The Detroit News has this article about a study that will hook chickens up to a "mountable wireless system":

"Michigan State University has plucked a $375,000 federal grant to study the habits of commercial egg-laying hens by using wireless sensors to track "activity profiles." That's academic speak for how the hens pass the time when not laying eggs, cackling or playing coy with roosters

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is paying researchers to hook up chickens with a "hen-mountable wireless system" to study how they interact with other birds. The work will help the farmers know how much space hens need and what types of "non-cage housing systems" will provide the "best possible welfare for the animals," according to MSU.

"Ultimately, the sensors will tell us what behavior a hen is performing. Is she laying an egg? Eating? Or roosting on a perch? Does she fly or walk to move around?" Janice Siegford, a professor of animal science at MSU, said in a statement.

"Americans love eggs, gobbling 250 per capita a year, according to the American Egg Board. But many fret about the lives of the birds that lay them.

"Popular books and movies, from "The Omnivore's Dilemma" to "Food Inc.," have raised concern about how food gets from farms to supermarkets. Horror stories — which the $37 billion poultry and egg industry downplay — about hens cramped in cages, pumped into drug-induced stupors and wallowing in filth have raised calls to un-cage the birds."

The Kalamazoo Gazette has this article about Michigan's potential future as a hop haven:

"Considering Michigan’s agricultural diversity and the popularity of the state’s craft beer scene, some farmers and land owners are exploring options for growing hops, a primary ingredient in beer.

"The nation’s hotbed for hops is the Pacific Northwest, but Steinman thinks local farmers could play a role for local brewers.

“There’s no reason Michigan can’t do what the Pacific Northwest does, it’ll just be on a smaller scale,” said Jeff Steinman, who is growing about one-fifth an acre of organic hops on leased property near Delton in Hope Township.

"The conference will feature discussions, demonstrations and guest speakers via Webinar, including Steve Marquie, a professor in the biosystems and agricultural engineering department at Michigan State University, andRob Sirrine, who directs the Michigan State Univesity’s Leelanau County Extension.

"Sirrine has been working with the Old Mission Hop Exchange, a cooperative of four Traverse City area farmers who own and operate 10 acres of hops on the Old Mission Peninsula. It’s the first full-scale hop farm and processing facility in the state."

To read the full wireless chicken article, click here.
For the full hops article, click here.

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Photo: Farmhouse in Bellaire, Michigan by jt354.