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Improved forages empower smallholder women livestock keepers in Kenya and Ethiopia
Climate change is a global challenge that burdens all humanity, but not equally. The rural poor, particularly women, are more affected by climate-related shocks. Women and men in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa who depend on farming as a primary source of livelihood are considered more vulnerab...Read more -
Identification System Set To Improve Value Of Livestock
Livestock sector in Taita Taveta County is set for a significant transformation following the launch of a Livestock Identification and Tracking System (LITS) programme that will support farmers realize maximum returns. The LITS, officially launched at Lualenyi Mifugo Ni Mali Livestock Centre in L...Read more -
Hunger in the Horn East Africa needs rain
East Africa is no stranger to water crises. The disaster of 2010-2011 saw more than 260,000 people die due to consecutive droughts and half of them were children. Now, like then, a series of failed rainy seasons have led to a lack of potable water, which has, in turn, devastated communities relia...Read more -
Heat stress for cattle may cost billions by century’s end, study finds
Climate change poses a potentially devastating economic threat to low-income cattle farmers in poor countries due to increasing heat stress on the animals. Globally, by the end of this century those producers may face financial loss between $15 and $40 billion annually. Farmers in tropical region...Read more -
Harmless or deadly New study examines evolution of E. coli bacteria
Genetic material from E. coli bacteria in farm animals could be contributing to the evolution of deadly pandemic strains of E. coli in humans, new research shows. E. coli usually live as harmless bacteria in the gastrointestinal tracts of birds and mammals, including humans. They also reside, ind...Read more -
Gene-edited pigs are resistant to billion-dollar virus
Scientists have produced pigs that can resist one of the world’s most costly animal diseases, by changing their genetic code. Tests with the virus — called Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS — found the pigs do not become infected at all. The animals show no ...Read more -
Farmers Urged To Take Advantage Of Long Rains
Farmers in Kirinyaga have been advised to take advantage of the expected rains and maximize on crop production through appropriate farming and land use management procedures. Kirinyaga County Director of Metrological Services Peter Wambugu said farmers from different areas of the county should li...Read more -
Farmer Groups Venture Into Commercial Animal Feeds
Following rising demand in commercial animal feed, farmers’ groups in Kirinyaga which have hitherto been making dairy feeds have ventured into full commercial feed production. Two of the groups which were supported by the County government of Kirinyaga are now manufacturing poultry feeds to tap i...Read more -
FAO Launches A Month-Long Vets Training In Baringo
The Directorate of Veterinary Services in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a month-long training for field frontline animal health professionals from 25 counties. Presiding over the launching at Kenya School of Government (KSG), Baringo campus, FAO head of E...Read more -
Optimal Farms Disinfection Product- Potassium Hydrogen Persulfate Compound Salt Disinfection Powder
As a fifth generation disinfectant with features of broad spectrum, high efficiency, safety and environmental protection, Potassium hydrogen persulfate complex has been recognized by more and more users in families, hospitals, waterworks, aquaculture and livestock and poultry industry. It is reco...Read more -
Drinking water study shows beef cattle can tolerate high levels of sulphates
Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) have published a study that shows beef cattle can tolerate higher concentrations of sulphates in drinking water than previously believed. “There are clear and significant implications for healthy animals from the research,” said Dr. Greg Penn...Read more -
Chickens and pigs with integrated genetic scissors
Researchers at the TUM have demonstrated a way to efficiently study molecular mechanisms of disease resistance or biomedical issues in farm animals. Researchers are now able to introduce specific gene mutations into a desired organ or even correct existing genes without creating new animal models...Read more -
The Best of Both Breeds UConn studying best feeding practices for crossbred calves
Cattle farmers have historically raised cattle specifically suited for either dairy or beef production. But farmers are now looking to get the best of both worlds with crossbred calves who will produce better beef than purebred dairy calves. University of Connecticut associate professor of animal...Read more -
Sexed semen a game changer for Damara stud
Using sexed semen in an artificial insemination programme carries a 90% assurance that the surrogate animal will deliver offspring of the desired sex. Annelie Coleman spoke to Damara farmer Stan Burger and embryo-flushing expert Dr Fanie Steyn about the technical process and how to prepare the su...Read more -
Santa Gertrudis bulls show their value in extended veld tests
The motto of the Bosveld Santa Gertrudis Study Group is: We think differently. The group’s quest is to provide the best possible veld-adapted genetics to the South African beef cattle industry. To that effect, the group has implemented innovative bull veld tests coupled with strict selection proc...Read more -
Antibiotic-resistant strains of staph bacteria may be spreading between pigs raised in factory farms
DNA sequencing of bacteria found in pigs and humans in rural eastern North Carolina, an area with concentrated industrial-scale pig-farming, suggests that multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains are spreading between pigs, farmworkers, their families and community residents, and represe...Read more -
Pharmaceutical residues in sewage sludge and cattle manure do not have the feared effect
Pharmaceutical residues and chemicals from personal care products in sewage sludge and cattle manure do not have a detectable toxic effect on nematodes living in agricultural fields, according to 14-year-long experiments by the University of Copenhagen. At the same time, manure and sewage sludge ...Read more -
New study says dairy calves are social animals
A new study in JDS Communications® explores young calves’ motivation to seek companionship Most dairy calves are housed individually in the first weeks and sometimes months of their lives, a practice that has come under scrutiny for its effects on animal behavior, welfare and health. Despite grow...Read more -
Medical breakthrough could help produce more beef
A recent research breakthrough in human medicine could help a Texas A&M Department of Animal Science researcher find a way to increase beef production to help meet the demands of global population growth. Bos indicus cattle breeds are very important to global beef production due to their adap...Read more -
Harnessing Clinical Trial Capacity to Mitigate Zoonotic Diseases: The Role of Expert Scientists in Ethiopia
Background: The emergence and resurgence of zoonotic diseases have continued to be a major threat to global health and the economy. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable due to agricultural expansions and domestication of animals with humans. Scientifically sound clinical trials are im...Read more -
Fast food gobbling larvae could replace soy in livestock diet
Larvae such as those of the black soldier fly (BSF) can form an important new link in circular agriculture. They grow well on unused waste streams such as catering waste or pig manure, which are currently not yet permitted to be fed to insect larvae. This allows us in the future to utilize nutrie...Read more -
Complex Circulation of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Cattle in Nigeria
Nigeria is a large densely populated country in West Africa. Most of its livestock is raised in a pastoralist production system with typical long distance migration in search of water and feed. As the demand for animal products largely exceeds the domestic production, large numbers of livestock a...Read more -
Estimating and Supplying Equine Forage Requirements
During the winter, horse owners may wonder if they have enough forages to last their until warm-season pastures regrow. The best practice for determining forage needs over the winter is to calculate the horse’s body weight, estimate intake, and calculate how many months hay will be fed. These sim...Read more -
Embryo flushing Fast-tracking herd genetics is worth every cent’
Last year, the Stofbergs, who own the Platfdrif Sussex Stud and farm near Rawsonville in the Boland, became some of the first Sussex cattle breeders in South Africa to use embryo flushing. Owner Nollie Stofberg says the family took this step in memory of his second-eldest son, David, who died in ...Read more
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