Economic Efficiency Of Milk Production For Different Sizes Of Modern Dairy Farms In Hamadan Province, Iran,
2023
Animal Science and Forest & Rangeland Research Institutes, Iran
Economic Efficiency Of Milk Production For Different Sizes Of Modern Dairy Farms In Hamadan Province, Iran, Yousef Rostami, M. Koopahi, S. A. Mohaddes
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Iran has limited water resources and attention has been focused on selecting agricultural subsectors, such as dairy farming, that maximise economic returns to this limited resource. The study measures the levels of production efficiency of a sample of modern farms located in the Hamadan province of north-west Iran. Though the production levels of modern farms are higher than those of traditional farms, levels of production efficiency are in many cases well below potential resulting in lower profit margins and less investment in dairy farming. This study was concerned with quantifying efficiency in a sample of modern dairy farms.
Agro-Pastoralists Concerns Over The Prosopis Tree: The Case Of The Ilchamus Of Baringo District, Kenya,
2023
Egerton University, Kenya
Agro-Pastoralists Concerns Over The Prosopis Tree: The Case Of The Ilchamus Of Baringo District, Kenya, Abdillahi A. Aboud, F. W. Lusenaka, C. I. Lenachuru, P. K. Kisoyan
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The Prosopis tree was introduced to the arid and semi-arid lands of eastern Africa in the 1970s, through governmental forest development agencies to curb environmental degradation and provide fodder for small stock. A number of other benefits were also then attributed to the tree. However, the Prosopis tree has turned out to be a cause of serious concerns, as it has invaded, dominated and almost totally removed all grass and short vegetation species from pasturelands. In Baringo District of Kenya, Prosopis has been the worst enemy of the local IlChamus agro-pastoralists (Lenachuru, 2003), who have now raised much concern over …
Of Grasslands And Guns: Natural-Resource Based Conflict Among The Waso Borana Pastoralists Of Northern Kenya,
2023
Egerton University, Kenya
Of Grasslands And Guns: Natural-Resource Based Conflict Among The Waso Borana Pastoralists Of Northern Kenya, A. D. Jillo, Abdillahi A. Aboud, D. L. Coppock
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The once productive, arid rangelands of northern Kenya, traditionally dominated by a mix of woody species (Acacia, Commiphora, Cordia spp.) and graminoids (Tetrapogon, Aristida, Chrysopogon and Sporobolus spp.) have gradually deteriorated in ecological condition over recent decades (Herlocker, 1999). A major factor considered to be responsible for this trend is the disintegration of traditional systems of land stewardship. Traditional authority has waned in northern Kenya and has often been replaced by open-access tenure, overseen by ineffectual government administrators. Couple this with frequent droughts that typify this zone, as well as expanding populations of people and livestock, and the …
Community Perceptions Of Vulnerable Key Ecological Resources In Baringo, Kenya,
2023
Egerton University, Kenya
Community Perceptions Of Vulnerable Key Ecological Resources In Baringo, Kenya, Mark N. Mutinda, Abdillahi A. Aboud, D. L. Coppock
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Key resources in arid lands are often relatively small patches of seasonal grazing or water access that critically support entire livestock production systems (Scoones, 1993). When these are lost, production systems may be destroyed. An early-warning system is needed whereby key resources at risk can be identified and protected. The Baringo District of north-central Kenya has endured decades of resource abuse and high rates of population growth-breakdowns of traditional systems have occurred and food relief is common (Little, 1992). Despite this situation, most production system research in the past has been conducted at local scales of resolution. The advent of …
High Elevation Grasslands As A Crucial Resource To Ranchers Of Northern New Mexico,
2023
USDA Forest Service
High Elevation Grasslands As A Crucial Resource To Ranchers Of Northern New Mexico, A. M. Mcsweeny, Carol Raish
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
High-elevation grasslands of northern New Mexico (NM), located at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains in the western United States, are a crucial resource for small-scale, family-owned ranches. Due to evolution of land acquisition in northern New Mexico, many of these lands are in public ownership, and ranchers must now rely upon government-managed grazing allotments for pasturing their livestock. Regulations and management decisions governing these lands, along with competition for use (e.g. recreation), can significantly affect the viability and survival of ranching throughout the area (Raish & McSweeney, 2003).
Avenues For Enhancing Traditional Livelihoods From Grasslands: Income Diversification Among Pastoral Women’S Groups In Southern Ethiopia,
2023
GL‐CRSP PARIMA, Kenya
Avenues For Enhancing Traditional Livelihoods From Grasslands: Income Diversification Among Pastoral Women’S Groups In Southern Ethiopia, S. Desta, D. L. Coppock, S. Tezera, G. Gebru
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The rangelands of Africa remain home to millions of people who try to make a living by raising livestock on natural forage. Recent increase in human and livestock populations, however, along with a lack of economic development, has relegated many people to poverty and vulnerability. The semi-arid Borana Plateau of southern Ethiopia is a case in point. About 250,000 people herd one million head of livestock there. Thousands of animals die in periodic droughts and people are food insecure. It has been proposed that one way to better manage risk in this system is through economic diversification to reduce vulnerability …
Pastures From Space - Application Of Satellite-Derived Pasture Predictions Improve The Profitability Of Australian Sheep Producers,
2023
Department of Agriculture and Food, Australia
Pastures From Space - Application Of Satellite-Derived Pasture Predictions Improve The Profitability Of Australian Sheep Producers, S. G. Gherardi, L. Anderton, J. Sneddon, Chris Oldham, G. Mata
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Pastures from Space, a collaborative program between CSIRO Livestock Industries and the Western Australian state Departments of Agriculture and Land Information, has developed the capacity to measure both the biomass and growth rate of annual pasture in the winter rainfall regions of southern Australia using satellite images (Edirisinghe et al., 2002). Producer groups were set up to pilot test the delivery of satellitederived pasture growth rate (PGR, kg dry matter/hectare.day) and biomass (feed on offer or FOO, kg dry matter/hectare) predictions for paddocks on individual farms in Western Australia. This paper reports on the value to Australian sheep producers …
Diagnosing Nitrogen, Phosphorous And Potassium Status Of Natural Grassland In The Presence Of Legumes,
2023
INRA, France
Diagnosing Nitrogen, Phosphorous And Potassium Status Of Natural Grassland In The Presence Of Legumes, C. Jouany, P. Cruz, J. P. Theau, M. Duru
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
In most temperate areas, sustainable management of grassland ecosystems has to deal with evaluation and management of N, P and K resources. For this purpose, appropriate diagnostic systems are needed in order to manage fertilisation accordingly. The nutrient index method based on nutrient concentrations in plant tissues relative to the degree of growth has been developed; it relies on critical curves which serve for diagnostic: for N, the critical curve gives the optimum N concentration for different levels of biomass accumulation in swards, for P and K optimum concentrations are a linear function of sward N concentration (Duru & Thélier-Huché, …
Fertiliser Responses And Soil Test Calibrations For Grazed Pastures In Australia,
2023
Primary Industries Research Victoria, Australia
Fertiliser Responses And Soil Test Calibrations For Grazed Pastures In Australia, C. J. P. Gourley, A. Melland, K. I. Peverill, P. Strickland, I. Awty, J. M. Scott
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
On-farm management of fertiliser is of major economic significance to the Australian grazing industries, based on expenditure on fertiliser and higher farm productivity that fertiliser use supports. However the application of fertiliser has traditionally been an inexact and inefficient process (Peverill et al. 1999) and there is increasing pressure for nutrient losses from agriculture to be minimised. The improved adoption and application of tools like soil testing can make substantial improvements in nutrient use efficiency but interpretation needs to be based on the best available information. This paper reports on the collation of current and historical experimental data relating …
Potential For Forecasting Uk Summer Grass Growth From The North Atlantic Oscillation,
2023
Harper Adams University College, UK
Potential For Forecasting Uk Summer Grass Growth From The North Atlantic Oscillation, P. S. Kettlewell, J. Easey, P. D. Hollins, T. Martyn, D. B. Stephenson
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern which is well-known to influence the UK winter climate (Wilby et al., 1997). Recently, it has been shown that the winter NAO also affects summer rainfall in the UK (Kettlewell et al., 2003). Since water supply is an important limitation to summer grass growth in many parts of the UK, the winter NAO may influence summer growth. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the winter NAO and summer grass growth using data from reference plots at North …
Modelling Grass Productivity In The Brazilian Amazon,
2023
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Modelling Grass Productivity In The Brazilian Amazon, C. E. P. Cerri, K. Paustian, C. C. Cerri, F. F. C. Mello, M. Bernoux, K. Coleman, E. Milne
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The Amazon Basin covers an area of 7 million km2, and the central part is almost entirely located within Brazilian territory. This region has the highest rates of deforestation in the world, and the total area deforested now exceeds 600,000 km2. Cattle pasture represents the largest single use (about 70%) of this once-forested land in most of the Brazilian Basin, with an estimated area of 20 million hectares. Our main objective was to simulate grass productivity in different forest to pasture chronosequences within the Brazilian Amazon.
Simulation Of Lablab Pastures,
2023
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Australia
Simulation Of Lablab Pastures, Jacqueline O. Hill, M. J. Robertson, A. M. Whitbread, B. C. Pengelly
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The potential of legume-based pastures to address declining soil nitrogen on marginal cropping soils is increasingly recognised in northern Australia, as such there is a need for cost benefit analysis of pastures and crops in a mixed farming system. In highly variable rainfall environments, biophysical modelling may be the best way of identifying and quantifying interactions with mixed crop-livestock systems on a seasonal basis. This paper describes a case study where both animal productivity and lablab pasture production is simulated. Lablab (Lablab purpureus) is an annual tropical legume widely used as a short-term legume phase in crop-pasture rotations, …
A Herbage Growth Model For Different Types Of Natural Grassland,
2023
Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil
A Herbage Growth Model For Different Types Of Natural Grassland, J. Viégas, M. Duru, P. Cruz, J. P. Theau, P. Ansquer, C. Ducourtieux
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The aim of this work was to extend existing growth models established for pure stands to a wide range of grassland communities. For this purpose we built a simple growth model, including sub-models for radiation interception and use. Parameters for the effect of nutrient rates (N, P) and defoliation regimes were based on a plant trait database. Senescence and reproductive processes were particularly considered because of their importance in late spring growth. The model makes it possible to simulate the daily biomass production as a function of both environmental factors and the functional type of the dominant species in the …
Variation Of Ldmc And Sla Relationship Between Growth Forms In Natural Grasslands,
2023
Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil
Variation Of Ldmc And Sla Relationship Between Growth Forms In Natural Grasslands, J. Viégas, P. Cruz, J. P. Theau, C. Jouany, P. Ansquer, R. Al Haj Khaled, O. Therond, M. Duru
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
In agro-ecological studies, there is a growing interest in measuring both leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and specific leaf area (SLA). This interest lies on the fact that leaf traits are linked to gradients of environmental factors and ecosystem functions. Working with three contrasting wild species, Garnier et al. (2001) proposed a model linking these two traits. The model shows a relatively simple non linear and negative correlation between LDMC and SLA. Nevertheless, none of the species used to build the model were grasses (GRA) or forb rosettes (ROS = i.e. dicotyledonous with large entire leaves and absence of …
Adapting The Cropgro Model To Predict Growth And Perennial Nature Of Bahiagrass,
2023
University of Florida
Adapting The Cropgro Model To Predict Growth And Perennial Nature Of Bahiagrass, S. J. Rymph, K. J. Boote, J. W. Jones
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The objective of this research was to modify an existing crop growth model for ability to predict growth and composition of bahiagrass (Paspalm notatum Flügge) in response to daily weather and management inputs. The CROPGRO-CSM cropping systems model has a generic, process-oriented structure that allows inclusion of new species and simulating cropping sequences and crop rotations. An early adaptation of CROPGRO-CSM "species files" for bahiagrass over-predicted growth during late fall through early spring, and totally failed in re-growth if all foliage was lost from freeze damage. Revised species parameters and use of "pest damage" offered only a partial solution. …
State And Transition Model Of Lowland Grassland In Flooding Pampa,
2023
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
State And Transition Model Of Lowland Grassland In Flooding Pampa, E. J. Jacobo, A. M. Rodríguez, V. A. Deregibus
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Rainfall conditions are considered to be a major factor in determining vegetation structure in temperate grasslands with grazing playing a secondary role (Biondini et al., 1998; Sternberg et al., 2000). In order to analyse the relative importance of both factors on the lowland community of the Flooding Pampa we compared the responses of functional groups under both intermittent and continuous grazing regimes over a 3- year period of important inter seasonal rainfall variation. The results are presented in a state and transition model.
The Influence Of Growing Degree Days On Robinia Pseudoacacia Browse Quality And Productivity In The Southeastern Usa,
2023
North Carolina State University
The Influence Of Growing Degree Days On Robinia Pseudoacacia Browse Quality And Productivity In The Southeastern Usa, L. J. Unruh Snyder, J. Paul Mueller, Jean-Marie Luginbuhl, K. E. Turner, C. Brownie
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
The possibility of estimating browse quality and productivity of black locust (BL; Robinia pseudoacacia L.) herbage from accumulated air temperature heat units (growing degree days, GDD) could be a valuable tool for researchers and graziers in efficient allocation of feed resources. Accumulated air temperature heat units (GDD) above a 10° C base have been used to predict several forage quality constituents (Onstad & Fick ,1983).
Modelling Tiller Density Dynamics In A Grass Sward,
2023
University of Miyazaki, Japan
Modelling Tiller Density Dynamics In A Grass Sward, Masahiko Hirata
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Simulation models are useful tools for grassland management. Among many quantitative and qualitative attributes describing vegetation of grasslands, density of plant population is important because of its close relationship with persistence of grasslands (Hirata, 2004), which in turn is crucial for sustainable agricultural production and/or conservation of the environment, wildlife and recreational resource. Although various models have described grassland vegetation, relatively few models have dealt with plant population density. This paper presents a model describing dynamics in tiller population density in a grass sward.
Leaf And Tiller Dynamics In Centipede Grass And Bahia Grass,
2023
University of Miyazaki, Japan
Leaf And Tiller Dynamics In Centipede Grass And Bahia Grass, M. A. Islam, Masahiko Hirata
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
Centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.) is a warm-season perennial which has received the attention of farmers and researchers as a new forage resource for sown pastures in the low-altitude regions of south-western Japan where bahia grass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) has been widely used (Islam & Hirata, 2005). Leaf and tiller dynamics provide the basis to explain variation in production and canopy structure of a grass sward (Rhodes & Collins, 1993), and knowledge of the dynamics can be used as a tool for sward management. However, this information is lacking for centipede grass (Islam & Hirata, 2005). The …
Modelling Winter Grass Growth And Senescence,
2023
Teagasc, Ireland
Modelling Winter Grass Growth And Senescence, D. Hennessy, S. Laidlaw, M. O'Donovan, P. French
IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)
In temperate climates, because net grass growth in winter is low, most grass growth models deal with the main growing season (Mar-Oct in the N Hemisphere), with little emphasis on grass growth in winter (Nov-Feb). However, grass tissue turns over continuously (Hennessy et al., 2004) and the fate of herbage entering the winter is important in extended grazing season systems. This study aimed to model winter grass growth for the period 15 Oct 2001 to 28 Jan 2002 for a range of autumn closing dates (1 Sep, 20 Sep and 10 Oct) by modifying an existing model, so that …
