Animal Industry News, February 2004, Vol. 5, No. 1

Newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Health effects of occupational exposure in a dairy food industry, with a specific assessment of exposure to airborne lactic acid bacteria

OBJECTIVE:: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are used in food industries as probiotic agents. The aim of this study is to assess the potential health effects of airborne exposure to a mix of preblend (LAB and carbohydrate) and milk powder in workers. METHODS:: A medical questionnaire, lung function tests, and immunologic tests were carried out on 50 workers. Occupational exposure to inhalable dust and airborne LAB was measured. RESULTS:: Workers not using respiratory masks reported more symptoms of irritation than workers using protection. Workers from areas with higher levels of airborne LAB reported the most health symptoms and the immune responses of workers to LAB was higher than the immune responses of a control population. CONCLUSIONS:: Measures to reduce exposure to airborne LAB and milk powder in food industries are recommended.

Industry Projections 2002 - 2012 Iowa Workforce Development Regions, 2002

Statewide and Regional projected industry employment 2002 - 2012

Iowa Turkey Marketing Council, Independent Auditor's Reports, Financial Statements, Schedule of Findings, December 31, 2003 & 2004

State Audit Reports

Radio Frequency Identification Tagging as a Mechanism of Creating a Viable Producer’s Brand in the Cattle Industry, May 2005

This manuscript reports on a project to examine the feasibility of extensive radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging to determine product provenance in the meat production industry. The investigators examined existing technologies and meat production processes as well as emerging technologies in RFID tagging to assess the potential of RFID technologies for provenance assurance. While RFID technologies hold tremendous promise for traceability, the current state of the technology and production process creates challenges for effectively creating full traceability. However, RFID holds tremendous potential for improving processing throughput, which will help make RFIDbased traceability more attractive for adoption by meat processors.

Resident Spring Turkey Hunting Information, 2006

This six page document outlines the regulations for spring turkey hunting in Iowa.

Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting Information, 2006

This three page document outlines the regulations for spring turkey hunting in Iowa.

Fall Turkey Hunting Regulations and License Guide, 2005

Regulations and lincense guide for fall turkey hunting.

Final Report for the Iowa Livestock Industry Waste Characterization and Methane Recovery Information Dissemination Project, 2003

The Iowa livestock industry generates large quantities of manure and other organic residues; composed of feces, urine, bedding material, waste feed, dilution water, and mortalities. Often viewed as a waste material, little has been done to characterize and determine the usefulness of this resource. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources initiated the process to assess in detail the manure resource and the potential utilization of this resource through anaerobic digestion coupled with energy recovery. Many of the pieces required to assess the manure resource already exist, albeit in disparate forms and locations. This study began by interpreting and integrating existing Federal, State, ISU studies, and other sources of livestock numbers, housing, and management information. With these data, models were analyzed to determine energy production and economic feasibility of energy recovery using anaerobic digestion facilities on livestock faxms. Having these data individual facilities and clusters that appear economically feasible can be identified specifically through the use of a GIs system for further investigation. Also livestock facilities and clusters of facilities with high methane recovery potential can be the focus of targeted educational programs through Cooperative Extension network and other outreach networks, providing a more intensive counterpoint to broadly based educational efforts.

Iowa Turkey Marketing Council, Independent Auditor's Reports, Financial Statement, Schedule of Findings, December 31, 2004 & 2005

State Audit Reports

The Impact of Industry Collaboration on Academic Research Output: A Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact of university knowledge and technology transfer activities on academic research output. Specifically, we study whether researchers with collaborative links with the private sector publish less than their peers without such links, once controlling for other sources of heterogeneity. We report findings from a longitudinal dataset on researchers from two engineering departments in the UK between 1985 until 2006. Our results indicate that researchers with industrial links publish significantly more than their peers. Academic productivity, though, is higher for low levels of industry involvement as compared to high levels.

Intra-Industry Trade, Multilateral Trade Integration, and Invasive Species Risk, December 2006

We analyze the linkage between protectionism and invasive species (IS) hazard in the context of two-way trade and multilateral trade integration, two major features of real-world agricultural trade. Multilateral integration includes the joint reduction of tariffs and trade costs among trading partners. Multilateral trade integration is more likely to increase damages from IS than predicted by unilateral trade opening under the classic Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson (HOS) framework because domestic production (the base susceptible to damages) is likely to increase with expanding export markets. A country integrating its trade with a partner characterized by relatively higher tariff and trade costs is also more likely to experience increased IS damages via expanded domestic production for the same reason. We illustrate our analytical results with a stylized model of the world wheat market.

An analisys of suply and Demand Conditions for Cape Verde´s Banana Industry

Michigan State University

Geology and correlation of the Mersin mélanges, southern Turkey

Our paper aims to give a thorough description of the infra-ophiolitic melanges associated with the Mersin ophiolite. We propose new regional correlations of the Mersin melanges with other melange-like units or similar series, located both in southern Turkey and adjacent regions. The palaeotectonic implications of the correlations are also discussed. The main results may be summarized as follows: the infra-ophiolitic melange is subdivided into two units, the Upper Cretaceous Sorgun ophiolitic melange and the Ladinian-Carnian Hacialani melange. The Mersin melanges, together with the Antalya and Mamonia domains, are represented by a series of exotic units now found south of the main Taurus range, and are characteristic of the South-Taurides Exotic Units. These melanges clearly show the mixed origin of the different blocks and broken formations. Some components have a Palaeotethyan origin and are characterized by Pennsylvanian and Lower to Middle Permian pelagic and slope deposits. These Palaeotethyan remnants, found exclusively in the Hacialani melange, were reworked as major olistostromes in the Neotethys basin during the Eo-Cimmerian orogenic event. Neotethyan elements are represented by Middle Triassic seamounts and by broken formations containing typical Neotethyan conodont faunas such as Metapolygnathus mersinensis Kozur & Moix and M. primitius s. s., both present in the latest Carnian interval, as well as the occurrence of the middle Norian Epigondolella praeslovakensis Kozur, Masset & Moix. Other elements are clearly derived from the former north Anatolian passive margin and are represented by Huglu-type series including the Upper Triassic syn-rift volcanic event. These sequences attributed to the Huglu-Pindos back-arc ocean were displaced southward during the Late Cretaceous obduction event. The Tauric elements are represented by Eo-Cimmerian flysch-like and molasse sequences intercalated in Neotethyan series. Additionally, some shallow-water blocks might be derived from the Bolkardag para-autochthonous and the Taurus-Beydaglari marginal sequences.