Small Livestock Farmers Research Articles

Feed distribution mechanism for family farms: dependence of the amount of feed on the width and height of the exhaust chamber

Abstract The article provides information on the ongoing research on the development of feed preparation and distribution equipment for livestock farms. As a result of scientific analysis, 85% of the livestock and poultry available in livestock farming belong to livestock farms with a small number of livestock, private and family farms. One of the urgent tasks is to create feed preparation and distribution facilities in these small livestock farms. Based on the above, scientific work was carried out to develop a feed distribution device for small livestock farms intended for feeding 20-30 head of cattle. The primary indicators of the feed distribution device’s technical qualities were established, and its technological scheme was developed, based on the results of the research that was done and the needs of the farms. The impact of feed spreader discharge window width and height on feed distribution quality was studied in preliminary research.

Co-occurrence of black-backed jackal and caracal in the Karoo, South Africa

Livestock production in drylands has greatly altered ecosystem level processes, including the interactions between sympatric species. Management of livestock predation on farms requires an acute understanding of predator species' ecology, including their intraguild interactions. In this study, we used camera trapping to investigate black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) and caracal (Caracal) spatiotemporal overlap on different land-uses (viz., public and private protected areas, and a neighbouring group of small-livestock farms) in the Karoo, South Africa. We also used questionnaires to understand how local small-livestock farmers perceive factors influencing changes in the abundance of black-backed jackal and caracal and the trophic relationship between them. Black-backed jackal and caracal spatiotemporal overlap was high, largely independent of land-use, and positively influenced by the presence of the other species. Black-backed jackal had higher overall occurrence than caracal, and caracal were more likely to occur on farmland than either protected area. Farmers acknowledged that mesopredators may benefit from the absence of apex predators on farmlands and that black-backed jackal populations had increased more than caracal in recent times. However, farmers were less certain as to how mesopredators interact, whether they suppress one another and how their interactions may influence the perceived increase in both species’ abundance.

Small-livestock farmers’ perceived effectiveness of predation control methods and the correlates of reported illegal poison use in the South African Karoo

The use of poison against predators is pervasive and negatively impacts biodiversity and ecosystem health globally. Little is known about the correlates of poison use as a lethal control method on small-livestock farmland. We used a mixed-methods approach to investigate commercial farmers’ experience with and perceived effectiveness of predation control methods, reported poison use and its correlates in the Central Karoo. Farmers perceived lethal methods to be cheaper and more effective than non-lethal methods in protecting their livestock from predation. They reported more experience with lethal methods, and over half reported having used poison. This is higher than other estimates in southern Africa and consistent with other survey-based evidence from the Karoo. Reported poison use was positively related to perceived efficacy, declining on-farm employment and perceived threats of predators. It was negatively related to terrain ruggedness. Our findings provide an understanding of the context and motivations shaping this illegal behavior.

Leopards living at the farmland‐protected area interface prefer wild prey but consume high biomass of livestock

AbstractIn much of southern Africa, the leopard (Panthera pardus) is the last remaining large carnivore outside protected areas. We collected leopard scat (n = 82) opportunistically to determine the diet of leopards on small livestock farms and an adjacent national park in semi‐arid Namaqualand, South Africa. We quantified prey availability using camera traps (n = 163 stations) in an 810 km2 grid. Leopards strongly preferred (D > 0.5) rock hyrax (Procavia capensis), red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) and klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus), but goats (Capra hircus) were consumed in highest biomass. Conservation strategies to decrease livestock losses and minimise leopard persecution are needed in Namaqualand and more broadly on livestock farmland neighbouring‐protected areas.

Substantiation of the Directions of Technological Development of Small Livestock Farms for Further Improvement of Their Efficiency

One of the tasks facing animal husbandry at present is to preserve and increase productivity and increase the herd in order to provide the domestic market with livestock products. The successful completion of this task primarily depends on the creation of a solid food base. This issue can be solved through the introduction of feed production technologies and the effective use of feed, regardless of natural conditions. The effective use of feed in animal feeding is possible only if they are well prepared and mixed with other components. The use of feed mixtures is aimed at expanding the use of vegetable residues and industrial additives, ensuring proper nutrition and digestibility of feed, increasing animal productivity by 10-26%, and reducing feed consumption per unit of production by 15-20%. The preparation, directly on the farm, of concentrated compound feeds based on industrial additives helps to solve several tasks simultaneously. It becomes possible to reduce the costs of transporting grain and finished feed to farms as raw materials to a feed mill, accounting for the feed base of the farm, balancing feed in accordance with the needs of animals. In the technological processes of preparing the feed mixture, the mixing operation plays an important role, which is manifested in the productivity of animals. However, this operation is energy-consuming, which affects the cost of the final product. It should also be noted that the available feed mixers do not always meet the zootechnical requirements, do not provide a feed mixture of the desired quality. The working process of small-sized plants for the production of concentrated feed is insufficiently studied and requires improvement in the direction of reducing energy consumption and improving the quality of finished products. As can be seen, the improvement of the mixing process of plants for the production of full-fledged concentrated compound feed in the direction of reducing energy consumption, improving the quality of feed mixtures is an important urgent problem in agriculture.

Occurrence of Bovine Coxiellosis in Small Livestock Farms of Uttar Pradesh, India

Occurrence of Bovine Coxiellosis in Small Livestock Farms of Uttar Pradesh, India

Rewilding the world’s large carnivores without neglecting the human dimension

Rewilding is a growing conservation concept that seeks to enhance biodiversity and improve ecosystem functioning. When rewilding includes the reintroduction of large carnivores to landscapes from which they have been extirpated, assessing the societal impacts and acceptability is as, if not more, important than assessing the ecological feasibility (in: Smith et al, Application to Natural England for the trial reintroduction of lynx to England, Lynx UK Trust, Kielder, 2015a, Application for the trial reintroduction of lynx to Scotland, Lynx UK Trust, Kielder, 2015b; Johnson and Greenwood 2020). We caution that not including the human dimension when modelling the feasibility of a particular conservation action will produce flawed results by masking potentially low public acceptance and conflicts with particular stakeholders. Furthermore, repeated failure to work within a socio-ecological system (SES) framework threatens to alienate key stakeholders, particularly when NGOs propose trial reintroductions prior to any rigorous consideration of the human dimension. When the interests of one party (e.g. NGOs or conservationists) are perceived to be asserted over the interests of others (e.g. small-livestock farmers), the stage is set for a conservation conflict. Conservation conflicts not only hamper worthwhile conservation initiatives but drive a wedge between key stakeholders that need to agree on a clear long-term conservation and management plan before the state will accede to such proposals.

Hydraulic transport in small livestock farms

The article highlights the advantages and benefits of pipeline transport of liquid feed mixtures on small pig farms, the device and the principle of operation and technical characteristics of the improved rotor pump developed by the authors of the article. Methods of experimental research to determine the concentration of feed mixtures, the influence of the shape of the separator on the performance characteristics, the required power and the flow of an improved pump are presented. The results of the experiments showed that one of the bottlenecks limiting the operation of rotary pumps on feed mixtures of increased concentration is the low suction capacity of the pump, that is, the design of the suction pipe of the pump, where an increase in resistance with an increase in the concentration of feed mixtures causes a breakdown of the operating mode and cavitation. To resolve this issue, we used a screw feeder installed in front of the pump suction nozzles. It was found that if the screw feeder provides excess pressure within (about, 0.25 ... 0.3) 105 Pa per suction cavity, the pump operates stably and reliably.

Study on preparation and distribution of forage by chopping coarse fodder

Livestock farming is one of the very important agricultural branches in Uzbekistan. In present days there are a lot of small livestock farms. In cattle farming for increasing productivity it depends on feeding well with different types of fodder of the livestock animals. For this reason, it is necessary for these farms to develop a small chopping machine and distributor device for individual use. According to construction of available fodder-choppers and physical-mechanical properties of the rough fodder, technological schemes of the small scaled chopper-mixer and distributor device were developed. During the experiments the chopping apparatus of the fodder chopper device was researched. When rotation frequency of the rotor was 1000 rpm qualitative chopping of the coarse fodder was determined when diameter of the rotor was 450-500 mm and the number of the knives on the rotor was 24-30 pieces. Next task is making experimental variant of the small scaled fodder distributing device as well testing of performing capability its defined technological process and determination its optimal parameters.

Systems Dynamics and Serious Video Games in an Appropriation Strategy of a Decision Support System for Small Livestock Farmers

This document presents a Decision Support System (DSS) aimed at small livestock farmers who have not made use of Information Technologies (IT) in their production systems. The DSS was built based on the finite difference equations of a simulation model in System Dynamics in whose definition the beneficiaries participated and also served as a base for the development of a serious video game. The DSS and the Serious video game is supported in a Web and Mobile Architecture. The simulation model and the serious video game are used as support tools in the training given to users to learn how to use the DSS. These three tools are the result of a doctoral research project, which used two methodologies during its execution: Design and Development Research and the Case Studies methodology. The tools were applied in an appropriation strategy with livestock farmers of the department of Santander in Colombia, where resistance to change and cultural attachment causes a low adoption of technology. The inclusion of gamification elements helps the user to understand the connection of these elements and their processes in a real farm, know the large volume of data managed by the DSS, enhance the process by making it more fun, improve the learning curve and provide useful data for tracking the use of the DSS. 16 months after the end of the training, the DSS has more than 13000 reported records about the activities of the farmers in their farms.

Adaptation options for small livestock farmers having large ruminants (cattle and buffalo) against climate change in Central Punjab Pakistan.

Climate change is not a myth anymore and changing with every passing year regardless of the efforts to mitigate its root causes. Livestock being a key source of employment to a large poor world population also contributes to food security and poverty eradication. With the changing climate livestock farmers are also making their farms compatible to the new natural ecosystem. Therefore, this study investigated how small livestock farmers having large ruminants inventory perceive changes in climate, which strategies they adapt and the factors influencing the adaptation of climate changes strategies in livestock. Primary data was collected from 180 small livestock farmers of Central Punjab, and multiple (step-wise) regression analysis was used to determine the factors affecting adaptation of climate change strategies. Livestock farmers are also well aware of the climate change as majority of thefarmers (63.4% and 71.4%) perceived an increase in temperature and precipitation, respectively. Livestock farmers made an attempt to adoptconventional climate change strategies such as mix farming, reduction in animals, provision of more drinking water, use of tree shades, livestock diversification, use of muddy roof, and floor in order to cope with climate changes. The adoptionof these measures was significantly influenced by animal inventory, climate knowledge, livestock working hours, livestock experience, distance of veterinary hospital, and livestock-related training/workshops. Government needs to increase technical and logistic capacity of veterinary doctors, and should create awareness among small livestock farmers through media.

Agriculture in Nigeria’s Economic Diversification Process: A Study of a Poultry Outgrower Scheme

Nigeria’s current economic plan targets diversification through leveraging the power of the private sector in order to enable and fast‐track business investments and job creation. This paper reports a study of a model of a poultry outgrower scheme ‐ Akwa Prime, used in catalysing private investments in the poultry sector of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The scheme shares the potential of combined strength of the state and that of the private sector in stimulating increased production and integrating of small livestock farmers to the national economy. The study’s specific objectives were to examine the extent of smallholder farmer involvement in contract negotiations including price setting; the role of the key participants, particularly the regulatory function of the state in an out‐grower scheme construct; and the impact of the scheme on socioeconomic improvement of smallholder farmers. This research was conducted with 42 smallholder independent broiler poultry farmers who are registered members of the Akwa Prime outgrower scheme and receiving a range of input support and good production practices aimed at optimization. Findings show a positive impact of the scheme on small independent poultry farmers’ productivity, profitability and survival. Contract negotiations and key participants role were fully documented. Participating farmers were found to have high income and stocking density while the cost of day old chicks and other production inputs provided by the scheme accounted for 99.1% (R2=.991) of the variation in farmers income. This positive change on the bottom line of small independent poultry farmers indicate the prospects for greater deployment of out‐grower model to stimulate agriculture productivity and growth. However, despite some benefits there were major bottlenecks including compromised role of the state, imposed buyback price on farmers and late offtaking of the finished stock. The implication of this finding is that small poultry farmers left alone with their independent business choices may not stimulate much diversification driven by agriculture.

Wildlife winners and losers of extensive small-livestock farming: a case study in the South African Karoo

Extensive farming is an important source of food and fibre and often the only viable land use in the more arid regions of the globe. Yet, land use transformation for livestock grazing can lead to natural habitat degradation and fragmentation, identified as the main threats to biodiversity worldwide. Understanding which species are “winners” (i.e. species with a higher relative abundance index on farmland than protected area) and “losers” (i.e. species that have been extirpated or have a lower relative abundance index on farmland) in farming landscapes is crucial for the global sustainability of food production and biodiversity conservation. We used camera traps across 332 locations, over 23,796 trap nights to compare species richness and several aspects of community diversity (evenness, dominance, functional diversity and community structure) on 22 extensive small-livestock farms and a nearby protected area in the semi-arid region of the Karoo, South Africa. Species richness was not significantly different between the two land uses, but there were important differences in community structure and composition. Large carnivores were the “losers” of extensive livestock farming. Farmland displayed a lower effective number of species and functional diversity and a higher dominance than the protected area. The latter had a positive influence on the presence of large mammals and on the relative abundance of the region’s main mesopredator, the black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas). Contrary to consensus, extensive small-livestock farming may be beneficial to some species and may therefore represent an important opportunity for biodiversity conservation outside of formally protected areas.

Spatial, temporal and attitudinal dimensions of conflict between predators and small-livestock farmers in the Central Karoo

Conflict between predators and small-livestock farmers is a global phenomenon adversely impacting the preservation of wildlife, the well-being of livestock and human livelihoods. Such conflict is pervasive in the Karoo region of South Africa but its contemporary history and various causes remain poorly understood. In this study, we interviewed 77 small-livestock farmers in the Central Karoo between July 2014 and March 2015 to (1) assess the spatio-temporal distribution and severity of the reported predation problems with the main regional predators of livestock (black-backed jackal, caracal and baboon) and (2) describe the perceived reasons for changes in predator numbers. Farmers reported that serious predation problems have increased since the 1990s for all three predators. Jackal predation appears to have re-emerged, particularly since the 2000s, while baboon predation seems to have escalated rapidly since 2014 for select farmers. Farms with more rugged terrain were more likely to experience serious problems with baboons and caracal but ruggedness did not predict the year of onset of problems. Farmers perceive predator numbers to be increasing and attribute this trend to declining government support for predator management, changes in farming practices and the associated increase in suitable predator habitat, from which they can recolonise commercial farms.

Factors influencing the stay-exit intention of small livestock farmers: empirical evidence from southern Chile

This study analyses the factors driving the stay-exit intention of small livestock farmers located in southern Chile. Technical, economic, and social characteristics from 212 farmers were included in this study. Through an empirical probit model we identified the variables that should be considered when developing rural policies aimed at increasing the likelihood to stay in farming. The results showed that 12 out of the 30 parameters were significant (p<0.10), with an extremely good fit of the model (McFadden pseudo-R2 = 0.25, Count R2 = 75.9%). Particularly, ‘female farmer’, ‘positive expectation about future farming life’, ‘capacity of farm income to cover the expenses of the whole family’, ‘mixed production’, ‘participation in an association’, and ‘distance to the nearest city’ were positively associated with the stay intention. Moreover, our study also indicates that ‘existence of a defined retirement age’, ‘existence of a defined sale price for the farm’, ‘a mixed farm focused on livestock production’, ‘the possibility to make own decisions’, ‘age squared’, and the ‘number of people living at the farm’ were negatively associated with the stay intention. Our empirical findings suggest that farmer characteristics (gender, family size), the farming system (multi-activity production, efficiency), and social aspects of the rural society (associations, protection of agricultural products) are also important aspects that should be considered by rural development policies aimed at improving the likelihood of staying, in addition to the technical characteristics of the farming which have been traditionally addressed in developing countries.

Use of manure nutrients from concentrated animal feeding operations

Abstract Over the past few decades, there has been a nationwide trend away from small livestock farms and toward large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). This shift results in concentrated manure production and introduces potential problems associated with its disposal. We analyzed data from 13 permitted CAFOs in southeastern Michigan, including 1187 occurrences of manure application from 12 of the CAFOs with available field-level data. CAFOs applied excess manure nutrients to cropland by applying to fields with soil phosphorus test levels >50 ppm (42% of all cases), applying to soybeans (7% of all cases), over-estimating crop yields in calculating plant nutrient requirements (67% of all cases), and applying beyond what is allowed by state permits (26% of all cases). This represents significant potential for redistribution of manure nutrients. The total amount of manure from all instances of over-application could be redistributed to fertilize over 4775 ha (11,800 acres) per year. Significant barriers to redistribution of manure exist, however, including cost, land availability, crop and soil need, transport logistics, and farmers' reluctance to use manure instead of inorganic fertilizer due to its variable composition. These findings are relevant to the harmful algal bloom and hypoxia issues in Lake Erie, which are driven by excess nutrients, and can be used to better inform science, modeling, and policy in the region.

Optimization of animal manure vermicomposting based on biomass production of earthworms and higher plants

ABSTRACTThe goal of this study was to optimize the mixture of swine manure (SM) and cattle manure (CM) used in the vermicomposting process, seeking to increase the manure biodegradation rate and enhance the biomass production of both earthworms and higher plants. To achieve this goal, physico-chemical parameters were determined to assess the final compost quality after 50 days of vermicomposting. The different manure ratios used to produce the composts (C) were as follows (SM:CM, % m/m basis): C1 100:0, C2 (75:25), C3 (50:50), C4 (25:75), and C5 (0:100). In addition, the earthworm biomass and the phytoproductivity of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants grown in mixtures (1:1) of natural soil and the most viable vermicomposts were investigated. The C1 and C2 compost compositions were associated with high earthworm mortality rates. The C3 compost provided the highest mineral concentrations and C5 showed the highest lettuce yield (wet biomass). The results verify that stabilized cattle manure is an excellent substrate for the vermicomposting process and that fresh swine manure must be mixed with pre-stabilized cattle manure to ensure an optimized vermicomposting process, which must be controlled in terms of temperature and ammonia levels. It is concluded that small livestock farmers could add value to swine manure by applying the vermicomposting process, without the need for high investments and with a minimal requirement for management of the biodegradation process. These are important technical aspects to be considered when circular economy principles are applied to small farms.

Stakeholder perceptions of manure treatment technologies in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain

Manure treatment technologies have been developed in Europe to better use animal manures and to reduce their environmental impact, but the adoption of these technologies in practice is regionally diverse and still limited. Also, little is known about the opinions of stakeholders towards manure treatment. This study aimed to identify stakeholder perceptions of (1) which factors can facilitate and hinder the implementation in practice, (2) which technologies have the most potential for successful adoption, and (3) how farm characteristics and scale of treatment operations affect priorities for technology adoption. This analysis used data from a survey of various stakeholders engaged in manure treatment in four European countries (Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain) that have large areas of high animal density, but diverse socio-economic, political and environmental conditions. Pressure from governmental regulations was perceived as a key factor that stimulated manure treatment in all four countries (70% of respondents). Processing manure to produce bioenergy was considered important in Denmark and Italy, but less important in Spain and the Netherlands. The major barriers to technology adoption were related to economic factors -lack of investment capital (60% of respondents), high processing cost (52%) and a long payback period (45%), while there was relatively little concern regarding transport and noise burden and health risks. Slurry separation and anaerobic digestion were perceived to have the greatest potential for a common adoption. Other preferred technologies were more country-specific (e.g. acidification in Denmark, composting in Spain, and drying and reverse osmosis in Netherlands). Manure treatment was considered to be less applicable at small livestock farms. Separation, composting and acidification were perceived to be more applicable at farm scale, while drying, anaerobic digestion, reverse osmosis at large, industrial scales. Our results imply that manure treatment will remain a regional activity. Policy measures and outreach strategies to alleviate the main barriers to the adoption of manure treatment are suggested.

On-line measure of donkey's milk properties by near infrared spectrometry

The ranchers handle donkeys breeding in small livestock farms and there is a need to supply a suitable tool to assess milk characteristics.To this aim, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was assessed through nine statistical methods: partial least squares, principal components, multivariate adaptive splines, regression trees using M5′ method, least squares support vector machine, artificial neural network, regression trees, ensemble regression trees and regularized least squares regression. These methods were implemented using a forward sequential feature selection algorithm; their predicting capability was validated with ten-fold cross validation; different types of spectra pre-processing methods were tested.The trials confirmed that NIR analysis is an efficient method for quantitative analysis of protein, lactose and dry matter content of donkey's milk with a full-scale prediction error (FSPERR) of 3.0%, 4.4% and 4.5% respectively. Furthermore, a 16 NIR light emitting diodes (LED) device was investigated using simulation; in this case the prediction models of protein content showed the best FSPERR (3.1%), followed by those of dry matter content (7.0%) whereas those of the lactose content showed the worst (19.8%). These results could be used to design a low cost NIR LED device for the real-time control of donkey's milk in breeding farms.

Research on the Social and Economic Differentiations in the Greek Rural Sector During the Period 1830-2030

In 1830 farmers constituted the majority of the Greek population. Part of these was small landowners or small livestock farmers, while the largest part of them was landless. The large farms were few. In the 1920s the entrance of 1.5 million refugees from Asia Minor and the departure of 600 thousands Muslims (with the exchange of populations) had as a result the dissolution of the manors, which were in the hands of the Turks. In the year 1950 due to the German occupation (1941-1944) and civil war (1946-1949) the agriculture returned in the level of the 1930s. In 2000, almost twenty years from the Greece’s accession to the EU (in 1981), the massive subsidies and the clear agricultural policy, led to disruption of productivity of rural sector. The estimates for 2030 are formulated both from the changes that have occurred over time and from the consequences of the accession of Greece in the support mechanism (2010), after the silent bankruptcy of the country. The purpose of this paper is to reflect the changes in the social structure of agriculture from independence (1830) until today and to make estimations for 2030. The Greek case differs from that of European countries, as it has not developed the institution of manor and similar as extensive feudal relations. It also differs from the countries of the Balkans as it maintained the institution of the small private property. The methodology of this study uses the historical approach and is based on evaluation of secondary sources, but also in primary research by the author for the economic efficiency of agriculture. It uses also comparative analysis interpreting the social relations that existed in Greece and in the rest of the Balkans. The paper is structured in four parts. The first refers to the history of the research objective. In the second and the third, economic and social differentiations are presented. In the fourth the above findings are evaluated.