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1. A Tool for Monitoring Genetic Selection Differentials in Dairy Herds in CanadaA software tool was developed to allow a dairy producer and/or agricultural advisor to monitor the genetic selection differentials (GSD) that a dairy farm is making. The objectives of this study were (i) to monitor GSD in individual farms, over years, so that producers can be advised as to whether or not they are achieving their selection objectives (and hence optimizing productivity and profitability); (ii) the development of a prototype software tool and visualization model to assist produc... B.A. Hagan, R.I. Cue |
2. A Pilot Study on Monitoring Drinking Behavior in Bucket Fed Dairy Calves Using an Ear-Attached Tri-Axial AccelerometerAccelerometers support the farmer with collecting information about animal behavior and thus allow a reduction in visual observation time. The milk intake of calves fed by teat-buckets has not been monitored automatically on commercial farms so far, although it is crucial for the calves’ development. This pilot study was based on bucket-fed dairy calves and intended (1) to evaluate the technical feasibility of using an ear-attached accelerometer (SMARTBOW, Smartbow GmbH, Weibern, Austri... L. Roland, L. Lidauer, G. Sattlecker, F. Kickinger, W. Auer, V. Sturm, D. Efrosinin, M. Drillich, M. Iwersen, A. Berger |
3. Evaluation of an Ear Tag Based Accelerometer for Monitoring Rumination Time, Chewing Cycles and Rumination Bouts in Dairy CowsThe objective of this study was to evaluate the ear tag based accelerometer SMARTBOW (Smartbow, Weibern, Austria) for detecting rumination time, chewing cycles and rumination bouts in dairy cows. For this, the parameters were determined by analyses of video recordings as reference and compared with the results of the accelerometer system. Additionally, the intra- and inter-observer reliability as well as the agreement of direct cow observations and video recordings was tested. Ten Simmental c... M. Iwersen, S. Reiter, V. Schweinzer, F. Kickinger, M. Öhlschuster, L. Lidauer, W. Auer, M. Drillich, A. Berger |
4. Ear-Attached Accelerometer as an On-Farm Device to Predict the Onset of Calving in Dairy CowsThe objective of this study on an ear-attached accelerometer in dairy cows was (1) to determine activity, rumination and lying time of the dams prior to calving, and include group level of measured variables (2) use the data to develop an algorithm to predict calving and (3) to test the performance of this algorithm. Video observations (24h/d) were used as reference for these events. Four weeks before expected calving, an ear-tag integrated tri-axial accelerometer (SMARTBOW system) was attach... S. Krieger, M. Oczak, L. Lidauer, F. Kickinger, M. Öhlschuster, W. Auer, M. Drillich, M. Iwersen, A. Berger |
5. Evaluation of the Ear-Tag Sensor System SMARTBOW for Detecting Estrus Events in Indoor Housed Dairy CowsLivestock farming technologies have a tremendous potential to improve and support farmers in herd management decisions, in particular in reproductive management. Nowadays, estrus detection in cows is challenging and many detection tools are available. The company Smartbow (Weibern, Austria) developed a novel ear-tag sensor, which consists of a 3D-accelerometer that records head and ear movements of cows as basis for algorithm development and further analyses. Estrus detection by the SMARTBOW ... V. Schweinzer, L. Lidauer, F. Kickinger, M. Öhlschuster, W. Auer, M. Drillich, M. Iwersen, A. Berger |
6. Exploring Relationships Between Dairy Herd Improvement Metrics in Minas Gerais – Brazil Dairy HerdsThe objective of the present study was to apply principal component analysis (PCA) on Brazilian Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) data to discover the subset of most meaningful variables to describe complete lactations. The Holstein Livestock Breeders Association of Minas Gerais provided data collected between 2005 and 2016 from 122 dairy farms located in the State of Minas Gerais – Brazil. Twelve numerical variables were selected from the original dataset and four additional variables were ... G.M. Dallago, D. Figueiredo, R. Santos, P. Andrade, D. Santos |
7. Evaluation of a Wireless Pulse Oximeter to Measure Arterial Oxygen Saturation and Pulse Rate in Newborn Holstein Friesian CalvesPulse oximetry is a well-established technique in nowadays human and veterinarian medicine. Also in the farm animal sector, it could be a useful tool to detect critical conditions of the oxygen supply and the cardiovascular system of the patient. However, its use in ruminant medicine is still limited to experimental application. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a Radius-7 Wearable Pulse Oximeter (Masimo Corporation, Irvine, CA) for monitoring the vital parameters of... P. Kanz, S. Krieger, M. Drillich, M. Iwersen |
8. Time Series Analysis of Somatic Cell Count from Dairy Herds in Minas Gerais - BrazilThe objective of this study was to analyze the temporal variation of somatic cell count (SCC) in milk of dairy cows from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Holstein Livestock Breeders Association of Minas Gerais provided data collected from 128 dairy farms located in the state of Minas Gerais between the years of 2000 and 2016. The database contains the SCC average of a total of 91,851 305-day lactations of Holstein animals. The annual SCC average was calculated as well as the percentage ... G.M. Dallago, D. Figueiredo, R. Santos, D. Santos, L. Guimarães, C. Santos, T. Castro, A. Santos, L. Otoni, J. Andrade |
9. The Influence of Calf’s Sex on Total Milk Yield and Its Constituents of Dairy CowsThe objective of the present work was to evaluate the influence of the sex of the calf on total milk yield and its constituents of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. The Holstein Livestock Breeders Association of Minas Gerais provided data collected over the years from 2000 to 2016 from 127 dairy farms located in the state of Minas Gerais – Brazil. The data set analyzed contained 61747 observations of Holstein-Friesian animals that calved female (n = 28903) or male (n = 32844) calf. Fat, pro... G.M. Dallago, D. Figueiredo, R. Santos, D. Santos, L. Barroso, G. Alves, J. Vieira, L. Guimarães, C. Santos , L. Maciel |
10. Economic Evaluation of Automatic Heat Detection Systems in Dairy FarmingAlthough heat detection makes a relevant contribution to good reproduction performance of dairy cattle, available studies on the economic evaluations of automatic heat detection systems are limited. Therefore, the objective of this article is to provide an economic evaluation of using automatic heat detection. The effect of different heat detection rates on gross margin is modelled with SimHerd (SimHerd A/S, Denmark). The analysis considers all additional investment costs in automatic heat de... J. Pfeiffer, M. Gandorfer, J.F. Ettema |
11. The Spread of Precision Livestock Farming Technology at Dairy Farms in East HungaryDuring the survey, 25 dairy farms were examined in East Hungary in Hajdú-Bihar (H-B) County between 2017 and 2018 by methodical observation and oral interviews with the farm managers, about the spread of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technologies. Among Holstein Friesian dairy farms in the County 60% were questioned, and the representativity was above 47 percent ins each size category. Nine precision farming equipment were examined on the farms: milking robot or robotic carousel mi... C. Nándor, T. Rátonyi, E. Harsányi, P. Ragán, Z. Hagymássy, J. Nagy, A. Vántus |
12. Usage of Milk Revenue Per Minute of Boxtime to Assess Cows Selection and Farm Profitability in Automatic Milking SystemsThe number of farms implementing robotic milking systems, usually referred as automatic milking systems (AMS), is increasing rapidly. AMS efficiency is a priority to achieve high milk production and higher incomes from dairy herds. Recent studies suggested that milkability (i.e., amount of milk produced per total time spent in the AMS [kg milk/ minute of boxtime]) could be used for as a criteria for genetic evaluations. Therefore, an indicator of milkability was developed, which combines econ... L. Fadul-pacheco, G. Bisson, R. Lacroix, M. Séguin, R. Roy, E. Vasseur, D. Lefebvre |
13. Relationships Between First Test Day Metrics of First Lactation Cows to Evaluate Transition PeriodThe objective of this study was to apply principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) on Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) data of animals on their first lactation to discover the most meaningful set of variables that describe the outcome on the first test day. Data collected over 4 years were obtained from 13 dairy herds located in Québec – Canada. The data set was filtered to contain only information from first test day of animals on their first lact... G.M. Dallago, D. Figueiredo, R. Santos, P. Andrade, D.E. Santschi, R. Lacroix, D.M. Lefebvre |
14. Feature Extraction from Radial Descriptor Lines for Body Condition Scoring of CowsBody condition score (BCS) is considered as one of the most important indices for managing dairy cows, which is used to evaluate fat cover and changes in body condition. Dairy farmers should be aware of their cows BCS to be able to identify the patient cows on time and manage diets when needed. In this study, we have introduced a new index which uses Radial Descriptor Lines (RDL) for BC scoring. Based on the fact that the fatter the cow the smoother the back surface, we hypothesised that the ... A. Jafari, F. Karimi, A. Werner, S. Ghoreishi, S. Kargar |
15. Dynamic Feeding Intake Monitoring in Growing-Finishing Pigs Reared Under Precision Feeding StrategiesPigs exposed to challenges with no prior experience change their daily feeding intake pattern. A method identifying deviations from normal feeding patterns could be used to develop a model framework to estimate individual nutrient requirements of challenged pigs fed with precision feeding systems. The objective of this study was to develop a tool for early identification of feed intake deviations in precision fed growing-finishing pigs. Feed intake measurements collected during 84 d in 126 gr... L. Hauschild, A.R. Kristensen, I. Andretta, C. Pomar, A. Remus |
16. Precision Feeding Can Significantly Reduce Lysine Intake and Nitrogen Excretion Without Compromising the Performance of Growing PigsThe impact of using a mathematical model estimating real-time daily lysine requirements in a sustainable precision feeding program for growing pigs was investigated in two performance trials. Three treatments were tested in the first trial (60 pigs of 41.2±0.5 kg): a three-phase feeding program (3P) obtained by blending fixed proportions of feeds A (high nutrient concentration) and B (low nutrient concentration); and two daily-phase feeding programs in which the blended proportions of ... C. Pomar, I. Andretta, J. Rivest, L. Hauschild, J. Pomar |
17. Environmental Impacts of Precision Feeding Programs Applied in Brazilian Pig ProductionThis study was undertaken to evaluate the effect that switching from conventional to precision feeding systems during the growing-finishing phase would have on the potential environmental impact of Brazilian pig production. Standard life-cycle assessment procedures were used, with a cradle-to-farm gate boundary. The inputs and outputs of each interface of the life cycle were organized in a model. Grain production was independently characterized in the Central-West and South regions of Brazil,... C. Pomar, I. Andretta, L. Hauschild, M. Kipper, P.S. Pires |
18. Effective Use of a Debris Cleaning Brush for Mechanical Wild Blueberry HarvestingWild blueberries are an important horticultural crop native to northeastern North America. Management of wild blueberry fields has improved over the past decade causing increased plant density and leaf foliage. The majority of wild blueberry fields are picked mechanically using tractor mounted harvesters with 16 rotating rakes that gently comb through the plants. The extra foliage has made it more difficult for the cleaning brush to remove unwanted debris (leaf, stems, weeds, etc.) from the p... K. Esau, Q. Zaman, A. Farooque, A. Schumann |
19. Three Years of On-Farm Evaluation of Dynamic Variable Rate Irrigation: What Have We Learned?This paper will present a dynamic Variable Rate Irrigation System developed by the University of Georgia. The system consists of the EZZone management zone delineation tool, the UGA Smart Sensor Array (UGA SSA) and an irrigation scheduling decision support tool. An experiment was conducted in 2015, 2016 and 2017 in two different peanut fields to evaluate the performance of using the UGA SSA to dynamically schedule Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI). For comparison reasons strips were designed wit... V. Liakos, W. Porter, X. Liang, M. Tucker, A. Mclendon, C. Perry, G. Vellidis |
20. Reverse Modelling of Yield-Influencing Soil Variables in Case of Few Soil DataOur hypothesis was that simple models can be applied to predict yield by using only those yield data which spatially coincide with the soil data and the remaining yield data and the models can be used to test different sampling and interpolation approaches commonly applied in precision agriculture and to better predict soil variables at not observed locations. Three strategies for composite sample collection were compared in our study. Point samples were taken 1.) along lines within homogenou... I. Sisák, A. Benő, K. Szabó, M. Kocsis, J. Abonyi |
21. Optimized Soil Sampling Location in Management Zones Based on Apparent Electrical Conductivity and Landscape AttributesOne of the limiting factors to characterize the soil spatial variability is the need for a dense soil sampling, which prevents the mapping due to the high demand of time and costs. A technique that minimizes the number of samples needed is the use of maps that have prior information on the spatial variability of the soil, allowing the identification of representative sampling points in the field. Management Zones (MZs), a sub-area delineated in the field, where there is relative homogeneity i... G.K. Michelon, G.M. Sanches, I.Q. Valente, C.L. Bazzi, P.L. De menezes, L.R. Amaral, P.G. Magalhaes |
22. Optimal Placement of Proximal Sensors for Precision Irrigation in Tree CropsIn agriculture, use of sensors and controllers to apply only the quantity of water required, where and when it is needed (i.e., precision irrigation), is growing in importance. The goal of this study was to generate relatively homogeneous management zones and determine optimal placement of just a few sensors within each management zone so that reliable estimation of plant water status could be obtained to implement precision irrigation in a 2.0 ha almond orchard located in California, USA. Fi... C.L. Bazzi, K. Schenatto, S. Upadhyaya, F. Rojo |
23. Prediction of Corn Economic Optimum Nitrogen Rate in ArgentinaStatic (i.e. texture and soil depth) and dynamic (i.e. soil water, temperature) factors play a role in determining field or subfield economically optimal N rates (EONR). We used 50 nitrogen (N) trials from Argentina at contrasting landscape positions and soil types, various soil-crop measurements from 2012 to 2017, and statistical techniques to address the following objectives: a) characterize corn yield and EONR variability across a multi-landscape-year study in central west Buenos Aire... L. Puntel, A. Pagani, S. Archontoulis |
24. Field Test of a Satellite-Based Model for Irrigation Scheduling in CottonCotton irrigation in Israel began in the mid-1950s. It is based on an irrigation protocol developed over dozens of years of cotton farming in Israel, and proved to provide among the world's best cotton yield results. In this experiment, we examined the use of an irrigation recommendation system that is based on satellite imagery and hyper-local meteorological data, "Manna treatment", compared to the common irrigation protocols in Israel, which use a crop coefficient (Kc) table a... O. Beeri, S. May-tal, J. Raz, R. Rud |
25. Variable Selection and Data Clustering Methods for Agricultural Management Zones DelineationDelineation of agricultural management zones (MZs) is the delimitation, within a field, of a number of sub-areas with high internal similarity in the topographic, soil and/or crop characteristics. This approach can contribute significantly to enable precision agriculture (PA) benefits for a larger number of producers, mainly due to the possibility of reducing costs related to the field management. Two fundamental tasks for the delineation of MZs are the variable selection and the cluster anal... A. Gavioli, E.G. Souza, C.L. Bazzi, N.M. Betzek, K. Schenatto |
26. Field Grown Apple Nursery Tree Plant Counting Based on Small UAS Imagery Derived Elevation MapsIn recent years, growers in the state are transitioning to new high yielding, pest and disease resistant cultivars. Such transition has created high demand for new tree fruit cultivars. Nursery growers have committed their incoming production of the next few years to meet such high demands. Though an opportunity, tree fruit nursery growers must grow and keep the pre-sold quantity of plants to supply the amount promised to the customers. Moreover, to keep the production economical amidst risin... M. Martello, J.J. Quirós, L. Khot |
27. Optimising Nitrogen Use in Cereal Crops Using Site-Specific Management Classes and Crop Reflectance SensorsThe relative cost of Nitrogen (N) fertilisers in a cropping input budget, the 33% Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) seen in global cereal grain production and the potential environmental costs of over-application are leading to changes in the application rates and timing of N fertiliser. Precision agriculture (PA) provides tools for producers to achieve greater synchrony between N supply and crop N demand. To help achieve these goals this research has explored the use of management classes derive... B. Whelan, M. Fajardo |
28. AgronomoBot: A Smart Answering Chatbot Applied to Agricultural Sensor NetworksMobile devices advanced adoption has fostered the creation of various messaging applications providing convenience and practicality in general communication. In this sense, new technologies arise bringing automatic, continuous and intelligent features for communication through messaging applications by using web robots, also called Chatbots. Those are computer programs that simulate a real conversation between humans to answer questions or do tasks, giving the impression that the person is ta... G.M. Mostaço, L.B. Campos, C.E. Cugnasca, I.R. Souza |
29. Improving the Precision of Maize Nitrogen Management Using Crop Growth Model in Northeast ChinaThe objective of this project was to evaluate the ability of the CERES-Maize crop growth model to simulate grain yield response to plant density and N rate for two soil types in Northeast China, with the long-term goal of using the model to identify the optimum plant density and N fertilizer rate forspecific site-years. Nitrogen experiments with six N rates, three plant densities and two soil types were conducted from 2015 to 2017 in Lishu county, Jilin Province in Northeast China. The CERES-... X. Wang, Y. Miao, W.D. Batchelor, R. Dong, D.J. Mulla |
30. Spatial Decision Support System: Controlled Tile Drainage – Calculate Your BenefitsClimate projection studies suggest that extreme heat waves and floods will become more frequent, affecting future crop yields by 20%-30%, globally. Managing vulnerability and risk begins at the farm level where best management practices can reduce the impacts associated with extreme weather events. A practice that can assist in mitigating the impact of some extreme events is controlled tile drainage (CTD). With CTD, producers use water flow control structures to manage the drainage of water f... A. Kross, G. Kaur, D. Callegari, D. Lapen, M. Sunohara, H. Mcnairn, H. Rudy, L. Van vliet |
31. Precision Irrigation Management Through Conjunctive Use of Treated Wastewater and Groundwater in OmanAgriculture under arid environment is always become a challenge due to water scarcity and salinity problems. With average rainfall of 100 mm, agriculture in Oman is limited due to the arid climate and limited arable lands. More than 50 percent of the arable lands are located in the 300 km northern coastal belt of Al-Batinah region. In addition, country is facing severe problem of sea water intrusion into the groundwater aquifers due to undisciplined excessive groundwater (GW) abstractio... H. Jayasuriya, A. Al-busaidi, M. Ahmed |
32. Overview and Value of Digital Technologies for North American Soybean ProducersIn the current state of digital agriculture, many digital technologies and services are offered to assist North American soybean producers. Opportunities for capturing and analyzing information related to soybean production methods are made available through the adoption of these technologies. However, often it is difficult for producers to know which digital tools and services are available to them or understand the value they can provide. The objective of th... J. Lee, J. Fulton, K. Port, R. Colley iii |
33. Development of an Online Decision-Support Infrastructure for Optimized Fertilizer ManagementDetermination of an optimum fertilizer application rate involves various influential factors, such as past management, soil characteristics, weather, commodity prices, cost of input materials and risk preference. Spatial and temporal variations in these factors constitute sources of uncertainties in selecting the most profitableapplication rate. Therefore, a decision support system (DSS) that could help to minimize production risks in the context of uncertain crop performance is needed. ... S. Shinde, V. Adamchuk, R. Lacroix, N. Tremblay, Y. Bouroubi |