How to Produce a Top Quality Chick.

How to Produce a Top Quality Chick. In a hatchery – particularly in the setter and hatching trays – ventilation is key to producing a top quality chick. The following four components are essential so chicks get what they need to grow and develop according to their genetic potential. 1. Oxygen. Throughout incubation, chick embryos must have an adequate supply of oxygen so that they can develop fully and properly. Oxygen enters through the shell while carbon dioxide (CO2) escapes in the same manner. 2. Air Exchange. Eggs emit CO2 as they develop, but embryos need oxygen to survive and hatch. Therefore, the air inside a setter must constantly be replaced – bringing in fresh oxygen and removing excess CO2. 3. Air Distribution. It’s important that the air flows evenly so that each room receives the right amount of cool air and oxygen at all times. If you have a unit distributing a certain number of cubic feet per minute (CFMs), placement of the air conditioning unit and ductwork is crucial to make sure fresh air reaches each room at the same rate. There is a register in each setter machine ensure air is distributed in the correct amount of air at all times. more

Morrisons launches £5 wonky veg box.

Morrisons launches £5 wonky veg box. Morrisons has launched a £5 veg box which it claims can feed a family of four for a week. Customers who don’t mind their vegetables “wonky” can buy a box for just £3, plus a delivery charge, of between £1 and £5. Buying the wonky box has the added benefit of helping the environment by saving on food waste. Tonnes of vegetables which don’t match up to strict supermarket size and shape parameters are thrown away each year. Morrisons is going head-to-head with big-four supermarket rival, Asda, which recently launched its own box of misshapen vegetables for £3.50. here

EU and FAO bring combined weight to bear on food waste.

EU and FAO bring combined weight to bear on food waste.EU Commissioner of Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva agreed to ratchet up collaboration between the two organizations to address food waste, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance in supply chains. In a new letter of intent, FAO and the EU pledge to work closely together to halve per capita food waste by 2030, a goal established under the new Sustainable Development Goals global agenda. It also commits them to intensified cooperation on tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on farms and in food systems. continue

NIS urges personnel to engage in agriculture .

NIS urges personnel to engage in agriculture.The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has urged its men and officers to engage in farming as a viable alternative source of income. Its Comptroller-General, Mr Muhammad Babandede, made the call at a sensitisation and capacity building forum on agriculture for personnel of the service continue

Fidelity Bank to assist exporters to access global markets .

FIDELITY Bank Plc has commenced the fifth series of the Export Management Programme (EMP), offering to assist exporters across the country to access global markets for their products as well as provide support to comply with documentation required for export competitiveness. Speaking at a press conference to mark the commencement of the EMP 5thstream, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Fidelity Bank, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo said that among other things, the bank assists graduates of the programme to access global market for their products. more

UN launches $9 million food security project.

UN launches $9 million food security project.The United Nations ( UN ) on Tuesday launched a nine million-dollar food security project in Kaduna State to improve the livelihood of farmers in the state. Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said that the project known as “Food Africa’’ was to ensure improved nutrition and food sufficiency in the country. Kallon said the project was an innovative approach aimed at revamping the food sector to create new jobs for young people, increase farmers’ revenue, improve productivity, enhance nutrition and reduce food loss through the adoption of more sustainable production practices. more

Monkeypox hits Bayelsa, medical doctor, 10 others quarantined.

Monkeypox hits Bayelsa, medical doctor, 10 others quarantined. Fear has gripped the residents of Bayelsa State as a deadly viral epidemic known as “monkeypox” has broken out in the state. According to the World Health Organisation, monkeypox is a rare disease that occurs primarily in remote parts of Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. “The monkeypox virus can cause a fatal illness in humans and, although it is similar to human smallpox which has been eradicated, it is much milder,” WHO says. It was authoritatively learnt that a medical doctor and 10 persons who came down with the monkeypox had been quarantined in an isolation centre at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state. The isolation centre was reportedly created by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and the epidemiological team of the state’s Ministry of Health to control the spread of the virus more