How Could Farmers Raise Their Livestock’S Productivity?

The urgent need to increase livestock production in sustainable ways is crucial for reducing poverty, fighting hunger, and ensuring global food security. However, livestock production systems in developing countries are constrained by low genetic potential, feed shortages, and nutrient deficiencies. To maximize livestock productivity, welfare approaches, feed and grazing strategies, disease control, fertility, and education are essential.

Agricultural extension can improve livestock production systems, improve animal source food for nutrition, and implement livestock solutions for better agricultural outcomes. Livestock products, such as meat, milk, and eggs, are among the top 10 globally traded commodities with a value of $1.25 billion. With genome sequencing, artificial insemination, and embryo transfer, science could bring some animals to peak productivity. Supporting this is better nutrition and improving an animal’s health.

Smallholder farms provide a large proportion of food supply in developing economies, but 40 of these farmers live on less than $2/day. To raise productivity, optimize fertiliser applications, make good use of genetics, protect crop and animal health, and use feed optimization, monitoring body condition, improving liveweight gain, breeding, and grassland management.

Productivity varies greatly and is influenced by animal health, nutrition, and management of different production systems. Using less water to produce the same crop yield benefits both crop and livestock growers by reducing costs. The Farmer Field School (FFS) approach is a form of farmer education and empowerment based on hands-on and participatory learning. Farm size has proven to be a core driver of productivity growth by spreading fixed costs, such as management skill and machinery ownership, to generate more.

What are the most productive for farming?

Agriculture and domestication likely began in the Fertile Crescent, which is now occupied by Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt. Wheat and barley were among the first crops grown by humans. Plains are the most productive farming areas due to erosion of mountains, which accumulates in valleys due to the fertility of the land. Plains are highly productive due to their fertile land, nutrient-rich soil, lack of water scarcity, easier access to goods and services, and limited living and agricultural expenditures.

The Great Plains produce barley, canola, corn, cotton, sorghum, and soybeans, which are exported worldwide. Plains are important for agriculture due to deep, fertile soils, mechanization of crop production, and supporting grasslands for livestock grazing. The flatness of these plains allows for mechanization of crop production and supports grasslands for livestock.

What enhances crop productivity?

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are essential plant nutrients deficient in Indian soil. To achieve maximum crop yield, biofertilizers and irrigation practices are essential. Biofertilizers enhance soil nutrients, while irrigation helps maintain soil richness. Both are equally important for high crop yield. However, irrigation and biofertilizer use are independent, and the reason does not explain the assertion. Both methods are crucial for maintaining soil health and maximizing crop yield.

How can animals increase productivity?

Pets in the workplace can improve overall well-being, as short breaks can boost serotonin and dopamine levels, leading to increased happiness and job satisfaction. Happier employees are more likely to stay with the company and are more productive and engaged in their work. Warrick Bowden, Managing Director of Character Print, highlights the practical benefits of allowing pets in the workplace, such as easing stress for pet owners and allowing employees to bring their pets to work.

Additionally, having pets in the office can be a unique selling point for businesses, as job seekers are increasingly considering company culture and benefits, not just salary. A pet-friendly environment can set a company apart and demonstrate a progressive and employee-focused approach.

How to increase animal productivity?

The company aims to improve the lifetime performance of farm animals by reducing emissions, food loss, waste, reliance on marine resources, and tackling antimicrobial resistance. They support the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger, and Target 2. 3. 1, which aims to double farmers’ productivity by 2030. They design species-specific nutritional plans to enhance animal health, welfare, and performance throughout their lifetime.

What procedure increases feed efficiency?

Selecting cattle based on Relative Fatigue Index (RFI) or Relative Inflammatory Growth (RIG) can significantly improve beef production systems. Low RFI can reduce feed intake, improve feed efficiency, reduce methane emissions, and increase net income. However, research on the relationship between RFI and carcass traits has been conflicting, with some studies showing reduced carcass fat and ribeye area in more efficient animals, while others show no significant effect.

Similarly, results on reproductive performance associated with more efficient cattle are mixed, with some studies finding reduced pregnancy rates and others showing no differences between high and low RFI groups.

The adoption rate of feed efficiency testing in beef cattle is low due to limited access to facilities to measure individual animal feed intake. One solution is genomic testing, which uses DNA markers to predict the genetic merit of animals for feed efficiency. This method can increase the accuracy and reliability of estimated breeding values (EBVs) by capturing the effects of many genes that influence complex traits. Genomic tests can reduce the cost and time of measuring feed intake, increase the number of animals evaluated, and enable early selection of young animals before they enter production.

The Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TACLP) at Olds College of Agriculture and Technology provides support and services to the livestock industry, offering feed efficiency testing for beef cattle and sheep on a fee-for-service basis.

What is the productivity of livestock?

Livestock productivity refers to the efficiency in producing milk, meat, eggs, or other goods, and is influenced by factors such as animal health, nutrition, and management of different production systems. It is controlled by various policies and institutions and varies regionally. In low-and-middle-income countries, there is potential for improved productivity but limited resource access. There are trade-offs between increasing productivity and managing environmental, economic, and social impacts. Evidence is needed to inform sustainable production increases, support initiatives reducing hunger and poverty, and minimize negative environmental impacts.

How to increase production on the farm?

The elevated labor intensity observed in agricultural production can be attributed to a number of factors, including the cultivation of marginal lands, a reduction in fallow periods, the adoption of labor-intensive cultivation techniques, and investments in land improvement.

How can farmers increase productivity?

The farm is engaged in the production of inputs, including seed, animal feed, compost, and green manures, while simultaneously enhancing resilience through the implementation of locally adapted seeds, the breeding of more resilient livestock, and the installation of effective fencing.

How could a farmer maximize the productivity of their livestock?

Genetic improvement, nutritional strategies, disease management, reproductive technologies, and precision livestock farming are effective methods to increase animal productivity. These can be applied individually or in combination. Adding tree leaf foliage, seed meals, and urea molasses multi-nutrient blocks can improve the utilization of low-quality roughages by providing nitrogen to rumen microbes. Optimizing breeding programs and keeping detailed breeding records are crucial for selective breeding practices and informed decisions in selecting mating pairs.

How do we increase production?

To increase production capacity, companies should reduce downtime, which affects various aspects of their operations, such as raw materials management, human resources, and scheduling. To achieve this, companies should increase employee hours, evaluate vendor capacity, improve internal processes, and use a machine data platform. Production capacity is the maximum output achievable in the production process of manufactured goods, and the ideal manufacturer should operate at full capacity, using all equipment at its highest percentage and optimizing processes to minimize downtime. However, most manufacturing companies face constraints due to various factors, making it crucial to find ways to reduce downtime and improve efficiency in their operations.

What do farmers use to make animals grow faster?

Growth-hormones are used on farm animals for profitability, promoting faster growth and abnormal behavior in young animals. Studies and internal audits suggest misuse or wrong handling of growth hormones is the main reason for these issues. To uphold animal welfare, meat is sourced from farms that have refrained from administering growth hormones or subtherapeutic antibiotics. Large meat processors and factory farms claim that growth hormones help farmers use less feed and have animals processed faster, resulting in a smaller environmental footprint.

However, not using growth hormones to meet current world demand would require increasing the number of farm animals. The World Health Organization’s stance on growth hormone use in farm animals is that residues from good animal husbandry practice are unlikely to pose a health hazard, and hormone levels in treated animals are generally within the normal physiological range for these hormones in cattle.