Montreal, 8/08/2006 – The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is pleased to note that its continental initiative to reduce the risk of exposure to the toxic pesticide lindane has gained considerable momentum.

Lindane was used as a grain seed treatment.

Lindane, also known as gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane, (γ-HCH), gammaxene, Gammallin and erroneously known as benzene hexachloride (BHC), is an organochlorine chemical variant of hexachlorocyclohexane that has been used both as an agricultural insecticide and as a pharmaceutical treatment for infestations of lice and scabies.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced (1 August) that lindane manufacturers in the United States have voluntarily agreed to withdraw registration of this persistent, toxic and bioaccumulative chemical for its last six remaining agricultural uses.

This announcement underlines the success of the CEC’s four-year effort to develop its North American Regional Action Plan on Lindane and Other Hexachlorocyclohexane Isomers (lindane NARAP). Similar NARAPs on chlordane and DDT successfully eliminated the use of these pesticides in North America, and plans are currently in place to reduce the impact of mercury and PCBs on the environment.

Lindane belongs to a family of toxic chemicals known as organochlorines. DDT, which has been phased-out across North America, is also one of these substances. These chemicals tend to persist in the environment for a very long time; they are also toxic and tend to accumulate in the tissues of living organisms including humans.

The lindane NARAP being developed by Canada, Mexico and the United States has helped determine the many current sources of this pesticide, including its production outside North America. It will offer options for the three countries to further reduce the risk of exposure and set out a program to coordinate monitoring and assessment on a continental basis.

This announcement by the EPA and the United States’ pesticide industry supports the recent ban on agricultural uses in Canada and the planned elimination of all lindane uses in Mexico. The CEC anticipates these actions will influence decisions regarding the status of lindane under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

There are several alternative substances for lindane. Use of the chemical as a pharmaceutical treatment for head lice and scabies will still be authorized in Canada and the United States, but generally only in cases where no other treatment has been effective.

Source:  The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Mouse Tractor is freely-available program that saves you from having to click over and over, which as we all know can get really boring when you’re harvesting large Farm Town fields.

Monthly Farm Town Users Still Rising

Despite competition from FarmVille, the number of people playing Farm Town every month is still going up and up. This is because of the social aspect and the new features that are being added by Slashkey constantly.

New Farm Town Cheat – Plowing Next To a River

It seems that field areas right next to a river can be plowed over and over in the same spot, increasing your experience points for every time you do it! This is worth taking advantage of before the developers remove the bug.

All About Farm Town Trees

Trees are a common gift from one farmer to another, and they’re a great source of coins over a slightly longer period than crops. Also, note that the fruit that grow on trees never, ever go bad, so you can forget about them for as long as you like, and still be able to harvest them.

Source: http://www.farmtownguide.com

“Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet; and so are you.” This poem has been familiar for many years. This has been used for most gentleman in there courtship and were every women jiggle. The flower symbolizes different characteristics of a person. “Roses are red” which means Love; “Violet are blue” means always be true. The man pronounced his love that is always true and sweet to the woman he loved.

Flowers and Humans

Flowers are different
And so are the humans.

Humans are beautiful
And so as the flowers

Flowers are like humans
So emotional yet so strong

Humans are like flowers
So soft yet so hard

Flowers and Human work well
For they are the same

Human and Flowers get along
For they symbolic of trinity

I have made this poem, I don’t know if it’s good or a disaster, I just want to let people know that been with different flowers makes me feel good. When I’m blue the Crocus helps me to cheer up. And when I’m with you I have the Daffodil. I have this notion that every man must have different flowers in there garden. This is not only for the better of our self but also to beautify our surroundings.

I have here some Flower Gardening Tips that would be a help.

• A Sunny Spot is Best – pick a spot that is in full direct sun. It should be sunny all day long or for at least half the day including noontime.
• Flat Ground is Easy to Garden – flat ground is best because it is the easiest to work on. A slight slope will do fine, too, although the steeper it is the more difficult it is to garden on.
• Remove Grass, Sod or Weeds First – First, remove any existing grass or weeds including the roots. The more thoroughly you do this chore now, the better your results will be later.
• Amend Soil: Add Organic Matter – Next, loosen the soil and mix organic matter into it. Organic matter is a catchall term for decomposed materials such as compost, old rotten leaves, well aged stable manure/bedding, spent mushroom soil, or whatever materials you have available locally at reasonable cost
• Flower Garden Style – think about how you want your flower garden to look. Do you like a formal or informal style? What color(s) do you like? What mood? What kind of backdrop will it have?
• Selecting Flowers to Grow – What should I plant? This is the big question and every gardener will have their own personal answer to it, depending on the growing conditions where the garden is and other practical considerations, plus the style of garden, and of course based on personal taste.
• Have Fun! – I love growing flowers and flower gardening. It is so much fun, it can even become addictive. It’s even good exercise. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
P.S : You can also expand your garden if you want to. Use the love of flower as your business. It would really be fun. Happy Gardening!

Swine influenza refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs. Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus. Swine flu is common in swine and rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. However, these strains rarely are able to pass from human to human. Rarely, SIV mutates into a form able to pass easily from human to human. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak is believed to have undergone such a mutation. This virus is named swine flu because one of its surface proteins is similar to viruses that usually infect pigs, but this strain is spreading in people and it is unknown if it infects pigs.
The 2009 swine flu outbreak or H1N1 outbreak or North American influenza outbreak is the spread of a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus that was first detected by public health agencies in March 2009. Local outbreaks of an influenza-like illness were first detected in three areas of Mexico, but the new strain was not clinically identified as such until a month later in Texas and California, whereupon its presence was swiftly confirmed in various Mexican states and Mexico City; within days isolated cases elsewhere in Mexico, the U.S., and several other Northern Hemisphere countries were also identified. By April 28, the new strain was confirmed in Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Israel and suspected in many other nations, including South Korea and Austria, with over 2,500 candidate cases, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise their pandemic alert level to 4. A level 4 warning means that the WHO considers that there is “sustained human to human transmission”; whereas levels 5 and 6 represent “widespread human infection”.
The new strain is an apparent reassortment of several strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, which analysis at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified as a strain endemic in humans, a strain endemic in birds, and two strains endemic in American and Eurasian pigs (swine).
In late April both the United Nations WHO and the U.S. CDC expressed serious concern about the situation, as it had the potential to become a flu pandemic due to the novelty of the influenza strain, its transmission from human to human, and the unusually high mortality rate in Mexico. On April 25, 2009, the WHO formally determined the situation to be a “public health emergency of international concern”, with knowledge lacking in regard to “the clinical features, epidemiology, and virology of reported cases and the appropriate responses”. Government health agencies around the world also expressed concerns over the outbreak and are monitoring the situation closely.
On April 24, 2009, Mexico’s schools, universities, and all public events were closed or suspended while other schools in the U.S. closed due to confirmed cases in students. Schools in Mexico were then announced to be closed until May 6, 2009.

As an audience in a horse race, we meant wonder how these horses are being training and taking care of. How the strength and the tremendous speed of each horses differ from one another. I’m not a racer nor do I own a horse. It’s just that my curiosity of wanting to know about this horse is built in my stamina.

Before we jump up to horse racing tips we must first know some basic horse care tips. It’s every horse rider and owner secret strategy, perform the proper horse care tips. Here are some basic Horse Care Tips:

• You must know how to approach and behave around a horse. A horse can’t see everything around itself, so that is one of the reasons it can get scared easily. It does not have great peripheral vision. Horse kicks anything approaching from behind out of a protective instinct. Instead, walk up to it from the side to begin grooming or getting on his saddle.

• Read your horses behavior and body language. A horse says a lot by his ears. Horses move their ears a lot depending on their mood and surroundings. To check if your horse is happy or content, you can observe his behavior and body language. You can see that his ears are slightly back, but not flat against his head. If your horse is alert, he still might be happy, but he is definitely not relaxed.

• Stable your horse. It includes the stable equipments, supplies and the bedding. The best bedding situation for your horse is a deluxe horse barn that is located near your house. Your horse barn will need a box stall, a standard stall, a tack room and a feed room. This requires a lot of room, however, so most horse owners will just have a simple structure since they cannot afford all of this room. No matter where you keep your horse every day, you will need to make sure that you have a good roof over your horse’s head to give him the protection he needs from the sun and weather.

• Feeding a Healthy Horse Feed Diet. Fiber is extremely important for your horse. You will need to make sure that you have the right kind of feed for your horse at all times. You will need horse quality hay delivered to you to avoid getting hay that wasn’t cut or dried properly for your animal. In fact, if you give your horse bad hay, it can kill it. You will need to break a bale of hay open and smell it before you think about feeding it to your horse. If it looks or smells dusty with a musty scent, do not feed it to your horse. Hay that comes from the first or even second cutting is okay and has a lot of nutritional supplements.

• Horse grooming tools, combs and brushes. You will also need to have a curry comb when you are grooming your horse. The curry comb is a unique brush that removes the mud and loose hair from the horse’s coat. In addition, the curry comb can also be used to brush out the horse’s tail and mane. In this way, you can get rid of its tangles and snarls.

• Groming Tips. There can be different ways on how to groom your horse and everybody does it a little differently. However, there are some things that should never be ignored or skipped over. You should always make sure that your horse is securely tied up to his cross ties for the safety of both of you. In addition, make sure that their halter is fastened safely before you pick up any equipment. The best way to start grooming your horse is to stand next to your horse so that you are in line with his left shoulder, facing his back. From there, you can run your hand down his leg and hopefully pick it up.

• How to win your horse trust and confidence. It is really important for every horse rider to gain there companions trust. If you have a horse that has a shy nature, but hasn’t been abused, it can also be difficult for the horse to trust you. All it takes is some time together. You will reconsider how you approach him. Make sure you move slowly and approach the horse from the left. If you are walking towards him with anything in your hands, stretch it out in front of you to show him there is nothing to be afraid of whatsoever. If you have a horse that has been abused, it can be nearly impossible to gain the horses trust. You shouldn’t give up hope, however. Plenty of horses have come back around after hours and hours of patience and love.

Heres some tips in capping a horse race according to professionals:
Tip #1 – Betting Angle: Lone Speed
Front runners win more than their share of racesat good odds, especially if they can get a clear lead early inthe race and make their rivals play catch up. When you look atthe running lines in the racing program, try to find a horse thathas an abundance of 1s and 2s in its running lines. If you canfind only one horse in the race with this type of running lines,there is a good chance that horse will be the lone speed.
Tip #2 – Angle: First and Second TimeLasix
There is no question that many horses improvewhen given the legal medication Lasix for the first time. Buthorses also improve when getting Lasix for the second time – andat better odds. Bettors who believe only in the first-time Lasixangle often disregard horses that show improvement on first-timeLasix without winning. This results in better odds for those whoare playing the lucrative second-time Lasix angle.
Tip #3 – Angle: Layoff Specialists
Horses that show the ability to win off a layoffof four weeks or more will often continue to win off the shelfthroughout their careers – especially when teamed with a trainerwho has won with the horse off a layoff in the past.
Tip #4 – Angle: Big Win
If a horse has come from just off the pace intheir most recent race and then drawn away through the stretchto win by more than four lengths, they will often perform wellin their next start, even when moving up in class at good odds.
Tip #5 – Angle: Change in Running Style
When a horse who always runs from well back inthe pack, as indicated by their running lines, suddenly flashesspeed in a race, it can signal that the horse is ready to wakeup and run a big race in one of their next few starts. Similarly,when a horse that always goes to the lead suddenly shows the abilityto come from well off the pace – they too can be ready to wakeup at a price.
Tip #6 – Angle: The Heart Factor
Always read the comment lines at the end of therunning lines looking for comments that indicate a horse gavetheir best. Comments that include words such as “good try”, “gamely”,”game try”, “good effort” or “gave best” indicate that the horsesis a courageous sort – and these types win more than their shareof races. Horses with numerous comments like the above in theirracing lines are among the best bets in racing.
Tip #7 – Angle: Trouble
The comment lines at the end of the running linesmay also include trouble-related words such as “checked”, “steadied”,”lacked room” and “stumbled start”. These words indicate thatthe horse may have been prevented from winning due to some kindof bad luck or lack of running room. These horses should alwaysbe given a second look in their next three starts.
Tip #8 – Angle: Rider Switches
When a leading percentage trainer replaces alower percentage jockey with a leading jockey, they are usuallyindicating that they are trying everything they can to win. Topriders often have their choice of the best horses and top trainersoften have their choice of top riders. This makes for a powerfulcombination. Many trainers tend to win more often with certainjockeys – and those jockeys may not necessarily be among the leaders.Watch for hot jockey-trainer patterns.
Tip #9 – Angle: First Time Blinkers Onor Off
When a horse gets the shades on for the firsttime they can improve dramatically – particularly if they aretwo or 3-year-olds who are still learning the horseracing game.Blinkers can shield a horse from distractions and help them performto the best of their ability. Blinkers off for the first timecan help a nervous horse relax enough to give a top effort. Blinkerson or off can also stimulate a mental boost to a horse that hasbeen showing little interest leading to a better effort.
Tip #10 – Angle: Route Horses in Sprintsoff a Layoff
This angle produces some big longshots and isgreat to use in the spring when everyone seems to be betting speed.It is easier to get a natural distance horse fit to run a sprintof six furlongs than it is to get a sprinter ready to go the samedistance. If you spot a horse who often runs a route of ground,making their first start off the layoff in a sprint, always givethem a second look – especially when in the hands of a top trainer.

Producers, extension workers and nineteen rice researchers from Brunei Darussalam are in the Philippines for their training and capacity enhancement activities recommended by the PhilRice (Philippines Research Institute). This is to introduce the country’s rice production to Brunei.
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, his majesty, said the rice price crisis in early 2008 and the looming threat of food insecurity worldwide prompted him to strengthen his kingdom’s domestic agricultural production, especially rice, and to make food security a long term policy priority of his government,
Brunei hopes that the Philippines will increased the production of rice in 2010 by 20% and in 2015 it will increase to 60% to reduce its reliance on rice importation. It imported 29, 5252 tons of rice in 2007, which was almost 100% of its domestic requirement and buffer stock.
Arthur C. Yap , the Agriculture Secretary , was in Brunei on March 3-4 to firm up the Philippine government’s technical assistance. Recommended areas of assistance are varietal improvement, demonstration and promotion of rice production technologies, capacity building, dispatch of rice technical experts and skilled workers, and promotion of rice machinery.
The first batch of PhilRice’s skilled workers and technical experts, one of these technical experts is an engineer of the National Irrigation Administration, are now in Brunei. They will stay there until April 18 to establish a 10-hectare of rice technology cum seed production demonstration farm and set up screen house trials of 220 breeding lines.
The multidisciplinary team is also a part of the training. It is to train Brunei’s Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources-Department of Agriculture personnel on land preparation, crop establishment, water management, and use of rice machinery. PhilRice will also showcase a rice farm with at least 4.0 t/ha yield. More rice technical experts, skilled workers, and farmers are to be dispatched to Brunei.

PhilRice was established in 1985 as the national lead agency for the planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of all rice research and development activities in the Philippines. It has received about 50 awards and recognitions.

“Young people are increasingly interested in getting their serve of fruit in a processed form and quickly turning away from whole fruits” – Julian Mellentin.
The New Zealand – based New Nutrition Business editor said super fruits were cashing in on changing consumer preferences, particularly among young people who seek convenience and so choose an acai juice over eating an apple an apple a pear.

Convenience was one aspect in increase of superfruits. Along with sensory appeal, originality, control of supply, health benefits and price. Mellentin noted that superfruit juices presented fruits in their most convenient structure, a reality that allowed heavy price premiums to be charged due to the appeal to increasingly time-starved consumers.

These same consumers were drawn to a juice product over a particular whole fruit such as pomegranate that can be time-consuming, messy and difficult to eat in its whole form.

Superfruit juices offered cost savings for growers and producers as end-product appearance concerns were dispensed with. Superfruit extract-based food supplements such as bilberry, cranberry, acerola and pomegranate were also performing strongly, and bilberry had become the world’s most expensive fruit.

Japanese food and beverage makers were increasingly focusing research and development on superfruits with health benefits ranging from the eyes, to skin to metabolic syndrome and general immunity.

The other five factors

Mellentin observed a defining factor in the success of superfruits is the fact they sell at low volumes but command high premiums. This situation is being driven by:

• Sensory appeal. It s a formulators that can improve on unpleasant taste that may exist in the whole fruit.
• Novelty. It highlights the point that superfruit success lays not so much in the fruit, but the format in which it is presented.
• Control of supply. Without this differentiation of product offering may be lost so securing ownership of Plant Variety Rights becomes important.
• Health benefit. A positive relationship between the quantity of science and a superfruit’s status with cranberry, blueberry and pomegranate leading the way.
• Marketing. The success of a pomegranate which employed grassroots marketing such as sampling and a cassis campaign that created a cartoon character.

The Dupont which is the world’s second largest chemical company in terms of market capitalization and fourth in revenue is now a partner of International Rice Research Institute or IRRI. IRRI is a non-profit agricultural research and training organization with offices in more than ten nations. Its main goal is to find sustainable ways to improve the well being of present and future generations of poor rice farmers and consumers while at the same time protecting the natural environment. There main headquarters are built in the Philippines. The partnership of the Dupont and IRRI are announced March 3 2009 to boost the rice yields.

“This innovative and novel partnership will enable the leading public research institution in rice breeding and genetics to collaborate with the global leader in advanced plant genetics, breeding and product development to increase global rice productivity,” said Bill Niebur, vice president of DuPont Crop Genetics Research and Development.

Mr. Niebur states that the partnership with IRRI is to strengthen and accelerated hybrid rice breeding efforts. They will enhance the commercialization of the yielding hybrids in Asia to help meet the global demand.

The goal of this collaboration is to increase the rate of yield gains and boost the quality and diversity of hybrid rice. Collaborating scientist will further develop hybrids with better resistance to brown planthopper a key insect pest. The aspects of this work will be shared publicity and will contribute to making better advanced breeding lines and hybrids available to rice breeders and farmers in Asia.
The project will complement the IRRI-led Hybrid Rice Research and Development Consortium.

“Yield growth rates have slowed to less than 1 percent per year since 2000.
“If this trend isn’t reversed soon, future rice supplies will tighten and prices will rise,” said Achim Dobermann, IRRI deputy director general for research.
“A turnaround can only come through accelerated investment in rice research, including innovative, public-private sector partnerships such as this one between IRRI and DuPont.

The new program establishes a scholarship program to support continued interest in agriculture research. The Dupot business Pioneer Hi-Bred will fund a doctorate scholarship to educate a new generation of highly qualified rice scientist for the public and private sectors in Asia.

In the north central North Dakota of United States where the Minot city is located has develop a processing plant to explore the feasibility and create a market as well as to research the impact Superfeeds would have on the beef, dairy and swine industries.

Superfeeds , known as co – products, are produced from the wheat milling, ethanol production, crushing oilseeds, malting barley and processing sugar beets. It includes wheat midds, beet pulp, sunflower, soybean, corn and canola meal, distiller grains and pea products among others.
The idea of Superfeeds is to find the right combination of two or more co-products to improve the protein and energy content as well as the safety and shelf-life of conventional feed.
It is high in fiber and protein and low in starch, but their nutritional content can be inconsistent. They can use as a protein supplement for gazing animals or formulated to be a complete feed for young animals. The common for this is the pellet or cake which is the concept of mixes different of Superfeeds and types of livestock feeds.

There are numerous research reports that suggest several positive benefits using co-products or superfeed. The following are the benefits of a Superfeed for the producers.
 It increases the animal performance.
 It improves shipping and handling, convenience, ease to use, shelf life and safety of feed that is in a pellet form.
 It palatability and digestibility can be increased with specific formulations.
 And it increased economic returns.
Due to the increase of corn, barley, peas and oilseed production in the state, co-products are becoming more readily available and more research is being con ducted to find ways to utilize these products by overcoming these obstacles.

An animal scientist at North Dakota State University Vern Anderson lead the research study, it find out that the majority of agricultural processing of facilities spread across the state produce one or more of the co-products that are available for livestock feed.

This study has been carried out with the Carrington Research Extension Center, Animal Sciences Department on the NDSU Campus and Carrington-area business/Rural Economic Area Partnership Zone community agencies as well as individual communities and business throughout the state.

The funding is being provided by grants from the Agriculture Product Utilization Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development under a REAP set-aside program, N.D. Department of Agriculture, various commodity organizations and the Carrington Research Center and Animal Science Dept at NDSU.

Last five years the result of the 2002 census for women ran the farms is 237, 819 and now it has increase to 30 percent. Women in the west are listed as principal operators on about 14 percent of all U.S farmers according to the Census of Agriculture in the year 2007. It contains 306, 209 operators of women from farmers or ranchers in the west side. In the state like the Washington, California, Idaho and Oregon farms are controlled by the women in five years. More than half of this states have the women as the major operators.

Jane Burns of Nampa in Idaho is one of them. She operates the Meadowlark Farm for 20 years and recently raises poultry and sheep. She is working in a partnership to process the chickens and selling the meat in Boise area farmer’s markets. She enjoys selling her own products in farmers’ markets and the opportunity for personal contact with her customers. Burns owns 10 acres on Nampa’s eastern edge, 21 miles from her main market in Boise. She leases seven more acres, plus some pasture near Caldwell for a few sheep.

Burns is just one of the thousands women in town who operates there own farms. Women primarily operate 12.43 percent of the said state farms in 2007. Women were listed as one of the top three operators on 12,646 Idaho farms, or 49.89 percent all those in the state.
In neighboring country Oregon, listed the highest percentage of women operates there farm in. Women run 21.41 percent or 8,255 operations of farms in the state. Nearly two out of every three Oregon farms – 64.83 percent – have women as one of the top three operators.
Washington and California also exceed the national average of women as primary and secondary operators that have been said in the Capital Press. Women in the Washington operates the farms are 20.59 percent and in California it take 18.47 percent in 2007. It’s an increase of 43.6 percent since 2002 in Washington and 18.6 in California.

Nationally the census shows women are one of the top three operators on 44.68 percent of all farms and ranches. That’s 985,192 farms or ranches out of the 2.2 million operations in the nation.