Dairy farmers lobby for ban on soy and almond drinks being called 'milk'.

Dairy farmers lobby for ban on soy and almond drinks being called 'milk'.Every day, more milk drinkers are switching to almond, soy, oat and rice alternatives for a creamy coffee blend, leaving behind traditional cow's milk. But in a market that offers so many choices, what exactly constitutes milk? The labeling of plant-based milk alternatives is being protested by agricultural advocacy group Dairy Connect, which argues the products are confusing consumers. The push is being backed by farmers of camel, buffalo, sheep and goat milk, who agree the term "milk" is misleading, deceptive and harmful to the dairy industry.continue

The Grow Out Monitoring System Uses Vocalizations Of Birds To Determine Health Status.

The Grow Out Monitoring System Uses Vocalizations Of Birds To Determine Health Status by using analysed data with machine learning. The Growout Monitoring System collects and then analyzes bird vocalizations to determine if the birds are behaving in an unusual manner due to environmental stress or pathogenic invasion. The research gives farmers a better understanding of what flock is trying to communicate when faced with stress. The research carried out in the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), where researchers have started to identify unique sounds that communicate birds’ well-being. The researchers used the Grow Out Monitoring System to characterized when birds are under stress due to sickness or adverse environmental conditions inside the poultry house. The machine learning-based system comprises a data collection station and interconnected recording microphones, and uses algorithms to analyze the audio data, so training the system to characterize chicken vocalizations. In several studies, data was collected under normal and stressed as when temperatures were raised 10 degrees above normal conditions. Analyses revealed that a change can be detected in vocalizations due to temperature changes. Studies also investigated the relationship of vocalization to infectious bronchitis and laryngotracheitis. In both experiments, algorithms identified vocalizations correlating with the progression of disease. Broiler breeders raised under different feeding regimens, with one group fed daily and the other fed every other day were also listened to. Preliminary data suggests that the rates of vocalization appear to be different on the non-feeding days. more

The Tonga kingdom is using chicken to control obesity.

The Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 169 islands of which 36 are inhabited.The Livestock Division of Tonga’s Ministry of Agriculture, in conduction with independent agency Tonga Health, is giving the young birds away, and also offering subsidized feed across the country’s islands. The people of Tonga have increasingly favored imported fatty meat, particularly turkey tails and mutton flaps. Both are cheap, and have the cachet of being imported, but both contain high levels of fat. The country is not alone in its tastes or health predicament, with some neighboring countries having banned the import of both products in an attempt to halt in the increase in associated health problems. In 1973, 7 percent of the population were suffering from non-communicable disease – a synonym for diabetes in Tonga. By 2004, this figure had risen to 18 percent and, according to the Tongan Ministry of Health, is now 34 percent, although some think the figure could be higher. The government decided to supply the citizens with chicks and encouraging the consumption of lean meat as an healthy option and a cheaper alternative as the cost of medical intervention the country is facing is rising. Projects are already underway to change the lifestyle of Tongans to a more healthy one with encouragement of exercise,increase consumption of fruits and vegetables with a change in the type of meat to chicken and ducks. The Tonga kingdom is using chicken to control obesity;read

The role of edible insects in cutting harmful emissions.

The role of edible insects in cutting harmful emissions has been explored severally with different angles and recommendations after the study. A recent research at the university of Edinburgh has added another angle to the study as it has highlighted that eating insects,instead of beef could help reduce the emission linked to livestock. The study showed that by replacing half of the meat eaten worldwide with cricket.meal worms,lab grown meat or imitation meat it will reduce the use of farmland by one third and consequently reduce greenhouse gases. The team also looked at the possibility of using insects in pre-packaged foods. The scientist used data collected by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and compared the environmental impacts of conventional meat production with those of alternative sources of food. The team at the University of Edinburgh and Scotland's Rural College considered a scenario in which half of the current mix of animal products is replaced by insects, lab-grown meat or imitation meat and found that insects and imitation meat such as soybean-based foods e.g tofu are the most sustainable as they require the least land and energy to produce. The research, published in the journal Global Food Security shows that if global consumption of animal products is reduced by half by eating substitutes such as more insects or imitation meat it will make 1680 million hectares of land available(free) which is equivalent to 70 times the size of the UK. The research further showed that more land could be freed up/saved if the there is a switch from the current animal protein mix to diet with more chicken and eggs as the land needed for production was only marginally higher than that required for insects and imitation meat.

Dengue Fever Outbreak Hits 153 in Mombasa.

Dengue Fever Outbreak Hits 153 in Mombasa.At least 153 people have been affected by dengue fever outbreak in Mombasa, acting county health executive Binti Omara has said. Health experts from both public and private hospitals were on Sunday deliberating on how to contain further spread of the fever. continue

Innovation with mango brings success to farmers.

Innovation with mango brings success to farmers.The key to the Australian mango industry's success it is all about the unmistakable, iconic flavor that is unique to many of the popular varieties that have become household names. The retail value of the mango crop increased by 40 per cent in the past three years — more than double the overall fruit category because of innovation in the industry.The use of the Near Infra-Red (NIR) technology that enables growers to pinpoint the precise optimum harvest window for their crop, regardless of location or variety is the reason for the increase. The study based on consumer feedback shows the minimum benchmarks for dry matter content of fruit is set at 15 per cent for Kensington Pride (Bowen), Honey Gold and Calypso varieties, while R2E2 required 13 per cent. This information is what the NIR technology works with, the NIR shoots the fruit on the tree to get a near infrared reading of the dry weight and with this the farmer decides to pick fruit or leave it on the tree to reach minimum dry matter content. source

Electronic monitoring to determine efficient feed conversion for bulls.

Electronic monitoring to determine efficient feed conversion for bulls. Determining the bull which is the most efficient at converting fodder to beef makes for a better bottom line. When Jonathon Wright's stud bulls stick their head into a feed bin, just how much they eat is being fed second-by-second to a Canadian operation via the internet. This data is then turned around each day in a simple form for Mr Wright to analyse and compare the different bulls.This is part of determining which beasts are the most efficient feed converters at his Coota Park stud at Woodstock, south of Orange in New South Wales. The aim is to identify those animals and breed them The testing of 80 bulls at a time is carried out over 70 days, with weighing at the start and end of the period. Efficient feed conversion a trait that can be passed on within breeds, across breeds there is a big difference in their ability to convert feed. Research has shown that it is a genetic trait that affected feed conversion, a trait that can be passed on from generation to generation. Find a good feed-converting bull and his progeny will be too continue