The topics in this newsletter are considered to be timely and of interest. Comments and suggestions are invited. The use of trade names in this newsletter is not an endorsement of any company or product by the Maryland Cooperative Extension, University of Maryland, College Park.
David S. Ross, Extension Agricultural Engineer

The following Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service publications are being highlighted this month for growers and marketers.

Orders should be sent to NRAES, Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-5701. Quantity discounts are available. Major credit cards are accepted, and checks should be made payable to NRAES. For information about quantity discounts, or for a free publications catalog, contact NRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654, by fax (607) 254-8770, or by E-mail at nraes@cornell.edu. NRAES also maintains a web site at http://www.nraes.org.

Three recent books published by NRAES-the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (formerly the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service) have been honored with Blue Ribbon Awards in the 1998 ASAE Educational Aids Competition. The Blue Ribbon Award winners from NRAES are Post-Frame Building Handbook: Materials, Design Considerations, Construction Procedures, NRAES-1 (published May 1997); Strawberry Production Guide for the Northeast, Midwest, and Eastern Canada, NRAES-88 (May 1998); and Liquid Manure Application Systems Design Manual, NRAES-89 (May 1998).

ASAE (the Society for Engineering in Agricultural, Food, and Biological Systems) presents the Blue Ribbon Awards annually in recognition of "outstanding effort and achievement in the development of noteworthy educational aids." Major emphasis in the competition is placed on how well the educational aids meet the needs of intended audiences.

Post-Frame Building Handbook, NRAES-1, presents in a clear, easy-to-follow style the latest design considerations and construction methods for post-frame buildings. Enhanced by 60 illustrations and 31 tables, the book provides essential information for the preliminary design of a modern post-frame structure. Post-Frame Building Handbook was edited by Jon Carson, The Pennsylvania State University, and Mark Dougherty, NRAES. The 78-page publication is a major revision of the original Pole and Post Buildings (1984), by Wilmot W. Irish, Cornell University; Grant D. Wells, Iowa State University Extension; Robert A. Parsons, ASHRAE; and Gerald R. Bodman, University of Nebraska. Post-Frame Building Handbook may be ordered from NRAES for $12.00, plus $3.50 shipping and handling for a single copy.

Strawberry Production Guide, NRAES-88, is the most comprehensive production guide ever published for strawberry growers. The publication includes 14 chapters, 115 full-color photographs, 37 figures, and 47 tables. It provides up-to-date, in-depth coverage of every aspect of strawberry culture from preparing the production site to harvesting and marketing. Presented in a three-ring binder, the guide also includes budget spreadsheets on a floppy disk (for use with Microsoft Excel, version 4.0 or higher). The 162-page guide was edited by Marvin Pritts, Cornell University, and David Handley, University of Maine, and written by sixteen experts representing eight universities. Strawberry Production Guide is priced at $45.00, plus $5.00 shipping and handling for a single copy.

Liquid Manure Application Systems Design Manual, NRAES-89, provides current research and industry experience in applying liquid manures to farmland. Emphasizing basic principles, the abundantly illustrated 168-page manual outlines a design process for planning and implementing an economically efficient, environmentally safe liquid manure application system that is tailored to the individual producer's conditions. Liquid Manure Application Systems Design Manual, NRAES-89, was written by Mark Dougherty, NRAES; Larry D. Geohring, Cornell Cooperative Extension; and Peter Wright, Cornell Cooperative Extension. Cost of the publication is $20.00, plus $3.50 shipping for a single copy.

Dramatic changes have occurred in the field of horticulture over the last decade, and agricultural economists will continue to face provocative questions concerning international trade, production, marketing, environmental protection, information systems, education, and government policy in the twenty-first century. Bringing together 79 papers, a recent publication ($60.00 plus shipping and handling; 1996; 600 pages) presents current research on a broad range of such questions. The Proceedings of the XIIIth International Symposium on Horticultural Economics, held at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, on August 4-9, 1996, includes articles on horticultural economics by specialists from around the globe.

Included in the first chapter of the volume are three invited papers: "Horticultural Economics: Past, Present, and Future"; "The New Zealand Experience: Towards a Free Market Economy"; and "The Horticulture Sector of the Former Soviet Union." Additional chapters offering 4-7 refereed papers each are "Greenhouse Management"; "Management"; "Marketing"; "Quality Management/Strategic Planning"; "Fruits and Vegetables"; "Computers and Information Systems"; "Floriculture and Ornamentals"; "Sustainability"; "Development"; "Consumer Attitudes, Preferences, and Demand"; and "Posters." A final chapter provides 14 non-refereed papers.

The individual papers analyze a variety of topics in diverse locations. The following list is a representative sample: "Factors Influencing the Adoption of Biological Control Technologies in Floriculture under Glass" (Germany); "Farm Management of Fungicide Use in Tulips in the Netherlands"; "The Effects of Increased Trade on the U.S. Fruit Sector"; "Strategic Quality Planning in the Horticultural Sector" (United Kingdom); "An Alliance Strategy in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector: The Example of Agro-Marche-Strategies" (France); "A Proposal to Set Up an International Scientific Network for Information on Horticultural Economics"; "Share Analysis of Drivers of Growth in the Ornamental Industry: A Case Study of New Jersey"; "Demand and Supply Factors on the Market for Organic Vegetables: The Case of Sweden"; "The Cost of Maintaining Genetic Resources for Cassava" (Colombia); "Understanding the Factors Influencing Consumer Choice of Cut Flowers: A Means-End Approach" (Australia); "Economic Analysis of Potato Cultivars under Two Sustainability Factors" (India); and "Market Planning for Specialty Crops: An Applied Economic Approach" (U.S.A.) A complete table of contents is given below.

The proceedings was edited by Robin G. Brumfield, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Rutgers University, and published by the International Society for Horticultural Science. In addition to agricultural economists, producers of fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals and their advisors will find it an informative book.

Composting, a managed treatment process that turns biodegradable waste material into a soil-like substance called compost, may be able to help municipalities with the increasingly complex task of managing the waste stream. Specifically, composting has the potential to decrease the amount of waste disposed of in landfills; lessen environmental hazards (through reduced emissions from incinerators and leachate from landfills); help achieve compliance with state-mandated recycling goals; and produce a clean, organic product with a number of potential uses and markets. A new publication, Composting for Municipalities: Planning and Design Considerations, NRAES-94 ($18.00 plus shipping and handling, November 1998, 136 pages) was written to help municipal planners decide whether composting fits their waste management goals and objectives.

This 136-page publication will provide policy makers and municipal planners with information about the basic principles, current practices, and potential benefits of composting as well as guidance in the planning, design, and operation of a municipal composting facility. The publication will also be useful to compost facility operators and technicians (for help in managing facilities and improving operations); consultants and designers; regulators and enforcement agencies; and other community stakeholders wishing to learn more about the role composting can play in municipal solid waste management. The publication was designed for use as a home-study guide or a textbook for classes and workshops.

Composting for Municipalities contains seven chapters that cover the major aspects of compost facility design and operation. Chapter topics include composting options (such as the composting methods and technologies available to municipalities); planning a municipal compost facility (including assembling a planning team, conducting a market survey, and identifying potential costs); siting a new facility; obtaining feedstock for composting (including sorting and separating mixed municipal solid waste); making compost; marketing compost; and managing a facility for long-term success. Information presented in the eight appendixes includes a sample preliminary market survey, sample outlines of important planning and contract documents, physical and chemical characteristics of commonly composted raw materials, a compost pad area calculation, and a listing of handy conversion factors. Also included in the book are 41 illustrations, 15 tables, numerous sample calculations, a glossary, and a list of resources for additional information.

Composting for Municipalities: Planning and Design Considerations was put together by Mark Dougherty, professional engineer and former staff engineer at NRAES (Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service). Mark attended the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service's Better Composting School and received a certificate of technical ability in composting from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Compost School.

Further information is available electronically at: http://nraes.org/publications/nraes94.html.

Two new publications from the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES) can help owners and managers of farms, horticultural businesses, and agriservice businesses learn to create a work environment that motivates employees and is productive, profitable, safe, and worker-friendly. The first publication is the proceedings of a conference entitled "Workforce Management for Farms and Horticultural Businesses: Finding, Training, and Keeping Good Employees," which was held January 13-15, 1999, in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The proceedings ($15.00 plus S & H/sales tax, 140 pages, January 1999) includes papers on various aspects of farm workforce management by experts from the fields of human resources, law, business, academia, and government. A companion workbook is called Workshop Handouts, NRAES-122 ($12.00 plus S & H/sales tax, 66 pages, January 1999).

The proceedings Workforce Management for Farms and Horticultural Businesses: Finding, Training, and Keeping Good Employees, NRAES-117, offers fourteen papers, including discussions of such key issues as the value of employees, communicating the business's mission, and managing a multicultural workforce. Other papers address material covered in training workshops at the conference: performance feedback, recruiting and hiring outstanding staff, getting the most from employees, and leadership as coaching to develop people. Additional papers address legal aspects of farm workforce management, such as elements of the employment contract, hiring with and without a contract, guest workers (the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program), discrimination in the workplace, the fundamentals of farm employment rules and regulations, the EPA worker protection standard, and developing a safety training program.

Workshop Handouts, NRAES-122, includes self-assessments, checklists, and guidelines concerning recruitment and hiring, communication styles, performance reviews, leadership styles, and motivating employees. This publication will help you define your approach to workforce management and the benefits and drawbacks of that approach.

In addition to owners and managers of farms, horticultural businesses, and agribusinesses and professionals who advise them, both publications will be of interest to readers including managers and owners of businesses not big enough to have a human resource department, public- and private-sector farm advisors, professionals in the service and supply industry, agricultural educators, and government agency staff.

The proceedings, Workforce Management for Farms and Horticultural Businesses, NRAES-117, is available for $15.00 per copy, plus S & H/sales tax. Workshop Handouts, NRAES-122, is priced at $12.00 per copy, plus S & H/sales tax. Shipping and handling for one copy of either publication is $3.50 within the continental United States. The proceedings and workbook together cost $27.00, and shipping and handling for the set is $5.00 within the continental United States. (New York State residents must add 8% sales tax.) Both may be ordered from NRAES, Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-5701.