CABI Books on Livestock Breeds and Breeding Are Essential Resource for Education, Research and Policy Influencing

This article focuses on the following three books 1. “Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding: 2 volume pack”, edited by V Porter, L Alderson, S Hall, D P Sponenberg, March 2016, Hardback, 9781845934668. Volume 1: Asses, camelids, cattle, goats, horses and pigs, Volume 2: Sheep, water buffalo, yak and other livestock 2. “Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties,” published in August 2002; DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0388.2002.00353. 3. “A World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties” by Ian Lauder Mason, 1996 (ISBN 0851991024) [previous editions: 1988, 1969 1957 (reissued with Supplement), first published in 1951) In March 2016, CABI published “Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding”, which was written by co-authors (Porter, Hall and Sponenberg). This is a major international and much expanded reference book based on Ian Mason's original book, which includes breeds of domestic livestock. This version covers conservation of animal genetic resources,…
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Author of Month Blog: Olfaction in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Birte L. Nielsen

We all use our nose much more than we think. Is this fish okay to eat? Can you smell gas? Mmm, they smell nice! From knowing when to change a baby’s nappy to choosing (and using) a particular deodorant, odours affect our behaviour on a daily basis. And yet, we do not consider ourselves a…
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Author of the Month: Big Data’s Big Potential in Developing Economies, Nir Kshetri

Big data’s role in addressing the root causes of poverty There clearly are some signs of big data-led political, economic and social transformations taking place in developing countries. Early evidence has shown the huge potential benefits that can be realized by implementing big data in diverse fields that are critical to the future of these…
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One Health: free online course from FutureLearn features CABI authors

One Health is about connectedness: "the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, plants and our environment”. On One Health Day, November 3rd 2016, CABI's editors held a One Health (#OneHealth) Blogathon to focus attention, contributing a total of 6 blogs to Handpicked… and Carefully Sorted, each…
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Author of the Month Blog: Sustainable Water Management in Smallholder Farming, Sara Finley

This month, Sara Finley puts the spotlight on popular education tools for sustainable development.  Her new book, Sustainable water management for smallholder farming: Theory and Practice is now available in the CABI bookstore. Can I speak to the manager? Fundamentally, water management is not really about managing water, it’s about managing people.  Water in nature…
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Author of the Month Blog: The Handbook of Mites of Economic Plants, Dr Vincenzo Vacante

The control of mites that are harmful to economic plants can be achieved by physical, chemical, biological, cultural and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Alternatively, host plants can be bred to be resistant to mites but, in my opinion, the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) lacks any ecological foundation and, therefore, can result in being…
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Author of the Month Blog: Equine Thermography in Practice, Dr Maria Soroko

About the author My interest in equine thermography started during my Equine Science Masters degree studies at Aberystwyth University, Wales in 2008. The initial research in equine thermography was for my Masters dissertation on the application of thermography in diagnosing injuries of racehorses (fig. 1). The main objective of the investigations was to assess thermography…
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Author of the Month Blog: Environmental Horticulture, Dr Ross Cameron

Dr Ross Cameron of the University of Sheffield outlines his latest book (Environmental Horticulture – Science and Management of Green Landscapes), co-authored with Prof. James Hitchmough and how writing the book can sometimes be easier than settling on a name that everyone approves of.
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Gail Tulloch reviews ‘The Animal Trade’

“The Animal Trade” is a book of major importance that will make groundbreaking contributions to the fields of animal welfare and ethics, husbandry, and  government policy, nationally and, hopefully, internationally – as befits the expertise of its author, Clive Phillips. It is scholarly and comprehensive in its sweep, as well as being tightly written, so…
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Author of the Month Blog: Mason’s World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding, Valerie Porter

A tall, spare, bearded, lively, modest, quietly humorous and gentle man, the animal breeding consultant Ian L Mason was known and respected worldwide for his encyclopaedic and authoritative knowledge of livestock breeds and breeding. It was said of him by a friend in Israel: ‘It is known in Asia that Dr Mason has a beard,…
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