Cattle Sector Research Articles

Relatos de casos de intoxicações por Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. (Fabaceae) em ruminantes no semiárido paraibano

Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. popularmente conhecida por “algaroba” é uma planta invasora que encontra-se amplamente difundida na região Nordeste do Brasil. Algumas pesquisas tem relatado que as vagens desta planta tem provocado a morte de ruminantes e, consequentemente, perdas econômicas no setor pecuário do país. Desta forma, objetivou-se realizar um levantamento dos casos de intoxicações em animais de produção pela “algaroba” e sugerir que medidas profiláticas sejam adotadas nas regiões onde ocorre esta planta. O presente trabalho foi realizado em cinco municípios da microrregião do Curimataú Ocidental Paraibano, incluindo Barra de Santa Rosa, Cuité, Damião, Nova Floresta e Sossego. As entrevistas foram realizadas por meio de dois formulários estruturados contendo questões referentes as intoxicações por vagens de “algaroba”. Para a realização desta pesquisa, foram entrevistados 30 participantes no total (6 representantes de cada município) entre os meses de junho a agosto de 2016. As respostas atribuídas pelos participantes referentes às indagações propostas durante as entrevistas foram analisadas qualitativamente. A partir dos dados obtidos, constatou-se que todos os entrevistados relataram a existência de P. juliflora em suas propriedades, porém, apenas 11 dos 24 participantes mencionaram ter conhecimentos sobre os efeitos tóxicos da referida planta em ruminantes. Segundo os entrevistados, o excesso de vagens de “algaroba” causam sinais clínicos em animais de produção caracterizados por dificuldade para mastigar e “cara torta”. Portanto, conclui-se que Prosopis juliflora é uma planta potencialmente tóxica que causa danos graves a saúde dos animais de produção no Curimataú Ocidental Paraibano.

The Impact of Livestock Supports on Production and Income of the Beef Cattle Farms: A Case of Samsun Province, Turkey

Although the beef cattle sector has been considerably supported during the last two decades, Turkey could not get its self-sufficiency yet. The objective of this case study was to examine the impacts of livestock supports on production and income of beef cattle farms. The survey data was collected from randomly selected 171 cattle farms in Samsun province of Turkey. The Treatment Effect Model was used to measure the impacts of livestock supports on beef meat production and gross profit of the farms. The results indicate that the farmers, who have larger land and herd, higher education level, keeping farm records, are mechanized and specialized in beef cattle breeding were more likely to benefit from livestock supports than their counterparts. The Treatment Effect Model highlights that livestock support has a statistically significant effect on the amount of beef meat produced whereas it has no statistically significant effect on the gross profits of the farms. The research recommended that the livestock supports are necessary for the sustainability of beef cattle farms. The farms should be encouraged to get records via Farm Accountancy Data Network and the record keeping farms should be supported by higher amounts.

Epidemic spread of IncI1/pST113 plasmid carrying the Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) blaCTX-M-8 gene in Escherichia coli of Brazilian cattle

IntroductionThe prevalence of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae is increasing worldwide and the Agri-Food sector acts as a reservoir of clinically relevant ESBL genes. Our study aimed at detecting and characterizing ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae responsible for intestinal colonization of Brazilian bovines. Material and methodsESBL-producing E. coli isolates were recovered from fecal samples of healthy cattle in Northwest Brazil. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion. Resistance and virulence genes were identified by PCR and amplicons were sequenced, clonality was assessed by PFGE and MLST, and plasmids were characterized by replicon typing, S1-PFGE and Southern blot hybridizations. Transferability of ESBL genes was assessed by conjugation assay. ResultsA total of 40 ESBL-producing E. coli were characterized, which originated from 34/191 animals (17.8 %) and 15/22 farms (68.2 %). The blaCTX-M-8 gene was the most frequent ESBL gene (62.5 %), followed by blaSHV-2a (20.0 %), blaCTX-M-2 (10.0 %), and blaCTX-M-15 (7.5 %). The blaCTX-M-8 gene was localized on the IncI1/pST113 plasmid in multiple E. coli sequence types across unrelated animals and farms. DiscussionWe report the first characterization and a high prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in the beef cattle sector in Brazil, which is mainly supported by the spread of an epidemic IncI1/pST113/blaCTX-M-8 plasmid. Since Brazil is one of the biggest beef meat exporters worldwide, the spread of this ESBL plasmid across other sectors, countries and continents should be considered with attention.

To what extent does the composition of batches formed at the sorting facility influence the subsequent growth performance of young beef bulls? A French observational study

To meet the demands of the beef cattle sector in France, weaned beef calves are transported to sorting facilities and sorted into batches composed of animals of similar body weight (BW) before the beginning of the fattening period. This procedure aims to facilitate animal management. However, it leads to practices that affect animal welfare, health and performance, such as transporting weaned beef calves over long distances and mixing animals originating from different cow/calf farms. In contrast, other potentially beneficial practices, such as pre-weaning vaccination against bovine respiratory diseases (BRD), are seldom taken into consideration when batches are formed. This observational study, based on field data from 15,735 Charolais bulls, aimed to investigate which criteria should be favored for batch constitution by quantifying the effect of batch characteristics on the growth performance of young bulls during the fattening period. Clustering analysis was used to group young bulls exhibiting similar batch characteristics and define batch types. Associations between batch characteristics/batch types and individual growth performance/homogeneity of growth performance (mean and standard deviation (SD) of average daily gain (ADG) and fattening period duration) were studied using linear mixed models. The mean BW and the percentage of animals vaccinated against BRD before weaning were positively associated with ADG (+35 g/d for each additional 50 kg and +28 g/d for a high percentage of vaccinated animals, P < 0.05). In contrast, transportation distance was negatively associated with ADG (−12 g/d for each additional 120 km travelled). Mixing animals and BW homogeneity did not affect growth performance (P > 0.05). Only the mean BW and mixing animals negatively influenced the homogeneity of ADG (P < 0.01). The clustering analysis revealed that batches with the most BW heterogeneity, the least mixing, the shortest transportation distance and a high percentage of pre-weaning animals vaccinated against BRD had better growth performance compared to batches with the opposite characteristics (+61 g/d, P < 0.001). Our results suggest that major improvements of growth performance of fattening young bulls could be obtained by minimizing transportation distance, providing vaccination programs against BRD before weaning, and maintaining groups from the same cow/calf farm instead of constituting groups of animals with similar BW at the beginning of fattening.

Potential Development of Bali Cattle in Muna Regency in Efforts to Support National Meat Self-Sufficiency

Bali Cattle is one of the native Indonesian cows with high environmental adaptation. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential for the development of Bali cattle in the Muna District. The study was conducted from September to November 2019. A total of 150 farmers were interviewed as primary data. Secondary data were collected from the District, village, and related government offices. In this study, using LQ, Capacity, and SWOT Analysis. The results showed that seven sub-districts had the potential to develop Bali cattle and five sub-districts with forage production that could meet the consumption needs of Bali cattle, and the SWOT analysis showed a positive trend in the development of the Bali cattle sector.

Factor Affecting Beef Cattle Value Chain Analysis in Nono Benja District, Jimma Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Ethiopia ranks first in Africa and tenth in the world for livestock population and cattle take the lion share of this population of the country. This study was conducted in Nono benja district of Jimma zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia with the aim of analyzing and identifying factors affecting beef cattle market supply. Two stage sampling methods were employed to select producers and data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected from 154 producers, and 20 small traders, 5 large traders, 6 butchers, 8 hotels /restaurants/ and 30 consumers while secondary data were collected from the district and other government organizations. Descriptive statistics and econometric model were used to analyze the data using STATA 13 software. The finding of the study revealed that the multiple liner regression model result revealed that, education, distance to market, use credit, access to market information, distance to nearest feed resources and livestock owned influences market supply significantly. Generally, the existing situation for beef cattle sector with regard to its value chain analysis, integration and coordination is not well stimulated in the area. Therefore, policy aiming at facilitating producer’s education, distance to the market, use credit, access to market information, distance to feed resources, number of livestock owned, strengthening the existing sector and improving linkage of chain actors are recommended to enhance the development of beef cattle value chain at Nono Benja district of south western, Ethiopia. Keywords: Value Chain, actors, beef cattle, Multiple liner regression model and Nono Benja district. DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-3-04 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

Doğu Akdeniz Bölgesinde Süt Sığırcılığı İşletmelerinin Sosyo-Ekonomik Özellikleri ve Süt Sığırcılığı Faaliyetinde Yem Kullanım Durumu

Çalışmada, araştırma sahası olarak belirlenen Doğu Akdeniz Bölgesi içerisinde yer alan illerde (Adana, Osmaniye, Mersin, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş) süt sığırcılığına yer veren tarım işletmelerinin sosyo-ekonomik yapılarının ortaya konulması ve süt sığırcılığı faaliyet kolunda yem kullanımının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre süt sığırcılığı üretim faaliyetinde aile işgücünün yabancı işgücüne göre daha yüksek oranda kullanıldığı belirlenmiştir. İşletmelerin %62‘sinde yem bitkisi üretimi yapıldığı ve yem bitkileri içerisinde de sırasıyla silajlık mısır, yonca, arpa ve fiğin en fazla ekim alanına sahip olduğu tespit edilmiştir. İşletmelerin büyük bir oranında sağım makinesi (%85,81) bulunmaktadır. İşletme büyüklüğü arttıkça kaba yem kullanımının kesif yem kullanımına göre daha fazla olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Extensive Production Practices and Incomplete Implementation Hinder Brazil’s Zero-Deforestation Cattle Agreements in Pará

Global attention to the role of cattle production in Amazon deforestation led to the development of new public and private-sector supply chain policies designed to control deforestation in Brazil. These zero-deforestation Cattle Agreements (hereafter, CA) are between meatpacking companies and Greenpeace and other nongovernmental organizations, as well as with Brazil’s public prosecutors. However, after over a decade of concerted efforts to reduce deforestation linked to the cattle sector, the problem persists. Here, we use field surveys of ranchers, slaughterhouse managers, and key industry personnel to characterize cattle supply chain actors in southeastern Pará and their responses to the CA. We show that loopholes weaken the CA and enable ranchers to evade full compliance, and we highlight strategies and challenges for ranchers seeking to intensify production. We conclude by discussing how the findings presented in this study suggest that ongoing efforts to reduce Amazon deforestation may require both support for improved efficiency in the cattle sector and the tightening of several loopholes currently utilized by ranchers to avoid detection of ongoing deforestation.

Trends and Drivers of Change of Pastoral Beef Production Systems in a Mediterranean-Temperate Climate Zone of Chile.

Simple SummaryLivestock production systems show modifications over time due to both internal and external variables. The relationships between internal variables allow the definition of typological groups of production systems. Knowing the typological groups and their temporal evolution allows the identification of continuity strategies at the private and public levels. With this aim and using data from livestock surveys conducted in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, four typological groups of beef production in a Mediterranean-temperate climate zone of Chile were identified. The typological groups differed in size, productive orientation, breeds used, and response to changes in external variables, among other aspects. These groups require different continuity strategies, which include, their sustainable intensification and the need to focus on pastoral production using low external inputs to enhance the production of “natural” beef for high-value niche markets.The present study used surveys of the cattle sector over the period of 2009–2015 to develop a typology of cattle farms to evaluate their evolution over time and to identify variables that may be associated with systems’ adaptive changes and continuance. Four groups of farms were defined using multivariate analyses as follows: Group I are small calf-cow operations using non-specialized beef breeds; Group II is similar to Group I but employs specialized beef breeds; Group III is dedicated to finishing cattle, and Group IV are larger farms (>1000 animals) with a complete cycle of breeding and fattening. In general, beef cattle production in the temperate—Mediterranean Southern Zone of Chile is declining in response to the opening up of the economy that allows for ample imports, the high opportunity cost of land, and recurrent droughts associated with climate change. Current policies and regulations have modified farms’ businesses models depending on their ease of access to markets, farm size and financial capacity. The defined groups require different development paths and strategies. Sustainable intensification is an alternative strategy for farms in Group I and II, particularly if they were to contract the finishing stage of their cattle with Group III farms. In contrast, it is suggested that Group IV farms concentrate on pastoral production using low external inputs to enhance the production of “natural” beef for high-value niche markets, with positive externalities.

102 The National Center for Applied Reproduction and Genomics (NCARG) in Beef Cattle: supporting improvements in reproductive management

Abstract Limited transfer of existing and emerging reproductive technologies to beef cattle enterprises precludes those enterprises from reaching their economic potential and places them at a competitive disadvantage relative to livestock enterprises where such technologies are being implemented more aggressively. On the other hand, and until now, the beef cattle sector has never had the reproductive tools available to facilitate widespread successful adoption of these technologies within the industry. Hence, the need for increased efforts to transfer technology to the industry has never been greater. The National Center for Applied Reproduction and Genomics (NCARG) in Beef Cattle will serve as a new model for research and technology transfer wherein industry participants at all levels and from across the US are afforded the opportunity to access information and acquire new skills that will improve reproductive management and resulting genetic makeup of our nation’s beef cattle industry. Comprehensive educational training programs will be developed for practicing veterinarians, extension livestock specialists, allied industry, producers, and students that will enable various segments of the beef cattle sector to acquire (through face-to-face and distance-learning applications) new knowledge and skills that will aid in the successful adoption of reproductive procedures/biotechnologies. Curriculum modules designed to support improvements in reproductive management will be comprised of the following: 1) Heifer development programs including reproductive tract scoring, fetal aging and sexing; 2) Breeding management, including estrus synchronization, artificial insemination, sex-sorted semen, and embryo transfer; 3) higher education student internships in reproductive management; and 4) on-farm beef heifer development and marketing programs patterned after the Missouri Show-Me-SelectTM Replacement Heifer Program. In addition, a graduate certificate program will be offered, entitled “Bovine Reproductive Management and Genomic Technologies.” Collectively, NCARG will serve as a new model for research and technology transfer intent on improving reproductive management and genetic makeup of our nation’s beef industry.

Biocidal potential of Eugenia pyriformis essential oil in the control of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus in the free-living cycle

ABSTRACT: Brazil has one of the largest commercial cattle herds in the world, which naturally coexist with an enormous number of parasitic species. Southern cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, is among these species, interfering with animal productivity and causing losses to the beef and dairy cattle sector. The use of chemical acaricides in the control of this mite has resulted in the emergence of resistant populations. In this sense, alternative control measures using plants as sources of botanical acaricides have shown to be effective. Eugenia pyriformis Cambess is a Brazilian plant with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity; however, there are no reports on its acaricidal activity in the literature. The present study aimed to evaluate the acaricidal and larvicidal potential of E. pyriformis leaf essential oil (EO) on southern cattle tick at different stages of the reproductive cycle. E. pyriformis leaves were collected and dried, and had their EO extracted by hydrodistillation (3h) using a modified Clevenger apparatus. Chemical analysis was performed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and 32 compounds belonging to the sesquiterpene class were identified: hydrocarbons (17.98%) and oxygenated forms (81.96%), with spathulenol (43.65%) and caryophyllene oxide (12.17%) as the most common. The EO was evaluated by the Adult Immersion Test at the concentrations (500.00 to 3.12mg/mL) in which the following parameters were measured: mortality of females (%), hatchability of eggs (%), and product efficiency (%). Larvae were assessed by the Larval Packet Test at concentrations ranging from 25.00 to 0.00004mg/mL. Lethal concentrations (LC) required for killing 50 and 99.9% of adult females and larvae were determined using Probit analysis. LC50 and LC99.9 of EO were 0.06 and 24.60mg/mL and 1,208.80 and 2,538mg/mL for larvae and adult females, respectively. Action of the EO in the free-living cycle of R. (B.) microplus larvae was another parameter assessed. To this end, the larvae were deposited in pots containing Brachiaria decumbens and, after migration to the leaf apex, a solution containing LC99.9 (24.60mg/mL) of the EO was sprayed. After 24h, 72.25% of the larvae had died, indicating stability of the EO when subjected to uncontrolled temperature and humidity conditions. The mechanism of action through which the EO killed the larvae and adult females was investigated by the Bioautographic Method, which showed inhibition of 3.15mg/mL of the EO on the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. The results found in the present experiment indicate that E. pyriformis essential oil is an alternative in the control of southern cattle tick in the larval (parasitic) and free-living cycle (non-parasitic) stages under field conditions.

Selection Decisions and Trait Preferences for Local and Imported Cattle and Sheep Breeds in Peri-/Urban Livestock Production Systems in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Simple SummaryStructured livestock breeding programs are needed to ensure the viability of the commercial cattle and sheep production sector in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In this context, it is vitally important to better understand breeding and selection decisions of cattle and sheep breeders in the city and their trait preferences for local and imported breeds. The study interviewed 49 cattle and 31 sheep breeders to know which breeds owners keep in their herds, for which characteristics these are preferred, which criteria are used to select and replace breeding animals, and which breeding technologies are used. Results show that future breeding programs should include both local and imported cattle and sheep breeds to combine their strengths, namely the good adaptation of local breeds to prevailing production conditions, and the high production performances of imported breeds. Selection and breeding decisions for imported cattle breeds focus on higher production outputs, while the breeding management of sheep and local cattle is relatively simple. Improved breeding technologies for sheep and local cattle, simple recording schemes for the objective assessment of performance traits and planned mating schemes will help traditional cattle and sheep breeders to take conscious breeding decisions and thereby enhance animals’ production performances.Background: Participatory approaches of designing livestock breeding programs for tropical production systems have been extensively applied for rural livestock, whereas the peri-/urban livestock production sector tends to be widely neglected. In order to ensure the viability of the commercial cattle and sheep production sector in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, structured breed improvement programs are needed. The study aims to better understand selection decisions of cattle and sheep breeders and their trait preferences for local and imported breeds. Methods: 49 cattle and 31 sheep breeders in peri-/urban areas of the city were approached in personal interviews. Data were analyzed in R version 3.5.1. Results: The main motivation for keeping cattle and sheep was to generate regular cash income through the selling of milk (cattle only) and surplus animals. Some (modern) breeders used imported breeds because of higher production performances. For imported cattle breeds, improved breeding technologies and management were applied to further enhance production outputs. Nevertheless, local livestock breeds were predominantly used due to their good adaptation. Conclusions: Selection decisions and trait preferences for local and imported cattle and sheep breeds were strongly based on performance traits. Especially sheep breeders, but also traditional cattle breeders, did not record performance traits and did not take conscious breeding decisions.

Using soundscapes to assess biodiversity in Neotropical oil palm landscapes

Expanding oil palm plantations have caused widespread deforestation and biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia, stigmatizing the industry around the world regardless of regional context. In Latin America, oil palm plantations are primarily replacing other agroindustrial land uses with uncertain implications for local biodiversity. Our aim was to create empirical baseline data to help guide development of future plantations into areas where biodiversity impacts are minimized. We used soundscapes to assess fauna in oil palm landscapes of Colombia, the world’s 4th largest palm oil producer. Soundscapes capture daily patterns of acoustic activity that can be used to measure differences between biotic communities between habitats. Using remnant forest fragments as reference sites, we sampled land use classes that are commonly replaced by commercial oil palm including cattle pastures, rice fields, and banana plantations. Soundscape analysis showed that even highly degraded forests have a unique soundscape compared to production systems. Similarities were found among closed canopy production sites (oil palm, banana) and open production habitat (pastures, rice), suggesting the importance of habitat structure for acoustic communities. Oil palm also showed notable overlap with pastures, but had soundscapes that were more similar to forest than the other production types. Future oil palm development in Latin America can replace cattle pastures and other commodity plantation agriculture with minimal impacts on acoustic communities. New supply chain governance approaches such as the zero-deforestation agreements being implemented in the Colombian oil palm and cattle sectors may help guide the industry toward more sustainable development by continuing to target previously cleared lands.

Assessing the Value of Grazed Corn Residue for Crop and Cattle Producers

Core Ideas Grazed corn residue is a cost‐efficient forage resource. Current value of grazed corn residue is $95 M returned to the crop sector in NE, SD, KS, and ND. Gross value for grazed corn residue is $191 M for the beef cattle sector in NE, SD, KS, and ND. Opportunities exist to increase use of corn residue grazing. Transportation costs and animal care arrangements are complicating factors. Integrated crop–livestock systems have included grazing perennial grasses during the spring and summer and corn (Zea mays L.) residues during the winter. Our objectives were to identify opportunities for expanded corn residue use through grazing and provide an economic assessment for value‐added grazing. We estimated the economic value to the crop sector through grazing leased corn residue at over $95 million for Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, and North Dakota under current management. Additionally, gross economic value to the livestock sector in these states was estimated at greater than $191 million. Advantages for increased grazing use of corn residue include managing residue quantity in high‐yielding environments, providing a source of supplemental revenue, and expanding integrated crop–livestock systems using a simple, but cost‐efficient practice.

Scaling up sustainability in commodity agriculture: Transferability of governance mechanisms across the coffee and cattle sectors in Brazil

A number of governance mechanisms address socio-environmental challenges associated with commodity agriculture in tropical forested countries. Governance mechanisms that prove effective in one agricultural sector are often applied to other sectors as well. For example, voluntary certification programs have been adopted by producers of commodities as diverse as beef, coffee, palm oil, and soy. However, there are substantial differences in the extent to which governance mechanisms scale up and achieve impact in different sectors. This paper analyzes how the potential for scaling up a particular governance mechanism is influenced by environmental, market, and social geographies that differ between sectors. Through stakeholder interviews, farm-level surveys, and a literature review, we examine two types of voluntary governance mechanisms (third-party certification, and sustainable intensification programs) in the coffee and cattle sectors in Brazil, to understand why the two governance mechanisms have scaled differently between these two sectors. We find that third-party certification programs have scaled up relatively well in Brazil's coffee sector, more so than its cattle sector, in part owing to differences in sustainability priorities, market orientations, supply chain traceability, and social networks between the two sectors. We also find that pilot sustainable intensification programs in the cattle sector have had more success than certification in engaging farmers, in part because they involve less investment from participating farmers. We conclude that the distribution and quality of environmental resources, markets, knowledge, actors, and networks can play an important role in the ability of a governance mechanism to effectively take root.

Pursuing sustainability through multi-stakeholder collaboration: A description of the governance, actions, and perceived impacts of the roundtables for sustainable beef

Abstract Roundtables for sustainable beef have evolved in national contexts as well as at the global level as a multi-stakeholder process to address sustainability concerns in the cattle sector. However, due to their relatively recent inception, the literature on the beef roundtables is extremely limited and very little scholarly work has traced their process or impact. We used semi-structured interviews with key informants to examine the governance, actions, and potential impacts of the roundtables for sustainable beef, and identified opportunities and challenges for achieving greater sustainability impact. We found that the beef roundtables are in different stages of development and implementation and that they have diverse approaches based on their geographic contexts. However, they have universally adopted a model of sector-wide continuous improvement, in contrast to roundtables for other commodities, which have in many cases adopted formal certification programs. Activities by the roundtables for sustainable beef have variously included working towards definitions of sustainable beef; setting sustainability principles and criteria; and creating working groups to address specific aspects of sustainability (e.g., verification, deforestation). Our interviews identified opportunities to expand the roundtables’ roles, activities, and sustainability impacts. This study provides a benchmark of the roundtables’ efforts to date, and generates hypotheses and ideas for how they could evolve in the future.

Network-based assessment of the vulnerability of Italian regions to bovine brucellosis

The endemic circulation of bovine brucellosis in cattle herds has a markedly negative impact on economy, due to decreased fertility, increased abortion rates, reduced milk and meat production. It also poses a direct threat to human health. In Italy, despite the long lasting efforts and the considerable economic investment, complete eradication of this disease still eludes the southern regions, as opposed to the northern regions that are disease-free. Here we introduced a novel quantitative network-based approach able to fully exploit the highly resolved databases of cattle trade movements and outbreak reports to yield estimates of the vulnerability of a cattle market to brucellosis. Tested on the affected regions, the introduced vulnerability indicator was shown to be accurate in predicting the number of bovine brucellosis outbreaks (Spearman r= 0.82, p= 0.04), thus confirming the suitability of our tool for epidemic risk assessment. We evaluated the dependence of regional vulnerability to brucellosis on a set of factors including premises spatial distribution, trading patterns, farming practices, herd market value, compliance to outbreak regulations, and exploring different epidemiological conditions. Animal trade movements were identified as a major route for brucellosis spread between farms (r=0.85, p<10-5 between vulnerability and number of inbound movements), with an additional potential risk attributed to the use of shared pastures (r=0.4, p=0.04). By comparing the vulnerability of disease-free regions in the north to affected regions in the south, we found that more intense trade and higher market value of the cattle sector in the north (r=0.56, p=0.01) likely inducing more efficient biosafety measures, together with poor compliance to trade restrictions following outbreaks in the south were key factors explaining the diverse success in eradicating brucellosis. Our modeling scheme is both synthetic and effective in gauging regional vulnerability to brucellosis persistence. Its general formulation makes it adaptable to other diseases and host species, providing a useful tool for veterinary epidemiology and policy assessment.

La sélection génétique des races bovines allaitantes en France : un dispositif et des outilsinnovants au service desfilières viande

Hérité de la loi sur l’Élevage de 1966, le dispositif génétique français a permis la mise en place d’un vaste recueil de phénotypes en ferme et en station. Toutes ces collectes ont pu être valorisées collectivement au travers de nombreuses évaluations génétiques, et notamment les évaluations nationales sur les données recueillies en ferme appelées « IBOVAL ». Ces évaluations ont évolué tant d'un point de vue méthodologique (évaluations polygéniques et maintenant génomiques) que sur l’éventail des caractères valorisés. La filière de production de viande bovine dispose aujourd’hui d’outils génétiques performants permettant d’évaluer les reproducteurs bovins allaitants, de les sélectionner sur leurs aptitudes bouchères et leur qualités maternelles en ferme et en station (contrôle individuel ou sur descendance). Le panel de caractères traités (naissance, sevrage, post-sevrage, reproduction, aptitudes bouchères) permet d’élaborer des objectifs de sélection adaptés aux orientations raciales, aux contraintes de la filière et de l’élevage. Les programmes de sélection utilisant ces outils génèrent un progrès génétique. Celui-ci est diffusé efficacement, même si la faible pénétration de l’insémination animale reste un facteur limitant. Enfin, l’arrivée de la génomique, les changements organisationnels induits par le nouveau règlement zootechnique européen et le contexte difficile de l’élevage vont entraîner des évolutions au niveau des outils et des objectifs de sélection.

Symposium review: Novel strategies to genetically improve mastitis resistance in dairy cattle

Mastitis is a disease of major economic importance to the dairy cattle sector because of the high incidence of clinical mastitis and prevalence of subclinical mastitis and, consequently, the costs associated with treatment, production losses, and reduced animal welfare. Disease-recording systems compiling data from a large number of farms are still not widely implemented around the world; thus, selection for mastitis resistance is often based on genetically correlated indicator traits such as somatic cell count (SCC), udder depth, and fore udder attachment. However, in the past years, several countries have initiated collection systems of clinical mastitis, based on producers recording data in most cases. The large data sets generated have enabled researchers to assess incidence of this disease and to investigate the genetic background of clinical mastitis itself, as well as its relationships with other traits of interest to the dairy industry. The genetic correlations between clinical mastitis and its previous proxies were estimated more accurately and confirmed the strong relationship of clinical mastitis with SCC and udder depth. New traits deriving from SCC were also studied, with the most relevant findings being associated with mean somatic cell score (SCS) in early lactation, standard deviation of SCS, and excessive test-day SCC pattern. Genetic correlations between clinical mastitis and other economically important traits indicated that selection for mastitis resistance would also improve resistance against other diseases and enhance both fertility and longevity. However, milk yield remains negatively correlated with clinical mastitis, emphasizing the importance of including health traits in the breeding objectives to achieve genetic progress for all important traits. These studies enabled the establishment of new genetic and genomic evaluation models, which are more efficient for selection to mastitis resistance. Further studies that are potential keys for future improvement of mastitis resistance are deep investigation of the bacteriology of mastitis, identification of novel indicator traits and tools for selection, and development of a larger female reference population to improve reliability of genomic evaluations. These cutting-edge studies will result in a better understanding of the genetic background of mastitis resistance and enable a more accurate phenotyping and genetic selection to improve mastitis resistance, and consequently, animal welfare and industry profitability.

Cattle in the Backlands: Mato Grosso and the Evolution of Ranching in the Brazilian Tropics by Robert W. Wilcox

Reviewed by: Cattle in the Backlands: Mato Grosso and the Evolution of Ranching in the Brazilian Tropics by Robert W. Wilcox Christian Brannstrom Robert W. Wilcox Cattle in the Backlands: Mato Grosso and the Evolution of Ranching in the Brazilian Tropics Austin: University of Texas Press, 2017. xviii + 323 pp. Tables, maps, ills., notes, glossary, index. $45 cloth (ISBN: 978-1-4733-1114-1); $45 electronic (ISBN: 978-1-4733-1116-5). Cattle in the backlands offers historical analysis of the halting nineteenth- and twentieth-century development of the ranching economy in a Brazilian “backland” or sertão. The book focuses on ranching, labor, land, and beef products in what is today Mato Grosso do Sul state (separated from Mato Grosso in the late 1970s) and southern areas of current Mato Grosso state, such as Cuiabá. One of many Brazilian “backlands,” southern Mato Grosso included the Pantanal wetlands and Cerrado savanna formations, at the fringe of the Brazilian economy until the mid-twentieth century. Wilcox depicts an extensive ranching system constrained by the physical environment, land tenure insecurity, poor access to credit, and long distance to markets for [End Page 276] cattle from the mid 1800s until the mid 1900s. Environmental features of the Pantanal and Cerrado were “restraints” (p. 223) that “[defined] how ranching developed” (p. 227). These environmental constraints, described as seasonal flooding, long dry season, and disease, are major themes in sources that Wilcox uses, such as an observation from the 1920s that “cattle are a mirror of the land” in Mato Grosso (p. 14). Attempts to break the constraints—by introducing European breeds, for example—failed spectacularly until the introduction of Zebu, imported from south Asia, which helped turn ranching into a “vibrant, if controversial, economic pole of development” by the early 2000s (p. 2). Wilcox frames Mato Grosso as a “paradox of tropical ranching” (p. 1) because the cattle sector was frequently criticized as backward, reliant on extensive practices, and attracting relatively little investment through the 1940s, yet southern Mato Grosso eventually became a leader in tropical ranching. Wilcox, a historian, organizes the book thematically according to topics such as minor booms, land tenure, labor relations, and the introduction of Zebu. Several contributions will interest geographers specializing in animal geographies, historical geography, and peripheral economies. Among these is the discussion of the fate of indigenous peoples, whose access to land was reduced by the expansion of cattle ranching. For example, Wilcox describes the fate of the Kadiwéu people, who suffered under the genocidal regime of Antonio Joaquim Malheiros, who was director of the Kadiwéu reserve in the 1870s. Intervention of progressive Brazilians and formation of the Serviço de Proteção aos Indios, led by Mato Grosso native Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon in the early 1900s, protected the Kadiwéu “from complete obliteration” (p. 132). Cattle drives, which supplied ranchers in Minas Gerais starting in the 1850s and then slaughterhouses and meatpackers in São Paulo during the early 1900s, are described in great detail. Drives lasted for months, requiring considerable skill and tenacity among drovers. Conditions of the drive were such that Zebu had distinct advantages over Pantaneiro cattle, and drovers would accept Zebu as payment when they reached their destination and drive Zebu back to Mato Grosso. Wilcox argues that railroad construction in the early 1900s from São Paulo to Corumbá did not offer more secure transport because cattle would be kept in wagons for several days without food or water, and costs were comparable between rail and trail. Wilcox also offers a useful breakdown of expenses and profit margins from cattle drives during the 1930s. Wilcox devotes considerable analysis to foreign capital invested in Mato Grosso cattle operations. The Descalvados jerky factory, located on the Paraguay River upstream from Cáceres, is a case in point. Initially established in the 1870s by an Argentine investor, the factory was purchased by a Uruguayan in the 1880s, adding beef bouillon to jerky production, drawing on a cattle population of up to 200,000 head. A Belgian syndicate, linked to King Leopold II, purchased Descalvados in 1895 and sold it in 1911 to Percival Farquahar, a U.S...