Bovine TB outbreak in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Bovine TB outbreak in Alberta and Saskatchewan.More than 22,000 cattle at farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan are quarantined due to bovine tuberculosis, causing hardship for ranchers and millions in compensation payments and other costs. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is testing cattle to determine the extent of the outbreak and the source of the contagious bacterial infection. So far six cattle have tested positive for bovine TB, all from one infected herd. Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, the agency's chief veterinary officer, sheds some light on the investigation and the threat of bovine TB: What is the threat of bovine TB spreading to people? Generally it does not pose a threat to the public. The bacteria can travel through the air and could pose a threat if a person inhaled it for months. There is no indication there is any risk to the public at this point. What are the trade implications of the outbreak to the beef industry, especially with the U.S.? There are no trade implications. Canada has been officially free of the disease since the 1920s, but has had a few cases from time to time. The U.S. is currently dealing with some bovine TB cases. Maintaining the TB-free status allows Canada to reassure trading partners and ensures Canadian beef producers can continue to export their products to multiple countries. The CFIA says about 10,000 cattle are to be destroyed. What will happen to the meat? These cattle will be tested before they are slaughtered. Any animal that shows any reaction to the test will be disposed of and will not enter the food chain. CFIA inspectors will double check the carcasses of any animals that test negative. Any animal that shows any sign of disease, like a lesion, is condemned and not sold for human consumption. If the meat passes inspection, it is fit to eat. What is the source of the bovine TB? Is it possible it came from wild elk in the region? Bovine TB has been found in wild animals in the past, but the bacteria in this outbreak is linked to a strain found in Mexico that hasn't been detected in Canada before. The TB could be from a person who had the disease or from an animal that was imported into Canada. There is no indication the TB came from a wild animal. Once the CFIA investigation is complete, the agency may or may not know the exact cause, but will have an indication of the origins of the infection. When does the CFIA estimate that testing of the cattle will be complete and when the quarantines be lifted? Tests on 18 herds are almost complete and could be finished by Christmas. The results could put more farms under quarantine. It's premature to estimate the timelines. How much does the CFIA expect to pay producers in compensation for the estimated 10,000 cattle that will be destroyed? The maximum rate for a registered animal is $10,000, for a commercial animal up to $4,500. CFIA staff work with owners to determine fair market value. It is too early to estimate how much the compensation will cost. more

How farmers are using data to protect the earth.

How farmers are using data to protect the earth.Every square meter of a field contains hundreds of pieces of data, from moisture and nutrient levels to real-time weather variables" How has your life changed since the dawn of the smartphone? We now have unlimited data in our hands: updates on our kids’ grades, real-time stock prices, shipping information for online purchases, even a fitness tracker in the cloud counting our steps. Instead of reading the same newspaper as our neighbors each morning, we each choose the information that comes straight to us based on how our day is shaping up. The opportunities for customization seem endless. All of this data is designed to help us do one thing: make specific decisions, tailored to our needs, about the things that improve our lives.Now imagine how the same data technology can improve decisions farmers make every day. Every square meter of a field contains hundreds of pieces of data, from moisture and nutrient levels to real-time weather variables. Like you and your neighbors, each plant’s day is a little different, and so are its needs. Why should we care about each little change in the life of an individual plant or the soil on the world’s fields? Because each piece of data farmers collect helps them make more precise decisions about resources like seeds, water, soil nutrients and plant health. That precision cuts down on waste and helps grow food more sustainably, with more efficient use of land, water, fertilizer, fossil fuels and other resources. When combined with other important practices, like reducing the carbon released by tilling, precision agriculture can help reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint. Now agriculture can be a piece of the solution to climate change. Farmers play a critical role as true stewards of the land. Monsanto is in the agriculture business, and our customers are greatly affected by shifts in the climate and availability of natural resources. So it’s good business to be proactive, both in keeping carbon out of the atmosphere and in developing more precise options that offer farmers ways to use their resources efficiently and sustainably. Farmers, like other business owners, choose their spending wisely, and every planting season we work to earn our customers’ business. New, innovative solutions mean that we can continue to advance more informed decisions about farming, better economic return for growers and a reduced impact on the environment. There’s never been a more important time for innovation that can support sustainable farming. The population is growing. The world is getting hotter. Water is scarcer. And we have a responsibility to try to put balanced meals on more tables while reducing the environmental impact of agriculture. It’s a daunting and exciting challenge, one that will require collaboration from all types of farmers and consumers. But one thing is certain: Innovation and data science in agriculture will help slow climate change, promote efficient use of precious resources and help farmers feed the world more sustainably for generations to come.more

Rapid growth in ready-meals helps Andrews Meat Industries diversify food processing business in western Sydney.

Rapid growth in ready-meals helps Andrews Meat Industries diversify food processing business in western Sydney.The ready-made meal sector is being transformed from the unsavoury Teevee dinners of the 1970s, to full-flavoured chef-designed food of convenience. Leading the charge is family company Andrews Meat Industries, which has diversified its business from fresh meat to pre-prepared meals, thanks to investment from global meat giant JBS. The $20 million upgrade has helped power up more than half a million ready meals every week, which goes to more than 1600 food and beverage hospitality customers in NSW alone. It is also resulted in 15 per cent more jobs at the plant, and a more than 100 per cent increase in export sales. more

Artificial insemination and herd management.

Artificial insemination and herd management as farmers turn to artificial insemination to rebuild herd and improve breed status.As Australian cattle producers set out to rebuild a national herd diminished by drought they are faced with the very factor that has many rejoicing — the high cattle price. Restocking is an expensive business, as is buying bulls for new genetics, so a growing number of producers are relying on breeding technologies such as artificial insemination (AI). AI is when a vet introduces the freshly thawed semen of a particular bull into a cow that has been induced to cycle — meaning a prized sire can produce many offspring without ever having to even be in the same paddock as its mate. While the technology has been around for some time, it is getting more and more popular according to central Queensland vet Tim Wright. Health of the recipient cows is paramount in artificial breeding and, due to some early season rain in the region, paddocks are looking green and the cattle are in good condition."We've had a perfect storm in a way. We've been running more AI programs and producers have responded to it, so we've had a great run," Mr Wright said. Fellow vet Ian Croft said confidence was high in the beef industry leading to more people investing in their breeding."There are some producers that've done this for the first time this year and their excitement is infectious," he said."I'll really look forward to pregnancy testing those cows because there's another step of excitement for them."It's invigorating to work with producers who are excited and really keen … it makes a day's work really enjoyable." Grazier and retired vet Paul Wright has just completed an AI program with the help of his son Tim and fellow vet Ian Croft.He said he had been supplementing his natural breeding with other techniques for some time, but the technology moved forward with every year. "When I first graduated, AI, ovum transplants and embryo transplants were cutting edge and now we've got a situation where they are just a everyday tool in beef production, I believe," he said. "Productivity-wise, having that reproductive pressure on the cows, that's the key and these programs fit right in with those aims." "We have synchronised the cows into a four-hour window of ovulation and hence we do the AI at that particular time to hopefully get as many calves as possible. "The quality of the drugs and the research that has been done into the programs … have altered, changed and been tweaked to obtain a better result and we are the beneficiaries of all that good work." While there was plenty of enthusiasm for AI at the moment, Mr Wright said it would never replace the role of bulls and natural breeding."The bull will do a much better job than me; see

Rumen research shows promising reduction in methane emissions and big weight gains in cattle.

Rumen research shows promising reduction in methane emissions and big weight gains in cattle.Research into the rumen of cattle has led to some encouraging results using additives to reduce methane emissions and increase weight gain. The CSIRO trialled a synthetic and a natural compound in the feed of 10 animals in a Queensland research feedlot. Team leader Ed Charmley said it reduced methane emissions by 30 per cent and increased weight gain in the cattle by 400–500 grams a day. Lead researcher Gonzalo Martinez said the compounds promoted some bacteria and inhibited others. "In this short experiment … one reduced the methane [by] targeting or eliminating the microbe that produced the methane, and another compound promoted another bacteria that used energy that wasn't available in the rumen, so the animal got a daily weight gain," he said.He said the additives did not affect fermentation in the rumen or the health of the animals. While Dr Martinez was not prepared to name the synthetic compound used, citing commercial confidentiality, Mr Charmley said the other natural compound was tannin which is a natural extract from tea and other plants. "A lot of plants have tannins naturally, leucaena for example, and we know it reduces methane." Dr Gonzalo Martinez talks to the crowd at the AgCatalyst conference in Sydney.Essential oils may also provide some natural compounds that could be turned into additives."The challenge, particularly in northern Australia, is how you get these products into the animal because they're out there grazing in large paddocks." He said they were looking at getting it into the diet through lick blocks or water medication. Meanwhile, Dr Martinez said the next step was to find compounds that were cheap enough to make them commercially viable."Our goal was to prove it and now our next step is finding other compounds to apply on farm situations," he said. listen

Foal midwife ensures safe foaling.

A foal midwife ensures safe foaling.Ms Cannon is a horsewoman and midwife at Gooree Park in Mudgee, New South Wales, where she spends the winter months ensuring foals are born safely and healthy."The horse being the horse, it's a herd animal so predominantly they give birth at night," she said. "From the end of July to about now, I turn into the vampire creature and just work the night shift and bring the babies into the world." Ms Cannon has been the midwife at Gooree Park for 33 years, after being head hunted from Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley. She estimates she has delivered more than 3,000 foals in this time, and said every horse had a story. "It's days like today [Melbourne Cup] when those stories become evident to the public," she said. Gooree Park is a historic property bought by Filipino businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jnr in 1979. "They have developed all the infrastructure here and turned it into one of the pre-eminent nurseries of thoroughbreds in Australasia," Ms Cannon said. Since that time, the stud has flourished as a breeding and training ground for thoroughbred horses, and even boasts its own racetrack. Ms Cannon said Gooree Park's famous red and black striped racing silks had been appearing on racetracks across the country for more than 40 years, on renowned stallions such as Tempest Morn, Desert War and Don Eduardo. Most recently, the third generational home-bred Prized Icon took out first place in the Victoria Derby last week. Ms Cannon said while her job could be stressful, there was nowhere else she would rather be."It's a very rewarding job. It can be heartbreaking — we do have losses occasionally — but the euphoric moments far exceed that," she said. more

Gene editing yields tomatoes that flower and ripen weeks earlier.

Gene editing yields tomatoes that flower and ripen weeks earlier.Using a simple and powerful genetic method to tweak genes native to two popular varieties of tomato plants, a team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has devised a rapid method to make them flower and produce ripe fruit more than 2 weeks faster than commercial breeders are currently able to do. This means more plantings per growing season and thus higher yield. In this case, it also means that the plant can be grown in latitudes more northerly than currently possible -- an important attribute as Earth's climate warms. Our work is a compelling demonstration of the power of gene editing -- CRISPR technology -- to rapidly improve yield traits in crop breeding," says CSHL Associate Professor Zachary Lippman, who led the research. Applications can go far beyond the tomato family, he says, to include many major food crops like maize, soybean, and wheat that so much of the world depends upon. Lippman clarifies that the technique his team publishes in Nature Genetics is about more than simply increasing yield. "It's really about creating a genetic toolkit that enables growers and breeders in a single generation to tweak the timing of flower production and thus yield, to help adapt our best varieties to grow in parts of the world where they don't currently thrive. At the heart of the method are insights obtained by Lippman and colleagues, including plant scientists at the Boyce Thompson Institute in Ithaca, NY and in France led by Dr. José Jiménez-Gómez, about the evolution of the flowering process in many crops and their wild relatives as it relates to the length of the light period in a day. Genetic research revealed why today's cultivated tomato plant is not very sensitive to this variable compared to wild relatives from South America. Somehow, it does not much matter to domesticated plants whether they have 12 hours of daylight or 16 hours; they flower at virtually the same point after planting.continue