Analysis of the behaviour of dairy-type Simmental-Fleckvieh calves in outdoor pen-and-shelter systems

Calf behaviour in rearing systems is an important indicator of calf welfare and influences efficient dairy production. In this study, the behavioural patterns of dairy calves in outdoor individual pen-and-shelter units were investigated. The study was done over 12 months with 683 Simmental-Fleckvieh calves, kept for two months (pre-weaning) in outdoor individual pen-and-shelter units, and observed at monthly intervals. During the study the calves' lying and moving behaviour in the shelters were separately observed and evaluated. The ambient temperature outdoors was also recorded. Statistically significant relationships between the calf’s season of birth, as well as the age of the calf and the evaluated forms of behaviour, were found. Outdoor ambient temperature was found to have a statistically significant effect on calf preference for standing or lying down. More standing calves than lying calves were recorded outdoors at higher outdoor ambient temperatures. Calves showed a clear preference for lying down, especially in the sheltered parts of the units (64.86%). Only 4.98% of the calves lay outside; 19.18% were standing outside, while 10.98% preferred standing inside the shelter. The calves lying down outside were significantly younger while older calves were lying inside the shelter

Selfkonsep by studente aan die onderwyskollege vir verdere opleiding

M.Ed. (Education)Please refer to full text to view abstrac

‘Products Mapping’ of South Africa’s Agri-food trade with the EU28 and Africa

This paper uses ‘products mapping’ tool based on the trade balance index (TBI) and Lafay index to investigate trade performance and competitiveness in food items between South Africa (SA) and the EU28 and Africa. The data for this analysis is obtained from the UNCTAD database. SA’s agri-food trade balance climbed from $1.5 billion in 2005 to$3.1 billion in 2017. The results support the conclusion that in bilateral trade, certain products have comparative advantages in relation to African markets despite comparative disadvantages in relation to the EU28 market. Also, there is no or decreasing diversification towards more and new leading products despite the increased intra-regional openness. Leading products (especially fruit and nuts) are the dominant export generating segments in the product’s structure of SA’s agri-food trade. Also, leading products mostly contribute to the positive balance of SA’s agri-food trade. The findings of this study may contribute to business strategies, trade policies, and regional and inter-regional integration

‘Products Mapping’ of South Africa’s Agri-food trade with the EU28 and Africa

This paper uses ‘products mapping’ tool based on the trade balance index (TBI) and Lafay index to investigate trade performance and competitiveness in food items between South Africa (SA) and the EU28 and Africa. The data for this analysis is obtained from the UNCTAD database. SA’s agri-food trade balance climbed from $1.5 billion in 2005 to$3.1 billion in 2017. The results support the conclusion that in bilateral trade, certain products have comparative advantages in relation to African markets despite comparative disadvantages in relation to the EU28 market. Also, there is no or decreasing diversification towards more and new leading products despite the increased intra-regional openness. Leading products (especially fruit and nuts) are the dominant export generating segments in the product’s structure of SA’s agri-food trade. Also, leading products mostly contribute to the positive balance of SA’s agri-food trade. The findings of this study may contribute to business strategies, trade policies, and regional and inter-regional integration

Microfinance as a Mechanism against Financial Exclusion in the European Rural Areas – an Inspiration for the Czech Republic

One of the factors influencing the emergence of disparities between rural and urban regions is the varying level of financial inclusion of the population. The system of microfinancing is becoming an important mechanism against poverty and social exclusion in Europe. However, there is available very limited legal, regulatory and historical information on the microfinance system in the Czech Republic. As a result, microfinance institutions are absent and small entrepreneurs tend to use expensive consumer credit products, thereby increasing the risk of over-indebtedness. The aim of this research is to examine the repayment performance of the European microfinance institutions with increased share of clients from rural areas. Based on an empirical statistical analysis of an unique European microfinance institutions´ database, we are presenting evidence that suggests that microfinance systems perform better in rural than in urban areas. This finding is strongly recommended for consideration in the development of policies to guide legal frameworks regarding microfinancing

Bantoe-plaasarbeid in die landdrosdistrik van Stellenbosch

Proefskrif (M. A.) -- Universiteit van Stellenbosch, 1973.Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record

The Effect of Outside Air Temperature on Transportation Temperatures and Processing Quality of Cow’s Milk

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of outside air temperature on the transportation temperature and processing quality of cow’s milk. The data used in the analyses (208 bulk samples) were collected on four farms over a period of 52 consecutive weeks. The samples were grouped into four outside air temperature‑based groups, namely: below 1.0 °C; from 1.1 to 8.0 °C; from 8.1 to 15.0 °C; above 15.1 °C. Mean values of the observed characteristics were as follows: average outside air temperature 7.40 °C, milk temperature on dairy farms 5.19 °C (at collection) and milk temperature on arrival at the dairy factory 5.60 °C. The average duration of transport was 211 minutes, milk volume in the tanker 12,885 l, fat content 4.13 %, protein content 3.40 %, lactose content 4.89 %, casein content 2.97 %, titratable acidity 6.31 SH, active acidity 6.75 (pH), rennet coagulation time (RCT) 201 sec., curd class 1.11 (on five‑point scale) and 1.49 (on ten‑point scale). Increasing outside air temperature was closely correlated (p < 0.01) with an increase in milk temperature at the dairy factory (at delivery). A significant (p < 0.01) increased difference between the temperatures on the farm (at collection) and at delivery in the dairy factory was also recorded. The titratable acidity decreased and so did the curd class on the ten‑point scale. Milk temperature on the farm (at point of entering transportation tank) also increased significantly (p < 0.01) with outside air temperature. Other differences were not significant (p > 0.05). Findings of this study suggest that outside air temperature influences the properties and processing quality of the transported milk, even though the temperature differences of the milk itself ranged within the acceptable limits. It therefore stands to reason that, when the temperature of milk on load is close to the recommended temperature limits it can exceed this limit during transportation to the dairy factory and cause significant damage to the processing quality of the transported milk

Transformations in South Africa’s Agri-food Exports to the European Union

Despite the free trade agreement, South Africa’s agri-food exports to the European Union (EU) are declining. Without intervention, we expect this trend to persist. The paper aims to interrogate the change in South Africa’s agri-food exports to the EU by applying the Constant Market Share (CMS) model to study South African agri-food exports to the four EU sub-regions over 20 years. This allows us to analyse the impact of trade liberalisation and the slowdown of global value chain activity on agri-food trade. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to understand the competitiveness of South African agri-food exports to the EU using the CMS model over a longer period. The agri-food products are grouped into four categories: bulk commodities, processed intermediate goods, horticulture products and consumer-ready goods. We find that South African agri-food exports were responsive to changes in the EU market demand for agri-food imports. However, South African agri-food exports were not competitive over the long period. This is because South Africa focused on slower-growing markets and agri- food commodities that show lower-than-average growth rates. South Africa is competitive in exporting specific agri-food commodities to specific markets with increasing demand. We recommend that South Africa focus on exporting commodities for which demand is growing quicker to fast-growing EU markets and invest in key priority areas to compete with other sources of supply available to the EU

A constant market share analysis of the competitiveness of the Czech Republic's agrifood exports (2002-2020) to the European Union

We conducted a quantitative ex post analysis of the competitiveness of the Czech Republic's agrifood exports to other European Union (EU) Member States between 2002 and 2020, using the constant market share (CMS) methodology. The application of this methodology to Czech agrifood exports is novel, as it allows for analysing the export competitiveness variation and its components. Although the findings are consistent with those of previous studies in which the investigators used alternative methodological approaches, we make three contributions to the existing literature. Firstly, the Czech Republic experienced an overall increase in its competitiveness in agrifood exports between 2002 and 2020. Secondly, the high territorial specialisation of Czech agrifood exports to other EU Member States, combined with a general slowdown in the growth of EU markets, has had a significant effect on the growth dynamics of the country's agricultural exports. Thirdly, there is a problem with the specialisation profile of Czech agrifood exports in terms of commodity and territorial structure. The current composition does not allow the Czech Republic to reach its full potential for agrifood exports. These findings will help industrial, agricultural and trade policymakers to assess the nature of liberalisation and transformation of the Czech Republic's agricultural sectors, with a view to improving or designing structures and instruments for the promotion of agrifood exports

Small Farms in Poland and Czechia: Development Paths

The aim of this study was to identify the long-term tendencies regarding the land use in farms of different sizes in Poland and Czechia, with special focus on small-scale farms. The article answers the question about functioning of small farms in Poland and Czechia, as they represent different structures of land use among farms. On the one hand, the land fragmentation in Poland, and on the other hand, domination of large farms in Czechia, with a lower share of small farms. To achieve the aim, the study used data from the Farm Structure Survey (FSS) and Agricultural Census (2010, 2020) from Eurostat for six periods (2005, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2020) and selected data for recent years from the World Bank database. In the period under analysis, it can be observed that there is a significant decline in the number of small farms both in Poland and Czechia, while the decrease in utilized agricultural area was smaller. Hence, the average area of farm increased which helped them to improve the land productivity, while increasing the standard output per hectare of utilized agricultural area. The analysis showed that there are two different models of the position of small farms in the Polish and Czech agricultural sectors, however, some positive and desired tendencies occur in both systems