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Animals
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Sustainable Practices for Forage-Based Livestock Production Systems
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Sustainable Practices for Forage-Based Livestock Production Systems

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2024) | Viewed by 2449

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Matthew M. McIntosh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Interests: livestock-environment research and education to assist local producers with integrated sustainable practices that benefit their bottom lines, the environment, and public health with an emphasis toward cattle production and climate change
Dr. Shelemia Nyamuryekung'e

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Division of Food Production and Society, Department of Grassland and Livestock, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Postboks 115, 1431 Ås, Norway
Interests: precision livestock farming; herbivore-plant interactions; adaptive grazing management; ranching technologies; cattle

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the late 1980s, there has been a growing body of literature focused on sustainable practices for forage-based (grazing) livestock production systems. This research is multi-faceted and complex because it seeks to identify solutions amid a unique confluence of challenges. Forage-based animal agriculture is the most land-intensive agricultural practice globally. Nevertheless, livestock raised on grasslands or fed harvested forages perform critical roles in ecosystem modification and can convert cellulose to protein, thus supporting human livelihoods (economically and nutritiously) and land management tenure. Globally, forage-based animal agriculture producers are threatened by climate change and a dwindling workforce, and consumers simultaneously demand more and healthier meat products that are ethically and environmentally sourced. Sustainable practices in forage-based livestock production systems are necessary if humans seek to improve animal welfare, increase meat quality and quantity, improve producer livelihoods, and enhance the ecosystem functioning of grazing lands, all while mitigating and adapting to climate change. The complexity of these combined topics is furthered by localized differences in grazing environments that render a one size-fits-all approach unattainable. Nevertheless, emerging strategies, such as matching animals to the environment, utilizing growth-promoting technology and novel feedstuffs, feeding animals in integrated systems, or incorporating precision agriculture tools, offer unique opportunities with which to fine-tune local-scale sustainability.

The aim of this Special Issue is to synthesize the vast research areas surrounding sustainable grazing land innovations and to highlight the most recent advances in the field. We believe that, although disparate, a consolidation of such work will lead to a better understanding of emerging trends, and areas of study that are limited in scope. We also hope that an analysis across topics will lead to innovative collaborative approaches with which to expedite sustainable grazing management in the face of such dire phenomena (e.g., climate change).

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: Precision agriculture as it relates to grazing animals; grazing animal welfare; grass production of ruminant livestock; novel feed strategies; native silvopasture; integration of crop residue or other integrated crop grazing practices; utilization of novel feedstuffs; the organic or natural grass-based finishing of ruminant livestock; the incorporation of heritage or adapted genetics; opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from grazing animal production; the adaptation of grazing livestock systems to emerging climate change trends; the interaction of livestock and pyrological phenomena; opportunities to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) among grazing land managers; strategies to improve the sustainability and resilience of grazing livestock financial systems; new or novel sales strategies for grass-based ruminant production; and tracing animal welfare through the supply chain.

Dr. Matthew M. McIntosh
Dr. Shelemia Nyamuryekung'e
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable grazing
  • precision grazing
  • integrated grazing
  • welfare
  • adapted genetics
  • climate change adaptation
  • farmer equity and resilience

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2268 KiB  
Article
Milk Performance and Grazing Behaviour of Cinisara Cows Supplemented with Low- and High-Polyphenols Faba Bean Varieties
by Massimiliano Lanza, Marialetizia Ponte, Marianna Pipi, Adriana Bonanno, Antonino Di Grigoli, Marcella Avondo and Serena Tumino
Animals 2025, 15(3), 335; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15030335 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 645
Abstract
The high degradability of crude protein (CP) from fresh grass can impair its utilization in ruminants. The presence of a moderate level of polyphenolic substances in the diet of grazing animals could help to overcome this problem. The study aimed to evaluate the [...] Read more.
The high degradability of crude protein (CP) from fresh grass can impair its utilization in ruminants. The presence of a moderate level of polyphenolic substances in the diet of grazing animals could help to overcome this problem. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementation with two varieties of faba bean, with different polyphenol contents, on milk yield and quality, as well as on grazing behaviour, in Cinisara grazing cows. A total of 30 cows, homogeneous per days in milk (61 ± 29) and milk yield (12.9 kg ± 3.2), fed on a mixed pasture (CP 17.9% DM) and supplied with grains (an equal mixture of barley, oats, and wheat) and mixed hay (CP 10.2% DM), were assigned to three dietary treatments and supplemented as follows: control group (C, 10 cows), 1 kg of hay, 6 kg of grains mixture, and 0.4 kg soybean meal; low polyphenols group (LP, 10 cows), 1 kg of hay, 4 kg of grains mixture, and 2 kg/d of faba bean var. Torrelama (total polyphenols 4.4 mg GAE/g DM; CP 28.4% DM); high polyphenols group (HP, 10 cows), 2 kg of hay, 4 kg of grains mixture, and 2 kg/d of faba bean var. Fanfare (total polyphenols 16.4 mg GAE/g DM; CP 28.9% DM). All groups were allowed to graze for 20 h/d on natural pasture forage. The HP supplement tended to increase the milk yield compared to that of the LP and C groups (17.1 vs. 15.3 and 14.6 kg/d, respectively; p = 0.057) but reduced the protein (3.20 vs. 3.39 and 3.47%; p = 0.009) and casein proportions (2.45 vs. 2.67 and 2.74%, respectively; p = 0.007) compared to those from the LP and C treatments. HP milk also showed a higher milk urea nitrogen (MUN) value compared to that of C milk, while an intermediate level was measured in LP milk (25.5 vs. 22.9 and 20.9 mg/dl, respectively; p = 0.036). No dietary effect was evident in the milk fatty acid profile. Eating time at pasture and biting rate were not affected by supplementation. The results do not seem to suggest a difference in the efficiency of use of supplements with different polyphenol contents. In any case, they seem to demonstrate that the use of faba beans, regardless of their polyphenol content, represents a valid alternative to soyabeans, also taking into account the tendency for an increased milk yield found by integrating pasture grazing with faba beans possessing a high level of polyphenols, without significant worsening of the qualitative characteristics of the milk or negatively affecting grazing behaviour. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Practices for Forage-Based Livestock Production Systems)
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11 pages, 947 KiB  
Article
Regression Models for In Vivo Discrimination of the Iberian Pig Feeding Regime after Near Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis of Faeces
by Pablo Rodríguez-Hernández, Vicente Rodríguez-Estévez, Cristina Burguillo-Martín and Nieves Núñez-Sánchez
Animals 2024, 14(11), 1548; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111548 - 24 May 2024
Viewed by 1011
Abstract
The Iberian pig is a native breed of the Iberian Peninsula, which holds an international reputation due to the superior quality and the added value of its products. Different rearing practices and feeding regimes are regulated, resulting in different labelling schemes. However, there [...] Read more.
The Iberian pig is a native breed of the Iberian Peninsula, which holds an international reputation due to the superior quality and the added value of its products. Different rearing practices and feeding regimes are regulated, resulting in different labelling schemes. However, there is no official analytical methodology that is standardised for certification purposes in the sector. Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) is a technology that provides information about the physicochemical composition of a sample, with several advantages that have enabled its implementation in different fields. Although it has already been successfully used for the analysis of Iberian pig’s final products, samples evaluated with NIRS technology are characterised by a postmortem collection. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential of NIRS analysis of faeces for in vivo discrimination of the Iberian pig feeding regime, using the spectral information per se for the development of modified partial least squares regressions. Faecal samples were used due to their easy collection, especially in extensive systems where pig handling is difficult. A total of 166 individual samples were collected from 12 farms, where the three different feeding regimes available in the sector were ensured. Although slight differences were detected depending on the chemometric approach, the best models obtained a classification success and a prediction accuracy of over 94% for feeding regime discrimination. The results are considered very satisfactory and suggest NIRS analysis of faeces as a promising approach for the in vivo discrimination of the Iberian pigs’ diet, and its implementation during field inspections, a significative achievement for the sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Practices for Forage-Based Livestock Production Systems)
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