By Mary Ann Villanueva Oppus

Hog Farm, Horse Farm and Poultry

WASTE WATER TREATMENT
Hog farms should not exceed standards on water effluents set under RA 9275 (Clean Water Act). Our waterways must be kept clean and free of pollution and other contaminants. Plantex Solution treats wastewater to meet DENR waste water discharge parameters that produce variety of potent enzymes that kills all disease producing microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses & parasites) present in the above environment, thus preventing bacterial disease in ground water, aquatic & marine life. It also catalyzes the breakdown of any organic or inorganic substance and degrade/digest it; allowing enough oxidation, neutralizing the pH level of waste water. It serves as coagulant agent and totally eradicate foul or pungent odor. If added to effluent from the anaerobic digester, it will greatly improve the efficiency of the existing wastewater treatment facility. The final effluent can be recycled for the washing of the pigpens. Recycled water can also be used for irrigating the vegetables and orchards within the farm during the dry seasons. The piggery will no longer discharge wastewater from its operation thus saving the environment and maintaining an odor-free reputation within the area. Dilution Ratio: 1 liter : 1,000 liters of waste water in the lagoon system.

ELIMINATING ODOR
Plantex All-in-One Solution removes the source of odor as it cleans & disinfects. Kills and breaks down the cells of odor-producing bacteria, and stops its growth, breaks the hazardous gaseous compounds (ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, etc.), and releases these to the air, thereby eliminating the source of odor. It also eliminates toxic gases like hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, mercaptans & converts them into usable acids. Plantex Solution is a cost-effective, non-toxic & environment friendly alternative to chemicals used at the farm. It can be added to the drinking water supply for the farm animals. This will result to less odorous liquid and solid animal wastes. There will be no adverse effect on the health of the animals. Dilution Ratio: 1 liter : 200 liters of water

FEEDING THE LIVESTOCK
Plantex Biozyme Powdered Form Micro Aid Activator contains several beneficial and effective microbes that produce varieties of enzymes, hormones, vitamins, antibiotics and growth factors that will give animals the necessary nutrients needed in their body to fight diseases and enhance their growth, thus allowing animals to grow faster and healthier giving farm owner increase of productivity. It can be a growth booster or feed additive. For feed additives, fermented spent grain is excellent for animals like cows as fattening.Prepare 500 kilos of wet spent grain and mix with 4 kilos of Plantex Biozym and allow to ferment for 1-2 days or until it reaches 50 deg. C. Afterwards, turn and dry. Now it is ready to be mixed with 30% of commercial feeds.

DISINFECTING
Plantex All-in-One Solution helps the farm environment to be more conducive to animal growth by eliminating disease-causing microorganisms. It is a versatile product that can be used for castration, ear-notching, cutting of umbilical cord, Treatment ofmange (inflammation of the skin of animals caused by parasitic mites which burrow into the skin surface) Dilution Ratio: 1 liter : 1 liter of water

Prawn Farms, Fish Ponds
Plantex Biozym powdered solution allows the abundance growth of planktons that will give more food to the fish & prawns. Some beneficial & effective microbes contained in Plantex Biozyme produce variety of vitamins, hormones, antibiotics and growth factors that can enhance the growth/yield of fish & prawns which will result to the increase and abundance of harvest. Oxidation is likewise increased in the deep bottom part of the pond thus minimizing fish mortality caused by oxygen loss resulting to a good and abundance harvest of Fish and other marine life. It is a versatile biological treatment proven to control bacterial disease in Tiger prawns and other aquatic culture. This powder activator effectively eliminates toxic substances and pollutants in the bottom of pond thereby preventing the outbreak.

FOR PRAWN FARMS, Control for pollution-causing bacteria, viruses and other pathogens, submerge 20-40 kilos of Plantex Biozym and scatter for even distribution around the bottom of the pond. Plantex Biozym allows "lab-lab", planktons and other natural food to grow abundantly.

FOR FISH CULTURING, mix 10 kilos of Plantex Biozym with 30 kilos of first class rice bran. Wet thoroughly and allow to ferment for 24 hours. Broadcast the fermented mixtures evenly on the wet bottom of the pond. Let stand and fill the pond with water after 3-5 days. Ferment one ton (1,000 kilos) of treated chicken manure with Plantex All-in-One Solution and 2 kilos of Plantex Biozym powder for a period of 15 days. Add 3 more kilos of Plantex Biozym, mix thoroughly and spread evenly on the bottom of wet pond. Allow 3-5 days before filling the pond with water.

By Christopher Schwebius

Civilization began with agriculture, our nomadic ancestors settled once they began to grow their own food. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through growing of plants, animals and other life forms on land. As of 2006, 45 percent of the world's population is employed in agriculture. However, the relative significance of farming has dropped since the beginning of industrialization. Even though agriculture employs one-third of the world's population, agricultural produce accounts for less than 5 percent of the gross world product.

Agriculture is important for not only providing food but also for providing raw materials for other industries like textile, sugar, jute, vegetable oil and tobacco. Besides being an occupation for people, agriculture is also a way of living. Most of the world's customs and culture revolve around agriculture. A number of festivals and holidays around the world are in conjunction with reaping or harvesting or any other aspect of farming. It increases the supply of food and tax revenue to the government. "Investable surplus" is generated which further can be expanded to other industries and provides foreign exchange.

Due to the apparent abundance of food owing to technologies for growing, transporting and storage; modern day human has overlooked the fundamental dependence on agriculture. Agriculture provides nutrition which is a key determinant of health; it alleviates poverty and individual livelihood. Some other benefits are:
o Water - agricultural crops are the largest users of fresh water. Forests maintain the groundwater we draw from for our everyday uses. Husbandry affects the health of coastal waters.
o Energy - wood is a major source of fuel and energy. Modern biomass plants are fast growing in most countries. These provide clean energy and also aid economic growth.
o Health - agriculture provides nutrition to humans. We cannot live on meat, milk and poultry for more than 2 days without consuming grains or vegetables or fruits. Imagine what lack of agriculture could do to us.
o Biodiversity - ecological balances are maintained, changed or destroyed by agriculture alone. These are critical to sustaining development and health of our planet.
o Climatic changes - reduced agricultural growth adversely affects climate. Extreme events and ecological dysfunction will ultimately affect our planet and the human race.

It is a vicious cycle where environmental degradation is affecting agricultural productivity and agricultural practices are affecting the environment. To conclude agriculture, agricultural science and technology aids in reducing hunger, improving livelihood and increasing economic growth.

Indigenous and local agricultural practices need to be used along with scientific research and developments. There should be a co-ordination of international scientific programs for enhancing agriculture and agricultural produce. Policies and technologies that are conducive to sustainable use of natural resources must be shared internationally. It is imperative to alleviate hunger and look for the causes of nutritional insecurity and degraded natural resources. Productivity of crops, livestock and fisheries need to increased in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner which is acceptable to both the farmers as well as the consumers. Agriculture is an important aspect of every society for its social, economic and environmental growth.

By Brian T Mikes

Have you been watching the markets over the last few weeks? If you have you know how poorly the stock market has been performing (we're now testing the 12,000 level). You also know that one part of the market is doing extremely well - commodities. The commodities markets are doing so well that most are trading at multi-year highs.

Can you believe it?

When most people think of commodities, they think of precious metals like platinum, gold, and silver. But there are also agricultural commodities. These Ag commodities include wheat, soybeans, corn and a myriad of other products.

Agricultural products, like precious metals, have been reaching new highs over the last few months. Wheat just a few weeks ago went limit-up on the market. If you don't know, limit-up is a term specific to commodities. It's when prices go up so much in one day that the market shuts down trading. They also do the same for limit-down, but obviously when the price falls. By halting trading they give investors and traders time to figure out what's moving the market.

Wheat went up so much that the exchange actually increased the ranges for up and down limit movements. Basically, demand for food products like wheat continues to grow around the globe.

If you can grow it, its value is probably going up.

Now, this isn't the first time we've pointed out this trend. As a matter of fact just a week ago I authored an article, "Serious Money in Farming." I talked about growing demand for these commodities on a global basis. I also mentioned a number of investments that would benefit, including:

Deere (DE) - Provider of farm equipment.

Monsanto (MON) - Provider of seeds and herbicides.

Mosaic (MOS) - Provider of fertilizers.

Potash (POT) - Supplier of fertilizers.

These companies have performed so well over the last few months that without exception they are all at, or very near, their 52-week highs. Some have even reached multi-year highs as well. Several subscribers have asked us about buying these stocks at these levels. They're concerned that they may be "chasing" the market.

That got me thinking.

Do we really want to chase these stocks? Maybe. Maybe not. I happen to believe that we are in a multi-year bull market for commodities. As a result, these companies should do well over the next several years. Buying them on pullbacks could be a great way to build a portfolio.

But there may be a different way to profit from the growth in the agricultural industry.

I was doing some research when I came across a company that I found very interesting. They're one of the largest suppliers of corn and soy seeds. They also provide insecticides and herbicides to help farmers grow better crops.

The company sells more than $6.8 billion worth of product every year to this growing industry. Amazingly, however, the company is trading just off its 52-week lows! Why the discount? Simple. Agricultural products aren't the only thing the company sells.

Now before you call me crazy let me explain something. The whole company generated more than $29.3 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in net income. Some 60% of that revenue came from sales outside the US (this means the falling dollar helps their financials). The agricultural side sold more than $6.8 billion of product (which grew 14% year over year) and made more than $894 million in profit. This represents more than 23% of the total business.

So, this company is not a new kid on the block. They've been around for years, and just paid their 414th consecutive dividend - with a yield around 3.5%. For those of you fast on the math, that's a dividend every quarter since 1904. On top of that, the company reaffirmed guidance for 2008 (everyone knows how rarely that's happening these days!).

So, without further delay, my interesting idea for the day is DuPont (DD) - the secret way to play the agricultural boom. Take a closer look and see if they're right for your portfolio.