The following study is a demonstration of the effectiveness of porous pavement and an infiltration trench as Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the reduction of stormwater and its constituents. The field work of the study was conducted from 1986 through 1988 and the report was written in 1990 and finalized in 1996. Results of the study show that porous pavement and the infiltration trench significantly reduced the volume of stormwater runoff as well as its constituents from an urban parking lot area. In addition, wetfall and dryfall were found to be the major contributors to the runoff loading and yet were not comparable to associated studies. Peak and total flow runoff volumes were reduced significantly thereby reducing the overall pollutant loading. Antecedent dry period was found to be related to pollutant loading but only up to about 5 days total. / Master of Science

Sustainable urban parks provide social and economical benefits to the residents and contribute to the urban ecosystem health. Municipalities are responsible for development and management of urban parks and the goal of this study was to better understand if, and why, the municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) have utilized sustainable development strategies in the planning, design, construction and management for their new park projects. A qualitative study utilizing an in-depth interview format was created based on the principles of sustainable development compiled from the Sustainable Sites Initiative. A sample of four municipalities in the GTA was selected based on population and development growth and the park authorities were contacted. The results indicated few sustainable initiatives implemented in the design and management stages of park development. Understanding the constraints against these suggest that there may be potential to increase the sustainability of urban parks. / The Goal of this thesis was to explore if, and why, the municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) have or have not adopted sustainable development strategies in planning, design, construction and management of their new parks.

Thesis (M.S.)--Portland State University, 1993. / Computer-produced typeface. "Technical report EWR-003-93."--Cover. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-76). Also available on the World Wide Web.

The goal of the Mississippi State University Extension Service (MSU-ES) is to improve the quality of life for all Mississippians. One specific group that agricultural change agents work with at the county level is beef producers. Grazing lands have received much attention over the last few years regarding environmental concerns and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for beef cattle operations. The adoption of these practices was voluntary during the time this study was conducted, however; adoption was highly encouraged by the MSU-ES and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). By knowing the level of adoption of BMPs that Mississippi beef producers have implemented, change agents can more effectively plan educational programming efforts for producers to better understand the importance of BMP adoption. The purpose of this study was to describe the adopter categories of Mississippi beef producers as determined by Rogers (2003) adopter characteristics generalizations based on their (1) socioeconomic status, (2) personality values and communication behavior, and (3) opinions. It also examined the correlations between the adopter categories to predict the level of the three BMPs being studied. The adopter categories were innovator, early adopter, early majority, late majority, and laggard. The three BMPs that were the focus of the study were rotation grazing, riparian buffers, and pasture renovation. The results of the study indicated that Mississippi beef producers could be correctly identified in the adopter categories. By identifying the adopter categories of the Mississippi beef producers and then examining the correlations among the variables, prediction of BMP adoption of rotational grazing and riparian buffers was possible. The relationships between MSU-ES agents and their programming efforts, as well as the relationships between NRCS district conservationist and their programs, were studied. Nonoption, though not an adopter category, was also examined and the reasons for it were cited.

The introduction of glyphosate-resistant (GR) crops in the late 1990s changed the way producers used herbicides to control weeds. Since the introduction of GR crops producers have relied on glyphosate alone for weed control instead of utilizing multiple modes of action for weed control. This over-reliance resulted in several weed species developing resistance to glyphosate. This has resulted in organizations from the public and private sector questioning the sustainability of GR cropping systems. Researchers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, and North Carolina established 156 onarm trials to determine the sustainability of GR cropping systems. The objectives of this study were: to determine the economics of a university weed resistance best management practice (BMP) versus a producers’ normal production practice; to evaluate when a producer that is risk neutral (profit maximizing) or risk averse should adopt a weed resistance BMP; and to compare the influences of using a university weed resistance BMP to a producer’s normal production practice on the 27 most common weed species in Mississippi. In all instances, the university weed resistance BMP utilized multiple modes of action in conjunction with glyphosate. A university weed resistance BMP can provide the same level of control on 27 of the most common weeds in Mississippi that a producer has become accustomed to with a glyphosate alone system, while delaying or controlling GR weeds. A university weed resistance BMP resulted in an increase in weed control cost, but similar yields and economic returns when compared to a producer’s normal production practice. Rotating a GR crop with a different GR crop resulted in higher economic returns when compared to a continuous GR cropping system or a GR crop followed by a non-GR crop rotation. Producers are often reluctant to adopt a weed resistance BMP because of the perceived increased cost for weed control. A risk neutral or risk averse producer should adopt a weed resistance BMP and feel confident that their decision will provide weed control equivalent to a glyphosate alone weed control program before resistance developed, delay or control GR weeds and be economically sound.

Current site scale stormwater management designs typically include multiple distributed stormwater best management practices (BMPs), necessary to meet regulatory objectives for nutrient removal and groundwater recharge. Selection of the appropriate BMPs for a particular site requires consideration of contributing drainage area characteristics, such as soil type, area, and land cover. Other physical constraints such as karst topography, areas of highly concentrated pollutant runoff, etc. as well as economics, such as installation and operation and maintenance cost must be considered. Due to these multiple competing selection criteria and regulatory requirements, selection of optimal configurations of BMPs by manual iteration using conventional design tools is not tenable, and the resulting sub-optimal solutions are often biased. This dissertation addresses the need for an objective BMP selection optimization tool through definition of an objective function, selection of an optimization algorithm based on defined selection criteria, development of cost functions related to installation cost and operation and maintenance cost, and ultimately creation and evaluation of a new software tool that enables multi-objective user weighted selection of optimal BMP configurations. A software tool is developed using the nutrient and pollutant removal logic found in the Virginia Runoff Reduction Method (VRRM) spreadsheets. The resulting tool is tested by a group of stormwater professionals from the Commonwealth of Virginia for two case studies. Responses from case study participants indicate that use of the tool has a significant impact on the current engineering design process for selection of stormwater BMPs. They further indicate that resulting selection of stormwater BMPs through use of the optimization tool is more objective than conventional methods of design, and allows designers to spend more time evaluating solutions, rather than attempting to meet regulatory objectives. / Ph. D.

A rapidly changing global agribusiness environment creates a challenge for commercially oriented agricultural producers to improve business acumen through strategy development and execution. A best management practice is broadly defined as a practice that is considered to be most effective in improving business performance. This study examined the relationship of financial leverage and management practices with financial performance on a group of Minnesota and Northwest farms. Management practices were classified into seven broad categories of management, namely strategic planning, financial management, networking, marketing, technology adoption, family relationship and human resources management. Using multiple regression analysis on 242 observations, the effects of financial leverage and management practices on revenues and profits were determined. While the relationship of best management practices with profitability is less conclusive, this study concludes statistically significant relationships between management practices and financial performance, measured in terms of revenues. There exist positive and statistically significant returns to business planning, transition management, customer management and family relationship management. / Master of Science

Many farms in the United States impose negative externalities on society. Population growth and the accompanying increase in demand for food further promote this trend of environmental degradation as a by-product of food production. The USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial assistance to farmers who wish to address natural resource concerns by making structural improvements or implementing best management practices (BMPs) on their farms. Regional examinations of program implementation and incentive levels are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of EQIP at both the farm and environmental level. This research addresses this need in the following two ways. First, conjoint analysis was used to calculate the willingness to accept incentive levels desired by Vermont farmers for implementing three common BMPs and the relative importance of each attribute in their adoption decisions. Next, a survey was conducted to document Vermont farmers' experiences, or choices not to engage, with EQIP. The results of the conjoint analysis indicated that farmers' adoption decisions are most heavily influenced by the available implementation incentives and that the higher the incentive level offered, the more willing farmers are to adopt a practice. The survey results triangulated these findings as cost was the most frequently cited challenge farmers face when implementing BMPs and one third of respondents felt the cost-share amount they had received was inadequate. Although 46% of respondents reported receiving nonmonetary benefits, 43% had encountered challenges when enrolling or participating in EQIP. In addition, though contracts are designed to address specific resource concerns, 30% of respondents had not fully fixed the original issues with their contracts. This also indicates that the incentive levels offered in EQIP contracts may be lower than Vermont farmers' preferred incentive levels, affecting the adoption rate of BMPs and subsequently the environmental health and long term sustainability of Vermont's agricultural systems. Program areas ripe for improvement, key points for farmers weighing the costs and benefits of program participation, and future research opportunities are discussed in order to guide efforts to improve the effectiveness of EQIP in Vermont. This research also raises awareness of how much it costs to simultaneously support environmental health and food production in our current food system and who ultimately should bear this financial burden.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / William P. Winslow III / This project is of a personal interest to me, because Junction City, Kansas has been my home town since birth. The city is a rapidly growing community with a strong military presence from nearby Fort Riley, Kansas. The project will explore the capacity for effective growth while preventing the degradation of fragile natural resources within the community. It will also provide new amenities for the people of Junction City as well as capitalize on the existing natural amenities. The project provides storm water management solutions for an existing retail development and a proposed mixed use development incorporating sustainable practices. Studying the history and progressive nature of Junction City provides an understanding of how to embrace the design within the surrounding landscape. A model for responsible mixed use retail and residential development in Junction City is provided through this project. Storm water best management strategies were also implemented to improve the oxbow wetlands by capturing the first flush storm event as well as a 25 year storm event. Finally, the project should continue to shape the history and enthusiasm of Junction City and its people.

No description available.