Evaluation of Different Sensor Systems for Classifying the Behavior of Dairy Cows on Pasture.

Monitoring animal behavior using sensor technologies requires prior testing under varying conditions because behaviors can differ significantly, such as between grazing and confined cows. This study aimed to validate several sensor systems for classifying rumination and lying behaviors in cows on pasture under different environmental conditions, compare the sensors' performance at different time resolutions, and evaluate a correction algorithm for rumination data. Ten Simmental dairy cows were monitored on pasture, each simultaneously equipped with an ear-tag accelerometer (ET), two different leg-mounted accelerometers (LMs), and a noseband sensor (NB).

Field Evaluation of a Rising Plate Meter to Estimate Herbage Mass in Austrian Pastures.

Pasture management is an important topic for dairy farms with grazing systems. Herbage mass (HM) is a key measure, and estimations of HM content in pastures allow for informed decisions in pasture management. A common method of estimating the HM content in pastures requires manually collected grass samples, which are subjected to laboratory analysis to determine the dry matter (DM) content.

A new long-term sampling approach to viruses on surfaces.

The importance of virus disease outbreaks and its prevention is of growing public concern but our understanding of virus transmission routes is limited by adequate sampling strategies. While conventional swabbing methods provide merely a microbial snapshot, an ideal sampling strategy would allow reliable collection of viral genomic data over longer time periods. This study has evaluated a new, paper-based sticker approach for collection of reliable viral genomic data over longer time periods up to 14 days and after implementation of different hygiene measures.

A Novel Method for Sampling and Long-Term Monitoring of Microbes That Uses Stickers of Plain Paper.

Detection of pathogens is crucial in food production areas. While it is well established, swabbing as a state-of-the-art sampling method offers several drawbacks with respect to yield, standardization, overall handling, and long-term monitoring. This led us to develop and evaluate a method that is easier to use at a lower cost and that should be at least as sensitive.