Comparison of two water measurement systems for feedlot beef cattle.

The objective of this study was to compare cattle drinking water consumption collected electronically with that of direct human observation using water metres and to analyse whether an automated system compensates due to its greater precision. The study was conducted in the feedlot of Embrapa Pecuaria Sudeste. The reference unit had four pens: two with electronic drinkers and two with water metres. Experiment 1 utilised 52 Nelore steers and Experiment 2 utilised 44 Canchim steers. Nelore fed a conventional diet, the automated system median daily water intake (DWI) was higher than for animals drinking from the water metre, 17.9 L day-1 and 15.6 L day-1. The reverse was observed for animals fed the co-product diet, the automated system median DWI was 18.9 L day-1 and in the water metre pen was 23.0 L day-1. When the Canchim drank from water metres, the median DWI was lower than with the automated system group, 25.9 L day-1 and 27.8 L day-1, respectively. In Experiment 1, there was a statistical difference between the two sets of equipment for both diets. In Experiment 2, the animals were the same breed, had similar weights and were fed the same diet. There was no statistical difference between the equipment in these conditions. The results indicate that the water meter can have the same performance as high technology at a much lower cost. If a more simplified system for measuring water consumption has the same performance as an automated system, this will justify its use with environmental and economic advantages

Real-time extensive livestock monitoring using lpwan smart wearable and infrastructure

Extensive unsupervised livestock farming is a habitual technique in many places around the globe. Animal release can be done for months, in large areas and with different species packing and behaving very differently. Nevertheless, the farmer’s needs are similar: where livestock is (and where has been) and how healthy they are. The geographical areas involved usually have difficult access with harsh orography and lack of communications infrastructure. This paper presents the design of a solution for extensive livestock monitoring in these areas. Our proposal is based in a wearable equipped with inertial sensors, global positioning system and wireless communications; and a Low-Power Wide Area Network infrastructure that can run with and without internet connection. Using adaptive analysis and data compression, we provide real-time monitoring and logging of cattle’s position and activities. Hardware and firmware design achieve very low energy consumption allowing months of battery life. We have thoroughly tested the devices in different laboratory setups and evaluated the system performance in real scenarios in the mountains and in the forest

Use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to record grazing beef cattle water point use

Current recommendations for the provision of water points for grazing beef cattle in northern Australia are based on effective grazing distribution rather than cattle water point use. Scientific examination of cattle watering behaviour under varying conditions of climate, pasture and water availability (i.e. distances between water points) is required to inform water infrastructure development recommendations and maximise cattle productivity. This study assessed the potential of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) reader data from remote weighing technology to examine cattle visit times and time intervals between cattle visits to water points. Data from three cattle stations in northern Australia was used. Daily weather data (temperature, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, solar exposure and rainfall) were obtained from official weather stations located at or near each experiment site. Linear mixed-effects models were used to detect variation in cattle behaviour within and between stations. The RFID reader data showed that most cattle visits to water points occurred during daylight hours (between 06:00 and 19:00 h) and within 48 h of a previous visit. The time of day that cattle visited water points did not differ between stations (P > 0.05) but varied according to month (P = 0.001), period of day (P < 0.001), time since last visit (P = 0.013) and cloud cover (P = 0.043). Time intervals between cattle visits to water points differed considerably between stations (P < 0.002) and appeared to reflect seasonal conditions and water availability at each station. Time intervals between visits to water points also varied according to month (P < 0.001), period of day (P < 0.001), temperature-humidity index (P = 0.035) and cloud cover (P = 0.029). The results of the study show that RFID reader data is able to detect behavioural differences according to climate and water availability and is a suitable tool to study cattle water point use. Cattle water point use data could be used to aid mustering and trapping cattle, identify animals that fail to visit a water point, better understand pasture conditions, predict the amount and consistency of weight data collected from remote weighing technology, improve decision making by graziers and inform recommendations for the optimal number and distribution of water points. © 201

Use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to record grazing beef cattle water point use

Current recommendations for the provision of water points for grazing beef cattle in northern Australia are based on effective grazing distribution rather than cattle water point use. Scientific examination of cattle watering behaviour under varying conditions of climate, pasture and water availability (i.e. distances between water points) is required to inform water infrastructure development recommendations and maximise cattle productivity. This study assessed the potential of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) reader data from remote weighing technology to examine cattle visit times and time intervals between cattle visits to water points. Data from three cattle stations in northern Australia was used. Daily weather data (temperature, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, solar exposure and rainfall) were obtained from official weather stations located at or near each experiment site. Linear mixed-effects models were used to detect variation in cattle behaviour within and between stations. The RFID reader data showed that most cattle visits to water points occurred during daylight hours (between 06:00 and 19:00 h) and within 48 h of a previous visit. The time of day that cattle visited water points did not differ between stations (P > 0.05) but varied according to month (P = 0.001), period of day (P < 0.001), time since last visit (P = 0.013) and cloud cover (P = 0.043). Time intervals between cattle visits to water points differed considerably between stations (P < 0.002) and appeared to reflect seasonal conditions and water availability at each station. Time intervals between visits to water points also varied according to month (P < 0.001), period of day (P < 0.001), temperature-humidity index (P = 0.035) and cloud cover (P = 0.029). The results of the study show that RFID reader data is able to detect behavioural differences according to climate and water availability and is a suitable tool to study cattle water point use. Cattle water point use data could be used to aid mustering and trapping cattle, identify animals that fail to visit a water point, better understand pasture conditions, predict the amount and consistency of weight data collected from remote weighing technology, improve decision making by graziers and inform recommendations for the optimal number and distribution of water points. © 201

Methodology for easing the deployment of cattle raising georeferencing tracing technologies on Colombian Farms. Case Study

The livestock sector is fitted with modern technology that has been developed and implemented in several countries. However, according to FEDEGAN, in Colombia, more than 65% of farms have a low technological level and the modernization of the sector is subject to considerable improvements applying georeferencing technologies. Therefore, this research project develops a methodology for the application of georeferencing technologies in the livestock sector of Colombia. The proposed methodology is based on concepts of Agile methodologies and develops 4 sequential stages that guide the Colombian farmer in the integration of these technologies to its farm. The initial stage identifies and characterizes the farmer’s requirements, applying an adaptation of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD). According to the results, it is proposed the use of the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to select the device that matches the farmer’s criteria. The second stage includes purchasing the proper device based on the previous stage's insights. The third stage guides the farmer in the testing of the device selected, and finally, in the fourth stage, a proposal of how to analyze the data obtained by the georeferencing device is presented. The results of the methodology were validated by an expert panel through a focus group, and by a case study. de grado.The livestock sector is fitted with modern technology that has been developed and implemented in several countries. However, according to FEDEGAN, in Colombia, more than 65% of farms have a low technological level and the modernization of the sector is subject to considerable improvements applying georeferencing technologies. Therefore, this research project develops a methodology for the application of georeferencing technologies in the livestock sector of Colombia. The proposed methodology is based on concepts of Agile methodologies and develops 4 sequential stages that guide the Colombian farmer in the integration of these technologies to its farm. The initial stage identifies and characterizes the farmer’s requirements, applying an adaptation of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD). According to the results, it is proposed the use of the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to select the device that matches the farmer’s criteria. The second stage includes purchasing the proper device based on the previous stage's insights. The third stage guides the farmer in the testing of the device selected, and finally, in the fourth stage, a proposal of how to analyze the data obtained by the georeferencing device is presented. The results of the methodology were validated by an expert panel through a focus group, and by a case study.Ingeniero (a) IndustrialPregrad

Dead-reckoning animal movements in R: a reappraisal using Gundog.Tracks

BackgroundFine-scale data on animal position are increasingly enabling us to understand the details of animal movement ecology and dead-reckoning, a technique integrating motion sensor-derived information on heading and speed, can be used to reconstruct fine-scale movement paths at sub-second resolution, irrespective of the environment. On its own however, the dead-reckoning process is prone to cumulative errors, so that position estimates quickly become uncoupled from true location. Periodic ground-truthing with aligned location data (e.g., from global positioning technology) can correct for this drift between Verified Positions (VPs). We present step-by-step instructions for implementing Verified Position Correction (VPC) dead-reckoning in R using the tilt-compensated compass method, accompanied by the mathematical protocols underlying the code and improvements and extensions of this technique to reduce the trade-off between VPC rate and dead-reckoning accuracy. These protocols are all built into a user-friendly, fully annotated VPC dead-reckoning R function; Gundog.Tracks, with multi-functionality to reconstruct animal movement paths across terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial systems, provided within the Additional file 4 as well as online (GitHub).ResultsThe Gundog.Tracks function is demonstrated on three contrasting model species (the African lion Panthera leo, the Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus, and the Imperial cormorant Leucocarbo atriceps) moving on land, in water and in air. We show the effect of uncorrected errors in speed estimations, heading inaccuracies and infrequent VPC rate and demonstrate how these issues can be addressed.ConclusionsThe function provided will allow anyone familiar with R to dead-reckon animal tracks readily and accurately, as the key complex issues are dealt with by Gundog.Tracks. This will help the community to consider and implement a valuable, but often overlooked method of reconstructing high-resolution animal movement paths across diverse species and systems without requiring a bespoke application

Circles within spirals, wheels within wheels; Body rotation facilitates critical insights into animal behavioural ecology

How animals behave is fundamental to enhancing their lifetime fitness, so defining how animals move in space and time relates to many ecological questions, including resource selection, activity budgets and animal movement networks. Historically, animal behaviour and movement has been defined by direct observation, however recent advancements in biotelemetry have revolutionised how we now assess behaviour, particularly allowing animals to be monitored when they cannot be seen. Studies now pair ‘convectional’ radio telemetries with motion sensors to facilitate more detailed investigations of animal space-use. Motion sensitive tags (containing e.g., accelerometers and magnetometers) provide precise data on body movements which characterise behaviour, and this has been exemplified in extensive studies using accelerometery data, which has been linked to space-use defined by GPS. Conversely, consideration of body rotation (particularly change in yaw) is virtually absent within the biologging literature, even though various scales of yaw rotation can reveal important patterns in behaviour and movement, with animal heading being a fundamental component characterising space-use. This thesis explores animal body angles, particularly about the yaw axis, for elucidating animal movement ecology. I used five model species (a reptile, a mammal and three birds) to demonstrate the value of assessing body rotation for investigating fine-scale movement-specific behaviours. As part of this, I advanced the ‘dead-reckoning’ method, where fine-scale animal movement between temporally poorly resolved GPS fixes can be deduced using heading vectors and speed. I addressed many issues with this protocol, highlighting errors and potential solutions but was able to show how this approach leads to insights into many difficult-to-study animal behaviours. These ranged from elucidating how and where lions cross supposedly impermeable man-made barriers to examining how penguins react to tidal currents and then navigate their way to their nests far from the sea in colonies enclosed within thick vegetation