Farmer makes money from bees

Stanley Imbusi’s grandfather Lumbasio was a traditional medicine man whose trick for curing varied ailments was centred on honey from stingless bees found in Kakamega tropical rain forest.Today, Imbusi is a renowned stingless bee farmer in Kakamega Imbusi recalls how they dug the ground and peeled tree backs to extract the honey with tested ability to cure many diseases. In 1994, as a hobby of trapping the bees and keeping them at home, he made his first catcher-box that he set in the forest and carried the trapped stingless bee home. This is how he started his meliponiculture venture. “Increasing population around the forest affected the vegetation cover and distribution of the stingless bees, which is disappearing deeper into the forest. That is why I resolved to keeping them in my home where I planted flowers for their nectar,” says Imbusi. He adds that after giving them nectar, the bees “pay back” by aiding pollination of macadamia trees in his compound. Mbusi has over 60 hives with different breeds of the meliponines, ranging from Meliponula, Bocandei, Ferruginia to Hyporiconna, which he traps from Kakamega Forest and rears at home. He made smaller hives compared to those the common honey bees inhabit, measuring 24 by 10 by 10 inches and 18 by 6 by 6 inches. more

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pig water troughs for sale,pig drinking trough,trough for pigs

Soybean plants with fewer leaves yield more.

Soybean plants with fewer leaves yield more according to a recent study published in Global Change Biology. The paper found that soybean plants produce too many leaves, most of which are shaded and inefficient, thereby wasting resources like water, carbon and nitrogen. The Use of computer model simulations, scientists have predicted that modern soybean crops produce more leaves than they need to the detriment of yield -- a problem made worse by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. They tested their prediction by removing about one third of the emerging leaves on soybeans and found an 8 percent increase in seed yield in replicated trials. They attribute this boost in yield to increased photosynthesis, decreased respiration, and diversion of resources that would have been invested in more leaves than seeds. The reduction in leaves allows more sun light to penetrate through the canopy making the whole plant more productive, and it also reduces crop water demand, according to the project lead Praveen Kumar, Lovell Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois. The model predicted that a 30-40 percent decrease in leaf area would increase yields by 8-10 percent in field trials, they decreased leaf area (by manually cutting off new leaflets) by just 5 percent and still increased yields by 8 percent. The researchers are planning to move a step further with bioengineed plants or search for varieties that naturally have fewer leaves to test these preliminary findings on a larger scale.The smaller the leaf numbers the higher the yield.

African swine fever and avian influenza rock Europe

African swine fever and avian influenza rock Europe: Sausages derived from pigs infected with African swine fever (ASF) have been identified in Moscow, while Europe continues to battle a growing bird flu epidemic.

Sodium Free Safety for Processed Meat.

The trend for sodium reduction in meat products is clear. Food companies want to comply to the WHO advice to reduce sodium content, but often struggle with increased costs , shelf-life or flavor impact. This white paper explains how the safety and shelf-life of your meat product can be increased without any addition of sodium and at lower costs than your current way of preservation. Provian® K is a pH neutral free flowing white powder with excellent antimicrobial properties. Research results show that Provian® K is already effective at levels as low as 0.5%. The data show that Provian® K protects meat products from growth of pathogens and extends shelf-life by inhibition of the growth of Lactic acid bacteria. Download

3D printed meat opportunity analysed by Australia

3D printed meat opportunity analysed by Australia: 3D printed meat technology could be the “next big advancement” for the protein industry, according to a research paper published by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

Bird flu outbreaks rock poultry sector as prices rise

Bird flu outbreaks rock poultry sector as prices rise: Waves of avian influenza (AI) across Europe, Asia and Africa could impact the poultry industry just as broiler prices rise and feed costs drop.