Economic performance. Costs. Operations. Power. Equipment selection. Laboratory exercises.

This bulletin provides principles, practices and procedures for testing machines and also determines aspects of a machine's performance that can be evaluated. It is directed towards those involved in the evaluation of machinery, and primarily towards users on small farms. Evaluation of farm equipment may be appropriate at any stage in its development, from first prototype to batch and series production.

This book contains 12 chapters focusing on: (i) experimental planning; (ii) sample preparation; (iii) weighing and dispersing; (iv) acid-digestion, ashing and extracting procedures; (v) analysis of soil and compost; (vi) analysis of fertilizers; (vii) analysis of animal feed and plant materials; (viii) analysis of silage; (ix) near infrared spectroscopy; (x) methods in equine nutrition; (xi) methods for organic farmers and growers; and (xii) quality assurance and control.

Agroecology is defined as the application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable food systems. Offering step-by-step guidance for structured investigation, Field and Laboratory Investigations in Agroecology, Second Edition reviews ecological concepts and principles in an agricultural setting and provides in-depth, practical experience. From background information to procedures and suggestions for writing up the results, the book covers 24 different agroecological investigations, each designed to provide all the information needed to plan and execute experimental or comparative studies. It deals with how an individual plant responds to the environment, how environmental factors are measured and characterized, and how environmental factors affect individual plants. The manual investigates how populations of organisms act in agroecosystems, focuses on the level of the community, and explores the between-species interactions of the organisms that make up crop communities. Examining whole farms or systems within farm boundaries, investigations touch on the complexity with which farmers manage agroecosystems. In the last section, the book addresses components of the food system at a local level. Comprising both basic and complex topics, Field and Laboratory Investigations in Agroecology, Second Edition presents a broad scope of issues relevant to agroecology today. This edition facilitates hands-on, experiential learning that involves close observation, creative interpretation, and constant questioning of findings.

Designed to encourage the quantitative investigation of soil properties, as well as to give a 'feel' for what soils are and how they behave. The manual provides opportunities to see, touch and manipulate soil to better understand pedological, biological, chemical, and physical aspects of one of nature's most complex ecosystems.