scholarly journals Advances in Pasture Management and Animal Nutrition to Optimize Beef Cattle Production in Grazing Systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andressa Scholz Berça ◽  
Eliéder Prates Romanzini ◽  
Abmael da Silva Cardoso ◽  
Luís Eduardo Ferreira ◽  
André Pastori D’Aurea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutrient Utilization ◽  
Utilization Efficiency ◽  
Animal Performance ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Negative Contribution ◽  
Rumen Undegradable Protein ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Livestock Systems

The increasing demand of meat requires the adoption of sustainable intensification livestock systems, applying nutritional strategies to reduce any negative contribution from beef cattle to global warming and, at the same time, to increase animal performance and productive efficiency. The pasture management practices and feed supplementation, mainly using non-edible feed with less costs, could minimize environmental and social impacts, resulting in higher productivity with less inputs utilization. Tropical grass submitted to grazing management according to plant height present high soluble protein and low levels of indigestible neutral detergent fiber contents. Energy or rumen undegradable protein supplementation, associated to alternative additives to antibiotics effects, such as probiotics, tannin, essential oils and saponin, can help to fully exploit the animal genetic potential and nutrient utilization efficiency, which decreases greenhouse gases emissions and improves animal performance. Hence, more information about these tools can make the livestock systems in tropical pasture more efficient and eco-friendlier.

Mitigation of enteric methane emissions through pasture management in integrated crop-livestock systems: Trade-offs between animal performance and environmental impacts

2019 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 968-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
William de Souza Filho ◽  
Pedro Arthur de Albuquerque Nunes ◽  
Raquel Santiago Barro ◽  
Taíse Robinson Kunrath ◽  
Gleice Menezes de Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Animal Performance ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Enteric Methane ◽  
Livestock Systems ◽  
Enteric Methane Emissions

scholarly journals Grazing behaviour, herbage intake and animal performance of beef cattle heifers on marandu palisade grass subjected to intensities of continuous stocking management

2012 ◽  
Vol 151 (5) ◽  
pp. 727-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. DA SILVA ◽  
F. M. A. GIMENES ◽  
D. O. L. SARMENTO ◽  
A. F. SBRISSIA ◽  
D. E. OLIVEIRA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Animal Performance ◽  
Herbage Intake

SUMMARYThe ability to adapt to a range of edaphic conditions favours the widespread use of marandu palisade grass in high as well as low input systems of animal production in Brazil. However, little information exists regarding the influence of grazing management practices on sward structure and the carry-over effects on animal responses. The present experiment was planned to evaluate animal behaviour, herbage intake (HI) and nutritive value, herbage accumulation and body weight gain (BWG) of beef cattle heifers grazing marandu palisade grass subjected to intensities of continuous stocking management. Treatments corresponded to four sward surface heights (SSH: 100, 200, 300 and 400 mm) and were allocated to experimental units (1200 m2 paddocks) according to a randomized complete block design with four replications. Herbage accumulation rate (HAR) varied with season of the year and SSH, with highest and lowest values recorded during summer and winter, respectively. During the summer, herbage accumulation was larger on swards managed at 200, 300 and 400 mm, with the opposite occurring during winter/early spring. Stocking rate (SR) and number of grazing days (GD) followed a similar seasonal pattern of variation, with values decreasing as SSH increased. Crude protein (CP) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) of hand-plucked herbage decreased as SSH increased from 100 to 400 mm, while the inverse happened with BWG (from 0·190 to 0·930 kg/day, respectively). Bite mass (BM) increased and rate of biting and grazing time (GT) decreased as SSH increased, with daily HI being larger on tall (300 and 400 mm) relative to short (100 and 200 mm) swards. Grazing management affected the nutritive value and the amount of herbage consumed, particularly through changes in BM. However, variations in intake were relatively more important than variations in nutritive value in influencing animal performance, highlighting the importance of providing favourable harvest conditions for grazing animals by establishing adequate sward targets for management.

Assessing the economic viability of integrated crop−livestock systems in Mato Grosso, Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 631-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Júlio César dos Reis ◽  
Mariana Y. T. Kamoi ◽  
Daniel Latorraca ◽  
Rafael F. F. Chen ◽  
Miqueias Michetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Production System ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Continuous Cropping ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Livestock Systems

AbstractPopulation growth and rising incomes have led to increasing global demand for meat products. Meeting this demand without converting remaining natural ecosystems or further degrading ecosystems is one of the largest global sustainability challenges. A critical step to overcoming this challenge is to increase the productivity of livestock grazing systems, which occupy the largest land area of any type of agriculture globally. Integrated crop−livestock systems (iCL), which re-couple crop and livestock production at the farm scale, have been considered a promising strategy to tackle this challenge by restoring degraded pasturelands and providing supplemental nutrition to livestock. However, few studies have analyzed the economic viability of such systems, especially in Brazil, an important player in global food systems. This paper presents an economic analysis of iCL in Mato Grosso, Brazil, the largest grain and beef producer in the country, which spans the ecologically diverse Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal biomes. We compare the economic performance of an integrated soybean/corn and beef cattle system to a continuous crop (soybean/corn) system and a continuous livestock (beef cattle) production system from 2005 to 2012. We use empirical case study data to characterize a ‘typical’ farm for each production system within the study region. We find that the integrated crop−livestock system has a higher annual net present value (NPV) per hectare (ha) than continuous cropping or livestock under a range of discount rates. However, under a scenario of substantially higher crop prices, the continuous cropping outperforms iCL. While iCL is not feasible in all regions of the Amazon and Cerrado, our results indicate that in places where the biophysical and market conditions are suitable for production, it could be a highly profitable way to intensify cattle production and potentially spare land for other uses, including conservation. Nevertheless, additional credit and technical support may be needed to overcome high upfront costs and informational barriers to increase iCL areas as a sustainable development strategy for agriculture in the Amazon and Cerrado regions.

scholarly journals Farm practices as they affect NH3 emissions from beef cattle

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Sheppard ◽  
S. Bittman
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
The West ◽  
Finishing Cattle ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Using Data

Sheppard, S. C. and Bittman, S. 2012. Farm practices as they affect NH 3 emissions from beef cattle. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 92: 525–543. Beef cattle farms in Canada are very diverse, both in size and management. Because the total biomass of beef cattle in Canada is larger than any other livestock sector, beef also has the potential for the largest environmental impact. In this study we estimate NH3 emissions associated with beef cattle production across Canada using data on farm practices obtained from a detailed survey answered by 1380 beef farmers in 11 Ecoregions. The farms were various combinations of cow/calf, backgrounding and finishing operations. The proportion of animals on pasture varied markedly among Ecoregions, especially for cows and calves, and this markedly affected the estimated NH3 emissions. The crop components of feed also varied among Ecoregions, but the resulting crude protein concentrations were quite consistent for both backgrounding and finishing cattle. Manure was stored longer in the west than in the east, and fall spreading of manure was notably more common in the west, especially when spread on tilled land. The estimated NH3 emissions per animal were relatively consistent across Ecoregions for confinement production, but because the proportion of animals on pasture varied with Ecoregion, so did the overall estimated NH3 emissions per animal. Temperature is a key factor causing Ecoregion differences, although husbandry and manure management practices are also important. Hypothetical best management practices had little ability to reduce overall emission estimates, and could not be implemented without detailed cost/benefit analysis.

scholarly journals Clustering of equine grass sickness cases in the United Kingdom: a study considering the effect of position-dependent reporting on the space–time K-function

2004 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. P. FRENCH ◽  
H. E. McCARTHY ◽  
P. J. DIGGLE ◽  
C. J. PROUDMAN
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Grass Sickness ◽  
Type C

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.

scholarly journals Efficiency of pasture and supplement management in high producing dairy herds

2003 ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
P.V. Salles ◽  
J. Hodgson ◽  
P.N.P. Matthews ◽  
C.W. Holmes ◽  
N.M. Shadbolt
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Animal Performance ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Feeding Management ◽  
Dairy Systems ◽  
Supplementary Feed

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

scholarly journals After Life Effect of Endophytic Bacterium Bacillus Cereus on Litter Decomposition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haijing Hu ◽  
Rumeng Ye ◽  
Lu Pang ◽  
Han Jiang ◽  
Kai Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Nutrient Utilization ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Utilization Efficiency ◽  
Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Nutrient Utilization Efficiency

Abstract Background and aims: Endophytic microorganisms exist commonly in plants and are recognized to increase plant growth especially under adverse physical environmental conditions. We here demonstrate that endophytic bacteria (EB) Bacillus cereus can accelerate the decomposition of plant litter and enhance nutrient availability for plant growth.Methods: We first obtained plant litter with and without EB inoculation using a model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in a microcosmic experiment, then conducted a litter decomposition experiment to investigated the effect of EB on litter decay rate, phosphorus availability, and on soil microbial community structure. We further evaluated wheat (Triticum aestivum) biomass growth using soils treated with and without EB.Results: Inoculation of EB significantly increased the mass loss of Arabidopsis litter in the middle stage of decomposition, elevated the activity of alkaline phosphatase in the early stage of decomposition, and increased soil available P at the end of decomposition. Analyses of Illumina MiSeq sequencing and structural equation models also indicated that EB inoculation had pronounced impact on the bacterial abundance and diversity in soil. Finally, the growth of the wheat was significantly promoted in the litter with EB decomposition system. Conclusion: EB mediated host after-life effect likely through accelerating the release of nutrients such as P from decomposing plant litter and regulating the structure of soil microorganisms, promoting the sustainability of nutrient utilization efficiency in a terrestrial ecosystem.

scholarly journals АДАПТИВНИЙ МОНІТОРИНГ СТРАТЕГІЙ ФОРМУВАННЯ АНТИКРИЗОВОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ

2019 ◽  
Vol 131 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-48
Author(s):  
Сергій Олегович Ареф’єв
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Utilization Efficiency ◽  
Corporate Structure ◽  
Local Case ◽  
Adaptive Monitoring ◽  
Wide Range

The paper covers the current issues of counteraction to constantly arising crisis phenomena in the process of using the enterprise potential. For about 15 years the efforts to comply with legislation have been steadily rising, and more and more emphasis is paid to various aspects of corporate social responsibility. There is a wide range of activities, such as increasing employee awareness, creating a management system to prevent abrupt changeover, a solid corporate structure and timely disclosure of information, as well as managing the organization as an integration of its potentials. Adaptive monitoring is viewed as a critical component in finding and controlling the reserves for further utilization of enterprise resources in the context of developing its long-term strategies. Building the subsystems for change management strategies can form the basis for creating anti-crisis potential. However, there is another barrier to the process of adaptation which is a vulnerable internal environment. Apparently, the goals of the chosen strategies in each of the business areas are not always announced, and this can increase the entropy level within the enterprise, creating threats and hazards that give rise to crisis phenomena. From a dynamic perception, adaptive management concept involves the construction of a decomposition of its possible implementation scenarios subject to the type of threats to enterprise performance and characteristics of its potentials. The search for the development models that can retain the enterprise resources is a fundamental challenge for its operation in the future. It is about facilitating the transition from product economy to the system economy, from a dissipative approach to resources to an adaptive management practices, to a cultural leap towards economic and environmental sustainability that should affect the entire society, from strengthening of the territory and cooperation among all stakeholders to gain the resource utilization efficiency beyond renewable energy, starting with raw materials and local waste management to create an integrated technology network and from a number of integrated technologies, from deindustrialized territories reconstruction towards new relationships between agriculture, industry and academia, conducting local case studies to test the effects of innovations, thus boosting the process of transforming the research results into new pilot projects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document