Livestock Production

Increased litter sizes and associated piglet performance consequences, challenge swine producers. Stochastic modeling captured bioeconomic performance of individual piglets. As average litter size increased from 8.8 to 20.8 piglets, costs and revenues per head marketed from the demonstration herd decreased and total profit increased at a decreasing rate.

Dietary wood charcoal can be a potential low-cost feed supplement for the improvement of performance in broiler chicken production, while reducing loss of nutrients through birds' excreta. However, it has no nutritive value and excess feeding may lead to constipation and thereby hamper birds' production performance. An experiment was conducted with a total of 24 male broiler chickens which were subjected to a commercial broiler finisher diet with 0, 1.5, 3, and 6% wood charcoal (on a dry matter basis), respectively. This was to ascertain the level of dietary wood charcoal that can be included in a commercial broiler feed without negative effects on production performance of broiler chickens, nutrient utilization and losses through birds' excreta under adverse climatic conditions in Northern Ghana. Birds' feed consumption, body weight gain, as well as excreta quality were assessed for four days. Results showed that dietary wood charcoal can replace up to 6% of a commercial broiler chicken feed without negative effects on growth performance, nutrient utilization and excreta consistency, while reducing the phosphorous concentration in broiler excreta. Future research should analyze the longterm effect of feeding charcoal on performance and health of laying hens.

This paper describes part of a comprehensive National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) conducted at a swine finishing farm located in the state of Indiana, in the United States. The NAEMS was a 2-year study of emissions from animal feeding operations that produce pork, chicken meat, eggs, and milk. It provided emission data for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop tools for estimating emissions from livestock farms. The study in Indiana focused on quantifying and characterizing emissions of gases, particulate matter (PM), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from a swine finishing quad (four 1000head rooms under one roof). Long-term continuous and quasi-continuous measurements were conducted with 157 on-line measurement variables using an array of instruments and sensors for gas and PM concentrations, fan operation, room static pressures, indoor temperature and humidity, animal activity and feeding times, and weather conditions. Pig inventory and weight, feed type and quantity, and manure accumulation and composition were also documented. Systematic tests of the measurement system were conducted. Monitoring methodologies, instrumentation applications, equipment maintenance, quality controls, and system performances are presented and can be used as a reference in assessing research quality and improving future environmental studies on livestock facilities. Implications: Aerial pollutant emissions became a major environmental issue for livestock operations after farms increased significantly in size. Gas and particulate matter emissions from livestock production may cause various environmental impacts such as odor and noxious gas exposure in neighboring areas. In this study, comprehensive and long-term emissions of gases and PM at a Midwestern U.S. commercial swine finishing farm were continuously monitored for 2 years. The methodologies, quality assurance procedures, and results of this study can be used to plan future emission monitoring projects, improve baseline emission databases, and validate emission models.

Using daily fed cattle purchase transaction records collected by the Packers and Stockyards Programs over the period April 1992 to April 1993, we identify characteristics associated with the choices of fed cattle procurement and pricing methods. The methodology involves the use of a multinomial logit model. Regional concentration; processing capacity; number of head per lot; average weight per head; cattle

A new model for the farm-retail price spread, which accounts for both farm supply and retail demand changes, is introduced. This model is applied to beef, and its empirical performance relative to the markup pricing formulation is evaluated using nonnested testing procedures. The results are consistent with theory and indicate the markup pricing model is misspecified.

A structural time series model is used to estimate the supply response function for broiler production in the United States using quarterly data and a structural time series model. This model has the advantage of expressing trend and seasonal elements as stochastic components, allowing a dynamic interpretation of the results and improving the forecast capabilities of the model. The results of the estimation indicate the continued importance of feed costs to poultry production and of technology as expressed by the stochastic trend variable. However, seasonal influences appear to have become less important, since the seasonal component was not statistically significant.

A fast and efficient multi-residue extraction-purification procedure was developed for 12 corticosteroids in biological matrices (hair, urine and meat), in order to control their illegal use as growth promoters in cattle. Detection and identification of the analytes were achieved using a previously described LC-MS-MS method based on negative electrospray ionisation and a triple quadrupole analyser. The presented procedures included acid (hair) or enzymatic (urine and meat) hydrolysis, C reversed-phase SPE, Na CO liquid-liquid clean-up and SiOH normal-phase SPE. The detection limits of the developed 18 2 3 methods were between 2.9 and 9.3 pg / mg (ppb) for hair samples and in the 40 -70 pg / g (ppt) range for the urine or meat samples. The acid hydrolysis used for corticosteroid extraction in hair was optimised using an experimental design and response surface methodology. Achieved performances were linked to a physico-chemical approach based on the corticosteroids specific C side-chain. This original multi-residue and multi-matrices analytical methodology will be used 17 for further metabolism studies.

Background Trypanosomosis is the most economically important disease constraint to livestock productivity in Africa. A number of trypanotolerant cattle breeds are found in West Africa, and identification of the genes conferring trypanotolerance could lead to effective means of genetic selection for trypanotolerance. In this context, high resolution mapping in mouse models are a promising approach to identifying the genes associated with trypanotolerance. In previous studies, using F2 C57BL/6J × A/J and C57BL/6J × BALB/cJ mouse resource populations, trypanotolerance QTL were mapped within a large genomic intervals of 20-40 cM to chromosomes MMU17, 5 and 1, and denoted Tir 1, Tir 2 and Tir 3 respectively. Subsequently, using F6 C57BL/6J × A/J and C57BL/6J × BALB/cJ F6 advanced intercross lines (AIL), Tir 1 was fine mapped to a confidence interval (CI) of less than 1 cM, while Tir 2 and Tir 3, were mapped within 5-12 cM. Tir 1 represents the major trypanotolerance QTL. Results In order...

Watershed programme is an important intervention in dryland areas to improve livestock productivity through increased feed and fodder supply. The present study has focused on the impact of watershed interventions on crop-livestock linkages with particular emphasis on how the interventions have affected the quantity of stovers/straws as livestock feeding materials in bridging the demand-supply gap. The study has been carried out in three typical Shivalik foothill watersheds (two treated and one untreated) in the Panchkula district of Haryana state. The impact of watershed development programme has been estimated by adopting both with and without approach and before and after approach. The untreated watershed has derived 65 per cent of its total income from animal husbandry. On the contrary, this sector has contributed 42 per cent and 20 per cent in two treated watersheds. The availability of supplemental irrigation enabled the villagers to step up cropping intensity. The number of go...

Background Ticks are regarded as the most relevant vectors of disease-causing pathogens in domestic and wild animals. The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, hinders livestock production in tropical and subtropical parts of the world where it is endemic. Tick microbiomes remain largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to explore the R. microplus microbiome by applying the bacterial 16S tag-encoded FLX-titanium amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP) technique to characterize its bacterial diversity. Pyrosequencing was performed on adult males and females, eggs, and gut and ovary tissues from adult females derived from samples of R. microplus collected during outbreaks in southern Texas. Results Raw data from bTEFAP were screened and trimmed based upon quality scores and binned into individual sample collections. Bacteria identified to the species level include Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus chromogenes, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Staphylococcus sciuri, Serr...

The aim of this study was to identify and describe qualitative traits of indigenous Tswana chicken populations in Kweneng and Southern districts of Botswana. The qualitative traits involved in the study included tail colour, breast colour, back colour, neck colour, comb type, shank colour, earlobe colour and head shape. Data were subjected to frequency and cross tabulation procedures of descriptive statistics in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to compute frequencies of occurrence of each qualitative trait. The five strains of indigenous Tswana chickens under scavenging management system showed distinct physical variations for most of the qualitative traits. Black was the most predominant tail colour across the strains (51.6%) followed by brown (27.9%). The frequency of brown breast colour and brown back colour were significantly higher in those respective regions. Brown and black were the predominant neck colours across the strains. The single comb type (81.7%), feath...

A new ecosystem-based climate envelope modeling approach was applied to assess potential climate change impacts on forest communities and tree species. Four orthogonal canonical discriminant functions were used to describe the realized climate space for British Columbia's ecosystems and to model portions of the realized niche space for tree species under current and predicted future climates. This conceptually simple model is capable of predicting species ranges at high spatial resolutions far beyond the study area, including outlying populations and southern range limits for many species. We analyzed how the realized climate space of current ecosystems changes in extent, elevation, and spatial distribution under climate change scenarios and evaluated the implications for potential tree species habitat. Tree species with their northern range limit in British Columbia gain potential habitat at a pace of at least 100 km per decade, common hardwoods appear to be generally unaffected by climate change, and some of the most important conifer species in British Columbia are expected to lose a large portion of their suitable habitat. The extent of spatial redistribution of realized climate space for ecosystems is considerable, with currently important sub-boreal and montane climate regions rapidly disappearing. Local predictions of changes to tree species frequencies were generated as a basis for systematic surveys of biological response to climate change.

With the successful recolonization and reintroduction of wolves (Canis lupus) in parts of the western United States (Bangs and Fritts, 1996; Bangs et al., 1998) and the natural expansion of wolves in the upper Midwest (Fuller et al., 1992; Thiel, 2001), managing conflicts between wolves and livestock is a growing issue for livestock producers, resource professionals, and the general public

Since the commercialization of the first genetically modified (GM) crop in 1996, the amount of arable land dedicated to the production of GM feed has increased significantly. Despite widespread adoption of GM foods and feeds, public perception of their safety remains mixed. To provide consumers the opportunity for choice, some countries have adopted mandatory labeling of GM foods and feeds when their adventitious presence exceeds a defined threshold percentage. Methods for detecting and quantifying GM plants in feeds include protein-and DNA-based assays, but their sensitivity may be influenced by the techniques used in feed processing. Interest in the consumption of transgenic protein and DNA has prompted investigations of their fate within the gastrointestinal tract of livestock

The DRC estimations indicate that Czech and Bulgarian cereal producers were competitive at world market prices as well as at the EU prices. However, they did not show RCA in trade with the EU, partially due to trade restrictions. Czech livestock production was not competitive on the world market. The same was true for Bulgaria with the exception of pork

Odor emission from livestock production systems is a major nuisance in many rural areas. This study aimed at determining the major airborne chemical compounds responsible for the unpleasant odor perceived in swine facilities during slurry handling, and at proposing predictive models of odor concentration (OC) based on the concentrations of specific odorants in the air. A multivariate data analysis strategy involving principal components analysis and multiple linear regressions was implemented to analyze the relationships between concentration of 35 gases (measured by GC/MS or gas detection tubes), and the overall OC perceived by sensory analysis. The study compiled data on the concentration of odor and odorants, measured in the headspace of 24 unstored and stored slurry samples collected from three different types of production units on 8 commercial swine farms. Among all the measured constituents, OC was found to have the highest correlation with the sulfur containing compounds (i.e. hydrogen sulfide, dimethylsulfide, dimethyldisulfide, dimethyltrisulfide). The concentration of hydrogen sulfide accounted for 68% of the variation in OC above the stirred slurry samples. The highest concentrations of volatile organic compounds were observed for phenols and indoles, which made a significant contribution to the overall OC when the slurry was fresh. The contribution of ammonia to the OC was only significant in the absence of hydrogen sulfide. The precision of predictive models of OC based on the concentration of specific odorants in the air was satisfactory (R 2 between 0.66 and 0.89). Hence, this study suggests that monitoring of specific odor compounds released from agitated swine slurry can be used to predict the concentration of odor perceived close to the source (e.g. at storage units), allowing the assessment of odor nuisance potentials.

Areas permanently cultivated under DMC systems (Direct seeding mulch-based cropping systems, which are part of the family of practices known as Conservation Agriculture) have increased remarkably in Latin America over recent decades, reaching around 50% of total cropped area in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. These systems have been developed to counteract soil degradation and to achieve more sustainable grain production. Under tropical and subtropical conditions the efficiency of such systems increases with the introduction of multi-functional cover crops growing in rotation with the main commercial crops or whenever climatic conditions are too risky for planting a commercial crop. The introduction of cover crops leads to a better utilization of available natural resources throughout the year, more biomass production, permanent soil protection and higher organic restitutions to the soil. DMC systems also offer environmental, economic and agronomic advantages to farmers. Nevertheless they are quite complex systems and their adaptation to specific local constraints and conditions is not straightforward, especially in the case of smallholder, resource-limited agriculture. Specific approaches have been designed, based on systemic and participatory research principles, to create, adapt and disseminate these systems among farmers by working mainly under actual farming conditions. The active participation of farmers and their organizations is fundamental at all stages, as well as that of other key stakeholders of the agricultural sector. Farmers, researchers and their key partners still need to meet several challenges to further increase the success and large-scale adoptability of DMC systems. These include understanding and enhancing the underlying biological processes, creating DMC systems less dependant on chemicals or external inputs, as well as fitting these systems for conditions of close interactions between agriculture and livestock production. These last two challenges are especially true for small-scale farmers operating in marginal environments. Also, the knowledge and experience about DMC systems functioning, creation and management, and about adoption stories, needs to be better systematized and made available through the development of synthetic tools such as data bases, dynamic models and global indicators of DMC system functioning and impact, as well as through enhanced networking among the different stakeholders. Putting together these various pieces will facilitate the conception and implementation of new projects aiming to enhance DMC adaptation and adoption. Media summary Direct seeding mulch-based cropping (DMC) systems are currently adopted on large areas of Latin America to obtain a sustainable production of grain, increasing agronomic, economic and environmental efficiency.

Indonesia adalah net importir daging sapi dengan trend perkembangan volume dan nilai impor selama periode 2010 sampai 2017 terus mengalami peningkatan dari tahun ke tahun. Ketidakberdayaan produksi domestik guna memenuhi kebutuhan konsumen yang terus meningkat menyebabkan negara yang kaya sumberdaya alam peternakan ini terus mengalami pengurasan devisa. Salah satu sumber yang diduga menjadi penyebab adalah inkonsistensi dalam kebijakan seperti yang akan disajikan pada BAB I tentang analisis kebijakan pembangunan peternakan sapi potong sejak dicanangkannya program PSDS 2007 sampai berlangsung program UPSUS SIWAB era pemerintahan kabinet kerja sekarang. Inkonsistensi kebijakan yang menyebabkan tidak hanya terjadi pembangunan yang tidak fokus dan tidak berkelanjutan tetapi juga menyebabkan pemborosan sumberdaya dan kebingungan implementasi bagi instansi teknis dan pengambil kebijakan di daerah. Semoga pada masa akan datang, kebijakan yang didasari  oleh ego sektoral  dan kekuasan dan bahkan ego keilmuan tidak lagi terjadi seiring dengan terbentuknya pemerintahan baru terlepas dari siapapun nanti yang terpilih sebagai nahkoda Negara Kesatuan  Republik Indonesia tercinta ini.
Kata orang bijak “menjadi berguna tidak harus menunggu jadi utama” adalah ungkapan penuh makna yang dapat diaplikasikan dalam peningkatan peran sektor peternakan dalam pembangunan. Posisi mayoritas usaha peternakan sapi potong selama ini bukan sebagai sumber pendapatan (pekerjaan) utama tetapi lebih sebagai sumber pendapatan tambahan dan malahan sebagai tabungan. Posisi peternakan sapi potong dalam kenyataannya tidak membuat komoditas ini merasa terabaikan karena mampu hadir sebagai solusi pemecahan masalah dalam kehidupan masyarakat terutama rumah tangga pertanian. Pada BAB II tentang Perkembangan Sistem Integrasi akan dijelaskan tentang peran usaha ternak sapi potong dalam berbagai kondisi perekonomian. Usaha ternak sapi potong bisa hadir sebagai solusi alternatif dalam krisis ekonomi 1997 dan ekonomi global 2008, serta pasca kebakaran hutan dan lahan 2015 dan program pengendalian karhutla berbasis pemberdayaan masyarakat sekitas kawasan konsesi Hutan Tanaman Industri (HTI). Bahkan peternakan sapi potong berpotensi  bisa hadir sebagai solusi pemecahan masalah kehilangan pendapatan sementara (temporary lost income) sebelum dan selama proses peremajaan sawit dan karet rakyat.
Buku sistem integrasi tanaman ternak berkelanjutan (Sustainable integrated farming system atau SIFAS) ini merupakan rangkuman perjalanan panjang kegiatan penelitian dan pengabdian pada masyarakat, serta kerjasama penyusunan rencana program dan kegiatan beberapa lembaga terkait sejak tahun 2007.

About the importance of the book:
This book contains chapter wise concise notes and very important objective questions on different topics as per the syllabus of the competitive exams in Livestock Production Management (Animal Science). It has various tables, figure, diagram etc. to illustrate or remember the concept easily for examination. This book will be helpful for those preparing for the competitive examination of J.R.F., S.R.F., A.R.S., I.V.R.I. and N.D.R.I. pre PG exams, and too for the scholars preparing for the different state civil service and UPSC examination. Further it will also be helpful to provide content for preparation of several other national competition exams where LPM is included as a subject.

The authors evaluate the impact of foot and mouth disease (FMD) and control of the disease in the Philippines using cost-benefit analysis. A scenario in which FMD control is maintained at recent levels with continued presence of the disease is compared to scenarios in which a publicly funded programme achieves eradication by 2005 (current policy objective), 2007 and 2010. Under varying assumptions regarding the development of exports of livestock products following eradication, estimated benefit-cost ratios for the investment in eradication range from 1.6 (2010, no exports) to 12.0 (2005, export of 5,000 tons each of low-value and high-value livestock products annually), indicating eradication to be an economically viable investment. The commercial swine sector is estimated to capture 84% of the benefits generated by the public investment in eradication, versus 4% by backyard swine producers. The implications of these results within the context of regional efforts to control FMD in ...

Small ruminant production systems vary widely, from high producing dairy goats to suckling ewes on rangelands. However, in all environments feed characteristics influence animals' motivation to eat, dietary choices and ultimately nutrient intake. This review highlights the common feed factors that influence feeding behaviour and intake, although their expression and consequences depend on the environment. The main characteristics of feeding behaviour are described in terms of the satiation process and motivation to eat. The main feed factors that influence intake are then reviewed. The relationship between the nutritive value of forages and their voluntary intake is well established. The relationship between nutritive value and palatability of feeds is discussed in the light of recent work on how feed characteristics are learned. At pasture, ease of prehension of the sward influences rate of intake and dietary choices. On heterogeneous resources, animals graze selectively and choose a diet of higher quality than that on offer. Recently more effort has been made to model intake and foraging decisions. Management of the grazing circuit has become an important factor in a heterogeneous environment. In conclusion, modelling and predicting intake for small ruminants in different environments are briefly discussed.Ŕ ( 00 )00172-X R. Baumont et al. / Livestock Production Science 64 (2000) 15 -28`ĺ 'ingestion des petits ruminants dans differents milieux sont brievement discutees.

Weight loss, stunted growth, and death caused by gastrointestinal parasites are major constraints to livestock productivity, especially in tropical and developing countries where regular use, and misuse, of anthelmintics has led to nematode resistance. Albizia anthelmintica Brong. (Fabaceae) is traditionally employed throughout East Africa to treat helminth parasitosis in livestock. Reported efficacy has varied from 90% against mixed nematodes to just 19% against Haemonchus contortus alone. The objective of this study was to assess the anthelmintic effect of A. anthelmintica against naturally occurring infections of mixed gastrointestinal parasites, and to establish an effective treatment dose, in sheep under pastoral field conditions of northern Uganda. A. anthelmintica bark was collected and prepared according to local custom and packed into gel capsules. Fifty-five young female local mixed-breed lambs were randomly assigned to six groups, including a positive control group that received levamisole (synthetic anthelmintic) and a negative control group that received no treatment. Following the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) dose determination guidelines, the other four groups were treated with varying doses of A. anthelmintica. Statistical analyses (using generalized linear models) were performed to assess treatment effect. There was a significant treatment (group) effect on parasite egg/oocyte counts per gram (EPG) for nematodes, but not for coccidia. The most effective dose against nematodes (0.8 g, 58.7 mg/kg) closely approximates what is usually given by traditional healers, 0.9 g/adult sheep. It provided major and significant reduction in EPG as compared to the negative control. Anthelmintic efficacy was estimated using percent faecal egg count reduction (FECR). Other than the positive control, animals in the standard dose group showed the greatest decline in shedding of nematode eggs, with an FECR of 78%. This study indicates that A. anthelmintica holds potential as part of an integrated management plan for the control of helminths in developing countries. #

S 0 3 7 8 -4 3 2 0 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 2 2 3 -2 P.I. Rekwot et al. / Animal Reproduction Science 65 (2001) 157-170 to developing the concept of "control systems technologies", aimed at controlling reproductive performance. The knowledge acquired on the effectiveness of biostimulation; the factor which conditions it and the biological mechanism which produces it in livestock species, allows its use as a breeding management tool. The understanding of the role of pheromones could be of potential economic importance in addressing some of the problems associated with livestock production in the tropics. The biostimulation technique offers a potentially useful and practical way to improve reproductive efficiency in livestock species in the tropics. The exact nature of the cues and the role of biostimulation in livestock species especially swine, sheep, goats and cattle in developing countries require more attention.

Precision livestock production (PLP) is the augmentation of precision agriculture (PA) concepts to include all components of agroecosystems, particularly animals and plant-animal interactions. Soil, plants and soil-plant interactions are the subjects of PA or site-specific farming, where the main principle is to exploit natural spatial heterogeneity to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. For the most part, PA has been studied and developed for intensive cropping systems with little attention devoted to pastoral and agropastoral systems. PLP focuses on the animal component and exploits heterogeneity in space and among individual animals towards more efficient and environmentally friendly production. Within PLP, precision grazing consists of the integration of information and communication technologies with knowledge about animal behavior and physiology to improve production of meat, milk and wool in grazing conditions. Two main goals are to minimize overgrazing of sensitive areas and to maximize the quality of the product through enhanced traceability. An integrated precision grazing system is outlined with its components: sensors of animal position, behavior and physiological status, real-time transmission of information to a decision support system, and feed-back through a series of actuators. Control of animal movement and diets is based on knowledge about species specific responses to various stimuli within the paradigms of flavor aversions and operant conditioning. Recent advances in the technologies and instrumentation available are reviewed briefly and linked to current livestock identification systems. The precision grazing vision is presented in full and the areas that need further research and development are discussed.

There is an increasing interest for sustainable forms of livestock production systems, which will provide a balanced relationship between environmental, socio-cultural and economic factors. The small ruminant sector is examined with particular focus on the possibilities of improving the sustainability of small ruminant systems and on the possible role of organic production to meet the demand of sustainability. Current regulations highlighting different approaches and interpretation of organic farming among countries are reviewed. Regulations concerning organic livestock production between the US and the EU are compared. For the future development of organic farming, a strong harmonisation of rules and legislation at international and national level is needed.

In this study genetic parameters of linear scored conformation traits of the Dutch Warrnblood Riding Horse were estimated in relation to performance in competition. Observations on 10 665 mares were analyzed with an animal model including the fixed effects age, classifier, location and percentage of thoroughbred. Using restricted maximum likelihood algorithms, heritabilities of 26 linear scored conformation traits were estimated in the range 0.09-0.28. Several conformation traits had high up to very high mutual genetic correlations. Competition results of 3476 horses with performance in dressage and 3220 horses with performance in show-jumping were linked to the conformation data to estimate the genetic relationship between conformation and performance in competition. The model for the evaluation of the competition results included the fixed effects riding club, age and sex. Estimated he&abilities for dressage and show-jumping were 0.17 f 0.05 and 0.19 f 0.04, respectively. Genetic correlations between conformation and performance were low to moderate. The length of the neck, length and position of the shoulders, shape and length of croup and muscularity of the haunches had a significant moderate genetic correlation with dressage. Muscularity of the neck, shape of the croup and muscularity of the haunches had a significant genetic correlation with show-jumping. The results indicate that, due to the low genetic correlations with performance traits, indirect selection for performance using conformation results is of limited value. * Corresponding author. 0301-6226/95/$09.50 0 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved SSDI0301-6226(95)00010-O

A Humane Society video, made secretly at the Westland/Hallmark plant in late 2007 and released in early 2008, led to the recall of 143 million pounds of beef. This case study illustrates the complexity of the food industry and the food recall process. Although ultimately, the incident had more to do with animal welfare than food safety — no sicknesses were tied to the recalled beef, it resulted in changes to the nation’s food safety procedures. The 2008 Westland/Hallmark beef recall, the largest beef recall in U.S. history, is a stepping-off point to examine the beef supply chain generally and the ground beef supply chain specifically.

results in so-called midpoint categories, according to themes. Themes are common mechanisms (e.g. climate change) or commonly accepted grouping (e.g. ecotoxicity). b) Damage oriented methods such as Eco-indicator 99 (Goedkoop and Spriensma 2000) or EPS (Steen 1999), which try to model the cause-effect chain up to the endpoint, or damage, sometimes with high uncertainties.

Food provides energy and nutrients, but its acquisition requires energy expenditure. In post-hunter-gatherer societies, extra-somatic energy has greatly expanded and intensifi ed the catching, gathering, and production of food. Modern relations between energy, food, and health are very complex, raising serious, high-level policy challenges. Together with persistent widespread under-nutrition, over-nutrition (and sedentarism) is causing obesity and associated serious health consequences. Worldwide, agricultural activity, especially livestock production, accounts for about a fi fth of total greenhouse-gas emissions, thus contributing to climate change and its adverse health consequences, including the threat to food yields in many regions. Particular policy attention should be paid to the health risks posed by the rapid worldwide growth in meat consumption, both by exacerbating climate change and by directly contributing to certain diseases. To prevent increased greenhouse-gas emissions from this production sector, both the average worldwide consumption level of animal products and the intensity of emissions from livestock production must be reduced. An international contraction and convergence strategy off ers a feasible route to such a goal. The current global average meat consumption is 100 g per person per day, with about a ten-fold variation between high-consuming and low-consuming populations. 90 g per day is proposed as a working global target, shared more evenly, with not more than 50 g per day coming from red meat from ruminants (ie, cattle, sheep, goats, and other digastric grazers).

4 Abstract: A study to improve soil fertility and farm productivity under intensive crop-dairy smallholder farming systems was carried out in Kiambu District, central Kenya highlands in the period 2003-2005 using farmer field school approach. The objectives of the study were to diagnose farming system constraints and assess the contribution of livestock to soil nutrient balances, design and test potential

Development in organic farming has been stimulated by farmers and consumers becoming interested in healthy food products and sustainable environment. Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which is based on the principles of health, ecology, care, and fairness. Organic development in Uganda has focused more on the crop sector than livestock sector and has primarily involved the private sector, like organic products export companies and non-governmental organizations. Agriculture in Uganda and many African countries is predominantly traditional, less mechanized, and is usually associated with minimum use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and drugs. This low external input agriculture also referred to as “organic by default” can create basis for organic farming where agroecological methods are introduced and present an alternative in terms of intensification to the current low-input/low-output systems. Traditional farming should not be confused with organic farming because in some cases, the existing traditional practices have consequences like overstocking and less attention to soil improvement as well as to animal health and welfare, which is contrary to organic principles of ecology, fairness, health, and care. Challenges of implementing sustainable organic practices in the Ugandan livestock sector threaten its future development, such as vectors and vector-borne diseases, organic feed insufficiency, limited education, research, and support to organic livestock production. The prospects of organic livestock development in Uganda can be enhanced with more scientific research in organic livestock production under local conditions and strengthening institutional support.

The importance of main streaming gender issues in development programmes is now recognized by governments and development agents. This paper evaluates the role of gender in smallholder livestock production using Zimbabwe as a case study. It draws on several studies and assesses the gender dimension in terms of access and control, decision making and, division of labour. It is shown that for mainly traditional and historical reasons men continue to dominate livestock production although the situation is gradually changing. Men eclipse women in terms of ownership of more valuable stock, the making of decisions and the control of livestock production. This suggests that gender is important in livestock production and must be considered among other factors. The complexity of the system is noted but more gender disaggregated quantitative data is required if gender is to be effectively mainstreamed in livestock development programmes.

This paper describes the socioeconomic determinants of primary school dropout in Uganda with the aid of a logistic model analysis using the 2004 National Service Delivery Survey data. The Objectives were to establish the; household socioeconomic factors that influence dropout of pupils given free education and any possible policy alternatives to curb dropout of pupils. Various logistic regressions of primary school dropout were estimated and these took the following dimensions; rural-urban, gender, and age-cohort.

A quick survey study was conducted with the objectives of assessing farmers trait preference and productive performance of Sasso provided by Ethio-chicken private poultry farms under village production system in three agro ecologies of SNNPR, Ethiopia. Totally, 135 randomly selected respondents (45 from each agro ecologies) were included in the study. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one way ANOVA. According to the respondents most of the farmers were currently rearing more Sasso breeds in all agro ecologies (40.4, 72.7 and 47.7 in highland, midland and lowland respectively) than Bovans brown (17, 6.8 and 20.5% in highland, midland and lowland respectively). Current study exposed that 94.4% of respondents on average in all agro ecologies select Bovans brown for egg production while Sasso breed was selected by respondents (97.7%) for having large body size and producing high amount of meat. The information collected on age at first laying disclosed th...

Livestock production has a major impact on the environment. Choosing a more environmentally-friendly livestock product in a diet can mitigate environmental impact. The objective of this research was to compare assessments of the environmental impact of livestock products. Twenty-five peer-reviewed studies were found that assessed the impact of production of pork, chicken, beef, milk, and eggs using life cycle analysis (LCA). Only 16 of these studies were reviewed, based on five criteria: study from an OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) country, non-organic production, type of LCA methodology, allocation method used, and definition of system boundary. LCA results of these 16 studies were expressed in three ways: per kg product, per kg protein, and per kg of average daily intake of each product for an OECD country. The review yielded a consistent ranging of results for use of land and energy, and for climate change. No clear pattern was found, however, for eutrophication and acidification. Production of 1 kg of beef used most land and energy, and had highest global warming potential (GWP), followed by production of 1 kg of pork, chicken, eggs, and milk. Differences in environmental impact among pork, chicken, and beef can be explained mainly by 3 factors: differences in feed efficiency, differences in enteric CH 4 emission between monogastric animals and ruminants, and differences in reproduction rates. The impact of production of 1 kg of meat (pork, chicken, beef) was high compared with production of 1 kg of milk and eggs because of the relatively high water content of milk and eggs. Production of 1 kg of beef protein also had the highest impact, followed by pork protein, whereas chicken protein had the lowest impact. This result also explained why consumption of beef was responsible for the largest part of the land use and GWP in an average OECD diet. This review did not show consistent differences in environmental impact per kg protein in milk, pork, chicken and eggs. Only one study compared environmental impact of meat versus milk and eggs. Conclusions regarding impact of pork or chicken versus impact of milk or eggs require additional comparative studies and further harmonization of LCA methodology. Interpretation of current LCA results for livestock products, moreover, is hindered because results do not include environmental consequences of competition for land between humans and animals, and consequences of land-use changes. We recommend, therefore, to include these consequences in future LCAs of livestock products.

The first steps in developing an agroforestry extension and training program involve compilation, synthesis, and analysis of current knowledge on existing practices. Equally important is to understand the perceptions of landowners and professionals of agroforestry as a land use option. No systematic effort has been made to assess these critical issues in the southeastern United States. Therefore, needs assessment surveys were developed following an analysis of major demographic issues that frame land use in the region and synthesis of information obtained from informal site visits and interviews with people engaged in resource and land use in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain. Surveys of extension professionals and landowners were then undertaken in the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia to represent the southeastern region. In addition to getting insights into the perceived benefits and concerns about agroforestry practices, the surveys indicated that the extent of alley cropping, forest farming and silvopasture practiced by landowners was less than anticipated, and that the prominence of windbreaks was overlooked by professionals. Managed riparian forest buffers or streamside management zones and windbreak technologies were the most widely used forms of agroforestry in the study area, although landowners did not recognize influence of agroforestry practices on quality or quantity of water among benefits of highest importance to them. Multistrata patio-or home gardens were also a prominent landowner-practice and acknowledged by professionals. These survey results can be useful for developing a relevant agroforestry extension and training program in the subtropical Southeast and may be of interest to agroforestry efforts in other similar settings.

Despite its vital role in the country's economic activities, livestock sector was considered as poor investment for development in Ethiopia. But currently, it is being given due attention in government policy planning, especially in the last two growth and transformation plans. Arsi zone is known for its own cattle breed known as "Arsi breed" (one of the six local breeds of the country) and has huge livestock population. However, the production system and constraints have not been studied. Therefore, this research was initiated to characterize the production system and prioritize associated production constraints in Arsi zone. In general, the livestock production constraints were studied to be identified and prioritized in order of their importance in each farming system. Overall constraints were categorized into five clusters as feed related constraints, health related constraints, breed related constraints and financial and human power related constraints. Therefore, to solve these constraints, establishment of feed development research program in nearby center (most likely in Asella Agricultural Engineering Research Center) and strong extension system to promote improved forages, better health care and use of improved breeds are suggested as a solution. Provision of credit system in order to enable farmers use all the services like purchase of initial livestock, concentrates and the like must be given due attention.

Promotion of integrated aquaculture with agriculture, including crops and livestock (IAA-farming), requires consideration of both bio-physical and socio-economic contexts. The major factors influencing the adoption of IAA-farming by households at three sites in the Mekong delta were identified. Special attention was given to the multiple roles ponds play in IAA-farming systems. Information was collected through semi-structured interviews and discussions with focus groups and key individuals. Data were analyzed using multivariate factor analysis, analysis of variance or participatory ranking methods. Three major IAA-systems were identified: (1) low-input fish farming integrated with intensive fruit production (system 1), (2) medium-input fish farming integrated with less intensive fruit production (system 2), and (3) high-input fish farming integrated with less intensive fruit production (system 3). System 1 was commonly practised in a rural fruit-dominated area with fertile soils, while systems 2 and 3 were more evident in peri-urban rice-dominated areas with less fertile soils. In the study area, only 6% of poor farmers adopted IAA-farming, while this was 42% for intermediate and 60% for rich households. Richer farmers tended to intensify fish farming and seek a more commercial orientation. The major factors why farmers did not start aquaculture were the inappropriateness of technology, insufficient land holding or poor access to extension services, limited farm management, and through a fear of conflicts associated with pesticide use on crops. The main motivations for practising IAA-farming included increased income and food for home consumption from the available farm resources while reducing environmental impacts. Further improvements to IAA-systems can be realized by strengthening nutrient recycling between different IAA-system components while enhancing farming output and safeguarding the environment.

Strategy has evolved throughout the years. The amount of competitive forces facing organisations may be the result of globalisation. This has forced companies to come up with strategic approaches to survive, increase market shares and most importantly to gain competitive advantage. Acquisition is one of the strategic approaches for organizational growth and accomplishment of business objectives and profitability (Malik et al., 2014).
This paper presents a critical analysis of Post Holdings’ acquisition of Weetabix.  It explores the strategic framework of the acquisition, critically reviews and analyses the relevant internal and external stakeholders and the breakfast cereal industry. Porter’s Generic strategies and Bowman’s strategic clock would be used to explore the Weetabix strategic positioning. Stakeholder Map of Weetabix case will be drawn and discussed. PEST analysis will be carried out to analyse what drives the Weetabix’s strategy to achieve profitability.  Finally, Porter’s Model of Fives Competitive Forces will be used to analyse the breakfast cereal Industry in the case of Weetabix case and its attractiveness in terms of profitability..
Post Holdings Inc. is a consumer-packaged goods company, which manufactures, markets and sells both branded and private label cereal products. In 2017 it acquired Weetabix Limited, also a breakfast cereal company, thus entering into the British market. The acquisition would result to change of internal and external stakeholders and thus requiring re-alignment of company to steer it to increased profitability.