Types Of Livestock Research Articles

Research on the lying pattern of grouped pigs using unsupervised clustering and deep learning

Changes in lying pattern and lying center position can reflect information about the production efficiency, health, and welfare of pigs. This study investigates the lying pattern and lying center position of grouped pigs by using unsupervised clustering, deep learning, and image processing technology under commercial farming conditions. Images of the lying pattern of grouped pigs under commercial conditions were collected over 110 days, and then ellipse fitting was used to calculate the center of the target pigs. Unsupervised clustering was used to calculate the cluster center of pigs (lying pattern central location). Variance and standard deviation of the distance from the cluster center to each pig were calculated, Finally, the lying patterns of pigs were classified as “Crowded,” “Close,” “Normal,” “Dispersed,” and “Far.” These patterns were based on the standard deviation. In this research, a Convolutional Neural Network-Support Vector Machine (CNN-SVM) classification model was used to classify five lying patterns of grouped pigs; classification accuracy was up to 97.1%. We studied the change in the lying pattern center of grouped pigs over time, and found that the lying pattern center of grouped pigs showed positional variations over time. We collected experimental site data during the period from July 15, 2021 to October 31, 2021 and analyzed the lying patterns of the grouped pigs. Our results showed that pigs mainly had three lying patterns: “Crowded,” “Close,” and “Normal.” Their proportions were 35%, 33.75%, and 18%, respectively. In addition, the study also found that there were significant changes among the five lying patterns in a day. Standard deviation of grouped pigs showed positive correlation with pigpen temperature, and lying pattern variation of grouped pigs was affected by pigpen temperature. Based on these conclusions, suitable environmental conditions could be created for grouped pigs. In the future, more experiments and research will be extended to other types of livestock, as this technology is helpful for large-scale automatic welfare breeding of livestock.

Домашний як и его гибрид в номадном стаде монголов и бурят

Goals. The article aims at characterizing a unique animal of Inner and Central Asian nomads — the domestic yak (sarlyk) and its hybrid (khainak) that have been bred by Mongols and Buryats for hundreds of years. The work provides a first ethnographic insight into statistical data on yak population dynamics in synchronous and diachronous perspectives, reviews adaptive properties of the animal instrumental in surviving in extreme conditions of highlands, its exterior, breeding and behavioral specifics, economic significance. Materials and methods. The article explores literary, field and online sources to employ the methodology of comparative analysis, in particular, the comparative-historical-genetic method. Materials about yak breeding among Turkic peoples are essentially verifying by nature. Results. When it comes to declare the five traditional types of livestock bred, Mongols and Buryats mention no yak, the latter be clustered with cattle. Mongolia’s yak population ranks second worldwide — after China. The post-Socialist era witnessed an increase in yak numbers in Mongolia paralleled by a decrease in Russia. Domestic yaks have unique adaptive properties towards low oxygen partial pressure, extreme cold, and meagre fodder resources. The incomplete domestication of animals is determined by high profitability via such extensive farming techniques. Being meat, dairy and working animals, sarlyks and khainaks were most essential to the traditional economy of nomads. In the 21st century, their products become exotic and environment friendly food items, while skin, hair, wool, undercoat and other components serve as unique raw materials for light industry, pharmacology and cosmetology. Conclusions. The 21st century Mongolia with its vast yak friendly territories witnesses a significant head increase resulting in industrial processing facilities of yak raw materials nationwide. In the 1980s, the Soviets were undertaking active purposeful efforts to develop yak breeding, while the free market period decreased both numbers of animals held by Buryats and their habitat. The situation is due to the lack of demand for yak products and the lack of infrastructure for industrial processing of raw materials. The domestic yak and its hybrid had made it possible for nomads of Inner Asia — Mongols and Buryats — to significantly extend economic boundaries of their ethnic territories and inhabit montane grasslands and shrublands.

Optimum Combination of Food Crops and Livestock Farms as a Strategy to Maximize Farmers' Income in Kupang Regency– Indonesia

Dry land farming in Kupang Regency consists of a combination of food crops farming and horticulture like corn, rice, beans and tubers with livestock such as cattle, pigs, goats and local chickens. Those farms were carried out in a traditional combination heritantly using simple technology and subsistence. The research purpose were to analyze the combination of various types of crops cultivated and types of livestock raised by the farmers in order to achieve maximum income and to analyze the contribution of various types of food crops and horticulture and types of livestock to increase the farmers’ income. The data were analyzed by applying a simplex algorithm approach. The results showed that the optimum combination of resources that generate maximum income was IDR 47,646,888.86. Contributions of various farms were as follow: food crops and horticulture including rice (X1) of IDR 2,115,984.17; corn (X2) of IDR. 754.840.28; peanuts (X3) of IDR 184,970.33; and sweet potatoes (X4) of IDR 1,432,994.17. Then, the contribution of livestock likes : cattle (X5) reached at IDR 2,689,130.43; goats (X6) at IDR 1,098,571.43; pigs (X7) IDR 58,851.35 and chickens (X8) IDR 293.310.81; and off-farm activities (X9) at IDR 262,458.3

Farmers’ Strategies for Drought Adaptation Based on the Indigenous Knowledge System: The Case of Iran

Abstract Considering the widespread and cross-cultural effects of climate on various production sectors, environmental factors, and human societies, drought is nowadays regarded as one of the most important environmental challenges of the current century. Because of their close relationship with the natural environment and their limited opportunities, rural communities have long been exposed to drought, and farmers in dry and semiarid regions have been applying measures to adapt to and cope with it. The main purpose of this study was to investigate and identify farmers’ native methods to reduce the effects of drought. The research method was phenomenological and survey based. The population included villagers in Kangavar County, Kermanshah Province, in Iran. Sampling was done by the targeted and snowflake method. The data collection instrument was an in-depth interview in the qualitative section and a self-designed questionnaire in the quantitative section. The results showed that farmers used different measures for coping with and adapting to drought, including using no-tillage farming; uprooting trees with high water demands; hope and oblation; mulching; reducing, changing, and/or mixing livestock types (reaction behaviors); diversifying the sources of livelihoods; changing cropping patterns; correcting irrigation practices; changing planting time; seeding before the drought; and using water storage techniques (fractional behaviors). In addition, farmers had a weaker capability to cope with the environmental, economic, and social vulnerabilities than with drought. This presented the vulnerability of farmers to drought in all economic, social, and environmental spheres.

An Appropriate Genetic Approach for Improving Reproductive Traits in Crossbred Thai-Holstein Cattle under Heat Stress Conditions.

Thailand is a tropical country affected by global climate change and has high temperatures and humidity that cause heat stress in livestock. A temperature–humidity index (THI) is required to assess and evaluate heat stress levels in livestock. One of the livestock types in Thailand experiencing heat stress due to extreme climate change is crossbred dairy cattle. Genetic evaluations of heat tolerance in dairy cattle have been carried out for reproductive traits. Heritability values for reproductive traits are generally low (<0.10) because environmental factors heavily influence them. Consequently, genetic improvement for these traits would be slow compared to production traits. Positive and negative genetic correlations were found between reproductive traits and reproductive traits and yield traits. Several selection methods for reproductive traits have been introduced, i.e., the traditional method, marker-assisted selection (MAS), and genomic selection (GS). GS is the most promising technique and provides accurate results with a high genetic gain. Single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) has higher accuracy than the multi-step equivalent for fertility traits or low-heritability traits.

Quantifying Farm Household Resilience and the Implications of Livelihood Heterogeneity in the Semi-Arid Tropics of India

The vast majority of farmers in the drylands are resource-poor smallholders, whose livelihoods depend heavily on their farming systems. Therefore, increasing the resilience of these smallholders is vital for their prosperity. This study quantified household resilience and identified livelihoods and their influence on resilience in the semiarid tropics of India by analysing 684 households. A resilience capacity index was devised based on the composition of household food and non-food expenditure, cash savings, and food and feed reserves. The index ranged from 8.4 reflecting highly resilient households with access to irrigation characteristics, to −3.7 for households with highly limited resilience and low household assets. The livelihoods were identified through multivariate analysis on selected socioeconomic and biophysical variables; households were heterogeneous in their livelihoods. Irrigated livestock and rainfed marginal types had the highest and lowest resilience capacity index with the mean score of 0.69 and −1.07, respectively. Finally, we quantified the influence of livelihood strategies on household resilience. Household resilience was strengthened by the possession of livestock, crop diversification and access to irrigation. Low resilience is predominantly caused by low household assets. The resilience capacity index and derived livelihood strategies helps to understand the complexity of household resilience, and will aid in targeting technology interventions for development.

Impact of Dietary Meat and Animal Products on GHG Footprints: The UK and the US

Direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the ~30+ billion animals consumed as food each year contribute ~14–16% of the global total. The aim of this research is to determine the contribution of meat and animal products to individual GHG footprints. Top-down estimates of GHG emissions from each livestock species are determined using livestock numbers, types, and region-specific emission factors. Comparing livestock emissions with those from individual countries, cattle rank as the third largest emitter after China and the United States (US). The largest uncertainty in these emissions calculations is in the range of emissions factors. Global top-down calculations indicate that the per capita GHG footprint from livestock emissions alone are approximately 1 tCO2eyr−1. For the United Kingdom (UK) and the US, the calculated GHG livestock-related footprints are 1.1 tCO2eyr−1 and 1.6 tCO2eyr−1 per person, respectively. Bottom-up calculations focused on the UK and the US from consumption figures indicated emissions related to meat consumption are approximately 1.3–1.5 tCO2eyr−1 per person. Comparing dietary changes with other ways of reducing GHG footprints indicates removing dietary meat is similar to avoiding one long-haul flight each year and a larger reduction than driving 100 miles less each week.

Colorectal cancer among farmers in the AGRICAN cohort study

ObjectivesSpecific farming types and tasks have rarely been studied in relation to colorectal cancer (CRC). We evaluated associations between 5 types of livestock and 13 types of crops in relation to CRC and its subsites within the Agriculture and Cancer (AGRICAN) study. MethodsAGRICAN cohort includes 181,842 agricultural workers living in 11 French geographical areas. Data on farming types and tasks was collected by self-administered questionnaires. We identified 2 609 CRC, 972 right colon, 689 left colon and 898 rectal incident cancer cases during follow-up from 2005 to 2015. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). ResultsSignificantly increased CRC risk was observed for farmers producing horses (HR=1.18, 95% CI 1.06–1.31), sunflower (HR=1.23, 95% CI 1.03–1.45) and field vegetables (HR=1.18, 95% CI 1.02–1.36). Positive associations were also observed for pig, poultry and wheat/barley. Some associations were observed only for specific subsites: left colon cancer was associated with fruit growing (HR=1.36, 95% CI 1.09–1.70) and potato (HR=1.28, 95% CI 1.05–1.57). Tasks related to livestock (animal care, insecticide treatment, disinfection of milking equipment and building) or to crop (haymaking, sowing, pesticide treatment, seed treatment, harvesting) were also associated with CRC. Duration and size of farming types/task increased the risk for some of the associations. Analysis stratified by sex suggested an interaction with several farming types/task. ConclusionsThe current study showed original and positive findings for several farming types and tasks and CRC risk, overall and by subsites.

Permeability of artificial barriers (fences) for wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Mediterranean mixed landscapes.

BACKGROUNDFences are one of the most widespread manmade features in nature, constituting an artificial limitation to the movement of wildlife. To date, their effects on wildlife behavior have been understudied but this knowledge is required to design effective management procedures. Using 21 GPS‐monitored wild boar, we evaluated the permeability of different types of fences and described temporal patterns and spatial hotspots for crossing events. A fence's permeability was inferred by the crossing success, i.e., the number of times that animals crossed a barrier vs the number of times they did not cross. The vulnerability of fences at watercourses was explored by assessing whether the frequency of crossings was higher around watercourse intersections than expected by chance.RESULTSWell‐maintained big game proof fences were the most effective in reducing successful wild boar crossings; they were, on average, 30% more efficient than livestock type fences. Crossing success was higher for males than females and during the food shortage period than in the food abundance period. The frequency of crossings around watercourses was higher than expected by chance, especially in moderately and well‐maintained big game proof type fences.CONCLUSIONWhile no fence type was 100% wild boar proof, well‐maintained big game proof fences substantially constrained the movement of boar. However, they are vulnerable around watercourses. Managing the conflicts in which this species is involved, such as shared infections and agricultural damage, would require fences that are even more effective than the ones analyzed here, ideally in conjunction with other preventive actions. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY IN THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF THE POPULATION

This article discusses in detail the economic characteristics of the country, the role of animal husbandry, the types of livestock raised by the population, the specifics of animal husbandry, the role of the region in the formation and development of animal husbandry.

농경지역의 대규모 축산단지에서 배출되는 축산계 부하의 점오염과 비점오염 분류와 정량화

Livestock manure discharged from agricultural areas has different treatment and fertilization processes depending on the type of livestock. Swine manure is generally treated in livestock wastewater treatment plants and then sprayed as liquid fertilizer or discharged into rivers, whereas cattle manure is composted in livestock excreta resource facilities such as biogas plants, and a large amount is applied to the land. However, the source unit of the livestock manure load applied in Korea''s total maximum daily load (TMDL) is not divided into point pollution type and non-point pollution type. The species and pollution load of livestock manure generated in Yongji Watershed where swine are the main livestock, and Dukcheon Watershed where cattle are mainly raised were investigated through a series of measurements and calculations. The result of this study showed the pollution load of livestock manure was clearly classified into PS type and NPS type, and in particular, the NPS pollution load was relatively large. As for the results measured in two watersheds of different livestock breeds, swine and cattle, BOD and TP showed high EMC concentrations in cattle breeding areas, whereas TN showed significantly higher values in swine breeding zones. This finding led us to conclude that there are differences in the water quality management criteria to be focused on depending on the type of livestock. In addition, the load of NPS was fluctuated sensitively to the rainfall intensity, and it implied that the rainfall intensity should be considered as one of the influencing factors when a pollution load of livestock manure is applied to the TMDL.

Prevalence and risk factors of Campylobacter infection in goats in southern provinces of Thailand.

Campylobacter is a foodborne pathogen that could be isolated from various types of livestock, including small ruminant. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in goats reared in the south of Thailand and identify the risk factors associated with Campylobacter infection of goat in Thailand. A total of 600 rectal swabs of goats from 45 farms in 6 provinces of Southern Thailand were collected during 2016-2020. To analyse the risk factors associated with Campylobacter infection in goat, data collection was conducted via structured questionnaires. Campylobacter isolation was performed by direct plating on modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar (mCCDA). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify genus and species of the isolates. In total, 68 out of 600 rectal swab samples (11.33%; 95% CI 8.96 to 14.21%) collected from goats were positive for Campylobacter. The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in the province level ranged from 0 to 31.48%. Interestingly, Campylobacter lanienae was the dominant species, followed by Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni. To investigate the risk factors associated with Campylobacter infection in goats, farm management factors, i.e. deworming, fencing around the house, housing design, number of animals on farm, use of antibiotics and vaccination, were included in logistic regression analysis. Statistical analysis revealed that the use of antibiotics and deworming were associated with Campylobacter infections in goats. The current study emphasises that the prudent use of antimicrobials and good agricultural practices should be applied in goat farming.

Perceived Factors Responsible for Herders-Farmers’ Communal Conflict in Plateau State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess farmers' perception on the impact of grazing livestock on some tuber crops (yam, cassava and potato) in North Central Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to select randomly 1200 tuber crop farmers in the study area (Abuja). Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistic and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the results. The socio-economic analysis showed that most of the farmers were male and married. Most of them had a household size of 6-10 people and were between the ages 41 and 50 years meaning they were within economically active age. Also, most of them had farming experience of 11-20 years and had secondary school education. Majority of them were smallholder farmers and had a maximum of 3 hectares of farmland. Cassava was the most affected tuber crop by grazing livestock in the study area while cattle were the most destructive livestock to tuber crops in the study area. The study revealed that impact of grazing on tuber crop production significantly (p &lt;.05) depended on the tuber type (yam, cassava and potato), livestock type (cattle, goat and sheep), and location of the farmers in terms of state (Plateau). Also, the interaction between tuber type, livestock type and location had significant influence on the level of grazing on tuber crops in the study area. It was recommended that grazing reserves be provided for livestock farmers so that the incessant clashes between crop farmers and herders resulting from destruction of crops by livestock can be reduced.

The willingness to offer livestock insurance in rural China: a discrete choice experiment among Chinese insurance agents

Purpose This paper investigates Chinese agricultural insurance agents willingness to offer (WTO) livestock insurance based on the variations of eight main attributes of livestock insurance.Design/methodology/approach This study implements discrete choice experiments (DCE) with actual insurance agents who design, sell and operate livestock insurance in China. The choice experiment of this study is based on the D-optimal approach, a six-block design, with 15 cards per block and two choices per card. The sample size was 211. Econometrics results are based on conditional and mixed logit models.Findings The authors find that the subsidy effect is enormous; a one level increase of subsidy leads to 3.166 times higher probability to offer. This subsidy effect is important as it confirms the endogenous structure between price and quantity in insurance offering, where subsidy does not only incentivize demand but also the supply. Another main factor of insurance investigated is the impact of different coverage types on agents' WTO. The authors find that agents prefer mortality insurance the most, followed by revenue insurance and profit insurance, while Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) is the least preferred to offer. Agents' knowledge about these newer types of insurance supports their WTO as well; thus, proper education is necessary to promote the more advanced types of livestock insurance.Research limitations/implications A limitation is that in the presence of COVID 19, and administrative issues at the local level, the sample was not randomly drawn. Nonetheless, the authors believe that there is enough diversity across participants, insurers and provinces and have done sufficient robustness checks to support results and conclusions.Practical implications This study provides further validation for the DCE research method that could potentially be applied to different analyses: using choice experiments to study insurers and reveal their preferences, through combinations of various levels of core attributes for insurance products. The findings and contribution are critical to the reform and improvement of livestock insurance in China and for insurance markets more broadly. The authors find that insurers do not place equal weights or values on insurance product attributes and do not view types of insurance equally. In other words, while farmers may hold different preferences about the type of insurance they demand, the results suggest that insurers also hold preferences in the type of insurance they sell.Originality/value So far as the authors are aware, this is the first DCE designed around the supply of insurance products with the subjects being insurance agents, marketers and executives.

Assessment of agricultural emissions, climate change mitigation and adaptation practices in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The agricultural sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in Ethiopia, as it is the basis of the economy and the primary source of employment. This study investigated the implementation of mitigation and adaptation practices in smallholder farms in Ethiopia, estimated GHG emissions associated with mitigation practices, and identified potential mitigation options and barriers and enabling factors for implementation. Twenty-five smallholder farmers were selected by a local development agency and interviewed in the field about their land use and land management practices and the Mitigation Options Tool (MOT) was used to estimate GHG emissions, to identify mitigation options and co-benefits, and as a platform for promoting learning and knowledge exchange across different types of stakeholders. All farmers interviewed in the field acknowledged changes in the climate, but only some were implementing adaptation practices to cope with such changes, namely, crop rotations, planting new crop types, and the early sowing of crops. Fewer mitigation practices were implemented, namely reduced tillage and application of manure in cereal crops and potatoes. These practices were mainly implemented because of their benefits for soil conservation (e.g. fertility, soil water holding capacity, yield stabilization, erosion avoidance) rather than for mitigation (carbon sequestration) purposes. Greenhouse gas emissions from the application of synthetic fertilizer to crops, and from livestock production varied widely across farmers depending on the amount of fertilizer applied and the number and type of livestock raised. Tenancy rights and extension services were identified as potential enablers of the adoption of climate change mitigation and adaptation practices by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, and competing uses for straw was a potential barrier for the incorporation of residues in the soil. Barriers and enabling factors should be assessed thoroughly through further engagement with farmers as well as data on the amount of organic matter added to the soil, as these practices have co-benefits in terms of soil conservation, which are especially relevant for climate change adaptation in semi-dry climates. The MOT could be used in the future as a facilitator for knowledge exchange between researchers and practitioners in Ethiopia, and in other developing countries where data availability is low, to support the identification of effective climate change mitigation and adaptation actions. Key policy insights Climate change mitigation practices in agriculture can provide co-benefits for adaptation and food security, including the stabilization of crop yields, especially in semi-dry climates; more evidence about these co-benefits is needed. The systematic collection of data on manure and crop residues should be supported as a priority as well as the identification of implementation barriers for mitigation and adaptation practices. Smallholder farmers need to be engaged throughout any assessment of climate change mitigation potential to raise awareness, identify co-benefits of possible actions, and to identify and address barriers for implementation. Tenancy rights and extension services are potential enabling factors for the adoption of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. In developing countries, user-friendly tools such as the MOT can promote learning and knowledge exchange across diverse stakeholder groups about the impact of land use and management options on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Effects of livestock grazing on biodiversity: A meta-analysis on three trophic levels

Livestock impact is one of the main causes of habitat loss globally. However, the effects of livestock on flora and fauna diversity have been contradictory, observing cases with positive, neutral, and negative effects. We performed a meta-analysis of the scientific information published in the last 15 years, using Google Scholar and WoS for the search. The inclusion criteria were if the studies presented a) changes in abundance, richness, biomass, plant cover, and consumers; b) included replicas; c) the size of the sample; d) study on domestic cattle, and e) reported the mean and standard deviation of effects of each treatment. We found 2450 scientific publications of which we selected 67 publications that reported the effects a) of grazing on the richness, abundance, cover, and biomass of plants (producers), and b) on richness and abundance of primary and secondary consumers, comparing grazed and non-grazed (or weakly grazed) environments. Grazing did not significantly affect the abundance of the plants or animals studied, regardless of whether they were primary or secondary consumers. The magnitude and direction of the observed effects on plants and consumers could be influenced by livestock type, the natural environments evaluated (forests, grasslands, or scrublands), the spatial and temporal scales involved, and the plant species origin (i.e., native versus non-native). The significant effect of livestock on plants and consumers, also can be differentiated in the characteristics of the species (e.g., life-history traits, etc.) that go beyond their position in the food chains. Evaluating the livestock grazing effect in more than one trophic level helps understand how grazing affects the species according to their way of life, in contrast to evaluations of a single trophic level.

Sustainability’s Indicators of sheep farming systems in the eastern steppe ecosystem of Algeria

Sheep farming systems in the steppe of M'sila eastern Algeria play a key role in the red meat production chain. The aim of this contribution is to assess the sustainability of sheep farms in relation to the current functioning of the breeding and to describe the strong and weak points limiting improvement of productivity in a perspective of sustainability. The method of indicators of sustainability of farms (IDEA) was used to evaluate sustainability. The typological results allowed us to distinguish two main types of livestock farming, namely agro pastoral and pastoral, which have different sustainability profiles. The agro pastoral type is characterized by sustainability scores of 69.4/100, 43.6/100 and 36.4/100 respectively for agro ecological, socio-territorial and economic sustainability. The pastoral type shows the same trend with superiority in the economic scale. The comparison of the sustainability scales in relation to the type of livestock showed that the two livestock systems are significantly different for agro-ecological and socio-territorial scale (P&lt;0.05) in contrast to the economic scale. Consequently, each type requires particular improvements, according to its functioning and the threshold of the scores realized at the level of the global sustainability in order to guarantee a profitability of the breeding at the level of the Algerian steppe region.

ОЛЕНЕВОДСТВО В АРКТИКЕ: ПРОБЛЕМЫ И ТЕНДЕНЦИИ РАЗВИТИЯ

The article is devoted to the analysis of the state and development of the livestock industry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), in particular, the traditional reindeer husbandry industry for the Arctic regions. The results of the review of the dynamics of animal husbandry in the republic from 1990 to 2021 with the periodization of the development of the industry, as well as indicators by types of livestock and all types of farms are presented. A general analysis of the dynamics of reindeer husbandry development was carried out in the context of the regions of the Arctic zone of the republic, with gradation by the number of reindeer herding enterprises.

Effects of germination on the energy value of cereal grains for livestock

Context Unusually wet weather in eastern Australia during the 2021 spring resulted in prolonged preharvest germination of a large proportion of cereal crops. An estimated 40–45% of wheat grown in New South Wales was downgraded from human consumption to feed-wheat. Similarly, preharvest germination of barley renders it unsuitable for malting or brewing. Aims To investigate the impact of wheat grown in 2021 and of various germination times on the energy value of cereal grain species for different livestock types. Methods Twenty-three samples of wheat harvested in 2021 were evaluated. Three experiments were also conducted with increasing germination times, as follows: (1) grain from wheat, barley and sorghum cultivars were germinated for 0–100 h; (2) sorghum grain was steeped in water and germinated for 5 or 10 days, with different periods of ensiling to simulate grain ‘reconstitution’ as practiced in cattle feedlots; (3) barley, wheat, sorghum and triticale grain was germinated for 0, 20 or 48 h and fed to meat chickens. Experiments 1 and 2 were conducted in vitro, with starch disappearance, starch digestion by animal-derived enzymes and starch fermentation by rumen microbes measured. Key results Short-term germination did not affect grain starch content within a cultivar, increased animal enzyme digestion of starch for barley, but not for wheat or sorghum. Longer germination of sorghum grain for 5–10 days substantially increased starch fermentability, which was further enhanced by anaerobic ensiling. Germination significantly increased the available-energy content of barley grain, but not wheat, sorghum or triticale for meat chickens. Conclusions The energy content of preharvest germinated grains for animals was not decreased, but increased for barley fed to chickens and for sorghum fed to ruminants after 5 days of germination. Implications Feeding preharvest germinated grains to livestock does not reduce energy availability, but may lead to fungal growth and mycotoxin formation.

Effects of different livestock types on plant diversity and community structure of a typical steppe in Nei Mongol, China

Effects of different livestock types on plant diversity and community structure of a typical steppe in Nei Mongol, China