Policy Experiments for the U.S. Intermountain West Native Seed Industry

Author(s):  
Betsy Mock ◽  
Kristiana Hansen ◽  
Roger Coupal ◽  
Dale Menkhaus
2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 1184-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Alexander ◽  
James D. Scott ◽  
Dustin Swales ◽  
Mimi Hughes ◽  
Kelly Mahoney ◽  
...  

Abstract Two methods were used to identify the paths of moisture transport that reach the U.S. Intermountain West (IMW) during heavy precipitation events in winter. In the first, the top 150 precipitation events at stations located within six regions in the IMW were identified, and then back trajectories were initiated at 6-h intervals on those days at the four Climate Forecast System Reanalysis grid points nearest the stations. The second method identified the leading patterns of integrated water vapor transport (IVT) using the three leading empirical orthogonal functions of IVT over land that were first normalized by the local standard deviation. The top 1% of the associated 6-hourly time series was used to construct composites of IVT, atmospheric circulation, and precipitation. The results from both methods indicate that moisture originating from the Pacific that leads to extreme precipitation in the IMW during winter takes distinct pathways and is influenced by gaps in the Cascades (Oregon–Washington), the Sierra Nevada (California), and Peninsular Ranges (from Southern California through Baja California). The moisture transported along these routes appears to be the primary source for heavy precipitation for the mountain ranges in the IMW. The synoptic conditions associated with the dominant IVT patterns include a trough–ridge couplet at 500 hPa, with the trough located northwest of the ridge where the associated circulation funnels moisture from the west-southwest through the mountain gaps and into the IMW.


Plant Disease ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 462-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Carson

Phaeosphaeria leaf spot (PLS) is a potentially important maize disease that has recently appeared in the continental United States in winter breeding nurseries in southern Florida. To better predict the potential of this newly introduced disease to inflict damage on the U.S. maize crop, 64 public and private inbred lines and 80 proprietary commercial maize hybrids representing the genetic diversity in the U.S. maize crop were evaluated for resistance to PLS in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 winter nursery seasons. Plots were evaluated for PLS severity (0 to 9 scale) at the early to mid dent stages of kernel development. Relatively few hybrids or inbreds were free from PLS at this growth stage. Inbred lines related to B73 were particularly susceptible to PLS. Relatively few commercial hybrids were as severely diseased as a susceptible check hybrid, indicating that U.S. maize production is not particularly vulnerable to damage from PLS at this time. However, the susceptibility of several widely used parental inbred lines makes PLS a potential concern to the seed industry should it become established in areas of hybrid seed production.


Author(s):  
Jebb Q. Stewart ◽  
C. David Whiteman ◽  
W. James Steenburgh ◽  
Xindi Bian

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-67
Author(s):  
Mohammad Torshizi ◽  
Jennifer Clapp

We investigate the effects of common ownership on firms’ incentives to compete. Using a theoretical model, we illustrate how common ownership changes the nature of competition among firms in the same sector. Our empirical analysis examines these dynamics in the U.S. seed industry and shows that the rise of common ownership concentration is a significant contributor to increase in soy, corn, and cotton seed prices over the 1997–2017 period. These findings contribute to the current literature regarding the anticompetitive effects of common ownership and confirm the result of studies performed in other sectors, such as airlines.


HortScience ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany L. Maughan ◽  
Kynda R. Curtis ◽  
Brent L. Black ◽  
Daniel T. Drost

Strawberry production in the U.S. Intermountain West is limited by harsh climatic conditions and competition from domestic producers and imports. Using season extension methods to combat climatic conditions may be effective but generally increases production costs. This study evaluates the economic returns to implementing high tunnels, low tunnels, and in-ground supplemental heating to strawberry production (Seascape and Chandler cultivars) in northern Utah. The high tunnel provided a net return of $1,943.57 or $15,548.56 per hectare assuming eight high tunnels per hectare. The addition of low tunnels within the high tunnel led to a positive increase in net returns for ‘Seascape’ but not for ‘Chandler’ production. Supplemental in-ground heating increased net returns by up to 50% for both cultivars, primarily as a result of higher pre-season yield and market pricing. Study results find that season extension technologies can successfully increase net returns to strawberry production through early and increased yields, when strawberries are sold primarily through local direct markets.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 654-658
Author(s):  
Melanie Stock

The social media service Instagram is a popular public platform, but often underused tool to reach new demographics, reduce barriers, and perpetuate science-based information in extension. In the U.S. Intermountain West, Instagram was the top-rated platform for sharing information by predominantly new and female farmers. This article provides recommendations on key behaviors, goal setting, and quantifying impact on Instagram for extension programming. Accounts should target one niche or market, a consistent and personal voice, and regular communication (new content at least three times weekly). Unique and productive connections between extension personnel, community leaders, farmers, students, and public influencers expands programming. Tracking program accounts, including the number of followers and engagement rates, can assess program impacts and target market needs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 1306-1322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney G. Flint ◽  
Elizabeth Wynn ◽  
Travis Paveglio ◽  
Amanda Boyd ◽  
Cathy Bullock

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Ilin ◽  
Guanming Shi

This paper examines how the evolution of learning affects technology adoption. We use a sequential adoption model that accounts for differences between forward-looking adopters, who consider future impacts of their learning, and myopic adopters, who only consider past learning. We apply the analysis to three panels of U.S. soybean farmers representing different stages of the genetically modified (GM) seed technology diffusion path. We show that uncertainty is considerably reduced over time due to increased learning efficiency. Our results indicate that a forward-looking model fits the early adopters and early majority stages better, while both models perform equally well in the laggard stage.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcello De Vitis ◽  
Holly Abbandonato ◽  
Kingsley Dixon ◽  
Giles Laverack ◽  
Costantino Bonomi ◽  
...  

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