In-ovo sexing, a technology that promises to make egg production more efficient, has been launched in Europe and Innovate Animal Ag is pushing for its adoption in the US
Innovate Animal Ag, a nonprofit that helps agricultural producers, said the technology can help meet consumer demand in a more humane and sustainable way.
“Our research shows that 89 percent of egg consumers do not understand that the slaughter of male chicks is currently standard practice in the egg industry, and when they learn about the practice they are very interested in alternatives,” said Robert Yaman, founder of Innovate Animal Ag. , he said The Food Institute. “In-ovo sex offers an affordable way to end the practice of chick slaughter.”
In-ovo sexing allows producers to determine the sex of a chick before it is ready to hatch. Since half of the chicks born using traditional methods are male, the technology allows producers to eliminate cockerels before they hatch.
The company's survey found that 61% of consumers are uncomfortable with the practice of killing male chicks and only 11% are aware of the slaughter process after hatching.
Forty-eight percent said they believed the male chicks were raised for meat, Innovate Animal Ag noted.
Meanwhile, in other ag news:
Midwest Braces for the Heat: As the Midwest braces for high temperatures midweek, crop concerns are back. A heat wave sweeping the Midwest threatened to dry out grain crops in the final weeks of the growing season, putting a bumper U.S. harvest at risk, reports said. Bloomberg.
Climate change is putting increasing pressure on the agricultural sector and, subsequently, on the global food supply chain. The Midwest heat wave is another example of anomalous weather events that are becoming more frequent around the world. The biggest concern is the fate of maturing corn and soybean crops grown in the Corn Belt, as the U.S. typically brings to the table nearly a quarter of the world's corn trade according to the USDA.
Some good news, for now, is that this stretch of extreme heat will break in a few days for farmers from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast.
West Coast Storm Update: Tropical Storm Hilary swept through Southern California on Sunday with strong winds and heavy rain, causing widespread flooding and mudslides and threatening crops. Parts of the storm were expected to hit the San Joaquin Valley, which produces 8 percent of the Central Valley's agricultural production and 40 percent of its fruits and nuts. AgShared, an agricultural services company in Bakersfield, said on Facebook that grapes, almonds, spinach, tomatoes and other crops are particularly vulnerable.
“When peanut, almond and corn harvests are expected, the economic impact on California farmers could be significant,” the company said.
Yellow-legged Wedge: The Georgia Department of Agriculture, USDA and the University of Georgia have confirmed that a live yellow-legged wasp has been spotted in the US for the first time. The non-native insect, a type of wasp that builds paper, egg-shaped nests above ground, eats pollinators, threatening the state's honey production and other agriculture.
Unusual Flies: A rare fly it was was discovered by Customs and Border Protection officers in late July on a pocket sheet mission at the Otay Mesa, Calif., cargo facility. The insect was identified as Rhabdotalebra signata, native to Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Costa Rica and not currently in the USDA Pest Identification Database. The shipment was returned to Mexico.
Editor's note: additional reference provided by FI digital content producer/journalist Brittany Borer;
