Large Pasture Areas Research Articles

Multi-attribute, graph-based approach for duplicate cattle removal and counting in large pasture areas from multiple aerial images

In this study, we address the challenges of counting cattle in large pasture areas using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with high-resolution cameras. Traditional manual counting methods are laborious and error-prone, while existing automated approaches struggle with duplicate animal detection. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel graph-based method that incorporates multiple-attributes, including velocity, direction, state (lying down or standing), color, and distance, to improve duplicate removal and counting accuracy. We conducted extensive experiments involving automated hyper-parameter learning to effectively integrate these attributes into our method. By employing a Ford–Fulkerson graph algorithm, we detect and remove duplicated cattle based on their multiple attributes. An ablation study validates the contribution of each attribute. Additionally, we provide new datasets of drone images captured in large pastures to support research in this field. Our results demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art techniques, achieving an average percentage error of 2.34%. Comparisons with mosaic-based and other graph-based methods validate the effectiveness of our approach, which contributes to more efficient cattle counting practices and enhances livestock management in agriculture.

An empirical study of the key factors affecting herders' purchasing decision on weather index insurance—A case study from inner Mongolia autonomous region, China

The weather index insurance for mutton sheep (WIMS) is the first weather index insurance product that addresses the increased feeding cost-related risk of grassland animal husbandry herders in China. In 2019, the WIMS was implemented as a pilot project in 11 county regions of Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia, China. Since the implementation of this product, the purchasing rate has varied from region to region, as the highest purchasing rate was 84.3%, while the lowest was only 1.8%. This research uses the double hurdle model to identify the factors affecting herders' purchasing behavior. This paper reports a survey study of 535 participants herders in the Xilin Gol League. The result indicates that herders' age, disaster risk evaluation, insurance awareness, pasture area, and neighborhood purchasing decision significantly impact herders' purchasing propensity. Disaster evaluation, insurance awareness, pasture area and location significantly impact the purchasing degree of herders. The study suggests that young herders and herders with large pasture areas should be motivated to purchase insurance. In addition, new methods should be applied for the publicity of this insurance product; Investments should be focused on the automatic weather monitoring station projects in pastoral areas to reduce the basis risk of the insurance.

‘A Livestock Country Cannot Be Improvised’: Cattle Improvement, Economic Ambitions, and the Environment in Southern Mozambique, 1910s–1940s

ABSTRACT Due to the absence of the tsetse fly and the existence of large areas of pasture and fertile river valleys, bovine cattle have historically been central in the lives of African agro-pastoral societies in southern Mozambique. In the beginning of the twentieth century, Portuguese officials became interested in the expansion of the livestock economy to supply internal and external markets. But various diseases, irregular rainfall, and periodic drought posed numerous challenges. Echoing familiar tropes, colonial officials perceived local animal husbandry practices as backward and uneconomic, and argued that Landim cattle, the indigenous breed, was mostly useless. Debates ensued on whether the Landim breed could be improved or popular imported breeds successfully acclimatised to local conditions. This article discusses the evolution of official livestock policies for southern Mozambique between the 1910s and the 1940s. It investigates the way zootechnical debates concerning cattle improvement were influenced by popular scientific theories, economic aspirations, and a specific regional context, but also by perceptions of African and exotic breeds and attitudes towards the local environment. The article sheds light on how Africans, the main cattle owners in the region, responded in significant ways to these developments.

Cattle counting in the wild with geolocated aerial images in large pasture areas

Among the production areas with largest impact on global economy, agriculture and livestock play a prominent role. Technologies have been developed in order to automate and increase the efficiency of these fields. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has been extensively investigated to improve the efficiency of agricultural production and in the monitoring of animals. One of the most important and challenging tasks in animal monitoring is cattle counting. In this paper, we propose a method for detecting and counting cattle in aerial images obtained by UAVs, based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and a graph-based optimization to remove duplicated animals detected in overlapped images. We show that maximizing the degree of matching between animals is a suitable strategy to reduce duplicate counting. We also offer a dataset of real images, obtained from large pasture areas, both for training as well as for testing/benchmarking of cattle counting techniques. Our results show that the proposed method is very competitive, outperforming the state of the art in detecting duplicated animals, while significantly reducing the computational cost of the overall counting task.

Restoring low-input high-diversity grasslands as a potential global resource for biofuels

Reducing meat consumption by humans and shifting to more efficient plant and animal protein sources could potentially free up large areas of pasture and feedcrop agricultural land for restoration or conversion to low-input high-diversity (LIHD) grasslands. LIHD grasslands improve biodiversity, carbon sequestration, erosion control, water storage, while also providing opportunities to produce biofuels. We examined the potential of converting pastures globally, and animal feedstock agricultural lands in the USA and Brazil, to LIHD biomass sources and the capacity of these systems to meet national energy demands via (1) cellulosic ethanol and (2) integrated gasification and combined cycle technology with Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbon synthesis (IGCC-FT) processing. Our analyses, which we argue are conservative, indicate that large amounts of energy, far in excess of many country's current demands, can potentially be produced from IGCC-FT processing of grassland biomass grown on converted pastures, especially in tropical developing countries. Over 40 countries could meet ≥100% of their domestic demands for electricity, gasoline, and diesel. If energy products were shared between countries, the 95 countries with positive energy production yields could meet 46%, 28%, and 39% of their combined electricity, gasoline, and diesel demands, respectively. While it is clearly unrealistic to propose a 100% conversion of pasture lands to biofuel production, these analyses highlight the potential gains in ecosystem services and energy production that could theoretically be achieved on already-managed lands.

Water, land and carbon footprints of sheep and chicken meat produced in Tunisia under different farming systems

Meat production puts larger demands on water and land and results in larger greenhouse gas emissions than alternative forms of food. This study uses footprint indicators, the water, land and carbon footprint, to assess natural resources use and greenhouse gas emissions for sheep and chicken meat produced in Tunisia in different farming systems in the period 1996–2005. Tunisia is a water-scarce country with large areas of pasture for sheep production. Poultry production is relatively large and based on imported feed. The farming systems considered are: the industrial system for chicken, and the agro-pastoral system using cereal crop-residues, the agro-pastoral system using barley and the pastoral system using barley for sheep. Chicken meat has a smaller water footprint (6030litre/kg), land footprint (9m2/kg) and carbon footprint (3 CO2-eq/kg) than sheep meat (with an average water footprint of 18900litre/kg, land footprint of 57m2/kg, and carbon footprint of 28 CO2-eq/kg). For sheep meat, the agro-pastoral system using cereal crop-residues is the production system with smallest water and land footprints, but the highest carbon footprint. The pastoral system using barley has larger water and land footprints than the agro-pastoral system using barley, but comparable carbon footprint.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AREAS: THE CASE OF THE BEBEDOURO STREAM WATERSHED

Abstract Environmental Protection Areas are legal provisions aiming at the preservation of natural resources through the maintenance of the ecosystem functions. This study aimed to characterize the changes on the land-use between 2002 and 2011, verify the implementation of these legal provisions on the Bebedouro Stream Watershed (Frutal, Minas Gerais), analyze the implications of changes in environmental laws and indicate management options for water resource conservation. For this work the following procedures were performed: land-use mapping of the watershed; investigation on the occupation of the Frutal region; survey of records about the rural properties and Environmental Protection Areas registered. The comparative study of the Bebedouro Stream watershed showed the replacement of large pasture areas by sugarcane plantation; insufficient area of legal provision for biodiversity conservation and increase in the riparian forest during the period studied. Concluding remarks suggest management options for the water uses of the analyzed watershed.

Risk factors for bovine tuberculosis persistence in beef herds of Southern and Central Spain

In order to assess risk factors related to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) persistence, a case–control study, comparing persistent versus transient bTB infected beef farms from Central and Southern Spain, was conducted. Farms were matched by herd size and geographical location (county). A questionnaire administered by personal interview was conducted on 150 herds (80 controls and 70 cases) from Andalucia and Castilla La Mancha regions. The questionnaire included questions related to the personnel involved in routine diagnostics, structure of the farm and of the herd, management, presence of other domestic species and of wildlife reservoirs.According to the results of our study, farms with large pasture areas and bTB infected neighbors had more difficulties in eradicating the disease, and therefore, were more likely to suffer a persistent bTB infection. The odds of bTB persistence were between 1.2 and 5.1 (i.e., 95% confidence interval of the OR) times higher in those herds that had a neighbor infected herd. Farms with large pasture areas had odds between 1.2 and 12.7 (i.e., 95% confidence interval of the OR) times higher of having a persistent bTB episode than farms with small pasture areas.

Potential use of ecotoxicological biomarkers in Serratella ignita (Ephemeroptera) larvae for Alcantara river (Sicily, Italy) water quality assessment

Benthic macroinvertebrates are important components of aquatic river ecosystems. These organisms are often used for biological monitoring since they are good indicators of the aquatic freshwater environment health status which can be negatively affected by human, agricultural and industrial activities. Many studies focused on the use of observed changes in macroinvertebrate communities or populations, but studies using biochemical biomarkers in these species are almost absent. The aim of this paper was to test the employment of ecotoxicological biomarkers in Ephemeroptera larvae to assess the water quality of the Alcantara river (Sicily) from its headwater to its mouth. This river represents the main source of potable water for all the counties situated in the Alcantara valley and for the city of Messina, and is the primary irrigation source for the large surrounding agricultural lands. Acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) and Benzo(a)pyrene monooxygenase (BPMO) activity were evaluated in Serratella ignita (Ephemerellidae) larvae from different sampling sites along the river to show the potential presence of xenobiotic substances. Environmental parameters, such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity and flow velocity, were also measured at different sampling sites. The biomarker approach in invertebrates represents an early warning signal of ecotoxicological alterations, providing information on which contaminants exert toxic effects on different biota. The results showed that the highest inhibition of AChE activity in S. ignita larvae was in Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia villages (i.e. high and medium level of the river). Here, agricultural activities are intense, with high production of fruit, olives, citrus and the heaviest usage of fertilizers, pesticides, and neurotoxic substances like organophosphate insecticides and carbammates in all the Alcantara valley. Regarding BPMO activity, the highest value was recovered in S. ignita larvae from the river mouth, which was characterised by the highest entry of water run off of streets and loaded with xenobiotic lipophilic compounds. Both AChE and BPMO were not linked to water temperature values. The data reported in the present work represent the first attempt to monitor levels of two widely recognised enzymatic biomarkers in benthic macroinvertebrates. Results indicate the possible use of this approach in macroinvertebrate larvae to study the health status of Alcantara river. The river appears to be impacted by contamination mainly from waste discharges and, upstream, from large pasture areas. Considering the world-wide distribution of S. ignita, the biomarker approach used to assess water quality may be applicable not only to Alcantara river, but also to other lotic ecosystems.

Profitability of organic and conventional dairy production with different dietary proportions of high-quality grass silage

The profitability in organic and conventional milk production systems when using three different dietary proportions (51 %, 62 % and 69 % of dry matter) of high-quality grass silage to dairy cows was calculated. Feed intake and milk production data were measured in a dairy cow experiment in which the same types of feeds were used over the entire lactation, but the proportion of forage was increased to three different degrees in the diet. The results of the economic analyses showed that full cost coverage was only reached within the organic production system and that a large herd size (160 cows) was required to achieve economically sustainable dairy production. However, large herd size required large pasture areas in organic production, which can be difficult to achieve in forest-dominated districts. The results of the calculated profitability showed that it was profitable to increase the average dietary proportion of high-quality silage from 51 % to 62 % of dry matter in conventional production with concentrate and grain prices at their current high levels. In organic production, there were only minor differences in calculated profitability between providing the obligatory 60 % and 69 % of dry matter as high-quality silage in the dairy cow diet.

Groundwater quality comparison between rural farms and riparian wells in the western Amazon, Brazil

Groundwater quality of a riparian forest is compared to wells in surrounding rural areas at Urupa River basin. Groundwater types were calcium bicarbonated at left margin and sodium chloride at right, whereas riparian wells exhibited a combination of both (sodium bicarbonate). Groundwater was mostly solute-depleted with concentrations within permissible limits for human consumption, except for nitrate. Isotopic composition suggests that inorganic carbon in Urupa River is mostly supplied by runoff instead of riparian groundwater. Hence, large pasture areas in addition to narrow riparian forest width in this watershed may have an important contribution in the chemical composition of this river.

Influence of land-use change on near-surface hydrological processes: Undisturbed forest to pasture

Soil compaction that follows the clearing of tropical forest for cattle pasture is associated with lower soil hydraulic conductivity and increased frequency and volume of overland flow. We investigated the frequency of perched water tables, overland flow and stormflow in an Amazon forest and in an adjacent 25-year-old pasture cleared from the same forest. We compared the results with the frequencies of these phenomena estimated from comparisons of rainfall intensity and soil hydraulic conductivity. The frequency of perched water tables based on rainfall intensity and soil hydraulic conductivity was expected to double in pasture compared with forest. This corresponded closely with an approximate doubling of the frequency of stormflow and overland flow in pasture. In contrast, the stormflow volume in pasture increased 17-fold. This disproportional increase of stormflow resulted from overland flow generation over large areas of pasture, while overland flow generation in the forest was spatially limited and was observed only very near the stream channel. In both catchments, stormflow was generated by saturation excess because of perched water tables and near-surface groundwater levels. Stormflow was occasionally generated in the forest by rapid return flow from macropores, while slow return flow from a continuous perched water table was more common in the pasture. These results suggest that deforestation for pasture alters fundamental mechanisms of stormflow generation and may increase runoff volumes over wide regions of Amazonia.

Winter field use and habitat selection by Eurasian Golden Plovers Pluvialis apricaria and Northern Lapwings Vanellus vanellus on arable farmland

Eurasian Golden Plovers Pluvialis apricaria and Northern Lapwings Vanellus vanellus winter in large numbers on Britain's farmland. Previous studies in mixed farming areas showed pronounced preferences for permanent pasture, but increasing numbers of plovers winter in eastern Britain where arable farmland dominates. We show that an area of intensive arable farmland supported significant numbers of both species from October to February in the absence of large areas of pasture. Habitat use varied seasonally as the habitats present changed. Throughout winter, use of cereal crops matched their availability: plovers selected harrow in early winter, sugar beet stubbles in midwinter and other crops in late winter. Pastures were rarely used at any time of the year. Flocks occupied only a fraction of the available fields, concentrating most in large fields with open boundaries and where manure had been applied. Daytime feeding was more likely during cold days after nights with a new moon, short duration of moonlight or low‐intensity moonlight. These results show that plovers are currently able to utilize intensive arable farmland but future changes in management, such as cessation of manure applications and reductions in sugar beet cropping, could have detrimental effects.

Short-term Emissions of Ammonia and Carbon Dioxide from Cattle Urine Contaminated Tropical Grassland Microcosm

The study was designed to understand the emissions of ammonia (NH(3)) and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) from a single cattle urination event on a tropical grassland and underline the significance of the emissions in the context of huge animal population grazing on large pasture areas in some countries. Emissions of ammonia (NH(3)) and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) were monitored for three weeks from a tropical grassland (dominated by Cynodon dactylon Pers.) microcosm contaminated with cow and buffalo urine. The grassland microcosms were treated with urine (50 and 100 ml of each) only once and irrigated with water once every week. Ammonia was sampled by an automatic sampling system comprising of a vacuum pump, three-way stopcocks and rubber tubing and an impinger containing suitable absorbing solution (H(2)SO(4)), connected to the tubing suitably. The sampled gas, after sucked by the vacuum pump and absorbed in H(2)SO(4), was allowed to enter the closed microcosm again maintaining internal pressure of the microcosm. Carbon dioxide was sampled by absorption in an alkali (NaOH) trap inside the microcosm. Both NH(3) and CO(2) emissions were highly variable temporally and there was no continuous increasing or decreasing emission trend with time. Respectively, 45 and 46% of total NH(3)-N were emitted within first 48 h from 50 and 100 ml cow urine application while the corresponding values for buffalo urine were 34 and 32%. Total NH(3)-N emissions, integrated for sampling days (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 15, 18 and 21st) were 11 and 6% in cow and 8 and 5% in buffalo urine, of the total-N added through 50 and 100 ml urine samples. Carbon dioxide emissions were standardized at 25 degrees C by using a suitable formula which were lower than actual emissions at actual soil temperature (> 25 degrees C). Carbon dioxide emission rates were classified on the basis of soil repiratory classification and classes ranged from moderately low soil activity up to unusually high soil activity, the latter observed only on very few sampling days. Grasses in the microcosm had shown appreciable growth after urine application. Although variable and somewhat unpredictable, emissions were appreciable and that too only from a patch of single urination, indicating to the huge magnitude of total emissions under the scenario of thousands of cattle grazing on hundreds of acres of grasslands in a tropical country.

An observation of a fogbow in the Natural Park of Monfragüe, Spain

In this brief note, we describe a fogbow observed at 0825 GMT on 23 February 2002, and present photographs of it. We were in the Natural Park of MonfraguE e, Spain, taking measurements of sonority and recording natural sounds. The Natural Park of MonfraguE e, in the region of Extremadura, is crossed by the Tie tar and Tagus rivers, and surrounded by large areas of pasture, which form a refuge for some of the characteristic fauna of the Mediterranean. Its hillsides, with impenetrable vegetaWeather Vol. 57 December 2002

Fasciola infection in guinea-pigs in the peruvian highlands

Fasciolosis is found in many regions throughout the world including the rural areas of Cajamarca, Peru where high prevalences have been reported in cattle, sheep, goats and pigs (Tones, 1980). The disease i~ also an important zoonosis in people living in the countryside (Rodriguez, 1983). Cajamarca, a valley at latitude 7°10 ' • O ! south, longltude 78 30 west and at a height of 2,536 m above sea level, has a favourable environment for the development of Fasciola hepatica. Large areas of pasture, adequate humidity (relative humidity 74%) and warmth (mean temperature 14°C) encourage the spread of the intermediate host, Lymnaea viatrix. The intermediate host snail is more prevalent in the lower pastures in still or slow moving water. In many South American countries, guinea-pigs (Cavia spp.) are bred for food, both in the cities and the countryside. A rodent native to South America, the guinea-pig (or cuy) has been known since the time of the Incas. A wild-type called the Sacha-Cuy is still believed to occur in the Amazon and Western Andes it has a small tail, is brown in colour and is more prolific than its domesticated cousin (Zevallos, 1975). Bred in peasant houses, the guinea-pig is often raised within the owner's kitchen but may also be kept in separate accommodation. Guinea-pig owners may rear from 2 to 15 animals although some have much larger numbers: a guinea-pig weighing 800 g may fetch US$3 to 4 in the local market. Food consists of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), ryegrass (Lolium spp. ) and/or waste from the kitchen (tuber, vegetable, cereal and fruit skins amongst others). Ryegrass comes from the same fields where cattle graze and alfalfa is cut from fields mainly dedicated to cattle rearing (cattle are not grazed directly on alfalfa pastures in Cajamarca) and both are fed fresh to the guinea-pigs (Aliaga, 1993) giving rise to the possibility of infection with Fasciola. In a study carried out from January to April 1988, analysis of faecal samples using a rapid sedimentation method (Lumbreras, 1962) indicated prevalences of 24 to 35% (24/100 samples and 35/100 samples) in guinea pigs kept by people living on the hillsides and from 52 to 53% (52/100 samples and 53/100 samples) in guinea-pigs reared in the valley itself. Of the positive cases, 28% had egg counts of 16 eggs per gram or more (Machuca and Gamarra, 1988). The faeces of the guinea-pigs, often with high egg concentrations, are spread on the pastures as fertiliser where conditions allow the life cycle to be completed. Adequate control of fasciolosis may, therefore, require control in all affected spedes including guinea-pigs.

The Origin of Regional Ecological Problems within the Northern Tyumen Oblast, Russia

The northwestern areas of the Western Siberia are subjected to intensive anthropogenic pressure, mainly by the oil and gas extraction industries, reindeer herding, hunting, and fishing. Localized activities, rather than regional-scale activities have led to the degradation of the natural environment on a regional scale. These processes include (1) transfer of pollutants by water and atmosphere; (2) expansion and merging of oil and gas development sites; (3) degradation of the key wildlife habitats (reproduction sites of fish, animals, birds, migration routes, etc.); and (4) more intensive use of remaining pastures and hunting areas by the indigenous population due to loss of large areas of pasture and hunting territories to the oil and gas industries. Analysis of the existing situation within northwest Siberia suggests that in the future, the situation will continue to worsen unless there is significant improvement in land-use management and technology of oil and gas industry. Degradation processes may also be exacerbated by global warming. Concurrently local changes themselves may lead to negative changes on the global scale.

A comparison of spectral reflectance and sward surface height measurements to estimate herbage mass and leaf area index in continuously stocked ryegrass pastures

AbstractMeasurements of sward surface height and of the ratio of light at 660 and 730 nm reflected from a pasture canopy were correlated with measurements of leaf area index (LAI) and herbage mass of two ryegrass dominant swards. Both pastures were continuously stocked by sheep to maintain a range of sward heights from 2 to 6 cm corresponding approximately to LAI 2 to 5.Sward height appeared to be linearly related to both LAI and herbage mass, whereas 660/730 reflectance displayed a non‐linear relationship with both parameters. The accuracy of prediction by the two methods over the range LAI 1 to 3 or herbage mass 700 to 1800 kg DM ha‐1 was very similar. However, reflectance measurements could not be used above about LAI 3–4 and to this extent were less useful. Nevertheless, reflectance measurements have a potential advantage in their ability to sample large areas of pasture very quickly.