1,721,169 research outputs found
Livestock systems and environment on the Alps
No full textExtensive livestock systems in mountain areas have a relevant ecological rule. Traditional farms, based on use of local forages and pastures contribute to maintain environmental quality and biodiversity of mountain ecosystems. Mountain agriculture experimented a dramatic decline in the last years, a phenomenon mostly driven by socio-economic factors such as immigration into lowland where new economic opportunities are offered to rural people. The abandoning of traditional extensive farming has been associated with land use changes and loss of biodiversity. This paper analyse the evolution of livestock farms in the Alps, focusing on environmental sustainability of production systems
Habitat quality influences relative antler size and hunters selectivity in roe deer
No full textUnderstanding factors affecting antler size, and the extent to which harvesting is selective for these traits, is important in order to address management strategies aimed to minimize the risk of negative evolutionary consequences. In an Alpine study area, we compared the phenotypic quality
and the antler size of 2,725 male roe deer hunted in two regions differing for winter harshness and habitat quality, and evaluated whether the selective behaviour of recreational hunters was influenced by phenotypic quality and antler size. Antler length and antler circumference relative to both body mass and jaw length were larger in the region with more
favourable climate and habitat conditions, indicating that here roe deer were able to allocate more resources to antler growth. The analysis of the temporal trends of harvest bags suggested that hunters did not select roe deer for their body mass or size, but instead for antler size. This resulted also in a preference for sub-adult and adult age classes, while yearling s were culled reluctantly, especially in the region where antlers were smaller. Our results indicate that environmental heterogeneity may influence the relative investment in antler growth. In this way, it may interact with the hunters ’preferences increasing the risk that recreational hunting of roe deer, which is a widespread practice in many European countries, might result in alteration of male age structure and possibly indirectional artificial selection
Spatial behaviour of Alpine Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) translocated in a pre-alpine habitat
No full textLandscape constraints on home range and migration paths of roe deer in the Italian eastern Alps
No full textFactors affecting growth performance in beef production: an on farm survey
No full textThis study aimed to investigate sources of variation of average daily gain in beef cattle, with an on farm approach, in the Veneto region. Data of 38707 animals fattened in 29 farms and belonging to 5 genotypes (Charolais, Charolais Female, French Crossbred, Limousin and Polish Friesian) were analysed considering type of farm, farm nested within type, genotype, housing system, arrival live weight, percentage of dead and injured animals, season of sale and diet. Genotype, farm, percentage of unhealthy animals and season of sale significantly affected average daily gain. Charolais and French Crossbred showed the highest values of average daily gain, Charolais Female the lowest. The effect of farm suggests that management is very important for growth performance in beef cattle. Moreover, batches of animals with high percentage of dead and injured presented lower values of average daily gain. In spring-summer 2003 an extremely hot climate was unfavourable for growth performance
Body traits, carcass characteristics and price of cull cows as affected by farm type, breed, age and calving to culling interval
No full textBeef production from cull cows is an additional source of income for dairy farms and greatly contributes to red meat production, but the sources of variation of live animal characteristics and the carcass traits of cull cows have rarely been examined. This study investigated the effects of the farm type, breed, age at slaughter (AGE) and calving to culling interval (Calv_Cull) on the body traits and carcass characteristics of dairy and dual-purpose cull cows. Data from 555 cull cows from 182 herds belonging to five farm types, characterised by a combination of housing and feeding systems, were recorded and analysed. Dairy breeds, such as Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss, and dual-purpose breeds (Simmental, Rendena) were included in the trait assessments. The day before slaughter, the cows were weighed and scored for body condition (BCS) and fleshiness, and then, their heart girth and wither height were measured. At the slaughterhouse, the carcass weight (CW), dressing percentage (DP), carcass conformation and fatness scores, carcass price per kg and carcass total value were obtained. On average, the cows were slaughtered at nearly 71±27 months of age, 285±187 days after the last calving; 615±95 kg BW; and provided a 257±51 kg CW. Nearly 50% of the cows fell within the BCS range of 2.75 to 3.50, and the carcasses were mostly graded in the lowest class of conformation and fatness scores. Cull cows from free-stall farms had a higher DP, carcass conformation score and price than those from traditional tie-stall farms. The breed influenced the AGE, live animal characteristics and carcass traits. Cows from dairy breeds were younger at slaughter, had a lower BCS and fleshiness, and greater body measurements, but a lower DP and carcass price than those from dual-purpose breeds, although differences between the breeds were found within both groups. The age of the cows at slaughter influenced the Calv_Cull and increased the BW, body measurements and CW, but not the fleshiness and fatness appreciation (both in vivo and postmortem) or carcass price. The increasing Calv_Cull improved the BW, BCS, fleshiness, CW and carcass conformation and fatness. In conclusion, the decision to cull dairy cows should also take into account the factors that affect their carcass value in regards to improving the carcass price of cows
Impact on forage production farms due to the presence of red deer on the plateau Cansiglio in the Eastern Italian Alps
No full textSustainability of cattle farms in Italy
No full textThis paper aimed to analyze the sustainability of Italian cattle farms, in terms of nutrient surplus and land use,
greenhouse gasses emission and animal welfare. Intensive livestock farms are concentrated in Northern Italy, especially in Po valley, in which the average livestock density is 1.7 livestock unit/ha of agricultural area. A high percentage of agricultural areas are Nitrates Vulnerable Zones, and the farmers were asked to adapt the farm management to the limits established by the Nitrates Directive. Also the mitigation of greenhouse gasses emitted by ruminants, in particular enteric methane, has become an important issue for livestock sustainability and an area of research in animal science. Indeed, agriculture is responsible for about 50% of global production of methane from human activities and the largest amount is produced by rumen fermentation in cattle. Furthermore, the importance of animal welfare in intensive livestock farms is well recognized by EU citizens. For Italian cattle farms, the improvement of animal welfare is an emerging
issue especially for beef and calves. Strategies aimed at improve the sustainability of Italian cattle farms are discussed, including farm management, research approaches and regional planning and policies
Milk yield and quality of dairy and dual purpose cows reared in single breed and mixed breeds farms in mountain
No full textDairy farms of mountainous areas are characterized by low productivity, but generally the milk is used for the production of high quality and PDO cheeses. For this reason, the initial disadvantage can become an opportunity for the traditional dairy systems. This study was conducted on 473 dairy farms of the Trento province with the aim to verify the effect of farm management (environment) on the variability of the milk yield and quality due to the breed effect (genotype). In particular, the differences between breeds were estimated in mixed farms with different management and feeding strategies. For each farm we collected the following data: number of cow per breed, housing condition (free vs tie stalls), diet administration (Total Mixed Rations vs separate feeding) and quality (percentage of starch, NDF and Crude Protein). Milk production and quality data were collected from test day recording and Consortium of Cooperative Dairies of the Trento Province (CONCAST), for a total of 110,711 milk
analysis. A multiple regression analysis was performed to estimate the genetic contribution corrected for the structural and nutritional sources of variation. At national level, Brown Swiss (BS), Italian Simmental (IS) and two northeastern autochthonous breeds (Rendena – Re – and Alpine Grey – AG) produce much less milk than Italian Friesian (IF): -23.4%, -28.5%, -45.1% and -45.3%, respectively. These differences reflect both genetic and environmental effects on milk production. The estimates
obtained in mixed breed farms of Trento Province, after having taken into account the main structural (herd size, housing condition) and nutritional (TMR, use of silages, NDF%, CP%) sources of variation, shows further lower differences among breeds (BS -13.0%, IS -13.4%, Re -30.6% and AG -30.7%, respect to IF), that reflect more the genetic contribution to phenotype. Taking into account the milk composition, the differences among breeds in terms of daily fat + protein yield (BS -6.7%, IS -10.7%,
Re -33.4%, and AG -29.9%, respect to IF) are even smaller than for milk yield. In conclusion, farm management significantly affects milk yield and quality in mountainous dairy farms and it can strongly reduce the estimates of the differences among the breed of cows
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