2015 NAPPAN BULL VIDEOS AVAILABLE . . . OTTER PONDS AGM POSTPONED! . . . HOPES GROW FOR CLIMATE-PROOF BEANS . . . WE NEED YOUR BEANS . . . NIGEL’S ADAPTABLE BEAN SOUP . . . WHY THERE'S A BIG BATTLE BREWING OVER THE LEAN MEAT IN YOUR DIET . . . AMAZON FOREST BECOMING LESS OF A CLIMATE CHANGE SAFETY NET . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

2015 NAPPAN BULL VIDEOS AVAILABLE
Source: NSCP
Videos of all bulls on test at the Maritime Beef Test Station are available now. The Test Station is currently putting all data together and will release the list of bulls eligible for the sale later this week. The full Sale Catalogue will be available on March 30. The 42nd annual Breeding Stock Sale will be held on April 4 starting at 1pm. For those who cannot attend in person, the sale will be streamed live and phone bidders can register in advance. (read more)

OTTER PONDS AGM POSTPONED!
Source: NSWOOA
The latest weather forecast indicates that freezing rain or snow is likely Friday night in Mooseland. Therefore, the directors of Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest have decided to postpone their annual general meeting for two weeks. The AGM has been rescheduled to 6 pm, Friday, April 10, at the Mooseland Community Centre in Mooseland. Join us to learn more about the past year’s accomplishments at OPDF, and our plans for the future. We hope to see you there! (read more)

HOPES GROW FOR CLIMATE-PROOF BEANS
Source: BBC
A breakthrough in the development of temperature-resilient beans could help sustain a vital source of protein for millions of people around the globe. The news offers a glimmer of hope for many farmers in developing nations. Climate projections suggest that 50 percent of the countries’ bean production will be lost by 2050 if farmers do not have access to the new variety of bean. The discovery was made by plant breeders at CGIAR, a global agricultural research group. (read more)

WE NEED YOUR BEANS
Source: Rural Delivery
Bean recipes, that is. Our May issue is full of beans, and we need some bean recipes for our Household Notes column. We want to know what you do with dry beans. Do you bake them, make soup, salads, loaves, or cakes? Please send your favorite recipe right away, with a note telling us why it’s a favorite. You can send them to dvlmagazines@gmail.com. Here is a tasty and simple recipe from BBC’s Nigel Slater, just to get you in a bean frame of mind.

NIGEL’S ADAPTABLE BEAN SOUP
Source: BBC
2 onions
2 carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3-4 ripe tomatoes
1 bay leaf
a few large handfuls of pre-cooked cannellini beans
vegetable stock
a few slices of orange peel
1 Parmesan rind
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful chard stalks (and leaves if young)
fresh parsley, chopped
French stick, to serve

Roughly chop the onions and carrots. Warm a little olive oil in a large pan on a low heat and add the onions and carrots. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan with a bay leaf. Add the cannellini beans, followed by the vegetable stock – enough to cover. I like to add a couple of bits of orange peel at this stage, followed by the Parmesan rind.
Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and let the soup bubble. Chop the chard stalks and add to the liquid. (You could use any other greens you like.) Add plenty of chopped parsley, then add the chard leaves. Serve with some toasted French stick or ciabatta and a drizzle of olive oil. (read more)

WHY THERE’S A BIG BATTLE BREWING OVER THE LEAN MEAT IN YOUR DIET
Source: NPR
Never underestimate the power of a footnote. When a panel of nutrition scientists tasked with updating the government’s guidelines on healthy eating released its 500-plus-page tome on Feb. 19, one particular 52-word footnote threw a wrench into the conventional wisdom on lean meat. It caught the meat industry’s eye, and it’s created a controversy. It’s no surprise that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which get updated every five years, are political. They have huge implications for the food industry, as well as myriad government programs like school lunches. But this year, the biggest beef is over meat – not just red meat, but poultry, too. The footnote, along with some other words, have worked the industry into a lather that’s going to be frothing for months. (read more)

AMAZON FOREST BECOMING LESS OF A CLIMATE CHANGE SAFETY NET
Source: New York Times
The ability of the Amazon forest to soak up excess carbon dioxide is weakening over time, researchers reported last week. That finding suggests that limiting climate change could be more difficult than expected. For decades, Earth’s forests and seas have been soaking up roughly half of the carbon pollution that people are pumping into the atmosphere. That has limited the planetary warming that would otherwise result from those emissions. (read more)