Industry News | 01-09-2023
USDA Advances American Foulbrood Vaccination for Honeybees
The USDA has granted a conditional license to Dalan Animal Health, Inc. for a first-in-class vaccine to protect honeybees against American Foulbrood disease caused by Paenibacillus larvae. According to Dalan Animal Health—a biotech company in Athens, Georgia, aiming to advance insect health—honeybees are plagued by American Foulbrood, with previously no safe and sustainable solution for disease prevention. Trevor Tauzer, owner of Tauzer Apiaries and board member of the California State Beekeepers Association, noted that the vaccination is an exciting step forward for beekeepers. “We rely on antibiotic treatment that has limited effectiveness and requires lots of time and energy to apply to our hives,” he said, in a news release. “If we can prevent an infection in our hives, we can avoid costly treatments and focus our energy on other important elements of keeping our bees healthy.”
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FBSciences and Koch Agronomic Services Sign Commercial Agreement to Create Next Generation Seed Enhancement Solutions
Under a new commercial agreement, FBSciences and Koch Agronomic Services (Koch) are collaborating to bring the latest in agricultural technologies and products to market. Through this strategic relationship, the two companies will leverage the synergies of their technologies to deliver next generation solutions for plant health. In more than 1,600 trials over 16 years, FBSciences has proven the power of FBS Technologies to deliver significant improvements to nutrient use efficiency, stress mitigation, and overall plant and soil health. Their growing lineup of more than 80 products has demonstrated their role as an industry leader in crop nutrition and crop protection solutions, maximizing ROI for growers while improving environmental performance.
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4 Things to Do When Your Kids Come Home to Farm
Matt and Lisa Moreland hoped at least one of their sons would return to their farm based near Medford, Okla. What they didn’t anticipate was all three sons – James, Will and David – wanted to join the family business once they completed their college degrees. “It put me back on my heels. I thought, ‘Wow, we’re going to have to find a way to grow,’” Matt recalls. That was seven years ago, read on for the four things Moreland says he has learned in the process.
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Harsher Climate Pushing More Cattle to Midwest
Weather may have pushed some cattle north, and depending on future forecasts, that trend could continue. Severe drought in major cattle producing areas has not only forced some liquidation, but has seen many of those animals end up in the Midwest. “For example, water availability is a major concern,” says Dan Loy, director of the Iowa Beef Center. “It was a concern before, but drought has really exacerbated the issue.” Those concerns will create opportunities for Midwestern feedlots, he says. “We can take advantage of low-cost ethanol co-products, moving cattle from south to north,” Loy says.
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Warming Weather Causing Tree Fruit Concerns
An extension specialist is concerned about the impact warm winter weather could have on fruit crops. Nikki Rothwell with Michigan State University Extension tells Brownfield, “This weather quite frightens me.” Rothwell oversees the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center in Traverse City which experienced several days near or above 50 degrees in the last week. “Trees don’t come out of dormancy on a dime, but these things don’t help in terms of sustainable, long-term management of these perennial cropping systems,” she says. Rothwell says increasingly warm, wet, dry, and cold weather fluctuations can limit the lifespan of orchards and could be causing more tree deaths in the region.
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