A new code for farm animal welfare is currently being developed in Denmark with the major aims of reducing mortality by 20 % by 2020. Researching and administering the new code is the Pig Research Centre of the Danish Agriculture and Food Council (DAFC).
The centre‘s researchers also want to introduce universal acceptance of loose housing for all sows during their gestation and the establishment of more suitably equipped »hospital pens« for treatment of sick or injured animals. The current focus, says Trine Vig, quality manager at the Pig Research Centre, is identifying concrete measures for better welfare of pigs and then their consequent establishment in commercial farms.
»Our target is to make the improvement of animal welfare on farms a process that’s continuous«.

Researchers at Harper Adams University College in England find that reducing the feeding of calves with milk replacer given just once per day saves the equivalent of 11 €/calf in labour costs up to weaning. The calves on the once per day milk diet  also change to solid feed more quickly, weaning 1.9 days earlier on average, and are a mean 3.6 kg heavier at weaning compared with calves on twice daily milk feeds.
Weaning took place when calves averaged 1.2 kg concentrates daily over three onsecutive days. This was at 27.3 days of age for the once per day calves and 29.2 days for the twice per day calves.

The Harper Adams trial featured two groups of Holstein and Holstein-cross bull calves, each group fed a daily total 600 g of milk replacer per calf to weaning with ad lib concentrates on offer along with straw and fresh water. The calves averaged 20 days old at trial begin. The once per day group got 3 litres replacer per day and the other group 2.5 litres twice. The once per day calves ate 11.5 kg more concentrates each, increasing feed costs by 5 €/head. Because the single feed calves ended up heavier, their feed cost per kg of liveweight gain was in the end 5.4 cents/kg lower. The once per day calves also showed less symptoms of diarrhoea during the trial and ended the trial with a greater rumen girth measurement indicating better development of the rumen.

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Scientists in Australia have found that feeding yeast proteins to weaned pigs not only helps their growth – it also boosts their immune capacity. Yeast protein concentrate (YPC) with its nucleotide, inositol and glutamate components increased height of duodenal villi in the young pigs’ intestines. In this way digestion efficiency in the growing and feeding phases was increased, according to the researchers. But YPC ingredients were also found to increase levels of immunoglobulin and thus potential for improved disease resistance. A team at the Department of Agriculture and Food’s Murdoch University, Western Australia compared groups of weaners on diets supplemented with YPC or its main ingredients or with no YPC. Although weight gain was not significantly affected, feed conversion appeared to be improved for YPC pigs in the 90-pig trial.– nd –

Almost half of all grain produced in the EU is harvested from French, German and Polish fields.
Wheat, barley and grain maize represent the main crops grown in the 27 member countries but an overall reduction in area sown to the crops, and less than perfect growing conditions, meant that total tonnages produced in 2009 and 2010 were both below 2008. Average annual production from the EU 27 for these three years was around 300 million tonnes.
Based on the average annual production from 2008 to 2010 per country, France established itself as greatest grain producer, harvesting 23 % of the EU total. This country produced by far the most wheat in the EU, but also harvested the biggest crops of barley and grain maize. Germany took second place for overall average grain with a 16.1 % share and then came Poland (9.5 %), Britain (7.5 %), Spain (6.9 %) and Italy with 6.4 % of the average annual grain harvest.

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Could it be that crop plants such as maize store soil moisture near their roots as emergency reserve in very dry conditions? This is one hypothesis suggested by Dr Andrea Carminati from the University of Göttingen in Germany. Researchers from Göttingen along with colleagues from the Universities of Potsdam and Davis California as well as the Helmholtz Institute (Leipzig) found that the soil moisture concentration directly in the root systems of maize and lupins is higher than that even a few cm further away. Before this discovery it had been generally accepted that there would be less available soil moisture in the immediate vicinity of such plants because the roots would absorb this first of all. How these individual reserves of soil moisture come about is still not fully understood. But the ability of some plants to create their own (short-term) water reserves could be a useful characteristic in breeding crops for high production under dry conditions.

One of the highest costs faced within the USA pig production sector is caused by the virus disease Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). Iowa State University research, reported in the Internet portal of »Iowa Farmer Today«, puts the costs at around 641 m US$ (450 m €) which works out at around 80 € per sow and year. What‘s more, the costs have increased by just over 15% in the last five years.
Behind the figures is a US-wide survey of vets. These professionals reported that only around 28% of sows and gilts in breeding herds were not infected with the PRRS virus. Another significant finding: 60% of piglets in the US are already infected with the virus at weaning.

Using a normal digital camera or a Smartphone will in the future give farmers accurate information on the nutrient status of their growing crop plants. Larry Purcell and Doug Karcher from the University of Arkansas are currently developing a technology that will make this possible.
What happens is that the green of the foliage in the photographs is analysed by a commercial photo processing software. Crop leaves are photographed with a dark green and yellow card. The cards act as reference colours. The depth of the leaf colour indicates N content and the different colour shades have already been converted into an index by the two engineers. The photo processing software analyses the green colouring, compares it with the index and then gives information on crop N requirements. 

With backing from some of the largest food processors in Britain, the University of Aberdeen has developed what it calls  »The Cool Farm Tool« – a PC platform that allows farmers to identify and analyse the amount of carbon and greenhouse gases being given off from the enterprises on their own fields and barns.
It is calculated that 36 % of the carbon footprint of a single standard packet of potato crisps is caused by agriculture – and that the field operations alone cause around half of these emissions. Work at Aberdeen indicates that a crop of potatoes emits  around 800 kg carbon equivalent (CE) per year/ha, winter wheat just under 700 and oilseed rape a little less than wheat. Because of the superior yield in weight of potatoes, however, in terms of dry matter production this crop has the lowest CE footprint in this example, at around 50 kg/tonne DM with oilseed rape highest (nearer 200 kg) and wheat at just under 100 kg/t DM.
The areas open to significant adjustment by the farmer include the types of cultivation (CO2 being released from soil due to disturbance) and the emissions of nitrous oxide and methane by soils and livestock during other times. There’s also significant scope in the management of manure.
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Unstoppable haemorrhaging in calves signifies the almost always fatal disease bovine neonatal pancytopaenia (BNP) or bleeding calf syndrome. This surfaced four years ago. Because of the resultant internal and external bleeding the young animals lost almost all their blood and bone marrow cells, including the platelets essential for blood clotting. University of Giessen researchers have now determined the cause of the devastating disease. The problem started with a reaction to cell material present in a vaccine given to adult cows against bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD). It appears that the (now withdrawn) BVD vaccine also included MHC-1 cells that play a central role in the immune system. Where the type of MHC-1 cell in the vaccine was not the same as that of the vaccinated cow, this caused the production of antibodies that were then transferred from cow to calf in colostrum. Where the calf had the type of MHC-1 cell targeted by the ingested antibodies then these cells were naturally attacked and destroyed. The destruction of the MHC-1 cells in the young animal’s bone marrow in turn led to loss of clotting properties and the massive haemorrhaging. – nd –

The potato genome has now been decoded in detail thanks to cooperation between some 30 international institutes and a total of over 100 scientists.For instance Robin Buell and his team at the US Michigan State University identified genomes with special characteristics, gene sequences decisive for starch storage, protection from predators and disease and development of important tuber characteristics.The work with its promise of genetically modified ­varieties with special traits was reported in the magazine Nature.

More than 30 % of milk supplied by Danish farmers to the country’s major dairy Arla is produced by robot milking systems. And this has led to an unsuspected problem for the dairy: milk produced in this way often has higher than normal levels of free fatty acids (FFA). This can result in off-flavours in the milk and its products, explained Arla Foods Research Platform Manager Dr Jacob Holm Nielsen at a recent symposium in Italy.
Basically, FFA come from disruption of fat globule membranes. Research so far in the Netherlands (Wageningen UR Animal Science Group) and in Denmark indicates that long pipeline transport of milk immediately after milking could play a role as well as excessive mixing of air and milk at pumping, or multiple milkings per day. Also certain cattle feeds and feed regimes could have something to do with the increased incidence of FFA.
But the finger points mainly at robot milking systems because of the milking technology involved and the associated shorter intervals between milking.
Dr Nielsen reckons one of the main problems is lack of purpose-built housing for robot systems. »We think this problem has arisen because many robot systems are fitted into existing barns. Sometimes this results in milk having to be pumped for more than 100 m to the bulk tank and this is where the damage is taking place.«– nd –

The ecological balance of Danish pig producers has improved. The Danish Agriculture und Food Council (DAFC) reports that the sector’s total climate gas output has reduced from 3.6 kg carbon dioxide equivalent per kg of pig meat produced to 3.4 kg.
The best 25% of producers have even managed to reduce this output to 3.1 kg.
A key performance factor in this direction is the feed conversion performance and Danish producers have improved the amount of meat produced per kg of feed. DAFC research indicates that this factor is even more important on an ecological-protection basis than the distance the pigs have to travel from farm to processor, or the kilometres from there to retail outlets for the resultant meat.
In fact, science in this country has concluded that the greatest climate protection potential in the pig sector lies with the way in which feed and manure is handled.

Currently almost a quarter of Dutch dairy cows are housed year-round. One reason is often the long way from pastureland to milking parlour. On the 100-cow »Noord Empe« dairy farm the aim was to let cows outside to graze. But there’s only around 7 ha of pasture around the cow barn with its two robot milkers. The rest of the fields are over a country road used by local traffic.
So that the cows could cross over in relative safety when they wanted into the barn for milking the farmer built a zebra crossing for cows. Used was a pedestrian crossing traffic signal light in combination with cattle grids built into the road on either side of the cow crossing strip. These grids discourage the cows from turning left or right and wandering down the road whilst crossing. The animals are encouraged to walk straight across – just like good zebra crossing pedestrians. On either side of the road are also self-closing gates to let roadside pedestrians or bikers onto a solid path past the cattle grids. – wl –

Substances that can increase the performance potential of organic fatty acids in the pig intestine are being studied by scientists at the Centre of Applied Animal Nutrition (CAN) in Mank, Austria. The no-longer permitted feed antibiotics were often very good at controlling both gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens in the pig herd. Now, feed additives based on organic acids and phytochemicals have been introduced to take over this task. These additives have proved efficient in the control of gram-positive bacteria (e.g. staphylococcus or the swine dysentery pathogen brachyspira hyodysenteriae), especially when combined with phytochemicals such as so-called essential oils. But gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia or salmonella are often protected from organic acids and essential oils by tougher membranes
Although some of the essential oils do help to make the cell walls more permeable, more action is needed and the CAN researchers working in cooperation with commercial feed additive concerns in Austria have identified so-called specialist »permeabilisers«. These include other acids, usually citric or lactic, which are especially good at attacking the metal ions in the tough gram-negative bacteria cell walls. Feed products incorporating permeabilisers are now being produced.
– nd –

A number of commercial pig units in Denmark are currently testing a strategy to ensure adequate colostrum intake for weaker piglets in the litter. In this, the strongest piglets are taken away from the mother after their all-important first drink to give smaller litter members and latecomers easier access for their dose of colostrum. »This first suck is vital for the weaker piglets and it
is amazing how quickly they become competitive members of the litter after just one long uninterrupted drink,« explains Charlotte Skjold who is developing and testing the system. First suggested by two Danish farmers, the concept is a very simple one comprising only a moveable »creep box« with electronically controlled door.
»When the sow is farrowing, or shortly afterwards, this extra creep box is placed in the pen,« explains Skjold. »After the largest piglets in the litter have had their first suck we advise that they be placed in the movable creep, the door closed and the door system set by timer so that it opens automatically later on. »During this time the smaller members of the litter get an undisturbed period at the milk bar and their fair share of colostrum.« The system hasn’t been launched commercially yet but has already been recommended by Danish vets who have seen it tested, says Skjold.
»The great advantage,« she adds, »is that the box is usually only needed on the first day. This means that only two to three boxes are required for a 100-sow herd.«

The USDA has approved a GM maize aimed directly at the renewable fuel market. The plant’s production of an alpha-amylase enzyme ensures improved ethanol output from the grain. More importantly, the renewable fuel can be produced more efficiently from the maize – with less energy input and water needed in the production process and with a significant reduction in climate-changing gases at the same time. At least these are the claims of the breeding company responsible for the new alpha-amylase producing maize. While the US expects to start with a limited area growing this season, the crop is already permitted this year in nine important maize growing countries around the world including Australia, Canada and Russia.

Worldwide growth in milk production is expected by Jacqueline Pieters, chief analyst within the Dutch Rabobank’s global dairy sector. But expansion will be at different rates in the developing and the developed countries, she reckons.
»Analysts expect an annual growth within the EU of 1.5% from 2015 onwards. But in the promising future markets of China, India and Pakistan domestic production won’t be able to cover increasing demand.« This  will lead  to still more import demand in developing countries, a growth covered by countries or regions such as New Zealand, Europe and the USA.
With Africa for instance, Pieters says it will take at least 20 years for production to catch up completely with demand and establishment of self-sufficiency. As for the developed countries, a further growth of value-added dairy items such as wellness and convenience products is expected by the Rabobank expert. In emerging countries such as those in South America demand and growth are expected to develop in parallel so that  Pieters doesn’t expect any significant exports from the dairy sectors of these countries in the longer term. In general, the prices for milk and milk products will be higher in the future than up until now, but will also remain volatile.
In the previous two years these prices have developed differently worldwide. In the EU they were at a record low level in 2009. Prices were also poor in the USA, but markedly more volatile. The New Zealand prices showed a different tendency with a light increase over the period. The trend, however, remains clear: There is a strong demand that results in stable prices and enables moderate growth.

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Pigs need materials to keep them interested. A  play object in the pen has been proved to cut back tail biting and other aggressive behaviour. But devise a plaything that’s also eatable – and this would not only capture pigs’ interest, it would also potentially satisfy their rooting-for-feed instinct. This is the thinking behind the development of the multi-layered »Sproot« by Delft Technical University researcher Beatrijs Voorneman. She’s included different shapes and different materials – all edible – but with a lifetime of at least two or three months before they’re chewed-out. The »Sproot« is also constructed to make a clappering noise when moved: yet another attraction for the pigs.
The scientist had observed the intensive rooting behaviour before starting her work and the plaything was designed to meet this special need for pigs kept indoors and a long way from the natural conditions needed to express this trait normally.

Prof. Alexander Hristov from Penn State University has found that 500 g of oregano herb per cow mixed in the TMR of a trial dairy herd increases daily milk production by over 3 % and feed conversion by 6.5 %. The idea of mixing some herbs with conventional forage was actually tried in a 3-university trial in the USA with the aim of sinking methane output by the animals. Oregano proves very good at this too. Its action in the rumen reduces methane production by as much as 40 %, according to the researchers. It was no blitz discovery. Professor Hristov and his colleagues have worked for six years screening hundreds of essential oils, plants and compounds in the laboratory before moving onto tests in one of the Penn State University dairy herds.
Oregano, or more accurately its active ingredients including carvacrol, geraniol and thymol, was among just a few that proved efficient at reducing methane production with no observed negative effects for the milking animals. The herb appears to stimulate the bacteria in the rumen to produce more fatty acids. Less methane means there’s more energy available for milk production – therefore more milk. At the moment, the latter result is more interesting for dairy farmers and at least one commercial firm in the USA is testing new feed supplements for dairy cows based on oregano ingredients.

Buglossoides (Buglossoides arvensis), known as corn gromwell in Britain, is regarded as a weed in most countries. But it could now turn out to be a useful crop plant because buglossoides is already a reliable source of stearidonic acid (SDA), a key substance in the biosynthesis of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids - the sort of healthy fatty acids found in fish oils and important components in human diet.

Even in its wild state this plant bears seeds with a high content of SDA in its oil. It’s a member of the borage family, a crop already widely grown as a producer of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in Britain for the pharmaceutical industry.

Can the simple application of UV light destroy the PRRS virus? University of Minnesota researchers have investigated the effectiveness of this treatment which is already established for killing-off viruses, bacteria and parasites in human medicine through disrupting the organisms’ DNA. This gives the treatment an advantage over other methods of inactivating viruses such as use of solvent detergents or pasteurisation that can have limited efficacy against coated or heat-stable viruses, for example.

The study has now demonstrated that the UV light is just as successful with the PRRS virus when used against the organism on surfaces normally found in pig units such as plastic, concrete, metal, glass – even on clothing.
Only an hour’s exposure is enough to inactivate them. In fact US researchers found that even a 10 minute blast of UV light stopped PRRS virus multiplication.

Investment in farms is high on the agenda for Europe‘s farmers this season, as revealed by the latest results of the DLG Trendmonitor Europe. The latest spring 2011 release of this twice-yearly survey, which tracks sentiments among agriculture decision-makers, points to a steady upturn in expectations for the agri-economy.
»The mood among farmers is optimistic«, says Dr Achim Schaffner, DLG Chief Economist. Optimism in the farming sector is at its highest level since spring 2008. German farmers once again top the list, with those in the UK coming second, the best British performance since the survey began in 2003. A total of 3,000 farmers in Germany, France, Great Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary were interviewed for the survey.

Behind this positive business outlook is an increase in consumer demand for agricultural products. Current dynamics in the world economy coupled with markets that are characterised by relatively scarce grain and oilseed supplies result in farmers expecting higher prices. Beyond that, interest rates are still favourable at the moment although tending towards increases now. Farmers planned to capitalise on the situation towards modernisation of their production and increased efficiency. Investment intentions among German farmers have risen by 6 % compared with autumn 2010 to 55 % in the current survey. French farmers recorded an 8 % increase over the previous survey. Farmers in Central and Eastern Europe also showed higher levels of investment intentions. About 57 % of Polish farmers surveyed had investment plans, representing a 9 % increase. In the Czech Republic this was about 68 % of farmers and 54 % in Hungary. Despite the increased optimism in the UK, British famers registered 3 % lower investment intentions, probably due to exchange rate effects on the pound and euro.

Shifts in investment portfolio. Among the various agri-business sub-sectors, investment intentions vary drastically. For instance, farmers in Germany are looking to expand investments by about 3 % in animal husbandry while this is limited to 2 % for bioenergy. Investments for expansion  in arable farming remain strong – 15 % in Hungary, 15 % in the Czech Republic, 9 % for the United Kingdom and 6 % in France.  
Notably, Polish farmers are planning to focus up to 81 % of their investments in arable farming. At the same time, the dynamics of the cereals and oilseeds market  prompt farmers in Central and Eastern Europe to modernise production, thanks to favourable investment conditions, e.g. prices and interest rates.
Contact for further information: Malene Conlong,
Tel: +4969-24788237
Email: M.Conlong@dlg.org

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Future potatoes will be important suppliers of protein, especially in countries where there’s a shortage of nature’s building blocks in everyday diets. In India, for example, scientists have taken an albumin gene (AmA1) from the amaranth plant and introduced it into potato plants. The result is an increase in protein from the crop tubers of up to 60%. The amaranth crop is one of the oldest in farming, although cultivated in only relatively small amounts nowadays. Putting its high protein production capabilities into a tuber crop appears a significant breakthrough for Third World nutrition. The gene transfer increases the production of individual amino acids without reducing the amounts of other amino acids. In the GM-potato contents of lysine, tyrosine and also sulphur are increased.  – nd –

If cows are milked just once daily in the first three to six weeks of lactation, the effect on total milk yield is minimal according to the farmer-supported research organisation DairyNZ. At the same time, trials comparing this milking routine with the more conventional twice per day approach indicate that subsequent breeding performance is better with the former. No difference was found on resultant cow body condition.

We won’t be seeing future agricultural policies being dealt with by Brussels in the current year. Instead, they’ll be part of the agricultural budget negotiations in 2014. Both are closely linked: Premiums will be still more dependent on the performance of agriculture in, e.g., climate and environment protection.
Our chart below shows how things have developed since 1980. Up to 1993 price levels were kept uniformly high helped by export restitutions and intervention. This came to an end with the 1993 McSharry Reform because the EU no longer wanted to pay for agricultural overproduction.
The gap has been stopped-up since then by direct payments. Since 2003 these have been paid out independently of actual production performance.
The historical basis for payments has been running for almost 20 years now. But a change is coming with the new reform.  The aim is a fairer sharing out of premiums. How this will be achieved reasonably smoothly is not yet clear.  At any rate, there are no plans for a flat-rate distribution amongst all EU countries.

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Scotland’s 4.6 billion € whisky industry could produce an important second-generation biofuel as by-product through a recent development by scientists at Edinburgh’s Napier College University. After whisky has been run-off and casked there remain distillers’ grains from the fermented barley and waste liquid: the former  usually dried and sold as a cattle feed ingredient – but the Napier College development shows that both by-products can be utilised to produce biobutanol, a much more valuable product.
This biofuel has better fuel qualities than ethanol. Its energy density is higher, meaning it can power conventional, unaltered, four-stroke engines as a pure product without any fossil fuel being added. The Napier scientists are also using the process to produce biobutanol fuel from other farm by-products. One reason for its attraction is that the butanol fermentation process, using solventogenic clostridia bacteria, is much more efficient for converting high-cellulose products such as straw and grass into a useful fuel.
The initial research, backed by 300,000 € in government and industry grants, has taken two years. Now the scientists have founded a company to make commercial use of the new process for producing fuel from Scotland’s whisky sector. – nd –

In the first three quarters of 2010 Germany increased its pigmeat exports outwith the EU by just under 21% with a total 549,500 t. This confirmed the country’s position at the top of the European pigmeat export league. Number two in this respect was Denmark (+ 14%). Total exports of this meat outwith the EU for all member countries also increased in January to October with 2.2 m t, a plus of 13.9% over the same period in 2009.
The world’s major importers of EU pigmeat were topped by Russia which took 31% of the total during this period, representing 692,092 t and an increase of 12.1%.
Exports of pigmeat to Asia also increased markedly with Hong Kong buying 334,245 t in the period, an increase of 4.5%.  Japan was back in business again after seriously cutting back in pigmeat imports during 2009. A new surge in interest last year saw EU pigmeat imports to Nippon January to October soaring by 21.2% to 186,806.
With China registered still as a separate market from Hong Kong, the people’s republic bought-in 167,481 t of EU pigmeat in the first three quarters of last year,
a plus of 15.6%.

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The country’s Ministry of Agriculture wants to see antibiotic application in Danish pig production reduced by at least 10% by 2013. This is a direct response to the news that antibiotic use in Danish pig herds increased by 11% during 2009, reported Agricultural Minister Henrik Hoegh. More alarming than this fact was that 20 to 25% of all antibiotic use took place in just 10% of Danish farms!
A further reform being aimed at currently concerns sow mortality. Here, the aim is to reduce the present average figure of 24% to 16% by 2013. Breeding sow mortality on individual farms is to be subject to official scrutiny. Poor performance in this respect will lead to farmers in the respective units facing increased veterinary control.

Geneticists at the University of Aarhus and the Danish Pig Research Centre are preparing to introduce genome-based selection in pig breeding. In other words, the genetic potential of an animal will be determined through its DNA profile with a picture of heritable traits got from a simple blood sample. With conventional selection, different desirable traits have to be tested for individually. This is not only time consuming, it is also very expensive.
The genomic approach  will bring large increases in breeding efficiency and returns for the industry. For instance with conventional selection for feeding efficiency the Danes have been able to increase returns for slaughterpigs by an average 1.60 € per pig and year. Using DNA markers for selection could easily increase this figure to 2.15 €, calculate the researchers.
Another interesting characteristic that could be selected for through genomics is the longevity of sows. Up until now this trait has been very difficult to identify being naturally only ascertainable in retrospect. Identifying DNA markers for this trait could mean selection for long-lived sows made when they are young pigs still in the litter.
Basis for the current project is a newly developed chip with over 60,000 stored single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. These SNP markers are clearly linked to traits and the markers are easy to identify using current technology.

Robust cows that are not susceptible to mastitis - this is the target for Danish scientists at the University of Aarhus. Their first aim is to identify how data collected by robot milker computers can help in selecting breeding lines with increased resistance against particular bacteria.  »We’re looking for cows that can look after themselves and are seldom ill«, explains Lars Peter Sorensen from the University’s Institute for Genetics and Biotechnology.
The remark in records »mastitis treatment undertaken« is already used as part of the breeding index for udder health in Denmark. But this research team wants more. »Not all the cows with udder inflammation are treated by the vet. This means data doesn’t cover every mastitis case. On top of this, basing selection on the number of veterinary treatments is only an indirect way towards our target,« points out Sorensen.
Some automatic milking systems record the somatic cell counts for each cow at every milking which is an objective factor the scientist can really get to work with. A model based on lactation curve, known health history and cell counts is capable of highlighting sub-clinical mastitis right from the start. As part of the same project the scientists are simultaneously conducting a study of the mastitis-causing bacteria and their DNA.

Already recognised as an appetiser in the human diet, chilli pepper extract is also proving to encourage cattle feed intake in trials by Barcelona University’s Animal Nutrition, Management and Welfare Research Group. Fed at 1 g per day in a conventional concentrate ration along with barley straw for young Holstein heifers, a chilli pepper extract (capsicum oil) increased total dry matter intake from 7.6 kg/day to 8.3 kg/d (+ 9.2%). Other trails indicate that the chilli additive can encourage dry matter intake increases as high as 15%, according to the Spanish researchers. In detail, barley straw intake with the cattle on chilli supplementation was increased by 6% while the more valuable concentrate mix intake was boosted by 9%. Water intake was also increased by 25% to just short of 46 litres daily.
Examinations of the resultant rumen microbial fermentation indicate that the additive appears to prevent the expected reduction in rumen pH when increased amounts of dry matter are ingested. Even though concentrates were offered ad lib in the trials, the cattle receiving chilli extract tended to spread feed consumption more evenly over the day which possibly kept the pH levels stable with no cases of acidosis. – nd –

Already recognised as an appetiser in the human diet, chilli pepper extract is also proving to encourage cattle feed intake in trials by Barcelona University’s Animal Nutrition, Management and Welfare Research Group. Fed at 1 g per day in a conventional concentrate ration along with barley straw for young Holstein heifers, a chilli pepper extract (capsicum oil) increased total dry matter intake from 7.6 kg/day to 8.3 kg/d (+ 9.2%). Other trails indicate that the chilli additive can encourage dry matter intake increases as high as 15%, according to the Spanish researchers. In detail, barley straw intake with the cattle on chilli supplementation was increased by 6% while the more valuable concentrate mix intake was boosted by 9%. Water intake was also increased by 25% to just short of 46 litres daily.
Examinations of the resultant rumen microbial fermentation indicate that the additive appears to prevent the expected reduction in rumen pH when increased amounts of dry matter are ingested. Even though concentrates were offered ad lib in the trials, the cattle receiving chilli extract tended to spread feed consumption more evenly over the day which possibly kept the pH levels stable with no cases of acidosis. – nd –

The University of Minnesota’s veterinary medicine department has found that high-specification air intake filters in sow housing appear to stop the spread of aerosol PRRS virus from one farm to another. In one high pig population area (Stevens County) a team led by Dr Scott Dee investigated 31 pig units on separate farms, 10 of which were fitted with special intake filters.
The Minnesota vets had already proved that PRRS virus can travel for at least 10 kilometres through the air and wanted to show that filters could save sow units from infection. During 2009 when PRRS was particularly prevalent in Stevens County, pigs in 17 of the 21 unfiltered barns became infected at least once by PRRS virus and some of them with mycoplasma and swine influenza too. Only two of the filtered barns had pigs infected with PRRS or the other two diseases during the test period – and the infections in both cases were found to have been introduced through hygiene mistakes by the staff.
The veterinary scientists recommend retrofit systems in the housing roof space if possible with pre-filters and final filters certified to take out most particles down to 0.5 microns and even below. Dr Dee told the Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines, Iowa that high-specification air intake filters can cost between the equivalent of 110 and 200 € per sow to retrofit.– nd –

A new system introduced in the US offers full traceability for milk shipments. The »Milk Origin Verification Solution« (MOVS) determines the geographical origin from wholesale milk batches through the fact that every area imparts its own characteristic »Isotope signature« to natural products, including region-typical amounts of different water and carbon
isotopes. »This means a cheese producer in Wisconsin, for example, can prove to the customers in his delivery chain that all the milk used actually comes from that state«, says James Ehleringer, managing director of the developing company. According to researchers at Michigan State University the system is only conceived for the US market so far. A system for Europe should follow within two years.

ow prices in the last delivery year were also apparent in the financial results of European Dairy Farmers (EDF) members, a club of future-oriented milk producers from all over Europe. In the 2008/09 assessment year average revenue failed to cover full costs on 264 members’ farms – even when the EU direct payments are counted. Based on the average for the assessment period, income from milk was 28.2 ct/kg ECM (4.0% fat, 3.4% protein). Sitting at the bottom of this scale was a Polish farm with 15.8 ct/kg. At the other end, a Swiss dairy farm earned the equivalent of 48.2 ct/kg, report Steffi Wille, European Dairy Farmers, and Birthe Lassen, Institute of Farm Economics (vTI), Brunswick.
The more successful EDF enterprises might have produced with less costs per cow than their less efficient colleagues, but on average all EDF milk producers in this survey were still an average 8 ct/kg milk short of covering their full costs in the last year. Despite this, many are increasing numbers of cows in their herds. At the same time, however, intensity of production is being reduced in order to bring costs and income into the right relationship.

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Wide publicity for newer disease outbreaks amongst farm animals means that BSE tends to be a lot less in the headlines nowadays. And of course there are now far less cases emerging, too. But the »mad cow disease« has certainly not been forgot by scientists in institutes worldwide. They continue to research this deadly disease and to look, in particular, for ways of early diagnosis.
In Iowa, researchers reckon that the cow’s eyes could help in this aim. With scrapie, for instance, the eyes of infected sheep indicate a particular light in the retina when this is illuminated in a certain way. The research is based on earlier studies that suggest Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy leads to chemical changes in the retina. The work is not only pointing the way towards early diagnosis for farm animals but also could help in quicker recognition of associated diseases in humans. – kl –

Slaughter pigs produced per sow per year, or annual weaner production, are among the most common benchmark efficiency factors used in the swine sector nowadays. But more attention should also be paid to lifetime performances, according to Giles Christie, a marketing expert with leading breeding company JSR Genetics. Farmers should be looking at key figures such as »Tonnes of meat per sow lifetime« (TMS) and »Meat produced per tonne of feed« (MTF) as stepping-stones to extra efficiency and profit.

This approach means more attention to longevity: buying breeding gilts with a background that offers the possibility of six litters in a lifetime. Gilts should be capable of realistically producing an average 11 or 12 born alive, with 13 or 14 born alive
in subsequent farrowings. Equally important is feed conversion efficiency and here the big picture should come from MTF. Christie reckoned that a commercial target should be 325 kg of meat produced per tonne of feed.
»With feed representing 55 – 60% of input costs in Europe (early 2010 costs)  this is the true measure of swine production efficiency«, he commented adding that calculation of MTF should be a simple task requiring only feed invoices (and costs for home-grown feed components) and returns from the slaughterhouse.

A commercial farrow to finish herd with JSR genetics recently achieved a MTF of 329 kg with 1,754 t
of feed producing 6,799 slaughter pigs averaging
85 kg deadweight (UK pigs are killed at comparatively light weight). – nd –

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Mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis leads to heavy financial penalties for milk producers. In Britain alone the loss is assessed at around 240 € million countrywide. Now, research supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has identified elements of the causal pathogen that could enable effective vaccination. Pathogen structures leading to udder disease have been identified as well as proteins that help the pathogen survive the normal defences of the bovine system. Both discoveries offer targets for vaccine action. – kl –

Tonsils in pigs – as in humans – are usually very efficient barriers to respiratory and gastrointestinal disease pathogens. So why not continually monitor pig tonsils on the slaughterline for the presence of important pathogens so that an early warning system can be initiated for disease presence?
This was the reasoning of University of Guelph researcher Dr Terri O’Sullivan in Canada who had noted that the previously unknown arterivirus responsible for the PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome) 1980s explosion in the USA was first isolated from the tonsils of infected pigs. Routine examination of tonsil pathogens at slaughter could also help monitor progress of important human diseases. In China, for instance, Dr O’Sullivan says that samples from the tonsils of clinically healthy pigs were found to contain a virulent strain of Streptococcus suis which was at the time causing an epidemic amongst humans there.
There’s still work to be done towards understanding the relationships between extent of pathogen presence in swine tonsils and the danger of animal or human outbreaks. But first results indicate a useful new tool for early warning of disease.

The Dutch University of Wageningen Greenhouse Research Unit is testing a new camera that is proving one of the fastest methods yet for measuring the effect of stress factors – such as drought, low temperatures, infection – on plant photosynthesis efficiency.
The new camera being tested by Dr Henk Jalink can take 30 measurements over a whole plant in 0.6 seconds and uses the so-called »light response curve« to determine photosynthesis efficiency. This measures the transport of electrons within the photosynthesis system during the first milliseconds of response to light.
The Wageningen researchers say that when a plant is stressed this very first reaction is affected. One of the attractions of the new camera – which is being strengthened for commercial use at the moment – is its accuracy. This, says Dr Jalink,  increases insight into plant condition. It’s high speed of action also means that large numbers of plants can be checked in a short space of time – ideal, for instance, for screening new cultivars of potatoes during breeding for drought resistance traits.            – nd –

US cows retain their position as world champion performers in 2009 with an average yield of 9330 kg per cow and year. This represents a performance increase of 0.9% on the year. A close-run second place in the milk production league goes to Japan with cows there averaging 9320 kg followed by Canada with 8380 kg per cow and year. While Japan’s performance represents a 0.6% increase over 2008, Canada’s was down 0.2%. A marked increase of 3.6% is recorded by Australian cows producing a 5690 kg average yield.
EU producers appear at position five in this league with an average milk performance of 5520 kg, down 0.4% on the year. At the other end of the ranking comes India with its cows averaging 1210 kg, Brazil with 1670 kg and Mexico at 1740 kg per cow/year.
Worldwide, average dairy cow produc-
tion increased. But cow numbers reduced over the year so that overall milk production has actually dropped. The US Department of Agriculture estimates a worldwide dairy cow population of 124.53 million, down 1.4% on the year.

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China, the EU and USA, where the largest pig populations in the world are found, all experienced different developments in 2009. Pig meat production in China increased by 5% while output by the EU and USA dropped by 2.6 and 1.4% respectively – Brazil and Russia managed significant production increases. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) calculates that in 2010 world pig meat output will rise by 1.6% on the year to 101.9 million tonnes. And this is a trend that will continue according to FAO, with pig meat production increasing by around 18% between 2009 and 2018. Following last year’s 11% reduction in export trade of this meat to 5.47 mt it’s now reckoned that 2010 will see an increase of 4%.  The USA will remain the biggest player in the pig meat export field up to 2018 and the country’s share of world trade should also remain relatively unaltered. While China’s pig meat exports are expected to increase steeply during this period, its share of total exports isn’t expected to rise over 5%. According to various USDA studies and FAO predictions Brazil, too, should experience a growth in exports. In this respect the outlook is mixed for Canada and the EU: Some studies reckon on an increase in sales, others warn of a reduction coming for their pig meat exports.

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An improvement in the agricultural business climate is reflected in the latest results of the DLG Trendmonitor Europe, a survey of leading farmers’ opinions on their current business situation and of their plans (see editorial on page 4). In Germany cash crop growers expect better results than in 2003 and 2005. Pig farmers hope for stabilising feed costs and dairy farmers are happy to see milk prices are rising. But not all farmers share such positive views. In France farmers have reduced their business expectations slightly. The same applies to British farm-
ers who in recent surveys have provided significantly more positive assessments in this respect than their colleagues in continental Europe. At the time this mood was due to more favourable exchange rates that meant direct payments to UK farms in 2009 were 14% higher than in 2008.

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How to improve germination performance with malting barley is the target of a USDA Agricultural Research Service programme in Wisconsin. When comparing some 2000 barley lines two germination enzymes have been identified in very high amounts with the best-performing malting barley types. Using this knowledge scientists are now working on the production of barley lines for improved germination and thus malting performance. The importance of malting barley is enhanced over in the US because there’s a large market for malt sugar used in drinks and confectionary.
Additionally, winter barley has a new role as a winter intercrop. The US energy sufficiency statute requires the production of 130 million litres of biofuel per year by 2022. Currently the annual total is a mere 34 m l. This is why intercropping winter barley in a soybean-maize rotation offers an interesting possibility of producing more biomass for bioethenol production.

Insect-killing nematodes are proving useful controllers of crop pests on irrigated land where they can be easily introduced via the applied water. Once in the field they attack larvae of various insect pests. They also multiply rapidly when the right hosts are on-hand.
In nature, the populations of such beneficial nematodes are not dense enough to  control crop pests. The introduced nematodes are extremely host-specific and therefore harmless to beneficial insects, the environment and consumers of the resultant crops. Also, they cannot live for long outside the body of their hosts so there’s no danger of uncontrolled population expansion. They attack various types of weevils, Colorado beetle and many other pests.
But the nematodes used are usually laboratory-produced and these have turned out to be mostly »weaklings« with a comparatively short active life out in the fields. For this reason biologists at the Brigham Young University in Utah are investigating the difference between the laboratory-multiplied nematodes and their free-living relations. They have compared the respective gene maps and identified differences in over 1000 genes including some which influence metabolism and survival capabilities.
Through applying this information in breeding programmes the aim is now to produce »tougher« laboratory nematodes. – ra –

Second-calf cows give more milk and have mastitis less often when a cow grooming brush is available according to results from a trial at Cornell University where four 100-cow groups were involved. A rotating cow grooming brush was installed in two compartments each with 100 cows, the other groups acting as control without access to a brush. Milk production data was collected and analysed during the three months before and the three months after the cow brush installation.
The actual lactation of the cows also proved relevant. Second-calf cows produced approximately 3.5 % (1 kg) more milk daily than their opposite numbers in control groups, although the increase wasn’t statistically significant. Mastitis data were taken before and during the study and udder infections decreased by 34 % with heifers and second-calf cows following cow brush installation. Milk production was also higher in first and third lactations with the brush groups.

Storage pests such as the corn weevil cause worldwide losses amounting to billions of euros. Good storage hygiene can, at the most, limit the weevil damage but sometimes the stores must still be treated with insecticides. It becomes a problem when the weevils then develop resistance.
Plant protection investigators at Kansas State University together with the US Department of Agriculture are looking for new methods to control grain store pests that don’t affect grain quality nor encourage resistance development. In the case of the red flour beetle – an important storage pest and close relative of the corn weevil – the enzyme which controls growth of the chitin based exoskeleton has been identified.  »If we could disrupt this enzyme there would be uncontrolled growth of the weevil exoskeleton«, says entomologist Richard Beeman. »If, for example, there is overgrowth of the chitin at a leg joint, then the weevil would become immobile and not cause any further damage.« As soon as the corresponding genes are identified work will begin to develop bio-pesticides for this type of storage protection.  – ra –

Spain and the Netherlands are countries with particularly large Salmonella problems according to a survey by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Around 29 % of the tested feeding units and 31 % of the breeding herds were affected by Salmonella. A total of over 4,500 farms in 25 member states were investigated as well as 251 units in Norway and 225 in Switzerland, although the last two countries were not included in the average calculation. EFSA says the farms were chosen at random. The incidence of Salmonella was highest in seven countries: Great Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Cyprus with Salmonella found in over half of the pig breeding farms in each country. In contrast, Salmonella was found in less than a fifth of the farms in 12 other states.
The situation was shown to be less extreme on feeding units. Only in the Netherlands and Spain was Salmonella present in over 50 % of the units and in over 20 % of the farms in 11 other states. The countries found to have extremely low intestinal bacteria infection incidence with pigs were Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria and Norway. 

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As part of an international cooperation researchers at the US Department of Agriculture are investigating how to optimise the use of increasingly scarce water. The head of the research group, Laj Ahuja, emphasises that irrigation is an integral part of a complex system: »The prevailing conditions for agriculture are becoming increasingly difficult. We have to adapt irrigation and other production factors such as nitrogen fertilisation better to environmental factors such as weather.«
American scientists from Fort Collins, Colorado, cooperated with Chinese colleagues from the University of Qingdao and the Chinese Academy of Science in three studies: One in the maize growing region of northeast USA and two in the wheat growing regions of northern China. To determine the best time for irrigation the investigators first evaluated the weather records for the previous 38 years.

Irrigation often not necessary. It was found that the traditional irrigation of wheat fields at sowing time is often unnecessary. Analysis revealed that at this time the soil is still moist enough following the rainfall in the wet season. More important is to irrigate the wheat during stem elongation and ear emergence. Irrigation at the right time can also save nitrogen fertiliser, giving best yields for the Chinese farmers with a N-input of 200 kg/ha instead of the more usual Chinese application of around 300 kg/ha.
The results in American maize were similar: It was found that 20 % of the irrigation should take place at drilling and the remainder at flowering. – ra –

Investment in expansion of Danish dairy herds has hardly faltered, even through the difficult recent months of economic crisis, according to Gitte Grønbaek, director of the Danish Cattle Federation. While it was true that many of older Danish dairymen were giving up with milk prices below the cost of production, younger farmers were expanding. This situation is giving one of the fastest-changing dairy farm infrastructures in the world.
In 1984 Denmark had 30,000 milk producing farms with an average 28 cows. By January of 2009 there were only 4,300. Mean dairy herd size in Denmark is now a shade over 130 cows. But that’s not exactly the real picture. The changes towards big herds are moving faster. Most new buildings going-up are for between 200 and 300 milkers. Over 70 per cent of all milk herds are now housed in cubicle barns and new milking systems are almost exclusively either automatic with a robot for every 60 cows, or high-throughput carousels. Annual growth rate in production per farm is 10.7%.
Denmark has a healthy dairy export industry. Last year it earned the equivalent of 1.7 billion € in overseas sales. Danish Cattle Federation figures indicate that capital investment level is the equivalent of around 264 € for every 100-kilogram milk produced in a year. That might be way behind the Dutch figure in this respect – 408 € per 100 kg milk – but compared with other countries such as Germany, France and Britain (all around 160 €) and the USA at just 93 €, shows a real commitment to future success. Neither has investment faltered as milk prices have dropped. Quite the opposite, in fact. In 2004 net investment per cow, a figure including livestock, buildings, equipment and land, was just under 1000 €. Last year, the calculation topped 2600 €.  - nd -

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Searching for genes influencing lodging in cereals was not given much priority in past breeding programmes because short strawed lines were available to give better standing crops with traditional breeding.
But plant breeders now claim that straw reduction has reached its limit. Any further reduction could badly affect yielding capacity. However, research recently completed by the British Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) has identified genetic markers in elite wheat varieties for key lodging traits such as weak straw and poor rooting systems.
Even more interesting are some positive genetic markers for a major yield gene which appears to be able to increase both grain and straw output as well as straw strength. Another newly identified gene appears to increase response to plant growth regulators (PGRs). If used in breeding this might give varieties with predicable responses to PGRs which would greatly simplify grain crop management. – nd –

Spanish researchers are looking closer at two new plants for bioethanol production. So far, flax hasn’t been considered in this respect, although the plant is certainly suitable. The same is true for Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata), a plant very closely related to oilseed rape. Two studies at the Spanish University of Santiago de Compostela in collaboration with the University of Leiden in the Netherlands investigated the productivity of these plants.
These two crops produce »second generation ethanol« because the plants are not used in food production. Flax can produce 0.3 kg ethanol per kg dry matter, whilst with mustard the figure is 0.25 kg. Calculated on the entire production cycle, mustard gives a better yield than flax with fewer effects on the environment. Both crops are quite suitable for growing on marginal land.

This year north Italy maize growers have been especially hit by maize rootworm attacks. In the important growing area of Lombardy alone the pest is blamed for a 1 m t reduction in yield and there’s still no breakthrough in finding the right pesticide for control. But various international research groups are seeking a gene modification route towards beating the rootworm with maize modified so that it emits more of the natural substance beta-caryophyllene from its roots. This attracts nematodes that attack and kill the maize rootworm.

Field trials have already confirmed that this approach can effectively reduce damage. The researchers, including scientists from the USA, Switzerland and, in Germany, Jena University and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, established that decades of plant breeding in North America had resulted in most varieties of maize no longer emitting beta-caryophyllene, resulting in them being unable to attract the protecting nematodes into their root areas.

Milk producers failed to fully exploit the EU milk quota for the year 2008/2009 with milk deliveries of 137.61 m t being over 5 m t below the reference amount of 143 m t, reports the EU Commission. In 13 countries including Britain, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia deliveries were in fact all 5% or more under their national quotas. France fell short by 4.8%. In terms of milk tonnage below quota, France led the field with a 1.46 m t shortfall followed by British dairy farmers with a minus of 1.19 m t.
While price has fallen markedly, total EU milk production, despite quota being raised by 2.4% on the year, was hardly changed with around 200,000 t more than last year delivered. There are five quota offenders that exceeded the respective national reference amounts: Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Luxembourg. The Austrians, for instance, were 1.2% over quota leading to a penalty of 97 m € having to be paid. However, total superlevy paid in Europe was more than 70% under the 2007/2008 amount. Even Italy, which has had problems keeping under quota since the beginning, had a penalty of »only« 43 m € to pay – around the same as the Netherlands. Last year the EU Commission levied 100 m € in oversupply penalty from German dairy farmers alone.

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A definite connection has been established between Bovine Virus Diarrhoea (BVD) in cows and calf deaths and bronchial disorders in Spanish dairy herds. Researchers in that country examined performances in 110 selected dairy herds with initially unknown BVD infection status.

Blood samples were taken from over 550 cows and young stock older than 12 months. Blood checks indicated that 12 of the herds had an ongoing BVD infection. Interviews were also held with the respective farmers, herd managers and vets so that the herds could be classified according to health criteria. In the infected herds between one and five cows had chronic diarrhoea and there was a clear link between calf mortality and presence of BVD. The animals on the infected farms also showed increased incidence of digestive problems.
Herds that had been vaccinated against Bovine Virus Diarrhoea were included in the survey sample. The blood tests allowed their separate identification. But overall there was hardly any difference between vaccinated and non-vaccinated herds regarding frequency of disease symptoms, according to the magazine »Research in Veterinary Science«. – kl –

Scientists in Washington State are putting mustard on their potatoes – one or two tonnes of it! But this eye-watering recipe is for potatoes growing out in the field.
Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are applying crushed mustard seed meal on potato fields before crop emergence. This potent pulp proves to be a very efficient contact herbicide, significantly reducing early weeds in the crop. This application is one of a series of natural solutions for potato growing problems being tested in the USA as part of a national drive for more sustainable potatoes. Producers in the northwest are also using the mustard plant to stop wind erosion during spring and supply some free N through the extra organic matter produced and then ploughed-in. They are growing brown and white mustard as opening crops. Scientific monitoring by ARS staff has indicated that such crops can supply more than 35 kg N/ha when broken down in the soil.    – nd –

The effects of the recession are blamed for stagnating poultrymeat production in the present year. But demand is already winding-up the market and a 3% increase in production to 73.7 m t is forecast for 2010. Leading the production increases will be Brazil and China with 4 % and 3 % respectively. Brazil’s rise is spurred by strong export and domestic demand. China’s increase is in response to strong domestic demand due to economic expansion. But the world’s biggest producer, the USA, will also be contributing to global growth with production reckoned to rise by 2 % to 16.2 m t. Expansion in output is also forecast for most other main producers particularly Argentina, India and Russia.
Total exports will be up by   2 % on the year to 8.3 m t, it is reckoned. Brazil’s expanding exports are forecast 6 % higher to a record of over 3.3 m t. Increased imports are expected from a variety of markets in the Middle East and Asia and the industry is also working hard to open up new markets. Brazil’s continued long-term focus on developing non-traditional markets will encourage expansion.
A 5 % drop in exports to just below 2.9 m t is expected for the U.S with demand in Russia and China for its poultry meat weakened through increased domestic production as well as by lingering non-tariff trade barriers.
Global economic recovery is expected to stimulate consumption and raise import demand. While Russia, the EU and Japan remain the largest markets for broiler meat imports, their share of global trade is forecast to continue to stagnate or erode in 2010.
In the absence of a multilateral agreement on 2010 tariff rate quotas (TRQs), the Russian forecast is based on 2009 TRQ levels and allocations. While the 2010 outlook depends greatly on future policy decisions for not only the TRQ but also the chlorine ban and imposition of non-tariff barriers, Russian imports are forecast 4% lower at 855,000 tons, a reduction that has been expected. Government support will probably mean that the Russian poultry industry will grow faster than domestic consumption.

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Pigs and energy crops: Is this a practical combination? Researchers at the University of Aarhus let free-range pigs in fields of the energy crop miscanthus to see whether the tall grass offered sufficient shelter for the pigs and to assess whether any crop damage by the animals was within economically acceptable limits. »The experiment proved successful. Pigs and energy plants both profited«, reported Grete Kongsted from the Agricultural Ecology and ­Environment department.  »Rows between the crop were kept free from grass and other weeds by the rooting of the pigs. But the miscanthus crop should be at least a year old because then the pigs cannot damage it. The energy crop is thereby manured by the animals to which in turn the plants offer sufficient shelter«.

Extracts from favourite human flavourings such as rosemary, thyme, cloves and peppermint could become useful natural insecticides out in the field, according to work at the University of British Columbia. There, very small amounts of essence from the herbs mixed in water feature in new biological pesticides that successfully kill insect crop pests on contact or keep them away from crop plants through their volatile vapours.
»One advantage is that insects do not develop resistance against this form of pesticide«, says research team leader Murray Isman.
However, such biological pesticides also have disadvantages. For instance the substances evaporate or decompose rapidly under sunlight. »Because the herb extracts have less effective strength, they have to be used at higher concentration as well«, reports Dr Isman. In order to overcome such disadvantages ways are now being sought of ensuring a longer effective lifetime for the active ingredients and for making them more powerful.                         – nd –

Straightforward dairy farming efficiency measures could have powerful effects in reducing greenhouse gas production from cows, according to research at the University of Wageningen’s Animal Sciences Group. For instance higher milk production per lactation naturally reduces methane produced per kg of milk, explains Theun Vellinga, a Wageningen researcher currently working with the FAO. And lengthening a cow’s production life can also reduce this factor.
Even more immediate reductions in greenhouse gases from ruminants could be achieved through modifying rations. In the Netherlands the average methane emitted from cows per kg of milk produced has been reduced by some 17% from 1990 until now. The main reason is that much more maize is used in cow rations compared with almost 20 years ago. Maize means more starch in the ration and results in less methane being produced by the cow. But ploughing up grass for maize releases carbon and nitrous oxide – a powerful greenhouse gas. Despite this, the Wageningen team reckons that diet manipulation with dairy cows represents one of the best opportunities of reducing methane production on a world scale. Other dietary components being considered for reducing methane include tannins. Work is also continuing in New Zealand and Australia testing vaccination of cows against rumen methanogens, microorganisms that convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen to methane. And another tested alternative is the introduction of reductive acetogenisis in the digestive system to convert the carbon dioxide and hydrogen to acetic acid instead.               – nd –

With 125 million hectares sown and harvested, cropping area for GM plants increased by 9 % in 2008 compared with the previous year. First time growers last year were farmers in Egypt and Burkina-Faso, although their GM crops covered only 50,000 ha.
The 14 largest growing nations according to the international biotechnology agency ISAAA are presented in this graph.

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500 farmers in north Netherlands are delivering their milk to a cooperative dairy specialising in climate-friendly cheese. The resultant Beemster Cheese is then marketed with the label »Caring Dairy«. Behind the climate-friendly cheese is the Cono cooperative which offers its milk suppliers workshops where the farmers learn how to produce milk with the lowest possible carbon footprint and the optimum animal welfare standards for the cows involved.
According to Cono this is the first programme for climate-friendly milk production in Europe. There’s more income for the farmers participating too: signing-up
for the system brings an extra 50 c/100 kg milk produced and another 50 c is added if the cows are let out for grazing.
The Caring Dairy programme was first introduced by an ice cream producer in the USA. And giving it added impetus in the Netherlands is scientific monitoring of production criteria and results by the University of Wageningen. – nd –

Rubber or multi-layered plastic mats in laying areas for feeding pigs reduce joint damage and skin scrapes, according to results from an over-1,200 feeder pig trial at the Agroscope Research Institute (ART) in Reckenholz-Tänikon. Weight gain performance was also improved on softer flooring in the trials which were carried out in insulated, ventilated barns. The feeder pigs also lay longer and seemed more relaxed on the various types of mattress.
Background to the trials is Swiss animal welfare law now demanding solid concrete flooring (and not slats) in the laying areas. Most Swiss farmers simply moved from slats to bare concrete, according to the ART researchers. Straw bedding on the concrete is required by some welfare-based meat labelling systems.
Compared were bare or straw bedded concrete laying areas with multi-layered plastic matting (foam surfaced by smooth thermoplastic), with the same multi-layered plastic matting with structured (non-skid) surfaces, or with 2.4 cm thick matting made from recycled tyres.
In one part of the trial very high daily liveweight gains were recorded from 30 kg to 100 kg slaughterweight with an average 1029 grams for pigs on multi-layered mattresses followed by 989 g for the animals on straw-bedded concrete and an average 929 g on bare concrete laying areas.  
There was a dramatic reduction in joint injuries and skin scrapes for all pigs on the softer floorings. This also led to improved performance. Counts of subcutaneous swellings on joints of pigs in the end feeding phase showed that up to 30 % of the animals on bare concrete had this problem, 20 – 25 % on straw bedded concrete but only under 5 % on the multi-layered plastic foam matting.                           – nd –

England’s Rural Development Programme (RDPE) is offering a total 4.8 billion € to help fund bioenergy production. Individual grants for heating or electricity production systems on single farms, for example, start at around 30,000 € and rise to a maximum of 300,000 € under the RDPE system. But grants can be substantially higher than this if a group of farmers or a cooperative venture is involved. Schemes that have already received RDPE grants include solar panel powered schemes for heating and cooling milk production plant and short-rotation tree crops for wood chip fuelled central heating schemes. Another 720 m € is available for supporting strategies that enable the more efficient use of energy and of resources such as water. An example of one of the biggest schemes to be grant-aided features the company Woodfuels East that plans to harvest, store and dry wood chip fuel for heating plants from around 15,000 ha of forest. This project involves long-term management of forests and the grants for offices and treatment/storage plants involved have already topped 5.4 m €. As from 2013 Woodfuels East aims to be harvesting 110,000 t of fresh timber annually for wood chip fuel capable of producing 45 MW per annum in systems that should save some 75,000 t CO2 emissions every year. – nd –

Million-dollar farms – those with annual sales of at least $1 million – accounted for about half of U.S. farm sales in 2002, up from a fourth in 1982 (with sales measured in constant 2002 dollars). By 2006, million-dollar farms, accounting for just 2 % of all U.S. farms, dominated U.S. production of high-value crops, milk, hogs, poultry, and beef.

According to a report by USDA, the shift to million-dollar farms is likely to continue because they tend to be more profitable than smaller farms, giving them a competitive advantage. Small farms (those with annual sales less than US $ 250,000) represent a large majority of U.S. farms (92 %), but account for a relatively small share of total farm production (23 %).
Million-dollar farms received only 16 % of U.S. Government payments in 2006, a small share compared with their 48-percent share of gross sales, although disproportionately large compared with their 2-percent share of all farms. The number of joint owners per farm averaged 1.5 for all farms in 2006, but 2.1 for all million-dollar farms and 2.6 for $5-million farms. Multiple-owner farms accounted for 66 percent of million-dollar farms, substantially more than the 46-percent share for farms in general. Multi-generation farms – those with at least 20 years’ difference between the ages of the oldest and youngest operators - made up a larger share of million-dollar farms (23 %) than any other  class.
What confounds critics is  that most million-dollar farms (84 %) are family farms – that is, the farmer and his relatives own the business. The million-dollar farms organised as non-family corporations tend to have no more than 10 shareholders. – mw –

Cows that get some special attention from their stockperson or milker and are not treated as just a number in the herd seem to be more content and repay their treatment by giving more milk. Researchers at the British University of Newcastle write in the journal Anthrozoos that, above all, cows that have been given their own name get more attention.
Results from several herds show an average increase of yield from these contented animals of 258 litres compared with their nameless herd mates. »Just as humans react positively to personal contact, cows are more contented and relaxed when they get more attention,« observes research team leader Catherine Douglas.

Do alternatives to the conventional CO2:O2 87:13 mix for gassing slaughter pigs offer better welfare standards? A study by the Dutch Animal Sciences Group in Wageningen shows there are only minimal differences in the anaesthetic effect when different levels of oxygen or nitrogen gas are added. From a welfare point of view the group looked at the effects of: 80% CO2 + 20% O2 ,
70% CO2 + 30% O2 , and 60% CO2 + 30% O2 + 10% N2 . Groups of six animals were gassed with the different mixes while heart function and behaviour were recorded. Addition of oxygen sometimes resulted in the animals being less short of breath before losing consciousness. This seemed to be the only recognisable welfare-positive effect of the alternative mixes. The researchers concluded that the heart beat speed was the factor probably affected most  by adding more than the usual amount of oxygen.

The US Ministry of Agriculture wants to know exactly how intensively arable farmers cultivate their fields after harvest and have recruited the help of the space agency NASA to gather satellite infra-red photographs of farmland for this purpose. This information from the »spies in the sky« allows the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) to calculate the amount of straw and stubble left on the field surface.
»When less than 15 % of the area is covered with harvest trash, cultivations have been intensive«, explains project leader Craig Daughtry. »With more than a third of the surface covered we are dealing with minimum cultivations or direct drilling. Everything in between can be regarded as reduced cultivation.«
The target of this investigation is to assess the amount of harvest trash for its possible utilisation in ethanol production whilst leaving enough behind to protect surface soil against erosion.

Can milking performance and feed intake be influenced by guiding cows more often through the robot pen? Spanish scientists have been investigating this question by comparing two systems based on milking robots. One allowed the cows to decide for themselves when they wandered from the cubicle area or the feed troughs to the milking robot. The other introduced an element of control with the cows having to go through the robot pen on their way to the feeding area. There, the animals would be milked if they had not been through the system within the previous six hours.
The study involved a total of 85 cows shared between the systems with concentrates fed in the robot milking stand supplementing a mixed ration at the troughs. In the barn with the controlled cow traffic, the cows went less often to the feeding trough although they stayed longer once there and eat more during each visit, although there was no difference between the groups concerning dry matter intake per day. And while the cows in the controlled traffic barn were on average milked more often, there was only an insignificant difference in total yields whilst protein and fat in the milk were lower with the controlled traffic system.             – kl –

Plant cellulose is converted directly into biofuel through a pioneering process from the University of California in Davis. The simple, cost-effective method mixes plant cellulose in a solution of lithium chloride and hydrochloric acid with organic solvent dichloroethane. Simmering at 65 °C for several hours and then filtering produces chlor-methylfurfural that is converted from cellulose with an 85 % efficiency. When ethanol is added this gives ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) or 5-methylfurfural both of which can be directly used as high-energy motor fuels.
This so-called second-generation biofuel has also a large number of uses in the production of plastics, according to the US developers.

Britain still struggles to eradicate salmonella in pig herds according to the latest report from BPEX, the organisation advising pig producers and processors in Britain.
In a recent inspection, salmonella antibodies were identified in 27 % of 140,000 samples from selected slaughterhouses. But the test did not indicate if salmonella was actually present because identifying antibodies means only that sometime during the pigs’ lifetime they had come in contact with salmonella and that their immunity defence had reacted positively. Despite this, BPEX is worried by the result because it shows that the percentage of positive antibody samples has risen over the previous year despite eradication measures. One of the main reasons for this is thought to be the outdoor breeding systems popular in Britain whereby animals come in contact with a wider spectrum of pathogens compared with those in indoor systems.

Beef production in the EU reduced 1.8 %
in 2008 – and a further drop of 0.7,8 % is reckoned for this year. At the same time some countries have increased beef exports outside the EU although the union remains a net importer.

Taking some national examples of beef developments last year shows that Germany increased cattle slaughter numbers by 2 % on the year with exports increased and 1 % more domestic consumption.

Poland’s beef output edged up by 3 %, but the country remains a low consumer (4 kg/head/year) and so exports gained, a trend continuing into 2009 when veal and beef shipped outside the EU is expected to rise by 6 to 7 % while transporting live cattle abroad will drop by as much as 22 %.
French production of beef is described as stable although annual consumption last year was down by 3 %, an unusual development in a country renowned for its good appetite for beef and veal. To blame: probably the current financial crisis. There was also less (minus 2.6 %) beef leaving Spanish farms during 2008 while imports  have dropped as much as an estimated 40 %.

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Camelina is being developed in the US currently as a producer of oil for biodiesel which can be grown on relatively poor land and tolerant to both cold and drought. Helping in the next years should be a senate development grant of US$ 1 million. The aim is to take some of the heat out of the food or fuel arguments with camelina for fuel instead of its relation oilseed rape. Commercial trials in the USDA have considered the crop’s possible role in animal feed production after processing for biodiesel and found the by-product meal very useful indeed with a protein content of up to 40 %. It has been passed as animal feed by the Federal Drugs Authority and is accepted so far as a 2 %   component in pig feed.

Steve Sandroni, manager with Sustainable Oils, a company in the US developing the crop, says protein content is similar to that of soymeal but has the advantage of higher levels of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (up to 45 % of oil content) and vitamin E (110 mg/100g). In fact, North American observers say that one of the new crop’s biggest challenges as a biodiesel source will be the demand coming from the human health foods sector for the very healthy camelina oil.

The University of Wyoming has a number of farmers growing the crop although only 20 t camelina seed was harvested last year. Development this year has two big problems: the yield is low and there’s limited demand for the seed so far. Last spring camelina oilseed in Montana was selling for the equivalent of half the price of wheat which was making € 190 – 220/t. First published yields of the sand-sized grain average around 670 kg/ha.

World population has grown by 15 % in the last 12 years while grain consumption rose by 10 % in the same period. But heading the other way – downwards – is economic growth, thanks to turbulent global markets. This begs the question: will consumer purchasing power remain, despite the recession? A difficult call, because there’s never been such as deep economic crisis as the present one. But experience from the crises over the past 25 years indicates that the demand for food should remain as strong as ever.

Five percent of greenhouse gases produced globally come from cattle. But how to reduce this massive output? One idea is to transplant into cattle a sample of the microorganisms used by kangaroos for fermenting grass and other forages in their gut. These do essentially the same job as some of the cellulose-digesting organisms in a cow’s rumen, but they don’t produce any climate-damaging methane. Instead the by-products from fermentation are specialised acetates – which in the marsupials act as a further aid to digestion of forage.

Even more interesting for their application with domesticated species: the acetates are actually sources of energy for the animals thus increasing feed conversion efficiency. The Department of Primary Industries in Queensland is more than three years into practical research and development of a vaccine of kangaroo microbes to be used with cattle and sheep against methane production. »We’ve found that 50 % of the microbes we’ve isolated in kangaroos are totally different from those found in cows and sheep. Using cultures of selected microorganisms we are also looking at drenches or feed supplements to introduce them into rumens of domestic animals«, says Queensland researcher Dr Athol Klieve.

Farmers in the US are testing crop growing on long cultivated strips interdispersed with uncultivated land left fallow. For potatoes and vegetables produced in such a system the University of Wisconsin in Madison has joined with farmers and marketing groups to launch a new brand labelled »Healthy Grown«.

The strip farming is a method of integrated agriculture designed to reduce the need for plant protection. The fallow strips encourage the activities of insects and other wildlife that are predators of crop pests. The resulting potatoes and vegetables can be marketed as having been subject to minimum amounts of pesticide and so achieve a higher price in the stores.

Another advantage is that the biological diversity in the fallow strips is proving very much higher than in the surrounding cropland. Interestingly, even crop pests seeking shelter do not move in any great numbers into the neighbouring crops.

Running a 460-sow breeding herd can be very labour intensive. But Belgian weaner producer Wouter Sinnaeve from the Ardooie region reckons his 4-week system with one major task for each week has helped evolve an efficient output of around 12,000 25.5 kg pigs per labour unit per year.
•    Week 1: After weaning, the sows have three weeks before being served. »We do this on a Thursday and Friday with 100 sows in the batch allowing for something like 10 % returns«, said Wouter Sinnaeve. »This means we avoid any serving at weekends.«
•    Week 2: The whole of week is dedicated to farrowing. »The first 48 hours are the most crucial and we invest most of our man hour input during this week to see all the piglets get the best possible start«.
•    Week 3: Pens containing the weaners with average liveweight of 25.5 kg are emptied and the sheds get intensively cleaned.
•    Week 4: This week is dedicated to health care with vaccinations carried out, litters and sows prepared for weaning and all herd records updated.
The four-week rotation means farrowing pens are in more intensive use than with longer batching routines. »We have 13 farrowings per pen per year although there are disadvantages too such as less time for resting pens and the very short and intensive serving time of two days for 100 sows«, explains the Belgian pig producer.

Tapping electrons from the roots of growing plants can produce up to 14 kW electricity per hectare and hour, according to research at Wageningen University – that’s enough to supply year-round power for 28 average households.

Harvesting electrons directly is many times more efficient than producing energy from biomass, according to photosynthesis expert at Wageningen, Dr Jan Snel. This Dutch scientist is part of a team that has successfully collected continuous electricity from reed grass (Phragmites australis) – although only in relatively small amounts so far.
Behind this revolution is the development of the so-called Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell (PMFC) that collects the electrons produced by bacteria when breaking down excess organic acids and sugars exuded through root systems. The fuel cell comprises a graphite sphere (the anode) attached to roots. This passes the collected electrons to another pole, the cathode, with usable electricity the result.  
Recognised as exuding particularly high amounts of organic acids and sugars are rhizomatous aquatic plants such as the reed grass. One clump of wild reed grass at Wageningen has produced electricity continuously from its rhizome exudations for a period of over 300 days.

Greenhouse horticulture based on root irrigation is the first system that will probably be used for PMFC power production because the root systems are very accessible, being usually in simple nutrient/water troughs. »It might be possible to have horticultural crops produce energy as well as flowers and fruit«, reckons David Strik of the Wageningen University Environmental Technology Group.  »Our goal is to find the right balance.«

The plants must produce enough organic nutrients for energy production but at the same time retain sufficient to ensure healthy plants at the other end. And David Strik adds: »An important benefit of our method is that we only harvest sugars and organic acids (for power). This means the crop requires only low doses of fertiliser.«
Now European agronomists are cooperating to test the Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell application with other crops such as rice, lupines and tomatoes.                – nd –

In 2008 EU farmland growing GM crops increased by 21.2 % on the year to 107,719 ha. In fact the final total will be more than this because France is not included in the figures.  Especially marked growth occurred in Eastern Europe, according to EuropaBio, with BT-maize area in Romania increased by 20 times this year compared with 2007 to a total 7,150 ha. In Poland almost 10 times more GM crop was sown and the Czech Republic reports an increase of 67.6 % to 8,380 ha. But the country with most GM crops in the EU remains Spain with almost 80,000 ha
of BT-maize, up 5.5 % on the year. In Germany GM crop area also rose in 2008, up to
3,170 ha.

For an increasing number of Dutch farms creation of a new enterprise offers business expansion. This is one reason for the popularity of an EU-funded project launched last year offering professional help in farm diversification projects. So far, 34 workshops have been held across the country with an average 10 farmers attending each. Every workshop involves a series of meetings with supervisors from Wageningen Agricultural University and business development experts from the Dutch Farmers Union (LTO). Codenamed the »Country Impulse Project« the courses do not involve theoretical cases but concern actual diversification projects, on-going or being planned, on the participants’ farms.

Main focus is professional business development and this concerns not only establishment and expansion of direct marketing through farm shops, but includes a wide range of developments including the setting-up of camping or caravan sites on farms, opening the business for visits by the general public and even the establishing of social care facilities allowing regular visits of handicapped people with support from the local health authorities throughout the Netherlands.

»Learning by doing,« is the theme of such projects stresses Pieter de Wolf from Wageningen University who has now published a report on the project.  »We focused on strengthening market orientation of these farmers. Initially they are overly focused on developing their products and services rather than how to sell them.«
The courses have been so successful that now the Belgian Farmers Association and LTO are cooperating in a series of farm business diversification workshops in Belgium.                – nd –

The insulin-like growth promoting factor 2 gene (IGF2) in pigs has already proved to offer significant increases in ham and loin muscling but new research shows that even when the piglets are very young IGF2 influences their vitality, the suckling behaviour and resultant early growth rate.
IGF2 is inherited from the boar and can be applied in breeding programmes to increase carcass leanness as well as muscle development. After birth, though, piglets inheriting this gene can have increased development of the masseter muscle – a cheek muscle the strength of which has a direct effect on suckling performance.

Work at the Universities of Ghent and Leuven has shown that piglets so affected can have significantly increased intake of colostrum compared with those without the IGF2 mutation. The improved colostrum intake then positively influences neonatal piglet survival. Boars carrying the IGF2 gene mutation are readily identified through a simple blood DNA test.         – nd –

Lame cows can be found in practically every milk herd, but often hoof problems are not identified right away because there’s a gap between onset of disease and the first signs of lameness. A North American investigation on 140 dairy farms found average prevalence of hoof diseases to be between 16 and 28 % of herd members.
Meanwhile a study in Ontario, Canada found that 44 % of surveyed cows with no apparent lameness had, in fact, diseased or otherwise damaged hoofs. Closer inspection of the cows emphasised this discrepancy. In one herd with 518 cows, lameness evaluation on a scale from 1 (light lameness) to 5 (real difficulties in walking) identified 79 % of the cows with a 1 to 2 classification. Over the following days all the cows were examined more closely and underwent a hoof trimming session. Some of the cows classified 1 and 2 were discovered to have serious and probably painful foot problems. – kl –

Mastitis continues to prove hard to beat in the dairy herd and one possible reason for this has been discovered by researchers from the University of
Lisbon. They’ve found that bacterial pathogens working together with milk
in the udder can built a form of protective biofilm against antibiotics.
This biological protection results in bacteria being less sensitive to low doses of antibiotics and also more resistant to the natural immunity protection of the cow.
So far this bacteria-milk symbiosis has been identified with staphylococci strains against the more commonly used antibiotics including penicillin and gentamicin.
Currently the Portuguese are seeking an optimal combination of active ingredients that will suppress the formation of the protective biofilm.

A series of trials in countries including France, Spain and Japan reveal a homeopathic role for cooked rice in piglet diets. Comparing cooked rice with similarly treated barley, wheat and maize in weaner rations has shown best weight gain performance in disease-prevalent conditions from groups of piglets on rice-based rations. For example work in the Calf and Pig Research Unit at Rennes shows more resistance against colibacillosis post-weaning diarrhoea (PWC) in rice-fed weaner groups compared with groups fed with heat-treated wheat.
For the first nine days after weaning in piglet groups artificially infected with E-coli daily liveweight gain for the animals fed rice-based rations was up to three times better than those fed a wheat based ration. Where no experimental infection was introduced there was no significant difference in performances between groups. Work in Spain and Japan indicates that water-based polysaccharides in rice seem to encourage immunity against the intestinal effects of a range of pathogens such as E-coli while the polysaccharides in wheat have little or no effect.             – nd –

The EU Commission’s Prognosis Committee expects a clear reduction in pig production over the coming months. Europewide there’s been a record reduction in the sow herd of 1.25 million (minus 8.7 %) reported by 15 of the 27 member countries alone.

Germany’s central market and price reporting agency ZMP estimates the situation will lead to increased slaughter pig prices. The 15 member countries that have made returns so far have 90 % of the pig population in the EU and their 2008 census shows total pig numbers have dropped by 8.5 m or 5.6 % on the year.

Effects of the reduction have not yet percolated down to slaughter pig output where EU-27 figures for 2008 reckon on a 1 to 2 % reduction. But next year a 4 to 5 % downturn in slaughterpig numbers is expected for the first six months with output below 2008 in the second half too. A 4 % reduction over the whole of 2009 will represent 10 m less slaughter pigs or a minus of 900,000 t in carcass weight output.
The expected production gap could be filled by a reduction in pig meat exports from the EU and less consumption of pig meat in Europe.  – LL –

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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing 4.8 million $ over the next four years to support research into combatting the financial losses caused by Porcine Reproductive Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). Currently, 60 % of the US pig herd is hit by PRRS losses with the disease estimated
to be costing the sector 580 m $ annually.
»In China and Vietnam a new PRRS strain has been discovered and we want to use this research money in finding ways to prevent this infecting the US herd,« comments Dr Gale Buchanan, US Under-Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.

By spring this year pig population in Denmark showed a 10 % drop on the previous year to 12.2 million head, says the German central market and price information agency ZMP.  This included a 92,000 drop in pregnant sow numbers with an even higher reduction of 14 % amongst piglets and growers under 50 kg. As a result, less slaughterpigs for the home and German abattoirs are now expected during the remainder of 2008 and most of next year. The margins are no longer what they were because of environmental regulations and high feed prices, say experts. Result: older farmers with smaller herds are getting out of the sector. Others are cutting back on production.

The slaughter and processing sector is also now affected with Danish Crown planning the – so far temporary – shutting down of one slaughterhouse and one processing plant by end of August 2008, along with cutting-back capacity by 40 % in another plant.

But plans are already being made on the farms for retaining more breeding gilts, reports Danish Crown. Slaughter pig production in Denmark should therefore be on the increase again towards the end of 2009.

Is there money to be made in letting farm visitors hug members of the dairy herd? Sounds crazy – but this enterprise has certainly brought the cash rolling in for the Holtrop farming family from Delfstrahhuizen, the Netherlands. Visitors can stroke the cows and give them a cuddle if they want in a 90-minute programme that costs the guests between 10 € and 12.50 € each.

Other aspects of the farm are visited too, with guests donning blue overalls and inspecting the calves and bulls and the friendly cows. At least the latter are well used to being stroked and spoiled by visits: by the end of this year the Holtrops reckon that more than 6,000 guests will have cuddled their cows.

The idea  for cow cuddling sparked-off in 2005 because so many people asked if they could see round the 140-cow herd on the 120 ha farming business.
»People wanted to get closer to the animals. The cows were here anyway so the enterprise hasn’t meant any extra costs for us«, explains farmer’s wife Minne Holtrop. Catering for the  non-farming public isn’t new to the Holtrop family: there’s already a small golf course there along with a camping ground and there are facilities for sleeping in the straw barn and for »Fierljeppen« (canal jumping) – although milk production from the friendly cows still remains the main enterprise.

Growth in annual turnover for organic farming enterprises is reaching double figures Europe-wide with Germany top of the league for domestic sales of organic produce, according to market and price reporting organisation ZMP. Bio-food turnover there rose to 5.45 billion € in 2007 representing 3 % of the entire food market.

This makes Germany the largest and, for many importers, the most important bio-market in Europe. Beating Germany for growth in this sector 2007 was only Denmark and Sweden with gains of 26 and 22 %. In most cases the large supermarket chains provide the motor for this sales success with more than 50 % of organic foods now bought in such retail outlets in 15 countries.

Only in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands do specialist organic food shops play a more important retailing role. The bio-food market is still not well developed in eastern Europe, Spain and Portugal, says the ZMP. In these countries production is aimed mainly at the export trade.

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An on-farm system for separating urea from slurry means the chemical can be used as basic material for plastic manufacture instead of the urea won conventionally from petroleum. This year a pilot project will be producing urea on a Danish farm.

The subsequent treatment to produce a white crystalline substance for plastic manufacture is already well known. Industrial-scale separation and filtration could make the system very attractive, claim the developers. Making profits from their pig manure will be a welcome change for Danish farmers where disposal of slurry can cost money nowadays. – nd –

While worldwide grain use for ethanol production continues to increase, total requirement only lies by 7% of world production. Estimates by the International Grains Council (IGC) indicate that by the end of the 2007/2008 year just under 96 m t grain had been shipped to ethanol plants, a plus of 32% on the previous year.

For 2008/2009, the German central price and market reporting agency ZMP reckons that this total will grow to 121 m t with maize grain dominating at 97% of supplies followed by small grains such as wheat, barley and sorghum that therefore play a secondary role in this market.

The US bioethanol industry is an important factor in the rapid growth. In the present financial year its maize use will be once again increased by nearly a fifth to almost 100 m t which means that a good third of the US maize harvest will flow into bioethanol plants for fuel and DGDS feed production. Bioethanol production in the EU-27 is expected to increase to 2.8 m t representing 1.8% of total grain production.

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At what times in the daily dairy routine do cows prefer to drink – and how much of the very important water intake is taken in a single session? The Journal of Dairy Science in the US reports a trial that showed daily water consumption of milking cows on a TMR diet (producing an average 26.5 kg milk daily) averaged 83.6 l with 7.3 visits to the trough over 24 hours.

Most water was taken during the feeding periods and at milking time with only a third of intake during the two hours after each milking although 75 % of the cows visited the drinking trough at least once during that period. Now scientists want to look closer at intake during different stages of the lactation.

European farmers growing energy crops could face real competition from seaweed production in the coming years, according to University of Wageningen research. There, scientists have already worked out that harvesting seaweed from just 500,000 ha of North Sea coastline could produce enough natural biomass to meet 10 % of the Netherlands‘ energy requirements by 2020.

Production strategy could involve hanging long cables in the sea between platforms. The seaweed could be grown on such cables. Mechanical harvesting systems would then lift the seaweed and deliver it on land for composting for BTL, biogas and electricity production.

Already the Dutch provinces of Zeeland and North Holland are offering research grants for two doctorates studying biomass production from both green and brown seaweeds. – nd –

Steve Mitchell from Fife in Scotland was a traditional beef producer selling meat from his Aberdeen-Angus herd at farmers’ markets. But he recognised early-on that he was just one of many good beef producers in his area marketing in this way. »I needed something different to sell from easily-managed animals. A meat that was still as tasty as beef but with maybe more high health appeal.«
Steve learned that water buffalo might be what he was looking for: easy-calving, healthy with good weight gain on forage only. In England the dark red meat was already recognised as a delicacy with fat content at least 17 % below the average for cattle beef and over 40 percent less cholesterol.
»This looked like being a meat that would give a direct marketer like myself something very attractive for our farm butcher shop and the 12 different farmers’ markets we sell at«, recalls Steve. »First buffalos were shipped onto our farm in 2005 and now we have around 140 breeding animals plus followers. We’re looking for a total of 400 head by the end of 2009.«   

Easy to manage? »You bet!« says Steve. The proof is that there’s only one full time stockman managing the buffalo herd. He adds that the buffalo seem to be immune to most cattle health problems and so far no help has had to be given at any calvings. The herd is kept outside all year round.
While female offspring are all retained for herd expansion the bulls are kept entire and raised on grazing and grass silage to about 600 kg at 30 months or so, giving a 290 to 300 kg meat carcass. The taste and wellness aspect of buffalo meat means this Scottish farmer can charge a small premium over his Angus steaks when selling direct. »But nothing much more than 10 percent.« – nd –

Clever PR with the simple message »GM sugar is safe« helped massive acceptance in the US for new varieties of GM sugar beet this year. In 2007 only around 1,000 ha of GM (Roundup Ready) beet was grown commercially on US farms. Just one year later sowings of the GM sugar crop soared to around 250,000 ha – or half the country’s total beet area, according to Ministry of Agriculture estimates.
The popularity swing for Roundup ready beet is believed to be due to a very persuasive PR programme that included analysing of a wide range of sugars and publication of results showing that crystalline sugar from GM beet was chemically no different from the conventional products.

Do the new beet varieties offer savings for farmers though? From the ecological aspect there seem to be advantages, as for instance weeds are left growing between rows of the Roundup Ready beet and then killed-off later with two Roundup sprays. This, say proponents of the GM approach, gives green cover between the rows which helps stop soil loss through erosion and water runoff with improved soil nutrient retention too. The GM seed, however, costs about double the price of conventional varieties and this year US farmers found they were paying the equivalent of around 120 €/ha for it. Farmers have still to harvest the new crop but agronomists expect a slight advantage for the GM crop in terms of income – plus the ecological gains through possible less soil erosion and nutrient loss. – nd –

Metritis is a problem in many dairy herds all over the world and this inflammation of the uterus is mainly, but not only, caused by the classic »difficult calving«

A long-term study in Scotland over fifteen years and covering 2,914 calvings
pinpointed metritis (up to 21 days after calving) or endometrium inflammation (more than 21 days after calving) cropping up after calving problems with heifers or with cows in poor body condition, after multiple births, premature calvings or difficult presentations – especially when any of these require human intervention.
Other factors often noted before metritis include afterbirth retention.  

Following the disease, timely insemination is often difficult with resultant longer dry periods or culling.
Even where the animals are safely back in calf the research indicates that dry matter intake during the first 100 days postpartum is often depressed and milking performance suffers too. – kl –

First sightings are claimed in Denmark of a wheat yellow rust (Puccinia striformis) strain that has already caused losses of up to 10 million tonnes per year in the USA.
Dr Mogens Hovmoller, Aarhus University plant pathologist says the spores have a completely different DNA profile than current European yellow rusts although so far the new rust strains screened out in Denmark seem to be ineffective against most common European wheats.
But Dr Hovmoller warns that varietal resistance is not a long-term guarantee and that only a few mutations would be needed to allow the new strain to overcome present resistance in European varieties.
Making the new yellow rust strain potentially more dangerous is its proven ability
to multiply under conditions of higher temperatures (30 ° C and above) compared with current strains. Tests in the USA have also shown that it can produce three to four times as many spores than older strains, growing much faster on susceptible wheats.

Danske Slagterier, the national organisation for pig production in Denmark, expects more inter-EU trade of pigmeat in 2008. In 2007 some 90 % (1.5 m t) of processed Danish pigmeat was exported with 600,000 more pigs slaughtered compared with the previous year. On top of this 4.9 m animals were exported live.
Among a row of factors helping Danish farmers is the high feed conversion efficiency of the Danish hybrid lines. The Danish Meat Association (DMA) presented the results of an international comparison that puts the Dutch and the Danes level at the top of this league with 2.68 and 2.69 kg feed for 1 kg liveweight gain. German pig producers managed a conversion of 2.83 : 1 while the taillights here were the USA (2.93 : 1) and Canada with 2.95 : 1.

Despite this production efficiency the Danes are struggling with low producer prices from the main slaughter cooperatives Danish Crown and TiCan. Just as with the main Danish milk processor Arla Foods, there is a danger of farmers redirecting deliveries over the German border to realise better prices. Last year 700,000 slaughter pigs (plus 150,000 cull sows) took this route for processing in Germany. Some sources say that this total could top 2 m this year.

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Higher returns are expected for starch potatoes following the opening this year of a new factory in the Netherlands to extract high value proteins from the starch. In the first year of operation the operator, Avebe daughter Solanic, expects to produce around 1 000 tonnes of food proteins with potential output increasing to around 30,000 t within five years.

Contracts have already been signed for potato protein uptake in bakeries, meat processors and the wellness drinks industry. The proteins will be made available to the pharmaceutical sector at a later date. These food ingredients are seen as viable alternatives for livestock-based proteins and, according to Solanic, offer substantial added value to starch potato processing. Among the first uses for the plant protein is replacement of egg in meringue baking and it is also being applied as a high value amino acid source in sports drinks, as replacement for milk protein in ice cream and as a hunger-suppressor in some dietary foods and drinks.

Global warming is already bringing more volatile weather patterns – even to temperate European zones. The French ARVALIS crop research institute warns that this makes accurate weather forecasting even more important for farmers and has reacted by researching a new system which uses trends over the last 30 years to predict the most likely temperatures and rainfall up to six months ahead.
The technique is called seasonal forecasting and is based on the »most likely« weather expressed as above, close to or below the average for any given period. To simplify calculation, forecasts are for much larger areas than present day weather predictions in France (200 x 200 km grids instead of 20 km squares).
Such long-term forecasts are helped by studying the so-called North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) that is based on the pressure difference between the Azores high-pressure area and Icelandic low-pressure areas. This helps predict whether northern European weather will be wetter and cooler than normal or warmer and drier. For instance predictions based on the system for December 2006 – February 2007 in parts of France were correct in forecasting temperatures above the seasonal average and the winter turned out to be the warmest for 50 years with temperatures 2.1° C above long term average.
Sea temperatures are also an important factor in seasonal forecasting. As seasonal forecasting is much more complicated for northern Europe compared with, for example, the tropics or the South Seas, specialised computation tools have to be developed first for more accuracy. – nd –

The worldwide production of poultry meat grows continuously. US estimates reckon that in 2008 this will reach 70 m t, up 2 m t on the year and 3.5 m t greater than in 2006. Largest production by far is of broiler meat with turkey only playing a role in the EU and USA.  
Producing the most poultry meat is the USA with 16.5 m t. With a domestic consumption of 14 m t (46 kg/head) this country joins Brazil in servicing almost the complete export market.
Second in total production is China with an annual 11.4 m t. With Chinese consumption expected to reach 11.6 m t poultry meat in this year (not least through the swine fever related high price of pigmeat and the coming Olympic Games) China will achieve a net import of 170,000 t poultry meat.
While Brazil is only the third largest producer with 10.5 m t, its domestic consumption of 7.5 m t means it is the largest exporter. EU-production this year is expected to be a good 8 m t with a net export of 150,000 t.

New Zealand dairy Fonterra announces that details of carbon emissions produced in dairy production  – from farm cows right through to transport around the globe and retail distribution – will be published on its product labels. Such »CO2 labelling« is also being urged by the New Zealand government to help consumers compare the emissions related to each brand.
Helping Fonterra in calculating the carbon costs is the Australian University of New South Wales and New Zealand Research Institutes »Scion« and »AgResearch«. The size of the agricultural sector in New Zealand means its share of greenhouse gas emissions is relatively high and will, according to government, be brought into international emissions trading from 2013. By that time agriculture will have to have reduced its emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 10 % compared with the 2005 figure.
Minister of Agriculture Jim Anderton says he wants to »Work closely with the (milk processing) branch to develop a practical and effective system for rewarding good environmental protection performance.«

Manitoba farmer Darrel Carlisle claims over 80  % savings in nitrogen fertiliser for his spring wheat – simply by channelling CO2, NOX and C from the exhaust of his 450 HP tractor through the pneumatic drill and into the soil along with his seed. Although he admits that in each case foliar fertiliser is later sprayed, this farmer says he used to apply the equivalent of 112 kg N/ha when drilling. Since he’s been ploughing-in all the gas from his exhaust while drilling he adds only 8 kg
N/ha at drilling and is getting the same yield as before for his hard red: an average
2.7 t/ha.
Carlisle, who with his brother and father farms 2,000 ha of cereals and oilseeds, is one of 45 large farms in Canada, the USA and Australia claiming to make substantial savings through diverting exhaust gases into the soil. They work together with a company called N/C Quest with claimed backing of scientific trials by independent laboratories.
A complex cooling system takes the gases from an initial 500 ° C at the mouth of the exhaust down to around 65 ° C before they can be safely piped into the drill tubing. Carlisle reckons he also helps keep down his carbon emissions during sowing by pumping an estimated 8 kg CO2/ha into the ground in this way.

The system is not without considerable controversy. While some experts agree that CO2, C, etc., could have some fertilising effect when pumped into the seed horizon through stimulating bacteria activity, it is pointed out that nitrogen fixing enzymes, for example, do not need extra CO2. Neither, say specialists, is the NOX from exhaust fumes readily available to growing plants. While resulting carbonic acid might release otherwise locked phosphates in the soil, these minerals still need to be
replenished by the crop
grower.
Meanwhile, farmers such as Carlisle get ready for another season of fertilising with tractor exhaust gas. »We have seen that adding carbon to the soil in this way enhances plant growth«, he concludes. – nd –

There’s probably not a country in the world that studies so hard the best ways of fostering young piglets than Denmark. This is because Danish sows farrow from 12 – 13 liveborn piglets per litter and this performance is increasing steadily by 0.3 piglets every year.

»High sow output means redistributing litters is becoming even more common«, says Dr Flemming Thorup of Danish Pig Production, the country’s support organisation for this sector. »Most at risk in big litters are the very smallest members and we find best overall performance comes from taking them away after they’ve had some colostrum at 6 to 8 hours. A collection of these young piglets is then fostered onto a newly farrowed sow.«

The aim is to keep litter numbers to between 11 and 13 piglets so where there are still surplus piglets these are removed at almost the same time and fostered onto a first or second litter sow that has a 2 – 5 day old litter. Her piglets in turn are passed on to a sow that has just weaned her litter at 21 days old.

For best results in this fostering routine the first foster sow should always be first or second litter, according to Dr Thorup. »They accept the new litter much better than older sows. Also, we’ve found that a sow at 21 days does not accept very young piglets so well but is more successful with 2 – 5 day old ones. That’s why we have introduced the two-step system.«

He points out that mortality does increase with larger litters so the extra work in two-step fostering is repaid with more live pigs weaned. Average number of pigs produced per sow per year in Danish herds is now 25 with the top 25% herds producing 27.3.

One headache for farmers adopting two-step nursing is finding room for the second foster mother – the sow that has just been weaned and been given a new batch of piglets. On most farms there’s the choice of moving the foster piglets into the pen where the sow has reared her previous litter and thus risking piglet cross infection problems – or of causing the sow stress by moving her out of her pen and into a new one.

Comparative trials by Dr Thorup and his team indicated that saving the sow stress was probably the most important route to take. Where the piglets were moved to the sow in her familiar surroundings nursing the newcomers seemed to get off to a much better start. By weaning, the foster piglets were on average 400 g heavier than piglets in the trial that had been fostered to sows moved to a new pen. – nd –

In the Netherlands so-called »agricentres« are being planned for large-scale vegetable and meat production under the same roof. In China the concept is even further advanced where a Dutch consortium is designing a single complex for synergetic growing of vegetables and rearing and slaughter of cattle, pigs and fish.
But, given planning permission, the Netherlands won’t be too far behind with the planning company Innovatienetwerk discussing a series of such agricentres. A typical development – on industrial harbour land at the Port of Amsterdam – features stylish glass pyramids for 14,000 sows and spaces for 100,000 feeding pigs. Under the same roof: poultry production, aquaculture and glasshouse vegetable crops. Feed will be delivered by ship for pelleting on-site and there’s an integrated slaughterhouse with processing of slaughter waste and manure into biogas on the spot. The biogas is then used to heat the building in winter and also the basement fish farming tanks. Feeding pigs and broilers are reared on floors between the basement and top floor glasshouses. The company gives main advantages of the agricentre approach as:

• l Low capital investment per unit;
• Synergetic gains through biogas production and use in the various enterprises. Residues used for fertilising vegetable crops;
• Tighter control of water and air emissions compared with individual farms;
• Better health and disease control through enclosed birth-to-slaughter system and on-the-spot slaughter and also ship transport of feed.    – nd –

Only 2,016 of around 545,000 farms in France are certified under the rules required for »Agriculture raisonnée« or »good farming practice«. This is far fewer than had been aimed for when the scheme was introduced five years ago.
Then, the government targeted 30% of farms to be registered. Now, the Ministry of Agriculture has pared down its expectations to »five percent of farms by 2008« as part of the programme towards sustainable production.

To help the general public become more acquainted with the principle and advantages of good farming practice the ministry’s communication strategy is being reappraised. Among other actions an improvement in the labelling of the appropriate products coming from certificated farms is suggested.    – sri –

What’s the relationship between trace element deficiency and various diseases in dairy cows? This question was addressed recently in France by a working group studying more than 10,000 dairy and suckler cows from 2,080 herds. Acting as control were 177 herds without health problems. Trace element presence was assessed by blood samples. Supply status was ranked as sufficient (A), barely sufficient (B), borderline (C) and insufficient (D).

Among the findings was that insufficient copper supply was not associated with increased disease susceptibility or fertility problems in adult animals. But with younger ones deficiency reduced growth rate and led to increased diarrhoea outbreaks and higher mortality. Herds with status B zinc deficiency showed an increased risk of mastitis, reduced milk production, placenta retention and leg and joint problems.
Zinc deficiency with calves led to diarrhoea and growth rate reduction. Where zinc concentration was under 12 mmol/l with a third of animals in the herd this indicated a herd deficiency. Herds with status D selenium deficiency ran the risk of abortions and placenta retention among other health problems.         – kl –

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Increasing effort is going into documentation of grain production in the USA and this demands ever more time and money for growers. So all the more welcome is a new crop management programme developed by the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) promising faster input and reading of information on fields, crops and their treatments.
»iFarm Record Keeper« is the system and it can process farm management information in different formats without the farmer having to feed-in the information more than once which leads to more efficiency and less error possibilities.

The iFarm Record Keeper, developed by ARS scientist Gale Dunn and technician Daniel B. Palic in cooperation with grower group Colorado Wheat Farmers, also features an extension for rapid on-screen creation of farmland rental contracts. – nd –

Pigmeat prices in 2007 were down on the year in the six largest EU-27 production countries to which belong Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Poland and Spain. Major factors, according to the ISN Pig Producers’ Society in Germany, were expansion of pig production in most countries, levelling off of demand, the strong Euro and growing competition on the world market. Largest drop in price was in Germany with minus 15 c/kg slaughterweight (sw) while farmers in Spain faced a drop of 14 c/kg sw even although they still had the best prices in the EU. But worst prices overall were in Denmark with an average of just 1.225 €/kg sw. There, prices for contracted producers were dictated as before by Danish Crown that has nearly 90% of the country’s slaughter capacity. The ISN expects a markedly higher pig price level throughout Europe in 2008.  – st –

During the milk production year 2006/2007 1.9 million tonnes EU milk quota remained unused and in the first four months of the present production year milk deliveries are even 0.7% lower than the same period of the previous year. Should this trend continue unused quota could reach almost 3 m t by the end of the 2007/2008 period. Reasons, feel the EU Commission, include the continuing difficulty of quota transfer as well as rigid guaranteed amounts for individual countries that in some are even set fast for every region or indeed dairy. Additionally, the unused quotas are increasingly rarely taken-up by other producers with farmers taking advantage of diversification opportunities. With over 28 m t Germany has the largest quota followed by France with 24.6 m t and Britain with 14.8 m t. Since 2003 the overall quota has been topped-up by a total of 24.5 m t, mainly because of EU expansion to 27 member countries. Interesting will be the effect of a further topping-up on future milk production. – st –

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Spain’s two-year-old milk quota bank founded for efficient transfer of quotas with a fixed price to avoid speculation by dealers has completed another successful year. The national bank controls the quota price sales.  Spain’s minister of agriculture Elena Espinos reports that over 240,000 t of quota has passed into the bank from dairy farmers going out of business with 152,000 t sold on to 4,850 dairy farms at 27 cents/kg and a further 86,500 t awarded free to some 2,000 young farmers and other preferred businesses.

Scottish grain growers were the first in Europe to create an assured quality production system for grain (SQC) in 1994. Now they have also pioneered the next step in control with a national HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) system for cereal production. This covers points from harvesting through to delivery to the mill or distillery. The HACCP system is already widely used in the food sectors and in Denmark some pig producers apply the system controlling quality from breeding farm to meat processing plant.
Being introduced this year, the HACCP procedure will dovetail with HACCP schemes of major customers of Scottish growers such as millers, maltsters and distillers. Paperwork is greatly reduced in the grain growers’ programme through the creation of a generic HACCP system covering all farms instead of each grower having to create an individual system. Production is monitored with frequent on-farm tests for all procedures concerning the grain. Approved crops get an official »passport« which must accompany all grain leaving the farm.     – nd –

European farmers are much more confident about the
future. Results from the Trendmonitor 2007 conducted by the DLG and Europe’s leading agricultural market research institute Kleffmann asked respondants how sure they were that the current economic situation would have a positive effect on their businesses in the next 12 months. The percentage results are shown in the graph with average reaction (where very good is 1 and very bad 5) Hungary 3.0, UK 2.9, France and Czech Rep. 2.8, Poland 2.6 and Germany 2.5.

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Increasing light intensity in pig housing from 12 to 40 Lux does not increase the sight and orientation capacity of pigs, according to researchers at Wageningen University’s Animal Science Group. EU regulations stipulate that pigs must be kept in a minimum 40 Lux environment for eight hours daily. An increase from 12 Lux intensity to 40 costs an annual 0.40 € per place and year, estimate the researchers. They looked at the situation with 20 gilts in a pen with two automatic feeders. One feeder, marked C, was kept full while the other, O, was continually empty. The pigs very quickly recognised the situation and went only to feeder C.
The scientists then varied the lighting intensity and the size of the identifying letters and discovered that letter size was very important for the pigs’ orienteering. On the other hand the light intensity had no effect and the pigs only began making mistakes between O and C when the lighting sank below 1 Lux.

Does tackling intestinal worms in cattle have a measurable effect on milk output? To find the answer and to check if the efficancy of a treatment could be judged from recording antibodies in the milk of treated cows, Belgian veterinarians ran trials with 110 dairy herds ranging in size from 16 to 87 milkers.
On half the farms all cows received antiparasitic treatment with the other herds serving as control. Treatments were carried out in October and from August of that year until four months after the de-worming monthly samples were taken from the respective bulk tanks and analysed.

In all herds that were treated the associated antibody level in milk was lower in every sample while the amount of milk produced by the de-wormed cows was an average 1.2 kg per cow and day higher than that from the untreated herds. In the herds with the highest antibody level before treatment daily milking performance increased most significantly  by 4 kg per cow. No effects on milk composition were noted.     – kl –

With ethanol from maize booming in the United States, the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) has set 100 scientists to the task of finding new uses for the by-products of the process. This is critical because in 2006 some 10 million tonnes of dried grains from ethanol production were produced in the US Midwest alone, selling for cattle feed currently at between 85 and 110 US $/t. But ethanol production is increasing rapidly and oversupply of the dried grains is foreseen very soon.
One of the results from laboratory, greenhouse and field trials with the post-fermentation material is that it has proved very efficient at weed suppression when applied as mulch - stopping germination of, for example, chickweed seeds.
NCAUR researcher Mark A. Berhow tried the mulch on plots with young tomato plants and noted that the plants themselves were not harmed while any seeds in the soil failed to germinate. The mulch, applied as pellets, also appears to have a fertiliser effect. In one trial, tomato yield was increased by 51% compared with a plot with no mulch.    – nd –