Mobile apps to improve agriculture.

FARMERS can now take full advantage of the onset of technology as mobile apps designed to improve agriculture have been developed by young Filipino information technology experts. 

 The two Android mobile solutions were “FarmHelp” and “Krops,” both will be acquired by the Department of Agriculture (DA) as Secretary Manny Piñol believed that these two major innovations “could revolutionize Philippine agriculture.”

 

 The apps, when installed will give Filipino farmers access to any information about plant and animal diseases and the weather forecast, and also guide him on where to sell his products or buy his farm supplies. FarmHelp' was developed by the group who designed the PureForce, an app used for emergency and rescue operations, 

"FarmHelp" was designed to fit the new program of the agriculture department to update its technology transfer and information dissemination. "Using FarmHelp apps, a farmer can have access to a 24/7 answering program which would respond to his request for him in identifying the disease affecting his farm by simply taking a picture of the plant and sending it to the DA FarmHelp desk," Piñol said. 

 The experts will analyze the disease based on the photo and will respond to the farmers within 24 hours. Piñol said the automatic geo-tagging which will immediately pinpoint the exact location of the farmer sending the message will determine the success of the program. 

Thus, if the complaint is about a damaged irrigation canal, DA responders could immediately dispatch a regional team to the area. "Krops" is a team led by young agribusiness entrepreneur Joseph Calata developed the "Krops," involved in the establishment of a chain of agricultural supply stores across the country. 

 The Krops will assist the farmer or the buyer of the farmers' products access to information on who is buying, who is selling, how much, and the location of the buyer or the seller. Pinol said by pressing a commodity icon which showed eggs, the "Krops" app immediately asked "Buying?" or "Selling?" 

When he pressed "Selling," the location of the buyers near the location of the "farmer" was immediate shown on the screen including the complete address, the volume required and the buying price. "This is the perfect answer to the problem bedeviling the Filipino agricultural producer who has always been at the mercy of the middlemen and the traders," Piñol added. Culled from

How to make pig feed.

According to a team of experts from UP at Los Baños, Vitamin C to the diet of pigs@ 800 gms for every kilo of feeds, will make them grow faster compared to those treated with normal diets. It was further noted that Vitamin-C treated pigs when slaughtered had a higher dressing percentage, leaner backfat and more lean cut yields.

How to Feed chicken with watermelon and banana peels.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to Feed chicken with watermelon and banana peels. The current increase in prices of maize which is a major component of poultry feed has increased the cost of poultry feed,leading to more farmers looking for alternatives without dropping egg production.
 A 100kg bag of maize, which used to cost about N6, 000 in is now being sold for about N12, 000 and the cost of fish meal which is another important ingredient in poultry feeds, has increased by 60 per cent.
 A kilogramme of fish meal that used to sell for N500 now costs about N900.

How to Feed chicken with watermelon and banana peels. The high cost of feed has led to reduced production in some farms as some farmers are giving reduced rations to their birds which invariably reduces egg production .

 Farmers seeking alternative sources of feed with intention to boost production and profit can adopt any of these proven methods. Watermelon is a popular fruit in the country and many people have switched to this fruit because of the profit potential in the cultivation and also because of its health benefits.

Poultry birds can also be given cuts of watermelon fruit as a replacement feed. The ration of the birds can be supplemented by up to 30%, this will reduce the cost of feed and number of the feed the farmer procures.

 AGRIBUSINESS: How to Feed chicken with watermelon and banana peels. Researchers at UP Los Baños have gone a step further with the watermelon by using the rind. The team fed watermelon rind to chickens for 6 months and compared the weight and production to chicken given ordinary commercial feed.

 The result showed that the commercial feeds can be replaced with watermelon rind up to 20%. The method of use was as follows
 1) wash the rind.

 2) boil the rind.

3) dry the rind in the sun .

 4) grind and mix with the commercial feed .

 Researchers in Southern Mindanao Agricultural Research in Kabacan, North Cotabato have used banana peels in broilers.

The Broilers fed with 5% chopped banana leaves gained weight of 1-1/2 kilos more than those fed with commercial starter mash ration or with 10% added banana leaves.

 The method of use is as follows 1.) Wash and Chop fine raw banana peels.

2.) Boil for one hour, drain and allow to cool.

3) Dry the banana peel.

 The peels were incorporated to feed as follows ; for every kilo of the dried peel add 1) 150 gms dried chicken manure.

2) 100 gms rice bran.

 3) Mix thoroughly and allow to dry in the sun.

4) blend the mixture to about 1 mm size.

 This can be mixed up to 15% commercial broiler starter mash and finisher mash as follows
 1)850 gm commercial mash then

 add 2) 150 gm banana peel mixture.

 For broiler feed, ration diet is starter mash from day 1 to day 42, and finisher mash from 42-49 days. Chickens fed 25% with this in 56 days had same weight with those fed with 100% corn.

Vaccination in cats with non adjuvanted vaccines protect against vaccination site sarcoma.(VSS)

Injections may be more dangerous for cats than for dogs. This may be because some pet vaccines and drugs contain substances called adjuvants to make them more effective. Adjuvants may be chemicals, parts of microbes or mammalian proteins that may overly irritate a cat's body. Adjuvants are safe for dogs, people and other pet species,but injections containing adjuvants may be the cause of a type of malignant tumor called "vaccine site sarcoma" (VSS).Vaccines containing small amounts of live viruses are among the most powerful in causing the immune system to create virus-battling antibodies. The immune system also modifies cells to aid in the fight against a virus when exposed to a live form. Some forms of live viruses in vaccines can infect pets so to avoid this problem and protect immune systems, veterinarians often use vaccines that are based on weaker killed or modified viruses. Another modified live-virus vaccine. Manufacturers boost the efficacy of vaccines containing modified viruses by adding adjuvants. Adjuvants are materials added to vaccines ,with the function of keeping the vaccine within the skin for a period of time after the vaccine is administered thus allowing the immune system to be properly stimulated. Adjuvants can also directly stimulate the immune system,although certain cats are genetically predisposed to forming VSS. Its documented that out of every 10,000 cats injected with a vaccine containing an adjuvant, only one to two develop cancerous tumors at the injection site. Cats will commonly develop a lump at the site of a vaccination, typically caused by inflammation and local immune stimulation. These lumps are benign and will resolve spontaneously a few weeks after they are evolve. A pet owner whose cat receives an adjuvanted injection should monitor the injection site for about three months, but cat -parent should visit a veterinarian if swelling grows progressively larger by a month following injection. It is recommended to visit the vet for a biopsy if 1) the lump is still present 3 months from the time of vaccination, 2) the lump is greater than 2 cm in diameter regardless of the duration of time of the vaccination. 3) the lump progressively increases in size over the course of one month since the time it was discovered. The strict compliance to the specific protocols regarding where vaccines should be administered is also important to prevent adverse reactions. The following depicts correct sites for the necessary vaccinations in cat; 1) rabies vaccines should be given as far down on the right hind limb . 2) feline leukemia vaccines should be given as far down on the left hind limb . 3) other vaccines should be given as far down on the right front leg . Vaccinations should never be given between the shoulder blades.

Nestle Purina, TerraVia partners in pet nutrition

Nestle Purina PetCare and San Francisco-based TerraVia, a leading provider of algae-based food nutrition and specialty ingredients, entered a joint development agreement to bring algae-based nutrition products to the companion animal health and wellness market. The agreement “spans multiple years,” the companies said in a news release. TerraVia has developed a range of algae-based ingredients over more than a decade. Products include a line of healthy oils and lipids, whole algae proteins and omega-3 based ingredients among other products. The agreement will leverage certain commercially available algae-based advanced nutrition ingredients developed by TerraVia in addition to product innovations in TerraVia’s development pipeline. Jonathan Wolfson, chairman and CEO of TerraVia, said in a news release that they are excited to partner with Nestlé Purina, a global leader and innovator in pet care and nutrition, to help develop the next generation of nutritious, sustainable pet foods that are better for the planet and our pets .

How to purify water using banana peels.

Banana peels are full of acids and other purifying molecules that have no toxic effect on humans and animals. Heavy metals such as mercury, lead, copper, iron, and other naturally occurring metals are deposited into our water sources by both natural and man-made means such as agriculture. The build up of these metals especially lead and mercury are very dangerous to man and animals leading to nervous conditions ,with resultant damage to the brain. The benefit of using banana peels as purifier stems from the fact they contain sulfur,nitrogen and carboxylic acids,these bind to the heavy metals in the water source and makes the water safe for drinking. The peels can be utilized in the raw state or it can be minced or blended/chopped into cubes and used for the process. The beauty of the process is that its fast, cheap and material( banana peels) are easily available. The same banana peels can be used up to 11 times for the purification without losing its efficacy,thus making it super cost-effective.

AGRIBUSINESS: how to use banana peels as a water purifier.

AGRIBUSINESS: how to use banana peels as a water purifier. Banana peels --can be used for polishing silverware, leather shoes, and the leaves of house plants . Scientists have shown that purification of drinking water contaminated with potentially toxic metals can be done with a 100% success with minced banana peels. AGRIBUSINESS: how to use banana peels as a water purifier. Contamination of water sources is a great concern in many countries especially runoff from farms, and industrial wastes can all put heavy metals, such as lead and copper, into waterways. Heavy metals can have adverse health and environmental effects. and several steps and processes have been initiated to purify the water sources. The use of coconut fibers have been employed,also chemical processes have been used but with the disadvantage of cost and the toxic nature of certain chemicals used. Research from various quarters has been on-going to find a cheaper alternative without any toxic effect. Gustavo Castro and colleagues have utilized minced banana peel to quickly remove lead and copper from river water . A purification apparatus made of banana peels can be used up to 11 times without losing its metal-binding properties. The team adds that banana peels are very attractive as water purifiers because of their low cost and because they don't have to be chemically modified in order to be functional.