Inhumane Treatment of Pigs
1100 pigs are slaughtered inhumanely every hour. Yes, pigs are high in nutrition. People need to learn to be humane.
Artificial Intelligence on Farms
Artificial Intelligence on Farms, Now it’s making practical Advances A long time ago, back in kindergarten or grade one, each student might have been given a tiny little flower pot, a tablespoon or so of soil, and a seed of some description. It became their job to grow a plant. The teacher helped them put soil in the pot, put the seed at the right depth, and then they would put their names of the pots and water them each day until something grew. Bean sprouts are fast, edible, and give satisfaction to kids. Most people experienced something like this at some point and it dwells in their mind as “how food is grown”. That is changing now. The World By the year 2050 our population might be over 9 billion people. Back in the year 1600 C.E. the population of the entire world was just a little over 0.5 billion. It wasn’t until 1800 C.E. that we probably broke through the billion barrier. That was the first time we probably heard the cry “Earth cannot sustain any more people. We can’t grow food for a billion mouths!” Obviously that was not true, since we have continued to grow to our current 7.6 billion—and there has never been a shortage of food. Yes, people have starved to death all over our planet, but never because there wasn’t enough food—we have always had a problem of distribution, getting excess production in one area to somewhere else with a severe lack. At every turn where we thought we had reached a limit, we found new ways of growing more food, with fewer resources, and even less human-powered interaction. We are unlikely to ever be defeated on that front. Long before we run out of the capability to produce sufficient food we will become smart enough to reduce our population to appropriate levels. Artificial Intelligence on Farms When people think of artificial intelligence nowadays they probably imagine C3PO and R2D2. Those movie creations were portrayed as considerably more advanced than what we have currently achieved. Nevertheless we’ve made some terrific progress. A company called BOWERY has moved farming indoors. Their crops are stacked one atop the other, lighted, fed, monitored, and diagnosed by sophisticated computer programs. Their crops are largely grown hydroponically, without soil, in trays that travel throughout the complex by conveyor. The sterile facility requires no pesticides to maintain the health of their plants. Faster than a human could ever do so, the Artificial Intelligence program is learning [...]
Oklahoma State Fair 2017
The Oklahoma State Fair is about to open on September 14th, with all kinds of new and exciting things. There is a lot of stuff to do here for the ten dollar admission costs. This is an interview with Scott Munz , Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations about all the new and great things at this years event. Listening to this for a few minutes will give you a great overview of the fair and all the fancy new fair foods they have. Come hungry and come rested and be prepared to have a great time.!!! Oklahoma State Fair - Frequently Asked Questions!
It’s Time to Meet the Future of Meat
Real, Cultured, or Printed? Nowadays we’re accomplishing miracles in the laboratory. It started, of course, with successful cloning, but we’ve moved on to teasing immature stem cells into making all sorts of tissues, such as skin for burn victims, miniature versions of human organs (called organoids) to learn to treat disease, and actual functional organs for lab animals that fulfill the function of a natural organ. More interesting is something that was accomplished back in early 2015. Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital grew a complete rat forelimb in a petri dish . Fingers/claws, skin, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and muscles all in the right place and functional. In theory, it could be attached to a subject and tested to see if nerve and blood vessels connections were reliable, and if the bones and connective tissue were durable. There is no reason that they shouldn’t be. Meat in a Lab Muscles, of course, are also referred to as meat, and would be fairly undifferentiated from a naturally occurring meat in texture or flavor. What would be the primary difference about meat made in a sterile laboratory? No animals would be slaughtered; there would be no parasites; there would be no fecal contamination; and, most importantly, there would be no antibiotics or growth hormones necessary. There would be no vast tracts of land necessary, dedicated for the use of our current herds of animals. There would be no concurrent crops necessary to feed all these animals as they grew to a size appropriate for the abattoir, and then the local meat market. There would be no need of veterinarian care for herds to treat diseases. It would eliminate animal suffering,because meat would not be sourced from animals at all. In other words, by just about every popular definition, it would be completely Vegan meat. Of course there are always doubters; those who think meat is bad and artificial meat would be inadequate for some other reason. It’s very much like people that protest Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods—it makes no sense–since everything in our diet is a GMO. There is virtually nothing in our diet that has not been changed. Franken-Food Everybody loves corn for instance, but 8,700 years ago in Mexico it was known as teosinte, with just a few grains per stalk that would have easily fit on top of a 25¢ coin. We crossbred many teosinte with more grains than other plants, and eventually came up with the “cob” that was dense with grain. Yet no [...]
Working With Horses
Working With Horses: A Career for All Ages Have you ever noticed how happy people who work with horses seem to be? Would that be enough to encourage you to take the plunge? any young people especially girls would love to have the opportunity to work with horses. Maybe you are not so young anymore and think that it’s too late to change your career to work in the equestrian industry. That is just not true - there are people of all ages who have chosen to follow their dreams and turn their favorite pastime into their livelihood as well. There are so many different jobs that involve horses that you can find one that fits YOU. You don’t have to be a good rider (although that increases your choices) - the only requirement is a genuine concern for their welfare and. total dedication. The reason that you need to be dedicated is that you may have to start work very early and have few if any weekends off. You may have to brave all kinds of weather because horses can’t be left standing in their stables all day long to develop habits that come from being bored or stressed. Exploring Career Opportunities in the Equestrian World: From Riding Instructor to Entrepreneur Often the pay is not great, but the opportunities are always there for those who are prepared to work and study to become an expert in their chosen career. So what jobs are available? If you are a very good rider you have the possibility of becoming a show jumper or an event person, a flat racing jockey or a jump jockey. You may have to start off as a groom who exercises horses for the more talented riders and work your way up Try to find a horsey job that fits your personality. If you are naturally competitive, go to work with competition horses (that can include driving horses). Maybe you are super patient and laid back,probably working with young horses would be your best choice. If you are a sociable person who loves teaching you may prefer to train as a riding instructor. Ambitious? Starting your own riding school or livery stables is a great option and you will find that there are often government grants available to help you get started. Of course if you are already financially free or retired, your services would be greatly appreciated by voluntary organizations such as “Riding For The Disabled”. Whatever you choose to [...]
Effect of Cows on Environment?
Cows and the Environment: A Surprising Connection Effect of Cows ? What is the real cost of a steak dinner: A day’s wage or the destruction of an ecosystem? PETA insists that meat is murder. Americans are yet to be dissuaded. But for as long as there have been nice things, there have existed smart alecs to ruin them. An insidious proposition has recently been making its play. Cows flatulence is 70-120kg of Methane gas into our atmosphere annually. The argument goes that Methane, a Greenhouse Gas, traps heat which negatively impacts Earth’s climate. Livestock specifically contributes 26% of all Methane! Therefore, red-blooded Americans must curb their appetite for succulent sirloins otherwise Earth becomes a furnace! Obama declares War on Dairy The US government aims to reduce Methane output from bovines by 25% before the decade closes. But would this significantly impact climate scientists’ models? Here is a breakdown of cattle per top 5 countries. We’ve provided our own high-end annual Methane output estimates. 1) India: 301,600,000 cows. 39,894,851 US tons. 2) Brazil: 219,093,000 cows. 28,981,043 US tons. 3) China: 100,250,000 cows. 13,260,805 US tons. 4) United States: 91,988,000 cows. 12,167,929 US tons. 5) European Union: 88,600,000 cows. 11,719,774 US tons. If the entire US population shunned beef, cattle Methane output would not fall even 10%. “Like, just get rid of all the cows, man.” Assuming cows collectively drop dead tomorrow, the effects would be disastrous. Sure, global Methane output is cut by a quarter. Warming would theoretically decline and Arctic permafrost melt slow. But, even climate scientists acknowledge Earth cannot completely reverse gears. There is a guaranteed amount of climate change. Cows on the other hand play a delectable role. The obvious drawback, albeit manageable, is no beef and considerably less dairy. On the plus side, Cornell University estimates 800 million people could be fed with livestock grain. I personally prefer steak over Shreddies, but c’est la vie. Cornell professor David Pimentel notes that 100,000 litres of water are used for every kilogram of food. The average American consumes 666 litres daily! An omen? Eliminating cattle lets us mitigate water shortages at the very least. Poultry requires less fuel to prepare and provides greater protein per gram. Americans consume approximately 100lbs annually – twice as much as beef. While 800 million people is nothing to sneeze at, reallocating cattle resources feeds only 2% of Earth’s malnourished. Of course, Americans would look for a substitute, vegan or otherwise. Beef makes a colossal contribution to America’s economy. The [...]
No Foot, No Horse
Laminitis Prevention: How to Save Your Horse’s Feet “No Foot, No Horse” is a well known saying in horsey circles. Good horse care and stable management can go a long way towards preventing laminitis which is sometimes referred to as founder. It is a common foot ailment which can be caused by a lot of different factors. The horse moves with short awkward steps and stretches it's front legs forward and it's hind legs under his body. It puts most of it’s weight on it’s heels to avoid pressure on the front feet. This is due to the inflammation of the laminae which are a sensitive part of the horse's foot. It is usually more pronounced in the front feet. Sometimes the horse will have a fever and the hooves will be hot. There may be rings of growth in the foot - these are signs of previous attacks of laminitis. It is a painful condition and if it is allowed to deteriorate can result in pneumonia or infection resulting in death or leading to the horse having to be humanely destroyed. There are a number of causes of laminitis including: • Prolonged standing on a hard stable floor • Cantering or galloping on a hard surfaces or trotting fast for long distances • A horse breaking into the feed store • Incorrect feeding - a horse that is prone to laminitis should not be fed barley nor should it be overfed • Fat ponies and horses especially those with flat feet are prone to laminitis • It can also be caused by toxicity so pastures should be checked for poisonous plants before putting horses out to grass. • Over rich pastures - fat ponies should have their stable rations reduced and in the summer put on sparse or limited grazing. • A horse that has laminitic tendencies should not be put out to graze in Spring or late summer • Some mares can become laminitic if some of the afterbirth has been retained after foaling. • It is important that a vet is consulted as soon as these signs have appeared because lack of treatment will eventually lead to the horse being "stuck to the ground". While waiting for the vet make the horse walk for five minute to aid the circulation to the foot. The vet will advise on treatment depending on the cause of the laminitis which may include keeping the hooves well trimmed. In cases where the laminitis has become chronic I.e. the [...]
Pig and Hog Vaccination
Pigs and any member of the swine family need a lot of care. If you're a a pig owner, you have to be sensitive to their needs. It's not enough to have them wallow in the mud and feed when needed. While they may seem healthy at a glance, swines are susceptible to diseases too, which is why their bodies have to be prepared for any bacteria and viruses that could hit them. When this happens, one must be swift in applying treatment. There's a variety of products available for each type of illness. Yet prevention is always better than cure. Luckily, vaccination is a great way to keep your swine away from diseases. Common ones include foot and mouth disease, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea and African Swine Fever. With vaccination, there's huge chance of lesser economic and emotional loss when there are swine epidemics. Why Vaccination helps? Vaccination boosts a pig's immune system. It works by releasing antigens into the body to stimulate the immune system and help develop immunity to bacteria, microorganisms, parasites and viruses. Antigens are the protein component of infectious agents. When released to the host, the host's body becomes immunized. At this state, the body is induced to release antibodies which fight pathogens. In simple terms, the substance contained in vaccines helps your pig resist illness caused by harmful microorganisms. It reduces risk of catching and spreading a disease. Vaccination is an effective intervention done to prevent spread or decrease a pig's susceptibility to harmful viruses. Injection is considered as the most effective and widely used method of vaccine administration. The administration of the vaccine can be done before, during or after a disease strikes. In some cases, vaccination is more effective when done days before a potential threat arrives. For instance, gilts and sows have to undergo 2 vaccine shots before breeding and another at 3-4 weeks before birthing to prevent stillbirths caused by Leptospira bacteria. Factors like age, size and date of last vaccination affect this, so clearly discuss it with the experts. The injection site and dose have to be determined as well. There are 5 injection sites for pigs: Subcutaneous (under skin), Intramuscular (muscle), Intranasal, Intraperitoneal (abdominal cavity) and Intravenous (vein). Upon veterinary advice, the spots could be the most effective venues for the shots, depending on vaccine type and adjuvants. Vaccine Types Generally, there are two types of vaccines. One, there's the active vaccine and the inactive type. The active vaccine contains live pathogens, weakened, so that they [...]