269 Validation of an Automatic Scale Equipped with Solar Panels for Grazing Beef Cattle

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 143-143
Author(s):  
Stefania Pancini ◽  
Gabriel J Pent ◽  
Robin R White ◽  
Guillermo Goncherenko ◽  
Nicholas W Wege Dias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Solar Panels ◽  
Wireless System ◽  
Great Precision ◽  
Water Trough ◽  
Automatic Scale ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Animal Handling

Abstract Body weight (BW) is used to detect health and nutritional disorders in cattle, as well as calculate profitability of the production system based on weight gain curves. In grazing systems, measuring BW frequently implies moving animals, which is labor intense, stressful, and reduces grazing time and feed intake. All of which negatively impacts animal performance. An automated scale in the pasture can reduce labor and animal handling, while ensuring an accurate BW estimation. Our objective was to evaluate the functionality and accuracy of an automatic wireless scale system equipped with solar panels (SmartScale, C-LOCKTM), when compared to a conventional scale located at the cattle working facility. Eight multiparous beef cows were weighed in a 14-day interval for a period of 57 days with a conventional scale, while at the same time BW was measured daily with an automated scale located at the pasture in front of the water trough. This wireless system registers BW every time the animal approaches the water trough and automatically transmit it to a server via cellular network. Correlation between weighing systems was evaluated through a linear regression (R Core Team, 2019), where the adjusted R2 value was 0.99, determining an excellent linear relationship between values obtained by the conventional scale and values obtained by the automated scale. In addition, the automated scale registered the time of day, time spent in the scale, and number of daily visits. The probability to find an animal at the scale varies between 15% to 20% during daylight, decreasing under 9% during the night, with 2.56±1.50 average number of visits per day, where animals spend in average 2.94±1.84 minutes. In conclusion, the automated scale has the ability to measure BW with great precision and has potential to be used as a complimentary instrument to evaluate animal behavior in grazing systems.

Forage-Based Heifer Development Program for North Florida

EDIS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose C.B. Dubeux ◽  
Nicolas DiLorenzo ◽  
Kalyn Waters ◽  
Jane C. Griffin
Keyword(s):  
Development Program ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Good News ◽  
Cool Season ◽  
Beef Industry ◽  
Performance Targets ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Heifer Development ◽  
Reducing Costs

Florida has 915,000 beef cows and 125,000 replacement heifers (USDA, 2016). Developing these heifers so that they can become productive females in the cow herd is a tremendous investment in a cow/calf operation, an investment that takes several years to make a return. The good news is that there are options to develop heifers on forage-based programs with the possibility of reducing costs while simultaneously meeting performance targets required by the beef industry. Mild winters in Florida allows utilization of cool-season forages that can significantly enhance the performance of grazing heifers. During the warm-season, integration of forage legumes into grazing systems will provide additional nutrients to meet the performance required to develop a replacement heifer to become pregnant and enter the mature cow herd. In this document, we will propose a model for replacement heifer development, based on forage research performed in trials at the NFREC Marianna.   

scholarly journals The efficiency of use of energy saving technologies in construction

2018 ◽  
Vol 193 ◽  
pp. 03003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalya Trukhina ◽  
Ella Okolelova
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Maximum Level ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Solar Panels ◽  
Main Emphasis ◽  
Solar Battery ◽  
Efficiency Increase

The article considers problems and prospects of development of energy saving technologies in construction. The possible directions of improving the construction of residential facilities with the aim of increasing their efficiency are considered, taking into account different technologies. The main emphasis is on the use of solar panels as one of the most effective ways of saving resources. The maximum level of heliotropia for the Central black earth region is determined. To increase the efficiency of the solar battery it is proposed to develop a rotary device that allows you to change the angle of the battery in the vertical and horizontal planes. The dynamics of rotation in the horizontal plane should depend on the time of day, in the horizontal – season. The article presents the problem of determining the speed of rotation of the solar battery in the direction of the solar azimuth and relative to the horizon during the day, allowing you to use a slewing device with maximum efficiency. Increase efficiency when using the rotary mechanism will reduce the number of solar batteries with the same capacity of electricity consumption. Also the problem of determining the optimal number of solar panels.

scholarly journals PSIII-1 Characterization of eating pattern and animal behavior according to productive system of intensive beef fattening fed high-concentrate diets

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 190-190
Author(s):  
Marçal Verdú ◽  
Jordi Cucurull ◽  
Sonia Marti ◽  
Maria Devant
Keyword(s):  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Cattle Breed ◽  
Eating Rate ◽  
Eating Pattern ◽  
Commercial Farming ◽  
Water Trough ◽  
Productive System ◽  
System 1

Abstract Eating pattern and animal behavior of three different intensive beef fattening systems, combining cattle breed, gender, and fattening days were studied under the same commercial farming conditions. A total of 120 animals were allocated in 6 pens (two per treatment), and each pen was assigned to 1 of 3 treatments according to productive system: 1) Holstein bulls, slaughtered at 11.5 months of age (142 ± 3.3 days of age and 176 ± 5.5 kg of initial BW), 2) crossbred heifers at 10 months (141 ± 3.3 days of age and 165 ± 5.5 kg of initial BW), and, 3) crossbred Angus bulls at 12.5 months (154 ± 3.3 days of age and 192 ± 5.5 kg of initial BW). Each pen had two separate feeders for concentrate and straw, and a water trough. Eating pattern was recorded per day and animal, and animal behavior was analyzed fortnightly by scan pen sampling. Data were analyzed using a mixed-effects model with repeated measures. Most relevant interaction revealed that around 215 days of age (onset of puberty) heifers visited less frequently the feeder (7.5 vs 8.1 ± 0.23) and devoted more time to eat (7.5 vs 6.5 ± 0.22 min), decreasing eating rate (153.8 vs 177.4 ± 4.97 g/min) compared with bulls. Regardless of age, heifers tended (P < 0.10) to exhibit more frequently non-agonistic (20.4 vs 13.0 ± 1.53 n/15 min), less agonistic (1.2 vs 3.8 ± 0.92 n/15 min) and sexual (1.3 vs 5.5 ± 1.65 n/15 min) behaviors, and more stereotypies (1.5 vs 0.3 ± 0.08 n/15 min) compared with bulls. In conclusion, when animals spent time performing agonistic and sexual behaviors, the time devoted to eat was reduced, identifying a gender effect. This finding could have implications in terms of feeder design, number of feeding spaces, and feeder access.

Enteric methane from lactating beef cows managed with high- and low-input grazing systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 1365 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Chiavegato ◽  
J. E. Rowntree ◽  
D. Carmichael ◽  
W. J. Powers
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cows ◽  
Low Input ◽  
Enteric Methane ◽  
Grazing Systems

Liver functional genomics in beef cows on grazing systems: novel genes and pathways revealed

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 138-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimena Laporta ◽  
Guilherme J. M. Rosa ◽  
Hugo Naya ◽  
Mariana Carriquiry
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Negative Energy ◽  
Nonesterified Fatty Acid ◽  
Acid Oxidation ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
Liver Transcriptome ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Novel Target

The adaptation of the liver to periods of negative energy balance is largely unknown in beef cattle on grazing systems. We evaluated liver transcriptome throughout gestation and early lactation of purebred and crossbred beef cows [Angus, Hereford, and their F1 crossbreeds (CR)], grazing high or low herbage allowances (HA) of native grasslands (4 and 2.5 kg dry matter/kg body wt annual mean; n = 16) using an Agilent 4 × 44k bovine array. A total of 4,661 transcripts were affected by days [272 ≥2.5-fold difference, false discovery rate (FDR) ≤ 0.10] and 47 pathways were altered during winter gestation (−165 to −15 days relative to calving), when cows experienced decreased body condition score, decreased insulin, and increased nonesterified fatty acid concentrations. Gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation pathways were upregulated, while cell growth, DNA replication, and transcription pathways were downregulated (FDR ≤ 0.25). We observed only small changes in the liver transcriptome during early lactation (+15 to +60 days). A total of 225 genes were differentially expressed (47 ≥2-fold difference, FDR ≤ 0.10) between HA. The majority of those were related to glucose and pyruvate metabolism and were upregulated in high HA, reflecting their better metabolic status. Two genes were upregulated in CR cows, but 148 transcripts (74 ≥2-fold change difference, FDR ≤ 0.10) were affected by the HA and cow genotype interaction. The transcriptional changes observed indicated a complex and previously unrecognized, hepatic adaptive program of grazing beef cows in different nutritional environments. Novel target candidate genes, metabolic pathways, and regulatory mechanisms were reported.

scholarly journals Estimation of the Hourly Global Solar Irradiation on the Tilted and Oriented Plane of Photovoltaic Solar Panels Applied to Greenhouse Production

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 495
Author(s):  
Francisco J. Diez ◽  
Andrés Martínez-Rodríguez ◽  
Luis M. Navas-Gracia ◽  
Leticia Chico-Santamarta ◽  
Adriana Correa-Guimaraes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Solar Panel ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Angle Of Incidence ◽  
Solar Panels ◽  
Greenhouse Production ◽  
Anisotropic Models ◽  
Diffuse Solar Radiation ◽  
Global Solar Irradiation

Agrometeorological stations have horizontal solar irradiation data available, but the design and simulation of photovoltaic (PV) systems require data about the solar panel (inclined and/or oriented). Greenhouses for agricultural production, outside the large protected production areas, are usually off-grid; thus, the solar irradiation variable on the panel plane is critical for an optimal PV design. Modeling of solar radiation components (beam, diffuse, and ground-reflected) is carried out by calculating the extraterrestrial solar radiation, solar height, angle of incidence, and diffuse solar radiation. In this study, the modeling was done using Simulink-MATLAB blocks to facilitate its application, using the day of the year, the time of day, and the hourly horizontal global solar irradiation as input variables. The rest of the parameters (i.e., inclination, orientation, solar constant, albedo, latitude, and longitude) were fixed in each block. The results obtained using anisotropic models of diffuse solar irradiation of the sky in the region of Castile and León (Spain) showed improvements over the results obtained with isotropic models. This work enables the precise estimation of solar irradiation on a solar panel flexibly, for particular places, and with the best models for each of the components of solar radiation.

Animal welfare and sustainable animal production

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Orihuela
Keyword(s):  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Risk Of Injury ◽  
Animal Handling ◽  
Efficiency And Productivity ◽  
System Designs

This paper describes the basic principles of animal behavior and how these concepts can be applied to the management and care of farm animal species in a sustainable way. Several examples about how the behavior of animals can be used to increase production and welfare understanding animal needs while solving farm problems, are mentioned. Topics covered include: fostering of orphans, explaining how to substitute dead lambs, or how to add extra lambs to ewes with single births; the breakdown of the cow–calf relationship, covering different forms of weaning, focusing on stress reduction as reproductive efficiency and productivity increases; handling system designs, explaining the basic principles of animal handling and how to leverage this knowledge in the design of facilities for the purpose of moving cattle efficiently, reducing at the same time the risk of injury in humans and animals; the behavior of sick animals, where the physiological processes in order to regain homeostasis through changes in animal behavior are explained, in addition to how those changes in behavior can be used to predict some diseases even before clinical signs appeared, or how these changes might be applied to assess the extent of the pain suffered by a particular individual; and finally, a miscellaneous section covering various behavioral aspects of management of productive animals.

scholarly journals Implementation of a rotational grazing system with large paddocks changes the distribution of grazing cattle in the south-western Italian Alps

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Probo ◽  
Michele Lonati ◽  
Marco Pittarello ◽  
Derek W. Bailey ◽  
Matteo Garbarino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Western Alps ◽  
The South ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Alpine Pastures ◽  
Vegetation Surveys ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Steep Slopes

Continuous grazing systems (CGS) are still widely used for managing cattle herds in the south-western Alps. Recently, Pastoral Plans have been used as a policy tool to improve grazing management. Rotational grazing systems (RGS) with large paddocks (i.e. ~100 ha on average) and stocking rate adjustments based on recommended levels calculated from vegetation surveys have been implemented through Pastoral Plans to improve the uniformity of grazing. A case study was conducted to compare grazing distribution patterns of beef cows during the summer under CGS and RGS on sub-alpine and alpine pastures within Val Troncea Natural Park in the south-western Alps of Italy. Cows were tracked with global positioning system collars at 15-min intervals under both CGS and RGS. Cattle distribution patterns were aggregated in both grazing systems, but in the RGS concentration of grazing was less clustered and the selection of vegetation communities was more homogeneous than in CGS. Under CGS, cows were attracted (P < 0.05) to salt placements and areas with high forage pastoral values, and they avoided (P < 0.05) steep slopes. In contrast, cows under RGS were not influenced by (P > 0.05) high pastoral value, and they avoided areas farther from water (P < 0.05). Similar to CGS, cows under RGS were attracted (P < 0.05) to salt and avoided (P < 0.05) steep slopes. In the RGS, cows used steeper slopes and areas farther from salt and water in the second half of the grazing period within a paddock compared with the first half, which likely explains the improvement in uniformity of grazing with RGS. Our findings indicate that Pastoral Plans that combine appropriate stocking levels and RGS are valid policy and management tools that have the potential to improve grazing distribution on rough sub-alpine and alpine pastures in the south-western Alps.

scholarly journals Behaviourof cows and calves at different ways maintenance

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. M. Gordiychuk ◽  
L. M. Gordiychuk ◽  
I. J. Salamakha
Keyword(s):  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Time And Motion ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Lying Down

The paper studied the behavior of cows and calves Ukrainian red–spotted milk breed in terms attachable loose and maintenance. Established that cows without a leash in the pits had a positive impact on the calving and overall health. Stage removing the fetus in experimental cows compared with control counterparts were relatively short and averaged 33.1 min., and droppings from cows separated at 33.4 min. more. Cows in the control group compared with research peers after calving on holiday standing and lying down spending more time accordingly – 25.4 min. and 12.1 min. When cage dependent calves (control group) in the first day on vacation was spent lying 1293.2 min., Or 89.9% of the time of day, at 3, 6 and 9 days respectively 1259.4; 1221.0 and 1178.9 min. Or 87.5; 84.8 and 81.9% of the time of day. Their peers from the experimental group were spending less time on vacation lying: the first day of 10.8%, the third – at 14.3, 25.8 and sixth on the ninth day – at 38.0%. Calves research group may milk cow 10 – 12 times a day and spend this 5–10 times longer compared to a control group calves which water colostrum and milk of nipples drinkers three times a day. The presence of the mother and the possibility of arbitrary sucking stimulated locomotor activity calves research groups and partially reduced their leisure time lying down. In the course of time and motion observations of animal behavior found that cows without a leash in the pits had a positive impact on the calving and overall health. Stage removing the fetus in experimental cows compared with control counterparts were relatively short and averaged 33.1 min., which is 9.8 minutes. faster, and droppings from cows separated at 33.4 min. more. Cows in the control group compared with research peers after calving on holiday standing and lying down spending more time accordingly – 25.4 min. and 12.1 min. By way of keeping calves tethered spent on average 86.03% of the time of day to rest lying on a sucking niples drinkers – 0.7%, standing – 11.07% and 2.23% of the time of day drinking water whereas for loose–boxed way of keeping calves during the day to rest lying spent 63.80% of the time of day, sucking on – 5.53%, to walking – 12.98%, the rest standing – 16.58% and consumption of water – 1.50% of the time of day. Prospects for further research. In the future, will be studied the growth and development of experimental animals, behavioral responses in cows tethered Loose and maintenance of various front feed and rest in the barn.

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