A Roadmap to Better Decision Making

One key reason bird flu, aka avian influenza, is so hard to control is due to its main form of transmission - wild birds. Preventing contact between wild birds and poultry is biosecurity 101, although in practice, it’s a lot easier said than done.  As the industry grows more desperate for a solution, some are experimenting with the use of ...
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As we move deeper into Spring, and seeing less of a chance for a late freeze, more folks are spending time getting their gardens in order. From vegetables to herbs to flowers, I’m seeing a little bit of everything already peeking out of the ground around here. For all the gardening enthusiasts out there, I thought it would be fun ...
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The “corn leafhopper” is a tiny insect that is responsible for transmitting a hugely devastating pathogen - corn stunt disease. Native to Mexico, the insect has spread extensively across the Americas, including to the U.S. starting in the 1940s. Typically limited to warmer-climate states in the South, sporadic outbreaks have caused extensive economic losses ever since. Last year, corn leafhoppers ...
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America’s battle for independence began this weekend in 1775 in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The message below was sent my way years ago and the lesson is part of the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places."By the rude bridge that arched the floodTheir flags to April’s breeze unfurled,Here once the embattled farmers stood,And fired the shot heard round the ...
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If you aren’t tuned into the dairy business or haven’t had kids in school for a while, you may not be aware that whole and 2% milk have been banned in public school meals since 2012. The country at the time was concerned about a so-called “childhood obesity epidemic,” and experts said skim and low-fat milk provided kids with necessary ...
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Many researchers are studying whether AI can be used to monitor the well-being of animals on farms... With this in mind, researchers at the University of the West of England Bristol and Scotland's Rural College have developed "Intellipig," an innovative AI system that can decode animal emotions through facial recognition technology, potentially revolutionizing animal welfare monitoring in agriculture. At SRUC, ...
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Each year, April 14 is celebrated as “National Pecan Day” in recognition of the deciduous tree native to the Southern United States. The pecan is genetically a species of hickory and mostly cultivated for its seeds, aka pecans. It’s the state tree of Texas and the state nut of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Texas, and Louisiana! Technically, a pecan, like the ...
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When Maker’s Mark debuted in the 1950s, the bourbon became known for a few things, its distinctive square-shaped bottle with a red wax seal on the neck, spelling whiskey without the “e” as a nod to the brand’s Scottish heritage, and for being a “wheated bourbon” using red winter wheat as a flavoring grain rather than just rye. Its newest ...
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Soybean growers in Argentina are expected to pull back on planting this year to the tune of nearly -2.5 million acres, according to the latest update from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) post in Buenos Aires. In it’s “Oilseeds and Products Annual,” FAS says the pullback is due to growers reverting back to traditional corn rotations following a soy-heavy year ...
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Farmers in key growing areas are dealing with massive flooding after unrelenting rains inundated states in the central and southeast. Storms dropped 8-16 inches of rain over the Tennessee, Ohio, and Mississippi river basins across a four-day stretch. While rain has left the forecast, communities are still threatened by major flooding from overtopped rivers in the region just as planting ...
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