AGRIBUSINESS: Ghana researchers suggest insect meal as alternative protein.

AGRIBUSINESS: Ghana researchers suggest insect meal as alternative protein.Insect meal may replace soy and fish meal as the cheapest and safest source of protein feed for the country’s livestock. Various researchers around the world have investigated the possibility of using insect meal as a sustainable source of nutrition in livestock feed. Most recently, researchers in Ghana have said they believe using insect meal will be a feasible, safe and cost-effective source of protein for livestock

AGRIBUSINESS: Effects of hot weather on heat detection and breeding.

AGRIBUSINESS: Effects of hot weather on heat detection and breeding.While good weather can be of huge benefit for farmers, it can also be a roadblock if it hangs around for too long or is too intense. It can make heat detection and breeding more difficult in myriad ways. Heat stress can affect or hamper hormone production in cattle which can lead to cows or heifers not displaying signs of heat. This is known as silent heats, or subestrus. Specifically, heat stress can cause an increase in cortisol secretion which has been reported to block estradiol and reduce estrus behavior. Bull fertility Heat stress also affects the breeding performance of bulls. While hot weather in general can affect bull fertility (bull testes must be 2-6°C cooler than core body temperature for fertile sperm to be produced) heat stress can be detrimental to semen quality, testicular volume, sexual behavior. This in turn affects conception rates, fertility rates and bull fitness. One thing to bear in mind is that younger bulls are more susceptible to elevated air temperatures. READ: Heat Detection and Timing of Insemination for Cattle. FODDER/ FEED. If your cow isn’t getting enough green grass, this means they might not be getting enough minerals such as phosphorus, or trace elements like copper and cobalt, which all help promote the cow having a strong estrus. Cattle can also suffer from a Vitamin A deficiency after a long drought due to the cow not getting enough beta carotene (which cows convert to Vitamin A) which is usually rich in green grass. These deficiencies can be an issue during drought periods, or during winter, when grass isn’t as green. Drought can compound vitamin A deficiency because plants go dormant early in the year and it’s a long time before animals eat green grass again. Heat Stress In hot climates, or in years where there is abnormally high temperatures, cows can end up miscarrying due to heat stress. In one case, reported , German farmer Phillip Ellerbrock found a 40-45 day old embryo behind a cow.This was after a prolonged period of 35C temperatures. Not only did this happen, but fields of grass and grain were dried up and burned by the sun. There are a number of ways you can prevent and alleviate Heat Stress and its effects on your herd. If they are out on pasture, ensure that they have an area of shade where they can stay cool if they need to. In some hot countries farmers dig cooling ponds.If they are in housing, make sure you have a cooling system to keep the air temperature down.

How to protect a pig farm from African Swine Fever.(ASF).

 How to protect a pig farm from African Swine Fever.(ASF).


ASF is all about contact ASF is spread by contact. Far less by the pig breathing the virus in as in Classical Swine Fever, so it should be easier to prevent and control.

 Think ‘contact’ in everything you plan to do and subsequently carry out on the premises. The contact is not just pig to pig, but what we humans do by allowing the ASF virus in through contact on the clothing equipment, vehicles, food deliveries, breeding stock and every other visit by an ‘outsider’ to or into your vulnerable farm premises.

 1) Keep everybody off your farm You will need discipline and tact to do this effectively. Quite brutally, you do not know where they have been! So do not risk it. The only permissible person as routine is the pig veterinarian and of all people he should take the necessary precautions.

Even so, do not allow his vehicle on to the farm. Have a parking spot outside the perimeter and if necessary, help carry his equipment in for him.

 There will be skilled artisans of course, electricity, roofing, plumbing, etc. who will need access. Keep their vehicles off the farm too and make it clear beforehand (for the sake of good relations) that they will have to use farm overalls and footwear and need their equipment mist-sprayed.

 2)An unbreakable farm perimeter defense. For the delivery of replacement stock (semen is safer than live pigs) and the collection of finished pigs, have designated areas on or just outside the farm perimeter.

On no account allow ‘helpful’ drivers (offering to assist with the loading) on to the premises. The same with bulk or bagged food and supplies.

 As soon as you can, set up food reception bulk bins using your own inlet hoses, not theirs; a covered site for bags and other bulky deliveries. All 3 on the farm boundary, for later inward transmission by your own staff, never theirs.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to use goats to remove invasive species.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to use goats to remove invasive species. Rieper-Estes’ goats are more than your average grazers. The so-called Greedy Goats of Northwest Arkansas are a group of 20 whose job it is to travel around the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and eat invasive species. In Northwest Arkansas, that mostly includes bush honeysuckle and Chinese privet, the goats’ favorites. “They’re not hungry goats,” Rieper-Estes told Earther. “They’re greedy goats. They’re out in the pasture before we take them to work, and we get them into the transportation by putting oats in there. Then, they eat all day.” #agribusiness

Agribusiness ;How to make garri snacks,cookies and cakes.

GARRI SNACKS: CAKES AND COOKIES MADE FROM GARRI. 

The garri revolution is mind boggling,check out our chocolate cookies and cake made from garri.

  Echbee foods is pioneering the use of yellow cassava,particularly the yellow garri to make various nutritious snacks. 

Today's special are chocolate cookies and cakes,for your next party holla and we will serve delicious snacks. 

   

 Echbee foods is swapping garri for flour because we want to:

 1) boost the cassava value chain.

 2) create jobs and empower women. 

3) provide nutritious snacks that is fortified with vitamin A for children. 

4) boost GDP by promoting export of garri-based products and reducing import of wheat .more

AGRIBUSINESS : Echbee garri-akara.

AGRIBUSINESS: Echbee garri-akara. The garri-akara from Echbee foods is a delicious ,wholesome recipe made from garri.

 The garri-akara is fashioned after the bean cake but its made from garri  with added ingredients to make a  nutritious meal.

 The common notion  that garri is carbohydrate and can only be eaten with different soups to make a balanced meal or soaked in cold water with nuts to provide a quick meal has been debunked by Echbee foods.

Echbee foods provides nutritious balanced meals using garri.
 Thinking of ending #malnutrition #poverty #hunger then think Echbee Foods we add value to #garri. Thinking of #helping children

AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING.

AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING. Tomato farming is very lucrative and as such many farmers are investing in the value chain to increase profit margin. Tomatoes must be whole and fresh for it to command premium price,hence split tomatoes is not what farmers bargain for,so what causes this and how to stop it. AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING. Fluctuation of temperatures sometimes can cause problems for newly growing tomato transplants. It is therefore very crucial to mulch your plants, either with organic mulch such as straws, wood chips or plastic. The mulch will conserve water and also prevent disease from spreading. When it comes to mulch and tomatoes, plastic mulch has shown to be the best mulch to help prevent tomato cracking. Sometimes, if you have a lot of rain after a spell of really dry weather, you’ll find splitting tomatoes on your tomato plants. AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING. A split tomato problem is really caused by lack of water. If you take away water, the tomatoes cannot stay lush and juicy, and the skin will crack just as your skin cracks if you do not have enough moisture. And when the tomatoes receive a large amount of water quickly after this, they fill with water and the skin bursts at the cracks like an overfilled water balloon. How to Prevent Tomato Cracking This cracking problem in tomato is more than just an aesthetic problem. You will realize that through these cracks bacteria and fungus can be introduced into the fruit and cause them to rot or provide an easy access to pests. AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING. For you to prevent splitting in tomatoes, you will have to water your tomato plants once a week with about 1-2 inches of water. To keep tomato cracking to a minimum, be sure to keep your tomato plants watered evenly on a regular basis. Protect them from a severe drought in your absence by setting up a watering system on a timer. This way you can water your farm when you aren’t home to do it and you won’t have to deal with severe tomato cracking. It’s as easy as that to solve a split tomato problem. Finally, be sure to fertilize your tomatoes according to the instructions on your tomato fertilizer. Fertilizer or manure is important to keep the soil healthy enough to help your plants produce as many tomatoes as possible. If you follow these rules, soon enough you will have plenty of tomatoes to enjoy and to sell.

Cassava : tapioca treatment for cancer.

Cassava :Tapioca treatment for #cancer.Tapioca pudding - widely known as frog's eggs by many school pupils - may after all be good for you. Scientists say the plant from which it is derived may help cure #cancer. Tapioca is derived from the cassava plant amongst other products such as garri, cassava flour e.t.c. Cassava is one of many plants which manufactures cyanide to deter animals who might want to eat it. This means that all products from the root tuber can deter cancer. Cassava : tapioca treatment for cancer. Cassava called Manihot esculenta, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates. Cassava is the third-largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. Cassava is a major staple food in the developing world, providing a basic diet for over half a billion people. Cassava is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, capable of growing on marginal soils and Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava, while Thailand is the largest exporter of dried cassava. Cassava can be processed into various products such as garri,tapioca, cake,bread and flakes which when fortified can provide a balanced meal for adults and children. Cassava is gluten free with high fiber content has found value as food and medicine for man and animals. Cassava derivatives such as tapioca, garri and flour can be used to make nutritious and healthy meals for school feeding programme. Garri can be used to make nutritious snacks,cereals and healthy meals for the kids. Vitamin A fortified cassava is an added advantage thus providing affordable, wholesome and balanced meals. Cassava : tapioca treatment for cancer.

AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava.

AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. How the yellow cassava is winning the Vitamin A deficiency war. Yellow cassava is a new, yellow-fleshed breed of cassava making waves in Africa. The yellow root cassava are grown for their high concentrations of β-carotene a precursor to Vitamin A. AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. Vitamin A deficiency is a major issue, especially in Africa,and Nigeria especially has a prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency in nearly one third of children under five years old. Bio fortification of food to alleviate certain deficiencies in the past have been instituted with products such as sugar,salt,flour e.t.c. AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. The introduction of the new variant of cassava is to stop the vitamin A deficiency is a good innovation as cassava products are stable foods in the country hence more people will be reached especially children who drink garri regularly. Garri a staple food in the country had 2 types the white and yellow forms which both originated from the normal cassava,but processed differently. The white garri is fried without palm oil while the yellow type is fried with palm oil when processing to boost its nutritional value. The advantage of the yellow cassava is that the nutritional level is already boosted,thus the garri comes out yellow saving producers the stress of adding palm oil and thus reducing the cost of production. AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. The yellow cassava can be used to produce all the same products as the white cassava but now with a tinge of yellow. Children under five and pregnant women are mostly affected with Vitamin A deficiency which results in increase disease risk, preventable blindness,reduced immunity and death. Vitamin A deficiency is also a major cause of hidden hunger thus adults who dont eat balanced diet can also succumb to blindness and increase disease risk. AGRIBUSINESS: Yellow Cassava. The yellow cassava products such as yellow garri in combination with other ingredients can be used to make delicious foods such as cereals,snacks,soups that children will love and enjoy eating. The yellow cassava garri can used to make flakes, chocoballs,pancakes and loops.

Central New York accounting firm launches agribusiness division.

Central New York accounting firm launches agribusiness division.Syracuse-based Dermody, Burke & Brown CPAs LLC recently launched a division specializing in agricultural issues. The firm, which operates an Auburn office, has provides services for agribusiness clients for several years, but decided to formalize a speciality group due to the industry's growth. Agribusiness clients include dairy farms, feed mills, swine/hog farms, beef farms, apple orchards, distilleries, wineries, vineyards and breweries, and services provided to those businesses include accounting, auditing and taxation.

The effects of noise on cattle performance.

The effects of noise on cattle performance. Husbandry procedures cause the loudest sounds, especially if the metallic equipment is involved or if the work is performed in a hurried manner. The sources of noise can be technical devices, routine works (opening and closing doors, changing pens, washers, push carts, workers’ speech, feed dispensing), basal sound levels caused by mechanical ventilation and animals activities (climbing and chewing on fences). Aircraft overflights are also major sources of noise and can affect feed intake, growth, or production rates in cattle and other domestic animals. The severity of response to disturbance may, however, vary with species, group size, social groups, sex, age, vegetation cover, season, and distance from the aircraft. The exposure of farm animals to noise has been identified as a potential stressor not only in housing but also during the transport and at the abattoir. Animals are often exposed to acute noise levels before slaughter in lairages where noise is caused by ventilation fans and operational equipment. In some parts of the world, grazing cows are often equipped with a bell for several months, to ensure that farmers can locate their animals on the wide pastures. In this case, animals tend to decrease head movements to avoid generation of the sound. As a result, the feeding and ruminating durations are decreased because both behaviors include head movements.

How to use garlic as bio-pesticide.

                             How to use garlic as bio-pesticide.

Garlic is preferred in organic farming because it is reportedly effective against a wide range of disease-causing pathogens and insects.

Farmers who grow garlic type of onions can fight over ten pests and diseases linked to destruction of crops which may cause big losses on the farmers’ farms. #bio-pesticide.

 Garlic is among other crops which has ability to fight pests and diseases. It has an anti-feed- ant (insect stop feeding), bacterial, fungicidal, insecticidal, nematicidal and repellent properties according to Infonet-Biovision organization. They provides agricultural database with scientific and practical validated information and knowledge.

Garlic. The commercial pesticides are harmful to human and animals but garlic is preferred in organic farming because it is reportedly effective against a wide range of disease-causing pathogens and insects at different stages in their life cycle.

 In case a farmer is growing garlic for pest control, it is good for him or her to avoid using large amounts of fertilizer because much fertilizer can reduce the concentration of the effective substances in the garlic.

RESEARCH: LED lighting could have major impact on wildlife.

RESEARCH: LED lighting could have major impact on wildlife. New research by the University of Exeter and published in global change biology shows that LED street lighting can be tailored to reduce its impacts on the environment. The UK-based study found predatory spiders and beetles were drawn to grassland patches lit by LED lighting at night, but the number of species affected was markedly reduced when the lights were dimmed by 50% and switched off between midnight and 4am. LEDs made up just 9% of the global lighting market in 2011, but forecasts suggest they will account for 69% by 2020. RESEARCH: LED lighting could have major impact on wildlife. The growth of LED lighting is an issue of global concern, and the number of documented impacts on the environment is growing rapidly. The research shows that local authorities might be able to manage LED lighting in a way that reduces its environmental impacts. There is a need to establish whether this is the case for a greater variety of species. The results suggest that the growing use of LED lighting will have impacts on the abundance of predatory invertebrates, potentially leading to knock on effects for other species in grassland food-webs.

AGRIBUSINESS: Benefits of powdered eggs and how to use it.

Egg powder is your delicious choice when you need to prepare an egg recipe fast .The powder contains all the nutrients eggs offer plus one extra factor,its handy. This is how to use the powder You can serve with any food you desire.

 Why should you use egg powder:
 1) Ease of use.

 2) Handy

 3)Convenience

 4) Affordable

 5) Readily available.

 Eggs are very nutritious and vital for growth and development.Eggs contain essential nutrients and vitamins that propels growth and increase in intelligent quotient(I.Q),which is why its essential for growing children.

Eggs can be referred to as a power-food because of its immense benefits and its also called a power pill. Eggs contains 77 calories,6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fat.Eggs are rich in omega-3-fatty acid, vit A,B2,B12,B5,B6,E,D and K.

It also contains folate,calcium zinc,phosphorus and selenium.Eggs also contain all the essential amino acids in the right ratio so that our bodies are equipped to utilize them. The egg yolk contains lutein and zeaxanthin which reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration in the aged. Choline is also vital component of egg and its used to build cell membrane ,with the major role of producing signal molecules in the brain.

Eggs are essential for brain health because of the role of choline. Eggs can be referred to as a magic pill because of the nutrients it contains,but also because of the magic of presentation and various uses.Eggs are useful in the pharmaceutical industry,beauty industry, creative arts and food and beverage industry.

 Eggs can be presented in powdered form to extend the shelve-life,make it handy and easy to store. Eggs can be powdered as whole eggs,thats the egg white and yolk together. Eggs can also be separated into egg white and egg yolk and powdered separately.

The advantage of this is that different industries use the yolk and egg white separately as a raw material for their products,thus this separation will reduce cost and prevent waste Powdered whole eggs are handy and cost effective.

The powdered eggs can be packed easily without the risk of cracks and transported long distances.The whole powdered eggs gives same nutritious value as shelled eggs but more volume than the shelled eggs.

 The powdered whole eggs can be prepared with water or milk depending on taste and can be used for various dishes. HOW TO USE THE EGG POWDER.

 1) Pour the sachet in a clean bowl,the number of sachet will
depend on the number of people to eat it.

 2) Add water /milk to the powder,depending on preference and dish.

 3) Mix until fluffy and fry. 4) Serve as desired. A 10g sachet can serve 2 adult  but a 10g sachet will serve 3 children.

If you leave it to stand for a minute after mixing before you fry, it will serve more people.

 The egg powder is economical as well as easy to prepare and cheap. Call for yours today @ 50 naira/10g sachet.

AGRIBUSINESS: Snail housing.

AGRIBUSINESS: Snail housing. Snail farming as an urban agriculture is simple and easy to start and manage. The snails can be housed in wooden troughs, vats, wooden cages,plastics ,tyres and garden. The list of housing innovation is endless, so let your creative juices flow. AGRIBUSINESS: Snail housing. Take a look at this wooden pen; simple, easy and fits the front porch easily.The plastic is also so super easy to use. #urbanagriculture #snails #homebusiness #femalefarmer. See

Veterinary medicine: Eliminating rabies with mobile apps.

A study has shown that rabies could be eliminated with the use of a mobile app,the study was published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases. This study shows that mobile technology can help to monitor the efforts of large scale vaccination of free roaming dogs in real time thus allowing the identification of areas where vaccination needs to be increased to meet the 70 per cent threshold and cut the risk of the disease being passed to people.

 Researchers are using the app to track free-roaming dogs that have been vaccinated against rabies. Monitoring them in this way has enabled vets to vaccinate 70 per cent of the dog population in the City of Ranchi -- the threshold needed to minimize the risk that the disease is passed to people. 

 Rabies is a global problem that leads to the suffering and premature deaths of over 50,000 people and many times more dogs each year. 

 The disease has been eliminated from many countries through mass vaccination of the dog population. However, rabies elimination remains challenging in countries where the majority of dogs are allowed to roam freely.

Previous research has shown that vaccinating just 70 per cent of the dog population is enough to cut the risk of rabies infections in people. Teams vaccinated more than 6000 dogs in 18 districts of the city of Ranchi, India. They surveyed the number of marked, vaccinated and unmarked, unvaccinated dogs to monitor the proportion of animals that had received the vaccine. 

 The smartphone app called the Mission Rabies app was developed for researchers to instantly upload information about the animals vaccinated, including their exact location. In areas where coverage fell below 70 per cent, catching teams were re-deployed to vaccinate more dogs until the target was achieved.

THE SMART PHONE AS A REVOLUTIONARY MEDICAL DEVICE.

Uber, Facebook, Alibaba and Airbnb all have something in common: none of these companies owns the asset that generates its unprecedented revenue (taxis, content, inventory and property rental).

This new business model is overhauling key industries throughout the economy.
 There are various platforms using the smart phone to deliver rapid and effective health care and veterinary services. 

An SMS,service in Nigeria delivers valuable information to subscribers about animal health and disease prevention.
The platform is planing an upgrade,where subscribers can interact in real-time.

 The service is enabled on any phone to cater for large number of farmers that dont have a smart phone,this is what the I-CONNECT-AGRICULTURE IS ALL ABOUT.

 A subscriber texts VET to 35818 from any network to signup.


There are a number of moonshots – large–scale government or enterprise–backed initiatives – promising to revolutionize the health sector, such as gene therapies, with powerful gene-editing technologies like CRISPR promising to transform medicine.

Costs associated with gene therapy have plummeted – where it once cost $100 million to decode one gene sequence, it now costs $1,000. There is a swarm of digital healthcare startups that is seeking to sort specific health challenges.

Moonshots rely on hundreds of billions of dollars of government grants or research endowments, but startups are able to disrupt their niches on very little money. And that's because someone else is paying to develop much of their technology – you, your friends and Kim Kardashian.

 The exploding online social interaction , a world where we reach for our smartphones a typical 155 times a day, where 52 billion messages are sent daily via WhatsApp, where you, Kim Kardashian and everyone else upload two billion pictures daily – puts enormous pressure on the smartphone industry to create and upgrade the technologies that accommodate this behavior.

 This includes super-high-resolution cameras, vast cellular bandwidth required to upload all our photos to the cloud, and the seemingly endless storage technology.

This very technology that allows us to keep up with the Kardashians also makes our smartphones unparalleled medical devices. A startup called Tissue Analytics lets you take pictures of a wound over time on your smartphone, allowing doctors to determine whether it's healing or festering.

   AliveCor lets you capture an electrocardiogram at home and alerts doctors if something is wrong with your heart. Netra Labs lets you take eye tests at home using mobile technology.

 China's internet giant Tencent recently acquired a major stake in Guahao, a startup that grew a massive user base as it enabled real-time geolocated physician appointments.

 This service was integrated into WeChat, as part of Tencent's vision of social digital healthcare. And there's a hardware and medical device arm – evident in the company's recent unveiling of its own glucometer.

 Because of all we are demanding from our smartphones and social networks, entrepreneurs with limited resources can now do what only governments could do ten years ago.

 All of these companies and hundreds more are leveraging today's Kardashianomics to make healthcare easier and effective while significantly reducing costs and freeing up our lives.

 Thanks to these digital wonders that define our engagement with today's technology and the startups that are harnessing it, our healthcare system is going to improve exponentially, and we as individuals are going to live longer… and better.

 Read more wired.co.uk

HAND SANITIZER AND ANTIFREEZE CAN HELP PRESERVE DNA.

A few simple products, such as hand sanitizer and antifreeze, can preserve DNA in samples collected by lay people for scientific research, a new University of Florida study shows.This is great news because unlike high-concentration chemicals, such as 95 percent ethanol or pure propylene glycol -- which are expensive and hard to access -- these products are inexpensive and are commonly sold at grocery stores,said Andrea Lucky, an assistant research scientist at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and supervisor of Sedonia Steininger, the master's student who led this study. In the study, published in the journal Invertebrate Systematics, Lucky, her collaborator, Jiri Hulcr, assistant professor in the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation and his graduate student, Caroline Storer, checked several products for their ability to preserve the DNA in ambrosia beetles. These beetles are "notorious forest pests," the study says. For example, ambrosia beetles transmit the laurel wilt pathogen to avocado trees and are a major threat to Florida's $100 million-a-year avocado industry.To test the effectiveness of different preservatives, UF/IFAS scientists experimentally preserved 33 ambrosia beetles collected from an avocado tree in ethanol, hand sanitizer, pure propylene glycol and automobile antifreeze and coolant.To check how well the preservatives kept the DNA intact, scientists used polymerase chain reaction to amplify the genetic material. They found that alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and propylene and ethylene glycol-based automobile antifreeze can preserve DNA. Now, there is an easy way for anyone who is interested in preserving insects for a project to get the materials themselves. It also means that professionals can sample more widely, at a lower cost and with fewer concerns about safety. This also offers a big boost for scientists who collect samples in remote locations, where accessing laboratory-grade . Story source;University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.