Browsing by Subject "Cattle"

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Adaptation of herd simulation models to predict the efficiency of the use of resources in tropical ruminant production systems
(2020) Bateki Adjogo, Christian; Dickhöfer, Uta
Agricultural systems in the (Sub-)Tropics are under increasing pressure to produce more food and satisfy the growing demand of a rapidly growing and more affluent human population for agricultural products. With growing rates of urbanization in these regions and the associated dietary changes, the demand for calories from animal-based foods like milk, meat, and eggs could increase by 74 to 114 % between 2010 and 2050. Ruminant livestock have the potential to contribute to satisfying the demand for animal-based foods in the (Sub-)Tropics, but also raise considerable environmental concerns, amongst others due to their emissions. The use of simulation models is a holistic approach to identify how to sustainably harness the potential of ruminants for animal-based food production in the (Sub-)Tropics. Although several ruminant herd models are relevant for studying tropical ruminant production systems, most of them were developed using data that quantify and characterize biological processes of ruminants in temperate regions. Therefore, the present thesis identified and adapted an existing ruminant livestock herd model to adequately predict resource use and the potential outputs from production systems in the (Sub-)Tropics. The present thesis showed that state-of-the-art ruminant livestock herd models used to simulate tropical production systems need further development to enable them to address the modelling needs identified. Instead of developing new models to address these modelling needs, existing simulation models could be adapted using the increasingly available data that quantify and characterize biological processes in ruminants in these regions. This approach will ensure that not only the direction of change for different management strategies will be identified for tropical ruminant production systems, but also the correct magnitude of resources use and productive and reproductive performance.
Development potential of smallholder livestock production in Zambia
(2019) Lubungu, Mary; Birner, Regina
The continued increase in the demand for livestock products in Africa presents a development opportunity for smallholder livestock farmers. If this opportunity is harnessed well, it can contribute to rural poverty reduction. However, translating this opportunity into reality requires unlocking smallholder farmers productivity potential, considering that livestock performs numerous functions beyond just serving as an income source. To support this development opportunity for smallholder livestock farmers, it is essential to enable a large share of small-scale farmers to engage in livestock farming and increase the productivity of smallholder livestock farming systems in an equitable and environmentally sustainable way. Taking Zambia as an example, this thesis aims to identify and analyze factors that have been obstacles to livestock development. Based on two rounds of panel data collected from smallholder farm households in Zambia, it was observed that the share of farmers who keep cattle is limited and that farmers move in and out of cattle production, despite the many benefits that livestock offers. Therefore, there is a need to identify what enables and disables farmers to keep livestock. There is also a need to identify the driving factors of livestock herd growth since small herd size is one factor that prevents farmers from participating in the market for livestock products. To better understand how livestock production systems can be developed equitably, it is also necessary to understand the gender dimensions of livestock farming to ensure that women will not be left out of the growth process. Moreover, to be able to support livestock production effectively, it is also essential to identify the governance challenges that are likely to occur in the implementation of livestock development interventions. Against this backdrop, the thesiss overall goal was to identify options to promote sustainable livestock production systems. The thesis focused on cattle, which is the most valuable large asset among smallholder farmers in Zambia. The thesis had four specific objectives, which are addressed in separate chapters: (i) To unravel the mystery of moving in and out of cattle keeping; (ii) to identify the factors determining the livestock herd size among smallholder farmers in Zambia; (iii) to understand the gender dimensions in cattle production; and (iv) To uncover the governance challenges of implementing the vaccination campaigns in Zambia To achieve these objectives, a mixed-method research approach was used, involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative analysis was based on an existing household survey data set, which is representative at the national level. Various econometric techniques were applied, including probit, correlated random effect, and zero-one inflated beta regressions. For the qualitative component of the study, a combination of empirical data collection methods was applied, which included focus group discussions, individual household in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, and a participatory mapping method called Process-Net-Map. Analytical methods for the qualitative component of the study included content analysis as well as causal narratives. The analysis showed that moving in or out of cattle production is influenced by human population growth, climatic variability, livestock population density, male household labor availability, and institutional support. The findings indicate that household-level factors and regional factors and their interaction influence households ability to take up cattle production and continue this activity over time. One can derive from this analysis that regional incentives, such as an increase in the demand for draft power, are important to encourage cattle production, but household level challenges, such as labor availability, need to be addressed, as well. The analysis also indicated that loss of cattle due to death, rather than cattle sales, was a major reason for the reduction in herd size. Mortality rates were found to be responsive to animal health interventions, which underlines the need for effective animal health services as a precondition for improved productivity in livestock production. The analysis also showed that farmers mainly increased their herd size by keeping the off-spring of their herd rather than by buying animals. Low conception rates due to limited feed resources during the dry season were identified as a major obstacle to a faster increase in herd size. Farmers who were able to enter into cattle production typically used their income from crop farming to acquire the first stock. This finding indicates that, in the absence of well-functioning rural financial markets, smallholders who cannot generate a surplus from crop farming will not be able to move into cattle production. The analysis also threw light on the factors that enable women to own cattle. These factors included financial independence and the accumulation of other assets. Women were also more likely to own cattle in households with larger herd sizes. Perceived intra-household conflicts were identified as an obstacle to female cattle ownership. Considering the important role of livestock support programs, an in-depth analysis of a program was carried out that supported livestock vaccination campaigns. The Process Net-Map method served to identify the governance challenges faced by the program. The findings established that the complexity of the procurement procedure, the limited capacity of the central actors, and a lack of urgency from influential actors resulted in procurement delays, and a diversion of funds caused delays in the release of funds. Lack of influence by the farmers also contributed to the inefficiency of the implementation procedure. The findings are likely to be relevant for implementing other livestock development programs that involve the distribution of publicly procured inputs. Overall, it was concluded that the problems identified in the thesis need to be addressed. Otherwise, smallholder livestock farmers will not be able to exploit the opportunity of rising demand for livestock products. A number of policy recommendations were derived from the findings. These include the provision of institutional and technical support for the intensification of smallholder cattle production, strategies to bridge the gender gap in cattle production in a way that does not result in household conflicts; and innovative approaches to improve the efficiency in the implementation of livestock development programs.
Improving the accuracy of multi-breed prediction in admixed populations by accounting for the breed origin of haplotype segments
(2022) Schmid, Markus; Stock, Joana; Bennewitz, Jörn; Wellmann, Robin
Numerically small breeds have often been upgraded with mainstream breeds. This historic introgression predisposes the breeds for joint genomic evaluations with mainstream breeds. The linkage disequilibrium structure differs between breeds. The marker effects of a haplotype segment may, therefore, depend on the breed from which the haplotype segment originates. An appropriate method for genomic evaluation would account for this dependency. This study proposes a method for the computation of genomic breeding values for small admixed breeds that incorporate phenotypic and genomic information from large introgressed breeds by considering the breed origin of alleles (BOA) in the evaluation. The proposed BOA model classifies haplotype segments according to their origins and assumes different but correlated SNP effects for the different origins. The BOA model was compared in a simulation study to conventional within-breed genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) and conventional multi-breed GBLUP models. The BOA model outperformed within-breed GBLUP as well as multi-breed GBLUP in most cases.
Das Potenzial der teilmobilen Schlachtung von Rindern im Herkunftsbetrieb : Stressbelastung und Fleischqualität
(2022) Zeidler, Johannes
The industrialization of animal husbandry and the focus on large production volumes have led to the killing of farm animals taking place almost exclusively in what are now a few large slaughterhouses. Of the approximately 3.4 Mio cattle slaughtered in Germany in 2019, nearly 78% are slaughtered in Germanys 10 largest slaughterhouses. Local butchers and small slaughterhouses often cannot comply with the strict legal hygiene regulations. The animals must therefore be transported alive, where loading, the journey, the foreign environment, the separation from the herd and the meeting with unfamiliar animals and humans, are known to cause stress and as well have negative impacts on meat quality. Since the revision of the EU regulation 853/2004 in 2021, slaughter at the farm of origin is now considered an official slaughter method. Although research focussing on slaughtering cattle on the farm of origin using captive bold stunning is missing, meat of cattle slaughtered via gunshot on pasture tends to be more tender and stress levels can be reduced in comparison to cattle slaughtered in the slaughterhouse. This leads to the assumption that also slaughtering cattle on the farm of origin, using captive bolt stunning, should result in higher meat quality and reduce stress prior to slaughter. For this purpose, this study examined 27 cattle from seven different farms slaughtered either on farm of origin using captive bolt stunning, via gunshot or in commercial slaughterhouses. Meat quality parameters and stress indicators were assessed to evaluate these three slaughter methods from a meat quality and an animal welfare perspective Based on the cortisol levels in the blood of exsanguination, no significant differences in the stress levels of the different slaughter methods could be determined. Nevertheless, tendencies towards less stressed animals with slaughtered via gunshot and slaughtered on the farm of origin using captive bolt stunning compared to the slaughterhouse could be revealed. As large variances of cortisol concentrations were measured within cattle slaughtered on farm of origin, stress level seems to depend on the individual slaughtering and preparing procedure. Further research is needed to improve and give recommendations for practical implementation of this method taking different farm structures into account. Quality parameters were not unambiguous. A significant effect of the slaughter method could only be found on ultimate pH-value and redness (a* L*a*b* System). Contrary to our expectations, ultimate pH-value was significantly lower in meat of cattle slaughtered on farm of origin using captive bolt stunning than in meat of cattle slaughtered via gunshot. Moreover, cattle slaughtered on farm of origin using captive bold, had significantly redder meat than cattle slaughtered via gunshot This contradicts the assumption that more stress leads to less red meat. However, it is consistent with the lower pH values of meat from cattle slaughtered with bolt stunning at the farm of origin, because low pH values lead to redder meat. Exploratory results comparing only meat from commercial slaughterhouses with meat from cattle slaughtered on farm using captive bolt stunning show clearer trends. Lower ultimate pH-values, as well as trends towards more tender and juicy meat could be found in cattle slaughtered on farm. To ensure these results and to evaluate meat quality according to different slaughter methods in upcoming research, either environmental effects should be reduced, or the dataset must be larger.