Monday links

What’s the latest in the fields of agriculture, food safety, animal science and toxicology? Check it out here.

Animal Science:

Five high-tech farming trends — Pork Business
Just as it influences our living conditions, diets and society as a whole, technology is revolutionizing the world of plant and animal farming. Agriculture expert Lowell Catlett outlines five technological trends he feels bear watching.

When dry, focus on heifers and the young cows — North Dakota State University Extension
As several parts of the world are experiencing drought this season, one beef expert outlines the key point of cattle management during drought: minimizing herd total weight to match reduced forage while maintaining calf numbers.

Food Safety:

Yesterday’s uninformed habits are tomorrow’s known threats — Food Safety News
Much has changed in food production, processing and distribution in the last 50 years. Why were kids able to sample raw cookie dough without parents worrying about Salmonella in the past? Food Safety News’s Phyllis Entis explores recent history in food safety.

Top 5 food safety violations given by the FDA — Unsafe Foods
When proper food safety principles and procedures are not followed, the risk of foodborne illness increases. Here are the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s top five most commonly cited food safety violations from 2017.

Agriculture:

The absence of ants: Entomologist confirms first Saharan farming 10,000 years ago — University of Huddersfield
What could a bug expert possibly have to say about ancient farming? An entomologist has brought new insight to a prehistoric site where a concentration of wild cereals has been found, and the role that ants may or may not have played at the site. In addition to revelations about early agricultural practices, there could be a lesson for the future, if global warming leads to a necessity for alternative crops.

Beware of planting into cold soil — AgWeb
As springtime descends upon much of the world, many are itching to get into the fields. But planting too early could lead to cold or even frost injury to seedlings.

Toxicology:

Don’t panic, but there’s a good chance you’ve got a little cocaine on you — Quartz
Drugs are so prevalent in some cultures it’s now common to find traces of cocaine and heroin clinging to our fingertips — even those of us who’ve never used them. Researchers discovered that about 13% of non-users they tested were unwittingly carrying traces of illegal substances with them through everyday life.

Offbeat:

Kindergartener’s weather report goes viral — CNN
A six-year-old enlisted his father, who works at a design studio with a green screen, to help him produce a weather report for a school assignment.