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Ewe performance in the post-weaning phase and structural characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cultivars in the dry season
The objective of this study was to examine the performance of ewes in the post-weaning phase and the structural characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cultivars in the dry season. The treatments were represented by four Brachiaria brizantha cultivars (Piatã, Marandu, Paiaguás, and Xaraés), which were evaluated in a randomized-block design with two replicates for the forage variables and eight replicates for the animal performance variables. Canopy height, masses of forage and morphological components and chemical composition of morphological components were evaluated. Thirty-two ½ Santa Inês and ½ Dorper sheep with an initial body weight (BW) of 22.7 ± 1.2 kg were used. Average daily gain (ADG – kg animal-1 day-1), stocking rate (in animal units [AU] = 30 kg of body weight) and weight gain per area (kg ha-1 day-1) were measured. There was no cultivar effect (p > 0.05) on the structural characteristics of the pasture. The highest crude protein content in the leaf blade (11.8%) were found in cultivar Marandu. Average daily gain was higher in the animals that grazed on cultivar Marandu (0.08 kg animal-1 day-1) as compared with cultivars Xaraés (0.05 kg animal-1 day-1) and Piatã (0.04 kg animal-1 day-1), whereas the ewes that grazed on cultivar Paiaguás showed intermediate ADG values (0.06 kg animal-1 day-1). There was no difference between the cultivars for stocking rate (9.2 AU). Weight gain per area was highest in cultivar Marandu (0.33 kg ha-1 day-1) and lowest in cv. Piatã (0.16 kg ha-1 day-1). Brachiaria brizantha cultivars Piatã, Marandu, Paiaguás and Xaraés proved to be forage options for the post-weaning phase of ewes supplemented with concentrate in the dry season.
Journal Article
Raising animals for fiber : producing wool from sheep, goats, alpacas, and rabbits in your backyard
Get a feel for fiber farming! Welcome to a \"wool\" new world! The perfect starting point, this book focuses on four different fiber animal species to tackle all of your questions and curiosities. Understand the basics of keeping livestock for fiber, then progress into detailed information on raising sheep, Angora goats, alpacas, and Angora rabbits to discover which could be the best fit for you. Learn tips for grooming, housing, feeding, shearing, breeding, and more for each animal, plus get ideas on how to use the fiber you harvest. Author and Californian fiber farmer Chris McLaughlin began from a simple curiosity that converged with her existing hobby of raising and showing rabbits. The same can go for you, too! An essential introduction to raising livestock for fiber ; Focuses on four main wool-producing animals: sheep, Angora goats, alpacas, and Angora rabbits ; Provides insight on each animal's fiber, as well as health, grooming, housing, breeding, shearing, and other special considerations ; Shares ideas on how to use and market the fiber you harvest ; Bonus fiber farming resources guide you to further research, such as national clubs, books, magazines, websites, and more. -- back cover.
Book
Up Came a Squatter
Battles with local Aboriginal people, other settlers, Commissioners of Crown Lands and bush-fires, along with droughts, family feuds, multiple trips back to Scotland to find a wife and Black's rise to gentrified excess are all vividly brought to life.
eBook
All the birds, singing
Jake Whyte has retreated to a remote farmhouse on a craggy British island, a place of ceaseless rains and battering winds, with only her collie and a flock of sheep as companions. But something--or someone--has begun picking off her sheep one by one. There are foxes in the woods, a strange man wandering the island, and rumors of a mysterious beast prowling at night. And there is Jake's relentless past--one she tried to escape thousands of miles away and years ago, concealed in stubborn silence and isolation and the scars that stripe her back. With exceptional artistry, \"All the Birds, Singing\" plumbs a life of fierce struggle and survival, sounding depths of unexpected beauty and hard-won redemption.
Book
Shifting units, shifting views: how product mass and protein content influence environmental impact of Icelandic lamb
Purpose
Lamb meat is a crucial protein source in Icelanders’ diets. Extensive grazing lands, locally grown hay feed, and traditional farming methods are often used as arguments for Icelandic lamb meat’s environmental friendliness. However, no life cycle assessment (LCA) study exists to corroborate these arguments. This study conducts a national-level LCA to evaluate the environmental performance of lamb meat based on two functional units to identify key hotspot processes in its production.
Method
This study conducts a cradle-to-farm gate LCA at the national level for two functional units: 1 kg of edible lamb meat (ELM) and 100 g of ELM protein produced in Iceland in 2019. The multifunctionality between wool and meat is handled using mass allocation.
The environmental impacts were estimated using the ReCiPe 2016 v1.1 mid-point (H) impact assessment method, emphasizing selected environmental categories: global warming, fossil resource scarcity, land use, and terrestrial ecotoxicity. In addition, the study conducts a scenario-based variability analysis by taking minimum and maximum values of inventory data to estimate the possible range of environmental impacts. Lastly, an overall uncertainty analysis and a global sensitivity analysis of the key hotspot process shed light on the variability and sensitivity of the LCA results.
Result and discussion
For the 18 ReCiPe impact categories, animal and feed (hay) production are the hotspot processes, followed by feed (grazing) as a hotspot for land use. The global warming impact for 1 kg of ELM ranges 41–53 kg CO
2
equivalent, and for 100 g of protein, 19–29 kg CO
2
equivalent. Fossil resource scarcity impact for 1 kg of ELM impact ranges 2.5–3.6 kg oil equivalent, and for 100 g protein, 1–2 kg oil equivalent. Terrestrial ecotoxicity impacts for 1 kg of ELM range 46–69 kg 1,4-DCB, and for 100 g protein, 21–37 kg 1,4-DCB. Lastly, land use impacts for 1 kg of ELM range 562–2448 m
2
a crop equivalent, and for 100 g protein, 261–1324 m
2
a crop equivalent.
Conclusion
With its traditional farming practices, Icelandic lamb meat production is close to an extensive farming system, which is in line with its higher global warming impact per kg ELM. Additionally, due to low hay yield and high fertilization rate, the impact on other impact categories is still higher compared to an extensive system. This perspective shifts when analyzed per 100 g of protein, where it performs close to the global average.
Journal Article
Up came a squatter : Niel Black of Glenormiston, 1839-1880
Niel Black, a Scot from Argyllshire, arrived in Melbourne in September intending to make his fortune. Ambitious and determined, Black became one of the most successful and energetic squatters in the Western District of Victoria - a livestock breeder and a Member of the Legislative Council. He was also a correspondent extraordinaire, and his letters to family, fellow pastoralists, colonial officials, and his chief UK business partner, Thomas Steuart Gladstone (and first cousin of the British prime minister), offer a unique insight into the time. Black's letters and journals, now held at the State Library of Victoria, are the inspiration for this revelatory book written by his great-granddaughter. Battles with local Aboriginal people, other settlers, Commissioners of Crown Lands and bush-fires, along with droughts, family feuds, multiple trips back to Scotland to find a wife and Black's rise to gentrified excess are all vividly brought to life.
Book
The Role of Group Dynamics Elements in Farmer Groups Sustainability: An Empirical Study Employing SMART PLS on Sheep Farmer Groups in the Banjarnegara Regency Highlands
This study investigates the impact of group dynamics components on the sustainability of sheep farmer groups in the highlands of Banjarnegara Regency, Indonesia. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), data were analyzed from 132 sheep farmers, representing 20% of the total 440 sheep farmers, selected through simple random sampling across Pejawaran, Pagentan, Batur, and Kalibening districts. Structured questionnaires assessed eight group dynamics components—group goals, group structure, group functions and tasks, group development and training, group cohesion, group atmosphere, group tension, and group effectiveness—and their influence on sustainability of sheep farmer groups in the Highlands of Banjarnegara Regency, Indonesia. The analysis, performed with SmartPLS 4.0, revealed that group atmosphere (t = 2.454, p = 0.014) and group cohesion (t = 1.972, p = 0.049) significantly and positively affect group sustainability, whereas other components like group goals and group structure exhibited weaker effects (P > 0.05). The model accounts for 37.7% of the variance in sheep farmer groups sustainability (R 2 = 0.377), indicating that while group dynamics are pivotal, external factors may also play a role. These findings underscore the importance of fostering a supportive group atmosphere and strong interpersonal cohesion to enhance farmer groups sustainability. It is recommended that policymakers and extension agents prioritize social interventions, participatory leadership, and capacity-building programs to bolster group resilience. Future research should consider external factors such as market access, financial resources, and government support to further strengthen farmer groups sustainability strategies.
Journal Article
Benefits associated with traditional livestock systems in family sheep farms in the Chiloé Province, Chile
The inclusion of trees in pastures have emerged in recent years due to the benefits they generate towards livestock ecosystems. In the province of Chiloé, Chile, family farmers still maintain different designs that integrate the tree component and grasslands. The objective of this papper is to identify designs that integrate forestry components in livestock in the Chiloé Province, Los Lagos Region, Chile, to know the functionality attributed to them by family sheep farmers, and to verify if the participation of farmers in agroecological networks influences their perception of the benefits of silvopastoral systems (SSP). The present work identified 5 types of traditional SSP, and 8 benefits were associated with them by sheep farmers. The forest patch system is the most widespread in farms. Sheep farms under agroecological management have had greater adoption of forest patch SSP in relation to those that are not agroecological. Shade is the benefit most cited by ranchers and native species predominate in their designs.
Journal Article
Optimization of sustainable buildings envelopes for extensive sheep farming through the use of dynamic energy simulation
Extensive sheep farming can be seen as a marginal market, compared to other livestock and agricultural activities, taking into account only the economic absolute values. But for many rural marginal areas within the European Community member states, in particular for those located in the Mediterranean area on hills or mountains with high landscape value, extensive sheep farming is not only the longest practiced animal farming activity, but also the most interesting considering its adaptability to the territorial morphology and the restrictions that have been established over the years in terms of sustainable rural development practices. At the moment, most of the structures used in this type of farming are built using low cost and sometimes recycled, but often unsuitable, materials. Few specific studies have been carried out on this particular issue assuming, presumably, that the very low profit margins of these activities made impossible any restructuring. Taken this into account, the new Rural Development Plans that will be issued in 2014 will surely contain some measure dedicated to innovations in farming structures and technology towards facilitating the application of the principles of energy optimization. This is the framework in which the present research has developed. The software that has been applied to perform the energy optimization analysis is the dynamic energy simulation engine Energy Plus. A case study farm has been identified in the small village of Ceseggi (PG), situated in Central Italy. For the case study optimum thermo hygrometric conditions have been identified to ensure the welfare of animals and operators and it has been hypothesized the insertion of an ideal HVAC system to achieve them. Afterwards were evaluated the different energy requirements of the building while varying the insulation material used on the vertical surfaces. The greater goal is to verify which could be the best insulation material for vertical surfaces from energy requirement, primary energy and cost points of view and to verify as well if it would be possible to achieve optimum environmental conditions by using only passive solutions.
Journal Article