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.

If 140 head of cattle get out on that highway when the boys are headed up here from the cities, I would have lost everything because of the liability. Kasten also focused on fall-calving cows, for better timing in the calf market and the ability to graze calves on grass for a longer period of time. Livestock depredation by wild animals is not uncommon in the Upper Midwest, but Kasten said the nature of his operation made the losses more painful. Last June, he said he was getting his two...

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. The ethanol craze is putting the squeeze on corn supplies and causing food prices to rise. Backers of alternative production methods argue that a technological change is needed soon,...

Western wheatgrass is a good forage for livestock and withstands flood and drought, which helped it become the official grass of Wyoming. For those of you keeping track, wheatgrass will join the ranks of the esteemed state tree (the plains cottonwood), state bird (the meadowlark), state mammal (bison), and - if you've really been keeping track - the state dinosaur (triceratops) and the state fossil (a fish called Knightia) For those of you keeping track, wheatgrass will join the ranks of...

On the other side, consumer groups fear that cloning may lead to unintended consequences that could harm the nation's food supply and imperil the health of animals. The tale of Blackrose and her clones provides a glimpse into the high-stakes, highly emotional collision of science, ethics, agriculture and food. The federation released a statement late last year saying it was reassured that the FDA's draft review found no health or safety issues with food from cloned animals. In December,...

Although the total cost for 100 kg honey should amount to Rs 20,000 according to the market price of Rs 200 per kilo, the cost amounts to 1.7 million rupees as a separate office and officials have been appointed for the sole purpose of producing and providing honey to the palace. Although the total cost for 100 kg honey should amount to Rs 20,000 according to the market price of Rs 200 per kilo, the cost amounts to 1.7 million rupees as a separate office and officials have been appointed...

Cattle producers in some areas of the region may be able to cut back on the amount of hay they bale and instead use a system of swath grazing for the late fall and early winter months. According to Bryan Neville, research assistant with NDSU's Animal and Range Science Department, their work has shown that swath grazing is an acceptable method for providing forage for beef cows in central North Dakota during the October through December time period. According to Bryan Neville, research...