Opportunities for beef production in developing countries of the southern hemisphere

Scholtz, M. M.; McManus, Concepta; Okeyo, A.M.; Theunissen, A.

doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2011.07.014

Cited by 32 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…In these cases, management interventions may be possible, but they are difficult and expensive to implement, particularly in poorly adapted cattle. The best method of ameliorating the effects of these environmental stress factors to improve productivity and animal welfare is to select and breed cattle that are adapted and productive, without the need for managerial interventions (Scholtz et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological parameters for thermal stress in dairy cattle

et al. 2016

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-The objective of this study was to investigate changes in physiological parameters of dairy cows and understand which physiological parameters show greater reliability for verification of heat stress. Blood samples were collected for analysis and included hematocrit (Ht), erythrocyte count (ERY), and hemoglobin count (HEMO). In addition, physiological variables, including rectal temperature (RT), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and panting score (PS) were recorded in 38 lactating cows. These varied according to genetic group (½, ¾, and pure bred Holstein (HO)). Analysis of variance considering the effects of genetic group, days, and their interaction as well as linear and quadratic effect of the black globe humidity index (BGHI) was performed, as well as broken-line regression. These values were higher in pure HO than in ¾ and ½ groups. The average BGHI during the morning was 74, when 70, 43, and 13% of pure HO, ¾, and ½, respectively, presented RR above reference value. The RR was the best indicator of heat stress and its critical value was 116 breaths/min for ½, 140 for ¾, and 168 breaths/min for pure HO cows. In the HO group, physiological variables increased linearly with BGHI, without presenting inflection in the regression. The inflection point occurred at a higher BGHI for the ½ group compared with the other groups. Hematocrit and HEMO were different among genetic groups and did not vary with BGHI, showing that stress was not sufficient to alter these hematological parameters. The ½ HO group was capable of maintaining normal physiological parameters for at least 3 BGHI units above that of HO and 1 to 3 units higher than ¾ HO for RR and RT, respectively. Respiratory rate is the physiological parameter that best predicts heat stress in dairy cattle, and the 1/2 Holstein group is the best adapted to heat stress.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological parameters for thermal stress in dairy cattle

et al. 2016

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“…Determining whether the animal is in a stressful environment is crucial for physiological efficiency and economic exploitation (Scholtz et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Georeferenced evaluation of genetic breeding value patterns in Brazilian Holstein cattle

Costa¹,

Hermuche²,

Cobuci³

et al. 2014

Genet. Mol. Res.

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ABSTRACT. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between environmental and genetic values for milk production and type traits in Holstein cattle in Brazil. The genetic value of 65,383 animals for milk production and 53,626 for type classification were available. Socioeconomic and environmental data were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Institute of Meteorology. Five to six clusters were generated for each of the groups of type traits and production levels. The relationships between these traits were assessed using the STEPDISC, DISCRIM and CANDISC procedures in SAS ® . Traits within the clusters behaved differently, but, in general, animals with lower genetic values were found in environments that were more stressful for animal production. These differences were mainly associated with temperature, humidity, precipitation and the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index. Genetic values for milk 9807 ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 13 (4): 9806-9816 (2014) Georeferenced genetic patterns for Holsteins in Brazil production showed best discrimination between different environments, while type traits showed poor discrimination, possibly because farmers mainly select for milk production. Environmental variations for genetic values in dairy cattle in Brazil should be further examined.

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“…For example, calving percentage in the commercial, small-scale and communal categories (Scholtz et al, 2011) is 62%, 48% (30% -40% according to Spies et al, 2011) and 35% respectively, mortality 5.8%, 5.5% and 35.4% respectively, and percentage adult females in the herd 52%, 49% and 25% respectively; figures which are unacceptable if not dismal, even for the 'advanced' commercial category. Study group results of commercial sheep farming indicate that the position in some regions of 75% -80% lambing percentage (Meissner, 2011a) (other regions reported better figures of 93% -102% [Spies et al, 2011]) and 65% -70% weaning percentage is probably not much better, although stock theft and predation are significant.…”

Section: Efficiency Of Productionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Genetic progress has seen vast strides with advances in genome-based techniques and marker-assisted selection (Scholtz et al, 2011;. The advantages for the South African dairy and beef cattle industry of employing these techniques and genome-based estimated breeding values (GEBV's) have been reviewed recently (Van Marle-Köster et al, 2013).…”

Section: Efficiency Of Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 2: Challenges, changes and required implementations

Meissner¹,

Scholtz²,

Engelbrecht³

2014

SA J. An. Sci.

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Challenges facing the livestock sector towards 2050 and the changes and management considerations required to maintain sustainability are discussed. Major challenges are associated with climate change and the environmental impact of the sector. Southern Africa is predicted to become drier and the average temperature may rise by 1.5 ºC to 2 ºC. Livestock CH 4 emissions are 1330 Gg/year, with enteric fermentation contributing 95%. For commercial production of beef and milk, CH 4 estimates are at the upper half of life cycle assessments of 14 -32 kg CO 2 e/kg beef and 0.84 -1.4 kg CO 2 e/kg milk recorded for developed countries. The water footprint depends on production system and efficiency. Global and South African water use estimates for red meat production vary from 80 to 540 L/kg meat. In dairy plants the water usage to process the same product may vary by more than 100%, suggesting scope for improvement. Although animal welfare in South Africa is supported by the Livestock Welfare Coordinating Committee and adherence codes, humane treatment of animals is more difficult to maintain in intensively-housed production systems. Livestock production in communal and small scale sectors requires rapid commercialisation to relieve poverty and contribute to gross domestic product. This requires partnerships, major inputs and paradigm shifts. Input costs including labour increase faster than commodity prices, the concern with labour costs being the impact on employment rates. Efficiency of production should be on par with competitors if the livestock sector is to compete on domestic and export markets. The poultry industry is on par, but rising feed costs, disease and subsidized imports are major concerns. Efficiency in the other industries as measured by off-take percentage is generally lower than competitors, a major reason being lower reproductive rates. In this context, the amount of feed, water and CH 4 /kg beef can be reduced by more than 20% if calving rate increases by 20 percentage points. Effective management of rangeland is critical, even more so because of climate change. Livestock production is only marginally competitive and therefore vulnerable to deregulation and trade liberalization. To increase competitiveness exports should increase markedly. For participation in world trade, controlled and notifiable diseases remain a risk. Associated risks are zoonosis and microbial resistance to antibiotics. Stock theft and predation are major concerns. Farmers should employ bio-security measures to ensure the supply of safe products to the consumer. Government and the livestock industries will have to show a clear and strong commitment to address the challenges and opportunities to ensure sustainability of the livestock sector.________________________________________________________________________________

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Opportunities for beef production in developing countries of the southern hemisphere

Cited by 32 publications

References 47 publications

Physiological parameters for thermal stress in dairy cattle

Physiological parameters for thermal stress in dairy cattle

Georeferenced evaluation of genetic breeding value patterns in Brazilian Holstein cattle

Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050 Part 2: Challenges, changes and required implementations

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