Farm & Ranch
From ‘Fitbits’ to Bioenergy Recovery – Rethinking today’s dairy farming
By Cecilia Jacobs
Robotic milkers. Automated feeders. Inline parlor technologies. They all make dairy operations, whatever the size, more efficient.
Researchers at Tarleton State University’s Southwest Regional Dairy Center are exploring more new gadgets and concepts sure to change the way milk producers manage their herds and farms. From bovine accelerometers (think Fitbit) to a closed-loop system that reuses wastewater and powers itself on manure, Texas’ only operational teaching and research dairy is rethinking best practices to improve farm profitability, milk quality and animal welfare.
Here’s a look.
Precision Dairy Cattle Monitoring
Equipping cows with smart, wearable fitness sensors—called accelerometers—to monitor everything from estrus to illness in individual animals is the latest craze in dairy technology. Similar to Fitbits, these relatively new gadgets monitor physical movement, body temperature and reticulorumen pH along with feeding, lying and rumination times. “Identifying changes in activity, especially in time spent eating and ruminating, can help identity illness and disease before they’re obvious to farmers,” explains Barbara Jones, director of the Southwest Regional Dairy Center in Stephenville, Texas. “Discovering sick and lame cows sooner improves treatment success, reduces loss and increases longevity and overall animal well-being.
“The benefit of catching cows in heat with limited human observation or pharmaceutical intervention is an added cost savings,” she says, “allowing farmers to identify optimum times for insemination.”
All 300 to 400 cows at the Southwest Regional Dairy Center sport accelerometers that continuously transmit information to a computer equipped with software that mathematically examines the data from each animal relative to her baseline. Generally worn around the neck or leg of the cow, or attached to the ear, accelerometers capture information in real time. Herd managers determine how often to collect and review the data.
To read more pick up a copy of the July 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Dr. Eunsung Kan’s concept for a closed-loop dairy farm involves recycling cow manure and wastewater to produce fertilizer and electricity in a way that is environmentally responsible and doesn’t increase operational cost for producers. (Courtesy of Tarleton)
Standing with the accelerometers is Barbara Jones, director of the Southwest Regional Diary Center. (Courtesy of Tarleton)
Similar to Fitbits, these relatively new gadgets monitor physical movement, body temperature and reticulorumen pH along with feeding, lying and rumination times. (Courtesy of Tarleton)
By Barry Whitworth, DVM
At the writing of this article, High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been detected in more than 83 million domestic poultry in the United States. The outbreak includes commercial and backyard flocks.
Most people are aware that poultry may succumb to Avian Influenza but may not know that other animals can be infected with the virus. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a variety of mammals have been infected with Avian Influenza H5N1 in the U.S.
The list of more than 200 mammals includes bears, foxes, skunks, coyotes, etc. Even marine animals such as dolphins and seals have been found with the virus. Current Avian Influenza H5N1 infections in poultry, mammals, and livestock in the U.S. can be found at the Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections.
Recently, ruminants have been diagnosed with Avian Influenza H5N1 in the U.S. The World Organization for Animal Health reported that neonatal goats displaying neurological clinical signs and death were positive for Avian Influenza.
To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
When May arrives, we start thinking about weed control. With two years of drought under our belts, grass grazed short and hay stocks depleted, what we do now will influence our forage conditions for the entire year. With 75 percent of our annual warm season forages made by July 15 in North Texas, we need to get the grass growing while the sun shines.
Speaking of the sun shining, the biggest deterrent to growing lots of grass is restricted sunlight, and the biggest sun blockers we have are weeds.
Have you noticed weeds are normally just slightly taller than your grass and are probably blocking 90 percent of the sunlight from reaching the grass itself? So obviously, we need to improve conditions, so sunlight reaches the plants we want to grow.
With grass extremely short, more sunlight is hitting the soil surface now, which in turn results in more weed seed germinating. With the moisture we have received, we expect an abundance of weeds this year.
To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Jared Groce
Rural land sales are continuing on a steady pace for early spring, with prices holding very strong with the sell-to-list price ratios remaining very high, even on properties that have been on the market for a longer than usual time period. The total number of transactions are picking up once again as the spring selling season kicks off, and the average acreage continues to decrease.
Larger acreage properties seem to be in higher demand than smaller properties currently, with many buyers simply parking cash in real estate to hedge against inflation. Interest rates seem to have settled down and most experts agree that rates will be reduced by the fed this year. Some lenders have programs in place that allow the buyer to reduce their rates without having to go through a full refinance ordeal.
To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
-
Country Lifestyles1 year agoScott & Stacey Schumacher: A Growth Mindset
-
Equine8 months agoThe Will to Win
-
Country Lifestyles7 years agoStyle Your Profile – What your style cowboy hat says about you and new trends in 2017
-
Country Lifestyles4 years agoAmber Crawford, Breakaway Roper
-
HOME7 years agoGrazing North Texas – Wilman Lovegrass
-
Outdoor9 years agoButtercup or Primrose?
-
Country Lifestyles7 years agoDecember 2016 Profile, Rusty Riddle – The Riddle Way
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoJune 2016 Profile – The man behind the mic: Bob Tallman