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Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ma Youxiang met separately with Stanley Loh Ka Leung, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore, Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) on 11 October in Biejing

During his meeting with Permanent Secretary Loh, Vice Minister Ma recapped progress made in China-Singapore cooperation in areas such as agricultural policy exchange, economic and trade investment in agriculture and agricultural S&T. He highlighted that China was looking forward to working with Singapore to continue implementing two MOUs on cooperation in agriculture and food security, pushing for S&T cooperation in vertical farming, advancing trade in livestock products and further enhancing pragmatic cooperation. 

Permanent Secretary Loh spoke positively of the results of bilateral cooperation and said that Singapore looks forward to continuously expanding agricultural cooperation with China and jointly building a future-oriented, high-standard food security system. Permanent Secretary Loh spoke positively of the results of bilateral cooperation and said that Singapore looks forward to continuously expanding agricultural cooperation with China and jointly building a future-oriented, high-standard food security system. Permanent Secretary Loh spoke positively of the results of bilateral cooperation and said that Singapore looks forward to continuously expanding agricultural cooperation with China and jointly building a future-oriented, high-standard food security system.  

In his meeting with Deputy Director-General Bechdol, Vice Minister Ma commended FAO’s efforts to safeguard global food security. He said China will support FAO’s leading role in global food and agricultural governance and expressed China’s hopes to further enhance China-FAO cooperation in areas such as South-South cooperation and Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems. Deputy Director-General Bechdol spoke highly of China’s achievements in agricultural and rural development, saying that the FAO hopes to work with China to promote the transformation of global agricultural and food systems.  

In his meeting with Executive Managing Director Elouafi, Vice Minister Ma said China hopes to further strengthen strategic alignment with CGIAR, boost pragmatic cooperation at all levels, and work with CGIAR to build a global platform for open cooperation in agricultural S&T to foster innovation. Executive Managing Director Elouafi expressed her appreciation for China’s support for CGIAR, saying that CGIAR hopes to elevate cooperation with China to a new level.  

Although all estrus cycles are not the same for individual females within a herd, it is one of the most important indicators of whether a cow or heifer will be successfully bred

Animal reproduction professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada, Ronaldo Cerri, PhD is carrying out research work to improve cattle fertility by identifying which cows and heifers are the best candidates to breed using tactics like artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET), with estrus intensity as the deciding factor.

Cattle have typical baseline activity when they aren’t in estrus. When they start to enter estrus, their activity rises as the intensity of the estrus increases. Pinpointing when estrus is about to peak is crucial to a successful pregnancy. 

After analysing extensive data from estrus detection sensors, Cerri and other researchers have pinpointed patterns based on what’s occurring during estrus. Cows exhibiting low estrus intensity tend to have lower concentrations of progesterone during the growth of the ovulatory follicle and fail to ovulate more often than those with high estrus intensity. Similarly, ET recipients that show high estrus intensity have more consistent pregnancy results.

“The patterns are very consistent in many of the studies we do,” said Cerri. “Cows with lower estrus intensity always display less physical activity, but they also have lower pregnancy rates. On the flip side, cows with high estrus intensity display more activity and have higher pregnancy rates.”

Evaluating estrus intensity

Using heat detection tools to evaluate estrus intensity can help to pick and choose which cows are the best candidates to breed at a particular time. While implementing a mass breeding protocol, offers the option to use estrus intensity to direct choices on what type of genetics to use.

Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 

An emerging company, TransIberian Foods (TIF) has chosen the flexibility, efficiency and quality offered by TOMRA Food and installed the KATO 260 precision grading system powered by LUCAi Artificial Intelligence technology, and two CURO filling stations

The company has chosen TOMRA Food’s advanced blueberry grading and filling solutionsfor its blueberry packing line. With the TOMRA KATO 260 advanced, industry-leading precision grading system with LUCAi Artificial Intelligence technology and two TOMRA CURO filling stations, it achieves the extreme flexibility needed to meet the varied and demanding requirements of its international customers.

TransIberian Foods has 20,000 sq m of refrigerated space with 14 docks and is currently expanding its operations with the development of a new project focused on the refrigeration, ripening, and packaging of avocados and other tropical fruits, both locally produced and imported. 

Manager of TransIberian Foods, Jesús Cruz explained that due to the diversity in the origin of the blueberries, they were looking for a packaging line that was extremely flexible, capable of handling all the commercial formats required by European supermarkets for our clients. "This meant having the ability to quickly adapt to different sizes and types of packaging, from small trays for individual portions to larger containers for wholesale. TOMRA has enabled us to offer a wide range of options to our clients, companies that distribute to European supermarkets, adapting to their needs and market demands,” added Cruz.

TOMRA Food expressed that they were pleased with the Translberian Foods project, highlighting that Translberian Foods were looking for advanced technology solutions to address this challenge. The implementation of advanced technology allowed the company to optimise their fruit selection, grading and packaging processes, ensuring that each product meets the highest international standards. This precision and efficiency is not only essential for maintaining the integrity, but also the quality of the final product, from reception to delivery.

The packaging process at TransIberian Foods begins with the fruit being fed into the KATO 260 sorter, optimising its performance. The fruit is gently loaded into the KATO 260, ensuring a continuous supply and uniform distribution in the sorter. Next, the KATO 260 exclusive rolling conveyor system inspects the fruit’s surface from all angles. Cameras capture multiple images of each piece of fruit, and the machine's software can identify defects as small as 0.2 mm at high speed for precise grading. 

A valuable optional enhancement for the KATO 260 is the LUCAi software and hardware package, which uses AI to achieve unparalleled accuracy in fruit sorting and grading. After each piece of fruit moves along the sorting line, it is photographed by multiple cameras. LUCAi identifies and indicates how each blueberry should be graded. Capable of processing up to 2,400 images per second, LUCAi can also view the fruit in wavelengths not visible to the human eye, detecting subtle defects such as dehydration, bruising, and early anthracnose.

At the end of the line, the fruit is processed by a packing system featuring two CURO16 units, each with 16 filling stations. These units boost productivity by reducing human handling errors and fruit loss. They weigh with precision, and can simultaneously pack for different markets. This system is the fastest weight-based filling solution on the market, capable of handling up to 200 packs of 125 g of fruit per minute. Moreover, TOMRA Food’s equipment also offers exceptional packing flexibility.

"With TOMRA Food’s solution, we can quickly adapt to market demands and efficiently manage demand spikes during peak seasons," concluded Cruz. "We are extremely satisfied with the advanced sorting technology, as it enables us to handle fruit from various sources effectively and ensures we deliver high-quality products.”