements of: (1) configuration management administration, (2) configuration identification, (3) configuration status accounting, (4) change control, and (5 ) configuration management assessments.

On-farm demonstrations: consideration factors for their success and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Journal Home > Vol 32 (2003) > ... long been a key hallmark of program delivery and teaching in extension work. ... This study resulted in the development of both the Advantages and Disadvantages associated with on-farm demonstrations ...

Assessing farm animal welfare without visiting the farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jan Tind; Houe, Hans; Sandøe, Peter

Animal welfare is typically assessed on farms by external observers making systematic observations of animals and/or the environment. External observers are costly, and efforts to minimize the time spent by external observers are giving rise to a delicate discussion of priorities of costs, validity...... and reliability. In this situation, it is worthwhile to consider the option of systems for assessing the animal welfare without having an external observer visiting the farm....

Severity of work in opinions of rural women living in the Bieszczady region of south-eastern Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Pawlak, Halina; Petkowicz, Beata; Maniak, Barbara; Kuna-Broniowska, Izabela; Petkowicz, Jacek; Buczaj, Agnieszka; Maksym, Piotr; Nowakowicz-Dębek, Bożena; Gawda, Piotr

2018-03-14

The objective of the study was recognition of the opinions of rural women living in the Bieszczady region of south-eastern Poland, concerning their perception of the degree of severity of work. The study was conducted among the inhabitants of the Cisna commune. The basic research instrument was a questionnaire form containing 15 items. The study covered 101 women living in the Cisna commune in the Bieszczady. The self-reported degree of work load on a farm was analyzed among women who were occupationally active, and those who were not occupationally active. The effect of assistance from family members on the severity of work perceived by women was considered. The women in the study focused on agro-tourism, a few of them were engaged in agricultural work and the majority worked in household gardens. The study showed that occupationally active women work considerably longer, on average, and are the most loaded, compared to those not engaged in occupational activity. The mean daily time devoted to duties on a farm did not significantly differ between occupationally active and non-active women, and amounted to 380 and 320 minutes, respectively. The majority of women who were non-active occupationally evaluated their household chores as the highest work load. In turn, the women who undertook occupational activity assessed them as most burdensome, despite great help from their family. The body positions assumed while performing field work were: standing, standing-bent-over, and walking. The mean evaluations of work load while standing and standing-bent-over did not significantly differ, but affected the work load among women who, however, could not assess the severity of their work resulting from the body position assumed.

Studies of radioactive deposition on farm buildings and testing of some methods for decontamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Inger; Erlandsson, B.; Hansson, J.; Dolby, C.M.

1993-01-01

Studies were made of radioactive fallout on roofs of farm buildings and of some methods of decontamination. The aim was to find ways of reducing the external radiation dose to farmers working and farm animals housed in stables in a fallout situation. The roof material studied was steel plate (A) and tile (B,C, D), each with four sample areas of ca. 1 m 2 . The roof samples were collected at three places and from totally four building in regions which in 1986 (after the Chernobyl fallout) has a 137 Cs ground depositions of 3040 kBq/m 2 (A, B, C) and > 100 kBq/m 2 (D). Four different decontamination methods were tested: 1. High pressure washing with water. 2. Repeated high pressure washing with water. 3. Application of foam of a sanitizing chemical for livestock buildings followed by high pressure washing with water. 4. Application of a solution of KCl followed by high pressure washing with water. In C, the effect of decontamination expressed as the percentage decrease of the 137 Cs activity was on average for all methods, 55%. This material was coated before the decontamination by a marked growth of algae or moss, which was effectively washed off during the sanitizing procedure. In B, the average activity decontamination effect was 25%, while in D (with the highest original activity, but without growth of organic material) the effect was very small, 3%. In A, the activity level before decontamination was so low that measurements after decontamination were considered unnecessary. Method number 4 was the most effective in B and C, 32% and 64%, respectively, while method number 3 was the most effective in D, 5.7%. The results indicate that good effects can be achieved in radioactivity decontamination of roof material with equipment and chemicals which are normally available on farms

Influence of a trout farm on macrozoobenthos communities of the Trešnjica river, Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Živić Ivana

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Trout farming poses an increasing threat to quality of the water of clean highland streams. Research of this problem has focused primarily on changes in physico-chemical composition of the water and structure of the river bottom, and less on the effects on living organisms. In the present work, we investigated influence of the farm with the highest trout production in Serbia, the 'Riboteks' Trout Farm on the Trešnjica River, on its macrozoobenthos communities. Our investigations showed that the 'Riboteks' Trout Farm wastewaters caused a clear and statistically significant change of moderate intensity in all measured parameters describing the composition and structure of macrozoobenthos communities. These changes were most pronounced in the part of the watercourse closest to the influx of waste water (locality III but remained statistically significant even 500 m downstream (locality IV and were lost only about 3.5 km away from the influx of the farm's wastewater (locality V. The most pronounced were changes in the participation in total abundance of the Baetidae, Chironomidae, and Plecoptera. Additionally, results of the present work confirmed that the mass of fish on the trout farm is a parameter that adequately defines the strength of its action, above all the intensity of its influence on structure of the macrozoobenthos community.

Pore Water Extraction Test Near 241-SX Tank Farm at the Hanford Site, Washington, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberlein, Susan J.; Parker, Danny L.; Tabor, Cynthia L.; Holm, Melissa J.

2013-01-01

A proof-of-principle test is underway near the Hanford Site 241-SX Tank Farm. The test will evaluate a potential remediation technology that will use tank farm-deployable equipment to remove contaminated pore water from vadose zone soils. The test system was designed and built to address the constraints of working within a tank farm. Due to radioactive soil contamination and limitations in drilling near tanks, small-diameter direct push drilling techniques applicable to tank farms are being utilized for well placement. To address space and weight limitations in working around tanks and obstacles within tank farms, the above ground portions of the test system have been constructed to allow deployment flexibility. The test system utilizes low vacuum over a sealed well screen to establish flow into an extraction well. Extracted pore water is collected in a well sump,and then pumped to the surface using a small-diameter bladder pump.If pore water extraction using this system can be successfully demonstrated, it may be possible to target local contamination in the vadose zone around underground storage tanks. It is anticipated that the results of this proof-of-principle test will support future decision making regarding interim and final actions for soil contamination within the tank farms

Emotions experienced in association with agricultural work performed in childhood--in opinions of adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachowski, Stanisław; Lachowska, Bogusława

2014-01-01

Performance of work is related with experiencing various emotions, from positive - indicating full satisfaction with work, to negative - describing failures, and even harm caused by work. Such emotions are also experienced by children engaged in work on family farms. The objective of the study is the determination of emotions experienced in association with performing agricultural work in childhood, and indication of the factors conditioning the occurrence of positive and negative emotions. The study was conducted by the method of a diagnostic survey using a questionnaire technique, and covered a group of 482 adults from agricultural families. In childhood, positive emotions related with the performance of work are more often experienced than negative emotions. The occurrence of positive emotions is positively related with willingness to perform work activities, working time, respondent's age, age at which a child started to perform work, and age at which a child discontinued helping on a farm. The occurrence of negative emotions is positively related with unwillingness to perform work, performing work activities beyond the physical capabilities of a child, neglecting school duties, missing classes at school due to work, and with working time. With work performed in childhood are associated positive and negative emotions experienced in childhood and adulthood. The performance of work in childhood shapes emotions experienced by an adult which may affect his/her quality of life and functioning in adulthood.

2005 Annual Operations Report for INTEC Operable Unit 3-13, Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D. Shanklin

2006-01-01

This annual operations report describes the requirements followed and activities conducted to inspect, monitor, and maintain the items installed during performance of the Waste Area Group 3, Operable Unit 3-13, Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action, at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. This report describes inspection and monitoring activities for the surface-sealed areas within the tank farm, concrete-lined ditches and culverts in and around the tank farm, the lift station, and the lined evaporation pond. These activities are intended to assure that the interim action is functioning adequately to meet the objectives stated in the Operable Unit 3-13, Record of Decision for the Group 1, Tank Farm Interim Action, (DOE/ID-10660) and as amended by the agreement to resolve dispute, which was effective in February 2003

New Opportunities of Valorising Animal Produce: Turning Animal Farms into Educational Agrotouristic Farms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirela Samfira

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Being a relatively new domain, educational agri-tourism activity involves a number of factors influencing its development: knowledge of the economic, social and cultural domain limits but in the same time accurate information about farm availability to receive children and/or people with special needs. For this paper was created a questionnaire (with 19 items for farmers in order to find if there is availability to develop and to change their farm in a certain way - to educate new generation through the relation with animals life and care, eating natural food and being creative in the nature. This questionnaire was applied to 60 farmers from the Timiş County and the answers have shown that many of them (95% are willing to receive person with special needs and there are farmers which think they don’t have anything to offer to develop and strengthen some certain traits in children personality and about the advantages for parents, teachers and local community.

Effect of farming activities on seasonal variation of water quality of Bonsma Dam, KwaZulu-Natal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayanda N. Shabalala

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Agriculture has both direct and indirect effects on the quality of surface water and groundwater and is among the leading causes of water quality degradation, mainly as a result of the excessive use of agrochemicals. Water samples were collected in a selected catchment area (Bonsma Dam in KwaZulu-Natal and analysed for physicochemical variables. The concentrations of most of the elements and total dissolved solids, as well as the pH and electrical conductivity values, met the water quality requirements for domestic, agricultural, livestock and aquatic ecosystem uses. However, the inlet streams feeding the dam were found to be eutrophic during the wet season. Analysis of nitrate in the water body of the study area indicated that agricultural applications of manure and fertilisers may be a potential source of nitrate contamination. Most elements were more concentrated in the dam during the wet season. The overall ionic conductivity values were also higher in the wet season, while the pH was lower. The outcome of this work links the concentrations of physicochemical variables to land use, agricultural practice and local geomorphology. Seasonal patterns in the concentration of physicochemical variables occur, as land use, rainfall and farming activities change seasonally, and these concentrations should therefore be determined periodically.

Offshore Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundtang Petersen, Erik; Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Courtney, Michael

2015-01-01

: the rotor, the nacelle, the tower, and the foundation. Further the determinations of the essential environmental conditions are treated: the wind field, the wave field, the sea current, and the soil conditions. The various options for grid connections, advantages, and disadvantages are discussed. Of special...... concern are the problems associated with locating the turbines close together in a wind farm and the problems of placing several large wind farms in a confined area. The environmental impacts of offshore wind farms are also treated, but not the supply chain, that is, the harbors, the installation vessels...

Differential response of fish assemblages to coral reef-based seaweed farming.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E James Hehre

Full Text Available As the global demand for seaweed-derived products drives the expansion of seaweed farming onto shallow coral ecosystems, the effects of farms on fish assemblages remain largely unexplored. Shallow coral reefs provide food and shelter for highly diverse fish assemblages but are increasingly modified by anthropogenic activities. We hypothesized that the introduction of seaweed farms into degraded shallow coral reefs had potential to generate ecological benefits for fish by adding structural complexity and a possible food source. We conducted 210 transects at 14 locations, with sampling stratified across seaweed farms and sites adjacent to and distant from farms. At a seascape scale, locations were classified by their level of exposure to human disturbance. We compared sites where (1 marine protected areas (MPAs were established, (2 neither MPAs nor blast fishing was present (hence "unprotected", and (3 blast fishing occurred. We observed 80,186 fish representing 148 species from 38 families. The negative effects of seaweed farms on fish assemblages appeared stronger in the absence of blast fishing and were strongest when MPAs were present, likely reflecting the positive influence of the MPAs on fish within them. Species differentiating fish assemblages with respect to seaweed farming and disturbance were typically small but also included two key target species. The propensity for seaweed farms to increase fish diversity, abundance, and biomass is limited and may reduce MPA benefits. We suggest that careful consideration be given to the placement of seaweed farms relative to MPAs.

Differential response of fish assemblages to coral reef-based seaweed farming.

Science.gov (United States)

Hehre, E James; Meeuwig, J J

2015-01-01

As the global demand for seaweed-derived products drives the expansion of seaweed farming onto shallow coral ecosystems, the effects of farms on fish assemblages remain largely unexplored. Shallow coral reefs provide food and shelter for highly diverse fish assemblages but are increasingly modified by anthropogenic activities. We hypothesized that the introduction of seaweed farms into degraded shallow coral reefs had potential to generate ecological benefits for fish by adding structural complexity and a possible food source. We conducted 210 transects at 14 locations, with sampling stratified across seaweed farms and sites adjacent to and distant from farms. At a seascape scale, locations were classified by their level of exposure to human disturbance. We compared sites where (1) marine protected areas (MPAs) were established, (2) neither MPAs nor blast fishing was present (hence "unprotected"), and (3) blast fishing occurred. We observed 80,186 fish representing 148 species from 38 families. The negative effects of seaweed farms on fish assemblages appeared stronger in the absence of blast fishing and were strongest when MPAs were present, likely reflecting the positive influence of the MPAs on fish within them. Species differentiating fish assemblages with respect to seaweed farming and disturbance were typically small but also included two key target species. The propensity for seaweed farms to increase fish diversity, abundance, and biomass is limited and may reduce MPA benefits. We suggest that careful consideration be given to the placement of seaweed farms relative to MPAs.

Modelling seasonal farm labour demand: What can we learn from rural Kakamega district, western Kenya?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Canwat

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Seasonality of agricultural activities causes fluctuation in the quantity of labour consumed by these activities, and yet many rural labour studies in developing countries still treat labour demand in agriculture as if it is the same across different farm operations. To unearth the amount of information hidden by this aggregated analysis, labour demand for specific farm operations was estimated based on data collected from Kakamega District. This analysis shows that increasing household size increases labour demand for planting, weeding and harvesting. Increasing the share of elderly household members has a negligible effect on labour demand for farm activities except for land preparation, with which it is positively related. Participation of primary school-going children in farm activities is the highest in planting and harvesting. Participation in off-farm employment seems to increase labour demand only during peak seasons. The area planted appears to have an insignificant effect on labour demand for land preparation. Planting sugar cane appears to reduce labour demand for weeding and primary processing, but planting tea increases labour demand for planting. Mechanising land preparation only reduces labour demand for land preparation, but it seems to be offset by other labour-intensive farm operations. The distance from water source is positively related to labour demand for land preparation, but the distance to the market is negatively related to labour demand for weeding and harvesting. These observations point to the need for supporting and investing in technological and organisational innovations in agriculture.

Give Water a Hand. Farm and Ranch Site Action Guide. Organizing Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention Service Projects in Your Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Coll. of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Students grades 4-8 can use this guide to explore the topics of water, and water conservation on a farm or ranch, while conducting an environmental community service project. Youth groups, led by a group leader, work with local experts from business, government, or environmental organizations to complete the project. Nine activity sections involve…

Microbiological analysis of composts produced on South Carolina poultry farms.

Science.gov (United States)