“We will be asking how graziers in the Northern Territory and Queensland are currently coping with climate variability and their plans for the future,” said CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship researcher, Dr Nadine Marshall. “We aim to learn more about their circumstances, strengths and weaknesses and then observe how they deal with climate change impacts over … Continue reading »
Monthly Archives: April 2010
Rural ozone can be fed by feed (as in silage)
The alcohol in silage can drive significant ozone formation, exceeding the contribution from tailpipe emissions. Livestock operations take a lot of flak for polluting. Manure lagoons not only irritate neighbors’ noses but also leak nitrogen — sometimes fostering dead zones up to 1,000 miles downstream. And ruminants can release copious amounts of methane, a greenhouse … Continue reading »
The myth of green beef
If I had to name one food that’s been in the hot seat over the past 30 years, it would be beef. Linked to cardiovascular disease and maligned for its industry’s dependence on federal corn subsidies, it now has a reputation as the Hummer of foods—an excessive contributor to environmental ills including climate change, nitrogen … Continue reading »
Environment / ILRI / Insurance / Livelihoods / Livestock Systems / PLE
Insurance, grasslands: What could they have in common?
Insurance is about protection against loss — and so, in many ways, is conservation. The similarities between these two industries mean both could gain from a closer relationship. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) recently announced the trial of an innovative insurance scheme for traditional herders in northern Kenya. But it has been almost impossible … Continue reading »
Asia / Climate Change / Drought / Livestock
Strike of the Dzud: How conservation can help Mongolia’s herders
Mongolia is currently in the midst of a major natural disaster that we’ve heard little about in the news, but that has already resulted in the death of 4.5 million livestock animals, 10% of the country’s livestock population. The United Nations estimates 120,000 Mongolian herders have lost more than one-half of their herds in the … Continue reading »
Asia / Climate Change / Drought / Livestock
Strike of the Dzud: How Conservation Can Help Mongolia’s Herders
Mongolia is currently in the midst of a major natural disaster that we’ve heard little about in the news, but that has already resulted in the death of 4.5 million livestock animals, 10% of the country’s livestock population. The United Nations estimates 120,000 Mongolian herders have lost more than one-half of their herds in the … Continue reading »
Africa / Animal Diseases / Ghana / Livestock / West Africa
Tsetse fly posing major threat to livestock production in Ghana
The presence of tsetse flies in the Upper West Region is making it difficult for improved breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs to be introduced to farmers in the area. Dr Alfred Tia Sugri, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Livestock, who said this last Friday, indicated that until they were totally … Continue reading »
Responding to pandemic threats
This week delegates gather for the International Ministerial Conference on Animal and Pandemic Influenza in Hanoi, Vietnam. The past year has seen the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic sweep the world and avian influenza remains endemic in a number of countries, particularly in Asia. Fortunately neither has resulted in the ‘big one’: a pandemic on a … Continue reading »
5 things you need to know about grass-fed beef
The organic movement has taken the world by storm. But what’s truly healthy and what’s just hype? The manager of a grass-fed beef farm breaks it down. With skeptical, beef-centric films like Food, Inc. and Fast Food Nation encouraging the American consumer to question the source of their meat, how do you know what to … Continue reading »
Animals + humans = one health
Under the slogan ‘animals + humans = one health’, the European Commission brings together information on the EU Animal Health Strategy for 2007–13 and the third edition of the EU Veterinary Week which runs from 14 to 20 June 2010. The 2007–13 strategy is based on the principle that “prevention is better than cure”. The … Continue reading »
