If compounds are not fed, or are fed at a low rate, and the herd is buffer fed, then a summer formulated mineral can be added to the buffer feed. The problems associated with magnesium deficiency and staggers at grazing are well known and most farmers are well aware of the action that needs to be taken. Winter diets are usually carefully balanced for minerals and vitamins and the same discipline needs to be applied to summer diets, especially as the mineral content of grass will vary...

Scientists and a growing number of biotechnology companies are attempting to remove corn from the ethanol equation because it has created huge demand for the global food staple. And with farmers planting corn at unprecedented rates, often instead of other crops, prices for other products may soon rise as well. Backers of alternative production methods argue that a technological change is needed soon, before corn-based ethanol grows so large that other manufacturing methods will be squeezed...

Due to shortage of electricity, chicken feed production has also gone down in the state, he said. The chicken prices have also declined from Rs 32 per kg to Rs 27, causing heavy losses to us," a poultry owner today said. The load shedding of 15 hours a day in the district has hit the poultry owners hard as thousands of chickens are dying due to non-availability of power. BIZ/FINANCE ARTICLES Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in the country jumped nearly three-fold to $15 billion in...

Representatives of the dairy, poultry and livestock industries, which rely on corn as a principal animal feed, are seeking an end to subsidies for corn ethanol in the hope of stabilizing corn prices. Some biofuels, if properly produced, do have the potential to provide climate-friendly energy, but where and how can we grow them? Our most fertile lands are already dedicated to food production. As demand for both food and energy increases, competition for fertile lands could raise food...

State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks says a winter hay storage that is causing problems for livestock owners is even more difficult because some of the alternative feeds could be harmful. Sparks said horses could die if they eat hay infested with blister beetles, which are drawn to and thrive on alfalfa hay. It only takes a small number of dead beetles in a bale of hay to kill a horse or other livestock. The beetles are easy to see in hay, so livestock owners are encouraged to be vigilant.