AGRIBUSINESS: LIVER FLUKE IN CATTLE.

AGRIBUSINESS: LIVER FLUKE IN CATTLE. A liver fluke is a parasitic worm that commonly live off of cattle, sheep and other livestock.Cattle can pick them up while out at pasture, and if not treated can drastically affect their performance, and cause liver damage. The disease they cause is called fascioliasis. Cattle typically develop chronic disease and classically show loss of weight, condition and become anaemic. Liver fluke-related disease can become acute and even fatal.However, if the offending liver flukes mature into adult egg-laying parasites, it can lead to severe liver damage depending on the number. Cattle infected with liver fluke are considered to be more susceptible to other infections,that is why it is so important to deal with liver fluke early. HOW TO DEAL WITH LIVER FLUKE 1: IDENTIFY RISK If you are aware of high risk areas for liver fluke, then deal with them as soon as possible. Fence off wet areas, attend to leaky troughs and pipes, drainage or housing early.If you have lost any sheep, investigate this, as this can be an early indication of fluke risk for your cattle. 2: TREAT APPROPRIATELY Cattle cannot pick up liver fluke when they are housed, however if they are not, it has the potential to put their growth rates well below market weight. Correct treatment means using the right product, at the right time, using the correct dose rate and administering it the right way. Never underdose your cattle for liver fluke, and do not assume that one size fits all when you’re measuring doses. Base your measurement off your heaviest animal for a group of cattle. Do not overdose your cattle either as this can encourace resistance to liver fluke treatments. If you have a large variation in weights, group them to ensure an accurate dose rate. If the treatment comes in the form of an injection, ensure it goes under the skin and not into the muscle. 3: AVOID RESISTANCE Over-reliance or overdosing on a flukicide can lead to drug resistance growing in liver fluke.It is important that you have an effective plan for cattle that reduces the risk of resistance spreading. Treatment: Among the products that kill liver flukes are Ivomec® Plus (Merial); Valbazen® (Pfizer) and Noromectin® PLUS (Norbrook),triclobendazole, nitroxynil 34% and 3 Levanor plus.

AGRIBUSINESS: Why a new calf needs a clean shed.

AGRIBUSINESS: Why a new calf needs a tidy shed.The most efficient cattle operations never consider tidy housing a waste of time. Washing, tidying and maintaining a hygienic cattle shed has financial, health and time benefits down the line. Here are the reasons it is particularly important for calves to have a tidy shed.1)Calves have a poor immune system If your shed is covered in harmful bacteria then your calves are at risk from the moment they hit the ground. Minimize this risk by power washing your byre before the calving season starts and by power washing calving pens once a cow and calf leaves. Calves are particularly vulnerable at birth because they haven't got a well developed immune system yet.There is no vaccine to combat calf-prone viruses like cryptosporidium so keeping the calving box hygienic and disinfected is key to avoid it and other diseases from building up. 2) Better ventilation means less chance of pneumonia. This has more to do with planning (and altering) your shed design, but better ventilation is important at calving time too. In well-ventilated sheds, animals are shown by research to perform better, as they are less likely to develop respiratory infections or pneumonia. Badly ventilated sheds retain too much moisture in the air which then promotes harmful bacteria growth. 3)Calves spend 80% of their time lying down Because of this, and their poor immune system, it is vital that you refresh their straw bedding often before it gets too dirty. This has the added benefit of keeping them warm. Certain minerals are harmful to calves Most farmers aren’t calving all year around, so calving pens will be empty for a time. This does not mean you can store things there when they are. Calving boxes should be left clean and dry during the summer, and shouldn’t be used to store minerals that could be potentially harmful to calves

AGRIBUSINESS:Clean home with bio-enzymes from vegetables, fruits and kitchen waste.

AGRIBUSINESS:Clean home with bio-enzymes from vegetables, fruits and kitchen waste.You can now use bio-enzymes derived from the skin of vegetables and fruits to keep things clean at home, purify water and simultaneously help protecting environment.Bengaluru-based organization ‘Soil and Soul’ has been teaching and encouraging people to prepare bio-enzymes at their homes. Preeti Rao from ‘Soil and Soul’ told PTI that she started composting kitchen waste, growing veggies and then discovered citrus peels can’t be composted, so figured out a way of creating bio-enzymes from them. “We talk about cleaning floor, purifying water and eliminating germs but killing all kinds of microbes is not a good idea. We break the food cycle if we kill all microbes,” she said. “I use bio-enzymes to clean chimneys, the kitchen slab, the toilets ? they don’t kill germs, they eat them up and also protect the food cycle. These are basic we learnt in school,” she said. She said one litre of water mixed with 300 grams of unused vegetables and 100 grams jaggery could give housekeepers their first bio-enzyme in 90 days. And the second time, it could be prepared within one month by using the existing enzymes.

How to preserve sugarcane juice for a year.

                How to preserve sugarcane juice for a year.

Indian summers are synonymous with tall glasses of cold sugarcane juice, a seasonal delicacy that disappears from the market all too soon. But sugarcane lovers take heart! 

A recent innovation could mean you can stock up your refrigerator with bottled sugarcane juice for up to a year. Rajgopal Irappa Patil has adapted technology that can help preserve sugarcane juice for 12 months without using any chemical preservatives. He says: “This technology leads to shelf-stable, ready-to-serve bottled sugarcane juice that is healthy and hygienic, especially when compared to what is offered by roadside vendors.” 

 The technology of Punjab Agricultural University involves a storage tank, a pasteurization system, and a homogeneous system (to add flavors). Natural flavoring agents, salts, and anti-oxidants (from natural ingredients such as mint, ginger, and lime) are added to the juice before it is bottled.

AGRIBUSINESS: New technology to keep fruits, vegetables fresh for 1,000 days.

AGRIBUSINESS: New technology to keep fruits, vegetables fresh for 1,000 days.While efforts are being made to reduce wastage of perishables via cold chain management, an Indian company has introduced 'Black Box' technology, which ensures the preservation of any agricultural commodity for 1,000 days. 

Sahil Peerzada and Sachin Adhikari of Viztar Agritech have tied up with Spain-based Nice Fruits to offer new technology in cold storage plants in the Indian subcontinent. Black Box is a unique technology developed by scientists in Spain. It can be easily set up in any factory or plant. Regular cold storage utilises nitrogen. 

However, in the Black Box system, there will be neither nitrogen nor any preservative. The stored commodities will have their natural content and nutrition value intact for 1,000 days.Fruits, vegetables, or meat, anything can be kept fresh for 1,000 days using Black Box.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: Heart Murmurs in Your Dog or Cat:.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: Heart Murmurs in Your Dog or Cat. A heart murmur is an abnormal sound that a veterinarian hears when listening to the pet’s heart through a stethoscope during a physical exam. Normally, your pet’s veterinarian hears two distinct normal heart sounds when they listen to the heart: lub-dub…lub-dub…lub-dub. When your vet hears an additional “whooshing” sound in between normal heart sounds, this is known as a heart murmur. If your pet is diagnosed with a heart murmur, there is no reason to panic. Some heart murmurs are benign or harmless and may go away on their own, particularly in puppies and kittens. The only way to know the extent of your pet’s condition is to work with your veterinarian and/or a veterinary cardiologist (a specialist) to determine the cause of the murmur and the severity of the heart disease. Additional diagnostic testing may be required. Causes of a Heart Murmur in pets. Anything that changes the blood flow through the heart can cause a murmur to be heard. Some of the common causes of heart murmurs in dogs and cats include:1) Heart valve deficiencies. 2) Defects in the heart walls. 3)Infection of the heart valves. 4)Hereditary cardiac defects. 5)Extra vessel connecting the great arteries (patent ductus arteriosus). 6)Defects in the heart muscle walls (ventricular septal defect). 7)Obstructive injury of the pulmonary valve (pulmonic stenosis). 8)Obstructive injury below the aortic valve (subaortic stenosis). 9)Defective mitral/tricuspid valve (mitral/tricuspid valve dysplasia). 10)Acquired cardiac diseases. 11)Thickening of the heart valves (myxomatous mitral/tricuspid valve degeneration). 12)Infection of the heart valves (infective endocarditis). 13)Weakening or thickening of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathies). 14)Dynamic obstruction of the right ventricle (a benign condition for cats). Signs of Cardiac Disease Not all dogs and cats diagnosed with a heart murmur will suffer from cardiac disease; alternatively, not all dogs and cats that suffer from cardiac disease will have a murmur. Signs of cardiac disease in dogs and cats can include: Difficulty breathing. Rapid shallow breathing. Cough. Abdominal (stomach) distention. Inability to exercise/weakness. Gray or blue gums. Possible collapse.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: Oral Tumors in Dogs and Cats.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: Oral Tumors in Dogs.Dogs and cats are frequently diagnosed with tumors of the oral cavity. This diverse group of cancers includes growths along the:1)Gingiva (gum). 2) Lips 3)Tongue 4)Tonsils. 5)Bone and cartilage of the upper and lower jaws. 6)Structural components holding the teeth in place. Some pets are diagnosed with oral tumors incidentally, meaning a growth is detected without the animal showing any clinical signs. Some owners may visualize a mass in their pet’s mouth while they are panting or yawning. Other owners may detect a problem while their animal is lying on their back with their mouth open in a position where their tongue falls away from the bottom jaw. Oral tumors can also be detected during routine dental cleanings or while pets are undergoing anesthesia for an unrelated reason. Those procedures allow for a more thorough evaluation of the oral cavity, and every attempt should be made to use that experience to visualize an abnormality while an animal is anesthetized. Oral tumors are typically diagnosed at a relatively advanced disease stage when they are causing significant clinical signs for the patient. This can include: 1)Drooling (with or without evidence of bleeding). 2) Halitosis (bad breath). 3) Difficulty eating and/or drinking. 4) Facial swelling. 5)Signs of oral pain (pawing at the mouth or repeated opening/closing of the mouth). Oral tumors are very locally invasive meaning they cause significant damage directly at their site of origin. Gingival tumors can invade the underlying bone causing the destruction of the jawbone and loss of support for associated teeth. Certain oral tumors are more likely to spread to distant sites in the body. For example, oral melanoma has a higher chance of spreading to lymph nodes of the head and neck region via the lymphatic system or spreading to the lungs via the bloodstream, whereas fibrosarcoma tumors rarely spread. The most common oral tumors in dogs are melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and fibrosarcoma. In cats, the most common tumor is squamous cell carcinoma above all others. The diagnosis of an oral tumor will require a biopsy of the affected lesion to determine the tissue of origin. The treatment of choice for oral tumors in pets is surgical resection when possible. The feasibility of surgery will depend on several factors including:1)Tumor size. 2) Patient size. 3) Specific location within the oral cavity. 4)Degree of invasiveness to underlying tissue.