The effects on production of milking grazed crossbred cattle (32, 53 and 74 cow and heifer dams in experiments 1, 2 and 3 in 1986, 1987 and 1988 respectively) with or without a dietary supplement (2kg dairy meal daily for 3 to 4 months post-partum) were studied in a semi-arid area of Kenya. During the second and third trials, half the calves from the milked and also the unmilked groups were creep fed for 4 months commencing approximately 1 month from birth. Herbage dry matter intake was determined four times during the wet and dry seasons between November 1988 and May 1989, and the deterministic model and computer program of the bioenergetic system of lactating and pregnant cattle of Bruce <i>et al</i> (1984) used to examine the performance of the crossbred cows, and to evaluate its potential applicability. The respective mean extracted milk yields over a six month lactation were 670.6, 414.4 and 371.2 kg for the milked and supplemented (MS) groups, and 563.4, 398.4 and 331.1 kg for the unsupplemented (MNS) groups during experiments 1, 2 and 3 (P> 0.05). Mean daily calf growth rates were affected by milk offtake (P< 0.05). They were respectively, 0.52, 0.48, 0.79 and 0.71 kg during experiment 1; 0.64, 0.61, 0.72 and 0.72 kg during experiment 2; and 0.59, 0.57, 0.66 and 0.66 kg during experiment 3 for the milked (MS and MNS) and the control groups (not milked and supplemented, NMS and the not milked and not supplemented, NMNS). Overall, post-partum supplementation improved dam liveweight gain (P< 0.05) but milk extraction tended to reduce it (P> 0.05). Similarly, calving indices were improved by supplementation while the effect of milking was inconsistent. Both creep feeding of the calves and beef genotypes of the dams were not significant (P> 0.05) factors affecting performance. Similarly, body condition scores (1 to 9 score scale) ranged between condition score 4 and 5 for all treatments. The respective mean daily dry matter intakes were 8.5 and 8.2 during the wet, and 8.6 and 8.2 kg during the dry periods; and the corresponding dry matter digestibilities were 0.72 and 0.74 in the wet, and 0.67 and 0.62 during the dry periods. The discrepancies between observed and predicted values of milk (energy), though not for liveweight, were small, consequently, with a few refinements the bioenergetic model may find a useful role in cattle production systems in the semi-arid tropics. It was concluded that the offtake of milk from suitable crossbred cattle in the semi-arid areas may be increased without significantly reducing offtake of slaughter animals.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this thesis is to make an evaluation of the competitive position of the Utah livestock industry by use of a linear programming model (MPS- 360). This is on the basis of the least cost means of production to meet the quantity demanded of the livestock products. This is accomplished by dividing the United States into six regions where Utah is one of these regions to enable careful consideration of Utah's agricultural enterprises. The agricultural products used in the analysis are beef, pork, broilers, turkeys, eggs and milk. The feeds used for production are barley, wheat, corn, oats, milo, hay, and 44 percent soybean meal.

At the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change COP15 (2009) Brazil presented ambitious commitments or Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), to reduce greenhouse gases emissions (GHGs) mitigation by 2020. At COP21 (2015), the country presented new commitments and a framework to achieve further mitigation targets by 2030 as so-called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Both NAMAs and INDCs focus on the land use change and agricultural sectors, but the INDCs include a commitment of zero illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. This research focuses on the contribution of the livestock sector to reducing GHGs through the adoption of sustainable intensification measures. A detailed linear programming model, called Economic Analysis of Greenhouse Gases for Livestock Emissions (EAGGLE), of beef production was developed to evaluate environmental trade-offs. The modelling encompasses pasture degradation and recovery processes, animal and deforestation emissions, soil organic carbon dynamics and upstream life-cycle inventory. The model was parameterized for the Brazilian Cerrado, Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes and further developed for farm-scale and regional-scale analysis. Different versions of the EAGGLE model was used to: (i) Evaluate the GHG mitigation potential and economic benefit of optimizing pasture management through the partitioning of initially uniform pasture area; (ii) to define abatement potential and cost-effectiveness of key mitigation measures applicable to the Brazilian Cerrado; (ii) to demonstrate the extent of cost-effective mitigation that can be delivered by the livestock sector as part of INDCs, and to show a result that underpins the national INDC target of zero deforestation; and (iv) to evaluate the consequences of reducing (or increasing) beef production on GHGs in the Cerrado. Counter-intuitively, a sensitivity analysis shows that reducing beef consumption could lead to higher GHG emissions, while increasing production could reduce total GHGs if livestock is decoupled from deforestation.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Springs are an important natural resource in many rural spaces which, if utilised sustainably, can be an important source of livelihoods for rural communities. In Zimbabwe, the social aspects of springs and their waterscapes remain understudied. This includes an in-depth understanding of how communities have shaped their livelihoods around springs, the extent to which they have contributed to sustainable rural livelihoods, especially in water stressed parts of the country and the institutional framework shaping their access and utilisation. Using the sustainable livelihoods framework of analysis, the goal of this study was to investigate the role that springs and their resultant waterscapes have played in securing livelihoods for rural households in the Save Catchment of Zimbabwe. Methodologically, the research adopted the socio-hydrological approach which is a new and emerging discipline that aims at understanding the interactions and feedbacks between the human and natural processes that give rise to community water sustainability challenges. The socio-hydrological approach is informed by both the qualitative and quantitative research techniques of data collection and analysis. Two rural communities (Nyanyadzi and Maturure) of the Save Catchment were randomly selected for an in-depth study. The snowball sampling technique (non-probability) was utilised in the selection of the 100 participants for the questionnaire survey. Purposive sampling was used to select nine key informant interview participants. Secondary data collection was done through a systematic review of scholarly and policy literature. Qualitative data generated from primary and secondary sources were processed and analysed using qualitative techniques such as thematic ordering, systematisation and fine grain analysis. For quantitative data, descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, were used to summarise and analyse questionnaire data. Rural communities in the Save Catchment of Zimbabwe were observed to have developed livelihood strategies that were anchored on springs and their waterscapes. In the studied communities, springs were utilised for both commercial and subsistence purposes and livelihoods constructed around springs included; gardening, tourism, livestock production, brick kilning art and craft making. In the study, springs were also shown to be a very important component of sustainable rural livelihoods. However, most of them were perceived to be declining in both water quality and quantity, imposing complex livelihood conundrums for the rural communities and threatening the sustainability of livelihood strategies that they are supporting. Practices observed to be threatening the integrity of springs were encroachment of settlements, natural environmental changes, soil erosion and population pressure. Limited environmental awareness, poverty, poor implementation and enforcement of conservation laws has resulted in the adoption of practices that degraded springs. Institutions shaping spring utilisation were observed to be ineffective to a large extent due to lack of capacities and conflicting mandates but local traditional leadership and water committees were observed to have deeper community penetration and were the most effective in influencing access and effective management of springs and their related waterscapes.

Recently, hunting and associated recreation have become an important business for Texas landowners. Most ranchers want to realize maximum net return from their investments. This study's objectives were to develop white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and livestock enterprise budgets and to determine optimal economic combinations and levels of deer and livestock enterprises to maximize net returns. Questionnaires were mailed to landowners in the Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains who purchased shooting preserve licenses in 1985. Five hundred and twenty-four ranchers responded {23.4%). Respondents were segregated by enterprises (deer, cattle, sheep, and Angora and Spanish goats) and a 5% random sample Has chosen from each group for personal interviews. Forty-two and eighteen ranchers in the Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains, respectively, provided operational and financial information about their ranch enterprises. Typical ranch enterprise budgets were developed for four types of deer enterprises, three cattle enterprises, one sheep enterprise, two Angora goat enterprises, and one Spanish goat enterprise in the Edwards Plateau. In the South Texas Plains, enterprise budgets were developed for four types of deer enterprises and two cattle enterprises. Available resources, such as hectarage, labor, forage, and capital, were determined for typical ranches in both regions. The year deer enterprise was the most profitable deer enterprise in both regions, followed by the season, short-term/season, and short-term deer enterprises. The nanny-mutton-kid-breeding-mohair Angora goat enterprise was the most profitable livestock enterprise in the Edwards Plateau, while the cow-calf enterprise was the most profitable in the South Texas Plains. Linear programming was used to determine optimal combinations and levels of deer and livestock enterprises on typical Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains ranches. The most profitable combination (in this case only one activity) in the Edwards Plateau was the nanny-mutton-kid- breeding Angora goat enterprise, which had an extremely high gross income due to high mohair prices and government subsidies. The year deer and cow-calf enterprises were the most profitable combination in the South Texas Plains. The most binding constraints on enterprise combination and level were labor, livestock investment, and spring and summer forage.

Die Haltung von Spezialgeflügel wie Fleischtaube, Mast- und Legewachtel, Perlhuhn, Fasan und Wildente stellt in Deutschland eine Nischenproduktion dar. Daher liegen vor allem zur Erzeugung von Spezialgeflügel in größeren Stückzahlen relativ wenige Forschungsergebnisse und Erfahrungen aus der Praxis vor. Die Broschüre stellt Untersuchungen des LfULG und aus der Literatur vor und gibt Hinweise zu Zucht, Haltung, Fütterung und Produktqualität.

The aim of this thesis was to make the evalution of the produced emissions of odorours substances and dust particles of PM 2,5 fraction from intensive poultry farming. Measurements were implemented according to the valid methodologies in poulty farm which is in Sudoměřice u Bechyně.

In sächsischen Schweinehaltungsbetrieben wurde ein objektives Bewertungssystem zur Tierhygiene und Tiergesundheit entwickelt und erprobt. Aus zahlreichen Untersuchungen in den Produktionseinheiten Ferkelerzeugung, Ferkelaufzucht, Jungsauenaufzucht und Mast resultieren Kennziffern zur Hygiene, Klinik und Gesundheit, die einen Vergleich verschiedener Bestände erlauben. Sie lassen stufenübergreifend auch eine Bewertung einzelner Produktionseinheiten zu. Mit regelmäßigen Untersuchungen ist zudem der zeitliche Verlauf der Kennziffern und damit des Hygiene- und Gesundheitsstatus möglich.