Report on a special investigation of the Mahaska County Soil and Water Conservation District for the period March 24, 2006 through August 31, 2013

Report on a special investigation of the Mahaska County Soil and Water Conservation District for the period March 24, 2006 through August 31, 2013

08018-010 Walnut Creek Final Report

In 2004 Walnut Creek was placed on the 303d list of impaired water bodies for lack of aquatic life with biological causes. Sediment from farmland as well as the stream banks was listed as the most likely stressor. In response to this listing a preliminary watershed assessment was completed by the six counties which have land in the Walnut Creek watershed. Walnut Creek flows through portions of Shelby, Pottawattamie, Montgomery, Mills, Page, and Fremont Counties before reaching its confluence with the West Nishnabotna River. The preliminary study assessed resource concerns and evaluated anticipated landowner participation levels for the six Huc 12 sub-watersheds which divide the Walnut Creek basin. These preliminary assessments revealed a priority sub-watershed which lies between US Hwy 6 and Hwy 34. A development grant was then funded by the Division of Soil Conservation to conduct a detailed assessment of this area. The detailed assessment involved an assessment of the uplands as well as the stream itself. A better understanding of the resource concerns was gained through the assessment, allowing for a comprehensive watershed plan to be developed. A variety of best management practices will be necessary for our project to be a success, many of which will be funded by other sources besides the WIRB. This grant is the first request for funding submitted by the East Pottawattamie and Montgomery SWCDs’. This grant will serve as the first critical step in building what is destined to be a true watershed success story.

Independent Central Banks: Low inflation at no cost?: A model with fiscal policy

In this article we extend the rational partisan model of Alesina and Gatti (1995) to include a second policy, fiscal policy, besides monetary policy. It is shown that, with this extension, the politically induced variance of output is not always eliminated nor reduced by delegating monetary policy to an independent and conservative central bank. Further, in flation and output stabilisation will be affected by the degree of conservativeness of the central bank and by the probability of the less in flation averse party gaining power. Keywords: rational partisan theory; fiscal policy; independent central bank JEL Classi fication: E58, E63.

Basil conservation affected by cropping season, harvest time and storage period

Fresh basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is used in food, phytotherapic industry, and in traditional therapeutic, due to its essential oil content and composition. Nevertheless basil can not be kept for long periods after harvest and its quality can be reduced. This work aimed to assess the influence of the season and harvest time in the postharvest conservation of basil stored for different periods. Basil was harvested at 8 am and 4 pm both in August/1999 and January/2000. Cuttings were conditioned in PVC packages and stored for 3, 6, and 9 days. During storage, chlorophyll content, essential oil content and composition were determined as well as microbiological analyses were carried out. Harvest season and the days of storage influenced the final content of essential oil. There was a linear decrease in the content of essential oil, in the chlorophyll content and in the number of mold and yeast colonies during storage. There was no effect of cropping season or harvest hour on essential oil composition, but the eugenol and linalool content increased during storage. Coliforms were under 0.3 MPN g-1 and the number of Staphylococcus aureus was under 1.0x10² UFC g-1.

Conservation of 'Pedro Sato' guavas under treatment with 1-methylcyclopropene

The search for techniques that extend shelf life of guava (Psidium guajava) fruits, and reduce its postharvest losses is desirable. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of concentrations of competitive ethylene antagonist 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on conservation of 'Pedro Sato' guava fruits. Treatments consisted of 0, 100, 300 or 900 nL L-1 of 1-MCP for 3 hours followed by storage at 25ºC, and 10ºC with 90±5% RH. The application of 900 nL L-1 1-MCP for 3 hours was efficient in delaying loss of skin color, and in keeping fruit firmness at both storage temperatures. The 300 nL L-1 of 1-MCP concentration was efficient in delaying skin color loss only when fruits were stored at 10ºC. The effect of 1-MCP was quite significant on the reduction of rot incidence at both storage temperatures. The respiratory rate was lower in fruits treated with 300 and 900 nL L-1 of 1-MCP during storage at 25ºC. The product was efficient in delaying the ripening of fruits, and the concentration of 900 nL L-1 showed the best effect.

Issue review : Iowa soil and water conservation cost share program.

This issue review provides an overview of funds dispersed for the soil and water conservation cost share program in the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, DALS.