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06/26/01 - Just thought you would enjoy reading this article. It is another example of MSU making a real difference in the state of Mississippi and in the business world.
Catfish farmers have economic evidence that battling the most common cause of off-flavor with copper sulfate brings higher profits.
Research shows that adding copper sulfate to catfish ponds to kill blue-green algae greatly reduces problems with off-flavor. By treating to keep the fish on-flavor, producers can expect higher profits.
Terry Hanson, aquaculture economist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, did an economic analysis of nine ponds treated with copper sulfate and nine ponds left untreated. Before the research began, the decision was made to harvest in August when most off-flavor problems occur.
"We found that when copper sulfate is used, we can have an annual net return of $848 per acre per year of profit above cash costs. This profit does not include such costs as pond construction, land prices, machinery and equipment, and depreciation," Hanson said. "In the control ponds without treatment, we got an annual net return of $569 above cash costs."
When harvest-ready catfish are found to be off-flavor, they must be held in ponds until flavor improves. Getting a catfish back on-flavor can take from a few days to several months. During this time, producers must continue to feed the catfish to maintain market weight, and many die during this wait.
"Treating ponds with copper sulfate stabilized catfish production, mainly by reducing delays in harvesting, which in turn reduced the losses of fish to infectious diseases," Hanson said.
Key to managing the off-flavor problem is applying the copper sulfate correctly.
"Copper sulfate is a crystal, which means if you just throw it in a pond, it dissolves very slowly and falls in the mud where it is inactive," Hanson said.
Research found that the best way to apply copper sulfate is to place it in a burlap bag inside a second burlap bag which is placed 20 feet behind the pond's aerator. The bags keep the crystals suspended so they can dissolve, and the aerator circulates the copper sulfate across the entire pond. Ponds should be treated with five pounds per acre per week when water temperatures are above 70 degrees.
"The research shows the catfish farmer that if you use this application method and application rate, your off-flavor occurrences should be greatly reduced," Hanson said.
Hanson performed his economic analysis on research conducted in the late 1990s by Craig Tucker, MAFES aquaculture researcher at the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Research Center in Stoneville. Tucker's research demonstrated that copper sulfate applied at the prescribed rate effectively controlled blue-green algae.
"In 1995 a Mississippi catfish farmer told us of his success at managing blue-green algae using frequent, low doses of copper sulfate. Later that year, we initiated a controlled study to determine the effectiveness of this practice," Tucker said.
Tucker initially didn't think the procedure would work, but flavor checks provided some of the most clear-cut experimental data he had ever seen. The results were well replicated, too.
"The ponds we were treating with the low rate of copper were mostly on-flavor, but the ponds we weren't treating had half or so of the fish off-flavor," Tucker said. "The first year the data looked pretty good, but we still thought it was a fluke. The second year was more convincing and by the third year, we were sure."
The economic data now available on this treatment option, show it to be highly cost effective.
A second, newer option is to use Diuron in the ponds to treat the blue-green algae. However, this substance is controlled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which must grant an emergency exemption each year it is used. Diuron is a liquid that is easier to administer to ponds than the copper sulfate in crystal form.
In 1997, losses to off-flavor were estimated at $22.7 million and $23.2 million in 1998. In 1999, the first year Diuron was approved for use, off-flavor losses dropped to $14.7 million.
"We think Diuron had a large part in that. Diuron was a major management difference not available to farmers in 1997 and 1998," Hanson said.
Click here for more (article author Bonnie Coblentz)....
06/19/01
I found this on the MSU website. It is about three months old but I thought you guys would enjoy reading it.
At a recent Mississippi State University graduation there was not a cap or gown in sight and no diplomas were presented. The Feb. 20 event was the 10th anniversary of the MSU National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, which marked its "graduation" from fixed federal funding through the NSF.
Created in 1990 as one of the NSF's first 18 engineering research centers, the MSU facility's mission is to find ways to reduce the time and cost of complex engineering analysis and design problems.
Today there are 37 engineering research centers nationwide, each with its own high-technology specialty. When the first engineering research centers were established, "the U.S. was losing the technology race" to Japan and other overseas competitors, said Bruce M. Kramer, NSF director for engineering education and centers. Speaking at the MSU ERC graduation celebration, Kramer added that the Mississippi State facility is a "shining star" and prime example of how the nation has regained its international technology edge through the cooperation of state and national government agencies, universities and industry.
For 2001, MSU ERC research expenditures at the center will be about $17 million, funded primarily by industry and federal agencies. Much of that work involves using high-speed computers to improve designs and solve design problems for military and civilian vehicles.
Scientists from the university's engineering programs, computer science, mathematics, the biosciences, and other MSU programs conduct the work of the ERC. Each year, about 100 undergraduate and graduate students also participate in the center's research programs.
The availability of expertise for a range of academic disciplines is beneficial for both the university and the economy of the state, according to MSU President Malcolm Portera. "Nissan's investment in Mississippi and the new Viking Range research and development facility to be built near the ERC in the Mississippi Research Park are just two examples how the center is helping grow the Mississippi economy," he said. "Mississippi State will become a top 50 public research university by 2004, in large part because of the talent and commitment of the staff and students involved in the work of the ERC."
Current and former ERC staff members were honored at the 10th anniversary activities. Among those receiving special recognition were three of the MSU faculty members who made the original proposal for an engineering research center at MSU - Joe Thompson, distinguished professor of aerospace engineering and ERC research leader; Don Trotter, associate vice president for strategic initiatives and interim director of the new Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems developed to help attract Nissan to Mississippi; and David Whitfield, distinguished professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Computational Simulation and Design Center at the ERC.
Visit the ERC website by clicking here.
Chemical engineering major Cindy M. Williams of Jackson will use the $2,000 ABB-Global E3 scholarship this fall at the University College of Swansea in Wales. In addition to taking chemical engineering courses, Williams said she plans to spend time "learning about another culture."
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elwin Williams and a 1999 Jackson Academy graduate, she is one of only three selected for the first round of ABB-Global E3 scholarships this year. The other recipients attend the universities of Iowa and Wisconsin.
At MSU, she maintains a perfect 4.0 grade point average and is receiving both the Barrier Engineering Excellence and Swalm Chemical Engineering scholarships.
ABB is a Zurich, Switzerland-based business providing a variety of products and services to manufacturing, process and consumer industries, utilities, and other customers. The company, which has more than 160,000 employees worldwide, established the scholarships earlier this year to assist young engineers, especially women, in simultaneously expanding their educational training and knowledge of world affairs.
The Global Engineering Education Exchange is an international program providing academic credit and internship opportunities for undergraduate engineering and computer science majors. MSU is among its 74 member institutions in the United States and overseas.