The nation tightened quarantine measures to restrict the movement of stock breeders to stop the spread of the virus, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Friday in an emailed statement. Authorities have culled about 12.3 million birds at 278 poultry farms, and plan to destroy another 4.3 million birds, the ministry said. That would represent about ...
The five-area average price for slaughter steers was $109.30/cwt in November. That was up $7.60 from October, but down $19.00 from November 2015. The broad measure of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies is the strongest since May 2002. The strengthening dollar is a problem for exports, as it makes U.S. products more costly on foreign markets. That will be parti...
The process is called “culling” by the industry and involves either grinding the male chicks while still alive, gassing, or asphyxiating them. The birds are considered useless since they (obviously) can’t lay eggs, are slow-growing, and don’t produce a lot of meat like breeds specifically raised for the broiler industry. O’Hayer was shocked by what he learned—after al...
In conducting research on the over-populated wild horse territory at Devil's Garden Plateau in Modoc County, she witnesses a group of horses visiting a dwindling and damaged pond. “Maybe there is enough for the lead stallion and the lead mare to drink. The rest stand there and look longingly at the diminished water source,” Snell said. “They do not seem content.” T...
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency lifted quarantines on six Alberta cattle ranches after an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis in Western Canada started in September. But Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, Canada’s Chief Veterinarian, told reporters on Wednesday that approximately 45 premises remain under quarantine, including five in Saskatchewan. About 26,000 animals remain un...
With estimates from the United Nations that methane accounts for 44 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production, and new determination – including legislation in California – to reduce methane emissions from farms, we need to figure out how to quantify and then reduce those emissions. Yet measuring methane emissions has been an elusive science. M...
Cattle Producers are faced everyday with decisions that have the potential to affect their bottom lines. These choices can range from simple things such as if to move the cowherd to a new pasture or pre-paying for supplies, to more complex decisions such as how and when to market their calf crop. This fall cow calf producers are faced with a lower sale prices than they ...
Managing irrigation, in-season fertility, diseases and weeds will be critical for wheat producers who already face low crop prices and a predicted dry spring, Bell said. Wheat conditions across the Texas High Plains are variable going into the winter. “There is a lot of dryland wheat that is stressed right now,” she said. “We had good precipitation for early wheat ...
“One of the first questions that typically get is, it’s understanding, ‘can I use one VFD authorization to shop around at multiple mills or distributors,” Tarpoff said. “And, the answer is no.” He explains that one VFD order is written and it only goes to one distributor, generally whichever one you typically do business with. That’s your preference. If you happen to ...
The drugs, called carbapenems, are used to fight infections resistant to more-common medicines and are banned for use in livestock. A team of researchers from Ohio State, however, found a carbapenem-resistant gene in samples collected from a U.S. pig farm. The researchers did not find evidence that antibiotic-resistant bacteria had entered the food supply. The study w...
Researchers found that some populations of Varroa jacobsoni mites are shifting from feeding and reproducing on Asian honeybees, their preferred host, to European honeybees, the primary species used for crop pollination and honey production worldwide. To bee researchers, it’s a grimly familiar story: V. destructor made the same host leap at least 60 years ago, spreading r...
One of the most interesting parts of writing about turkeys for our winter cover story was learning about their anatomy. It was when a farmer gave me a quick tutorial on all those dangly head appendages and the many physical differences than differentiate hens (females) from toms (males) that I really started to grasp the world of turkeys—especially their social life. Her...
Rabobank and RocketSpace’s accelerator program Terra is now open for applications through January 18, 2017, under three themes: consumer-focused, industrial agtech, and food & science. The duo also announced that flavors and fragrances company Givaudan and one of Mexico’s largest sugar producers Grupo Azucarero México would be corporate collaborators in the program. Star...
A flock of small birds can wipe out as much as 80 percent of a crop of blueberries, according to Airstrike Bird Control. Those pest birds can be any of several species, ranging from cedar waxwings to various crow species, but the most common pest is the invasive European starling, a glossy, metallic-looking bird. It’s now estimated that an insane 150 million starling occ...
Since 2015, when the Asheville, North Carolina, artist launched his “The Good of the Hive” campaign, he has completed eight murals containing more than 1,100 bees. But Willey won’t accept commissions from just anyone. Clients must convince him that they’re truly committed to the cause. So far, the select group includes Raleigh’s North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences;...
Less than five decades ago, there were more than 1 million hog farms in America. Today, the number hovers just above 63,000, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Census of Agriculture. Moreover, the Census and other sources reveal that the annual number of hogs and pigs raised has more than doubled since 1987 – a period during which the total number o...
Cuomo’s concern is a weird and wonky bit of international trade, but an interesting one. Here’s the deal: back in July, the Canadian government passed a new pricing agreement for various dairy goods. Canada, more than perhaps any other country, has an extraordinarily tight control over its dairy industry. Though Canadian dairy is not technically nationalized, the governm...
Some things are just meant to go together: jeans and boots; movies and popcorn; yoga and goats. That’s right, yoga and goats. While this combination may seem anything but natural, Lainey Morse has turned it into a business that has people all over the world clamoring for reservations on her Oregon farm. FINDING HER PLACE Morse has an adventurous spirit that took...
The process of domestication has largely eliminated the seasonal breeding cycle in many types of livestock, but most goats and sheep are still attuned to this ancient rhythm. The shorter days at the end of summer triggers hormonal changes in goats and sheep, whose estrous cycle typically occurs from September through December, with October and November being the prime br...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted Harrisvaccines licensure of its Prescription Product, RNA Particle (RP) vaccine platform. This first-of-its-kind USDA license approves the innovative production platform and allows for the manufacturing of herd-specific, custom vaccines prescribed by a licensed veterinarian. Baby Piglet Baby Piglet USDA photo by ...
When Canadian beekeepers reported an unusually high volume of bee losses in recent years, studies were conducted seeking answers. Several issues were identified as potential causes, with a number of studies placing the blame on the exhaust of vacuum planters used to seed insecticide-treated corn and soybeans. Health Canada indicated in its “Reducing Risk from Treated ...
Ken Kelley, an Alabama Extension farm and agribusiness management regional agent, said that many producers are looking for the best options for their operations. “The cattle industry in Alabama is facing a serious situation with drought conditions in the state,” said Kelley. “The drought, along with the lowest cattle prices since 2010, has left producers wondering wha...
Several hundred beef producers from Washington, Brazos, Austin, Burleson, Fayette, Harris, Lee and Waller counties took part in the day-long program hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and surrounding beef and forage county committees. Dr. Dan Hale, AgriLife Extension meat specialist, discussed carcass value and what cattle order buyers are lookin...
Estimating forage usage by cows is an important part of the task of calculating winter feed needs. Hay or standing forage intake must be estimated in order to make the calculations. Forage quality will be a determining factor in the amount of forage consumed. Higher quality forages contain larger concentrations of important nutrients so animals consuming these forages...
Similar to how the Internet-driven disruptive technologies have transformed America and the rest of the world, advances in data science, information science, biotechnology and nanotechnology can transform agriculture and our capacity to address societal challenges. Advances in the field of genomics have helped breeders produce desirable varieties of crops and livestoc...
“It was good news overall,” Robb said, “especially on the red meat side. For September beef, exports were up 30 percent year over year.” It is quite a contrast compared to last year, Robb reflects, accounting for the market crater that began around July of last year. Just as importantly though, Robb points out that import numbers have decreased. “The imports contin...
“While all grain prices have fallen to low levels in the face of this year’s record-large harvests, wheat prices have fallen the most,” says Tanner Ehmke, CoBank senior economist and co-author of the report. “As a result wheat is destined to become a staple in livestock’s feed rations for at least the next year or two and will remain competitive with other feed grains fo...
Beginning in the spring of 2013, a deadly virus spread quickly throughout the swine industry. Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has been reported in more than 35 states and is estimated to have an annual economic impact of up to $1.8 billion. Research recently conducted by faculty at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) is giving swine producers and veterinari...
The culprit: fumes from nitrogen-rich fertilizers and animal waste combine in the air with combustion emissions to form solid particles, which constitute a major source of disease and death, according to the new study. The good news is if combustion emissions decline in coming decades, as most projections say, fine-particle pollution will go down even if fertilizer use ...
In dry years like 2016, when other water sources are limited, birds many depend on fruit to a greater extent than usual. A number of growers are reporting high bird activity in their fruit. The quickest bird deterrents to deploy are auditory and visual scare devices, like units than play bird distress calls and inflatable tube men. Birds habituate to many deterrents qui...
With all their automated controls, sensors and so much more, today’s hatcheries, packing houses, grading facilities and on-farm barns are quite high-tech. But HatchTech of the Netherlands has taken hatchery technology to a whole new level with its ‘HatchCare’ incubation and chick care system, to the benefit of chicks, the environment and poultry farmers. Synergy Agri Gro...
Captured by an employee working undercover at various broiler breeder houses maintained by the Arkansas-based company, the video shows employees kicking, punching, throwing, and killing the birds in various ways including running them over with forklifts. At one point, the video shows an employee who CoK identifies as a supervisor standing on a chicken’s neck in an attem...
Currently, the European Chemicals Agency is set to release its own assessment of the product’s safety. The member countries of the EU have been at odds over the role that glyphosate should play in the region’s agriculture industry, with German policymakers calling particular attention to the alleged dangers of the herbicide. General Mills Partners with Organic Valley ...
Omnivore is currently raising its second fund, targeting $70 million, after closing its first on $39 million in 2013. Its portfolio companies include pest management tech company Barrix AgroSciences, weather forecaster Skymet Weather Services, automatic seed drills manufacturer Khedut Agro Engineering, and decision support tool Retigence Technologies.
Jeremy Coller, founder of private equity secondaries house Coller Capital, and his Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) initiative have led the group, which is lobbying 10 publicly-traded companies to make changes to their meat and poultry supply chains. The group of 54 investors, which includes Aviva Investors, Natixis Asset Management, ACTIAM, Mirova, Coller...
In 2015, startups producing technologies in and around the “indoor agriculture” space, raised just over $107 million in funding, according to AgFunder’s Investing Report. That was just over 2% of $4.6 billion total investing in agtech during the year. There are currently around 230 vertical farms globally, the majority of which are based in Japan. But the segment is g...
