Methods for determining forage quality in diet of goats grazing on rangelands
Research concerning techniques for determining the diet quality of grazing ruminants mainly focused on finding simple means of predicting nutritive value rather than on intake and animal performance. In this paper the methods used for determining forage quality in diets of grazing goats with emphasis on new methods (improved in vitro method and NIRS) are discussed.
The contribution of sheep and goats to the development of mountain and semi mountain areas of Sterea Ellada and Evoia
The present research paper focuses on the economics and viability of the traditional sheep and goat farms mainly in the mountain and semi-mountain region of Sterea Ellada and Evboia, in relation to the rest of the country, alternatively without and with subsidies. As far as the economics of these farms is concerned, the technico-economic data and results are presented. More specifically, on the one hand, the yields of the animals and the amounts of the foodstuffs supplied are given, and, on the other hand, the gross output, the production costs, the profit and the income are also presented, alternatively without and with subsidies. With regard to the viability of these farms, an attempt is made to determine at the two levels, i.e. Sterea Ellada-Evboia and the rest of the country, the size of the pure units, which ensure an elementary standard of living for the farm families, using as criterion the farm family income, without and with subsidies. It is believed that with the above approach a good picture is given of the today’s economic importance and contribution as well as the future dynamics of the two livestock enterprises for the economic development of the particular region.
Specially Managed Areas for Livestock
The “Special Management Livestock Areas” is a project that generated from the need: a) to produce certified animal origin food products b) to transform the low productivity highlands to advantageous areas c) to gain sustainable and competitive breeding in farm animal and d) to protect the environment. The intensive animal production led to the appearance of serious disorders in animal health (TSE’S), to dramatic dramatically increased and uncontrolled use of antibiotics, to the aggravation of human health and to the degradation of the environment. These are some problems pointing out the need for the application of an integrated farm animal management system as well as the protection of the environment to achieve sustainable, competitive and integrated local development. A team of NAGREF researchers decided to face this challenge and to transfer their Knowledge and their Know-how in practice.
Grazing ecology and its application in the management of rangelands: The case of shrublands
The goal of this study was to review the existing research data of grazing ecology and management in Greek shrublands with a purpose to better understand how grazing ruminants select specific plants or specific patches in grazing lands and to examine whether this knowledge could be integrated in to land management practices. The specific interest was for the Mediterranean shrublands dominated by kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.), which are important habitats for grazing ruminants and occupy a large part of the Greek territory. Kermes oak shrublands contain a diverse array of plant species and plant parts that vary in nutritional value, chemical and mechanical defences. Reviewing the research data we concluded that the desired percentages of shrub: grassland cover in shrublands should be 50:50% and the management goal should be the creation of a mosaic of open and semi-open, highly heterogeneous and diversified foraging resource. On such shrubland there is green cover (i.e. forage) for small ruminants throughout the year with shrub providing green forage in dry months. However, plant defences influence the foraging behaviour of herbivores and limit the ability of grazing animals to reach their potential for growth and production. Kermes oak appears with five different grazing types according to leaf morphology and grazing value. Plant defences of these types may be classified in to two categories (1) physical defences e.g. spines and (2) chemical defences e.g. plant secondary metabolites such as tannins. Experimental results were considered to understand how herbivores make choices between forage types in complex ecosystems such as the Greek shrublands with the aim of better predicting herbivore – shrubland interactions. The distributions of nutrients and plant defences in the kermes oak community was such that any preference for a particular type of kermes oak by ruminants was likely to be based on the avoidance of plant defences (leaf spines and/or chemical defences) rather than the selection for nutrient rich kermes oak types. For example, goats avoided kermes oak type V with larger spines and higher concentrations of phenolics compared to kermes oak type II, as both types had similar nutrient content. However, the fact that goats select kermes oak type V at an average level of 37% suggests that the physical and chemical defences of kermes oak do not represent a complete barrier to herbivory and goats can utilise all the kermes oak rangeland types. The diet selection results are discussed in relation to the current shrubland management practices in Greece with purpose to identify the optimal grazing management regime in shrublands.
SPUR-91: A computer simulation model of the production and use of rangelands
This article presents the model SPUR-91 for the computer simulation of the productivity and use of rangelands, which σας developed by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service. The design of the system was targeted to create a physically based model for the comprehensive rangeland ecosystem simulations. The simulation model could serve as a tool aiding research and management decisions which has the capacity to improve the ability of the rangeland managers to predict answers related to various management activities. Specifically, the model has the ability:
1. Predict changes in water quantity and quality resulting from management practices,
2. Simulate rates and amounts of runoff and sediment occurring in stream channels,
3. Predict by species or species-groups the daily biomass and nitrogen content of live and dead rangeland vegetation,
4. Simulate the spatial heterogeneity of rangeland communities,
5. Predict the response of vegetation to herbivory, nitrogen availability, and water availability,
6. Simulate herbage removal by cattle and wildlife from rangelands,
7. Provide sufficient detail to allow for simulation on sub-divided watersheds,
8. Provide useful information for environmental impact analysis.
