A flock of chickens at a commercial breeding operation in Chattooga County has tested positive for H7 avian influenza, marking the state’s first case in 2017, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) stated. According to a press release from the GDA, it appears to be a low pathogenic strain, because the birds in the flock did not show any signs of illness. [node:read-more:link]
With so few people connected to agriculture these days, how are we going to convince students that a career in agriculture is a viable course of study? The rapidly increasing demand for food has insured that ag-oriented students often have multiple job offers. The last few years, many good poultry and animal science jobs have gone unfilled. Without a new crop of talented, newly trained ag students, the world’s ability to produce food will be strained. [node:read-more:link]
The latest analysis of national and global agricultural trends from the University of Missouri indicates continued financial pressure on United States farm sector. Good news in the report includes a modest recovery in grain prices in 2017. The March 2017 U.S. Baseline Briefing Book by economists at the University of Missouri provides projections for agricultural and biofuel markets, based on market information available in January. The report’s macroeconomic assumptions are based primarily on forecasts by IHS Global Insight, which suggest moderate growth in the U.S. [node:read-more:link]
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says it will wind down its response against flesh-eating maggots that threaten small, endangered deer in a national wildlife refuge in the Florida Keys. The department said in a news release that the check point for New World screwworms in Key Largo will close at 7 p.m. Saturday. This comes after more than five months of aggressive response efforts and no new screwworm infestations found since January 10. New World screwworm can eat livestock and pets alive, and once cost the U.S. livestock industry millions every year. [node:read-more:link]
Today, if you’re a farmer in the heartland of America who wants to keep planting it, growing it and harvesting it with the help of your trusty tractor, nothing is simple anymore — especially if your tractor breaks down. That’s when your new best friend may turn out to be a shadowy software hacker living in the Ukraine. A thriving crop of black-market hackers in Europe is creating and selling software hacks to John Deere software, which local mechanics in America’s breadbasket are downloading and using to repair the company’s tractors. [node:read-more:link]
Big data is moving into agriculture in a big way. Need proof? Several well-known investors recently dropped a combined $40 million into Farmers Business Network, a data analytics startup. Venture capital has flooded the ag tech space, with investment increasing 80% annually since 2012, as investors realize big data can revolutionize the food chain from farm to table. Sensors on fields and crops are starting to provide literally granular data points on soil conditions, as well as detailed info on wind, fertilizer requirements, water availability and pest infestations. [node:read-more:link]
Unprecedented summer warmth and flooding, forest fires, drought and torrential rain -- extreme weather events are occurring more and more often, but now an international team of climate scientists has found a connection between many extreme weather events and the impact climate change is having on the jet stream. [node:read-more:link]
JBS S.A. decided to suspend operations in 33 out of 36 beef slaughter plants in Brazil for three days, after more than a dozen countries temporarily banned Brazilian meat imports this week. The company aims to adjust production to demand as a consequence of the embargoes imposed by importers, after the country's Federal Police announced an operation to dismantle an alleged bribery scheme involving 33 federal sanitary inspectors and 21 meat processing plants. [node:read-more:link]
Princess Anne has said genetically-modified crops have important benefits for providing food and she would be open to growing them on her own land. Her brother, the Prince of Wales, has previously warned GM crops could cause an environmental disaster.But Princess Anne said: "To say we mustn't go there 'just in case' is probably not a practical argument." In an interview with the rural affairs programme to be broadcast on Thursday, the 66-year-old Princess Royal said she saw no problem with modifying crops if it improved their ability to grow. [node:read-more:link]
The Oregon Court of Appeals has upheld a $1.5 million judgment against Land O’Lakes Purina Feed for selling defective feed to an Oregon dairy. [node:read-more:link]
