Intensive Livestock Production Research Articles

Guest Editorial: Criteria for Evaluating Immunosuppression

Success of intensive poultry and livestock production relies on adequate flock and herd immunity. Reduced immune responsiveness leading to increased disease losses can seriously harm the poultry and livestock industries. Immunosuppression (IS), the term most often used to describe this phenomenon, has become part of the common language of animal agriculture and is used by producers, service personnel, practicing veterinarians, and disease researchers to describe a variety of problems. It appears in articles of agricultural trade journals and is used in scientific publications. At times, however, IS has not been used precisely. Vaccine failures and disease outbreaks are often blamed on IS. We have noticed that suspected immunosuppressive agents are declared immunosuppressive without adequate scientific evidence. This has created confusion. Because of the misuse of this term, this editorial was prepared. The objectives of this commentary are to propose a definition of IS and to discuss criteria for evaluating IS that might result from exposure to infectious and noninfectious agents commonly encountered in animal agriculture. Defining immunosuppression. This editorial was written from the viewpoint of production agriculture. The proposed definition of

Using Odor Control Technology to Support Animal Agriculture

ABSTRACT SEVERAL factors are contributing to increasing pressures brought on livestock and poultry producers: (a) encroachment of urban areas on animal production enterprises, (b) larger and more intensive livestock production facilities, (c) adoption of a wider range of anaerobic storage and treatment processes for animal wastes, which may at times produce some undesirable odor and (d) public demand for a more pristine environment. These pressures often result from manure and feed management procedures and are directly related to odor, flies, dust and water pollution. Animal enterprises in this country operate, in general, without causing concern or complaints among neighbors. The agricultural community understands that some odor is always associated with livestock and poultry production and that certain seasons and/or necessary operations are often responsible for somewhat higher odor levels of short duration. Productivity, however, may be jeopardized and social ties strained when necessary and acceptable levels of odor production are exceeded or believed to be exceeded. Odor levels commonly experienced in animal production facilities, assuming adequate ventilation, are not considered harmful to animals or poultry or to operational personnel. Likewise, there is little or no physiological danger to stock or personnel from odors in the environment surrounding the confinement units. However, there are numerous reports of illness even mortality of personnel and stock in confinement production facilities and in waste storage units when unsafe practices were permitted. New odor control products and production techniques appear regularly. It is a challenge for the agricultural community and, more specifically, the animal industry, to determine how, when and where benefits are most likely to accrue, if at all. In truth, new products and procedures are most likely proven on the farm with the operator sharing the benefits or the bruises along with the developer. Production techniques to reduce or prevent odor production, or to minimize exposure to odors, have been more successful than the technology to control odor after its production.

3.1 World Supplies of grain for animal feed including principal protein sources

In discussing world supplies of grain for animal feeding, this has been interpreted in its broadest sense to include the seeds of oilseed crops, legumes (or pulses) and cereals. These, together with fish and animal protein meals, are the basic raw materials for the production of concentrated, or compound, feed which is conventionally associated with intensive livestock production. In his introductory remarks, the President warned against the dangers of generalization and this is particularly true when dealing with feed supplies, since the situation may vary considerably not only from one country to another but also from one region to another within a country. Nevertheless, it is not feasible to discuss detailed situations in a publication of this kind and the intention is to provide a general review of the overall situation.

Intensive livestock production: "costs exceed benefits".

Intensive livestock production: "costs exceed benefits".

Intensive Livestock Production; its Impact on the Cost and Nutritive Value of Food

Intensive Livestock Production; its Impact on the Cost and Nutritive Value of Food

PROGRESS IN EVALUATING FOREST FARMING

The Tikitere forest farming research area was established in 1973 to determine the feasibility of integrating farming and forestry. This paper reports on progress in evaluating the effects of tree density and spatial arrangement on numbers and performance of livestock, and availability and productivity of pasture. Only 5 years after planting Pinus radiata (D. Don) into pasture there were large reductions in carrying capacity with increasing tree density, and it is apparent that a tree management regime leading to a final crop of 400 sph is unsuitable for combining with intensive livestock production. Individual livestock performance as measured by both liveweight change and wool production was poorer under trees, and a number of possible explanations are given, Availability of pasture for livestock was affected both by a reduction in dry matter production with increasing tree density and by the covering of ground with thinning and pruning debris. The effects of the latter on managing livestock under trees are discussed.

An application of discriminant analysis for the evaluation of the local environmental impact of livestock production

Intensive livestock production can cause serious nuisance to those who live around livestock units. While no method of measuring the extent of such local farm impact exists, it is difficult to make rational decisions concerning the location and control of intensive livestock production. This paper presents a possible approach to the assessment of the impact resulting from livestock production using discriminant analysis. The population living around livestock farms is divided into two groups: those who feel that there is a nuisance, and those who do not. This division is then related to other variables concerning both the location and nature of the individuals, and from these data a linear discriminant function is calculated, which allocates a score to each individual. The score represents the extent to which the individual is in a position to be caused a nuisance, based upon the perceptions of all those included in the survey. The total of the scores of those living around one livestock unit, adjusted for the population size, can then be used to compare the impact of this unit with others. It would be possible to create a more general function on the basis of a larger number of surveys, and such a function could be used to estimate the potential impact of a unit while it is still at the planning stage. Thus the size of the score could aid decisions regarding the desirability of that unit in that particular location. Similarly, in such situations, the functions could identify potential problems, and plans for the intended livestock unit could be examined for possible ways of reducing the environmental impact.

LAND RESOURCES AS A BASIC FACTOR IN LIVESTOCK CARRYING CAPACITY

This study examines qualitative differences in Irish land resources both at national and county level. Quantitative differences in the capacity of different soils for livestock production are also investigated and it is shown that intensive livestock production (> 225 L.U./100 ha.) is possible on only 44% of the land of the country. The effect of geographic location on the seasonal pattern of pasture production is examined and even within dryland areas there is a 30 day difference in target date of grazing commencement in spring. Only 16 % of holdings have above 40 livestock units, whereas 32 % are technically capable of achieving this stocking-level. At a higher target of 60 livestock units, only 11 % of holdings have above this level of stocking, whereas 19% are technically capable of achieving this target. Comparable figures for 20 and 100 livestock unit targets are also presented. In addition, recent land-use trends in relation to tillage-area and livestock numbers are examined. Over the '9S7-1974 period, the number of livestock units in the country increased by 1.94 million (44 %) while over the same period 0.6 million acres were released from tillage to grassland. The study shows that only 22% of the livestock increase could be accounted for by the contraction in tillage, suggesting that the increase was largely due to intensification on the grassland acreage.

Manure management in a 700-head swine finishing unit in the American Midwest: An integrated system incorporating hydraulic manure transport with recycled anaerobic lagoon liquor and final effluent use by corn ( Zea Mays)

Intensive livestock production in confined-housing units has led to a need for new manurehandling technology. A system that has received extensive field testing in the midwestern states of the U.S. has been anaerobic lagooning, with use of a renovated water for hydraulic manure transport. The hydraulic aspects of manure flushing were reviewed briefly before discussing the anaerobic lagoon as a biological treatment unit. Methods of applying excess water accumulations to fertile cropland were reviewed before reporting data describing the uptake of selected metals in the grain and leaves of the corn plant ( Zea mays).

The need for intensification in animal production and the consequent pollution problem.

AbstractThe factors affecting the progress towards intensive livestock production are reviewed with particular reference to milk, beef, lamb, pork, bacon, poultry, meat and egg production. The future trends for the further development of intensive production in each class of livestock are considered and the genetic, managerial and economic constraints are briefly discussed.The different systems of management and housing of the various livestock classes are reviewed and the relevance of each system to the production of effluent is described. The reasons for the trend towards greater control of the animals' environment are listed.Finally, the concept of “stocking density” is considered in respect to the problem of pollution in intensive animal production systems and the possible implications of removing all forms of “animal pollution” are placed within the context of the other requirements for food production involving domesticated animals.

Coccidiosis: Problems involved in obtaining reliable field data

The conduct of field trials with poultry depends of necessity upon the cooperation of commercial growers and the feed industry. Their objectives and those of the investigator are not always immediately compatible. The environmental peculiarities of any intensive livestock production enterprise are complex and often inexorable. Moreover, the profit motive demands every effort to improve efficiency of production. Some of the problems inherent to the collection of meaningful data from field trials are ascribable to weather, mechanical failures, and certain unexpected disease problems. But most unreliable data from such tests result from the fact that the investigator and higher echelon cooperators make large assumptions concerning the reliability of the mechanical aspects of the trial. When depending upon the actions of all those involved in the complex details of running a field trial, they may be led into a false sense of security. This is not to say that the grower, a mill hand, a feed truck driver, a catching supervisor, or a processing plant supervisor is necessarily dishonest or unreliable. It may be a lack of understanding or appreciation of the importance of a particular phase of the trial, or it may be an unfortunate decision made in the face of an emergency. The success of any trial actually depends heavily upon the investigator and how much he becomes involved in every phase of the project.

The economics of intensive livestock production.

The economics of intensive livestock production.