The tests evaluated the insensibility and loss of posture in birds via EEG and EKG by attaching electrodes to the birds’ skin.  Electrodes were also attached to the skull to measure electrical activity in the brain.  These tests recorded an average of 90 per cent reduction in the EEG signal in the birds within 32 seconds.  The animals’ hearts exhibited the signs of full fibrillation of both the ventricles and the atria within 35 seconds.  Loss of posture was recorded at 37 seconds.

In a second series of laboratory tests, a large prototype was designed that worked with a cage that had a capacity for 256 birds.  This next set of experiments determined broiler behaviour by monitoring it by video during the course of the cycle.

The test results revealed that no stress behaviour was observed before the desired pressure was reached.  After loss of posture was recorded, the behaviour noted was comparable to that seen with gas stunning.  Furthermore, no vocalizations were noted during the complete cycle.

In the industrial application, the birds’ corticosterone levels were recorded.  Comparisons were run against twenty birds a day slaughtered in a different manner for three days.  In this way, a mean level of the stress hormone was determined and compared to that of the electrically-stunned broilers.

In the findings, the birds slaughtered through the newer, humane method had no processing problems and were slaughtered more efficiently.  Automated processing procedures did not present any problems.

While the system is still being tested and perfected, it will likely be on the market soon, as consumers demand increasingly humane methods of elevation and slaughter from livestock producers.

Cash crops have a certain inherent amount of instability, and for farmers looking for reliable sources of income, harvesting energy, such as solar power, can provide an additional promise of longevity.

Furthermore, with commercialized, industrialized farms dominating the industry, harvesting green energy could well be the saving grace for the traditional family farm.  In Ontario, for example, farmers can receive licenses from Ontario Power Generation to sell their energy to the province’s energy grid.  While it’s not big business enough to save the average family farm, the thousand or so dollars that a contributing producer can raise certainly helps.

Prior to the licensing program in Ontario, solar panels were a bit of rarity.  In 2009, solar installations contributed less than 100 megawatts of electricity to the provincial grid.  However, with new incentives like the licensing program in place, that number is expected to jump to as much as 700 megawatts in the next two years.

Solar energy production is attractive to producers looking to get involved in energy production since the prices for photovoltaic panels have come down with increased demand for them.  And, unlike wind farms, the panels can often be installed fairly discreetly – on the roofs of houses and barns for example – saving space in the fields for crops.

The prices of solar technology are expected to come down even more going forward.  Countries like China are beginning to invest heavily in the technology and as it becomes more commonly used, its attendant devices and services will also come down in price.

“This is good news for Canadian canola producers who depend on the Chinese market,” said the minister, “but we realize there’s still a lot of work left to do before canola trade with China is fully normalized.  Today’s agreement is securing the conditions to export the 2010 crop year, and we will continue to find a long-term solution to this issue.”
 

The trouble for Canadian producers began back in the fall of 2009, when China put sudden import restrictions on Canadian canola seed due to the presence of blackleg.  While the market in Canada began to tank, an agreement was reached that put transitional measures in place to allow for some disbursement of the 2009 crop.  The extension of the transitional measures means that a temporary import agreement remains in place for 2010.
 

In a statement, Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade, said: “I raised the canola issue with my Chinese counterparts during the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meetings in Japan.  While we are pleased with the progress on this issue, it will be raised again at every opportunity to ensure our canola producers gain long term access to the Chinese market.”
 

The Government of Canada has stated that is fully committed to restoring the country’s exports of canola to China, and that it is raising the issue as often as possible.  The extension of the transitional agreement will mean that the Canadian canola industry can pursue contracts with Chinese importers into the coming year, beginning this August.  The extension stands to make a big impact on Canada’s canola industry; China is one of Canada’s largest importers of canola seed and its import restrictions caused a lot of grievance for canola growers last year.  In 2009, for example, China imported 1.6 million tonnes of canola – a value of $684 million.

According to statistics, males between the ages of 15 and 24 years have the highest rates of any youth for being admitted into the hospital, followed next by boys in the age range of 10 to 14 years.  Making safety a priority for your child can help to ensure that they don’t end up being a statistic.

The surest way to guarantee your child’s safety, of course, is to not let them ride an ATV at all.  But if that sounds like denying your kids life’s pleasures and experiences, than ensuring that they’re riding the right-sized ATV is the next best step.  Recent studies show that almost 90 per cent of youth accidents resulting from ATV crashes occurred when the driver was riding an over-sized, adult ATV.  Research the correct size of ATV for your child, and then look into the manufacturers’ recommendations when it comes time to buy the machine.

It is also recommended that children riding ATVs be closely monitored by their parents.  Youth have less coordination and strength than adults – not to mention less cautious judgment – and parents should ensure that they are traveling at a reasonable speed and choosing safe routes.