scholarly journals Characteristics of robust animals for grass-based production systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Delaby ◽  
F. Buckley ◽  
N. McHugh ◽  
F. Blanc
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Productive Potential ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Long Lifetime ◽  
Feeding Environments ◽  
Adaptive Abilities ◽  
Edible Products

A characterisation of dairy, beef and sheep breeds and/or strains best suited to profitable/sustainable production within the context of European [semi] intensive pasture-based systems is presented. To deliver optimal performance, pasture must be managed effectively, but pasture-based systems are less energy intensive, are climate sensitive and induce challenges and constraints not normally posed to animals in intensive feeding environments. This emphasises the importance of animal traits associated with robustness and adaptive abilities. A survey of French dairy farmers concluded that a robust cow is an “invisible” cow with a long lifetime. The traits common to both indoor and grazing systems include: efficient converters of feed to human edible products, functionality, being healthy, reproductively fit and exhibiting longevity. Unique to successful grazing is the capability to achieve large intakes of forage to meet productive potential, an ability to adapt to fluctuating feed supply and, in seasonal systems, the ability to conceive and give birth at the appropriate time each year, usually within 365 d. The breed or strain of choice may differ based on local management constraints and objectives; however, general principles apply, and ideally should be guided by a suitable selection index combining all of the economically important traits appropriate to the local conditions and systems.

Use of information and communication technologies in small-scale dairy production systems in central Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-779
Author(s):  
Juan de Dios García-Villegas ◽  
Anastacio García-Martínez ◽  
Carlos Manuel Arriaga-Jordán ◽  
Monica Elizama Ruiz-Torres ◽  
Adolfo Armando Rayas-Amor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Dairy Production ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Small Scale Dairy

AbstractThe objective of the study was to characterize small-scale dairy production systems to identify the technological preferences according to the farmer and farm characteristics and to analyze the importance and role of the information communication technologies (ICTs) in the dissemination of information related to management and livestock activities. To collect the data, a survey was applied to 170 small-scale dairy farmers from central Mexico. To characterize the farms, a factor analysis (FA) and cluster analysis (CA) were performed. To compare and identify differences between groups, a Kruskal–Wallis test was conducted. Four factors that explain 70.93% of the accumulated variance were identified; these factors explain the use of technology, production characteristics, social connections, and use of ICTs. The cluster analysis identified four groups. Group 1 was integrated by farmers with more experience and the largest farms. Group 2 had higher studies and use of ICTs. Group 3 was formed by young farmers but had a low use of technology. Group 4 contained older farmers with a low use of technology. The young farmers with higher studies have begun to incorporate ICTs into their daily activities on the farm, as observed in Group 2. Smartphones were the most used and were considered important by the farmers of the four groups, since they enable interaction with other farmers and the dissemination of topics of interest related with the farm. In conclusion, four group of farmers were differentiated; therefore, different extension approaches should be implemented to take into account the preferences and the technologies considered most important for each group. The ICTs are emerging technologies among small-scale dairy farmers to communicate information related to livestock management, mainly by young farmers with studies of secondary, as observed in Group 2.

The effect of perennial ryegrass ploidy and white clover inclusion on milk production of dairy cows

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bríd McClearn ◽  
Trevor Gilliland ◽  
Clare Guy ◽  
Michael Dineen ◽  
Fergal Coughlan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Increase Milk Production ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
Grazing Dairy Cows

Grazed grass is considered the cheapest feed available for dairy cows in temperate regions, and to maximise profits, dairy farmers must utilise this high-quality feed where possible. Recent research has reported that including white clover (Trifolium repens L.) in grass swards can have a positive effect on milk production. The aim of the present study was to quantify the effect of tetraploid and diploid perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.; PRG) swards sown with and without white clover on the milk production of grazing dairy cows. Four grazing treatments were used for the study; tetraploid-only PRG swards, diploid-only PRG swards, tetraploid PRG with white clover swards and diploid PRG with white clover swards. Thirty cows were assigned to each treatment and swards were rotationally grazed at a stocking rate of 2.75 cows/ha and a nitrogen-fertiliser application rate of 250 kg/ha annually. There was no significant effect of ploidy on milk production. Over the present 4-year study, cows grazing the PRG–white clover treatments had greater milk yields (+597 kg/cow.year) and milk-solid yield (+48 kg/cow.year) than cows grazing the PRG-only treatments. This significant increase in milk production suggests that the inclusion of white clover in grazing systems can be effectively used to increase milk production of grazing dairy cows.

scholarly journals Extensive Ruminant Production Systems and Milk Quality with Emphasis on Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Volatile Compounds, Antioxidant Protection Degree and Phenol Content

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cabiddu ◽  
Delgadillo-Puga ◽  
Decandia ◽  
Molle
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Plant Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Antioxidant Protection ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Milk And Dairy Products

Dairy products from grazing ruminant have numerous positive effects on human health thanks to their higher content essential fatty acids, vitamins, and polyphenols. Compared to livestock fed a conventional maize silage- and/or grain-based diet, grass-fed livestock produce milk with higher levels of n-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, E, carotenoids, and phenols. The effect is even more pronounced if animals are grazing on legume/forbs-rich grasslands. This review argues, based on the available literature, about the effect of grazing ruminant on milk and cheese quality, including the hedonistic aspects, pointing out the link between territory and dairy products quality (Protected Designation Origin; Protected Geografic Origin; namely PDO and PGI labels). Moreover, it points out the main plant biomarkers which can be used to discriminate grazing sourced from stall-fed sourced milk and dairy products. Overall milk and cheese sourced from grazing animals (cows, sheep and goat) showed higher levels (compared to stall system) of FA, vitamins, phenols, putatively beneficial for consumers’ health. FA and plant secondary metabolites can also affect flavor and some nutritional and technological features of dairy products such as their antioxidant protection degree. This would favour a fair pricing of dairy products sourced from grazing systems and the persistence of viable and sustainable extensive production systems.

Kale-based out-wintering systems for weaned Aberdeen Angus cross and Limousin cross steers during a winter store period

2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 236-236
Author(s):  
J. J. Hyslop ◽  
D. Fleming ◽  
G. J. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Feeding Period ◽  
Animal Performance ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Beef Industry ◽  
Finishing Cattle ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Grazing Period ◽  
The Uk

Since de-coupling of CAP subsidy schemes from actual animal production, lowering the costs of finishing cattle production systems is one of the key challenges facing the beef industry. One of the largest costs associated with finished cattle production from spring-born suckled calves is the costs of over-wintering the weaned steer calf once the suckling phase is over. The capital tied up in buildings is a major component of these costs in countries such as the UK where the relatively harsh winter environments have traditionally led to many weaned suckled calves being housed and fed conserved forages over the winter months to ensure adequate performance. Previous work (Hyslop et al, 2006) has shown that under appropriate field conditions, non-lactating, spring calving suckler cows can be out-wintered on both grazed kale or turnip based-systems with an acceptable degree of animal performance. The objective of the current study was to determine liveweight (LW) changes in weaned spring-born suckled calf steers when managed outdoors on kale-based grazing systems during a short winter feeding period and to assess the dirtiness of steers hides at the end of the kale grazing period.

Ethical attitudes of consumers and farmers to the use of two dairy technologies : Bovine somatotrophin (BST) and Automated Milking Systems (AMS)

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 ◽  
pp. 195-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.M. Millar ◽  
S.M. Tomkins ◽  
T.B. Mepham
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
Ethical Analysis ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Comprehensive Survey ◽  
Bovine Somatotrophin ◽  
Animal Production Systems

The importance of considering public opinion in technology development and use is widely recognised. Several studies have assessed public opinion on modern biotechnologies used in animal production systems (Eurobarometer, 1997), but few have focused on specific technologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate attitudes to two defined technologies, bovine somatotrophin (BST) and automated milking systems (AMS), as part of a wider study of the role of ethical analysis in technology assessment. The preliminary results described below highlight only certain aspects of a much more comprehensive survey.Postal surveys of consumers and farmers were conducted in the Spring/Summer of 1998. The farmers’ population sample (n=1,000) was randomly selected from the National Farmers Union Dairy Farmers database. The selection, based on an nth term sample, was stratified for geographical region only.

Selecting terminal beef sires on their estimated breeding values for economic efficiency

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 ◽  
pp. 127-127
Author(s):  
Margaret E King ◽  
P J Broadbent
Keyword(s):  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Performance Testing ◽  
Breeding Value ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Calving Difficulty

The selection objective of the SAC Simmental MOET Project, is to improve the economic efficiency of lean, or saleable, meat production in crossbred beef production systems.The factors which contribute to the selection objective are the yield of saleable meat, feed intake and calving difficulty. These goal characteristics are combined into an index by taking into account their respective financial values and costs. Calves generated by multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) are weaned from their recipient dams at 10 weeks old and placed in performance test from 5 to 11 months of age. At the end of the performance test, saleable meat yield is estimated from liveweight at end of test, ultrasonic fat depth measurements and muscling score. Calving difficulty is predicted from the birthweight and gestation length of the animal on test whilst feed intake is measured directly by recording individual food intakes during performance testing. The estimated breeding value for the selection index of an animal is expressed in £'s (pounds sterling) as deviations from a mean of zero for the SAC population of Simmentals. It is calculated using the information for each animal plus that of all its relatives in its own and other performance tests by means of BLUP procedures.The objective of the work described here was to evaluate the effectiveness of the selection index in identifying sires of superior genetic merit for use in crossbred beef production systems.

scholarly journals Eco-efficient approaches to land management: a case for increased integration of crop and animal production systems

2007 ◽  
Vol 363 (1491) ◽  
pp. 517-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J Wilkins
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Productive Potential ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

Eco-efficiency is concerned with the efficient and sustainable use of resources in farm production and land management. It can be increased either by altering the management of individual crop and livestock enterprises or by altering the land-use system. This paper concentrates on the effects of crop sequence and rotation on soil fertility and nutrient use efficiency. The potential importance of mixed farming involving both crops and livestock is stressed, particularly when the systems incorporate biological nitrogen fixation and manure recycling. There is, however, little evidence that the trend in developed countries to farm-level specialization is being reduced. In some circumstances legislation to restrict diffuse pollution may provide incentives for more diverse eco-efficient farming and in other circumstances price premia for produce from eco-efficient systems, such as organic farming, and subsidies for the provision of environmental services may provide economic incentives for the adoption of such systems. However, change is likely to be most rapid where the present systems lead to obvious reductions in the productive potential of the land, such as in areas experiencing salinization. In other situations, there is promise that eco-efficiency could be increased on an area-wide basis by the establishment of linkages between farms of contrasting type, particularly between specialist crop and livestock farms, with contracts for the transfer of manures and, to a lesser extent, feeds.

scholarly journals Measuring and explaining multi-directional inefficiency in the Malaysian dairy industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (12) ◽  
pp. 2788-2803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Aisyah Binti Mohd Suhaimi ◽  
Yann de Mey ◽  
Alfons Oude Lansink
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Dairy Industry ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Truncated Regression ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Technical Inefficiency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Farm Finance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to measure the technical inefficiency of dairy farms and subsequently investigate the factors affecting technical inefficiency in the Malaysian dairy industry. Design/methodology/approach This study uses multi-directional efficiency analysis to measure the technical inefficiency scores on a sample of 200 farm observations and single-bootstrap truncated regression model to define factors affecting technical inefficiency. Findings Managerial and program inefficiency scores are presented for intensive and semi-intensive production systems. The results reveal marked differences in the inefficiency scores across inputs and between production systems. Practical implications Intensive systems generally have lowest managerial and program inefficiency scores in the Malaysian dairy farming sector. Policy makers could use this information to advise dairy farmers to convert their farming system to the intensive system. Social implications The results suggest that the Malaysian Government should redefine its policy for providing farm finance and should target young farmers when designing training and extension programs in order to improve the performance of the dairy sector. Originality/value The existing literature on Southeast Asian dairy farming has neither focused on investigating input-specific efficiency nor on comparing managerial and program efficiency. This paper aims to fill this gap.

scholarly journals Genetic trends for mature body weight, visual scores, and growth traits in Nellore cattle

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celso Koetz Júnior ◽  
◽  
Vanerlei Mozaquatro Roso ◽  
Luís Afonso Marques Claus ◽  
Rui Paulo Lopes de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Variance Components ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Economic Traits ◽  
Genetic Progress ◽  
Scrotal Circumference ◽  
Nellore Cattle ◽  
Genetic Trends

ABSTRACT: Mature weight (MW) of cows is related to the costs of their production. Usually, cows with moderate MW are more efficient in challenging environments, such as those available in the production systems in Brazil. In the present study, the selection index comprises the following traits: conformation, finishing precocity, musculature at weaning (WC, WP, WM) yearling (YC, YP and YM), scrotal circumference at yearling (SC), days to gain 160kg from birth to weaning (D160) and 240kg after weaning (D240). This are related to birth weight gain at weaning (WG) and from weaning to yearling (YG). The mature (MW) and birth weight (BW) traits were not considered in the selection index. The aim of this study was to estimate the values for the genetic trends (GT) of some important selection (MW) and economic traits (BW). A bi-character analysis of MW and other characteristics was performed to estimate the (co)variance components and genetic parameters. The GT results obtained for MW were null (0.0065% or 0.02718kg per year) in the period 1990-2007. The GT values were determined for BW (-0.0650% or -0.02017kg), WG (0.0758% or 0.0865kg), YG (0.1051% or 0.11377kg), and MW (0.0393% or 0.11276kg) per year. The visual score values (in score units) were also determined for GTat weaning [WC (0.2310%; 0.00707), WP (0.3624%; 0.3623%),aWM (0.01149; 0.01087)] yearling [YC (0.3256%; 0.00990), YP (0.4795%; 0.01496),YM (0.5041%; 0.01457)] per year. Index-based selection was effective to promote genetic progress in WG, WC, WP, WM, YG, YC, YP, and YM characteristics keeping BW and MW constant.

scholarly journals A tailor-made crop growth model for the tomato production systems in Colombia

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Gil ◽  
Carlos Ricardo Bojacá Aldana ◽  
Eddie Schrevens
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Growth Cycle ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Crop Models ◽  
On Farm

Potential crop models simulate the plant growth under nonlimiting biophysical conditions with no other factor than the climate to which the plants are exposed to. These models may fail to adequately represent the crop performance if they are not adapted to the local conditions. The particularities of Colombian tomato systems (greenhouse and open field) demand the recalibration of existing models to make a more realistic representation of those systems. Therefore, a locally calibrated crop model was proposed considering both production systems. To this purpose, four on-farm calibration experiments were carried out, two under greenhouse conditions with average temperatures of 17.4 and 17.9ºC in Santa Sofía (Boyacá) and two under open field conditions in Páramo and San Gil (Santander), with average temperatures of 20.6 and 24.0ºC, respectively. The crops were commercially managed according to the local practices. Plant data was collected through destructive measurements carried out on a fortnightly basis, while climate data were collected for the entire crop growth cycle. Independent calibration of the dry matter fractions allocated at the plant organs in function of thermal time resulted in an acceptable model performance. The calibration of the model under commercial conditions gave a better representation of the local systems but at the expense of accuracy since on-farm experiments cannot be controlled as those performed in research facilities.

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