A model has been developed to simulate pasture growth and animal production, using various management strategies and climate profiles. The purpose of the model is to enable simulation of research scenarios to select the most promising for more expensive and time-consuming field trials. The whole farm model links detailed sub-models of the major components on the farm. The model is currently bei...

Farm assurance schemes are an inevitable and essential part of the UK livestock industries as they provide valuable assurances to the market over food safety, nonhuman animal welfare, and environmental concerns. However, there is potential for welfare assessment within such schemes to extend beyond existing resource-based parameters to include outcome-based observations of the behavior and phys...

The Austrian example illustrates the potentials as well as the limitations of forest accountancy data networks as devices for investigating and furthering the profitability of small scale farm forestry (SSFF). Special reference is made to the experiences gained in the process of adaptation and renewal of the system of data management and reporting, which took place in the year 2000. The sampled...

BACKGROUND Calf disease may result in great economic losses. To implement prevention strategies it is important to gain information on management and to point out risk factors. The objective of this internet based survey was to describe calf management practices on registered dairy breeding farms in Austria and to estimate differences in calf disease incidences depending on farm structure and m...

Manure pits and silos are potentially dangerous, gas-containing confined spaces on the farm that may generate hazardous levels of hydrogen sulphide and nitrogen dioxide respectively. Although these inhalation injuries are uncommon, emergency physicians who work within transport distance of rural areas should be aware of the toxic agents involved and their acute management. This article reviews ...

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2005 and 2006 in three geographical areas of Madagascar to investigate and differentiate swine farm management and biosecurity practices in smallholder farming communities. Questionnaire data from a total of 709 pig farms were analysed using multiple factor analysis (MFA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Variables describing management and bios...

It may become advantageous to keep human-managed animals in the social network groups to which they have adapted. Data concerning the social networks of farm animal species and their ancestors are scarce but essential to establishing the importance of a natural social network for farmed animal species. Social Network Analysis (SNA) facilitates the characterization of social networking at group,...

BW of replacement heifers is rarely measured on commercial farms, making it difficult to evaluate the success of management practices related to calf growth. Our aims were to describe variability among commercial farms in Holstein heifer BW, determine how BW differences varied with management and propose a method of estimating calf growth based upon single measurement. Heart girth circumference...

The technique of the processor farm has become very widely used for paral-lelising applications, often being mentioned without reference to any source. The goal of this work has been to put together a complete and rigorous understanding of what the technique can be used for and what is needed in order to arrive at an eeciently farmed application. This paper consists of these two parts. We have ...