Nutrients essential for healthy ears in dogs.

Antioxidants are crucial for the effectiveness of the immune system, and they will aid circulatory and nerve health especially in the of the ears. Improve your dog's diet with antioxidants such as vitamins A and E, Coenzyme Q-10. Zinc quickens the immune response, vitamin C is needed for proper immune function and Vitamin B complex is essential for healing which has been shown in humans that it reduces ear pressure. Potassium helps maintain nervous system health and nerve impulse transmission. Herbs have also been linked to ear health,you can spice your dogs food with Moringa,thyme and ginger extracts. The use of coconut oil in diet or as ear drop also promotes ear health.

Heat detection aids in cows.

Heat detection aids can help identify bulling cows and this is particularly important for herds using AI. Identifying cows on heat can be difficult, as the average heat only lasts nine hours and most ‘standing’ activity occurs in the hours of darkness. It is therefore necessary to use heat detection aids to identify cows that need to be drafted and served. 1. Tail Paint One of the cheapest methods of identifying cows in heat is through the use of a thin strip of paint applied to the top of the cow’s tail. If the cow is mounted, a clear sign of oestrus, the thin strip of paint will be rubbed off. This will allow the cow to be separated from the main herd and served. Tell Tail, manufactured by FIL, is the most common type of tail paint used on Irish farms and is available in a number of colours including red, green, blue and yellow. To get the full benefits from the product, the company has developed the following guidelines: Paint all cows with red paint three weeks after calving. If rubbed, this indicates when the cow has started to cycle again. If the cow has not come into heat after calving you can take remedial action. Paint all cows with green paint immediately prior to commencing your AI programme. Rubbed paint identifies the cows coming into heat on a daily basis. Paint each cow with blue paint as soon as she has been AI’d. This will tell you if she has held to the service. Paint all cows with yellow when pregnancy is confirmed. 2) Developed in the US, Kamars have grown in popularity on Irish farms in recent years. Kamars sit between the cow’s hip bones and are said to be an “accurate and cost effective” method of identifying standing heats in cows. The product alerts farmers to the presence of bulling cows by a changing colour – from white to red. These heat detection aids are pressure sensitive and include a built-in timing mechanism, which is designed to be activated by standing heat behaviour. This mechanism helps distinguish between true standing heats and false mounting activity, as the detector requires approximately three seconds of mounting activity before it changes colour. 3)Scratch Cards These cards can either come with a self-adhesive back or may require the use of glue to apply them to the base of the cow’s tail. When mounting activity occurs, the scratch card is rubbed and changes colour to indicate that the cow may need to served. continue

ABU releases new maize variety with enhanced Vitamin A.

Institute for Agricultural Research at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria(ABU) has released three new varieties of maize, one of enriched with Vitamin A. The new varieties have potential for high yield and they were tagged SAMMAZ 49, SAMMAZ 50 and SAMMAZ 51. “SAMMAZ 49 and 50 are hybrids with orange colours respectively,” said Ibrahim Abubakar, executive director of the institute, at its review and planning meeting. “SAMMAZ 49 is pro-vitamin ‘A’ hybrid and yields up to 7.8 tonnes per hectare. “SAMMAZ 50 is drought and striga tolerant with yields of 9.3 tonnes per hectare, while the third variety SAMMAZ 51 is open pollinated. more

How to reduce cost of irrigation farming.

Nigeria has huge potentials for irrigation with dam projects spread all over the country. However, most of the dams the ones that government have invested on are either abandoned for years or are less than 50% utilized. Irrigation farming is one of the methods to ensure a nation can produce food all year round thereby doubling the amount of food produced and ensuring foodsecurity. 

The other methods to ensure all year farming is the hydroponics and aeroponics systems,these use minimal land,less water and zero pesticides. 

The incorporation of these methods on a broad scale will boost production of food and feed for livestock.Read also this The high cost of irrigation equipment, ineffective and wasteful irrigation techniques have made efficient irrigation difficult for many farmers across sub-Saharan Africa. Professor Ibrahim Umar Abubakar, Director, Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, who is also an irrigation expert, shared his thoughts on how to cut cost

FADAMA III provides N2.8m solar borehole for Niger community.

FADAMA III provides N2.8m solar borehole for Niger community.The FADAMA III Additional Financing (AF) in Niger has provided solar borehole worth N2.8 million for Kasakoguin community in Wushishi Local Government Area, Aliyu Kutigi, the State Project Coordinator says. Kutigi made this known in Minna on Saturday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). continue

How to grow tomatoes with LED lighting.

Philips Lighting took a select group of leading global tomato growers, owners and consultants to visit three innovative French tomato growers with 100% LED installations during the fourth Philips High Wire Event. Philips Horticulture LED lighting is hosting the trips to the Kernoas greenhouse, with two seasons of experience growing with 100% LEDs, the Tomate Jouno greenhouse, specializing in year-round production of cherry tomatoes and Le Jardin de Rabelais, which grows vine and cherry tomatoes in its new Suprimair 3.4 ha greenhouse. continue

Making cows more environmentally friendly by feeding hydroponic fodder.

Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt have published a paper revealing an important discovery surrounding plants used to feed livestock; that plants growing in warmer conditions are tougher and have lower nutritional value to grazing livestock, potentially inhibiting milk and meat yields and raising the amount of methane released by the animals. 

           

 The higher amounts of methane are produced when plants are tougher to digest -- an effect of a warmer environment. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, around 25 times better at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and more than 95% of the methane produced by cows comes from their breath through belching and farting . Diet plays a vital role in control of methane emissions related to cattle thus various strategies have been proposed to stem these emissions. 

The change in diet of cattle to more easily digestible and metabolisable feed ensures less regurgitation,more absorption and less methane emission. Farming without soil also referred to as hydroponics refers to growing plants in nutrient rich media under controlled temperature and humidity to produce fresh fodder for animals,which are highly nutritious, easily digestible and free from pesticides. Cattle fed with hydroponic fodder grow fast, produce more milk,beef and less gas. The animals have access to the full nutrients from the cereal or legume,the minerals protein and fat are liberated in the fodder making it a great alternative. Cows normally have access to 20% of energy in the grain diet while with fodder system 95% of the energy is available for growth and reproductive health and performance. The short span of growth from seed to fodder within 7 days ensures that animals have fresh fodder all year round.