EC27-811 Harvesting Wheat in Nebraska with the Combined Harvester Thresher 1926

Frequent inquiry from wheat growers in Nebraska and others as to the relative merits of the combined harvester-thresher as an efficienct and economical harvesting machine led the Nebraska Agricultural College to make a study of this problem in the summer of 1926. The work was carried on by the Departments of Rural Economics and Agricultural Engineering, cooperating with the United States Department of Agriculture which was conducting a similar survey in different parts of the United States. Perkins county, Nebraska, was the area selected for study as it is more or less typical of those parts of the state where combines are used extensively. The purpose of this circular is merely to give such informaition as is available regarding harvesting costs by different methods in Nebraska and not to recommend one method over another since location, acreage, climatic conditions, and topopgraphy all have their influence in determining the most economic method for different communities.

The Duration of the Effects of Repeated Widespread Badger Culling on Cattle Tuberculosis Following the Cessation of Culling

Background: In the British Isles, control of cattle tuberculosis (TB) is hindered by persistent infection of wild badger (Meles meles) populations. A large-scale field trial—the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT)—previously showed that widespread badger culling produced modest reductions in cattle TB incidence during culling, which were offset by elevated TB risks for cattle on adjoining lands. Once culling was halted, beneficial effects inside culling areas increased, while detrimental effects on adjoining lands disappeared. However, a full assessment of the utility of badger culling requires information on the duration of culling effects. Methodology/Principal Findings: We monitored cattle TB incidence in and around RBCT areas after culling ended. We found that benefits inside culled areas declined over time, and were no longer detectable by three years post-culling. On adjoining lands, a trend suggesting beneficial effects immediately after the end of culling was insignificant, and disappeared after 18 months post-culling. From completion of the first cull to the loss of detectable effects (an average five-year culling period plus 2.5 years post-culling), cattle TB incidence was 28.7% lower (95% confidence interval [CI] 20.7 to 35.8% lower) inside ten 100 km2 culled areas than inside ten matched no-culling areas, and comparable (11.7% higher, 95% CI: 13.0% lower to 43.4% higher, p = 0.39) on lands #2 km outside culled and no-culling areas. The financial costs of culling an idealized 150 km2 area would exceed the savings achieved through reduced cattle TB, by factors of 2 to 3.5. Conclusions/Significance: Our findings show that the reductions in cattle TB incidence achieved by repeated badger culling were not sustained in the long term after culling ended and did not offset the financial costs of culling. These results, combined with evaluation of alternative culling methods, suggest that badger culling is unlikely to contribute effectively to the control of cattle TB in Britain.

Cultivating Dreams - Harvesting Profits, Women In Agriculture 2009

The University of Nebraska!Lincoln Department of Agricultural Economics hosted the 24th Women in Agriculture (WIA) Conference February 26-27, 2009. Over 350 women participated in the event. A majority came from across the great state of Nebraska, but there were a few individuals that made the trip from California, Colorado, North Carolina, Kansas, Iowa and South Dakota. For some women, this was their first time experiencing the conference and for others it was their 24th time. Average attendance among the women was approximately 6.5 times. The main goal of the conference was to heighten the womens’ skills and gain knowledge to take back to their agricultural operations.