Agribusiness: how to eat meat without harming animals.

What if you could eat chicken nuggets without harming a chicken? It's possible through "cellular agriculture," says Isha Datar. In a talk about cutting-edge science, she explains how this new means of food production makes it possible to eat meat without the negative consequences of industrial farming, and how it could fundamentally change our food systems for the better. "It's our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a second chance at agriculture," she says.

    

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Agribusiness : How to calculate dressing percentage in slaughtered cattle.

 Cattle business is no doubt profitable  but you can actually calculate the profit if you track the numbers, yes! do the math.

  Cattle business can be broadly divided into:1) sale of live animals. 2) buy the animal, fatten and sell. 3) buy, slaughter and sell. 

 How do you calculate the meat to expect from the carcass ? many people believe that the live weight of the animal is what to expect when animal is slaughtered. A lot of people  are often surprised at quantity of meat after processing because dressing percentage is different from live weight.

  The concept of dressing percentage is key to profit calculation in cattle business, this is the math critical to business evaluation.

  What is dressing percentage and how do you do the math?  The dressing percentage is the portion of the live weight that results in hot carcass weight.

 What is the hot carcass weight? this is the weight of the unchilled carcass after the head,internal organs and hides have been removed. The hot carcass weight for cattle is approximately about  60-64% of the live animal weight. The hot carcass weight can vary from one animal to another depending on some factors.

 The dressing percentage =  hot carcass weight / live weight X 100.

 If an animal weighs 300 kg, working with 62.5% as hot carcass weight means the dressing percentage will be: 187.5 /300 X 100=  62.5. 

The dressing percentage used in the meat industry  does not equate to amount of beef that will be available for sale because the carcass will be divided into various meat cuts.

 The whole animal is cut into halves and separated into front and hind quarters. These quarters are separated into primal cuts ,this is referred to as breaking down the  carcass. The  amount of beef available can be affected by amount of fat in carcass which will be trimmed off or the size /weight of bone because bone can weigh more. 

The more bone is left in the  beef cut the higher the yield percentage but when retail cuts are boneless then the percentage yield will be lower.

   This calculation is a template to determine profit whether you are supplying beef using different cuts or you are selling retail.

 

Food safety: Global call to reduce antimicrobial use in healthy animals.

World leaders have called for an urgent reduction in the amount of antimicrobial drugs, including antibiotics, used in food systems.

The Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance said countries must stop the use of medically important antimicrobial drugs to promote growth in healthy animals.

  Antimicrobial drugs are also given to animals for veterinary purposes to treat and prevent disease.

Mitigation measures
A top priority is to reduce the use of drugs that are of the greatest importance to treat diseases in humans, animals and plants.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria can make foodborne infections such as Campylobacter and Salmonella harder to treat. Experts said climate change may also be contributing to an increase in AMR.

Consumers can also play a key role by choosing food from producers that use antimicrobial drugs responsibly, according to experts Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization director-general, said the consequences of antimicrobial resistance could dwarf those of COVID-19.

“We need urgent action to win the race against AMR. The longer the world delays, the greater the costs will be, in terms of costs to health systems, costs to food systems, costs to economies, and costs in lives and livelihoods,” he said.

“We need to invest in human health, animal health, plant, food and environmental eco-systems to properly respond to the growing threat of AMR. Many countries have national action plans on AMR but too few are funded for implementation.

Agribusiness: celebrating world food day by charting innovative paths to increase productivity.

 

Celebrating world food day by creating innovative agricultural solutions to end poverty, tackle malnutrition and save our planet.

The exponential population growth to 9.7 billion by 2050 means all hands must be on deck to  rise to the challenge. There must be inclusion of innovative ideas in the way farming, processing and marketing of farm produce is done now to ensure increase productivity.

The use of design thinking comes into play here to chart the path to  productivity using smart agricultural constructs.

Robotics has been incorporated to livestock and general farming to increase productivity and also increase revenue by preventing losses. Africa needs to embrace more of technology-based agriculture to produce more and ensure food security. 

 Agricultural solutions are basically centered around :1) increased productivity which can be achieved by improved seeds, improved animal breeds, new farm practices,education of farmers, adoption of climate smart agriculture .

 2) Leveraging technology to provide data to farmers to improve productivity like Zenvus .The use of robots to enhance productivity such as use of

  3) Curbing food waste this can be by provision of cold hubs for farmers, provision of processing hubs to convert excess products or left overs to a new product with longer shelf-life.

4) Funding for farmers which can be in form of loans or private partnership in form of investment platforms.

5)Access to market: creating linkages for farmers to sell produce at  reasonable prices. The creation of new markets to improve productivity by adoption of circular economy in all agricultural value chains.

  Circular economy not only curbs wastes but closes loops in production cycles.

  6)  Adoption of clean energy to drive innovations in agriculture to reduce cost of production while saving the planet by reducing emissions.

Agribusiness :How to use circular economy to boost productivity in dairy value chain.

 

The circular economy is a new approach to the reduce-reuse-recycle model.

 

The circular economy has the added advantage of not only making products or by-products go back to production cycles it ensures sustainability of business and environment.

 

 What is the circular economy and how can this be implemented in the dairy value chain?.

 

  Circular economy is a model of production /consumption that involves the use, reuse and recycling of products, byproducts and materials of production to create a sustainable cycle of production and consumption.

Dairy industry is based on circular production cycles with the dairy and Agri-food sector sharing a history that dates back to early dairy business.

 

The use of pasture land for feeding dairy cows, by growing different crops on rotated pieces of land, by fertilizing the land with animal’s waste and at the same time keeping animals as a long-term stock of nutrients, the sector builds on the long and deep knowledge of humankind.

        

Dairy cows have a unique ability to consume non-edible feed stocks and turn them into a very nutritious protein that humans can eat.

 

 The concept of the circular economy is to look at the cycle of production and identify points or areas in the cycle that can be redirected into the production phase to achieve the following:

 

 

1)    Reduce waste and the resultant pressure on the environment by creating clean alternatives.

2)    Reduce cost of production by reusing some inputs or by-products thus increasing profit margin.

 

3)    Create new channels of production by creating new viable products from existing products.

 In the dairy industry the circular economy is employed in the following ways:

 

1)    The waste from cows provides a source of fertilizer that can be put back into the farm, it is also fed into bio digester thus helping to curb methane emissions and produce a renewable energy source for the farm.

 

2)    Cows utilize the grazing lands  as well providing a source of milk and natural fertilizer, and at the end of life the cow can be converted into a variety of products, such as beef, pet food, and leather goods

 

3)    Whey, a co-product of the cheese-making process was once put onto land, or fed to pigs, but is now being used as high-value protein concentrates for specific human nutrition (sports, infants, and the elderly) in a growing market, and in special cases, for young animal feed.

 

4)    Nutrient recycling from waste water treatment plants sludge from dairy processing: digestate (sludge output from a digester) e.g. from digesting manure or food waste is of outmost importance for a circular economy to function properly (whilst guaranteeing and safeguarding food safety and animal health).

 

5)    Waste to electricity: using the biogas from the digester to produce electricity. The heat will be redirected to the stalls to keep the facility warm, thus also increasing productivity at reduced cost.

 

6)    Cow mats produced from hide also boosts productivity by increasing the comfort of the animals thus stimulating more milk production.

The Circular Economy in Agriculture and Sustainable Development Goals.

  Circular economy, a new model of production based on the reduce,reuse and recycle but with emphasis on turning products/ by products to inputs in the cycle of production.

  The benefits of the circular economy are enormous but can be  to the sustainable development goals.(SDGS).

 The  circular economy results in more food production using sustainable methods, thus aligning with zero hunger .(sdg2)

 The recycling model of turning some products to inputs, reduces waste, provides new forms of clean and affordable energy.

This model reduces the pressure on the environment by turning waste to wealth, thus combating climate action while building sustainable cities and communities.(SDG 13 and 11).

The reuse of waste water by recycling also provides clean water while making environment clean by preventing run-off of waste water thus maintaining sanitation standards.(SDG 6).

 The circular economy is a paradigm shift from the linear economy by using innovative methods and strategies to improve production cycle to increase profit while curbing waste which translates to building sustainable industry,infrastructure with innovative models.(SDG 9)

 The production cycle in circular economy will open up opportunities creating decent work and economic growth. (SDG 8)

 The circular economy in  Agriculture aligns with the sustainable development goals also by ensuring life on land, below water are safe leading to responsible consumption and production. SDG14,15 and 12)

 The circular economy in the poultry sector:1) waste collected and turned to energy.

2) Feathers recycled, reused in fashion and construction industry reducing pressure of waste dumping in environment while creating wealth.

3)Feathers as raw materials for animal feed, feather meal.

4) Feathers as raw materials in creative industry, fashion and arts increasing opportunities for export of products while creating jobs and reducing climate action.

4)Innovative feeding methods that increases productivity without increasing cost of production by using feed stuff that are noncompetitive.

5) Eggs turned  egg powder an innovative product to curb egg glut, create a handy method to transport eggs while increasing shelf life.

6) Egg shells turned to calcium source for animals  and also shells used as raw material for scouring powder.

7)Egg shells also used as raw material in arts and crafts.

8)Egg shells turned to crockery,

 The opportunities are endless, the cycle continues. Food to waste and waste to food, energy and other products.