Livestock Information System Research Articles

Ontological integration of digital sub-platforms of plant and animal husbandry

The purpose of the work is to develop digital mechanisms for the integration of information systems of plant and animal husbandry with the analysis of their implementation conditions. The relevance of research is determined by the need for such a procedure due to a significantly increased list of tasks to be solved and data volumes due to the improvement of information and communication technologies, which led to the emergence of technologies for precision animal husbandry and agriculture, Earth’s remote sensing, requiring a combination of a large number of overlapping structured data and technologies for their processing, as well as solving problems of intersectoral relationships reflecting their interaction through the feed base, raw materials for processing, as well as the demands of the population and state bodies that are gaining momentum about the possibility of checking information on the legality, quality, and safety of products online. Digital standards obtained by mathematical modeling of them are proposed as the main research method. As a result of the research, digital mechanisms were obtained for solving integration problems not only of crop and livestock information systems, but also their integration with digital logistics and processing platforms. Conclusions: the obtained digital mechanisms provide fundamentally new opportunities for the digital transformation of industries with a multiple reduction in its cost.

The Monetary Losses Associated with Hydatidosis in Slaughtered Ruminants in Turkey.

Hydatidosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease that negatively affects human and animal health and causes economic losses due to slaughter condemnation and risk to public health in developing countries. This study aims to determine the prevalence of Hydatidosis among slaughtered livestock in different regions of Turkey and calculate the financial losses associated with the zoonosis. For this purpose, livestock slaughter records from the livestock information system in 2020 were considered and direct and indirect economic losses were estimated. The study determined the prevalence of hydatidosis in small ruminants (0.03%) and cattle (0.0124%) and an average of 0.007% of the total number of livestock slaughtered during the period under study were infected with hydatid cysts. The direct and indirect economic losses were estimated at $98.558 and $466.891, respectively. The total monetary loss due to Hydatidosis in Turkey in the year 2020 was estimated at $565.448. In conclusion, significant monetary losses due to Hydatidosis in slaughtered livestock is still an important economic issue to livestock traders in Turkey.

Herd management information systems to support cattle population research: the VAMPP® case

Introduction. Livestock information systems, besides being indispensable for the daily management of the herd, can serve as a basis for research at the population level. Objective.The objective of the study was to analyze the role of the VAMPP® system as a source of information for cattle population research over 32 years of evolution in Costa Rica. Materials and methods. A statistical analysis of the system database (VAMPP®) covering the period between 1987 and 2018 was carried out. Trends in the dissemination and adoption of the system were evaluated according to period, area, production system, and herd size. The use of information for the exploration of trends by breed and area was exemplified. The contribution of the system at the academy level and production of scientific literature was quantified. Results. 2285 herds (88.8 % specialized dairy and 11.2 % dual purpose) were counted with an average of 9.4±7.9 years of follow-up in the VAMPP® system. The areas with greater diffusion were the very humid premontane forest (29 %) and very humid tropical forest (25 %). The average size of the herd was 124±255 adult cows. The system contains records on 404 316 cows, mostly of Holstein (36.3 %), Jersey (24.6 %), and Holstein×Jersey (20.9 %) breeds. The database includes information on 1,249,557 calvings, 16,223,260 records of daily milk production, and 443,108 health events, predominantly related to mastitis (35.6 %) and laminitis (14.1 %). The system has been used for the elaboration of at least 74 investigations leading to academic degrees and the production of 71 scientific articles, mainly related to health and genetic issues. Conclusion. The information obtained from the VAMPP® system has allowed a detailed characterization of the productive performance of local dairy cattle.

The Socio-Economic Benefit of the Livestock Traceability System on Communal Beef Farmers in Swaziland

In this article, Swaziland is placed in the forefront as a small African country that implemented a livestock traceability system to benefit both communal and commercial farmers. The communal farmers are also able to export beef to European countries, markers that were previously unavailable to them, due to the successful implementation of the Swaziland Livestock Information and Traceability System (SLITS). Livestock traceability is briefly explained to align it with the importance of safe food production for human consumption and a few aspects are highlighted. The traceability systems is further explained in terms of its benefit to the rural economy, its role in growing the GDP and the realization of its aims as was initially expected by the Swazi Government. The data collection methods used were a document review, a case study and five interviews. It is concluded that livestock traceability systems should be adopted wider by other developing countries as it has a direct effect on the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the rural poor. Its development and implementation remains very expensive, but Swaziland can be used as an example of a country that is able to reap the rewards from a commodity that is ample in their country, but scarce globally, leading to wider food sustainability.

Innovación colaborativa: El caso del Sistema Nacional de Información Ganadera

El objetivo de este trabajo es contribuir a la discusión sobre nuevas formas de gobernanza para lograr un desarrollo sostenible que pueda hacer frente a problemas complejos, inciertos y con múltiples actores involucrados con valores e intereses en conflicto. En este escenario, el artículo pretende aportar evidencia de la experimentación en innovación en política pública tomando como base un estudio de caso: el Sistema Nacional de Información Ganadera. Específicamente, se enfoca en analizar cómo el proceso de innovación a través de redes colaborativas de conocimiento contribuyen a un mejor diálogo entre ciencia y política, basado en una cultura pragmática reflexiva que fomenta el cambio, la sostenibilidad y la creación de valor público. El principal hallazgo del estudio es que la interacción entre los formuladores de políticas, los productores, los científicos, las empresas de tecnología de la información y otras partes interesadas fue impulsada por una forma pragmática de coproducción de conocimiento que mejoró la comprensión del problema, los procesos de diseño y toma de decisiones.

Improved Spatially Disaggregated Livestock Measures for Uganda

The objective of our study is twofold: on one side, to complement earlier analyses thatestimate the spatial density of livestock holdings using different methods; on the other, to show that by combining different data sources—the 2009/10 Uganda National Panel Survey (UNPS) and the 2008 Uganda National Livestock Census (UNLC)—and applying the Small Area Estimation (SAE) technique, it is possible to provide a finer spatial disaggregation and representation of missing livestock measures in the census. First, we combine our livestock population and density figures with those from the UNLC. Second, we fit an estimation model of livestock income and share on the UNPS to generate an out-of-sample prediction of the missing information in the UNLC, mapping livestock income and share at the local level. Our results suggest that the integrated use of multiple data sources, such as household surveys, censuses, and administrative data, together with spatial analysis techniques, such as SAE, can provide reliable, coherent, and location-specific insights to guide policy and investment. This work shows a useful method that allows for a reliable spatial livestock analysis, whenever sectorial databases offer greater coverage of the population of interest, but more limited information than specialized surveys. This method can be applied in all countries where there is a similar livestock information system, and common support between livestock census and household surveys with detailed agricultural/livestock modules. Cross-validation across data sources provides clearer insights into livestock-related policy and a better springboard for effective poverty-reduction strategies.

Designing a Machine Learning – Based Framework for Enhancing Performance of Livestock Mobile Application System

Smallholder livestock keepers live in rural areas where there is poor Internet connectivity. Many mobile based system designed do not function well in such areas. To address these concerns, an Android Mobile Application will be designed and installed on a smartphone. The application will have an easy to use Graphical User Interface (GUI) and request resources from the server through the Internet. This Intelligent Livestock Information System (ILIS) will be able to provide and predict feedback to the livestock keepers. This solution will also collect livestock data from livestock keepers through mobile phones. The data will then be sent to the database if connectivity is available or through synchronization if connectivity is poor. Livestock experts will be able to view data and respond to any query from livestock keepers. The system will also be able to learn and predict the responses using machine learning techniques. The goal of the ILIS is to provide livestock services to anyone at anytime, overcoming the constraints of place, time and character. Overall, this is a novel idea in the field of mobile livestock information systems. Along these, this paper presents the software, hardware and architecture design of the machine learning based livestock information system. Overall this solution embodies an artificial intelligence approach which combines hardware and software technologies. The design will leverage the Android ADK operating system and Android mobile devices or tablets. Our main contribution here is the intelligent livestock Information System, which is a novel idea in the field of mobile livestock information systems.

Towards a Framework for Enabling Operations of Livestock Information Systems in Poor Connectivity Areas

Livestock farming is one of the major agricultural activities in the country that is contributing towards achieving development goals of the national Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP). Smallholder livestock keepers depend on the information from the livestock field officers for sound decision making. Mobile application based solutions, which are currently widely proposed to facilitate the process, fail to perform in poor connectivity areas. This study proposes a machine learning based framework which will enhance the performance of mobile application based solutions in poor connectivity areas. The study used primary data, and secondary data. The primary data were collected through surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and direct observations. Secondary data were collected through books, articles, journals, and Internet searching. Open Data Kit (ODK) tool was used to collect responses from the respondents, and their geographical positions. We used Google earth to have smallholder livestock keepers’ distribution map. Results show that smallholder livestock keepers are geographically scattered and depend on the field livestock officers for exchange of information. Their means of communication are mainly face to face, and mobile phones. They do not use any Livestock Information System. The proposed framework will enable operations of Livestock Information System in poor connectivity area, where majority of smallholder livestock keepers live. This paper provides the requirements model necessary for designing and development of the machine learning-based application framework for enhancing performance of livestock mobile application systems, which will enable operations of livestock information systems in poor connectivity areas.

Suplementación con glicerina cruda y afrechillo de arroz entero a vacas de carne pastoreando campo natural

Con el objetivo de evaluar los efectos de la suplementación con glicerina cruda (GC) y afrechillo de arroz entero (AA) sobre la dinámica ruminal, la cinética de degradación de la materia seca (MS), el consumo de forraje y variables plasmáticas asociadas al balance energético en vacas de carne pastoreando campo natural, cuatro vacas fistuladas en el rumen fueron asignadas a un cuadrado latino 4 × 4 con un período adicional. Los tratamientos evaluados fueron: suplementación con GC (550 mL/vaca/día), suplementación con AA (1kg de MS/vaca/día), suplementación con GC + AA (550 mL/vaca/día + 1 kg de MS/vaca/día) y sin suplementación (CON). La asignación diaria de forraje para todos los tratamientos fue 10 % del peso vivo. La GC asociada o no al AA disminuyó el pH ruminal en las primeras seis horas pos-suplementación, pero no afectó ningún parámetro de degradabilidad de la MS del forraje. Comparada con CON la suplementación con GC disminuyó el consumo de forraje pero no afectó el consumo de MS total ni de energía metabolizable (EM). Ni el consumo de forraje, ni el consumo total fueron diferentes entre la suplementación con GC + AA y AA, sin embargo el consumo de EM fue mayor para GC + AA en comparación con el resto. La suplementación con GC + AA aumentó la concentración plasmática de glucosa e insulina sin afectar la de B-hydroxibutirato. De los suplementos ensayados, la mezcla GC + AA (mayor nivel de suplemen-tación) logró los mejores resultados biológicos.

Development of Farmer Support System on Dairy and Meat Industry of Goat Utilizing ICT

Recently, due to the rapid growth of population and food demand in the Asian region, animal feeding industry is more prosperous, so that animal food production is increasing remarkably in the region. That is, the livestock movement is getting more activated and expanding rapidly, accompanied by the enlarged globalization of economy and distribution in the Asian region. This movement of the livestock industry in the region will be expectedly accelerated by Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP). On the other hand, however, this rapidly accelerated activation and enlargement of livestock movement and transportation, contains an internal risk that the infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease may break out and prevail widely in the region. In order to reduce such a risk of spreading of livestock epidemics, it is necessary to establish a global livestock information system with up-to-date technologies to achieve the food safety of developed and relieved livestock industry in the region. However, due to the budget problem for many animal farmers and the present high-priced information and communication devices, utilization movement of the modern gadget for the small-to-medium scale animal feeding management is substantially stagnant in this region. In this paper, we propose a brand new designed system with the method of ICT applications, devices and techniques to seek for the solution to this problem, concerned with the small-to-medium scale livestock feeders. Furthermore, we examine the relationships between Machine to Machine (M2M) system, database system, and Web system; those are fundamental keystones of this newly proposed system

Reducing Risk in Pastoral Regions: The Role of Early Warning and Livestock Information Systems

Reducing Risk in Pastoral Regions: The Role of Early Warning and Livestock Information Systems

Effect of management and host factors on seroprevalence of bovine anaplasmosis and babesiosis in Costa Rica

The relationships between the seroprevalences of Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis and some selected factors were assessed. Factors studied were age, breed, herd size, farm size, rotational grazing schedule, grass variety and acaricide usage. These relationships were analyzed in 39 herds belonging to a livestock Information System developed by the School of Veterinary Medicine: 23 dairy farms (1352 animals), eight cow-calf and eight dual purpose farms (2204 animals) from different ecological areas in Costa Rica. Using random-effect logistic regression as analytical method, the following risk factors were found: season (rainy), age (over 1 year) and dipping interval (30 days) for the seroprevalence of A. marginale, B. bigemina and B. bovis in the dairy farms. On the other hand, in beef and dual purpose cattle, breed ( Bos taurus), age (over 1 year) and season (rainy) were detected as risk factors for the seroprevalence of A. marginale and season (dry), age (less than 1 year) and breed ( Bos taurus) for seroprevalence of babesiosis.

An overview of the USDA crop and livestock information system

An overview of the USDA crop and livestock information system