The genetic lines of chickens raised at Virginia Tech University were a critical component in a remarkable research study which has proven that evolution happens 15 times faster than has been previously believed. The study was published recently in Biology Letters, a journal of Royal Society Publishing, and involved Virginia Tech researchers, as well as researchers from the University of … Read More
Qiagen Pathogen Kit Ensures Swine Health
New studies performed by QIAGEN show that the recently launched MagAttract 96 cador Pathogen Kit, which is based on the cador family reagents and uses magnetic bead technology, is equivalent in performance to the swine industry’s worldwide recognized gold standard QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit in swine oral fluid pathogen DNA and RNA extraction. The addition of the new pathogen … Read More
Dairy Farmer Testifies at Senate Ag Hearing on Biotech
Joanna Lidback, a dairy producer from northeast Vermont and blogger, testified on behalf of Agri-Mark Dairy Cooperative and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, saying the use of crops developed using biotechnology is a key to farmers’ stewardship of the land. Lidback and her husband, first generation farmers … Read More
Bayer Releases Antibiotic-free BRD Treatment
Bayer Healthcare has formally launched a product that will be very exciting for dairy producers across the country: the product is Zelnate, the latest non-antibiotic innovation to help treat Bovine Respiratory Disease(BRD) due to Mannheimia haemolytica. The DNA Immunostimulant is not a vaccine or an antibiotic, though it will work well as a supplement to those products. Zelnate is the … Read More
Vetericyn Pinkeye Spray Requires No Withdrawal
Results from a study on Vetericyn Plus™ Pinkeye Spray recently completed by Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine shows a significant reduction in both pain scores and lesion size, and finds no need to require a withdrawal period from the product for lactating cows. The Auburn University study found that dairy calves treated with Vetericyn Plus™ Pinkeye Spray had an … Read More
Roka BioScience Salmonella Testing
Salmonella threshold testing was the hot topic in the Roka BioScience booth at the 2015 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). I stopped by to talk with Ted Andrew, Director of Marketing and Product Development about their new approach to bacteria detection and other new opportunities they are offering the industry. “It’s a different way to look at pathogen testing. … Read More
Study Finds No Problems With GMO Feed
A new scientific review from the University of California-Davis has found no adverse impact on the performance and health of livestock and poultry consuming genetically engineered feed in the time since it was first introduced 18 years ago. The review, led by UC Davis animal scientist Alison Van Eenennaam, examined nearly 30 years of livestock-feeding studies that represent more than … Read More
Farmer, Mother & Blogger Talks Biotech at House Hearing
Farmers need to do a better job at connecting with the public when talking about the benefits that biotechnology brings to producers, consumers and the environment, said Joanna Lidback, a dairy farmer from northeast Vermont. Lidback, who also keeps a blog documenting her family’s life on the farm, testified during a hearing of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, … Read More
House Ag Hearing on Biotech Focuses on Alfalfa
The future of biotech alfalfa was in the spotlight as the U.S. House Agriculture Committee held a hearing Thursday to review the biotechnology product regulatory approval process. Prior to the hearing, committee chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) joined Senate Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that the department “return to a science based regulatory system … Read More
USDA Issues Impact Statement on GM Alfalfa
Roundup Ready alfalfa could be headed back to a field near you by next spring. On Thursday, USDA released the long-awaited final environmental impact statement (EIS) that evaluates the potential environmental effects of deregulating genetically modified alfalfa resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide. Announcing the EIS, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said they are considering two possible alternatives for deregulation of the … Read More