A historic drought in the southern Plains intensified in the last week and contributed to dry conditions emerging in the heart of the Midwest crop belt, a weekly climatologists' report said Thursday.
Japan's government ordered the suspension of all shipments of beef cattle from Fukushima prefecture on Tuesday after discovering that cattle fed rice straw contaminated with high levels of radioactive cesium had been shipped nationwide.
The discovery has added to consumer worries over food safety following contamination incidents for vegetables, tea, milk, seafood and water due to radiation lea
Even after explosions rocked the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Kuniaki Sato, who raises cattle here about 20 miles from the crippled complex, said he had received no clear warning from the government about the possible dangers of radiation to his herd.
So six weeks after the accident, on April 23, he shipped 12 of his prized cattle from his farm to market.
More than 500 beef cattle that ate feed contaminated by radioactive material from Fukushima have already shipped to other parts of Japan, an initial result of inspections on the area's farms showed Monday.
Separately, Yomiuri newspaper said Japan's central government is expected to announce restrictions on shipments of beef cattle that might have eaten contaminated feed Tuesday at the earliest.
Punjab is heralding a second white revolution in the country. Commercial dairy farming being the new wave in the state, with about 5,500 commercial dairy farms, Punjab is fast emerging as a model for other states.
Young farmers with an entrepreneurial streak are leaving behind the travails of diminished returns from small land holdings.
Livelihood pattern of the people of an area is directly influenced by the local biodiversity. Biodiversity is essential for human survival and economic well-being, and for the ecosystem function and stability. Over exploitation and biodiversity loss affects livelihood and food security of the local. People change their livelihood strategies as an adaptive response to changes in their environment. Some livelihoods flourish while others diminish, and this ebb and flow is the result of a changing livelihood context.
On Tuesday in a ceremony in Rome, the United Nations is officially declaring that for only the second time in history, a disease has been wiped off the face of the earth.
Everyone has heard of smallpox. Very few have heard of the runner-up.
