A diversified organic pork production – presentation of a concept based on seasonal outdoor rearing of very small entire males

The risk of boar taint in entire males is supposed to increase with increased age and weight. Thus, a method to reduce this risk may be to slaughter the pigs at a low age and weight. This strategy is investigated as part of a new concept for organic pig production. It is hypothesised that organic pork has to differ markedly from conventional in order to overcome the heavy price competition. A seasonal outdoor rearing system based on production of small entire males, large female pigs and sows slaughtered after their first litter is believed to be a feasible strategy for producing organic pork with high credibility and superior eating quality. The study included a traditional breed, the Danish Black-Spotted. 17 gilts farrowed in April. Within the first week after birth all male pigs, except 2 male pigs per litter, were castrated. The piglets were weaned at 10 weeks of age in June/July but stayed in the paddocks with access to the farrowing hut. The entire male pigs were slaughtered in July at approximately 40 kg live weight. The female pigs were slaughtered in the beginning of November. hvad med Preliminary results showed e.g. a higher daily gain for entire males compared to castrated (390 vs. 332 g per day) and indicated higher content of skatole in the traditional breed compared to a more modern breed

Inductive microwave response of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states

We calculate the frequency-dependent admittance of a phase-biased Josephson junction spanning a magnetic impurity or a spinful Coulomb-blockaded quantum dot. The local magnetic moment gives rise to Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bound states, which govern the subgap absorption as well as the inductive response. We model the system by a superconducting spin-polarized exchange-cotunnel junction and calculate the linear current response to an ac bias voltage, including its dependence on phase bias as well as particle-hole and source-drain coupling asymmetry. The corresponding inductive admittance is analyzed and compared to results of a zero bandwidth, as well as an infinite-gap approximation to the superconducting Anderson model. All three approaches capture the interaction-induced 0-π transition, which is reflected as a discontinuity in the adiabatic inductive respons

Forbedrede udearealer i økologisk ægproduktion

Med henblik på at styrke forsknings- og udviklingsindsatsen inden for økologisk fjerkræproduktion, blev det muligt med finansiering fra Direktoratet for FødevareErhverv, i 2001 at påbegynde udviklingsprojektet ”Fjerkræets udearealer ved økologisk produktion”. Projektet tog udgangspunkt i en række interessetilkendegivelser fra fjerkræproducenter og andre interesserede indenfor økologisk fjerkræproduktion, og projektet blev planlagt i et samarbejde mellem • Brancheforeningen for Økologiske Æg- og Fjerkræproducenter • Dansk Erhvervsfjerkræ • Landsforeningen for Økologisk Jordbrug • Landskontoret for Fjerkrærådgivning og • Danmarks JordbrugsForskning som koordinerende partner Det var en grundlæggende ide i projektet at tage udgangspunkt i de medvirkende producenters allerede opbyggede erfaringsgrundlag og idéer til videre udvikling. En del af projektet tog udgangspunkt i en interessetilkendegivelse fra en gruppe ægproducenter, ”Hønsegården” A.m.b.a., der havde et samarbejde om videndeling og afsætning. Producenterne havde i samarbejde med Landskontoret for Fjerkrærådgivning identificeret udearealerne (hønsegårdene) som et centralt område, hvor der var behov for yderligere viden om den mest hensigtsmæssige indretning og drift i forhold til såvel hønernes produktivitet og velfærd som miljøeffekter. Rapporten beskriver de opnåede resultater fra denne del af projektet og på grundlag heraf gives anbefalinger til, hvorledes udearealerne mest hensigtsmæssigt bør indrettes

Seasonal organic pig production with a local breed

It is important that organic pork differs markedly from conventional pork regarding taste, appearance and production methods in order to overcome the heavy price competition. That is the hypothesis behind the current project

Building Successful Partnerships for Technology Transfer

As budgets for Cooperative Extension projects get tighter, many units are enticed to consider partnerships with agencies and organizations to continue to proactively deliver services. Our experience working with the USDA Forest Service in a partnership that involves joint staffing and funding for technology transfer and research projects enables us to offer specific advice on how to use this tool most effectively. Communication and planning are essential and should cover everything from who gets office keys to who hires temporary staff

Cooling to hypothermic circulatory arrest by immersion vs. cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB): Worse outcome after rewarming in immersion cooled pigs

Introduction: Cooling by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to deep hypothermic cardiac arrest (HCA) for cardiac surgical interventions, followed by CPB-rewarming is performed on a routine basis with relatively low mortality. In contrast, victims of deep accidental hypothermia rewarmed with CPB generally have a much worse prognosis. Thus, we have developed an intact pig model to compare effects on perfusion pressures and global oxygen delivery (DO2) during immersion cooling versus cooling by CPB. Further, we compared the effects of CPB-rewarming between groups, to restitute cardiovascular function, brain blood flow, and brain metabolism. Materials and Methods: Total sixteen healthy, anesthetized juvenile (2–3 months) castrated male pigs were randomized in a prospective, open placebo-controlled experimental study to immersion cooling (IMMc, n = 8), or cooling by CPB (CPBc, n = 8). After 75 minutes of deep HCA in both groups, pigs were rewarmed by CPB. After weaning from CPB surviving animals were observed for 2 h before euthanasia. Results: Survival rates at 2 h after completed rewarming were 4 out of 8 in the IMMc group, and 8 out of 8 in the CPBc group. Compared with the CPBc-group, IMMc animals showed significant reduction in DO2, mean arterial pressure (MAP), cerebral perfusion pressure, and blood flow during cooling below 25◦C as well as after weaning from CPB after rewarming. After rewarming, brain blood flow returned to control in CPBc animals only, and brain micro dialysate-data showed a significantly increase in the lactate/pyruvate ratio in IMMc vs. CPBc animals Conclusion: Our data indicate that, although global O2 consumption was independent of DO2, regional ischemic damage may have taken place during cooling in the brain of IMMc animals below 25◦C. The need for prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) should be considered in all victims of accidental hypothermic arrest that cannot be weaned from CPB immediately after rewarming

Changes in aerosol properties during spring-summer period in the Arctic troposphere

The change in aerosol properties during the transition from the more polluted spring to the clean summer in the Arctic troposphere was studied. A six-year data set of observations from Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard, covering the months April through June, serve as the basis for the characterisation of this time period. In addition four-day-back trajectories were used to describe air mass histories. The observed transition in aerosol properties from an accumulation-mode dominated distribution to an Aitken-mode dominated distribution is discussed with respect to long-range transport and influences from natural and anthropogenic sources of aerosols and pertinent trace gases. Our study shows that the air-mass transport is an important factor modulating the physical and chemical properties observed. However, the air-mass transport cannot alone explain the annually repeated systematic and rather rapid change in aerosol properties, occurring within a limited time window of approximately 10 days. With a simplified phenomenological model, which delivers the nucleation potential for new-particle formation, we suggest that the rapid shift in aerosol microphysical properties between the Arctic spring and summer is mainly driven by the incoming solar radiation in concert with transport of precursor gases and changes in condensational sink

Mere kvalitet og diversitet i økologisk svineproduktion

Forbruget af økologisk svinekød i Danmark er steget markant de senere år, men på trods af dette er markedsandelen stadigvæk meget ringe. Kun 1% af det svinekød, der købes i Danmark, er økologisk produceret. Dette er væsentligt lavere end f.eks. økologisk mælk og økologiske æg, som har markedsandele på hhv. 35% og 27% (Gfk, 2009). En af forklaringerne kan være en betydelig merpris for økologisk svinekød sammenholdt med, at økologisk svinekød ikke i sig selv adskiller sig fra konventionelt svinekød. Forbrugeren, der står ved køledisken og skal vælge, kan ikke se forskel, og senere kan hun heller ikke smage den store forskel på det konventionelle og økologiske. Det er vigtigt, at økologisk svinekød adskiller sig markant fra konventionelt både med hensyn til smag, udseende og den måde dyrene opdrættes på, hvis forbrugeren skal være villig til at betale merprisen. Dét var idéen bag et forskningsprojekt, hvis formål var at bidrage til udvikling af en mere forskelligartet økologisk svineproduktion med høje standarder for spisekvalitet og etisk kvalitet

AGFORWARD Third Periodic Report: July 2016 to December 2017

Project context The European Union has targets to improve the competitiveness of European agriculture and forestry, whilst improving the environment and the quality of rural life. At the same time there is a need to improve our resilience to climate change and to enhance biodiversity. During the twentieth century, large productivity advances were made by managing agriculture and forestry as separate practices, but often at a high environmental cost. In order to address landscape-scale issues such as biodiversity and water quality, we argue that farmers and society will benefit from considering landuse as a continuum including both agriculture and trees, and that there are significant opportunities for European farmers and society to benefit from a closer integration of trees with agriculture. Agroforestry is the practice of deliberately integrating woody vegetation (trees or shrubs) with crop and/or animal systems to benefit from the resulting ecological and economic interactions.AGFORWARD (Grant Agreement N° 613520) is co-funded by the European Commission, Directorate General for Research & Innovation, within the 7th Framework Programme of RTD. The views and opinions expressed in this report are purely those of the writers and may not in any circumstances be regarded as stating an official position of the European Commissio