29/11/13: Cargill's voluntary product recall; Australia goes against the grain; new weather scheme for African farmers

Cargill recently announced it is to recall two of its products as a result of incorrect levels of calcium.

Cargill prides itself on providing the best quality products. In a voluntary recall, both the Nutrena NatureWise Meatbird & NatureWise Chick Starter Grower feed products will be recalled.

The affected products were sold in the US states of Arkansas, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, Kansas, western Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. According to Cargill,  products produced after 21 November 2013 contain the correct level of calcium.

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As reported by the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC), the country has blocked US conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland's (ADM) A$3.4bn (USD$3.1bn; UK£1.9bn) takeover of GrainCorp - its biggest grain merchant.

"I consider that now is not the right time for a 100% foreign acquisition of this key Australian business," Joe Hockey, treasurer of Australia was quoted as saying by the ABC.
 

He added that the industry was "going through transition and now is not the right time to have all the major players foreign owned".

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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialist UN agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries has announced a new scheme to help African farmers gather accurate information about the weather, in order to make decisions about activities, such as sowing, irrigation and harvesting.

African farmers can benefit from an imaginative scheme - 'Smart ICT for Weather and Water Information and Advice to Smallholders in Africa' -  involves the innovative use of technology to provide access to the best available forecasting and planning advice, allowing for a more effective use of scarce water resources.

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Joe Hockey, treasurer, Australia at the official opening of his campaign office for the seat of North Sydney at the Australian federal election 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)