scholarly journals Surveying the management practices and research needs of graziers in the New England region of New South Wales

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 602 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Kaine ◽  
B. Doyle ◽  
H. Sutherland ◽  
J. M. Scott

The inaugural committee of the Cicerone Project commissioned a survey of livestock producers in the New England region to determine the research problems and production practices which were of greatest importance to graziers. In addition, an assessment was made of the level of interest livestock producers had in participating in a proposed producer-led research and adoption project. The survey was mailed to livestock producers in five districts across the New England region during October and November 1997. The survey results concerning land and pasture management issues suggested that a majority of livestock producers in the New England region found the challenges of dry seasons, fertiliser use, pasture composition and pasture persistence to be major problems. A further issue identified was the problem of resistance to drenches used for internal parasite control in sheep. It was clear that producers depend largely on pastures as the primary feed source due to the high cost of supplementary feed. There was considerable interest in learning how to fill gaps in the feed supply, and the management of the feed supply through droughts. Thus, one desired focus of future studies was to explore management systems that might improve the productivity, resilience, stability and longevity of pastures in the New England region. In addition, a focus on grazing management and its effects on pastures and on internal parasite control was suggested by survey respondents. Of the 316 responses to the survey, 76% expressed interest in becoming involved in the Cicerone Project, confirming the desirability of forming a producer-led research and adoption network within the New England region. One hundred and eighty-one respondents expressed an interest in becoming partner members, 100 respondents indicated they were interested in having their farm included in a network, while 139 people were interested in attending regional workshops where further details about the nature of the Cicerone Project would be developed. The survey was clearly of interest to commercial-scale livestock producers as the average size of respondents’ sheep flocks and cattle herds was over 5000 and 500, respectively. The results of this survey provided empirical evidence to support the formation of the Cicerone Project, which was created in 1998 following the approval of a business plan by the primary funding agency, the Woolmark Co.

Author(s):  
M.G. Lambert ◽  
M.S. Paine ◽  
G.W. Sheath ◽  
R.W. Webby ◽  
A.J. Litherlandr ◽  
...  

Four groups of sheep and beef farmers located throughout New Zealand were asked questions relating to pasture quality management. Answers were grouped into themes. In answer to the question "what do you do to manage pasture quality", themes identified were manipulation of wholefarm feed demand throughout the year to match feed supply; use of specific grazing strategies; topping and mowing; cropping and regrassing; fertiliser application; weed and pest control; conservation and supplementation; monitoring, predicting and planning; irrigation, drainage and aeration; and internal parasite control. In answer to the question "what is pasture quality", themes identified were animal performance; chemical composition of the herbage; botanical and morphological composition of the herbage; factors affecting intake and utilisation; and anti-quality factors. Most management practices were designed to control the spring surplus or provide alternative high quality feed through cropping or regrassing. Keywords: current practices, farmers, management, pasture quality, sheep and beef


1944 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 190-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Johnstone-Wallace ◽  
Keith Kennedy

1. The grazing habits of Aberdeen-Angus and Hereford beef cows, on pasture without supplementary feed, were studied over continuous periods of 24 hr. during the months of July, August and September. The pastures were from 3 to 7 acres in extent and contained a good growth of Kentucky bluegrass and wild white clover, with an average moisture content of 72 %.2. During each 24 hr. period the cows spent from 7 to 8 hr. only in grazing, whatever the length of the herbage. Of this time, only some 5 hr. could be counted as actually employed in gathering herbage, as the remainder was spent in walking short distances and in selecting the area to be grazed. On the average 60 % of the grazing was performed by day, when the average distance travelled was 2 miles, and 40 % by night, when the cows travelled only about half a mile. With a dense sward of from 4 to 5 in. in height, representing about 4500 lb. green herbage to the acre, each cow was able to consume about 150 lb. of green herbage, or 32 lb. of dry matter, daily. As the amount of green herbage decreased through grazing to 2200 and 1100 lb. respectively, the daily intake was correspondingly reduced to 90 lb. (20 lb. dry matter) and 45 lb. (10 lb. dry matter). On a pasture containing about 5000 lb. green herbage of about 10 in. in height, the average daily intake was only 70 lb. (20 lb. dry matter).3. Records were made also (the average figure for the 24 hr. period being given in parentheses) of time spent in lying down (12 hr.); time spent in cudding (7 hr.); frequency of defaecation (12); amount of manure (46 lb., covering an area of 8 sq. ft.); frequency of urination (9); frequency of drinking (once only, usually in late afternoon); and frequency of suckling calf (3, each for about 15 min. at 8 hr. intervals).4. The application of the results to pasture management is discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (18) ◽  
pp. 2131
Author(s):  
A. M. Beasley ◽  
A. C. Kotze ◽  
T. S. Barnes ◽  
G. T. Coleman

Context Parasite control is an essential part of a broader equine health-management strategy and is often completely administered by the horse owner, with little or no supporting evidence on which to base decisions. Practical and sound advice relies on knowledge of the resident parasite species, the anthelmintic resistance status of important species, and the strategies currently being utilised by owners and managers of horses. Much of this farm-level information is lacking in the Australian literature. Aims The present study aimed to gather both farm- and horse-level prevalence data for four important equine helminth species and to gather information on the current worm-management practices conducted on Australian horse farms. Methods We conducted a coprological survey of cyathostomins, Strongylus vulgaris, Parascaris spp. and equine tapeworm on 102 horse properties, using a combination of classical and molecular parasitological methods, including a tapeworm polymerase chain reaction developed as part of the study. A questionnaire canvasing horse owners on internal parasite-control practices was also distributed. Key results Cyathostomin were present on all farms surveyed and S. vulgaris, despite being considered rare, was present on 7.8% (95% CI: 3.9–15.0) of farms. The prevalence of Parascaris spp. and equine tapeworm was 33.3% (95% CI: 19.6–50.6) and 3.9% (95% CI: 1.5–10.1) respectively. Questionnaire responses showed that the majority (85.0%) of horse owners administer anthelmintics at regular intervals of 12 weeks or less, and only 2.6% utilise faecal egg counts to inform treatment decisions. Conclusions Prevalence data confirmed the endemic nature of cyathostomin and P. equorum infections, as well as low levels of tapeworm and S. vulgaris infections on Australian horse farms. Worm-management practices were reminiscent of traditional interval-style treatment regimens that rely heavily on macrocyclic lactone anthelmintics. Implications These results suggest a need for more strategic approaches to internal-parasite control in horses to slow the development of anthelmintic resistance. Such programs need to consider the risk of re-establishment of the pathogenic S. vulgaris in significant numbers.


1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Tyson

Several authors have suggested that a particular managerial component was needed before cost accounting could be fully used for accountability and disciplinary purposes. They argue that the marriage of managerialism and accounting first occurred in the United States at the Springfield Armory after 1840. They generally downplay the quality and usefulness of cost accounting at the New England textile mills before that time and call for a re-examination of original mill records from a disciplinary perspective. This paper reports the results of such a re-examination. It initially describes the social and economic environment of U.S. textile manufacturing in New England in the early nineteenth century. Selected cost memos and reports are described and analyzed to indicate the nature and scope of costing undertaken at the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the late 1820s and early 1830s. The paper discusses how particular cost information was used and speculates why certain more modern procedures were not adopted. Its major finding is that cost management practices fully measured up to the business complexities, economic pressures, and social forces of the day.


Plant Disease ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Wallis ◽  
Isabella Magna Yannuzzi ◽  
Mei-Wah Choi ◽  
John Spafford ◽  
Matthew Siemon ◽  
...  

Fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is one of the most important diseases of apple. The antibiotic streptomycin is routinely used in the commercial apple industries of New York and New England to manage the disease. In 2002, and again from 2011 to 2014, outbreaks of streptomycin resistance (SmR) were reported and investigated in NY. Motivated by new grower reports of control failures, we conducted a follow-up investigation of the distribution of SmR and E. amylovora strains for major apple production regions of NY over the last six years (2015-2020). Characterization of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) profiles revealed that a few ‘cosmopolitan’ strains were widely prevalent across regions, while many other ‘resident’ strains were confined to one location. In addition, we uncovered novel CRISPR profile diversity in all investigated regions. SmR E. amylovora was detected only in a small area spanning two counties from 2017 to 2020, and always associated with one CRISPR profile (41:23:38), which matched the profile of SmR E. amylovora discovered in 2002. This suggests the original SmR E. amylovora was never fully eradicated and went undetected due to several seasons of low disease pressure in this region. Investigation of several representative isolates under controlled greenhouse conditions indicated significant differences in aggressiveness on ‘Gala’ apples. Potential implications of strain differences include the propensity of strains to become distributed across wide geographic regions and associated resistance management practices. Results from this work will directly influence sustainable fire blight management recommendations for commercial apple industries in NY State and other regions.


2004 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. P. FRENCH ◽  
H. E. McCARTHY ◽  
P. J. DIGGLE ◽  
C. J. PROUDMAN

Equine grass sickness (EGS) is a largely fatal, pasture-associated dysautonomia. Although the aetiology of this disease is unknown, there is increasing evidence that Clostridium botulinum type C plays an important role in this condition. The disease is widespread in the United Kingdom, with the highest incidence believed to occur in Scotland. EGS also shows strong seasonal variation (most cases are reported between April and July). Data from histologically confirmed cases of EGS from England and Wales in 1999 and 2000 were collected from UK veterinary diagnostic centres. The data did not represent a complete census of cases, and the proportion of all cases reported to the centres would have varied in space and, independently, in time. We consider the variable reporting of this condition and the appropriateness of the space–time K-function when exploring the spatial-temporal properties of a ‘thinned’ point process. We conclude that such position-dependent under-reporting of EGS does not invalidate the Monte Carlo test for space–time interaction, and find strong evidence for space–time clustering of EGS cases (P<0·001). This may be attributed to contagious or other spatially and temporally localized processes such as local climate and/or pasture management practices.


Author(s):  
P.V. Salles ◽  
J. Hodgson ◽  
P.N.P. Matthews ◽  
C.W. Holmes ◽  
N.M. Shadbolt

In 1998 a three-year dairy farm monitoring programme funded by AGMARDT (Agricultural Marketing and Research Development Trust) was established on twelve dairy farms in the southern North Island of New Zealand where policy had changed from a focus on high production per ha through high stocking rate to a management based on reduced stocking rate and strategic use of supplements to enhance both production per cow and per ha. The project involved a detailed three-year data collection which included measurements of the quantity and composition of pasture and supplements consumed as well as animal performance. Analysis of the results of the third year (2000/2001) on nine of these farms with complete data sets identified a range of metabolisable energy (ME) intake (50669 - 70135 MJ ME/cow/yr). Supplementary feed represented on average 24% (21 - 27 %) of the total intake of ME, the main supplements being pasture silage (summer to winter), turnips (summer) and maize silage (autumn and winter) consumed by lactating cows, and grazing off by dry stock. There was a range of milksolids (MS) production per cow (372 - 424 kg/year) and per hectare (921 - 1264 kg/year). The average economic farm surplus per hectare of NZ$3077 (NZ$2425 - NZ$3867) for the case-study farms was approximately 43% higher than the top 25% farms in the Manawatu region. Mean values of return on assets for the case-study farms (12.9%) and top 25% farms in Manawatu (13.0%) were similar. Good pasture management based on controlled preand post-grazing herbage mass targets (mean 2650 and 1900 kg DM/ha, respectively), strategic use of supplementary feed to control pasture deficits, and moderate stocking rates (overall mean 2.7 cows/ha), provided high allowances of high quality herbage (organic matter digestibility ranging from 742 to 845 g/kg DM) and maintained high levels of milk production (411 kg MS/cow and 1100kg MS/ha). The comparison with industry data showed that the casestudy farms were highly productive and profitable dairy systems, at least under the conditions of the 2000/2001 season. However, the result indicated the need to improve management skills to limit feed wastage under generous feeding management, and also the limitation of conventional procedures for monitoring pasture consumption in farming systems. Keywords: animal performance, dairy systems, energy intak e, herbage quality, pasture management, profitability


Author(s):  
Busisiwe Gunya ◽  
Voster Muchenje ◽  
Masibonge Gxasheka ◽  
Thobela Tyasi ◽  
Patrick Masika

Abstract. Gunya B, Muchenje V, Gxasheka M, Tyasi LT, Masika PJ. 2020. Management practices and contribution of village chickens to livelihoods of communal farmers: The case of Centane and Mount Frere in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Biodiversitas 21: 1345-1351. This study was conducted to determine village chickens production practices and their contribution to the livelihoods of farmers in rural households of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Data were gathered using a questionnaire survey of 150 households, which were identified by the use of snowball sampling. Village chickens were the most livestock species kept by farmers, mostly owned by women (79.61% in Centane and 81.06% in Mount Frere) and were kept for household food needs. Some farmers (21.92% and 25.31%) also occasionally sold their chickens at an average of R80 ($7.22) per bird. Most (93.13% and 76.44%) chickens flocks were provided with supplementary feed. The majority of farmers (80.31% and 88.33%) provided shelter for their chickens. The causes of chicken losses were reported to be diseases, predators, parasites and theft. The most cited disease problem was Newcastle (50.32% and 66.02%) while major predators were eagles (84.91% and 81.82%). The most common internal parasites were roundworms and tapeworm whilst the most reported external parasites were poultry lice and mites. The majority of farmers (94.51% and 92.21%) reported using chicken manure to improve the fertility of soils in their gardens. Chickens had a varied social role in the two areas, i.e., donation (61.63% and 68.82%) to neighbors and relatives. The majority of farmers (84.90%) in Centane didn't use chickens for cultural purposes whilst the majority (55.85%) in Mount Frere used chickens for cultural purposes. The present study showed that village chickens have a contribution to the livelihoods of rural households.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alec Mackay ◽  
Ronaldo Eduardo Vibart ◽  
Catherine McKenzie ◽  
Brian Devantier ◽  
Emma Noakes

In 2020 we measured the stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations and stocks under contrasting hill country pasture regimes, by sampling three slope classes and three aspect locations on each of three farmlets of a long-term phosphorus fertiliser and sheep grazing experiment. The farmlets included no annual phosphorus (NF), 125 kg of single superphosphate/ha (LF), or 375 kg superphosphate/ha (HF) that has been applied on an annual basis since 1980. Results from the 2020 sampling event were added to previous results reported from soil samples collected in 2003 and 2014. The SOC concentrations in the topsoil (0-75 mm depth), ranging from 4.23 to 5.99% across all slopes and aspects of the farmlets, fell within the normal range (≥3.5 and <7.0%) required for sustaining production and environmental goals. A trend was shown for greater SOC stocks in the topsoil in the HF farmlet (34.0 Mg/ ha) compared with the other two farmlets (31.6 Mg/ha), but this trend was not evident in the deeper soil layers (75-150, 150-300, 0-300 mm). Under the current conditions, topographical features such as slope and aspect had a more profound influence on SOC stocks than management history.


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