scholarly journals Reflections on the concept, conduct and findings of the producer-led Cicerone Project

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 856 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Coventry ◽  
H. Sutherland ◽  
M. Waters ◽  
P. Dutton ◽  
B. Gream ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Successful Outcome ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Research ◽  
The Impact

The Cicerone Project began as a producer-led partnership that sought, over a period of 8 years, to enhance the profitability and sustainability of livestock enterprises by improving the connection between those producers, research and extension. Following a detailed survey, the research and extension needs of livestock producers were identified and several applied investigations were conducted to meet those needs and delivered through a range of extension activities. This final paper of the Cicerone Special Issue reflects on the entire Project from a wide array of perspectives, including livestock producers, researchers, extension specialists and staff employed by the Project, all of whom are authors of this paper. A notable early successful outcome of the Project was the improved precision of footrot diagnosis, which has been of value to the entire sheep industry, and that flowed from a field investigation of benign and virulent footrot combined with detailed genetic investigations, which led to an improved testing regime. This paper also reflects on the findings of an unreplicated agricultural ecosystem research trial, which measured the impact of pasture renovation, increased soil fertility and grazing management on the profitability and sustainability of three different 53-ha farmlets. Valuable findings from this whole-farmlet trial included the need for a high quality feed supply for increasing stocking rate and animal liveweights; the ability and utility of satellite imagery to detect changes in pasture growth, composition and recent grazing pressure; the value of short grazing and long rest periods for controlling Barber’s pole worms of sheep; the impact of increased stocking rates on whole-farm profitability and risk; methods of optimising decisions relating to pasture renovation, fertiliser applications and grazing management; and an integrated analysis of all key measured components of the farmlet management systems. Collectively, these findings were powerful as they were demonstrated at a scale credible to livestock producers using the ‘compare – measure – learn – adopt’ approach, which was the key philosophy adopted by the Cicerone Project. By comparing and measuring different whole-farm systems, and by ensuring that producers had ownership of the trial process, the Project successfully delivered objective findings that producers trusted and which increased our understanding of important drivers of complex grazing enterprises under variable climatic conditions. Some of these drivers included: the influence of soil phosphorus on botanical composition and subsequent livestock production, the role of pasture renovation and soil fertility on herbage supply, herbage quality and stocking rate, and the improved gastrointestinal nematode control delivered by intensive rotational grazing. The beneficiaries of the Project included the 180 farmer members who participated in some 61 field days and workshops; the research and extension collaborators including four postgraduates who completed their research investigations in conjunction with the Project; and some 500 undergraduate and 300 technical students who benefited from coming to understand the applied field comparisons of the three whole-farmlet systems. Having livestock producers play a significant leadership role led to valuable outcomes achieved with research collaborators; this should encourage the development of other learning partnerships which aim to explore complex farming system issues.

scholarly journals Simulating the impact of fertiliser strategies and prices on the economics of developing and managing the Cicerone Project farmlets under climatic uncertainty

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Behrendt ◽  
James M. Scott ◽  
Oscar Cacho ◽  
Randall Jones
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
Efficient Management ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Future Management

The application of fertilisers to pastures in the high rainfall regions of southern Australia has contributed to large increases in carrying capacity following the widespread adoption of the practice since the late 1940s. Recently, large shifts in the worldwide demand for fertiliser inputs have lead to large rises in the cost of fertiliser inputs. These increasing costs have significant potential ramifications on the future management of soil fertility and its interaction with the persistence and profitability of sown pastures, especially during periods of climatic uncertainty. A dynamic pasture resource development simulation model was used to investigate the implications of fertiliser rates and costs on the efficient management of soil fertility under climatic uncertainty. The framework also allowed the investigation of how the management of soil fertility interacts with the utilisation of pasture resources through different stocking rates. In the application of this method to the Cicerone Project farmlets case study, fertiliser input costs were found to influence the optimal combination of fertiliser inputs and stocking rate. Analyses of the dynamic interaction between fertiliser application and cost, stocking rate and the persistence of desirable species enabled the identification of the most risk-efficient strategies. The implications for grazing industries in the high rainfall regions of southern Australia are discussed.

scholarly journals Livestock weights in response to three whole-farmlet management systems

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 727 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. N. Hinch ◽  
J. Hoad ◽  
M. Lollback ◽  
S. Hatcher ◽  
R. Marchant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Supplementary Feeding ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
Similar Range

This paper reports changes in livestock weights recorded in a whole-farmlet experiment, which aimed to examine the profitability and sustainability of three different pasture and grazing management strategies. The assessment of liveweights was considered a key component of measuring the integrated effects of the farmlet-scale treatments. The three farmlets comprised a typical management regime, which employed flexible rotational grazing over eight paddocks with moderate soil fertility (farmlet B), a system based on the same grazing management and paddock number but with higher levels of sown pasture and soil fertility (farmlet A) and a farmlet with moderate soil fertility and intensive rotational grazing over 37 paddocks (farmlet C). Early in the experimental period, there were no significant differences between farmlets in the liveweight of any class of livestock. However, from the second year onwards, as the pasture renovation, soil fertility and grazing management treatments took effect, differences in liveweight between farmlets became more apparent and significant. The stocking rate, which was treated as an emergent property of each farmlet, reached a maximum annual average value after 5 years of 12.6, 8.5 and 7.7 dry sheep equivalents (dse)/ha on farmlets A, B and C representing 84, 113 and 51% of their respective target stocking rates which were 15, 7.5 and 15 dse/ha. The liveweights of ewes, both before joining and during pregnancy, varied with year and farmlet with those on farmlets A and B tending to be significantly heavier than those on farmlet C. From 2003 to 2006, liveweights were significantly (P < 0.001) affected by a wide array of factors and their interactions including: date, ewe age, green digestible herbage, legume herbage mass, proportion of farmlet grazed, stocking rate and level of supplementary feeding. The weights of lambs/weaners/hoggets, both pre- and post-weaning, were at times also higher on farmlets A and B compared with those on farmlet C and were affected by a similar range of factors to those which affected ewe weights. Similar relative differences also applied to the liveweights of the other livestock run on the farmlets, namely wethers and non-reproductive cattle. The results suggest that stocking rate was able to be increased towards the higher target of farmlet A due to the higher level of pasture renovation and soil fertility on that farmlet, which led to high liveweights per head as well as the higher stocking rate. However, as the stocking rate increased on farmlet A, the differences between farmlets in liveweight per head diminished and the need for supplementary feeding increased. In contrast, the intensive rotational grazing practised on farmlet C did not allow the farmlet to increase its stocking rate towards its higher target. It appears that the higher proportion of each of farmlets A and B grazed at any one time allowed all classes of livestock to reach higher liveweights per head than on farmlet C, due presumably to the greater proportion of those two farmlets grazed at any one time.

Synthesis of system outcomes for a grazing-management experiment in temperate native pastures

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. B. Badgery ◽  
D. L. Michalk
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
System Level ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Experimental Modelling ◽  
Continuous Grazing ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
The Impact

Increasing the intensity of grazing management from continuous grazing or set-stocking to intensive rotational grazing has been proposed as a way of improving the profitability and environmental outcomes for native pasture-based grazing systems in the high-rainfall zone (HRZ) of southern Australia. The present paper synthesised the results and outcomes of eight papers covering different aspects of a grazing-system study investigating the intensity of grazing management at Panuara (33°27ʹS, 148°56ʹE), 25 km south-west of Orange, New South Wales. The systems analysis covered soils and soil water, pastures, animal production, profitability and business risk by using a combination of field experiments and biophysical modelling. The experimental approach, engagement with stakeholders and the potential impact of the research outcomes are discussed; as are the future directions for grazing system research. Increasing the intensity of grazing management from a 1- to a 20-paddock system resulted in a 21% higher pasture growth, 22% higher stocking rate and 20% higher lamb production per hectare. However, modelling demonstrated that seasonal variability had a greater impact on profitability than did the management system, and whole-farm profitability of the 20-paddock system was lower than that of the 1- and 4-paddock systems due to higher infrastructure costs. Pasture stability was associated with a high perennial grass content (>70%), and a stocking rate of 4.2 ewes/ha for continuous grazing or 5.3 ewes/ha for intensive rotational grazing limited the potential for degradation events. Advantages were identified in fencing and managing production zones, with different production potential within a farm, to improve utilisation across the landscape and efficiency of fertiliser use. The farming-system approach successfully integrated field research with pre- and post-experimental modelling, and with strategic input from an advisory group containing farmers, researchers and advisors, to develop a full understanding of the impact, at a system level, of increasing the intensity of grazing management in the HRZ.

scholarly journals Estimating the balance between pasture feed supply and demand of grazing livestock in a farmlet experiment

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 711 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Shakhane ◽  
J. M. Scott ◽  
G. N. Hinch ◽  
D. F. Mackay ◽  
C. Lord
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rates Of Change ◽  
Grazing Livestock

Data from the Cicerone farmlet study were used to quantify the balance between pasture feed supply and the demand from grazing livestock, in terms of metabolisable energy (ME), on three differently managed farmlets (each of 53 ha) on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Farmlet A had a high level of pasture renovation and higher soil fertility than the other two farmlets and employed flexible grazing management over eight paddocks. Farmlet B was designed to represent management ‘typical’ of the region and had the same grazing management and number of paddocks as farmlet A but moderate levels of pasture renovation and soil fertility. The third farmlet (C) had the same level of inputs as farmlet B but practised intensive rotational grazing over 37 paddocks. Regular measurements of the feed supply, namely herbage mass and quality, pasture growth and supplement fed and of feed demand were assembled to provide monthly estimates of the balance between feed supply and animal demand of all classes of livestock run on the experiment over its duration of 6.5 years. The significantly greater stocking rate, liveweight and reproductive rate of sheep reached on the higher input system (farmlet A) meant higher levels of ME were required to satisfy the nutritional demands of these animals. As only limited measurements were taken of animal intake, it was assumed that the supply of ME was derived from pasture growth and supplement fed. Using key livestock management dates and measurements of liveweights, the changes in the energy requirements of each class of animal were calculated and aggregated to provide an estimate of overall livestock energy demand over time. Subtracting the energy demand from the estimated energy supply provided a partial net energy balance. Measurements of the rates of change of green herbage during grazing events were found to be highly dependent on stock density with farmlets A, B and C recording rates of change of up to –50, –30 and –200 green DM/ha.day, respectively. Over a series of generally drier-than-average years, the ME supplied in pasture growth and through supplementation was at times inadequate to meet the energy demands of the livestock, resulting in periods during winter when the partial energy balance became negative. Similar feed deficits were observed for all three farmlets, suggesting that they were over-stocked to a similar extent. In spite of the divergence in the stocking rate supported by each farmlet, the similarity of the ME balances between farmlets suggests that no farmlet was subjected to bias because of decisions relating to feed supply and demand. The analyses presented suggest there is considerable potential for practical paddock and grazing management to be improved if more timely and regular assessments can be made of changes in the feed energy supply using satellite images of normalised difference vegetation indices and feed energy demand using calculations of the ME required by grazing livestock.

Management of grazing systems

1989 ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Pastoral Systems ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Stocking Rates

Recent assessments of the relative importance of stocking rate. stocking policy and grazing management on the output from pastoral systems are used as a starting point to argue the need for objective pasture assessments to aid control of livestock enterprises to meet production targets. Variations in stocking rates, stocking policy and other management practices all provide alternative means of control of pasture conditions which are the major determinants of pasture and animal performance. Understanding of the influence of pasture conditions on systems performance should provide a better basis for management control and for Communication between farmers, extension officers and researchers. Keywords: Stocking rate, pasture condition, pasture cover

scholarly journals Soil fertilization synergistically enhances the impact of pollination services in increasing seed yield of sunflower under dryland conditions

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Dolapo Bola Adelabu ◽  
Emile Bredenhand ◽  
Sean van der Merwe ◽  
Angelinus Cornelius Franke
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Seed Yield ◽  
Synergetic Effect ◽  
Insect Pollination ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Degraded Soil ◽  
Soil Fertilization ◽  
Fertilized Soil ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Poor Soil

Abstract To exploit the potential of ecological intensification during sunflower cropping, it is crucial to understand the potential synergies between crop management and ecosystem services. We therefore examined the effect of pollination intensification on sunflower yield and productivity under various levels of soil fertilization over two seasons in the eastern Free State, South Africa. We manipulated soil fertility with fertilizer applications and pollination with exclusion bags. We found a synergetic effect between pollination and soil fertilization whereby increasing pollination intensity led to a far higher impact on sunflower yield when the soil had been fertilized. Specifically, the intensification of insect pollination increased seed yield by approximately 0.4 ton/ha on nutrient poor soil and by approximately 1.7 ton/ha on moderately fertilized soil. Our findings suggest that sunflower crops on adequate balanced soil fertility will receive abundant insect pollination and may gain more from both synergies than crops grown in areas with degraded soil fertility.

Grazed pasture parameters. I. Pasture dry-matter production and availability in a stocking rate and grazing management experiment with dairy cows

1966 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.G. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Dry Matter Production ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Matter Production

1. Net pasture dry matter production and available pasture dry matter were measured over 3 years in a small-scale replica of the study of the effects of dairy cow grazing management and stocking rate reported by McMeekan & Walshe (1963).2. The four treatments were(i) Controlled rotational grazing, light stocking rate (0.95 cows/acre).(ii) Controlled rotational grazing, heavy stocking rate (1.19 cows/acre).(iii) Uncontrolled, set stocked grazing, light stocking rate (0.95 cows/acre).(iv) Uncontrolled, set stocked grazing, heavy stocking rate (1.19 cows/acre).3. The pasture measurement technique employed measured net pasture production (gains through new growth minus losses from all sources). It is argued that this parameter, rather than absolute pasture production, governs the changes in the dry matter feed supply to the grazing animal.

scholarly journals Effect of Organic Amendment Addition on Soil Properties, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Grape Yield in Semi-Arid Vineyard Agroecosystems

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1477
Author(s):  
Antonio Marín-Martínez ◽  
Alberto Sanz-Cobeña ◽  
Mª Angeles Bustamante ◽  
Enrique Agulló ◽  
Concepción Paredes
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Organic N ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Grape Yield

In semi-arid vineyard agroecosystems, highly vulnerable in the context of climate change, the soil organic matter (OM) content is crucial to the improvement of soil fertility and grape productivity. The impact of OM, from compost and animal manure, on soil properties (e.g., pH, oxidisable organic C, organic N, NH4+-N and NO3−-N), grape yield and direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in vineyards was assessed. For this purpose, two wine grape varieties were chosen and managed differently: with a rain-fed non-trellising vineyard of Monastrell, a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard of Monastrell and a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon. The studied fertiliser treatments were without organic amendments (C), sheep/goat manure (SGM) and distillery organic waste compost (DC). The SGM and DC treatments were applied at a rate of 4600 kg ha−1 (fresh weight, FW) and 5000 kg ha−1 FW, respectively. The use of organic amendments improved soil fertility and grape yield, especially in the drip-irrigated trellising vineyards. Increased CO2 emissions were coincident with higher grape yields and manure application (maximum CO2 emissions = 1518 mg C-CO2 m−2 d−1). In contrast, N2O emissions, mainly produced through nitrification, were decreased in the plots showing higher grape production (minimum N2O emissions = −0.090 mg N2O-N m−2 d−1). In all plots, the CH4 fluxes were negative during most of the experiment (−1.073−0.403 mg CH4-C m−2 d−1), indicating that these ecosystems can represent a significant sink for atmospheric CH4. According to our results, the optimal vineyard management, considering soil properties, yield and GHG mitigation together, was the use of compost in a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard with the grape variety Monastrell.

Nonunion Rates After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Comparison of Polyetheretherketone vs Structural Allograft Implants

Neurosurgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Won Hyung A Ryu ◽  
Dominick Richards ◽  
Mena G Kerolus ◽  
Adewale A Bakare ◽  
Ryan Khanna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Status ◽  
Posterior Instrumentation ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Anterior Cervical Discectomy ◽  
Successful Outcome ◽  
Cervical Discectomy ◽  
Structural Allograft ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BACKGROUND Although advances in implant materials, such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK), have been developed aimed to improve outcome after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), it is essential to confirm whether these changes translate into clinically important sustained benefits. OBJECTIVE To compare the radiographic and clinical outcomes of patients undergoing up to 3-level ACDF with PEEK vs structural allograft implants. METHODS In this cohort study, radiographic and symptomatic nonunion rates were compared in consecutive patients who underwent 1 to 3 level ACDF with allograft or PEEK implant. Prospectively collected clinical data and patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores were compared between the allograft and PEEK groups. Regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of nonunion. RESULTS In total, 194 of 404 patients met the inclusion criteria (79% allograft vs 21% PEEK). Preoperative demographic variables were comparable between the 2 groups except for age. The rate of radiographic nonunion was higher with PEEK implants (39% vs 27%, P = .0035). However, a higher proportion of nonunion in the allograft cohort required posterior instrumentation (14% vs 3%, P = .039). Patients with multilevel procedures and PEEK implants had up to 5.8 times the risk of radiographic nonunion, whereas younger patients, active smokers, and multilevel procedures were at higher risk of symptomatic nonunion. CONCLUSION Along with implant material, factors such as younger age, active smoking status, and the number of operated levels were independent predictors of fusion failure. Given the impact of nonunion on PRO, perioperative optimization of modifiable factors and surgical planning are essential to ensure a successful outcome.

CHANGING PRESCRIBING CULTURE – A FOCUS ON CODEINE POSTPARTUM

2016 ◽  
Vol 101 (9) ◽  
pp. e2.12-e2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Al-Adhami ◽  
Karen Whitfield ◽  
Angela North
Keyword(s):  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Successful Outcome ◽  
Postpartum Women ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Postpartum Analgesia ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Breast Fed

AimTo eliminate the prescribing of codeine and codeine combination products postpartum to improve safety in breast fed infants.Concerns have been raised over the use of codeine and codeine combination products during breast feeding after the death of a neonate whose mother had been prescribed codeine postpartum. High concentrations of morphine were found in the infant's blood and this was attributed to the mother being a CYP2D6 ultrafast metaboliser.1 MethodsThe evidence surrounding the safety of codeine and codeine combination products in children, during the postpartum period and specifically for breast fed infants was collated. The evidence was presented to key stakeholders including obstetricians, midwives, safety and quality representatives, nurse unit managers and acute pain team representatives. Postpartum analgesia was discussed and an agreed protocol developed. Training and education sessions were undertaken to obstetric medical and nursing staff.ResultsThe evidence that was presented to key stakeholders included:▸ Reports over the safety concerns surrounding the use of codeine and codeine combination products during breast feeding▸ Guidelines and contraindications about the use of codeine in children that had been issued by international regulatory bodies (US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency).▸ Recommendations from the Australian Medicines Handbook to avoid in breast feeding2 ▸ Recommendations from Hale's Medications and Mothers Milk that reported limited data and had made a recent re-classification from L3 (limited data–probably compatible) to L4 (limited data–possibly hazardous).3 Before presenting the evidence to key stakeholders and undertaking training to nursing and medical staff, more than 90% of postpartum women were prescribed a codeine containing product as part of their ‘as required’ analgesic regimen.Since the intervention, codeine combination products have now been almost completely eliminated on medication charts for postpartum women (less than 5%). Those that are prescribed are ceased once highlighted to medical staff. The obstetric pharmacist now presents a session on postpartum analgesia at every new resident medical officer orientation outlining suitable medications to prescribe. In addition all new pharmacists to the women's and new born's team receive training about postpartum analgesia.ConclusionThis study highlights the impact that can be achieved when health care professionals work together to change the culture and prescribing habits in a hospital setting, to enhance patient safety. Evaluating the evidence and presenting to stakeholders as well as providing ongoing training and education to medical, nursing and pharmacy staff are all essential to a successful outcome.

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