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Alces alces, called the moose in North America and the elk in Europe (see also elk for other animals called elk) is the largest member of the deer family Cervidae, distinguished from other members of Cervidae by the form of the palmate antlers of its males. The word "moose" is from mus or mooz in several of the Algonquian languages, spoken by certain indigenous peoples of the Americas. The name means "twig eater."
Habitat and range
Moose are typical of boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates. In North America, that includes almost all of Canada, Alaska, much of New England, and the upper Rockies. In Europe, most of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia have widespread moose populations. In Asia, moose are confined mainly to Russia. Moose were generally more broadly distributed in the past. Many of the European countries to which moose were once native now have extirpated or relic moose populations.
Moose have been successfully introduced on the island of Newfoundland in 1904 where they are now the dominant ungulate, and somewhat less successfully on Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Ten moose were also introduced in Fiordland, New Zealand in 1910, but they apparently died off. Nevertheless, there have been reported sightings and there is continuing speculation about their existence in New Zealand.
More on [ Moose ]
Deer :: Big Game
Cervidae :: Artiodactyla
Venison and Elk :: Exotic
Techniques for Managing Cover Crops
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:23:00 -0500
Read the magazine story to find out more. Rolling machines designed by ARS researchers may be the fastest way for farmers to prepare fields with cover crops for planting. Click the image for more information about it. Researchers roll out the rye to reign in weeds Conservation tillage has immediate benefits Lower CO2 loss in fall tillage Managing Cover Crops with Rolling and Crimping Techniques By Laura McGinnis September 3, 2008 Rolling hay, rye and other cover crops could be the fastest way for some farmers to prepare their fields for planting. That's thanks to rolling machines--developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists--that can quickly flatten mature, high-biomass cover crops such as rye. Each roller consists of a long cylinder adorned with a series of thick, blunt, steel crimping bars, each about one-quarter-inch thick. As a standard tractor pulls the roller over the field, pressure from the bars flattens and damages the cover crop without cutting or uprooting it. Within three weeks, the rolled cover crop dries out, forming a mat of dead biomass into which farmers can plant cash crops. Since 2001, ARS has been conducting research to find the best crimping roller design for conditions in the southeastern United States, and the benefits from this research are gaining recognition. ARS scientists Ted Kornecki and Randy Raper and their colleagues at the agency's National Soil Dynamics Laboratory (NSDL) in Auburn, Ala., compared three different roller designs. The first roller has a traditional design with long, straight, horizontal bars. The second has diagonal bars that curve around the roller. The third has a smooth drum attached to a crimping bar that mashes the rye as the machine moves forward. NSDL scientists, who developed the curved-bar and crimping roller designs, found that all three models killed enough rye--90 percent or more--to enable farmers to begin planting cash crops in the field within three weeks. The crimping-bar roller yielded the best results. The scientists also found that the curved-bar and the crimping rollers provided smoother rides than the traditional straight-bar roller. Future studies will help scientists maximize the efficiency and comfort of these machines. The one-pass process saves money, reduces soil erosion and runoff, helps control weeds, conserves water in the soil and decreases or eliminates the need for herbicides. Read more about the research in the September 2008 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ARS Researchers Search for Casuarina Biological Control Agents
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:48:00 -0500
Read the magazine story to find out more. Invasive Australian Pine, Casuarina equisetifolia. Photo courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr, U.S. Geological Survey, Bugwood.org. Foreign herbivores may be key to curbing invasive weeds Alternate methods of whitefly control Groundbreaking for new biological control lab ARS Researchers Search for Casuarina Biological Control Agents By Alfredo Flores September 2 , 2008 Australia's Outback and remote coastlines are home to insects that could be key biocontrols for a highly invasive weed threatening coastal areas of the United States, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators. ARS entomologist Greg Wheeler and his ARS and university colleagues are touring the Outback and Australia's coastal areas in search of biological control agents for the highly invasive Casuarina species commonly called Australian pine. This weed is infiltrating U.S. coastal areas, especially in south Florida, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Known for its rapid growth and dense coverage, Australian pine inhibits the growth of native plants. The Australian pine problem includes three Casuarina species--C. equisetifolia (referred to in Australia as “coastal she-oak”), C. glauca (“swamp she-oak,” and arguably as big or a bigger problem than C. equisetifolia) and C. cunninghamiana (“river she-oak”). In the past few years, the Australian members of the team--Matthew Purcell and Bradley Brown, researchers at the ARS Australian Biological Control Laboratory in Indooroopilly, Queensland, and Gary Taylor from the University of Adelaide, Australia--conducted five separate trips throughout Australia. Purcell, Brown, Taylor and John Gaskin, research leader of the ARS Pest Management Research Unit in Sidney, Mont., collectively comprise a Casuarina research team. Wheeler served as the lead scientist for the project, coordinating the funding, surveys and plant-DNA testing. From a bounty of some 300 wasps, weevils, stem-borers, sap-suckers, seed-eaters and more, the scientists have narrowed the field of potential control agents to about 12 candidates. Not only do these top candidates attack C. equisetifolia, but many also attack C. glauca and C. cunninghamiana. Among the top finds were the seed-feeding wasp Bootanelleus orientalis, which is host-specific to Australian pine, and the defoliator moth Zauclophora pelodes. These insects are still undergoing testing by Purcell and colleagues in Australia to determine their suitability for use as biological control agents in the United States. Insects that decrease Casuarina reproduction and spread are being given the most attention. Read more about the research in the September 2008 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Diptera Database Developed
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:23:00 -0500
Mexican fruit flies are just one of the species in the order Diptera, one of the four largest groups of living organisms on Earth. Click the image for more information about it. Fruit fly diversity is in the details Fruit fly study provides insight into bee immune system Virulent hessian flies renew attack on U.S. wheat Database Documents Names for More Than 150,000 Diptera Species By Ann Perry August 29, 2008 Distinguishing between insect pests and partners starts with an ironclad identification. So Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologist Chris Thompson headed up efforts to accurately identify and name almost 157,000 flies, gnats, maggots, midges, mosquitoes and related species in the order Diptera. Diptera is one of the four largest groups of living organisms on Earth, and its members are critical components in virtually all non-marine ecosystems. Carl Linnaeus, who devised the scientific classification system still in use today, compiled the first index of Diptera species names in 1758. But even though an average of 800 new Diptera names are proposed every year, the nomenclature has not been comprehensively updated since 1805. Thompson works at the ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory in Washington, D.C. For this research, he partnered with Neal Evenhuis, an entomologist at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii; Thomas Pape, an entomologist at the Natural History Museum of Denmark; and Adrian Pont, an entomologist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in Oxford, England. The group assembled the tenth edition of the Biosystematic Database of World Diptera (BDWD). This massive index contains nomenclature data for 156,599 living and extinct Diptera species in 154 families and 11,671 genera—around 10 percent of the known biodiversity in the world today. The BDWD, which is available at www.diptera.org, has two components. The Nomenclator allows users to check names, confirm species status, and obtain information about type, family classification and sources for all names in the collection. The Species database is being designed to answer queries about different species, including their distribution, biological associates and economic importance. The BDWD provides a framework for organizing and integrating current and future data that is accessible by researchers around the globe. Scientists can obtain a wealth of information that will help them fine-tune Diptera’s evolutionary tree and track the migration, increase and decline of economically-important Diptera species worldwide. The team presented their research at the 20th International Congress of Zoology in Paris, France, in August. ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service Reports
Dairy Products Prices
Cheddar Cheese prices received for US 40 pound Blocks averaged $1.75 per pound for the week ending August 30....
Dairy Products Prices
Cheddar Cheese prices received for US 40 pound Blocks averaged $1.83 per pound for the week ending August 23....
Agricultural Prices
August Farm Prices Received Index Declined 4 Points From Last Month, Prices Paid Index up 2 Points....
Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin
NASS releases Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin...
Broiler Hatchery
Broiler-Type Eggs Set In 19 Selected States Down 5 Percent. Broiler Chicks Placed Down 4 Percent....
Vegetables
Contracted Processing Production Down 2 Percent from Last Year. Asparagus Production Down 15 Percent. Spring Onion Production Up 8 Percent....
Alberta Elk Association - Provides information, resources, news and links about raising elk on farms and ranches and marketing breeding animals and velvet antler.
Meta Description: [ Provides information on the Alberta Elk Commission's services and research projects designed to promote and expand the elk farming industry in western Canada. ]
Alberta White-tail and Mule Deer Association - Information, resources, news and links about starting up and operating a white-tail and mule deer farm or ranch.
Meta Description: [ Comprehensive information and resources on raising white-tail
and mule deer provided by the Alberta White-tail and Mule Deer Association. ]
Deer Tracking Magazine - Practical deer farming newsletter for all aspects relevant to the whitetail and mule deer industry. Based out of Saskatchewan, Canada.
Exotic Classifieds.com - Classified advertising for the serious buyer or seller of exotic animals. Specializes in deer and related species.
Minnesota Elk Breeders Association - MNEBA features elk and wapiti farming, schedule of events, guide to velvet, sales listings, classifieds, and dictory of members' sites.
Meta Description: [ Minnesota Elk Breeders Association provides you with resourceful information on elk farming and many elk resources. ]
North American Deer Farmers Association - Includes products, membership information, and the how to about deer farming.
Meta Description: [ North American Deer Farmer Association provides deer farming information. ]
North American Elk Breeders Association - Information and resources on raising, managing and marketing elk (wapiti) and elk products.
Meta Description: [ The North American Elk Breeders Association, or NAEBA, provides and maintains a purebred elk registry, produces a bi-monthly full-color North American Elk journal, and educates North American Elk Breeders in proper management and breeding practices. ]
Ontario Deer and Elk Farmers Association - ODEFA - Site includes information about deer and elk farming. Also has several related links.
Meta Description: [ The ontario deer and elk farmers association is an umbrella organization for; Ontario Elk Breeders Association, Fallow Deer Society of Ontario, the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Red Deer Association, the Ontario White-tailed deer producers association. ]
Ontario Elk Breeders Association - Promotes the elk industry as a profitable agricultural alternative in Ontario. News, classifieds, library of articles, recipes, photo gallery and members directory.
Meta Description: [ Ontario Elk Breeders Association - Information on Elk Farming and more ]
The Pennsylvania Elk Herd - Detailed information about the Pennsylvania Elk Herd and North American Elk in general.
Meta Description: [ All the hunting gear you need found here on the web. Hunting, Camping and Hiking, Athletic Apparel, Athletic Footwear, Baseball and Softball, Basketball, Billiards, Bowling ]
White-Tailed Deer Farmers' Network - Comprehensive information on farming white-tailed and mule deer in North America.
Meta Description: [ For deer, elk and reindeer farmers - information, news, free ads, forums, library, newsletter and much more... ]
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