- Author: John M Harper
The American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation has just recently released their 2010 Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide. The guide, written by Temple Grandin, while focused on humane animal handling at the processing level, still has valuable information for all those involved in the livestock industry. The sections on animal transport, temperature, and handling facilities are especially useful at the ranch level. I’ve attached the pdf file but you may also download it from AMI’s web site, animalhandling.org, under their guidelines and auditing section. I’d suggest checking out the other information and links on their web site too.
2010 Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide
- Author: John M Harper
Abstract:
Growing consumer interest in grass-fed beef products has raised a number of questions with regard to the perceived differences in nutritional quality between grass-fed and grain-fed cattle. Research spanning three decades suggests that grass-based diets can significantly improve the fatty acid (FA) composition and antioxidant content of beef, albeit with variable impacts on overall palatability. Grass-based diets have been shown to enhance total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (C18:2) isomers, trans vaccenic acid (TVA) (C18:1 t11), a precursor to CLA, and omega-3 (n-3) FAs on a g/g fat basis. While the overall concentration of total SFAs is not different between feeding regimens, grass-finished beef tends toward a higher proportion of cholesterol neutral stearic FA (C18:0), and less cholesterol-elevating SFAs such as myristic (C14:0) and palmitic (C16:0) FAs. Several studies suggest that grass-based diets elevate precursors for Vitamin A and E, as well as cancer fighting antioxidants such as glutathione (GT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity as compared to grain-fed contemporaries. Fat conscious consumers will also prefer the overall lower fat content of a grass-fed beef product. However, consumers should be aware that the differences in FA content will also give grass-fed beef a distinct grass flavor and unique cooking qualities that should be considered when making the transition from grain-fed beef. In addition, the fat from grass-finished beef may have a yellowish appearance from the elevated carotenoid content (precursor to Vitamin A). It is also noted that grain-fed beef consumers may achieve similar intakes of both n-3 and CLA through the consumption of higher fat grain-fed portions.
- Author: John M Harper
The United Nations (UN) has admitted a report linking livestock to global warming exaggerated the impact of eating meat on climate change. A 2006 study, Livestock's Long Shadow, claimed meat production was responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions - more than the transport sector.
In Clearing the Air: Livestock's Contribution to Climate Change, principle investigator Frank Mitloehner, Ph.D., associate professor and cooperative extension specialist in air quality from the University of California at Davis, said meat and milk production generates less greenhouse gas than most environmentalists claim and that the emissions figures were calculated differently for the meat sector than they were for the transport figures, resulting in an "apples-and-oranges analogy that truly confused the issue."
The meat figure had been reached by adding all greenhouse gas emissions associated with meat production, including fertilizer production, land clearance, methane emissions and vehicle use on farms, whereas the transport figure had only included the burning of fossil fuels.
Attempts to apply these global numbers to the United States are misleading because the vast majority of global greenhouse gas emissions attributed to livestock production result from deforestation and converting rain forests and other lands to grow crops or pasture. Such changes do not occur in the United States, which has seen an increase in the total acreage of forested land over the last several decades even while total agricultural production has increased.
In 2007, only 2.8 percent of U.S. greenhouse emissions came from animal agriculture, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This number has remained nearly constant since 1990, which is impressive considering the U.S. increases in meat production of almost 50 percent over the same time period.
"The fact that greenhouse emissions have remained nearly constant while industry production has increased shows that U.S. livestock and meat producers have taken responsible steps to protect the environment, such as improving feed efficiency, implementing better manure management strategies and using cropland more effectively," said J. Patrick Boyle, American Meat Institute president and chief executive officer. "We've accomplished this feat all the while providing the most abundant, safe, diverse and affordable meat supply in the world.
Reprinted in part from meatandpoultry.com
- Author: John M Harper
The journal Rangeland Ecology and Management has published
a special issue entitled Global Grazing Lands and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes. This issue includes contributions from an international group of rangeland ecologists, economists and social scientists, providing a scientific basis for a quantitative understanding of the role of grazing lands in greenhouse gas fluxes. Several papers synthesize the existing literature and present new information to advance the knowledge on the role of grazing lands in carbon-credit markets, as well as promoting guidelines to use these credits for rangeland conservation and poverty alleviation projects. To access abstracts or purchase publication click here.- Author: John M Harper
Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) and barbed goatgrass
(Aegilops triuncialis) are noxious annual weeds that rapidly invade grassland, savannah and woodland ecosystems of the western US. Both are found extensively in Mendocino and Lake Counties with Medusahead being the most prevalent. While livestock will eat the early vegetative stages of both these grasses they are not as palatable as other grasses. Once awns are formed very little consumption takes place and these awns help spread the seed through attachment to the grazing livestock and wildlife. Herbicidal control is difficult as most herbicides that attack these pests will also kill the desirable species and is probably not economical. Both of these weeds tend to spread and block out more desirable forages and actually devalue the carrying capacity of the range.Researchers Jimin Zhang, Tag Demment, Craig Schriefer, Corey Cherr and Emilio Laca at UC Davis sought to develop effective and economical strategies for controlling Medusahead and barbed goatgrass that would not damage more desirable species. In their work they applied precision mechanical defoliation at three intensities (3, 6, and 9 cm stubble height), and nine times (April 15, 19, 25, 28, and May 1, 4, 8, 12,16, 2007) before Medusahead and barbed goatgrass seeds had reached maturity.
As a result of these mowing treatments plants did exhibited some regrowth, but Medusahead seed production was practically eliminated by mechanical defoliation to 3 and 6 cm height during the R4 and R5 growth stages. These growth stages are when the awns and anthers, respectively, become visible. Mechanical defoliation at the same ranges of height and growth stage also reduced barbed goatgrass seed production by 95 % or more. Where geography permits, the use of temporally precise mowing is an effective tool to control these rangeland weeds.