Drawing on interviews in Switzerland and New Zealand, we explore the concept of autonomy as part of a farming self. The farming self encompasses the dialectical relationship of autonomy as both value and tool that help us understand farmers within a wider set of economic, environmental and interpersonal relations. Farmers describe autonomy as a value in three related but slightly different ways...

After domestication, plant species were often transported widely, and many genetically distinct farmers’ varieties (FVs, crop varieties traditionally maintained and grown by farmers) developed in specific locations. FVs continue to be grown today by many small-scale farmers in traditionally-based agricultural systems (TBAS), fulfilling both local or regional consumption needs, as well as the la...

To the Editor: Arcanobacterium pyogenes is a normal inhabitant of the mucous membranes of domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep, swine, and goats (1). Diseases caused by this agent have been reported for persons who live in rural areas and have underlying illnesses such as cancer and diabetes (2–4). A recent literature review (3), elicited by a case of A. pyogenes endocarditis, found 13 unequ...

Electronic mediums such as websites, feeds, blogs and social media sites are on a daily basis influencing our decision making, are improving our productivity and are shaping futures of many consumers and service/product providers. This research identifies that both customers and business providers heavily rely on smart phone applications. Based on this, mobile applications available on iTunes s...

The Euglenida consists mostly of free-living flagellates with very diverse modes of nutrition. A number of heterotrophic euglenids (e.g., Petalomonas and Ploeotia) are limited to bacteriotrophy (Fig. 1a–c) while others (e.g., Dinema and Peranema) are capable of ingesting eukaryotic prey (Fig. 1f). We use the label “eukaryotroph” to distinguish the latter taxa from the bacteriotrophs (Triemer an...

This paper assesses the effectiveness of the traditional models of co-operation and analyses best practice in collaboration between farmers seeking to gain significantly greater scale and flexibility in an increasingly global food chain. By drawing upon broader strategic management thinking and relevant international practice, the study seeks to identify new models for farmer collaboration. The...

In October 2011, a cluster of four tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) cases was identified in Hungary. Initial investigations revealed a possible link with consumption of unpasteurised cow milk sold by a farmer without authorisation. We performed a cohort study including all regular customers of the farmer. Overall, eleven cases (seven confirmed and four suspected) were identified. Customers who had...

The Keithley model 602 electrometer-Farmer ionization chamber combination has served as the standard dosimetry system for calibration measurements made by the AAPM Radiological Physics Center at 156 different institutions. The constancy of this system is compared to that for the Baldwin-Farmer Secondary Standard Dosemeter type 2502, and is based on measurements made over a 3-yr period on a Coba...