Tag: imu

November 23, 2012 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Backyard chicken boom produces fowl result: Unwanted roosters

The rooster had no takers.

A dozen or so pet seekers crowded the front counter at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter on a recent Saturday. A few feet away, a woman lingered in front of a photo of Felipe the rabbit. Over in the dog kennels, a little girl pointed out a puppy to her father.

But no one asked about Hanz, the orange and white rooster that was pecking at feed in an outdoor kennel in the back. He didn’t even have a name card on his cage. And unlike the schnauzer inside, he had no sign that read, “Adopt me! I’m cute!”

Animal Control picked Hanz up in mid-October on Wild Cherry Lane in Germantown after some homeowners found him in their yard, according to Paul Hibler, deputy director of the county police’s Animal Services Division.

The question of what to do with Hanz — and other roosters like him — is an unforeseen byproduct of the growth of backyard chicken flocks, which proponents are touting as a more-nutritious and humane source of eggs.

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May 14, 2012 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Fears alpacas could spread bovine TB

Exotic and inquisitive, alpacas are charismatic pets and are prized for their luxurious fleeces. But an owner has warned that many alpaca keepers are in denial about the risk of bovine TB after she caught the potentially fatal disease from one of her animals.

Dianne Summers, a 51-year-old owner of 20 alpacas from Cornwall, warned that without the compulsory testing of alpacas bovine TB would “spread among our animals like wildfire”.

The first known person in Britain to contract bovine TB from alpacas, Summers fears that petting zoos could be “riddled” with the disease, posing a risk to the public, vets and other animals, and called on the government to close a loophole that allows alpacas, llamas and other camelids to escape being tested for bovine TB.

Alpacas are treated as low-risk animals in the transmission of bovine TB, but last month up to 500 alpacas were slaughtered by government vets after TB was detected on an alpaca farm in Burgess Hill, East Sussex. TB outbreaks have occurred in 58 alpaca herds – around 5% of the total – in the UK since 1999. There are more than 30,000 alpacas in Britain, including some which are regularly encountered by the public at country shows, and on open farms and walking trails.

According to the Health Protection Agency, the risk to the public of catching bovine TB – which constitutes less than 1% of the total number of human TB cases in the UK – is extremely low. But guidance from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to farmers warns that, unlike cattle, camelids can spit a mixture of gastric contents and saliva, which could spread the disease to humans.

The National Farmers Union said farmers were very concerned about the lack of regulation of TB in alpacas, which may spread the disease to other farm animals.

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November 12, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Maunaloa Heads to Mo`omomi

Students recount field trip

‘It Was Classic’
By Maria Angst
In the morning, we drove in cars to Mo`omomi and it was bumpy. We were going up, down, and side to side. It was classic!

As we walked on the footpath, we saw a white native plant. It is soft and fluffy. It only grows at Mo`omomi. It is called `ena `ena.

At Mo`omomi beach we saw flags that marked where the shear water bird nests were. We saw a baby sheer water bird. The bird looked like a grayish cotton ball. The shear water bird also has a short wedge tail. It rested peacefully under a flat rock.

Next, we ate lunch in a cave that looked like an upside down sand dune. It looked spectacular! Uncle Ed gave us juice to drink because we listened and paid attention. On our hike, we also saw tree snail fossils. We learned that the ancient Hawaiian people ate turtle, and that there are deer at Mo`omomi.

Last, we picked rubbish from the beach. There were bottles, cans, floaters, toothbrushes, and lots of plastic. Birds think the rubbish is food and eat them and they die.

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November 3, 2010 Ag Tourism, General Ag News and Notes, Turkey Post a Comment

Four Fantastic Thanksgiving Beach Vacation Ideas | The Brooklyn Nomad

Oahu is an ultimate Thanksgiving vacation beach destination, and here you can celebrate “traditional” Thanksgiving with an island flare. Several organizations in Hawaii raise funds by selling to-go turkey dinners cooked in an Imu – the way succulent kalua pig is prepared for luaus – in an underground “oven” covered with banana leaves. Look in the local Hawaii newspapers every year for Imu Thanksgiving turkey fundraisers, and take your Imu turkey dinner to the beach for a Thanksgiving Day picnic. Before succumbing to your turkey feast you can join the 36th annual Turkey Trot 10 Mile Run held on Thanksgiving morning. Every year there is a holiday parade in Waikiki the Friday evening following Thanksgiving. The parade features high school and military bands from across the United States, as well as brightly colored floats decorated in the Hawaiian style with flowers and leis.

You can still revere the pilgrims, autumn leaves, and frost on the pumpkin – but really enjoy Thanksgiving sunbathing on a beach!

Four Fantastic Thanksgiving Beach Vacation Ideas | The Brooklyn Nomad

November 3, 2010 General Ag News and Notes, Turkey Post a Comment

Kailua High offers imu space

The Kailua High School athletic program will tend to a Thanksgiving imu and is offering space inside for trays of food.

Food goes into the underground oven on Nov. 24, emerging the next morning steamed full of luau flavor.

Cost is $15 per large foil tray. Food — such as whole turkeys, roasts or pork butt (meat chunks should have three deep cuts in them), sweet potatoes, taro or luau leaves — must be thawed, seasoned and well wrapped in foil. Drop in pan and wrap again in foil. Weight limit per tray is 25 pounds.

Reservations due by Nov. 17. Make checks payable to Kailua High School and send to the school, 451 Ulumanu Drive, Kailua 96734. Write “Attention IMU” in lower left corner of the envelope. Include your name, telephone number and a self-addressed, stamped envelope so a confirmation ticket can be sent to you. To be included in an e-mail list for future imu, provide e-mail address as well.

Call 266-7910 or 728-7389.

Morsels – Hawaii Features – Staradvertiser.com

November 19, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Turkey Post a Comment

Going2Oahu Hawaii Travel Blog: Hawaii Imu Turkey Recipe for Thanksgiving

Dig a pit 1-1/2-times the size of the turkey. Secure the pit’s sides with chicken wire to keep dirt from crumbling onto the bird. Salt and pepper unstuffed turkey; wrap with ti leaves, then with cheesecloth, then with chicken wire. Place red hot coals or river rocks in the bottom of the pit, top with a layer of ti leaves. Place turkey on the ti leaves; cover with more leaves, then more hot material. Cover the pit with nonflammable heavy material. Cook for 5 hours.

Check the turkey at 4 hours using a metal skewer or knife for temperature and ease of penetration. When the still-wrapped turkey is done, remove it and put on a platter. Remove cheesecloth. The meat literally will fall off the bone, Kinoshita promised.

Going2Oahu Hawaii Travel Blog: Hawaii Imu Turkey Recipe for Thanksgiving