Africa and investment in poultry sector.

Africa is ready for investment in poultry sector,now is a good time to invest in the poultry sector in Africa, according to Rabobank analyst Nan-Dirk Mulder. Rabobank analyst says Africa is where the best opportunities exist in global poultry sector. Africa is now preparing to take its place on the global stage of poultry production, according to a new report from Rabobank. Poultry markets have been evolving over many years from national businesses to regional ones and now increasingly global, according to the organization’s senior analyst, Nan-Dirk Mulder. Buoyed up by a forecast 60 percent increase in demand over the next two decades, he considers that this trend will continue. Europe, the Americas and Asia have been the focus of most of the investment so far, but Mulder thinks that it is now in Africa where the best opportunities exist for those with the financial resources. As in other regions, it is growth in the middle class and urbanization that are driving the gradual modernization of the poultry sector in Africa. As the population becomes able to afford better diets including animal proteins, they are turning to poultry meat and eggs. Relatively short payback times make poultry meat and eggs attractive enterprises for local farmers, and both start-up and expansion are relatively easy to achieve. Also important in Mulder’s view is the expansion of supermarket chains and quick service restaurants across the continent as these attract new investment. See For African farming to become more efficient and competitive, there needs to be more investment in science and technology to help in its transformation from rural subsistence to wealth creation, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).Food and agricultural markets in Africa are forecast to grow to US$1 trillion by 2030 Read

Learn how Simmons Foods produces high-protein feed ingredient from wastewater.

Simmons Foods produces a high-protein feed ingredient from dissolved air flotation skimmings from poultry processing to turn a wastewater product into a valuable resource. The PRO*CAL process allows 130 million pounds of material to be recycled into the food chain each year rather than being land applied.

How to make money with poultry waste-water.

The waste in the poultry value chain can be processed into various products to make money. Poultry waste can be sent to a biodigester to produce gas,heat,electricity and fertilizer. The blood and gut can be processed and incorporated to make animal feed. 

The feathers can be processed and made into fashion accessories,decorative pieces and building materials. A food processor has found another use for waste water that is saving overheads and bringing in money. 

 Poultry processor Keystone Foods, Reidsville, North Carolina, uses a rotary press to add value to wastewater by-product by reducing moisture and thus transportation costs. The Keystone Foods facility ships dissolved air flotation by-products to a vendor for composting to make organic soil amendments. By reducing the moisture content of the by-product, shipping costs (and net energy usage) are reduced. The rotary press reduces total solids from around 90 percent to under 35 percent.

Tips for raising healthy antibiotic-free poultry.

The demand for antibiotic-free (ABF) poultry is growing fast, and what was once considered a passing trend has become a well-established, health-conscious requirement for consumers worldwide. However, ABF production presents challenges for meat producers, who are taking distinct approaches to its development, with different results. While some producers still have difficulties in controlling health challenges, others have had success, due to improvements in housing and changes in feeding, management and health programs. There are some key factors to consider in ABF production. Factors to consider in antibiotic-free production. 1) Managing nutrient intake: A common misconception in ABF production is to focus only on controlling intestinal diseases. These are the main health issues when any ABF program is implemented, but the reality is that they are the consequences, not the causes, of the real problem. Excess nutrients, especially protein and fat, may not be well digested and absorbed by the bird. Undigested feed increases microbial proliferation in the ceca, leading to potential infections. Appropriate digestibility is key to broilers’ overall health and can help control microbes and resultant diseases. Factors such as a balanced diet and sufficient water consumption are essential to improve digestibility. A pH between 5 and 7 and water temperature between 16C and 25C are ideal conditions to support the activity of most enzymes. To further strengthen the effect of endogenous enzymes, additives such as phytases and xylanases can be added to feed. Moreover, to guarantee acidic crop, organic acids are a good option. Feed management plays an essential role too. Grain damage and conditions that could increase mold and insect spoilage must be minimized and, at the same time, fat storage conditions should be frequently revised in order to control rancidity within the feed mill. 2) Improve house environment, biosecurity: Proper environmental conditions are the foundations of effective ABF poultry production. Optimum temperature, air velocity, and relative humidity according to the age, phase of production and size of the birds should be considered. Environmental stress, due to heat, cold, very dry or very humid air could affect feed intake and intestinal motility, causing reduced digestibility. Lighting programs may also affect feed intake, motility and digestion. Light intensities lower than 10 lux and 4 to 6 hours of total darkness per day improve feed conversion ratios, indicating slower feed intake and better digestibility. Good house ventilation is key for ABF programs to maintain litter moisture below 30 percent, and to minimize condensation and caking. Flock management is also important to allow the flock more space during the brooding period. This helps avoid excessive stress. 3)Maintain flock health: Preventing coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis are normally the main concerns during ABF production. In cases where no anticoccidial medications are allowed, coccidiosis vaccines and litter management are the principle controls. Cocci vaccination for broilers has been applied in traditional poultry production systems and new ABF programs for years, in many countries. The appropriate feeding regime and use of feed additives, such as the eubiotics category, may help maintain healthy microflora adding to flock health. Control of other intestinal parasites, worms and poultry diseases that affect intestines and immunity is also necessary. Practices including bio-exclusion, limiting visitors, vehicles and equipment that visit other poultry farms, and bio-containment, isolating the houses, controlling insects, rodents and entry of wild birds and other animals to the houses, can help prevent new infections. Continue

How drones are changing agriculture.

Drones aren’t new technology by any means. Now, however, thanks to robust investments and a somewhat more relaxed regulatory environment, it appears their time has arrived—especially in agriculture. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—better known as drones—have been used commercially since the early 1980s. Today, however, practical applications for drones are expanding faster than ever in a variety of industries, thanks to robust investments and the relaxing of some regulations governing their use. Responding to the rapidly evolving technology, companies are creating new business and operating models for UAVs. Drone technology will give the agriculture industry a high-technology makeover, with planning and strategy based on real-time data gathering and processing. PwC estimates the market for drone-powered solutions in agriculture at $32.4 billion. Following are six ways aerial and ground-based drones will be used throughout the crop cycle: 1) Soil and field analysis: Drones can be instrumental at the start of the crop cycle. They produce precise 3-D maps for early soil analysis, useful in planning seed planting patterns. After planting, drone-driven soil analysis provides data for irrigation and nitrogen-level management. Read

'Anti-evolution' drugs could be the key to finally curing cancer.

Cancer researchers are coming together to create a new generation of so-called ‘anti-evolution’ therapies, which they say will combat the disease’s “lethal ability to adapt and evade treatment”. Experts from The Institute of Cancer Research in London teamed up with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and have launched a roadmap for overcoming what they call ‘the cancer evolution’.The plan sets out how big data analysis can identify cancer’s capacity to sidestep treatment by evolving drug resistance, and uncover game-changing new treatments. Cancers evolve and adapt much as animals and plants do in response to changes in the environment, or bacteria do when they become resistant to antibiotics. Patients may initially respond to cancer treatment, but they often then relapse as their disease evolves and becomes resistant. The scientists will therefore use big data to predict how cancers will evolve and their escape routes from treatment, which they say will allow them to design state-of-the-art clinical trials, assessing the best ways of combining new anti-evolution therapies. See

3D printing and neurosurgery.

Ed Smith does some fiendishly difficult surgeries. A paediatric neurosurgeon at Boston Children's Hospital, he often removes tumours and blood vessels that have grown in gnarled, tangled shapes. It's detonating -a-bomb-type surgery. Smith prepares for his work by using an unusual tool a 3D printer. Days in advance, hospital technicians use standard imaging to print a high-resolution copy of the child's brain, tumour and all. Smith will examine it for hours, slowly developing a nuanced, tactile feel for the challenge. "I can hold the problem in my hand," Smith says. "I can rehearse the surgery as many times as I want." During the operation, Smith keeps the printed brain next to him for reference. As a visualization tool, it's so powerful that it has reduced the length of his surgeries by an average of 12 per cent. Doctors have long used MRIs and CT scans to help visualize tumors. But when the visualization is physical, it has a haptic impact that screens do not. That's why architects build scale models of their buildings: only by peering around a structure do you "get" what's going on. "You see these spatial relations and depth of field that aren't possible on-screen," Smith says.Read