Social-media-is-key-to-rebranding-egg-farming.

Social-media-is-key-to-rebranding-egg-farming.Egg farming needs a new brand, and social media is the place to promote it, according to Hinda Mitchell of Inspire PR Group.Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and LinkedIn are the most important social media networks for companies to use because of their popularity and the level of engagement available on them. Mitchell said consumers and industry allies are using social networks, but so are those opposed to farming, as well as elected officials and regulators, so it is important for egg companies to have a digital presence. Rebranding egg farming starts with mobilizing the brand of each individual egg farmer, “What are your brand attributes? What makes you unique? What benefit do you deliver that no one else does? How do you connect what matters to you to what matters to your customer?” Continue

A strategic global look at avian influenza.

A strategic global look at avian influenza. Join a group of panelists from around the globe as they discuss steps to better position the industry to deal with the ongoing challenge of avian influenza. The webinar is free,sign up here

Layer keel bone fractures can result from perch collisions.

Layer keel bone fractures can result from perch collisions.A new research study shows the majority of keel bone damage originates from collisions with perches inside the layer house. Dr. Maja Makagon, assistant professor of applied animal behavior at University of California, Davis’ Department of Animal Science, discussed the results of a study conducted to analyze keel bone damage in a layer environment. Makagon, who spoke as part of the Egg Industry Center Egg Industry Issues Forum in Columbus, Ohio, said the study utilized accelerometers and 3D imaging technology to study the force of the collisions and measure their effects on the keel bone. The keel is an extension of the sternum that provides an anchor for the bird’s wing muscles and provides leverage for flight. As laying hens are being removed from a conventional cage environment, Makagon said, keel integrity is increasingly seen as an indicator of animal welfare. Damaged keels are associated with increased mortality, reduced egg production and egg quality, and keel damage is likely associated with pain for the animal. continue

Companies are going to spend almost $5 trillion on the IoT in the next five years.

Companies are going to spend almost $5 trillion on the IoT in the next five years.The Internet of Things (IoT) is disrupting businesses, governments, and consumers and transforming how they interact with the world. Companies are going to spend almost $5 trillion on the IoT in the next five years — and the proliferation of connected devices and massive increase in data has started an analytical revolution. To gain insight into this emerging trend, BI Intelligence conducted an exclusive Global IoT Executive Survey on the impact of the IoT on companies around the world. The study included over 500 respondents from a wide array of industries, including manufacturing, technology, and finance, with significant numbers of C-suite and director-level respondents. Through this exclusive study and in-depth research into the field, BI Intelligence details the components that make up IoT ecosystem. The Ultimate Internet of Things Report Bundle, read

Women Urged To Plant Vegetables For Local Consumption.

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has advised women to plant enough vegetables for local consumption so as to discourage its importation from countries like South Africa. Akeredolu gave the advice in Akure on Thursday when he received members of FADAMA III Additional Financing project, led by Mr Tayo Adewumi, National Project Coordinator. He said that initiating viable vegetable projects for women could be a channel for creating veritable means of livelihoods for many families in the country. He commended the Federal Government for introducing FADAMA, which he described as useful in facilitating the efforts of the rural dwellers to earn a living through agriculture. The programme is to encourage youths between the ages of 18 years and 35 years to go into agriculture as a profession and business.The idea is to take youths away from the streets into farming; a lot of social vices and youth restiveness in the country today will be a thing of the past. source

IITA and CFIL to engage youths in agriculture with reality television show.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Corporate Farmers International (CFIL) on Thursday held a strategic meeting on ways of engaging youths to participate in agriculture through entertainment. Dr Kenton Dashell, IITA Deputy Director-General of Partnerships for Delivery, said that the youth had a negative perception of agriculture; hence the need to create a reality television show to engage them. This partnership will be a win-win situation for both IITA and Corporate Farmers. Dashell noted that this reality television programme would entertain the youth and get them to make millions doing what they should do to improve the economic status of the country. read IITA and CFIL to engage youths in agriculture with reality television show,more

Using real-time satellite data to track water productivity in agriculture.

How to use real-time satellite data to track water productivity in agriculture.Measuring how efficiently water is used in agriculture, particularly in water-scarce countries, is going high-tech with the help of a new tool developed by FAO. The WaPOR open-access database has gone live, tapping satellite data to help farmers achieve more reliable agricultural yields and allowing for the optimization of irrigation systems. WaPOR was presented this week during a high-level partners meeting for FAO's Coping with water scarcity in agriculture: a global framework for action in a changing climate. It allows for fine-grained analysis of water utilised through farming systems, generating empirical evidence about how it can be most productively used. Worldwide water utilization - the majority of which is used by agriculture - has outpaced the rate of population growth for most of the last century and some regions are close to breaching viable limits. WaPOR sifts through satellite data and uses Google Earth computing power to produce maps that show how much biomass and yield is produced per cubic meter of water consumed. The maps can be rendered at resolutions of as little as 30 to 250 meters, and updated every one to ten days.continue