Manure Output Research Articles

Fasting horses perioperatively decreases manure production and increases time to manure output postoperatively: a controlled randomized trial.

To compare 3 perioperative feeding regimens and their effect on anesthetic complications, manure output, and colic proportion in healthy horses. 45 horses presenting for elective orthopedic procedures were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: not fasted (NF; continuous access to hay perioperatively), fasted muzzled (FM; 10-hour preoperative fast with slow refeeding postoperatively and muzzle placement), or fasted not muzzled (FNM; same as FM without muzzle placement). Anesthetic protocol was standardized. Outcomes compared between groups included anesthesia time, arterial oxygenation, duration of hypotension, perioperative manure output, time to first passage of manure postoperatively, pain scores, and colic proportion. Comparisons were made with a mixed model and Fisher exact test with statistical significance considered at P ≤ .05. No differences were seen in pain scores, oxygenation, hypotension, or colic between groups. Groups FM and FNM had a significantly greater mean reduction in postoperative manure weight (-81% and -70%; P = .003) and number of manure piles (-63% and -55%; P = .005) compared to group NF (-39% and -22%; P < .001; weight and piles, respectively). Mean ± SD minutes to passage of manure postoperatively was significantly shorter in group NF (238 ± 13 minutes) than groups FM (502 ± 174 minutes; P < .001) and FNM (444 ± 171 minutes; P = .003). Horses with continuous access to hay prior to and following recovery from anesthesia passed more manure and passed manure sooner after surgery than their fasted counterparts without detrimental effect on anesthetic parameters and postoperative complications. Continuous access to hay perioperatively supports manure production in healthy horses without increase in anesthetic complications.

Toward smallholder bamboo-integrated agro-silvopastoral systems in sub-Saharan Africa: assessing the impact of bamboo leaves on consumption pattern, growth performance and manure characteristics of West African dwarf goats

IntroductionThe selection of appropriate plant species, particularly those tailored to supplement ruminants raised under agrosilvopastoral systems, remains a persistent challenge.ObjectiveIn a 30-day study, the feed intake, growth performance, and manure characteristics of West African dwarf (WAD) goats fed bamboo leaf supplement were evaluated. Materials and methodsA total of 30 animals with an average weight of 9.9 ± 0.21 kg were divided into a control group, and four bamboo-supplemented groups, following a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement within a completely randomized design. Each group had six animal replicates and received the following dietary treatments: T1 (control) – 400g of basal diet composed of 60% Megathyrsus maximus and 40% Bridelia ferruginea leaves per day; T2—basal diet composed of the T1 diet supplemented with 400 g of Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A. Rich.) Munro leaves per day; T3—basal diet composed of the T1 diet supplemented with 400 g of Bambusa balcooa (Beema) leaves per day; T4—basal diet composed of the T1 diet supplemented with 600 g of O. abyssinica (A. Rich.) leaves per day; and T5—basal diet composed of the T1 diet supplemented with 600 g of B. balcooa leaves per day. The data were analyzed using generalized linear model procedures in Minitab Statistical Software at a 5% significance level. ResultsThe results showed varied (p &amp;lt; 0.05) dry matter compositions spanning from 894.3 to 910 g/kg with the highest contents of crude protein (194 g/kg), nitrogen (31 g/kg), crude fibre (302 g/kg), ash (156 g/kg), acid detergent fibre (429 g/kg), and acid detergent lignin (3.6 g/kg) recorded for B. ferruginea. The leaves of Bambusa balcooa contained the highest neutral detergent fibre (481 g/kg) while M. maximus had the highest organic matter content (911 g/kg). Significant interaction effect (p &amp;lt; 0.05) was observed between the supplement type and the supplementation level, impacting various parameters including feed intake ranging from 398 g (T1) to 469 g (T3) per day, weight gain from 27 g (T1) to 72 g (T2) per day, feed conversion efficiency from 6% (T1) to 15% (T2), manure output from 241 g (T2) to 260 g (T5) per day, carbon- nitrogen (C: N) ratio from 9 (T2) to 20 (T5), faecal acidity levels from 4 (T1) to 5 (T4). Comparatively, higher daily dry matter intake was recorded for the animal groups fed the B. balcooa supplement than their counterparts fed the O. abyssinica supplement. However, the O. abyssinica supplemented groups were more efficient in converting feed to body weight, with feed conversion efficiency approximately 9% higher than the B. balcooa-supplemented groups. Furthermore, in general, the animal groups that received a daily supplement of 400 g gave higher feed efficiency, with performance approximately 3.2% higher compared to the groups receiving 600 g. Likewise, these groups displayed higher faecal N output while concurrently achieving a reduced C: N ratio, indicative of enhanced nutrient utilization and potential environmental benefits. ConclusionTo conclude, integrating 400 grams of bamboo leaves into animal diet can enhance basal diet consumption, accelerate animal growth, and yield manure akin to chemical fertilizers, making it a valuable strategy for bamboo-integrated agro-silvopastoral systems practitioners.

Characterization of Escherichia coli and Other Enterobacterales Resistant to Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporins Isolated from Dairy Manure in Ontario, Canada.

Extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) resistance genes, such as blaCTX-M, blaCMY, and blaSHV, have been found regularly in bacteria from livestock. However, information on their distribution in dairy cattle in Canada and on the associated genome sequences of ESC-resistant Enterobacterales is sparse. In this study, the diversity and distribution of ESC-resistant Escherichia coli throughout manure treatments in six farms in Southern Ontario were assessed over a one-year period, and their ESC-resistance plasmids were characterized. The manure samples were enriched using selective media. The resulting isolates were screened via polymerase chain reaction for blaCTX-M, blaCMY, and blaSHV. No E. coli carrying blaSHV were detected. Escherichia coli (n = 248) carrying blaCTX-M or blaCMY underwent whole-genome sequencing using an Illumina MiSeq/NextSeq. These isolates were typed using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and their resistance gene profiles. A subset of E. coli (n = 28) were sequenced using Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Plasmids were assembled using Unicycler and characterized via the resistance genes pattern, replicon type, plasmid MLST, phylogenetic analysis, and Mauve alignments. The recovery of ESC-resistant Enterobacterales (18 species, 8 genera) was drastically reduced in manure outputs. However, multiple treatment stages were needed to attain a significant reduction. 62 sequence types were identified, with ST10, ST46, ST58, ST155, ST190, ST398, ST685, and ST8761 being detected throughout the treatment pipeline. These STs overlapped with those found on multiple farms. The ESC-resistance determinants included CTX-M-1, -14, -15, -17, -24, -32, -55, and CMY-2. The plasmids carrying blaCTX-M were more diverse than were the plasmids carrying blaCMY. Known "epidemic plasmids" were detected for both blaCTX-M and blaCMY. IMPORTANCE The increase in antimicrobial resistance is of concern for human and animal health, especially when resistance is conferred to extended-spectrum cephalosporins, which are used to treat serious infections in both human and veterinary medicine. Bacteria carrying extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance genes, including blaCTX-M and blaCMY, are frequently found in dairy manure. Manure treatment influences the loads and diversity of bacteria, including those carrying antimicrobial resistance genes, such as Enterobacterales and Escherichia coli. Any bacteria that survive the treatment process are subsequently applied to the environment. Enterobacterales carrying blaCTX-M or blaCMY can contaminate soil and crops consumed by humans and animals, thereby increasing the potential for antimicrobial resistance genes to integrate into the human gut microflora through horizontal gene transfer. This furthers the dissemination of resistance. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the effects manure treatments have on ESC-resistance in environmentally applied manure.

DIRECTIONS OF THE OPTIMIZATION OF PORK PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES TAKING INTO ACCOUNT POTENTIAL PROBLEMS OF GLOBAL WARMING

As of today, in the meat balance of Ukraine, pork has ceded the honorable first place to the poultry industry and has taken an honorable second place literally over the past 2-3 years, but it can be unequivocally stated that pork will retain its leading position in animal husbandry in the future. Thus, two industries - poultry breeding and pig breeding, due to their valuable biologically and economically beneficial characteristics, are and will remain the leaders of meat production in Ukraine for a long time to come. They are united by the fact that successful production of both pig and poultry products requires the use of increased amounts of mixedfodder, which in turn consists of cereal and protein ingredients. The use of increased amounts of compound feed in feeding pigs and poultry makes these species of animals compete with humans in terms of grain, cereals, etc., which is especially important in the context of global warming, which will reduce or even eliminate the yield of grain and industrial crops. The further development of pig breeding as an industry clearly requires a scientific approach to determine the direction of optimization of pork production technologies, taking into account various potential problems (obstacles), one of which is global warming, which has a direct (indoor microclimate) and indirect (crop yields) impact on the industry. The purpose of this work is to identify and summarize potential areas for optimizing technologies for domestic pig production, taking into account possible problems and consequences of global warming. Methods. Actual calculations on water use and manure output were carried out for the State Enterprise "Andriivske" of the Bilohorod-Dnistrovskyi district of Odesa region on the basis of reference, legislative or scientific materials according to generally accepted methods in pig production. Research results and discussion. The consequences of global warming are droughts, floods, soil salinization, increasing cases of various epidemics that will affect agriculture, which in turn can lead to a food crisis and even the disappearance of some products and wildlife. As for the optimistic scenario: the temperature of the planet Earth will rise by a critical 1.5°C, and then the globe will begin to cool, but to implement this scenario, humanity must stop burning fossil fuels and stop deforestation by 2030, which makes this scenario unlikely. Conclusions. Possible scenarios for optimizing pig production technologies in Ukraine against the background of global warming include: - wider introduction of intensive industrial pork production, which, unlike extensive production, provides significantly lower final feed and water consumption per unit of growth; - only if the sanitary protection zone is observed and air protection measures are implemented, it is possible to significantly reduce pollutant emissions from pig farms and, accordingly, improve the sanitary, epidemiological and environmental situation in the vicinity of pig farms; - reuse of water effluents for their further technical use in manure removal processes for large-scale pig production in Ukraine should be developed as a priority; - gradual increase in the popularity of eco-technologies or even organic technologies for growing crops with the use of organic fertilizers, which, against the background of long-term crop rotations, allows to obtain up to 1 tone of additional production in terms of grain. Keywords: global warming, industrial pig production, technology optimisation, production intensification, feed consumption, water consumption.

지역별 분뇨발생량과 농지 양분수지를 고려한 가축분뇨 처리 유형의 경제성 분석

The purpose of this study is evaluating economics of various methods of manure treatment considering influential regional factors such as the types of manure output and nutrient balance of farmland. In this study, construction&amp; operating cost of manure treatment facilities, value of purification of pollutants and value of chemical fertilizer substitution effect is modeled to be influenced by manure output of each region. Value of purification of pollutants, value of chemical fertilizer substitution effect is also modeled to be influenced by nutrient balance of farmland. Result shows that regional factors have considerable influence on economics of each method of manure treatment, making optimal method vary by regions.

Digestibility of Dry Matter is Better and Manure Output is Lower in Growing Cattle Limit-Fed a High-Energy Diet During the Growing Phase Compared to a Traditional Roughage-Based Diet Fed for Ad Libitum Intake

Objective: Evaluate the impact on intake and digestion of a high-energy diet limit-fed at 85% of the ad libitum daily consumption of a roughage-based diet on a dry matter (DM) basis compared to a traditional roughage-based growing diet in growing cattle. Study Description: Eight ruminally cannulated crossbred Angus heifers (body weight = 450 ± 24 lb) were used in a cross-over design with two consecutive 15-day periods at the Kansas State University Beef Stocker Unit. Two dietary treatments were fed: (1) 45 Mcal of net energy for gain (NEg) per 100 lb of DM fed for ad libitum DM intake (45AL), or (2) 60 Mcal NEg per 100 lb of DM limit-fed at 85% of 45AL diet intake on a DM basis (60LF85%). Both diets contained 40% of DM as Sweet Bran (Cargill Animal Nutrition, Blair, NE). Heifers were fed once daily at 10:00 a.m. Each 15-day period included 10 days for diet adaption, 4 days for fecal sampling, and 1 day for ruminal sampling. Daily nutrient intake was measured and apparent total-tract diet digestibility using chromic oxide (Cr2O3) marker was determined. Results: Ruminal pH was greater (P < 0.01) from 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. just before feeding for heifers fed 60LF85% than 45AL heifers. Diet digestibility was improved by 5.2% (P < 0.01) and fecal DM output 35% lower (P < 0.01) in heifers fed 60LF85% than heifers fed 45AL. The Bottom Line: Heifers limit-fed a high-energy diet based on corn and Sweet Bran had greater ruminal pH during the overnight hours, better diet digestibility, and reduced output of manure than heifers full-fed a traditional roughage-based diet.

Development of the Manure Distributing Machine

HighlightsIn this study, a compact, mobile manure distributor capable of operating effectively on narrow farm roads and applying undiluted, highly concentrated manure on fields was developed.The inclusion of three manure distribution functions is expected to reduce manure transport and application costs.The use of this machine can reduce livestock waste disposal costs, increase soil fertility, enhance the physical and chemical properties of soil, reduce the use of commercial fertilizers when planting crops, upgrade the technology employed for recycling domestic livestock resources, and assist with animal husbandry by facilitating the planting of forage and high-energy crops.Abstract. In this study, the aim has been developed a manure collecting, processing, and distributing processor (machine) that is suitable for farming in Taiwan’s agricultural lands. The designed machine is composed of a stirring and draw unit, a manure containing barrel, a manure output mechanism, a ditch excavator, and a soil covering device or filling pipes set with pan-breakers. A tractor both carries and supplies power to the machine. Undiluted manure is pumped from an anaerobic fermentation tank into the manure containing barrel within which the stirring and draw unit is set, and after the manure is thoroughly mixed and stirred, it well the manure is delivered to the manure output mechanism through a 2-in. round pipe. The processing and spreading units developed here are soil-surface-spreading type, soil-stratum-setting type, and deep-soil-setting type. The soil-surface spreading type unit output manure on land surface directly then mixes the manure into soil by tillage, the soil-stratum-setting-type unit uses the ditch excavator to first dig a ditch, and after manure is pumped into the ditch, the soil covering device covers the ditch with the excavated soil. The deep soil setting enables manure to be deposited 30~40 cm below the soil surface, with the loose soil being spread back over the manure after filling. In field tests, manure was spread over the soil surface, incorporated into the soil, or deep filled into subsoil at three test sites, namely Yilan County riverside land, the Tainan County Livestock Research Institute, and a sweet potato field and cornfield in Tainan County. The results revealed that the 3-ton capacity of soil-stratum-setting method field capacity reached 0.58 ha/h at a speed of 2.92 ± 0.07 km/h, and the average cultivation depth was 17.5 ± 0.3 cm. The 5-ton capacity of soil-surface-spreading method working capacity was 1.02 ha/h at a speed of 3.49 ± 0.23 km/h. The 5-ton capacity of soil-stratum-setting method working capacity was 0.61 ha/h at a speed of 2.52 ± 0.32 km/h, and the average cultivation depth was 21.29 ± 1.31 cm. For the 5-ton capacity barrel of the deep-soil-setting type manure spreading machine field capacity was 0.62 ha/h at a speed of 2.8 ± 0.43 km/h. By using the soil-surface-spreading method can fast to handle livestock wastewater and/or manure spray-on land, and using the soil-stratum-setting method or deep-soil-setting method can reduce odor dissipation and fill it directly. Thus, this study successfully developed the compact, mobile, and domestically made manure-distributing processor that can suitably operate in Taiwan farm roads and apply undiluted, highly concentrated manure on fields. The three manure-distributing methods are expected to lower manure transport and application costs. Keywords: Fertilizer spreading, Reuse, Swine manure, Waste reduction.

Revision of the total nitrogen and phosphorus content in a cattle manure-based organic fertiliser in North-West Russia

This study aimed to verify the applicability of a mass balance method for estimating nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content in the solid organic fertiliser produced from cattle manure in North-West Russia. The study compared the relevant established norms in Russia, the data calculated by the mass balance method, and the average experimental data on N and P content in cattle manure (ex-housing) and the organic fertilizer ready to use from the selected cattle-breeding complex with 1250 heads and a manure output of 70 t day-1. Three animal categories were considered. The difference between the calculated and experimental data was 10% maximum but the experimental data and the established norms differed by above 15%. This proves the demand to revise the norms in the Russian regulatory documents to improve the accuracy of fertiliser application rates and the estimation of agricultural land required. Even an increase of 10% in the nutrient content of the organic fertiliser results in an increase in the required agricultural land from 451 to 526 ha for spreading the organic fertiliser from the 1250 heads of cattle at the selected farm.

27 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and a Partial Life Cycle Assessment When Growing Pigs Are Fed High Wheat Millrun Diets

Abstract The impact of feeding growing pigs with high wheat millrun diets on the global warming potential (GWP) of pork production was investigated. In study 1, a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of wheat millrun (0 or 30%) and multi-carbohydrase enzyme (0 or 1 mg kg-1) as main effects was utilized. For each of 16 reps, 6 pigs (60.2±2.2 kg BW) were housed in environmental chambers for 14d. Air samples were collected and analyzed for carbon dioxide (CO2); nitrous oxide (N2O); and methane (CH4). In study 2, data from study 1 and performance data obtained from a previous feeding trial were utilized in a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework that included feed production. The Holos farm model (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge. AB) was used to estimate emissions from feed production. In study 1, total manure output from pigs fed 30% wheat millrun diets was 30% greater than pigs on the 0% wheat millrun diets (P &amp;lt; 0.05), however, Feeding diets with 30% millrun did not affect greenhouse gas (GHG) output (CH4, 4.7, 4.9; N2O, 0.45, 0.42; CO2, 1610, 1711; mg s-1 without or with millrun inclusion, respectively; P &amp;gt; 0.78). Enzyme supplementation had no effect on GHG production (CH4, 4.5, 5.1; N2O, 0.46, 0.42; CO2, 1808, 1513; mg s-1 without or with enzymes, respectively; P &amp;gt; 0.51). In study 2, the LCA indicated that the inclusion of 30% wheat millrun in diets for growing pigs resulted in approximately a 25% reduction in GWP when compared to the no wheat millrun diets. Our results demonstrate that 30% wheat millrun did not increase GHG output from the pigs, and thus the inclusion of wheat millrun in diets of growing pigs can reduce the GWP of pork production.

The river chief system and agricultural non-point source water pollution control in China

As part of their efforts to control water pollution, local governments in China introduced the river chief system, whereby a named individual undertakes responsibility for protecting a specified waterway. As one of the most prominent sources of water pollution, agricultural non-point-source (NPS) pollution is becoming increasingly serious. Determining whether the river chief system, an institutional reform in China's decentralized environmental regulation regime, is effective in alleviating NPS pollution is important for the realization of green development. The effect of the river chief system on reducing agricultural NPS pollution is explored in this study using panel data from 308 Chinese counties during the period from 2004 to 2015. The results reveal that the negative impact of manure output from animal breeding operations on surface water quality is reduced with the implementation of the river chief system. However, the river chief system is ineffective in dealing with the water pollution caused by fertilizer use. Furthermore, in the current system, cooperation among river chiefs only occurs within a province. Local governments should increase their efforts in reducing fertilizer source loads and preventing fertilizer loads from entering surface waters. In addition, the central government should improve cooperation among the river chiefs in upstream and downstream provinces.

Applied improved RBF neural network model for predicting the broiler output energies

The aim of this study is to optimize the Radial Base Function (RBF) parameters by combining the Response Surface Method (RSM) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) for modeling the output energies of broiler farms. For this purpose, data were collected from 210 broiler farms in Mazandaran province, Iran. The results showed that L2 and σ (RBF parameters) have a significant effect on RBF performance (p-value <0.05). The lack-of-fit in most cases was insignificant, except in the Trainlm algorithm. The results show that the RSM quadratic model can use for modeling based on L2 and σ. The R2-adj and R2 indexes for RSM coefficients at the test stage by using Trainbr algorithm for broiler meat and manure outputs were 97.13, 96.76 and 98.70, 98.53 and by using Trainlm algorithm were, 87.95, 86.41 and 96.90, 96.50, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of RMSE and MAPE in both two training algorithms (Trainbr and Trainlm) for manure and broiler meat outputs were used to compare them based on 100 random data sets of k-fold cross validation method. The results showed that Trainbr has the lowest error and can use for high accuracy modeling. The results of sensitivity analysis showed that one-day chicks (xc), human labor (xl), food (xf), electricity (xe), diesel fuel (xd) and machinery (xm) have the highest effect on chicken energy modeling and xf, xl, xm, xc, xd and xe have the most impact on manure energy modeling.

Effect of Limit-Fed Diets With Different Forage to Concentrate Ratios on Fecal Bacterial and Archaeal Community Composition in Holstein Heifers.

Limit-feeding of a high concentrate diet has been proposed as an effective method for improving feed efficiency and reducing total manure output of dairy heifers; meanwhile the effects of this method on hindgut microbiota are still unclear. This study investigated the effects of a wide range of dietary forage:concentrate ratios (F:C) on the fecal composition of bacteria and archaea in heifers using next-generation sequencing. Four diets with different F:C (80:20, 60:40, 40:60, and 20:80) were limit-fed to 24 Holstein heifers, and the fecal fermentation parameters and bacterial and archaeal communities were investigated. With increasing dietary concentrate levels, the fecal dry matter output, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content, and proportion of acetate decreased linearly (P < 0.01), while the fecal starch content and proportions of propionate, butyrate, and total branched-chain volatile fatty acids (TBCVFAs) were increased (P ≤ 0.05). An increased concentrate level linearly increased (P = 0.02) the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, and linearly decreased (P = 0.02) the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in feces. At the genus level, the relative abundance of unclassified Ruminococcaceae and Paludibacter which may have the potential to degrade forage decreased linearly (q ≤ 0.02) with increasing dietary concentrate levels, while the relative abundance of Roseburia and Succinivibrio which may be non-fibrous carbohydrate degrading bacteria increased linearly (q ≤ 0.05). Some core microbiota operational taxonomic units (OTUs) also showed significant association with fecal VFAs, NDF, and/or acid detergent fiber (ADF) content. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of most detected taxa in archaea were similar across different F:C, and only Methanosphaera showed a linear decrease (P = 0.01) in high concentrate diets. Our study provides a better understanding of fecal fermentation parameters and microbiota under a wide range of dietary F:C. These findings support the potential for microbial manipulation by diet, which could enhance feed digestibility and relieve environmental problems associated with heifer rearing.

Effects of dietary tannins on total and extractable nutrients from manure.

The effects of condensed tannins on N dynamics in ruminants have been a topic of research for some time, but much less work has focused on their impacts on other nutrients in manure. A 4 × 4 Latin square trial was used to determine if intake of sericea lespedeza (; SL; a condensed tannin source), at 0, 10, 20, or 40% of the diet (as-fed basis), would affect concentrations of nutrients in manure and patterns of total excretion when offered with alfalfa (; ALF) to sheep. With SL additions, average daily manure production increased linearly ( ≤ 0.01), from 40 to 50% of the diet mass. The concentrations of total C, total N, soluble P, total and soluble Na, total and soluble S, total and soluble Mn, and total and soluble B in feces increased ( ≤ 0.05) while soluble N, total Ca, total and soluble Mg, soluble Zn, total and soluble Fe, total and soluble Cu decreased ( ≤ 0.02). Total P, total and soluble K, soluble Ca, and total Zn were less affected ( > 0.05). Comparing diets containing 0 to 40% SL, average daily outputs of total C, total N, soluble P, soluble K, total and soluble Na, and total Mn increased linearly ( ≤ 0.01) by 42.0, 71.2, 93.3, 45.2, 111, 148, and 52.4 percentage points, respectively. Total K, total and soluble S, soluble Mn, and total and soluble B increased quadratically ( ≤ 0.02) by 26.1, 52.3, 26.7, 147, 100, and 19.5 percentage points, respectively. Conversely, outputs of soluble Zn and total Fe decreased linearly ( ≤ 0.01), by -51.5 and -24.8 percentage points, while total Ca, total and soluble Mg, soluble Fe, and soluble Cu decreased quadratically ( ≤ 0.05) by -15.7, -12.3, -40.0, -89.9, and -60.3 percentage points, respectively. Outputs of soluble N, total P, soluble Ca, total Zn, and total Cu remained unchanged ( ≥ 0.14). Ratios of manure outputs to feed inputs for C, N, K, and B increased ( ≤ 0.02) but those for P and Mg were unchanged ( ≥ 0.10). Ratios of soluble to total manure outputs (S:O) increased ( ≤ 0.01) for P, Ca, Na, Mn; decreased ( ≤ 0.05) for N, S, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, and B; and were unaffected by treatment ( ≤ 0.16) for K. Decreasing S:O ratios are consistent with the formation of complexes that adsorb these nutrients to insoluble fiber fractions of manure and could thus affect mineralization rates. This study suggests that dietary tannins, found in forages like SL, can alter the concentrations, total excretion rates and throughput efficiency of nutrients in manure.

Effects of dirty housing and a Typhimurium DT104 challenge on pig growth performance, diet utilization efficiency, and gas emissions from stored manure.

The objectives of this study were to elucidate the effects of a dirty environment and a challenge plus associated environmental contamination on pig growth performance, diet utilization efficiency, and gas emissions (CO, NH, CH, NO, and HS) from stored manure. Twenty-four weaned barrows, aged 31 d at initiation of the trial, were randomly allotted to 3 different treatments in a completely randomized design. Treatments were: pigs housed in cages with manure removed and cages washed daily (Clean); pigs housed in cages sprayed daily with manure slurry mixtures (Dirty); or pigs challenged with Typhimurium DT104 and housed in cages that were not washed, but manure was removed daily ( challenge). Rectal temperature, body weight, daily feed intake, manure output, manure composition, and gas emissions from stored manure were measured throughout the 24-d animal phase. The Dirty and challenge treatments were statistically compared to the Clean treatment to evaluate individual effects. Dirty housing tended to decrease ADG from d 1 to 24 ( = 0.06) but there were no other effects on pig performance compared with the Clean treatment. In contrast, a challenge was associated with a marked reduction in each of the measured indicators of pig performance. challenge increased the carbon to nitrogen ratio, ether extract, and lignin concentrations in excreted manure ( = 0.02, 0.01, 0.003, respectively), and increased manure and head space temperatures in manure tanks ( < 0.0001). Gas emissions from stored manure of pigs on the Dirty or treatments were increased for each of the measured gases as compared to the Clean treatment ( < 0.01) when expressed per unit of BW gain. When gas emissions from manure of pigs housed in the Dirty treatment were expressed per unit of manure volatile solids (VS), they were increased for NH, CH, and HS ( < 0.02). challenge was associated with increased emissions of CO, and NO and decreased emissions of HS per kilogram manure VS compared to the Clean treatment ( = 0.06, 0.03, 0.04, respectively). Collectively, these results indicated that a challenge and associated housing contamination caused depressed growth rate and increased manure gas emissions, while exposure to a Dirty environment slightly reduced growth performance and clearly increased manure gas emissions per unit of BW gain as compared to Clean control.

Efficiency and rumen responses in younger and older Holstein heifers limit-fed diets of differing energy density

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of limit feeding diets of different predicted energy density on the efficiency of utilization of feed and nitrogen and rumen responses in younger and older Holstein heifers. Eight rumen-cannulated Holstein heifers (4 heifers beginning at 257±7d, hereafter “young,” and 4 heifers beginning at 610±16d, hereafter “old”) were limit-fed high [HED; 2.64 Mcal/kg of dry matter (DM), 15.31% crude protein (CP)] or low (LED; 2.42 Mcal/kg of DM, 14.15% CP) energy density diets according to a 4-period, split-plot Latin square design with 28-d periods. Diets were limit-fed to provide isonitrogenous and isoenergetic intake on a rumen empty body weight (BW) basis at a level predicted to support approximately 800g/d of average daily gain. During the last 7d of each period, rumen contents were subsampled over a 24-h period, rumen contents were completely evacuated, and total collection of feces and urine was made over 4d. Intakes of DM and water were greater for heifers fed LED, although, by design, calculated intake of metabolizable energy did not differ between age groups or diets when expressed relative to rumen empty BW. Rumen pH was lower, ammonia (NH3-N) concentration tended to be higher, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration was not different for HED compared with LED and was unaffected by age group. Rumen content mass was greater for heifers fed LED and for old heifers, so when expressing rumen fermentation responses corrected for this difference in pool size, NH3-N pool size was not different between diets and total moles of VFA in the rumen were greater for heifers fed LED, whereas these pool sizes were greater for old heifers. Total-tract digestibility of potentially digestible neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was greater in heifers fed LED and for young heifers, whereas the fractional rate of ruminal passage and digestion of NDF were both greater in heifers fed LED. Digestibility of N was greater for heifers fed HED, but was unaffected by age group, whereas the efficiency of N retention was greater for heifers fed HED and for young heifers. Manure output was reduced in heifers fed HED, but the effect was largest in old heifers. Results confirm previous studies in which young heifers utilize N more efficiently than old heifers, primarily through greater efficiency of postabsorptive metabolism. Results also support the concept of limit feeding HED diets as a potential means to reduce manure excretion and increase nitrogen efficiency.

Trade-offs among growth performance, nutrient digestion and carcass traits when feeding low protein and/or high neutral-detergent fiber diets to growing-finishing pigs

This study evaluated the effects of reducing dietary crude protein (CP) and increasing neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, manure composition and carcass parameters of lean pigs as a means of reducing the environmental load of slurry. Sixty-four intact male Landrace × Large-White pigs (13.8, SD 2.3 kg of initial body weight (BW)) were assigned to one of two dietary CP levels (high, HP or low, LP) and one of two aNDFom levels (high, HF or normal, NF) in a 2 × 2 factorial design, and subjected to a three-phase feeding program from 6 to 21 weeks of age (15–110 kg of BW). The diets had similar metabolizable energy (ME), total lysine content and ideal amino acids (AA) ratio. Pigs fed HP diets had the highest average daily gain (ADG) and BW from 12 weeks of age (P 0.05). The coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of CP was higher in HP groups (0.765 ± 0.0075), than it was in the LP groups (0.732 ± 0.0075, respectively), independent of the dietary aNDFom level. Low dietary CP reduced aNDFom digestibility in pigs fed diets that had a normal aNDFom level (LP-NF: 0.45), but not in pigs that were fed a high aNDFom diet (LP-HF: 0.548), compared to pigs fed HP diets (HP-NF: 0.546, and HP-HF: 0.583 ± 0.011). Low dietary CP increased the manure output at 21 week of age (P < 0.001) and high dietary aNDFom increased manure output from 16 weeks of age (P < 0.001). The slurry pH was higher in the HP groups than it was in the LP groups (7.42 vs. 7.18 ± 0.085, P = 0.05), but the level of dietary aNDFom did not alter the pH of slurry (P = 0.66). Backfat thickness at slaughter was highest in pigs fed low CP (P < 0.001) or high aNDFom diets (P = 0.03). In summary, the effects of dietary CP and aNDFom on growth performance were largely independent of each other. From 12 to 21 weeks of age, lowering dietary CP up to 50 g/kg reduced growth performance and increased back-fat at slaughter. High aNDFom diets did not reduce growth performance, but hampered lean tissue gain. An increase in dietary aNDFom in low CP feed did not reduce the CTTAD of aNDFom in growing-finishing pigs. However, this dietary manipulation had the lowest economic return.

Changes in soil available-nutrient stores and relationships with nutrient balance and crop productivity in Japan

To relate short-term nutrient balances with long-term changes in soil fertility, we compared soil available-nutrient stores with fertilizer application, crop productivity, and nutrient balances. Stores of nitrogen (N: quantity of available N), phosphorus (P: quantity of Truog-P), and potassium (K: quantity of exchangeable K) in the topsoil were calculated five times from 1979 to 2003. In each survey, nutrient inputs by fertilizer, manure, and soil amendment and output by crop removal were calculated. The arithmetic average was calculated for seven crop groups [(paddy rice, Oryza sativa L.), upland crop (wheat, Poaceae triticum L., etc.), vegetables (radish, Raphanus sativus L. etc.), orchards (orange, Malus pumila Mill. etc.), tea (Camelia sinensis L.), forage (Dent corn, Zea mays L. etc.), fodder (timothy, Pheleum pratense L., etc.)] on 16 groups of soils. In spite of large changes in the N balance and in manure N input, available N was relatively constant during the five surveys both within and between crops. On the other hand, the available P and K stores and balances changed greatly during the surveys. The quantities of N, P, and K applied in manure had no consistent effect on the soil available N, P, and K stores. The Truog-P store exceeded guidelines in paddy rice, orchards, and tea. The K store exceeded guidelines in upland crops, vegetables, orchards, and tea. Although the available N store was managed well, the available P and K stores were not. Sustainable agriculture that makes effective use of nutrients and has a low environmental impact requires the use of both nutrient balances and available nutrient stores.

Use of residual feed intake in Holsteins during early lactation shows potential to improve feed efficiency through genetic selection1

Improved feed efficiency is a primary goal in dairy production to reduce feed costs and negative impacts of production on the environment. Estimates for efficiency of feed conversion to milk production based on residual feed intake (RFI) in dairy cattle are limited, primarily due to a lack of individual feed intake measurements for lactating cows. Feed intake was measured in Holstein cows during the first 90 d of lactation to estimate the heritability and repeatability of RFI, minimum test duration for evaluating RFI in early lactation, and its association with other production traits. Data were obtained from 453 lactations (214 heifers and 239 multiparous cows) from 292 individual cows from September 2007 to December 2011. Cows were housed in a free-stall barn and monitored for individual daily feed consumption using the GrowSafe 4000 System (GrowSafe Systems, Ltd., Airdrie, AB, Canada). Animals were fed a total mixed ration 3 times daily, milked twice daily, and weighed every 10 to 14 d. Milk yield was measured at each milking. Feed DM percentage was measured daily, and nutrient composition was analyzed from a weekly composite. Milk composition was analyzed weekly, alternating between morning and evening milking periods. Estimates of RFI were determined as the difference between actual energy intake and predicted intake based on a linear model with fixed effects of parity (1, 2, ≥ 3) and regressions on metabolic BW, ADG, and energy-corrected milk yield. Heritability was estimated to be moderate (0.36 ± 0.06), and repeatability was estimated at 0.56 across lactations. A test period through 53 d in milk (DIM) explained 81% of the variation provided by a test through 90 DIM. Multiple regression analysis indicated that high efficiency was associated with less time feeding per day and slower feeding rate, which may contribute to differences in RFI among cows. The heritability and repeatability of RFI suggest an opportunity to improve feed efficiency through genetic selection, which could reduce feed costs, manure output, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with dairy production.

Dosing with Lactipro decreases forage intake and manure output (2013)

High-concentrate diets consisting of cereal grains and grain byproducts have high energy density compared with forage-based diets. To avoid digestive disorders, cattle must be adapted to concentrates, which often entails feeding a series of step-up diets that contain progressively less roughage over a 2- to 3-week period. This allows the microbial population to adapt to fermentation of the starches and sugars that are present in high-concentrate diets. If cattle are not properly adapted to concentrate-based diets, lactic acid, which is produced by opportunistic starch-fermenting bacteria like Streptococcus bovis, can accumulate, predisposing the animal to acidosis. Diets used during the adaptation phase are by nature less digestible than the final finishing diet, which results in increased manure output and suboptimal performance during the adaptation period. Lactipro, a relatively new probiotic drench containing the lactate-utilizing bacteria Megasphaera elsdenii, has been utilized effectively to accelerate the adaptation of cattle from roughages to concentrate-based diets. Our objective was to determine the impact on diet digestibility and manure output in cattle dosed with Lactipro (MS Biotech, Inc., Wamego, KS) and placed directly onto high-concentrate diets without prior adaptation.

The environmental and economic impact of removing growth-enhancing technologies from U.S. beef production 1

The objective of this study was to quantify the environmental and economic impact of withdrawing growth-enhancing technologies (GET) from the U.S. beef production system. A deterministic model based on the metabolism and nutrient requirements of the beef population was used to quantify resource inputs and waste outputs per 454 × 10(6) kg of beef. Two production systems were compared: one using GET (steroid implants, in-feed ionophores, in-feed hormones, and beta-adrenergic agonists) where approved by FDA at current adoption rates and the other without GET use. Both systems were modeled using characteristic management practices, population dynamics, and production data from U.S. beef systems. The economic impact and global trade and carbon implications of GET withdrawal were calculated based on feed savings. Withdrawing GET from U.S. beef production reduced productivity (growth rate and slaughter weight) and increased the population size required to produce 454 × 10(6) kg beef by 385 × 10(3) animals. Feedstuff and land use were increased by 2,830 × 10(3) t and 265 × 10(3) ha, respectively, by GET withdrawal, with 20,139 × 10(6) more liters of water being required to maintain beef production. Manure output increased by 1,799 × 10(3) t as a result of GET withdrawal, with an increase in carbon emissions of 714,515 t/454 × 10(6) kg beef. The projected increased costs of U.S. beef produced without GET resulted in the effective implementation of an 8.2% tax on beef production, leading to reduced global trade and competitiveness. To compensate for the increase in U.S. beef prices and maintain beef supply, it would be necessary to increase beef production in other global regions, with a projected increase in carbon emissions from deforestation, particularly in Brazil. Withdrawing GET from U.S. beef production would reduce both the economic and environmental sustainability of the industry.