SNAIL FARMING

Snail farming is not a new concept. From the prehistoric age, human has been consuming snail meat because of its high rate of protein, iron, low fat, and including almost all the amino acid which is needed for human body. Basically snails originated from wild life they are considered as good food and source of nutrition. Snail farming has many kinds of benefits. If a person raise them and expects to get possible qualities, he has to care them properly. In the recent years snail farming increasing day by day and turns into a large scale from small cottage industry because of its real economic value.

Suitable Place and Soil

For snail farming an open pasture should select where suitable plants are grown for feed and shelter. Basically any kinds of shed are not used. At the time of selecting a site for snail farming the main concern should given to the prevailing wind that is essential to dry out the soil. A farmer have to concentrate to eliminate predatory insects and pests. For this reason soil analysis and ensuring growing leafy, green vegetable crops are urgent. It is said that friable soil with PH 5.8 to 7.5 and calcium contain soil is useful in this regards.

The soil structure should be light because clay soil is inappropriate for egg lying and moving. Besides, plants and snail should keep moist by night time dew, rain or collected misting. Snail can move more easily on moist, leaves and ground and that is why they can eat more and grow faster.Proper drainage system is necessary because no water should remain on ground in puddles. Rain water and collected irrigation is also important for snail farming. The place should be free from big tress so that no predatory and insects can grow and these tress give shade for the development of crops that hinders dew fall.

Size of Farm

Generally the size of a farm may be varied or depends on the category of grower. Cottage industry or the people who start from his hobby can utilize around 1000 to 2000 meters area. On the other hand, the people who start as a small business can use, average around 3000 to 10,000 squares meters area. If a farmer wants to start in a large scale, he has to take at least 2 hectors area and must increase this area with the increasing of his business up to 30 hectors.

Constructing a Snailery

There are different kinds of snailery can be built. In this regards, some factors have to take in consideration. Firstly, the snails stage of development and snails habit. The most important matter is that snailery must be an escape proof and be effective against predators and it permits easy entree to the trend snails. When a person wants to build a snailery, he must require some materials that are decay- and termite –resistant timber, such as Milicia excelsa (trade name- iroko); Nauclea diderrichii (trade name- opepe); Lophira alata (trade name – ekki), sandcrete  blocks; mosquito nets and polythene sheets. These types of materials are needed for each kinds of snailery that are mentioned below.

• Hutch boxes
• Trench pens
• Mini Paddock pens
• Moveable pens
• Free range pens
• 
  
  
  
  • Leaves: Cocoyam, kola, bokoboko, paw paw, cassava, okra, eggplant, loofa, etc.
  • Fruits: Pawpaw, mango, banana, pear, oil palm, fig tomato etc.
  • Tubers: Cocoyam, cassava, yam, sweet, potato and plantain.
  • Flowers: Oprono, odwuma and pawpaw.
  Types of Feed
• 
  Some studied show that A.achatina can utilize a wide range of feed items. Basically it prefers green leaves, fruits, tubers and flowers. Unlike other species it favors leaves and fruits which are separated from main plant. Snails prefer wet leaves to dry leaves. The recommended feed items are below.
  Feed Generally the most of the species of snail are vegetarian and they accept many kinds of feed. Different types of feed that is favored by the most investigated species, Achatina achatina, and the diet that is recommended to the farmers who is rearing this species, described here.
• 
  
  
  
  • Leaves: Cocoyam, kola, bokoboko, paw paw, cassava, okra, eggplant, loofa, etc.
  • Fruits: Pawpaw, mango, banana, pear, oil palm, fig tomato etc.
  • Tubers: Cocoyam, cassava, yam, sweet, potato and plantain.
  • Flowers: Oprono, odwuma and pawpaw.
  Types of Feed
  Some studied show that A.achatina can utilize a wide range of feed items. Basically it prefers green leaves, fruits, tubers and flowers. Unlike other species it favors leaves and fruits which are separated from main plant. Snails prefer wet leaves to dry leaves. The recommended feed items are below.
  Feed Generally the most of the species of snail are vegetarian and they accept many kinds of feed. Different types of feed that is favored by the most investigated species, Achatina achatina, and the diet that is recommended to the farmers who is rearing this species, described here.
• 
  
• Marketing
• 
  West Africa and west French are the two main areas of snails’ consumption in the world. In West Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire are the main markets of snails. France plays a significant role in snails’ trade. Some of the snails are imported from French and exported to the European countries or North America. Annually, the USA alone about imports $200 million worth of snails. Other markets are Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, Japan , Sweden, Austria, Denmark etc. and the main suppliers to these markets are Greece, Turkey, Rumania, Algeria, Tunisia etc.
• Diseases
• 
  It is recommended to the farmers that a hygienic environment of snails can prevent the spread of disease and improve the health and grow rate of snails. For example,   removing or replacing daily food to avoid spoilage. Farmer should add earthworms to the soil that helps to keep the pen clean and also have a concern about intestinal infections that causes for the bacterium Pseudomonas. Snails may be attacked by parasites, nematodes, trematodes, fungi, and micro arthropods when the populations of snails are dense. Careful consecrations have to for predators such as: rats, mice, moles, skunks, weasels, birds etc. NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

As both public and private enterprises gear up towards a return to the Moon and the first human footsteps on the Red Planet, there is a renewed focus on keeping people alive and productive in these extreme environments. Plants, and specifically crop plants, will be a major component of proposed regenerative life-support systems as they provide food, oxygen, scrub carbon dioxide, and aid in water recycling -- all in a self-regenerating or 'bioregenerative' fashion. Without a doubt, plants are a requirement for any sufficiently long duration (time and distance wise) human space exploration mission. There has been a great deal of research in this area -- research that has not only advanced Agriculture in Space, but has resulted in a great many Earth-based advances as well (e.g., LED lighting for greenhouse and vertical farm applications; new seed potato propagation techniques, etc.)
A recent article by Dr. Raymond M. Wheeler from the NASA Kennedy Space Center, now available in open access in the journal Open Agriculture, provides an informative and comprehensive account of the various international historical and current contributions to bioregenerative life-support and the use of controlled environment agriculture for human space exploration. Covering most of the major developments of international teams, it relates some of this work to technology transfer which proves valuable here on Earth.


The idea of using plants to keep people alive and productive in space is not new, both in concept and in scientific inquiry. The article covers a large portion of the historical international research effort that will be the foundation for many of the trade studies and mission design plans for use of artificial ecosystems in space.

Research in the area started in 1950s and 60s through the works of Jack Myers and others, who studied algae for oxygen production and carbon dioxide removal for the US Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Studies on algal production and controlled environment agriculture were also carried out by Russian researchers in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia beginning in the 1960s including tests with human crews whose air, water, and much of their food were provided by wheat and other crops. NASA initiated its Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Program in the early 1980s with testing focused on controlled environment production of wheat, soybean, potato, lettuce, and sweet potato. Findings from these studies paved the way to conduct tests in a 20 m2, atmospherically closed chamber located at Kennedy Space Center.


At about the same time, Japanese researchers developed a Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF) in Aomori Prefecture to conduct closed system studies with plants, humans, animals, and waste recycling systems. CEEF had 150 m2 of plant growth area, which provided a near-complete diet along with air and water regeneration for two humans and two goats.

The European Space Agency MELiSSA Project began in the late 1980s and pursued ecological approaches for providing gas, water and materials recycling for space life support, and later expanded to include plant testing.


A Canadian research team at the University of Guelph started a research facility for space crop research in 1994. Only a few years later, they went on to develop sophisticated canopy-scale hypobaric plant production chambers for testing crops for space, and have since expanded their testing for a wide range of controlled environment agriculture topics.


Most recently, a group at Beihang University in Beijing designed, built and tested a closed life support facility (Lunar Palace 1), which included a 69 m2 agricultural module for air, water, and food production for three humans.


As a result of these international studies in space agriculture, novel technologies and findings have been produced; this includes the first use of light emitting diodes for growing crops, one of the first demonstrations of vertical agriculture, use of hydroponic approaches for subterranean crops like potato and sweet potato, crop yields that surpassed reported record field yields, the ability to quantify volatile organic compound production (e.g., ethylene) from whole crop stands, innovative approaches for controlling water delivery, approaches for processing and recycling wastes back to crop production systems, and more. The theme of agriculture for space has contributed to, and benefited from terrestrial, controlled environment agriculture and will continue to do so into the future. There are still numerous technical challenges, but plants and associated biological systems can and will be a major component of the systems that keep humans alive when we establish ourselves on the Moon, Mars and beyond.


According to Dr. Gary W. Stutte, NASA's principal investigator for several spaceflight experiments designed to grow plants in microgravity:Dr. Ray Wheeler has written a compelling and complete history of the people that have committed their careers to enabling the colonization of space. Drawing upon his deep understanding of the programs developed, people involved, and progress achieved to highlight the accomplishments and contributions of scientist and engineers around the world to bring the vision of space exploration to fruition, he details the problems, challenges, results and contributions from the programs, and reveals how they benefited Earth, as well as space. The review underscores that the answers will be achieved not through proclamation, but through collaboration between nations, cooperation between people, and sustained commitment by institutions. His article should be required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the Space Agriculture." BY NASA.

COVER CROPS MAY BE USED TO MITIGATE AND ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

Climate-change mitigation and adaptation may be additional, important ecosystem services provided by cover crops, said Jason Kaye, professor of soil biogeochemistry in the College of Agricultural Sciences. He suggested that the climate-change mitigation potential of cover crops is significant, comparable to other practices, such as no-till.

"Many people have been promoting no-till as a climate-mitigation tool, so finding that cover crops are comparable to no-till means there is another valuable tool in the toolbox for agricultural climate mitigation," he said.

In a recent issue of Agronomy for Sustainable Development -- the official journal of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, Europe's top agricultural research institute and the world's number two center for the agricultural sciences -- Kaye contends that cover cropping can be an adaptive management tool to maintain yields and minimize nitrogen losses as the climate warms.
Collaborating with Miguel Quemada in the Department of Agriculture Production at the Technical University of Madrid in Spain, Kaye reviewed cover-cropping initiatives in Pennsylvania and central Spain. He said that lessons learned from cover cropping in those contrasting regions show that the strategy has merit in a warming world.

The researchers concluded that cover-crop effects on greenhouse-gas fluxes typically mitigate warming by 100-150 grams of carbon per square meter per year, which is comparable to, and perhaps higher than, mitigation from transitioning to no-till. The key ways that cover crops mitigate climate change from greenhouse-gas fluxes are by increasing soil carbon sequestration and reducing fertilizer use after legume cover crops.

"Perhaps most significant, the surface albedo change -- the proportion of energy from sunlight reflecting off of farm fields due to cover cropping -- calculated for the first time in our review using case-study sites in central Spain and Pennsylvania, may mitigate 12 to 46 grams of carbon per square meter per year over a 100-year time horizon," Kaye wrote.

"Cover crop management also can enable climate-change adaptation at these case-study sites, especially through reduced vulnerability to erosion from extreme rain events, increased soil-water management options during droughts or periods of soil saturation, and retention of nitrogen mineralized due to warming," he said.

Despite the benefits, Kaye is not necessarily advocating that cover crops be planted primarily for the purposes of climate-change mitigation or adaptation. Instead, he thinks the most important conclusion from his analysis is that there appear to be few compromises between traditional benefits of cover cropping and the benefits for climate change.

"Farmers and policymakers can expect cover cropping simultaneously to benefit soil quality, water quality and climate-change adaptation and mitigation," he wrote.
"Overall, we found very few tradeoffs between cover cropping and climate-change mitigation and adaptation, suggesting that ecosystem services that are traditionally expected from cover cropping can be promoted synergistically with services related to climate change. NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER GENE THAT INFLUENCES GRAIN YIELD.

In a paper published April 18, 2017, in Nature Plants, a team led by Thomas Brutnell, Ph.D. Director of the Enterprise Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Danforth Center and researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, conducted genetic screens to identify genes that may play a role in flower development on the panicle of green foxtail. Green foxtail is a wild relative of the common crop foxtail millet. These Setaria species are related to several candidate bioenergy grasses including switchgrass and Miscanthus and serve as grass model systems to study grasses that photosynthetically fix carbon from CO₂ through a water-conserving (C₄) pathway. The genomes of both green foxtail and foxtail millet have been sequenced and annotated through the DOE JGI's Community Science Program.


"We have identified four recessive mutants that lead to reduced and uneven flower clusters," said Pu Huang, Ph.D., the lead author of the paper. "By ultimately identifying the gene in green foxtail we identified a new determinant in the control of grain yield that could be crucial to improving food crops like maize."


The grass Setaria has been proposed as a model for food and bioenergy crops for its short stature and rapid life cycle, compared to most bioenergy grasses. After constructing a mutant population resource for the grass, the Brutnell lab screened 2,700 M2 families, deep sequenced a mutant pool to identify the causative mutation and confirmed a homologous gene in maize played a similar role.
"Identifying this new player in panicle architecture may enable the design of plants with either enhanced or reduced panicle structures," stated Brutnell. "For instance, maize breeding has selected for reduced male panicles, also known as tassels, to reduce shading in the field while still producing sufficient pollen. However, grain yields in sorghum are directly related to the architecture of the panicle. By showing that this gene influences panicle architecture in Setaria and maize, we have expanded the tool box for breeders."


At the Danforth Center, plants hold the key to discoveries and products that will enrich and restore both the environment and the lives of people around the globe. Brutnell's lab research includes the search for the next generation of biofuels: alternative sources of energy that are affordable, sustainable and ecologically sound. The research develops novel computational tools and model systems to identify genes that will improve yield in crops through enhanced photosynthesis. BY DONALD DANFORTH.

HOW TO GROW A CASHEW TREE.

Cashew or Anacardium occidentale originates from the Caribbean Island and the North East of Brazil. But today it is grown in several other tropical parts of the world. Mostly in Africa, India and Southeast Asia for cashew nuts.

It is also called as cashew apple tree; it is part of the Anacardiaceae family, the same family that belongs to pistachio and mango.

Cashew tree can grow up to 6 – 12 m (20 – 40 f) high. Its evergreen leaves are oval, leathery and dark green. They have a prominent midrib.
The flowers, white and pink are gathered in inflorescence at the tips of young shoots. They are smaller in size but very fragrant.

As for the fruits of this tree, do not be fooled by appearances. The cashew apple is oval-shaped, like bell pepper: yellow, orange or red in color is a false fruit (it is also edible). The real fruit, more discreet is a nut attached to the end of the fake fruit. It is that which contains the edible kernel, which we called cashew.

How to Grow Cashew Tree from Seed

Cashew tree can be grown from seeds, air layering, and grafting. To propagate it from seeds, you will need a matured unshelled nut (seed). These seeds are viable up to 4 months.

If you have collected the fresh seed from the tree, dry it in the sun for 3 days and soak in water overnight before sowing.
Sow the seeds in good quality seed starting mix; the seeds will germinate anywhere from 4 days to 3 weeks.

Requirements for Growing Cashew Nuts Tree

Sun

Cashew tree needs at least 6 hours of direct sun, it grows slowly and doesn’t fruit if grown in the shade.

Soil

Cashew prefers poor sandy and laterite soil with the pH level around 5 – 6.5. Never grow cashew tree in a clay-rich soil. It is heavy and encourages waterlogging, and in the case of growing cashew tree, the soil you use should be well drained in a way that water will flow smoothly.

Water
Cashew trees are moderately drought tolerant once established, but they produce more fruits if watered regularly. During the summer, water weekly or twice and deeply. Reduce or withhold watering during winter. Overwatering can harm or even kill your cashew tree, so water only if soil is dry and let the soil to dry out between spells of watering.

FERTILIZER
Cashew tree needs regular application of fertilizer to grow vigorously and produce fruits. Use slow release fertilizer with N-P-K 8 – 3 – 9 according to the product instructions given on the packet, around the base of the tree every two months during growing season. Also apply compost or farm manure once in a year, around 30 pounds (15 kg) on the surface of the soil to a mature tree.

Cashew Nuts Growing Care

Pruning

Prune cashew trees regularly to remove weak, dead and entangled branches and branches that are infested with diseases or pests. Also, cut overcrowded branches to promote vigorous growth.

Mulching

Do mulching around your cashew tree with organic matters to prevent weeds and to conserve moisture.

Pests and Diseases

The cashew tree is generally pest free if it is in good health. Major pests that attack it are tea mosquito, stem and root borer, leaf Miner and blossom Webber.

Harvesting and Cashew Nut Processing

Harvest when cashew apples turn pink or red and cashew nut shell are gray. After harvesting, separate the cashew apple from the nut.

Cashew apple can be eaten raw or make juice of it. Unshelled cashew nut can be stored up to 2 years.
Do not attempt to break the shell before roasting; cashew shell contains very caustic oil which can burn skin.

When processing cashew nut at home must wear gloves and safety glasses and take special care. To learn more on how to process cashew

Cashew Nuts Growing Tips

• Sow fresh cashew seeds for germination, as they germinate easily.
• A tree grown from seeds take 3 to 5 years to produce its first fruits. Our recommendation is to buy a potted plant from a nursery, this way you’ll not have to wait that long.
• Choose a location that is well protected from the wind.
• Cashew grows better when the temperature remains around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (25 C) although it can withstand temperatures as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 C) and as high as 105 Fahrenheit (40.5 C) without any problem.
• Keep the area around the base of your cashew tree free from weeds, small shrubs, vines, and debris.
• One of the most delicious and healthiest nuts cashews are an amazing source of nutrients, and not only the cashew nuts but its fruit cashew apple is nutritious too. It is a rich source of vitamin C, five times more than an orange. It also contains higher amounts of calcium, iron and vitamin B1, which is more than most of the fruits. To know more about the benefits of cashew nuts
  

  Benefits of Cashew Nuts

  Watch for sick or dead branches, prune them if necessary. NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

CROSS RIVER SIGN AGREEMENT WITH CHINA ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

Cross River State government and Hunan province of China, have signed a sister-state agreement to partner in areas of manufacturing, construction, agriculture and education.

The Hunan 50-man delegation was received on arrival at the Margaret Ekpo International airport, Calabar, by the deputy governor, Prof Ivara Esu.

During the pact signing ceremony held at the State Executive chamber, Calabar, Governor Ben Ayade, said: “Hunan and Cross River must come together to form a new economic embrace that depicts cross-economy, culture, respect and prosperity to the two divides.”

Explaining that Cross River State remains the epicenter of tourism with a people highly moderated by their conduct and act, the governor charged the investors to “capture and explore the African market, take advantage of the 1.3billion Africa people waiting to buy your products by using Cross River as your base.”

In demonstration of the sister-states commitment, Ayade announced the donation of land for the establishment of China town in Calabar.

The governor said that Cross River also provides hospitality and create investors ambience for local and international investors.

“Open your hearts to the great businesses as we conduct you round. You are going to have great opportunities in pharmaceuticals, construction, infrastructure, agriculture, solid minerals, manufacturing and final end products. The opportunity is limitless and great, even as the landscape is illimitable,” the governor hinted.

Ayade, who said he was overwhelmed by the visit, further disclosed that “the first 50 investors that will come from Hunan to invest in the state will have land for free to establish their factories.”
Assuring the team of President Muhammadu Buhari’s interest in Cross River and his resolve to ensure that the various projects in the state were completed, the governor said: “We have the President of the country with us, he is ready to make sure that your investment in Cross River and indeed Nigeria is fully protected while ensuring that your investment in the country is also expanded.”

Earlier, Vice Governor of Hunan province in the Peoples Republic of China, Bao Xiang, explained that his team was in the state to not only get the pact implemented, but to ensure that the relationship between China and Nigeria got a boost.

Xiang who spoke through an interpreter disclosed that Hunan has over 73million people, located in the Central part of China with 210,000sq km of land, adding that “in 2016, the total GDP of the province was 430billion US dollars and after more than 30 years’ development, Hunan transited from traditional to a modern province.”

The vice governor explained that his team intended to go into agriculture, education, infrastructure development, manufacturing and cultural partnership with Cross River. He expressed the hope that the relationship between the sister-states will yield fruitful results that will tremendously impact on both countries. BY BABATUNDE AKINSOLA.

WEATHER AND OUTSIDE MONEY FLOW TO DIRECT CORN MARKETS NEXT WEEK.

Early on Friday morning, it appeared that fund selling was active once again. That selling took the July futures contract under the first chart support level, which then worked back above that level when the selling slowed. Looking back at Thursday's selling, we see that open interest increased by 22,000 contracts showing new sellers which many will be quick to attribute to fund activity.

Friday's noon weather maps continued to suggest active rains in the six- to 10-day outlook. Rains during that time frame have been in the forecast since Wednesday with little market reaction. If there were any changes in the noon update, it was increasing rains in the 11- to 15-day time frame. A combination of funds wrapping up their buying for the day along with these maps could have caused the move back to flat where July actually spent most of the day.

If Sunday night's maps are just as wet as in Friday's forecast, we can at least expect support in Sunday night trade. Once the day session starts Monday, it will become a combination of weather maps and seeing if funds return with selling once again. Short-term, we need to factor in fund activity equally with weather forecasts to determine direction next week. Long-term, we still have to figure that weather forecasts will determine the longer term direction of this market.

Bulls

• Bulls will be looking for Friday's weather forecast to continue into Sunday night suggesting slowed planting reports going forward.
• Bulls will need funds to move back to the sidelines, eventually funds will need to cover current short positions but that could be quite some time down the road.
• Monday's five-year average planting pace will be 16%. Bulls will want to see the planting pace come in at any amount under that level.

Bears

• Funds are by far still the #1 factor on the bearish side, even if Friday's COT report shows them adding to shorts there will likely be much more room before reaching record shorts of 229,000.
• Bears were likely happy to see recent lows taken out Friday and will want to see fall/winter lows of 357 1/4 taken out as well.
• If those lows are taken out the next (and last), chart support will be contract lows of 340 1/4. BY RICH NELSON

IMPROVING CORN YIELDS WITH WEX

Planting has commenced and the corn markets are still down. That being said, many farmers are looking for ways to increase their corn yields without hurting their bottom line. One solution many have turned to is the use of a soil amendment product. Such products have shown to help corn crops develop deeper, strong root systems throughout the growing season and higher yields at harvest.
Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® started testing soil amendment products in an effort to provide farmers with the data and information they needed to make the most informed decisions when purchasing these crop performance inputs. One such product is Wex®, a soil amendment product made by Conklin.


Wex® is a multipurpose wetting agent that maximizes the effectiveness of pre-plant, pre-emergent and some post-emergent liquid-applied fertilizer and pesticides with improved suspension. It’s exclusive nutrient-related action (NRA) technology is designed to stimulate root development and improve water and nutrient absorption.

While results varied across the three PFR sites that tested Wex in 2016, mid-season differences such as increased root growth were observed in corn crops where Wex had been applied when compared to the control.


Data from the last two years across multiple locations has shown a +4.99/A. average return on investment (ROI). In 2016, Beck’s PFR site in southern Illinois saw the greatest success with Wex with a $6.73/A. ROI increase and a yield increase of over 3 Bu./A.
The PFR team will continue testing this product in 2017 to determine its ability to stimulate root development, improve water and nutrient uptake, and increase yield and profitability. BY BECKS HYBRID.

LIVESTOCK-CME LIVE CATTLE SCORES 1YEAR TOP FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT DAY.

* Feeder cattle futures end mixed
* USDA cattle report mildly bearish for futures Monday
* Lean hog contracts post more losses
By Theopolis Waters
CHICAGO, April 21 (Reuters) - Chicago Mercantile Exchange
live cattle notched a one-year high for a fourth
consecutive session on Friday, bolstered by improved wholesale
beef demand and futures' discounts to this week's cash prices,
traders said.
Analysts viewed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's monthly
Cattle-On-Feed report, issued after the market closed, as mildly
bearish for futures on Monday.
The report showed U.S. cattle ranchers in March placed 11.0
percent more cattle into feedlots than a year ago in a record
high for the month.
"Some people are still focused on this strong wholesale beef
market and exciting situation with the market hitting new
highs," said Allendale Inc chief strategist Rich Nelson,
explaining why traders might take Friday's bearish report in
stride.
Friday afternoon's average wholesale beef price climbed
$1.44 per cwt to $217.16 from Thursday. Select cuts rose 32
cents to $203.89, the USDA said.
Packers this week paid $130 to $133 per cwt for cattle, as
much as $5 higher than last week given good beef demand, tight
cattle supplies and profitable packer margins.
Investors may expect steady-to-better cash prices next week
as long as beef demand holds up, said traders and analysts.
On Monday USDA will issue the monthly cold storage report at
2 p.m. CDT (1900 GMT) that will include March total beef and
pork inventories.
A few analysts, on average, projected last month's total
beef stocks at 491.8 million pounds and 546.1 million for pork.
CME feeder cattle April futures tracked the exchange's
feeder cattle index for April 20 at 138.05, but profit-taking
pressured the May contract.
April feeder cattle ended 0.650 cent per pound
higher at 138.550 cents. Actively-traded May ended 0.500
cent lower at 139.250 cents.
HOGS AGAIN HIT NEW LOWS
CME May lean hogs slumped to a fresh contract low, and
deferred contracts again racked up new monthly lows, pressured
by their premiums to the exchange's hog index for April 19 at
61.59 cents, said traders.
They also said futures prices may be over-valued based on
current cash hog prices.
May closed 0.775 cent per pound lower at 63.025
cents, and posted a new contract low of 62.500 cents.
Most-actively traded June ended down 0.350 cent at
68.325 cents, its lowest since Oct. 3, 2016.
Fallen futures reflect farmers being paid less for their
animals as supplies grew seasonally and after packers closed
plants during the Easter holiday, said traders. BY THEOPOLIS REUTERS.

Reducing the cost of irrigation farming By Vincent A. Yusuf & Safina Buhari | Publish Date: Mar 30 2017 2:00AM

Motorised pivot distributing water to the crops at the Gurara irrigation farm in Kaduna State


Irrigation farming allows a nation to produce food all year round thereby doubling the amount of food produced.


However, despite the enormous available potential, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said 80 percent of farmland worldwide is not irrigated.


High cost of irrigation equipment, ineffective and wasteful irrigation techniques have made efficient irrigation difficult for many farmers across sub-Saharan Africa.


The state of Nigeria irrigation schemes


Nigeria has huge potentials for irrigation with dam projects spread all over the country. However, most of the dams - the ones that government has invested on - are either abandoned for years or are less than 50% utilised.


Professor Ibrahim Umar Abubakar, Director, Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, who is also an irrigation expert, shared his thoughts in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust.


“Go to any irrigation scheme like the Hadeja-Jama’are river project, the utilisation of the project is just about 50% and this is an irrigation project that is driven by gravity -you don’t have to buy any fuel to pump in water,” he said.





The Zobe dam in Dutsin-Ma in Katsina, which was constructed 40 years ago has very little irrigation activities going on there - the dam, water, everything is there unutilised. At the Jibiya dam also in Katsina State, the utilisation is no more than 40%.









Also, at the Bakolori Irrigation dam at Talata Mafara in Zamfara State, under the Sokoto Rima Water Project established during the Shagari regime, the area cultivated is not commensurate with the amount of water in the dam.


The Doma dam in Nasarawa State under the Lower Benue River Basin Authority is similarly underutilized.




Cost of Irrigation





Professor Abubakar stressed that the cost of irrigation is high if dams are driven by pumps. The Jibiya dam for example is not gravity based irrigation, it is pump-based, water has to be pumped by


big diesel-driven pumps such that every day the irrigation managers have to buy diesel to be able to pump water to farmers.


“This pump-based irrigation requires a lot of money to buy diesel and you know diesel in this country is very expensive,” the expert noted.


How government can design cost effective irrigation scheme


The IAR director, who has worked as expert on irrigation for many years, suggested that to reduce the cost of irrigation, the design of irrigation dams should be gravity-based so that water can flow by gravity, adding that “you don’t have to buy pumps and diesel to pump the water.”


The other way to reduce the cost of irrigation is to reduce the cost of diesel itself.


“In other countries where development is the goal of government, where government is thinking of agriculture, diesel is always half the cost of petrol. In Saudi Arabia for example, diesel is half the cost of petrol. In many other countries, the cost of diesel is always lower than the cost of petrol – do you know why - diesel is used in transporting goods and if the cost of goods is low, the economy will be better.


“Diesel is used in all agricultural heavy machinery - tractors, caterpillars - all heavy machinery. So if the cost of diesel is improved, the economy will improve,” he said.


He noted that farmers using irrigation will fare better because the cost of diesel is low and the cost of irrigation will naturally come down.


How farmers can reduce costs in their farms


Professor Abubakar, advised that another way farmers can reduce the cost of irrigation is to adopt ‘Deficit Irrigation,’ which ensures that you irrigate only at the time the crop needs water. “You just timed the critical period of water needs and irrigate only on those times. In this case, you minimize the number of irrigation you give to your crops and still achieve high yield.”


He stressed that the concept of deficit irrigation needs to be propagated to farmers because “our farmers have the tendencies to irrigate all the time. They believed that more water means more yield, which is not correct.


“The concept of more water, more yield is not correct, because if you over irrigate, it will even bring about reduction in the yield. Irrigation scheduling concept should be propagated to the farmers so that a farm should be irrigated only when the crop needs it.”


The researcher worried that most times when farmers see water, they irrigate, pointing out that the high frequency of irrigation also contributes to the high cost of irrigation.