Patience Is The Key In Recovering Drought-Stressed Pasture.

Back in 1936, when Bob Dolan wrote "Cool Water," the American West was struggling with one of the worst droughts in this country's history. The song, made popular in 1948 by the Sons of the Pioneers, is so enduring that artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchell released versions as well.

Patience is key to reaping benefits of stockpiled forages.

Rain makes grain, and forages too, according to Ohio State University Extension beef expert Stan Smith. The old saying about precipitation and crop production applies especially to stockpiled forages in a year when frequent rains precluded forage producers from harvesting hay at its peak quality.

Carbon-Offsetting And Conservation Can Both Be Winners In Rainforest

Logged rainforests can support as much plant, animal and insect life as virgin forest within 15 years if properly managed, research at the University of Leeds has found.

Family farming and Small-scale farming are linked to world food security

The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) aims to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas.

The goal of the 2014 IYFF is to reposition family farming at the centre of agricultural, environmental and social policies in the national agendas by identifying gaps and opportunities to promote a shift towards a more equal and balanced development.  The 2014 IYFF will promote broad discussion and cooperation at the national, regional and global levels to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by smallholders and help identify efficient ways to support family farmers.

Reforestation Projects Capture More Carbon Than Industrial Plantations, New Research Reveals

Australian scientists researching environmental restoration projects have found that the reforestation of damaged rainforests is more efficient at capturing carbon than controversial softwood monoculture plantations. The research, published in Ecological Management & Restoration, challenges traditional views on the efficiency of industrial monoculture plantations.

Protecting Vital Crops in China

Evidence of disease in oilseed rape crops across China and how it may spread has been mapped by researchers led by the University of Hertfordshire -- providing new strategic information on crop protection to the Chinese government.

Desert Farming Forms Bacterial Communities That Promote Drought Resistance

When there is little water available for plants to grow, their roots form alliances with soil microbes that can promote plant growth even under water-limiting conditions, according to research published Oct. 31 by Daniele Daffonchio and colleagues from the University of Milan, Italy in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

Effects of Deforestation and Expansion of Agriculture in Peruvian Highland Jungle

In her dissertation "Environmental effects of agricultural expansion in the upper Amazon -- a study of river basin geochemistry, hydrochemistry, and farmers´ perceptions," Lina Lindell, a researcher in environmental science at Linnaeus University in Sweden, examines the geochemical status of the natural environment in the Amazonas Region, and to what extent it has been impacted by deforestation and altered land use.

Slash-And-Burn Farming Method In Western Borneo Under Analysis

A researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia has examined the slash-and-burn farming method traditionally used by the Iban, a widespread indigenous population that lives in northwestern Borneo in Southeast Asia. Researchers have long argued about the environmental effects of this type of agriculture.

Future of Organic Ornamental Plants

Whether plants are grown for food or ornamental use, conventional agricultural production methods have the same environmental impact. Pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers can find their way into the air and groundwater, ultimately affecting the environment, wildlife, and communities.

New Method Detects Fraud in Organically Grown Produce

As organic farming becomes more common, methods to identify fraud in the industry are increasingly important. In a recent study in Journal of Environmental Quality, scientists successfully use nitrogen isotopic discrimination to determine if non-organic, synthetic fertilizers were used on sweet pepper plants.

RED ALERT FOR FARMERS......Troublesome bermudagrass stem maggot finds Kentucky

• The bermudagrass stem maggot was confirmed in three Allen County, KY, bermudagrass hayfields this year.
• The tiny Asian fly is an invasive species and showed up in Georgia three years ago, the first time the species was documented in the Western Hemisphere.
  
  
  

Organic Farming Produces Smaller Crops, Healthier Soils, Swiss Researchers Report In Science.

Organic farming methods produced crop yields that were, on average, 20 percent smaller than conventional crops, during a 21-year comparison of the two methods. But, the organic approach more than made up the difference in ecological benefits, according to Swiss scientists who conducted the study. Their results appear in the journal Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Delaying Resistance to Bt Corn in Western Corn Rootworm

Corn that contains proteins that protect it from insect damage has been grown in the U.S. since the mid-1990s. Known as Bt corn, because the proteins are derived from a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis, these plants have been widely grown by farmers.

A new software development in agriculture..Web tool helps raise rice yield and income

Launched today in the Philippines, Rice Crop Managerputs the power of technology into action to help farmers manage their rice crops better and earn more.
Rice Crop Manager can be used by extension officers to help farmers improve the productivity of their rice crop

Fingerprinting Fugitive Dust: Tracking Soil Microbes Back to Their Source

Each community of soil microbes has a unique fingerprint that can potentially be used to track soil back to its source, right down to whether it came from dust from a rural road or from a farm field, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) soil scientist.

Food Scientists Fortify Goat Cheese With Fish Oil to Deliver Healthy Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fish oil is an underused ingredient in the food industry because of its association with a strong odor and aftertaste. A new study in the February issue of the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, shows that fish oil can be added to goat cheese to deliver high levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids without compromising taste or shelf-life.

To Manage A Fishery, You Must Know How The Fish Die

Recreational anglers and commercial fishermen understand you need good fishery management to make sure there will be healthy populations of fish for generations to come. And making good management decisions rests in large part on understanding the mortality of fish species – how many fish die each year as a result of natural causes and recreational and commercial fishing.

More Accurate Model of Climate Change's Effect On Soil

Scientists from UC Irvine and the National Center for Atmospheric Research have developed a new computer model to measure global warming's effect on soil worldwide that accounts for how bacteria and fungi in soil control carbon.

Agriculture, Food Production Among Worst Environmental Offenders, Report Finds.

Earth is expected to be home to roughly 9 billion people by 2050 -- and everyone needs to eat. But a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme observes that growing and producing food make agriculture and food consumption among the most important drivers of environmental pressures, including climate change and habitat loss.

Hope of Greater Global Food Output, Less Environmental Impact of Agriculture

Can we have enough to eat and a healthy environment, too? Yes -- if we're smart about it, suggests a study published in Nature this week by a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota and McGill University in Montreal.

Current Global Food Production Trajectory Won't Meet 2050 Needs

Crop yields worldwide are not increasing quickly enough to support estimated global needs in 2050, according to a study published June 19 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by research associate Deepak Ray and colleagues from the Institute on the Environment (IonE) at the University of Minnesota.

Increasing Cropping Frequency Offers Opportunity to Boost Food Supply

Harvesting existing cropland more frequently could substantially increase global food production without clearing more land for agriculture, according to a new study from the Institute on the Environment (IonE) at the University of Minnesota.

Organic Plant Waste Proves Effective Weed Control For Citrus Trees

Interest in organic crop production is increasing around the world. Organics are healthy for consumers while adding environmental benefits and decreasing the amount of synthetic herbicides in foods, soil, and water. While organics gain popularity with consumers, organic farmers are faced with new production challenges, especially managing and reducing invasive weeds.

How Do We Talk About Climate Change? The Need for Strategic Conversations

With media bias polarising the conversation about climate change into 'catastrophic' and 'sceptical' camps, new research published in Environmental Education Research, exposes just how important the ways in which environmental educators talk about climate change is in influencing public engagement.

Stable Climate and Plant Domestication Linked

Sustainable farming and the introduction of new crops relies on a relatively stable climate, not dramatic conditions attributable to climate change. Basing their argument on evolutionary, ecological, genetic and agronomic considerations, Dr. Shahal Abbo, from the Levi Eshkol School of Agriculture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and colleagues, demonstrate why climate change is not the likely cause of plant domestication in the Near East.

Fat Worms' Inch Scientists Toward Better Biofuel Production

Fat worms confirm that researchers from Michigan State University have successfully engineered a plant with oily leaves ­- a feat that could enhance biofuel production as well as lead to improved animal feeds.

Lignin-Feasting Microbe Holds Promise for Biofuels

Nature designed lignin, the tough woody polymer in the walls of plant cells, to bind and protect the cellulose sugars that plants use for energy. For this reason, lignin is a major challenge for those who would extract those same plant sugars and use them to make advanced biofuels. As part of their search for economic ways to overcome the lignin challenge, researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have characterized the enzymatic activity of a rain forest microbe that breaks down lignin essentially by breathing it.

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Sustainable Farm Practices Improve Third World Food Production.

Crop yields on farms in developing countries that used sustainable agriculture rose nearly 80 percent in four years, according to a study scheduled for publication in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science & Technology. The study, the largest of its kind to date -- 286 farm projects in 57 countries -- concludes that sustainable agriculture protects the environment in these countries while substantially improving the lives of farmers who adopt the resource-conserving practices.

While green Hatch harvest winds down, red pepper harvest gears up

With the advent of cooler weather and the biological changes in pepper plants as a result, green pepper harvest is winding down now and harvesting red peppers now takes over as the primary task at hand, with early reports indicating there are still plenty of red peppers being picked and dried and sold at roadside stands and grocery stores across the Southwest.
While most green chili pepper growers in southern New Mexico say it has been a good year for their famously spicy crop, others say they suffered from heavy rains and even a few hail storms late in the season that slowed harvest and in some cases damaged their crop and slowed harvest in the fields.
But with the advent of cooler weather and the biological changes in pepper plants as a result, green pepper harvest is winding down now and harvesting red peppers now takes over as the primary task at hand, with early reports indicating there are still plenty of red peppers being picked and dried and sold at roadside stands and grocery stores across the Southwest.
In chili-rich Doña Ana County, the mega-center of chili pepper production in a state famous for chili peppers, this year's crop has been somewhat of a mixed bag.
Salem farmer Jerry Franzoy reports the harvest season started off in August under prime conditions, but with the advent September, heavy rains forced harvesters out of the fields and some plants were damaged as a result of the weather. The set back wasn't great however and resulted in a loss of "less than five percent under early harvest expectations."
But Franzoy says in spite of the heavy rains that diminished production slightly around Hatch, chili peppers fields around the Las Uvas Valley area produced peppers of excellent quality.
Chris Biad, whose family grow chilis and operate a processing plant that handles chili peppers purchased from multiple growers, says he started the season with a lot of unanswered questions. For one, a shortage of irrigation water from the Rio Grande river was a major concern. Diminishing flows caused by consecutive years of extreme drought limited irrigation water for all of southern New Mexico, and Biad said growers had to resort to pumping groundwater from over-taxed wells.
"It increased our production costs considerably and we prefer to have the sweet water of the river as it plays an important role in our chile in terms of both quality and taste. But most every grower is reporting a good crop this year with good to excellent quality, and demand remains high," Biad said.

Plant Identification Critical For Pasture and Range Management

Knowledge of plants is fundamental to range and pasture managers and, when combined with knowledge of soils and climatic conditions, forms the basis for range management and successful ranching.

Crop Performance Matters When Evaluating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Measuring the emission of greenhouse gases from croplands should take into account the crops themselves.

Agriculture involved in Better Nutrition.

We face a major shift in the global conversation on health. Chronic or noncommunicable diseases are leading causes of death worldwide and they play a major role in the viability of national economies. The United Nations will discuss these issues this week in New York. At the root of many of these diseases lie unhealthy diets, whether caused by under- or over-nutrition.
Many approaches have been put on the table to tackle the issue of poor nutrition and make healthy food and drink options available, accessible and affordable for consumers. Those with the greatest potential for success address the heart of the problem: an outdated policy approach to agriculture and food production. Several reports discuss these issues, including a report out of the UK called "The Future of Food and Farming," and Jason Clay's article in Nature titled, Freeze the Footprint of Food.

CHS introduces two starter fertilizers

CHS Inc. announced that it is introducing two new liquid starter fertilizers: CHS Aventine Complete, available through CHS Service Centers, and XLR-rate, available nationwide through CHS cooperatives and crop input retailers.

Women in Agriculture.... Women's Opportunities in Growing Agriculture.

Sarah Wall just started her first year at Kirkwood Community College studying agriculture.
When she tells people, some assume that means going back to the family wean-to-finish hog operation near here.
But, for Wall, who wants to go into ag education, that means opportunities not available to women 50 years ago.
"Fifty years ago, you would've never seen a woman being a farm manager. You would've never seen an agriculture teacher," she said.

Precision Agriculture: The key To Efficiency and Savings.

If you visit this week's Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois, count on a solid introduction to precision agriculture.  Dozens of exhibits will feature tools and technology to help Cornbelt farmers become more efficient in their planting and nutrient application, as well as basic financial savings from avoiding excess application of expensive inputs and unintended overlaps.  But how many of your neighbors have either moved ahead of you or are lagging behind you?

Investment in agriculture necessary to feed the two billion who will go hungry by 2050

Two-day Convening Focused on Policy Reform for Smallholder Farmers and Way Forward
"Nearly 240 million Africans are malnourished and although only one-third of those who face hunger are based in Africa, the percentage of people who suffer from hunger here is higher than in any other region of the world," stated Mr. Charles Abugre Akelyira, Africa Regional Director of the UN Millennium campaign, based in Nairobi. "We must invest in agriculture not just to feed the current generation but to prepare for the two billion more mouths we will need to feed by 2050. In particular, we have to invest in small-scale agriculture, as part of our mixed strategy. Two-thirds of our farm outputs come from small farmers," he said.

Serious about climate change? Talk about agriculture

Few people expected much concrete progress ahead of the ongoing international climate change talks taking place in Warsaw. Sadly, it seems the doubters were right to be skeptical as negotiators have failed to tackle one of the biggest climate challenges: changing agriculture technologies, practices and policies to make sure the world can feed itself.

From Tropics to Poles: Study Reveals Diversity of Life in Soils

Microscopic animals that live in soils are as diverse in the tropical forests of Costa Rica as they are in the arid grasslands of Kenya, or the tundra and boreal forests of Alaska and Sweden.

Soil Biodiversity Will Be Crucial to Future Land Management and Response to Climate Change

Research by scientists at The University of Manchester and Lancaster shows maintaining healthy soil biodiversity can play an important role in optimising land management programmes to reap benefits from the living soil. The findings, published in the latest edition of the journal PNAS, extend the understanding about the factors that regulate soil biodiversity.

Is Biochar the Answer for Agriculture? Long-Term Study Digs Up New Information On Biochar’s Ability to Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Soils

Scientists demonstrate that biochar, a type charcoal applied to soils in order to capture and store carbon, can reduce emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, and inorganic nitrogen runoff from agriculture settings. The finding will help develop strategies and technologies to reduce soil nitrous oxide emissions and reduce agriculture's influence on climate change.

Biochar in Soils Cuts Greenhouse Gas Emissions

University of Tübingen microbiologists show soil microbe communities can be influenced to decrease nitrous oxide emissions.

Can Biochar Help Suppress Greenhouse Gases?

 Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas and a precursor to compounds that contribute to the destruction of the ozone. Intensively managed, grazed pastures are responsible for an increase in nitrous oxide emissions from grazing animals' excrement. Biochar is potentially a mitigation option for reducing the world's elevated carbon dioxide emissions, since the embodied carbon can be sequestered in the soil. Biochar also has the potential to beneficially alter soil nitrogen transformations.

Research Reveals How Farmers Could Mitigate Nitrous Oxide Emissions.

Farmers may be able to help reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) by incorporating copper into crop fertilization processes -- according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

Amazon Rainforest More Able to Withstand Drought Than Previously Thought

New research suggests that the Amazon rainforest may be more able to cope with dry conditions than previously predicted. Researchers at the University of Exeter and Colorado State University used a computer model to demonstrate that, providing forest conservation measures are in place, the Amazon rainforest may be more able to withstand periods of drought than has been estimated by other climate models.

Palm Oil Waste Put to Work

A recently isolated bacterial strain converts waste from palm oil production into industrially useful lactic acid.

Oil Palm Surging Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Continued expansion of industrial-scale oil palm plantations on the island of Borneo will become a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 unless strong forest and peatland protections are enacted and enforced, according to a National Academy of Sciences study.

Researchers Warn Against High Emissions from Oil Palm Expansion in Brazil

Expanding millions of hectares of Brazilian land to produce palm oil for food or for renewable, clean-burning biodiesel could result in extremely high emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) unless strict controls are put in place.

Step Forward in Foot-And-Mouth Disease Understanding

Scientists have discovered a mechanism they believe may play a key role in the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in animal.

Foot and Mouth Disease May Spread Through Shedding Skin Cells

Skin cells shed from livestock infected with foot and mouth disease could very well spread the disease.

Combating Key Viral Livestock Diseases in Ethiopia

Gelagay Ayelet Melesse's doctoral research reveals that there are several serotypes of the virus causing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the African horse sickness virus (AHSV) and several different hosts for these viruses in Ethiopia. His study also highlights the economic repercussions of these viruses and other viral diseases in domestic livestock. His findings may contribute to improved strategies for controlling and combating the spread of such diseases and to increased self-sufficiency in food.

Breakthrough for Biofuel Production from Tiny Marine Algae

 

Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have developed a method for greatly enhancing biofuel production in tiny marine algae.

How cover crops can control potato cyst nematode.

New research is showing some practical tips
for countering the biggest pest threat to the
potato crop without using pesticides. Adam

Risk management in livestock milk production.

Some common mechanisms like forward contracts, futures, options, buying forward and buying groups can benefit all systems of dairy farming.
Forward Contracts
The most simple and commonly used risk management concepts ~ buyers and sellers agree terms of delivery (ie, quantity and price) in advance. Prices tend to be in line with market prices and fixed on the date of agreement.
With this type of contract, the buyer gives up the possibility of benefiting from lower prices should the market price fall, but benefits from price certainty.
Likewise the reverse is true when selling forward, with the buyer giving up the possibility of benefitting from lower prices in exchange for price certainty.
Across the US agricultural sector, including dairy, some farmers are forward contracting both their inputs and outputs, locking-in profit margins ahead of production. While a forward milk price may be harder to obtain in the UK, it might be possible with some milk purchasers, depending on individual contracts.
Futures Contracts
Futures are standardised, legal contracts based on the delivery of a specified quantity and quality of a commodity, at a predetermined date, with the price agreed in advance. Unlike forward contracts, few futures contracts actually make it through to expiry and physical delivery, as they are traded by speculative investors and therefore closed before they reach maturity.
The value of the contract is negotiated at a futures exchange, which acts as an intermediary between the buyer and seller, and is based on the present-day value of the physical item.
Futures contracts can be used by those actually involved in the supply chain (such as farmers and manufacturers) who are looking to reduce their risk and exposure to market volatility through 'hedging'. Hedging allows both buyers and sellers to lock in a price for the future, as with forward contracts.
Options
Options act as a form of price insurance, protecting against adverse price movements while at the same time allowing the holder to benefit from favourable movements. Options give the right but not the obligation to buy or sell an agreed quantity at a pre-determined price.
A seller of a commodity can use options to create a price floor for their produce, allowing them to still benefit from any price increases. By contrast, a buyer of a commodity can use options to set a price ceiling, while maintaining the ability to take advantage of falling markets.
The benefit of options over futures is that the holder is given the choice, as opposed to the obligation, of whether they wish to exercise the contract. Hence, they provide greater flexibility to the holder than using futures alone.
The Dairy Futures Market in Britain
While futures markets for grains have been trading for as long as exchanges have been operating, futures markets in dairy products are relatively new. There are only two exchanges in Europe where it is possible to trade dairy futures: the Eurex and NYSE Liffe. The Eurex exchange, based in Germany, launched Skim Milk Powder (SMP) and butter futures in May 2010. These are designed to reflect prices in Germany, France and the Netherlands, and hence are calculated using a matrix of prices from the three countries.
Futures are traded in Euros per tonne and in contract sizes of 5 tonnes. The Eurex exchange also introduced a futures market for whey powder in September 2012, again based on contract sizes of 5 tonnes and traded in Euros per tonne. NYSE Liffe launched an SMP futures contract in 2010, traded on the French exchange in Euros per tonne. The contract is for free physical delivery within a 150km range of Hamburg, Antwerp and Rotterdam with a contract size equivalent to one truckload (24 tonnes).
Accessing Dairy Futures markets
Dairy Futures in both of these European exchanges were introduced only recently and, as such, the markets could be best described as being in their infancy. Speculative trading has yet to penetrate these markets, without which cash flow remains low, reducing the ability to use the markets as a hedging tool for farmers and manufacturers. Options are not currently available in either European exchange, and are unlikely to be introduced while futures trading remains low.
However, activity in the US gives us a glimpse of the potential. There, dairy futures have been operating for around 20 years. Removal of price support and a subsequent increase in volatility of dairy commodity prices within the US in the early '90s led to the development of Cheddar Cheese and Non-fat Dry Milk (a similar product to skimmed milk powder) futures contracts in 1993. A contract for milk was established in 1995 and as the dairy market has developed, additional lines have been added, including options.
According to the Dublin-based FC Stone Commodity Services, dairy farmers in the US typically hedge between 40% and 60% of production using the futures markets, securing a base price for a proportion of their product but allowing the rest to be subject to market forces. Farms producing around 50 million litres of milk or more a year are able to access market directly, while smaller businesses are more likely to use forward contracting programmes through co-operatives or processors.
New Zealand also has a functioning dairy futures market, and was the first to open a market for Whole Milk Power (WMP) in October 2010, followed by SMP and Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF). The development of WMP futures by the New Zealand exchange was driven by the importance of WMP exports from the region and developed to meet market demand for a risk management tool specifically for the product. Fonterra is currently trialling its Guaranteed Milk Price Scheme to its farmers in New Zealand for the 2014 season. The scheme allows farmers to lock in contracts at a set price for a proportion of their output, with prices paid based on kilograms of milk solids. Fonterra hedges its own risk and exposure to market volatility through offsetting its purchases through the Futures market.
Managing feed and protein costs
Feed often makes up the single biggest cost to dairy farms, and the weather in 2012 was an unsavoury reminder that even on specialist grass-fed systems, buying in feed may be unavoidable. While managing output risk is more advanced in the US than in the UK, there are a number of ways in which farmers can be proactive in managing input costs. Three broad strategies are outlined below:
Buy forward
As mentioned above, locking in to a price allows costs of production to be mapped in advance. This can be done either through a Futures Contract or a Forward Contract, securing delivery for a specified date at a specific price. A development to the 'buying forward' strategy is to buy a proportion of your feed requirements forward at regular intervals; a strategy referred to as 'averaging'. The concept of averaging is to reduce volatility in the market by taking the average price over the period. In a rising market, averaging can also help reduce the overall cost of feed compared with buying all of your input requirements at the end of the period. In a falling market, averaging will result in a higher total cost.
Buy forward and use an 'Option'
Options can potentially be used in two ways by a dairy farmer wishing to guarantee a source of feed.
First, for a dairy producer who knows in advance he will be buying significant quantities of feed, options can be used as price insurance. They provide price certainty while leaving the opportunity to benefit if the market price falls.
Second, for a grass-fed system, options can be used to give the right to sell grain at a later date – without the obligation to do so (as a Futures or Forward Contract would). In this sense, a grass-fed system can forward buy grain if they suspect or fear it will be a bad weather year, but will be also be able to sell this grain should they not require it.
Using an option therefore allows the producer to sell the unwanted grain at a specified price and date. It is important to note that options come at a cost, which should be factored in to the business plan.
Other strategies
Farmers who join a buying group may have better opportunity to use these tools. A buying group can allow them to benefit from economies of scale, as well as potentially access specialised marketing and professional expertise. Allocating the responsibility of sourcing feed requirements to another party can also help with time management, allowing a greater focus on other aspects of the business.
A potential disadvantage is that this strategy reduces the level of control over grain purchases and the price paid for grain.
In summary
Volatility has grown significantly in both dairy and commodity prices in recent years, making it increasingly important that appropriate risk management strategies are put in place to help reduce the level of exposure to market movements.
This is not only limited to strategies to sell your output, but also to mitigate volatility to input prices. So when will the futures market reach the stage when British farmers can really benefit? Speculators tend to get interested when the market is actually using them. But the supply chain only really starts to use the mechanisms when there's enough liquidity. This means growth does tend to be organic. At the moment, the markets are young and will gradually take off if some success stories start spreading. They key is to start using them through a local, trusted merchant or vendor – making sure you have a sound understanding of the tools and choices on offer beforehand.
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Overcoming smallholder challenges with biotechnology

From breeding to bugs, a new FAO publication looks at biotechnologies at work in small-scale crop, livestock and fish production. A new FAO publication calls for greater national and international efforts to bring agricultural biotechnologies to smallholder producers in developing countries.

brown onwuka's invitation is awaiting your response

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DO YOU BELIEVE?......Switchgrass May Mean Better Soil

Soils with native grasses such as switchgrass have higher levels of a key soil component called glomalin than soils planted to non-native grasses, according to a study by the Agricultural Research Service at two locations in Mandan, N.D.

Fertilizers Provide Mixed Benefits to Soil in 50-Year Study

Fertilizing with inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus definitely improves crop yields, but does it also improve the soil?

WOW.... DO YOU KNOW THAT....Potatoes Lower Blood Pressure in People With Obesity and Hypertension Without Increasing Weight

The first study to check the effects of eating potatoes on blood pressure in humans has concluded that two small helpings of purple potatoes (Purple Majesty) a day decreases blood pressure by about 4 percent without causing weight gain. In a report in the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers say that decrease, although seemingly small, is sufficient to potentially reduce the risk of several forms of heart disease.

Organic Onions, Carrots and Potatoes Do Not Have Higher Levels of Healthful Antioxidants, Study Finds

With the demand for organically produced food increasing, scientists are reporting new evidence that organically grown onions, carrots, and potatoes generally do not have higher levels of healthful antioxidants and related substances than vegetables grown with traditional fertilizers and pesticides.

Organic Farming Has Little, If Any, Effect On Nutritional Content Of Wheat, Study Concludes

Organically grown wheat may have different labeling and a higher price in stores, but it contains essentially the same profile of amino acids, sugars and other metabolic substances as wheat grown with conventional farming

Rising Concerns Over Tree Pests and Diseases

New research has found that the number of pests and disease outbreaks in trees and forests across the world has been increasing.

Rothamsted Research scientists develop Camelina sativa plants that accumulate high levels of Omega-3 oils EPA and DHA in their seeds.

Omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) have been shown to be beneficial for human health and the primary dietary sources of these fatty acids are fish. The increasing demand for fish oils puts pressure on the natural marine resources and highlights the need to identify alternative sustainable sources.
Rothamsted Research scientists have successfully engineered the metabolic processes in the seed of false flax (Camelina sativa) to produce up to 12% EPA and 14% DHA. These amounts are very similar to those found in fish oil. The study is published in The Plant Journal.
The Omega-3 LC-PUFAs that are beneficial for health are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). They modulate both metabolic and immune processes and confer health benefits in areas of Cardiovascular Heart Disease (CHD) and neurodevelopment.
Plant sources of Omega-3, e.g. Flax seed, do not produce EPA and DHA; instead they produce shorter chain Omega-3 fatty acids such as a-linolenic acid (ALA) which does not confer the health-beneficial properties associated with EPA and DHA.
Dr Olga Sayanova, Rothamsted Research scientist: "In this work we used as a starting point a plant that is rich in ALA which is the building block that is used to produce EPA and DHA Omega-3 oils. Having identified in marine algae and other photosynthetic marine organisms the essential genes required to make these beneficial oils, we assembled them together and we introduced them to the Camelina plant. In the first instance, we introduced five genes and on average 24% of the total oil content in the plant seed was EPA. Then we introduced seven genes and in that case on average 8% of the total oil content in the seed of the plant was DHA and 11% EPA. We had instances that these percentages were 14% and 12% respectively. The average accumulation of these oils in the transgenic Camelina plants is comparable to those found in fish oil but Camelina makes none of these naturally."
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The best farming tools from YARA

Sustainable agriculture requires best farming practices to be applied to increase agricultural productivity and maximize farm profitability while minimizing environmental harm.
Case
Precision farming is a key to best agricultural management practices. It enables farmers to add the specific nutrients needed for their crop, in exactly the right amount, at the right time. A key concern in the case of fertilizer application is that too much nutrient – more than the plants can take up – is wasting money and harming nature.
Yara offers comprehensive knowledge to its customers, tailored to local growing conditions and specific crops. Our Crop Nutrition Concept is supported by tools for precision farming:
N-Sensoris a tractor-mounted tool that allows growers to measure a crop's nitrogen requirement as it passes across the field, and to vary the fertilizer application rate accordingly. It ensures that the optimal rate of fertilizer is applied at each individual part of the field.
N-Testeris a hand-held device that measures the nitrogen status of a crop from the chlorophyll content of its leaves. Based on the measurements, an agronomist can evaluate the nitrogen needed to meet target yields, and adjust fertilizer use accordingly.
Megalabis an internet-based, secure system offering interpretation and biometric data services from agricultural analysis. When a sample is entered into the system a comparison is made with the guideline level and an interpretation and recommendation is given.
Tankmix.comis an online service providing advice on the physical mixing characteristics of Yara's foliar products with agrochemicals.
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Has Genetically Modified Plants Achieved what has been claimed?..... That Drought resistant crops would be effective in areas of the world with limited amount of water.

Drought resistant crops would have huge benefits, particularly in the many areas of the world where lack of water limits yield. Selective breeding is yet to produce fully drought-resistant plants, so it is no surprise that people have looked to GM to speed up the process of developing drought-resistant plants.
Earlier this year, David Lawlor from Rothamsted Research published a review paper about drought resistance. He concluded that GM plants may currently not be better able to cope with drought than other varieties. Genetic modification for drought resistance has been very promising in laboratory conditions, but GM varieties have not yet produced 'clear evidence of substantial improvements in crops under drought in the field'.
He found a large number of studies which claimed to have achieved drought resistance, with many different alterations to the plants genomes. These mechanisms were little understood – how had the plants' physiology changed? What characteristics were actually leading to better performance in low water conditions – a root system better able to extract water, a change to the plants' metabolism?
The limits to our understanding of plant biology perhaps means that genetic modification is not as precise and targeted as we like to believe. What he did find was that studies in the laboratory and in limited field trials often showed that GM plants took longer to show signs of stress after they stopped being watered. This appeared to be because of decreased water loss from GM plants, often due to changed structure of the leaves. A change to the metabolism has not been demonstrated, but hypothetically could produce 'drought tolerance' rather than just a delayed onset of stress.
This is a key point – we haven't fundamentally changed a plant's metabolism to make it properly drought resistant, just allowed it to retain more water (or potentially absorb more from the soil). Perhaps in the field this delayed onset of stress will increase yields on the farm (at least in some conditions), and so we could argue that this means our current genetic modification technology for drought resistance has been a success.
Field trials do, however, have the potential to show a downside of the modifications – changed leaf structure could theoretically lead to reduced yields when there isn't a drought.
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IF YOU HAVE A STUBBORN WEED YOU WANT TO REMOVE FROM YOUR FARM..... THIS GOODNEWS IS FOR YOU......New Weapons On the Way to Battle Wicked Weeds

A somber picture of the struggle against super-weeds emerged today as scientists described the relentless spread of herbicide-resistant menaces like pigweed and horseweed that shrug off powerful herbicides and have forced farmers in some areas to return to the hand-held hoes that were a mainstay of weed control a century ago.

IMAGINE.......Beetles Play an Important Role in Reducing Weeds

Researchers funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the French Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) have found that ground beetles reduce the amount of weed seeds in the soil. Weeds reduce crop yields and these findings support the need to conserve farmland biodiversity as it plays an important supporting role to herbicides in controlling weeds and improving food security.

Organic and Conventional farming methods...... which of these eliminates weed seeds faster in soils.

Weeds are hard to kill; they seem to come back no matter what steps people take to eradicate them. One reason is because of the persistence of weed seeds in the soil. Organic farming and conventional farming systems both have their methods of taking on weed seeds, but does one show better results than the other?

Can Organic Farming Beat No-Till?

 

Organic farming can build up soil organic matter better than conventional no-till farming can, according to a long-term study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists.

DO YOU KNOW THAT.................Chickens With Bigger Gizzards Are More Efficient

According to animal scientists, farmers could further protect the environment by breeding chickens with larger digestive organs. This research, published in the February issue of the Journal of Animal Science, could solve a major problem in poultry production.

Queen Bee's Honesty Is the Best Policy for Reproduction Signals

Queen bees convey honest signals to worker bees about their reproductive status and quality, according to an international team of researchers, who say their findings may help to explain why honey bee populations are declining.

Low Levels of Blood Calcium in Dairy Cows May Affect Cow Health, Productivity

— The health of dairy cows after giving birth plays a big factor in the quantity and quality of the milk the cows produce. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that subclinical hypocalcemia, which is the condition of having low levels of calcium in the blood and occurs in many cows after giving birth, is related to higher levels of fat in the liver. John Middleton, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, says these higher levels of fat are often precursors to future health problems in cows.

Small Changes in Agricultural Practices Could Reduce Produce-Borne Illness

Researchers from Cornell University have identified some agricultural management practices in the field that can either boost or reduce the risk of contamination in produce from two major foodborne pathogens: salmonella, the biggest single killer among the foodborne microbes, and Listeria monocytogenes. Their findings are published ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

In Drought-Prone Sahel, Scientists Roll out Innovative System for Producing Vegetables

With a major famine unfolding in Niger and other countries of West Africa's dry Sahelian region, an agricultural scientist speaking at the African Green Revolution Forum announced new progress in disseminating an innovative system for irrigated vegetable production -- a valuable option in a region that is highly dependent on subsistence rain fed cropping.

Recent Developments show that.................Ticks Kill Sheep

In some lamb herds, a mortality rate of 30 percent has been recorded, albeit, no predators have been involved in these losses. The situation is so serious that the sheep industry could be under threat. It is therefore crucial to identify the causes and implement preventative measures. The answer may be found somewhere within the genetics of the sheep and the course of the disease, assessment and control of tick populations and biological control of ticks.

Origins of Cattle Farming in China Uncovered

An international team of researchers, co-led by scientists at the University of York and Yunnan Normal University, has produced the first multi-disciplinary evidence for management of cattle populations in northern China, around the same time cattle domestication took place in the Near East, over 10,000 years ago.

New crop pests discovered..... Genetics in action.

Insect host shifts are important because they may be a first step in the evolution of new species and can create new pests of agriculturally important crops.
A barrier to many potential insect host shifts are the secondary metabolites or allelochemicals many plants produce to defend themselves from plant feeding pests like aphids. Consequently, insect pests can only be successful in using such plant species as food if they develop mechanisms to overcome sensitivity to the defense compounds that a plant is releasing.

Stronger Corn? Take It Off Steroids, Make It All Female

A Purdue University researcher has taken corn off steroids and found that the results might lead to improvements in that and other crops.

Botany: The Secret of Short Stems

 

Arabidopsis plants that only reach half their normal height have a mutation in the biosynthesis of the plant growth factor gibberellin.

Improvement of lives around the world through climate smart agriculture.

The world's climate is changing fast, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, no matter what measures we now take to reduce humankind's impact on it. And as temperatures rise, rainfall patterns and amounts change, and pests and diseases find new ranges, the face of world agriculture will have to change too.

A systemtic approach to fishery development

Fisheries development is the process towards achieving the full potential of the sector through growth and improvement. A fishery is being 'developed' if the biomass of the stock is being reduced by fishing, rebuilt (after depletion), or enhanced, to increase its productivity. It is also developed if the quality of the catch or its value improves, not necessarily increasing the harvest.
As defined in theFAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, development has bio-ecological, technological, economic and social (including ethical) dimensions. The main goal of an ecologically sustainable development is to improve the well-being of all the people engaged directly or indirectly in the fisheries sector as well as the natural productive system. Under an ecosystem approach to fisheries, 'development' may be achieved by reducing the negative environmental impact and/or increasing resilience of the system to unexpected change, meeting broader societal objectives.
As the full potential of wild fisheries resources has been achieved – and often 'lost' through overfishing – the main objective and emphasis in capture fisheries development strategies has changed from increasing harvest (the main objective for three quarters of the last century) to establishing a more sustainable and optimal use of the available fisheries resources (particularly since UNCED in 1992). The same path has been followed by aquaculture where development from the 1950s to the 1990s emphasized technology development, intensification, and larger harvests . Concern for environmental management and sustainability appeared essentially during the 1990s.
Harmonizing development and management objectives and plans is a precondition to improve the implementation of both. Limiting growth (e.g. in fishing capacity) and promoting cross sectoral compatibility, taking a precautionary and ecosystem approach, represent key requirements for both capture fisheries and aquaculture.
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Importance of aquaculture to crop productivity

Aquaculture can help increase productivity of agricultural crops and bring down salinity of the soil, according to an expert.
Shivakumar M., professor at the College of Fisheries in Mangalore, said that a study conducted by his team in the command areas of Cauvery and Bhadra rivers in Mandya and Shimoga districts, respectively, has shown improvements in productivity of crops such as paddy and sugarcane.

Severe damage to agriculture and fisheries done to Typhoon Hayian... FA0 calls for immediate intervention.

Livelihoods and food security at risk – FAO calls for $24 million for immediate interventions
Along the coast the storm surge wiped out many fishing communities.12 November 2013, Rome– FAO is mobilizing support to the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which tore through the country causing severe damage to the fisheries and agriculture sectors in addition to massive loss of life.

Want Sustainable Fishing? Keep Only Small Fish, And Let The Big Ones Go

Scientists at the University of Toronto analysed Canadian fisheries data to determine the effect of the "keep the large ones" policy that is typical of fisheries. What they found is that the effect of this policy is an unsustainable fishery.

Saving Our Fish' Needs More Than Ban On Discarding

Banning the practice of throwing unmarketable or over-quota fish back into the sea is just one of the measures needed to deliver sustainable fisheries according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

Understanding Soil Nitrogen Management Using Synchrotron Technology

As food security becomes an increasingly important global issue, scientists are looking for the best way to maintain the organic matter in soils using different methods of fertilization and crop rotation.

IMAGINE ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF URINE TO THE SOIL AND CROPS..........Sustainable Fertilizer: Urine And Wood Ash Produce Large Harves

Results of the first study evaluating the use of human urine mixed with wood ash as a fertilizer for food crops has found that the combination can be substituted for costly synthetic fertilizers to produce bumper crops of tomatoes without introducing any risk of disease for consumers.

Plan to End Use of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals On Commercial Crops Developed

Two University of Alberta researchers have published a step by step plan to one-day end the use of environmentally harmful chemicals on commercial crops by developing plants that produce their own fertilizer.

Chicken Litter Has Advantages Over Conventional Fertilizers

Chicken litter is much more valuable as a fertilizer than previously thought, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study showing its newfound advantages over conventional fertilizers.

Aquaculture: Not An Easy Answer To Overfishing

CORVALLIS, Ore. - A new report in the journal Science suggests that some types of aquaculture, a fish-farming concept that once seemed to be the solution to overfishing of the world's oceans, may in fact be causing some of the same problems it was meant to resolve.

New Recommendations for the Archipelago Sea: Fish-Based Feed, Integration of Fish Farms, Planning Control

Extraction of Baltic Sea fish recommended for fish feed. This would enable the recycling of marine nutrients and eliminate the need for fish feed imports. This is one of the recommendations jointly drawn up by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute and the Finnish Environment Institute for the promotion and coordination of fishing, fish farming and other methods of exploiting the marine environment and resources in the Archipelago Sea.

Genetic Link to Cattle Diseases Uncovered

The origin of three costly cattle diseases is genetically linked, according to findings from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers.

The Prevalence of Colds and Pneumonia in Cows Can Be Controlled

Respiratory diseases in cattle are a great threat to animal welfare and lead to financial losses in the cattle industry. The bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is one of the main causes of respiratory disease in cattle. A study of the prevalence and infection distribution of the virus shows that it is possible to control the virus, even though it occurs very frequently.

European Hunter-Gatherers Owned Pigs as Early as 4600 BC

European hunter-gatherers acquired domesticated pigs from nearby farmers as early as 4600 BC, according to new evidence.

The international team of scientists, including researchers at Durham and Aberdeen universities, showed there was interaction between the hunter-gatherer and farming communities and a 'sharing' of animals and knowledge. The interaction between the two groups eventually led to the hunter-gatherers incorporating farming and breeding of livestock into their culture, say the scientists.

Study Finds That 77 Percent of European Pigs Are Castrated Without Anesthetic

The castration of pigs prevents the "boar taint" smell in the meat and allows them to contain more fat. However in practice this can be very different. Now, for the first time, a scientific team has collected information on the conditions of castration on European pigs. The main conclusion of the study, that forms part of the PIGCAS project, is that these animals are castrated directly by the livestock farmers, without anaesthetic and in some cases, without respecting the European legislation.

Big Cattle: The Genes That Determine Carcass Weight

An area of chromosome 6 that affects cattle carcass weight has been identified using two different Japanese breeds. Knowledge of this four-gene region should be useful in breeding beef cattle.
Akiko Takasuga, from the Shirakawa Institute of Animal Genetics, led a team of researchers who studied Japanese Black and Japanese Brown cattle, two breeds that have survived separately for thousands of years. According to Takasuga, "The 591-kb critical region contains four genes, LOC523874, C6H4orf30, NCAPG, and LOC540095. Interestingly, LOC540095 is the bovine ortholog of the human gene LCORL, and the NCAPG-LCORL region was recently identified as one determinant of human adult height".

Origins of Cattle Farming in China Uncovered

An international team of researchers, co-led by scientists at the University of York and Yunnan Normal University, has produced the first multi-disciplinary evidence for management of cattle populations in northern China, around the same time cattle domestication took place in the Near East, over 10,000 years ago.

Key Processes of Photosynthesis Simulated On Quantum Level

By realising an artificial quantum system, physicists at Heidelberg University have simulated key processes of photosynthesis on a quantum level with high spatial and temporal resolution. In their experiment with Rydberg atoms the team of Prof. Dr. Matthias Weidemüller and Dr. Shannon Whitlock discovered new properties of energy transport. This work is an important step towards answering the question of how quantum physics can contribute to the efficiency of energy conversion in synthetic systems, for example in photovoltaics.

WASDE: Reduced beef production forecast in 2014

Higher-than-expected production in the forth-quarter helped offset lower third-quarter estimates in 2013, according to the USDA's latest "World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate" report.

Strange indeed....Volunteers Join Scientists in Finding out Who Gets Rid of Cow Dung.

With more than a billion cows around the world, an immense amount of dung is produced each day. Most of these droppings will evidently disappear, as the world is still green rather than brown. Now a team of scientists have joined forces with local volunteers to find out who decomposes the most of it in Finland, Northern Europe.
Dor beetles dominate

Defending Food Crops: Whitefly Experimentation to Prevent Contamination of Agriculture.

On November 8th,JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, will introduce a new technique to aid in the development of defenses against diseases threatening food crops worldwide. The method, published under the title Transmitting Plant Viruses Using Whiteflies, is applicable to such at-risk crops as tomatoes and common bean plants. The whitefly method provides a means of interfering with the plant-contamination process as well as the cultivation of plants that are altogether resistant to infection.
"For example, the described technique is used to develop tomatoes with resistance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus, which is a big problem in tomato production in the southern U.S. and in many parts of the world," said Jane Polston, the principle investigator at the University of Florida's Department of Plant Pathology. In the article accompanying their JoVE video, Polston and her colleagues write that numerous genera of whitefly-transmitted plant viruses (such as Begomovirus, Carlavirus, Crinivirus, Ipomovirus, Torradovirus) are part of an emerging and economically significant group of pathogens affecting important food and fiber crops.
The technique includes reliably rearing whiteflies with a specific virus while omitting the possibility of cross-contamination to other viruses -- an easily encountered problem because of the sheer number of whiteflies used in testing. Such contamination would jeopardize the results of an entire experiment. After exposing large numbers of a particular plant species to a specific whitefly-transmitted virus, a researcher can then note which individual plants resisted infection and why. This article outlines how to generate hundreds or thousands of infected plants year-round by exposing them to whiteflies each week. Therefore, the whitefly-assisted transmission method provides researchers with a powerful means for continued experimentation in developing plant defenses against the threat of whitefly-transmitted disease.
Polston said that she published this technique through JoVE's video format because it was difficult to explain it through traditional text-only journals. "I have never published like this before and wanted to try it," she said, "And it was very difficult to describe some of the details of this technique in writing. Video was a better approach."
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Do u believe that.....Nitrogen Fertilizer Remains in Soils, Leaks Towards Groundwater for Decades?

Nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops lingers in the soil and leaks out as nitrate for decades towards groundwater -- "much longer than previously thought," scientists in France and at the University of Calgary say in a new study.
Thirty years after synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer had been applied to crops in 1982, about 15 per cent of the fertilizer N still remained in soil organic matter, the scientists found.

Can Redistribution of Surplus Food Really Improve Food Security?

While surplus food redistribution has been promoted as a way of reducing food waste and food poverty, a paper published recently inJournal of Environmental Planning and Managementconcludes that unless a distinction is drawn between genuine waste to be recovered and surplus to be redistributed for community benefit, surplus food as a resource is unlikely to be fully utilised.

Fisheries Catch-22: Captive Breeding Aims To Conserve Biodiversity But Plunders Genetic Diversity.

Human impacts on the environment have reduced populations of wild species to dangerously low levels. Nowhere is this more apparent than in worldwide fisheries, where thanks to overfishing and habitat destruction, countless species and populations of fish are on the brink of disappearing forever.
To attempt to mitigate the dire situation, captive breeding, the controlled breeding of organisms in protected environments, is regularly initiated.
Despite its popularity, does captive breeding actually work? In the current issue of Evolutionary Applications, Dr. Dylan Fraser of Dalhousie University provides a candid look at whether these breeding programs are fulfilling their mandates.
Using salmonids (the economically crucial group of fish that include salmon and trout) to illustrate his point, Fraser questions whether captive breeding is doing more harm than good. In his comprehensive review of over 300 papers, Fraser concludes that fish reared in captivity can rapidly lose the genetic diversity needed to adapt and survive in the wild, and that the rate of loss of diversity can both vary across breeding programs and be species specific. To complicate matters further, Fraser points out that that we simply do not know how captive-bred fish will perform once released back into the wild.
Unfortunately, without captive breeding to bolster their numbers, we may soon have too few individuals from which to repopulate disappearing fish populations, leaving us essentially in a fisheries catch-22.
Fraser concludes that not only do more data on the effects of captive breeding on the genetic diversity of fishes need to be collected, but also that alternatives to captive breeding, such as the live freezing of fish sperm of diverse genetic backgrounds, or the physical relocation of fish populations from one site to another, need more serious consideration.
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Changes to Fisheries Legislation Have Removed Habitat Protection for Most Fish Species in Canada

Federal government changes to Canada's fisheries legislation have eviscerated the ability to protect habitat for most of the country's fish species, scientists at the universities of Calgary and Dalhousie say in a new study. The changes were politically motivated, unsupported by scientific advice -- contrary to government policy -- and are inconsistent with ecosystem-based management, fisheries biologists John Post and Jeffrey Hutchings say.
Their comprehensive assessment, in a peer-reviewed paper titled "Gutting Canada's Fisheries Act: No fishery, no fish habitat protection," is published inFisheries, a journal of the 10,000-member American Fisheries Society.
"The biggest change is that habitat protection has been removed for all species other than those that have direct economic or cultural interests, through recreational, commercial and Aboriginal fisheries," says Post, professor of biological sciences at the University of Calgary.
Habitat protection curtailed
Before, "there used to be a blanket habitat protection for all fish species," he says. "Now there's a protection just for species of economic importance which, from an ecological standpoint, makes no sense."
Studies cited by Post and Hutchings show that not protecting habitat is the "single greatest factor" for the decline and loss of commercial and non-commercial species on land and in water. Yet the changes to the Fisheries Act removed the "mandated legal protection" of habitat even for fish species that are in decline, Post says. About three-quarters of approximately 80 freshwater fish species in Canada listed as being at risk, threatened or endangered "are not going to receive the protection that they did in the past," Post says.
Hutchings is a former chair of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada while Post is a current member. Both scientists' research is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
A streamlined process for development projects
One reason the federal government gave for making the changes last year was to streamline environmental reviews and make the regulatory process more efficient for development projects. But Post and Hutchings' paper cites peer-reviewed scientific studies which found that between 2006 and 2011, only one project proposal among thousands was denied by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Only 1.6 per cent of 1,238 convictions under the previous Fisheries Act between 2007 and 2011 pertained to the destruction of fish habitat.
Also, environmental review times for projects under the previous Fisheries Act were found to be already in line with new review times mandated by the federal government last year.
Changes to Fisheries Act brought some improvements
There were some improvements made to the Fisheries Act, Post and Hutchings say. This included recognizing recreational and Aboriginal fisheries as being important, provision for policy on invasive species, and increased fines for contravening the legislation.
But at the same time, the federal government has closed many regional Fisheries and Oceans offices -- including one in Calgary -- and eliminated about 30 per cent of fisheries personnel who manage habitat issues, "so they no longer have the capacity to police infractions," Post says.
"Politically motivated dismantling of habitat protection provisions in the Fisheries Act erases 40 years of enlightened and responsible legislation and diminishes Canada's ability to fulfill its national and international obligations to protect, conserve, and sustainably use aquatic biodiversity," their paper says.
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Growers should like two new high oleic peanut varieties

North Carolina State University Peanut Breeder Tom Isleib hit a home run with development of Bailey and Sugg varieties of Virginia-type peanuts, and his next two releases, both high oleic varieties, may be his biggest contribution yet to the peanut industry.
Standing between freshly dug rows of Sullivan and Wynne varieties of peanuts, the North Carolina State plant breeder beams with pride at how well the two new high oleic varieties are doing in the PVQE tests at Virginia Tech's Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Suffolk, Va.
Sullivan is named for former North Carolina State Peanut Specialist Gene Sullivan and Wynne is named for former North Carolina State University peanut breeder and College of Agriculture Dean Johnny Wynne.
Both varieties are in foundation seed stock development and could be available to growers in limited supply as early as 2016.
After going through two or more years of testing at several sites in North Carolina, the two new high oleic varieties were sent to the PVQE test program in 2010.
Maria Balota who heads the PVQE program, says both varieties have performed well in tests in the program.
Prior to release, Sullivan and Wynne had to be approved by the North Carolina State Breeders Release Board. This group includes breeders, pathologists and other scientists who are charged with regulating what does and doesn't get released as official North Carolina State released varieties.
Then, the two new peanuts had to be approved by the North Carolina State Intellectual Properties Committee.
Both Sullivan and Wynne were released as varieties this spring. They are now in foundation seed stock development.
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FAO expects more balanced food markets, less price volatility

Food commodity markets are becoming more balanced and less price volatile than in recent years thanks to improved supplies and a recovery in global inventories of cereals, according to FAO's Food Outlookreport published today.
"The prices for most basic food commodities have declined over the past few months. This relates to production increases and the expectation that in the current season, we will have more abundant supplies, more export availabilities and higher stocks," said David Hallam, Director of FAO's Trade and Markets Division.

Antibiotic use in agriculture encourages superbugs

It's hard to imagine that something as distant as a feedlot could have an impact on our health. After all, industrial farming operations are located far from where many of us live.

But the recent news of an antibiotic-resistant salmonella outbreak from poultry products produced in California but distributed in a number of states, as well as a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bear this out.

The misuse of antibiotics on factory farms puts the health of your kids and ours — of all of us — at risk. The fact is, giving low-dose, medically-unnecessary antibiotics to livestock and poultry to speed up growth and prevent disease breeds dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria. These bacteria end up in our food, our soil, our air, our drinking water, our bodies. They alter the world's and our own microbial landscapes, leading to infections that are increasingly dangerous and difficult to treat. (You'll remember that before the development of effective antibiotics in the 1940s, infections were one of the leading causes of death across the globe.)

As president of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, and head of its public health committee, we want to tell you that to save American lives and to safeguard the efficacy of our nation's limited antibiotic arsenal, our country needs the Food and Drug Administration to step in and prevent industrial meat and poultry producers from abusing antibiotics. Federal law requires this. But in the face of the agency's decades-long foot-dragging, we need Congress to force them to act.

The problem of antibiotic resistance is snowballing. When we were in medical school, it never occurred to either one of us that doctors would see infections that antibiotics couldn't treat. Now, though, MedChi's members see more and more of these infections every day — cellulitis that takes months and several surgeries to heal, patients whose resistant infections land them in intensive care.

Doctors are now sometimes forced to offer patients with resistant infections a Sophie's Choice of treatment options: an antibiotic that might cause their kidneys to fail vs. a limb amputation. That's a choice no one should have to make.

Antibiotic resistance emerges from a number of causes, including the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics to people. Efforts are continually being made to educate physicians on appropriate and evidence-based antibiotic prescribing practices. But livestock and poultry operations are an important part of the equation that we can't leave out, as both the CDC report and almost 40 years of medical research demonstrate.

An astonishing 80 percent of the nation's antibiotics, by weight, are consumed in the often unsanitary, wildly overcrowded industrial facilities where most American meat and poultry are raised. In these places, it's not surprising that antibiotic resistance emerges. Bacteria, by their very nature, evolve to outwit their opponents. When factory farmers give their animals low-dose antibiotics to fatten them up fast or help them survive poor living conditions, but not to cure disease, they kill off susceptible bacteria, creating a niche in which resistant ones thrive. (In fact, only a small fraction of the antibiotics used on factory farms treat sick animals.) This process turbocharges normal evolution.

That's bad news, because this country — the world, in fact — has a limited tool kit of life-saving antibiotics. There are few new antibacterial drugs in the pipeline. To protect the efficacy of ones we still have, our nation's meat and poultry producers can take simple, practical and economical steps to reduce their antibiotic use. They can follow the example set by the European Union, which banned growth promoters and has passed a resolution to end the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in animal feed in 2006. Denmark has had a ban on all non-therapeutic use in place for some time, and the effort has been a big success, cutting use significantly while increasing production of affordable and safe meat. Unfortunately, most American businesses are not inclined to follow suit, which is why we need government to act.

To help slow the rise of untreatable bacterial infections, the kind that were common before the development of penicillin, the FDA and Congress should ban the routine, non-therapeutic use of antibiotics on farms. Congress should pass S. 1256, the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act and S. 895, ADCA (the Antimicrobial Data Collection Act). These are not idle concerns, as many Maryland doctors and patients can tell you.

While the farms that foster antibiotic-resistant bacteria seem remote from many of us, the infections they incubate hit close to home every day.

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Role of aquaculture in sustainable agricultural development

The Global production of fish from aquaculture has grown rapidly during the past four decades, contributing significant quantities to the world's supply of fish for human consumption.

Aquaculture now accounts for nearly half (45 percent) of the world's food fish and this increase is expected to reach 50 percent in 2015. Started primarily as an Asian freshwater food production system, aquaculture has now spread to all continents, encompassing all aquatic environments and utilizing a range of aquatic species. From an activity that was principally small-scale, non-commercial and family-based, aquaculture now includes large-scale commercial or industrial production of high value species that are traded at the national, regional and international levels. Although production remains predominantly Asian and is still largely based on small-scale operations, there is a wide consensus among many that aquaculture has the potential to meet the growing global demand for nutritious food fish and to contribute to the growth of national economies, while also supporting the sustainable livelihoods of many communities.
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Conflict In Central African Republic Puts More Than A Million At Risk Of Hunger

BANGUI-A recent study has found that 1.1 million people in the Central African Republic (CAR) risk going hungry and warns the situation could worsen because of poor harvests and a drastic slowdown in economic activity following months of violence.
An Emergency Food Security Assessment, conducted jointly by the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and the Government of CAR, shows that 1.1 million people-
around 30 percent of the population living outside the capital Bangui-are unable to meet their daily food needs on a regular basis or require food assistance in order to get by.
At least half the estimated 395,000 people internally displaced people in CAR are considered to lack access to enough safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.
Since conflict erupted in December 2012, many farmers fled their farms, leaving crops untended. The majority of households said that their livestock had been stolen. Some families sold livestock and seeds to survive, while others sold herds for fear of displacement or looting.
The results of the assessment confirm data gathered earlier this year in rapid surveys to measure the effect of the escalating violence on people's ability to feed their families.

"Immediate action must be taken to end violence in the country to allow hundreds of thousands of displaced persons to return to their homes and farms,"said Housainou Taal, WFP's representative in CAR.
"We call upon the different armed groups to respect the rights of civilians and to provide humanitarian access for our staff to reach those in dire need,"he added.
The areas where people face the greatest problems getting enough food include Ouham, Ouham-Pende and Nana Gribizi in the north, and Vakaga and Bamingui-Bangoran in the northwest. However, pockets of food insecurity are found throughout the country.
WFP is concerned that the next lean season, which usually begins in May and is when the food from the last harvest runs out, may start as early as the beginning of next year. Two-thirds of the farm households surveyed in the assessment said that their harvests would be smaller than last year. The survey found that there may not be enough food in the country to cover people's needs through January/February 2014.
Disruptions to the cotton trade, labour shortages and reduced peanut harvests-the primary sources of income for rural families-have decreased purchasing power and economic activities, raising the risk of a nutrition crisis that would be exacerbated by limited access to health facilities.
WFP has provided vital food assistance to around 250,000 people in CAR since January this year. To keep assisting some of the world's most vulnerable people, WFP requires an additional US$20 million from now until April 2014.
"With continued support from our generous donors, we aim to scale up our operations to respond quickly to the needs of more than 600,000 vulnerable people, including malnourished children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and primary school children,"said Taal.
WFP and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), along with other partners, will support the Government of CAR in monitoring the food security situation closely over the coming months.
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