Near Infrared Spectroscopy of Faeces to Predict Diet Quality in Grazing Animals: Development of a Portable System

Faecal near infrared spectroscopy (FNIRS) has been used to predict dietary crude protein (CP) and digestible organic matter (DOM) in grazing animals (Stuth et al., 2003, Coates 2000). Development of robust FNIRS calibrations can be time consuming and costly, thus hindering the application of FNIRS in developing countries. Delivery of samples to central laboratory facilities is dependant upon adequate transportation infrastructure. A take the laboratory to the samples approach is being tested in Mongolia using a portable FNIRS laboratory (Stuth et al,. 2004). The initial step in this process is to duplicate the performance of a static laboratory procedure with portable equipment. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of re-creating existing FNIRS diet quality calibration models on a portable spectrometer

Influence of duration of exposure to field conditions on viability of fecal samples for NIRS analysis.

Abstract: This experiment was conducted to address the issue of spectral integrity of pelleted feces exposed to environmental conditions at different times of the year in near infrared reflectance spectroscopy analysis, using goats as the representative herbivore. Both dietary crude protein and digestible organic matter were predicted. Results indicated that fecal samples collected with up to 7 days of exposure provided similar estimates of diet crude protein and digestible organic matter from samples collected immediately after defecation. Goat feces response to environmental conditions provided useful information as to how collection of many wild herbivores' fecal material could be efficiently sampled for future near infrared reflectance spectroscopy analyses

REGIONAL COST SHARE NECESSARY FOR RANCHER PARTICIPATION IN BRUSH CONTROL

Large-scale brush-control programs are being proposed in Texas to increase off-site water yields. Biophysical and economic simulation models are combined to estimate the effects of brush control on representative ranches in four ecological regions of the Edwards Plateau area of Texas. Net present values of representative ranches in three of four regions decrease with brush control. Cost shares necessary for ranches from the three regions to break even range from 7% to 31% of total brush-control costs. Any large-scale brush-control program will therefore require a substantial investment by the state of Texas.Agribusiness,

Improvement of Oak-Dominated Rangeland with Tebuthiuron and Prescribed Burning.

28 p

Forecasting Forage Yields Using the ARIMA Model in Pastoral Areas of East Africa

Predicting forage supply is an age old quest for pastoralists, particularly in fragile and drought- prone areas of Africa. Traditional methods of forecasting forage used by many communities have become less effective due to climate change, frequent droughts and decline of grazing areas. Conflicts relating to available forage and water resources are increasing, because more marginal lands are put to crop production. A new forage forecasting technology has been developed that provides a comprehensive view of current forage condition (Stuth et al., 2004). A multiple species grazing land plant growth hydrology based model (PHYGROW) was parameterised with site-specific soil, plant community, grazer data that was spatially linked with satellite weather and predicted daily available forage (Rowan, 1995). The objective of this study was to explore use of the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving-Average (ARIMA) procedure in forecasting a 30, 60 and 90-day available forage

A Decision Support System for Monitoring Livestock Diet Quality and Performance: Verification Study on Cattle, Adami Tulu, Ethiopia

Fecal profiling technology based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been widely used in the U.S. to predict the diet quality and performance of free-ranging animals (e.g. Leite & Stuth 1995, Lyons & Stuth 1992, Lyons et al., 1993, Stuth et al., 1999, Tolleson et al., 2001). This technology is linked with the Nutritional Balance Analyzer (NUTBAL-PRO) model to form the core of a nutritional advisory system for livestock producers in the United States. This model predicts changes in body weight and condition for a broad range of livestock classes for cattle, sheep and goats. To test the system\u27s transferability and usefulness to livestock producers in the developing countries a small trial was conducted in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia to evaluate the validity of the advisory system in East Africa using the NIRS equations developed in the United States

Forage Monitoring Technology to Improve Risk Management Decision Making by Herders in the Gobi Region of Mongolia

In the period from 1999 to 2002, Mongolia experienced a series of droughts and severe winters that lowered livestock numbers by approximately 30% countrywide. In the Gobi region, livestock mortality reached 50% with many households losing entire herds (Siurua & Swift 2002). In March 2004, a program was initiated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Global Livestock Collaborative Research and Support Program (GLCRSP). The goal of this program is to develop forage monitoring technologies that provide early warning of drought and winter disaster to improve livestock herder decision making in the Gobi region. The program has two major objectives: (1) to develop a regional forage monitoring system that provides near-real time spatial and temporal assessment of current and forecasted forage conditions, and (2) to develop a communication infrastructure that provides herders with data on forage conditions to assist them in making timely and specific management decisions

Improvement of Oak-Dominated Rangeland with Tebuthiuron and Prescribed Burning.

28 p

THE USE OF BIOPHYSICAL AND EXPECTED PAYOFF PROBABILITY SIMULATION MODELING IN THE ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF BRUSH MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES

Woody plant encroachment restricts forage production and capacity to produce grazing livestock. Biophysical plant growth simulation and economic simulation were used to evaluate a prescribed burning range management technique. Modeling systems incorporated management practices and costs, historical climate data, vegetation and soil inventories, livestock production data, and historical regional livestock prices. The process compared baseline non-treatment return estimates to expected change in livestock returns resulting from prescribed burning. Stochastic analyses of production and price variability produced estimates of greater net returns resulting from use of prescribed burning relative to the baseline.biophysical simulation, prescribed burning, range management, simulation, Land Economics/Use,