-
Is a Brisket Locator Really Necessary
Properly positioned brisket locators provide correct resting space and minimize injury, writes Dan McFarland, Penn State Agricultural Engineer. When working with dairies to develop new, or to improve existing, freestalls a common question is: “Is a brisket locator really necessary?”. ...Read more -
Increasing buffer feeding precision with new agri-technologies
Faced with rising feed prices, effective use of grass for both grazing and conservation is increasingly important for farmers to maintain margins. Balancing the need to ensure sufficient silage stocks for the coming winter with the desire to get the most from grazing to reduce spend on purchased ...Read more -
How overstocking affects dairy cow performance
A common saying in the dairy industry is, “When milk prices are high, I want to milk more cows and when milk prices are low, I need to milk more cows.” This often means overcrowding the pens. Some farms achieve high milk production and have healthy cows with pens containing 40% more c...Read more -
How much is mastitis costing your dairy farm
Clinical and subclinical mastitis costs dairy operations billions every year. Mastitis is estimated to cost the global dairy industry $19.7B–32B (USD) annually [1], and the cost of subclinical mastitis in the US alone is expected to exceed $1B (USD) annually [2]. What are the losses due to mastit...Read more -
Does cattle grazing have future in Finnish dairy production
The new Graze-WELL project will harness the expertise of specialists at the University of Helsinki and the Natural Resources Institute of Finland in an ambitious multidisciplinary attempt to determine how welfare of dairy cattle and potential for carbon sequestration are realized under several gr...Read more -
Developing heifers to fit their production environment
As producers begin selecting replacement heifers, a commonly asked question is, “What is the best method for developing heifers?” Considering the expenses involved in developing replacements, determining the most cost-effective system for a specific production environment is important for both lo...Read more -
Current State of Resistance to Antibiotics of Last-Resort in South Africa: A Review from a Public Health Perspective
A review of the literature was undertaken to delineate the current level and mechanisms of resistance to carbapenems, colistin, and tigecycline in South Africa. Thirty-two English publications and 32 National Institute of Communicable Diseases communiqués identified between early January 2000 an...Read more -
Beef tenderness research identifies factors influencing eating quality
There is nothing like biting into a nice juicy steak where the savory flavors burst in your mouth, but if that meat is tough to chew the experience may be a disappointment. In the case of beef, all cuts are not created equal in terms of tenderness. To learn more, Kansas State University meat scie...Read more -
Wildfire smoke exposure negatively impacts dairy cow health
Increasing frequency and size of wildfires in the United States over the past several decades affect everything from human life and health to air quality, biodiversity, and land use. The US dairy industry is not exempt from these effects. The Western states, where wildfires are especially prevale...Read more -
The future of pig genetics
Over the past decade, the use of genomics in pig breeding has helped to accelerate genetic improvement and on-farm performance. “Genetics companies in general have made great strides over the years by making use of performance testing to govern breeding decisions,” says Jurgens Reynders, managing...Read more -
Tanzania ‘can benefit from meat exports’
Tanzania is among top African countries with the highest number of livestock, being second only to Ethiopia. But, the country is yet to fully utilise the potential it has in meat exports. Statistics from the Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Census Report 2020 show that the country had 33.9 mi...Read more -
Stress A challenge for broilers
Often enough, we see the same phenomenon in every barn or stable in stressful situations: lower feed intake and decreasing performance of the animals. Growth and weight gain slow down, digestive problems occur and the risk for infections and pathogens goes up—with serious results for farm profita...Read more -
Scientists smash lethal bacteria that acts like a hammer
New research from The Australian National University (ANU) could lead to better treatment options for a rare but very lethal type of bacterial infection. Professor Si Ming Man and his team say their latest research focuses on the family of bacteria that causes things like gangrene, sepsis and tet...Read more -
Kenyan traders seek tougher ban on Uganda’s poultry imports
Kenyan traders have asked their government to tighten the ban on Uganda’s poultry imports. The demand comes just days amid talks in which Kenyan officials were in Uganda last week to discuss trade barriers on a number of products including sugar, maize and milk. In January, Kenya’s Directorate of...Read more -
KENYA’S GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO INTERVENE IN THE LOCAL POULTRY INDUSTRY
There is a need for the Kenyan government to come to the aid of the local poultry industry as farmers protest an influx of hugely discounted poultry imports, including suspected transhipment alleged to be from Uganda. The Kenya Poultry Breeders Association chairman, Humphrey Mbugua said illegal i...Read more -
Keeping cows cool heat abatement on a budget
According to John Tyson, an agricultural engineer with Penn State, when trying to address heat abatement in a dairy there is always a budget. Sometimes that budget is financial, meaning only X amount of dollars can be spent to buy Y amount of resources. Other times it is an electric budget, meani...Read more -
KALRO Introduces Improved Dairy Breeds
Kenya Agriculture Livestock and Research Organisation (KALRO) is introducing improved breeds of dairy cattle and grass that are adapted to harsh climatic conditions as a measure to mitigate the current effects of drought on livestock. According to KALRO’s Director General Dr Eliud Kireger the im...Read more -
Is a Brisket Locator Really Necessary?
When working with dairies to develop new, or to improve existing, freestalls a common question is: “Is a brisket locator really necessary?”. Like many questions I am asked my response is “It depends”. Freestall brisket locators define the resting space available to cows an...Read more -
Highly antibiotic-resistant strain of MRSA that arose in pigs can jump to humans
A new study has found that a highly antibiotic-resistant strain of the superbug MRSA — methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus – has emerged in livestock in the last 50 years, probably due to widespread antibiotic use in pig farming. The strain, called CC398, has become the domina...Read more -
African Lineage Brucella melitensis Isolates from Omani Livestock
Brucellosis is a common livestock disease in the Middle East and North Africa, but remains poorly described in the region both genetically and epidemiologically. Traditionally found in goats and sheep, Brucella melitensis is increasingly recognized as infecting camels. Most studies of brucellosi...Read more -
Genetic finding could help beat fatal African cattle infection
A section of DNA found to protect native African cattle against East Coast fever could safeguard breeds introduced to the region. A key region of DNA has been identified that enables some cattle to survive a potentially devastating infection, raising the prospect of breeding livestock that do not...Read more -
Gene-editing breakthrough could end male chick culling
Researchers have used gene editing to create single-sex mice litters, which they could improve animal welfare in the poultry industry. The scientists from the University of Kent’s School of Biosciences and The Francis Crick Institute have used gene editing technology to create female-only and mal...Read more -
Ethiopia Gains 82 Mln. Usd Revenue From Diary Exports
The Meat and Milk Industry Development Institute stated that it has earned over 82 million USD from exporting milk and meat during last Ethiopian fiscal year. Institute Deputy Director General, Sahilu Mulu,told The Ethiopia Press Agency that currently neighboring countries’ demand for camel and g...Read more -
Trypanosomosis Sleeping Disease ‘Nagana’
Mainly occuring in Africa, Trypanosomosis, or Sleeping Disease, is a infection affecting both animals and humans. The disease mainly occurs in areas where Tsetse flies inhabit. Tsetse flies infest 10 million square kilometres and affect 37 countries, mostly in Africa, where it is known as ‘Nagana...Read more
mobile station