The positive effects of puppy classes.

The positive effects of puppy classes. Listen as veterinary behaviorist Dr. Ellen Lindell explains how puppy classes aren’t just playgrounds anymore—they’re a good opportunity to share information with pet owners about proper handling and training techniques.

Socialize puppies and save lives.

Socialize puppies and save lives.Research has shown that behavior issues are one of the most common reasons a pet is relinquished to a shelter. But as veterinarians, we have the chance to intervene in the lives of our patients and curb those problems before they start. Not only will puppy classes add a new revenue stream for your practice, but they’ll let you dip your toes into the behavior pool if you’re not doing a lot of behavior counseling already. The puppies win, the clients win and your practice wins—with bonded clients who come back for the lifetime of their new pet. Here’s why puppy socialization classes are important. No, it’s not social media .Posting cute pics of their new puppy on social media might be a fun pastime for new pet parents, but it really isn’t helping the pup’s social life at all. Here’s what you need to know about puppy socialization classes. Puppies are most open to novel experiences during their socialization period and this is the perfect time to expose them to as many new things and experiences as possible in a safe, proactive and positive manner so they develop healthy coping skills,

Strive Masiyiwa: If I started again I’d do agriculture, says telecoms tycoon.

Strive Masiyiwa: If I started again I’d do agriculture, says telecoms tycoon.Zimbabwean tycoon Strive Masiyiwa made his money in the mobile telecoms business, but if he were to start all over again, he would bet on agriculture. Speaking at the opening of this year’s African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in Zambia’s capital Lusaka, Masiyiwa made a case for the opportunities in the agriculture industry. The Zimbabwean billionaire is chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), an organisation set up in 2006 to support smallholder farmers with the goal of reducing poverty and hunger. Masiyiwa noted Africa’s food market would be worth US$1tr in just 15 years, citing a 2013 report by the World Bank. According to a report launched at the forum, Africa currently spends more than $60bn on food imports each year thereby benefiting producers outside the continent.

How to cope with loss of a pet.

Animals bring so much joy to pet parents’ lives. This special bond makes the inevitable loss of a pet extremely painful to handle. The days and weeks surrounding a pet’s death are never easy, but caring professionals and fellow animal lovers can help ease the burden. Here’s what pet parents can expect as they navigate the healing process. Making the Decision to Euthanize Your Pet In many cases, pet parents must decide whether to euthanize an ill or aged pet. It is a difficult choice, even when an animal is suffering. Circumstances are typically fraught with uncertainty for the pet parent, says Dr. Lisa Moses, a palliative care and pain specialist at the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. “There really is no other decision we make in life that is similar,” Moses says. “People expect to feel clear about it and to know when it will feel right. But if you wait for that moment, you may prolong unnecessary suffering.” However difficult the decision, euthanasia may be the kindest option for an animal who is suffering, says Michele Pich, a veterinary grief counselor and instructor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Ryan Veterinary Hospital in Philadelphia

How a $100,000 Tortoise Keeps This Family Business a $4 Million Operation.

At a cost of more than $100,000, Joe Maierhauser's next capital investment is substantial. But sometimes you've got to refresh the tortoises. Giant tortoises have long been the most popular attraction at Reptile Gardens, the world's largest reptile zoo by number of species. In the 1950s and '60s, visitors rode the plodding beasts. Now they take selfies with them. The original stock, imported in the 1940s, has passed on after long, eventful lives that included both fire and flood. Their younger counterparts still laze around Methuselah's Playground, named for the largest of the dear departed. The two new tortoises will cost between $50,000 and $100,000 each, depending on size. "There is no guarantee that you get it here and it will not die tomorrow," says Maierhauser, Reptile Gardens' CEO and president. "That is the heartbreak of working with animals." Mostly though, the animals are a joy. They are the main reason Maierhauser returned to the family business 40 years ago, eventually succeeding his uncle Earl Brockelsby, who founded the attraction in 1937. Opportunity The business resides six miles south of Rapid City, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is a starkly beautiful land of mountains and meadows, creeks and canyons. Amid the abundant native wildlife, Reptile Gardens' international cast of critters stands out like a scaly Noah's Ark. "Not much of it is from South Dakota because there are not that many varieties of reptile around here," says Maierhauser.

AGRIBUSINESS: Farmers in India are using AI to increase crop yields.

AGRIBUSINESS: Farmers in India are using AI to increase crop yields. The fields had been freshly plowed. The furrows ran straight and deep. Yet, thousands of farmers across Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka waited to get a text message before they sowed the seeds.

The SMS, which was delivered in Telugu and Kannada, their native languages, told them when to sow their groundnut crops. 

 In a few dozen villages in Telengana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, farmers are receiving automated voice calls that tell them whether their cotton crops are at risk of a pest attack, based on weather conditions and crop stage. Meanwhile in Karnataka, the state government can get price forecasts for essential commodities such as tur (split red gram) three months in advance for planning for the Minimum Support Price (MSP). 

Ways agriculture can benefit from artificial intelligence.

 Welcome to digital agriculture, where technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Machine Learning, Satellite Imagery and advanced analytics are empowering small-holder farmers to increase their income through higher crop yield and greater price control. 

 AI-based sowing advisories lead to 30% higher yields.

Simple things you can do to add value to your produce.

                  Simple things you can do to add value to your produce.


Value addition is key to increased profits in agribusiness.This is true irrespective of any farm prroduce, as all farm produce can be processed into more than one product for the benefit of the consumers.

Tomatoes is a major produce with many potential for value addition. Adding value to tomatoes is not only profitable but it prevents wastes and promotes healthy living .

 Value addition not only helps farmers weather the storm of oversupply, it also helps them fetch better prices for the same produce. Value addition or processing will also help you make use of certain post-harvest things to create wealth. .