Farmlytics
It is estimated that over 10 million lambs in Australia die each year within 48 hours of birth. These are worth over $700 million to the industry, not to mention an animal welfare concern; however on average lamb survival rates have not changed in 20 years. The Lamb Survival Initiative estimates that an extra lamb […]
Farm prices are continuing to come under pressure across markets, the latest World Bank pink sheet data gives beef prices for August 18% down on August 2014, sheep meat prices down 21%, and soyabeans down 17%. Milk prices have also fallen again. The FAO Dairy Price Index for August was down by 9.1% on July – […]
Dairy farmers across the EU have hit the headlines in recent weeks with protests against falling farm gate milk prices. In the UK some farmers protested by leading cows into supermarket aisles to highlight the losses made per litre of milk produced, and the fact that the retail price of milk. is often lower than […]
The threat of antibiotic resistance to human and veterinary medicine from the excessive use of antibiotics in livestock is moving up the agenda. In March McDonald’s unveiled their Global Vision for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Food Animals. Key goals for this vision include aiming to eliminate the use of medically important antimicrobial (defined by the WHO) for growth […]
The debt crisis in the Euro zone, and volatility in other major currencies is likely to have a significant impact on agricultural trade during 2015. Euro depreciation will have a positive impact on EU agricultural exports, with improved prospects for exports of beef, arable crops and pig meat. This is also being helped also by […]
The results of controversial field scale GM wheat trials in the UK have been published this week. The experiment conducted in 2012 and 2013 aimed to show that wheat with a genetic modification to produce aphid disrupting pheromone EßF could play an important role in aphid control. EßF is an alarm pheromone released by […]
SRUC (Scotland’s Rural University College) has launched a new course aimed at agricultural professionals. The course is designed to meet current demand for well trained and suitably qualified personnel within the agricultural industry, and a need for specialists who not only have an understanding of their sector, but have the skills to interact professionally with their clients. “There […]
With the shearing underway on UK sheep farms, The British Wool Marketing Board reports a positive outlook for UK wool in 2015, with wool prices set to increase for most breed types. UK wool prices have risen over the past decade, with producers in 2015 expecting to receive over a £1 per kg, compared with […]
The US continues to battle Avian Influenza, with 15 States now reporting outbreaks of the Highly Pathogen H5N2 virus within domestic poultry, and another 5 reporting the presence of the disease in wild birds. Four more outbreaks were confirmed in the last week. Some States are taking drastic action to combat the disease – Indiana […]
New dairy data from the USDA shows the extent to which milk prices have fallen in the US and elsewhere in recent months, as increased production and higher stocks of processed products are putting pressure on prices. The farm gate price for class III milk (for cheese) in March was 33.3% down on March 2014, […]