Data as Agriculture’s New Currency.

Data as Agriculture’s New Currency. Government and private economists around the globe keep close tabs on estimates for the yields of internationally-traded crops such as corn, oats, soybean, rice and wheat. The US Department of Agriculture, for example, publishes monthly reports and forecasts that keep the markets up-to-date on the progress of these commodities throughout the season.As with all commodities, prices rise and fall with the global level of supply and demand. That makes accurate and timely information about crop supplies extremely valuable. Agricultural production data measure the supply of various agricultural commodities throughout the various stages of plant growth. Pre-planting estimates use the prior season’s harvest, field observations, and surveys to track what farmers intend to plant. more

Catfish farmers and feed regulation.

Catfish farmers and feed regulation. There is a report that catfish has been linked to bad fat raising health concerns about consumption. The the Council of Fellows, CoF, of the Fisheries Society of Nigeria, FISON, have said the recent reports on ‘the catfish bad fats’ is a myth and propaganda to hinder local production. The council admonished its members on the need to set standards of feeds in the industry. The body maintained that if there were standard of feed in the country, the issue of the catfish bad oil wouldn’t exist because it would have served as a regulatory mechanism in the industry. more

A baby walks just after birth.

A baby walks just after birth. The baby, born in a Brazilian hospital, is simply acting out a reflex that all babies are born with. In the video it can be seen walking on the spot while being held up by the arm of a midwife. In Portuguese, the woman is heard explaining that she has been trying to wash the baby but that it keeps hopping up and attempting to walk - just 20 minutes after exiting the womb. watch

How to use biodegradable twine.

The farmers using plastic rope don't that after use, there are always leftovers that end up in the soil and remain there for hundreds of years. Every year more is added, the problems that these plastic fractions can cause are increasing with more and more buyers of compost experiencing the consequences. There is an alternative now,which is biodegradable twine made from plants such as corn,cassava sugar cane and sugar beet that convert CO2 to sugars.The advantage is that after cultivation, the rope breaks down together with crop residues during composting. This means its not necessary to sift out the rope anymore, resulting in a fully usable compost is made without harmful rope fractions . Story

A new alternative to antibiotics.

The method of use of antibiotics in man, animals and in agriculture has been fingered as the major cause of antibiotics resistance which has emerged as a global problem. There has been various methods of curbing antibiotics use in different circles but now a latest alternative to antibiotics has been tried with successful outcomes.

 The new research carried out in Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and published recently in Nature Scientific Reports combines the use of metals and organic acids as a viable alternative to antibiotics. There has been various researches where different interventions have been applied with success. 

These numerous alternatives to antibiotics are already being tested by different researchers around the world. Two of the most popular alternatives are the use of metals such as silver, zinc, and copper which were used in ancient Egypt and Greece for treating infection and purifying water sources, and the use of organic acids such as food acid that is used as a preservative in the food industry.

 This new research now combined the 2 alternatives which is organic acids and metals at a low concentration, and found that the combination is extremely effective in eradicating pathogenic bacteria such as cholera, salmonella, and Pseudomonas, as well as eliminating bacteria that attack agricultural crops such as tomatoes, melons, and apples.

3-D printed ovaries produce healthy offspring.

3-D printed ovaries produce healthy offspring as bio prosthetic ovaries produced mouse pups in otherwise infertile mice. The study by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and McCormick School of Engineering shows that bioprosthetic ovaries have long-term, durable function. The new research targeted at women targeted whose cancer treatments impaired their fertility and hormone production has shown potential of 3D printed ovaries to produce healthy offspring's. The research used a 3-D printed bioprosthetic mouse ovaries to restore fertility in the infertile mice and produced healthy mouse pups. The mothers also were able to nurse their pups. The ovaries are constructed of 3-D printed scaffolds that house immature eggs and were successful in boosting hormone production and restoring fertility.

100-year-old fertility technique reduces need for IVF.

A new study has shown that 100-year-old fertility technique reduces the need for IVF.The results of the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine,shows that infertile couples have a major opportunity to achieve a successful pregnancy without the need for IVF, by using the technique which involves flushing the woman's Fallopian tubes with an iodised poppy seed oil.This technique has been proven to have significant benefits for fertility.