Agri-News, August 22, 2007, Vol. 7, no. 12

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Agri-News, September 6, 2007, Vol. 7, no. 13

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Agri-News, September 18, 2007, Vol. 7, no. 14

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Agri-News, October 15, 2007, Vol. 7, no. 15

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Agri-News, October 18, 2007, Vol. 7, no. 16

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Agri-News, November 6, 2007, Vol. 7, no. 17

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Agri-News, November 16, 2007, Vol. 7, no. 18

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Agri-News, December 6, 2007, Vol. 7, no. 19

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Imported Cattle Report, June 2011

The Imported Cattle report monthly by the Department of Agricultural.

Imported Swine Count, June 2011

The imported swine court report monthly by the Department of Agricultural.

Imported Cattle Report, July 2011

The Imported Cattle report monthly by the Department of Agricultural.

Imported Swine Count, July 2011

The imported swine court report monthly by the Department of Agricultural.

Sham nepotism as a result of intrinsic differences in brood viability in ants.

In animal societies, cooperation for the common wealth and latent conflicts due to the selfish interests of individuals are in delicate balance. In many ant species, colonies contain multiple breeders and workers interact with nestmates of varying degrees of relatedness. Therefore, workers could increase their inclusive fitness by preferentially caring for their closest relatives, yet evidence for nepotism in insect societies remains scarce and controversial. We experimentally demonstrate that workers of the ant Formica exsecta do not discriminate between highly related and unrelated brood, but that brood viability differs between queens. We further show that differences in brood viability are sufficient to explain a relatedness pattern that has previously been interpreted as evidence for nepotism. Hence, our findings support the view that nepotism remains elusive in social insects and emphasize the need for further controlled experiments.

The costs of soil erosion

The aim of this study was a survey of the estimated costs of soil erosion, an issue of fundamental importance in view of the current worldwide discussions on sustainability. A list was drawn up of research papers on erosion (on-site and off-site effects) and their respective costs. The estimates indicate the amount of resources spent in the process of soil degradation, raising a general awareness of the need for soil conservation. On-site costs affect the production units directly, while off-site costs create a burden borne by the environment, economy and society. In addition, estimating the costs of soil erosion should be effective to alert the agricultural producers, society and government for the need for measures that can be implemented to bring erosion under control. Among the various estimates of soil erosion costs between 1933 a 2010, the highest figure was 45.5 billion dollars a year for the European Union. In the United States, the highest figure was 44 billion dollars a year. In Brazil, estimates for the state of Paraná indicate a value of 242 million dollars a year, and for the state of São Paulo, 212 million dollars a year. These figures show, above all, that conservation measures must be implemented if crop and livestock farming production are to be sustainable.

Imported Cattle Report, August 2011

The Imported Cattle report monthly by the Department of Agricultural.