Small-Scale Dairy Production Fights Hunger, New Report Shows

from TreeHugger.com
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA

Studies may have shown that meat and dairy production create huge carbon emissions, and even Bill Clinton is going vegan these days. But dairy is not all bad news. In fact, a new report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) claims that small-scale dairy production could play a significant role in fighting hunger.

The report, by the Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative (PDF), aims to assess the current status, and the future potential, for smallholder milk production across the Globe. Looking at the writing about the prospects for small-scale dairy production over at the FAO blog, it seems the focus is as much on economic development and job creation as it is on the efficiency of dairy as a food production system.

With demand for milk increasing by 15 million tons a year, and with about 150 million small scale milk producing households currently producing, on average, about 11 liters of milk a day per household, small-scale dairy is an established, reliable and scalable method of local food production. The report's authors argue that it would take very little investment to help farmers make the most of their animals:

"Smallholders are generally very resource-efficient," said Joachim Otte, one of the co-editors of the report. "Access to credit, improved animal genetic resources and animal health services, together with supportive political measures enabling them to participate in changing markets, are crucial."

... read more story at TreeHugger.com

U of G Opens Advanced Public, Animal Health Research Facility

Guelph, Ontario October 07, 2010

Canada has strengthened its capacity to solve health problems that occur at the intersection of the human and animal worlds with a new cutting-edge research and diagnostic centre that opened today at the University of Guelph.

The Pathobiology and Animal Health Laboratory will support the growing role of veterinarians in research and teaching in public health, infectious diseases, pathology and immunology.

Researchers working in sophisticated laboratories will diagnose and study a range of animal diseases and pathogenic organisms, from bird flu and SARS to E. coli and West Nile virus. The 126,000-square-foot, four-storey structure also houses a 120-seat lecture theatre, flexible lab space, seminar rooms, teaching labs and office space.

The federal and provincial governments have invested some $62 million in this project. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada committed $37 million; the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) contributed $25 million.

“The health and safety of Ontarians and a safe food supply are top priorities for the McGuinty government,” said Carol Mitchell, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs. “Our government is pleased to provide funding to the University of Guelph to help support ongoing research activities that preserve consumer confidence, protect against animal disease and demonstrate our commitment to a competitive and sustainable agri-food industry.”

U of G president Alastair Summerlee said the facility places Guelph at the forefront of improving the health of animals, humans and the environment.

“Here, current and future scientists will make and share discoveries that will improve the health and well-being of animals, people and the planet,” he said. “This new building will further our ability to identify both the risks we face and the potential benefits and treatments that can be realized by taking an integrated approach to these questions."

Veterinarians have a great deal to share about health relationships among humans, animals and the environment, added Ontario Veterinary College dean Elizabeth Stone.

“About 75 per cent of new and emerging diseases are zoonotic, transmitted from animals to humans and back again," she said. "Animal health researchers play an important role in identifying, controlling and understanding this phenomenon. We will use this knowledge to improve the health of animals and the prospects for human health, here and around the world.”

As a partner with OMAFRA in the Ontario Animal Health Surveillance Network, the U of G Animal Health Laboratory helps maintain healthy animals and safe food in Ontario by providing specialized diagnostic services for veterinarians and public- and private-sector agencies.

The new lab areas include open-concept space that encourages cross-training and staff sharing. Improved facilities also allow for better control of pathogenic organisms, said Stone.

“This will greatly improve our biosecurity and biocontainment, to protect both our staff and our clients.”

The new building fulfils a key component of OVC’s strategic vision as the college approaches its 150th birthday in 2012. Key initiatives include the OVC Health Sciences Centre with its Companion Animal Medical Complex, Large Animal Medical Complex, Hill's Pet Nutrition Primary Healthcare Centre, animal cancer centre, Equine Sports Medicine and Reproduction Centre, and large-animal isolation unit.

Oregano Is New CO2-Cutting Drug of Choice (For Cows)

from TreeHugger.com
by A.K. Streeter, Portland, Oregon

You weren't one of those teenagers that tried to smoke oregano straight from your mom's spice rack, were you? The urban lore of the 70's held that smoking oregano would get you high, and yes, I tried it. It definitely didn't work.

But though oregano may not be a great high, it turns out that this common herb has a lot of other medicinal properties, including curbing cows methane production by as much 40%. As cows are such a potent contributor to CO2 emissions, this is good news.

A study by Alexander Hristov of Penn State's dairy cows found that feeding them oregano along with their regular rations caused the cows to produce up to 40 percent less methane in their belches. (Contrary to earlier belief, it seems to be the burps, not the farts, that produce the most methane in ruminants.) In addition, the oregano supplement Hristov fed the cows increased their milk production by a few pounds over the course of the trials.

Grass-fed cows (who tend to eat a lot of herbs) have already been thought to be less methane-producing.

According to this LiveScience report, Hristov screened hundreds of essentials oils and plant compounds before settling on oregano as the supplement most effective at reducting methane while causing no negative effects on the cows.

Oregano is a mainstay of Italian, Greek, and other cuisines. Wikipedia says oregano became popular in the U.S. after World War II when returning soldiers brought back a taste for the "pizza spice."

But interestingly, this hearty herb also has health benefits due to its strong antioxidant properties and antimicrobial action. Hippocrates used oregano as an antiseptic as well as a cure for stomach and respiratory ailments. Oregano has recently been found to have extremely effective properties against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), showing a higher effectiveness than 18 pharmaceuticals it was compared with... read more story at TreeHugger.com

Organic Strawberries Have Better Taste & Nutrition Than Conventional & Better For Soil Too: New Study

from TreeHugger.com
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY

In the tug of war over whether organic farming is really better than conventional chemical-laden farming, a new study in the online peer-reviewed journal PLoS One comes out solidly in support of the benefits of organic. Self-described as the most comprehensive study of its kind, researchers from Washington State University found that commercial organic farms produce was more flavorful and nutritious strawberries, while leaving the soil healthier and genetically diverse.

In coming to that conclusion, the scientists analyzed 31 chemical and biological soil properties, soil DNA, as well as the taste, nutrition and quality of three strawberry varieties on 13 organic farms and 13 chemical farms in California, where 90% of the US strawberry crop is grown.

Science Daily sums up the findings:

...The organic strawberries had significantly higher antioxidant activity and concentrations of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds.

...The organic strawberries had longer shelf life.

...The organic strawberries had more dry matter, or, "more strawberry in the strawberry."

Anonymous testers, working at times under red light so the fruit color would not bias them, found one variety of organic strawberries was sweeter, had better flavor, and once a white light was turned on, appearance. The testers judged the two other varieties to be similar... read more story at TreeHugger.com

New Honeybee Breed Key to Combating Colony Collapse Disorder

from TreeHugger.com
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California

A British beekeeper has been working on creating a new strain of honeybee resistant to the varroa mite, a prime suspect in colony collapse disorder (CCD), and it looks like he's hit a high note after 18 years of careful observation and selective breeding. Ron Hoskins found that bees in one of his hives figured out what a great idea mutual grooming can be -- they learned to clean the mites off one another. Hoping that this learned behavior is hereditary, he spread the genes of bees from this colony to his other hives. It worked. Now, combating CCD could be linked in no small part to how quickly the new strain of bee spreads across the country.

Daily Mail reports that the British Beekeepers Association is excited about the work Hoskins has done, and the hope is the drones from his "grooming" bees will mate with wandering female queens to spread the heartier genes across Britain. It could take quite a long time, and a lot of generations of bees before the behavior becomes normal, but if it's a way to combat the mites that wipe out entire colonies, then it's quite an exciting evolution to witness.

Hoskins, who is from Swindon, has named the new strain the "Swindon Honeybee" and all his colonies consist of this new breed. And the behavior might be the only thing that can save honeybees from the verroa mite:... read more story at TreeHugger.com

Loblaws' Grown Close to Home Foods...Aren't

from TreeHugger.com
by Bonnie Alter, London

Way back in 2007, TreeHugger Lloyd went to Loblaws, Canada's largest supermarket chain, looking for fresh local food in July and he found: cherries.

It's three years later and things have changed--sort of. Now they have a little booth at the front of the store called "Grown Close to Home" and they are selling Ontario peaches and potatoes and cucumbers. But right behind it they have their cherries from the USA and pineapple from Costa Rica. That's a rather broad definition of local. We aren't the only ones noticing this...local farmers and shoppers are pretty annoyed too.

Calling it " Grown Close to Home", the store crows that it is "bringing the
farmers market to Canadian neighbourhood grocery stores -- all in one
convenient location with bushels of variety." They are doing that for us lucky shoppers because hitting a "farmers market doesn't always fit with the realities of Canadians' hectic lifestyles."

Their definition of local and commitment to buying locally is broad. For example, Ontario peaches shipped to the western provinces are still considered part of the event. One Halifax shopper complained to the local newspaper because she "spotted plums and radishes from the United States along with rows of peaches, plums and nectarines from Ontario, with the words Grown Close to Home and the Atlantic Grown logo on the signs for some products." Loblaws apologised.

The Globe & Mail, Canada's national newspaper, points out that the farmers participating in the program are very large operations, some with hundreds and thousands of hectares, and greenhouses in Mexico and South America as well. This hardly benefits local farmers.

The Farmers' Markets Canada which represents 550 farmers markets across the country says that according to their research, farmers receive just 10% to 21% of the retail price of their produce at supermarkets, "not enough for a small family farm to survive on, while at farmers markets they get to keep an average 84%."... read more story at TreeHugger.com

NASA: Jan-July Hottest on Record, 2010 Shaping Up to be Warmest Year Yet

from TreeHugger.com
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York

Okay, you get it. It's hot. Perhaps I've been ticked off by one too many 'global cooling' myth purveyors, but here it is -- another story about how hot it is this summer, and this year in general. NASA has released another report showing that from Jan. to July, 2010 is still the hottest year ever recorded. Last July was in a three-way tie for the hottest of that month ever recorded. And yes, while it's still a bit uncertain, all signs seem to point to 2010 being the hottest year ever.

Here's more from NASA, which released the info in an article aptly titled 'What Global Warming Looks Like':

The July 2010 global map of surface temperature anomalies [above figure], relative to the average July in the 1951-1980 period of climatology, provides a useful picture of current climate. It was more than 5°C (about 10°F) warmer than climatology in the eastern European region including Moscow. There was an area in eastern Asia that was similarly unusually hot. The eastern part of the United States was unusually warm, although not to the degree of the hot spots in Eurasia.

... read more story at TreeHugger.com