Plant-based bubble bursts
OPINION: Talking about plant-based food: “Chicken-free chicken” start-up Sunfed has had its valuation slashed to zero by major investor Blackbird Ventures, and its products are no longer available in supermarkets.
OPINION: It seems potty training can help cows reduce emissions.
Researchers described this idea on September 13 in the online edition of Current Biology. Researchers in Germany described how a small herd of cows in Germany learned an impressive trick. The cattle used a small, fenced-in area with artificial turf flooring as a bathroom stall to pee.
Each calf got 45 minutes of what the team calls "MooLoo training" per day, says Current Biology.
"At first, the calves were enclosed inside the bathroom stall. Every time the animals peed, they got a treat. That helped the calves make the connection between using the bathroom and getting a reward. Later, the researchers put the calves in a hallway leading to the stall. Whenever the animals visited the little cows' room, they got a treat. When the calves peed in the hallway, the team spritzed them with water."
Rural trader PGG Wrightson has revised its operating earnings guidance, saying trading conditions have deteriorated since the last market update in February.
It's been a bumper season for maize and other supplements in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Leading farmers from around New Zealand connected to share environmental stories and inspiration and build relationships at the Dairy Environment Leaders (DEL) national forum in Wellington last month.
AgriZeroNZ, a joint venture fast-tracking emissions reduction tools for farmers, is pouring $5 million in a biotech company to develop a low emissions farm pasture with increased productivity gains.
Fonterra is teaming up with wealth app provider Sharesies to make it easier for its farmer shareholders to trade co-op shares among themselves.
Te Awamutu dairy farmers Doug, Penny, Josh and Bayley Storey have planted more than 25,000 native trees on the family farm, adding to a generations-old native forest.