Grand Arabesque, Second Time

Transitional poses such as this one were constant themes of Edgar Degas’s numerous sculptural studies made in wax, wire, and plastilene. Collected from his studio following his death, these models became the sources of small editions cast in bronze, including this one of a dancer posed in a grand arabesque. In the classic ballet position, the dancer bends forward while standing on one straight leg, with the opposite arm extended forward and the other arm and leg extended backward. In the 1890s the British artist Walter Sickert visited Degas in his studio and was shown the wax model for this figure. He was struck by Degas’s interest in movement, as he “turned the statuette slowly to show me the successive silhouettes thrown on a white sheet by the light of a candle.” ca. 1885-1890https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/risdmuseum_channel/1007/thumbnail.jp

Conservation of a native dairy cattle breed through terminal crossbreeding with commercial dairy breeds

Farmers play a key role in conserving native livestock breeds, but without economic support, farms with native breeds may not be viable. We hypothesized that terminal crossbreeding can improve herd economy and decrease the economic support needed from society. Three scenarios were simulated using SimHerd Crossbred: a herd of purebred Swedish Polled Cattle, a herd of purebred Swedish Red, and a herd of 75% Swedish Polled Cattle and 25% F1 crossbreds. The results showed annual contribution margin per cow in the herd can be increased by euro181 by crossbreeding compared with pure-breeding with the native breed, giving a 13.6% growth in contribution margin. However, the needed cost in subsidies paid by the government will remain unchanged if the population size of the native breed is to be maintained. Combining a crossbreeding strategy with the marketing of niche products may facilitate the conservation of native cattle

Dairy cattle farmers' preferences for different breeding tools

Breeding technologies play a significant role in improving dairy cattle production. Scientifically proven tools for improved management and genetic gain in dairy herds, such as sexed semen, beef semen, genomic testing, dairy crossbreeding, and multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET), are readily available to dairy farmers. However, despite good accessibility, decreasing costs, and continuous development of these tools, their use in Sweden is limited. This study investigated Swedish dairy farmers' preferences for breeding tools through a survey including a discrete choice experiment. The survey was distributed online to 1 521 Swedish farmers and by an open link published through a farming magazine. In total, the study included 204 completed responses. The discrete choice experiment consisted of 10 questions with two alternative combinations, which gave 48 combinations in total. Utility values and part-worth values were computed using a conditional logit model based on the responses in the discrete choice experiment for nine groups of respondents: one group with all respondents, two groups based on respondents using dairy crossbreeding or not within the past 12 months, two based on herd size, two based on respondent age, and two based on whether respondents had used breeding advisory services or not. The strongest preferences in all groups were for using sexed semen and beef semen. Genomic testing was also significantly preferred by all groups of respondents. Except in large herds, MOET on own animals was significantly and relatively strongly disfavoured by all groups. Buying embryos had no significant utility value to any group. Dairy crossbreeding had low and insignificant utility values in the group of all respondents, but it was strongly favoured by the group that had used dairy crossbreeding within the past 12 months, and it was disfavoured by the group that had not. Part-worth values of combined breeding tools showed that combinations of sexed and beef semen, alone or with genomic testing without dairy crossbreeding, were the most preferred tools. Compared with the most common combinations of breeding tools used in the past 12 months, the part-worth values indicated that Swedish dairy farmers may prefer to use breeding tools more than they do today. Statements on the different breeding tools indicated that the respondents agreed with the benefits attributed to the breeding tools, but these benefits may not be worth the cost of genomic testing and the time consumption of MOET. These valuable insights can be used for further development of breeding tools

Breeding objectives for Red Maasai and Dorper sheep in Kenya—A participatory approach

The Red Maasai sheep breed is under threat due to indiscriminate crossbreeding and strategies are needed to conserve and improve the breed. The aim of this study was to understand farmers’ preferences for important traits of flocks of Red Maasai, Dorper and crosses in two different areas, Amboseli and Isinya, in Kenya. Farmers identified three ewes that represented the best, average, and poorest within its breed group of each farm and gave reasons for their ranking. The most important traits were body size and growth rate and thereafter milk yield. The Red Maasai was preferred for its better reproduction and tolerance against diseases and drought. In the harshest area, Amboseli, all breed groups had about the same body weight, whereas in Isinya, where conditions are better and farmers are more market oriented, Dorper and crosses had superior weights

Sustainable breeding strategies for the Red Maasai sheep

How could we conserve Red Maasai sheep and increase productivity for better livelihood for livestock keepers

Korsning med mjölkkor – effekter på besättningsdynamik och ekonomiskt resultat

I denna simuleringsstudie jämförs besättningsstruktur samt produktionsresultat och ekonomiskt resultat för besättningar med renrasiga kor och besättningar med korsningskor. Vi har använt medeltal från Kokontrollen som ingångsvärden till simuleringsprogrammet SimHerd Crossbred. Holsteinkor (SH), röda kor (SRB) och korsningskor från systematisk slutkorsning (enkelkorsning, terminal cross) ingick i studien. Fyra olika typer av besättningar studerades: bara renrasiga SRBkor, en kärna av renrasiga SRB-kor och SHxSRB-korsningskor, bara renrasiga SH-kor, samt en kärna av renrasiga SH-kor och SRBxSH-korsningskor. Resultaten presenteras både för konventionell och ekologisk produktion, eftersom medeltal för kornas resultat och kostnader och intäkter skiljer sig mellan dessa produktionssystem. Simuleringen visar att det ekonomiska resultatet för mjölkproducenter förbättras när man går från en renrasig besättning till en besättning med korsning och det gäller för såväl konventionell som ekologisk produktion. För besättningar med SRB-kärna blev förbättringen av det ekonomiska resultatet vid övergång till korsning större för ekologisk produktion än för konventionell produktion. Det är kopplat till ett högre avräkningspris för mjölk i ekologisk produktion. Besättningsstrukturen i en besättning med korsning påverkas av djurens reproduktion och funktionella egenskaper. Det medför att utrymmet för korsningskor är större i besättningar med SRB-kärna än i besättningar med SHkärna

The Life and Times of Joseph Beuys

Program for the seventh annual RISD Cabaret held in the Waterman Building. Graphic design: Mark Snyder; program editor: Margaret Lewis; program photography: Marcin Gizycki.https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/liberalarts_cabaret_programs/1006/thumbnail.jp