One-shot technology for three-dimensional imaging of large animals: perspectives for ruminant management.

In numerous systems of animal production, there is increasing interest in the use of three-dimensional (3D)-imaging technology on farms for its ability to easily and safely measure traits of interest in living animals. With this information, it is possible to evaluate multiple morphological indicators of interest, either directly or indirectly, and follow them through time. Several tools for this purpose were developed, but one of their main weaknesses was their sensitivity to light and animal movement, which limited their potential for large-scale application on farms.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Imaging Technology to Monitor Growth and Development of Holstein Heifers and Estimate Body Weight, a Preliminary Study.

The choice of rearing strategy for dairy cows can have an effect on production yield, at least during the first lactation. For this reason, it is important to closely monitor the growth and development of young heifers. Unfortunately, current methods for evaluation can be costly, time-consuming, and dangerous because of the need to physically manipulate animals, and as a result, this type of monitoring is seldom performed on farms.

A research agenda for scaling up agroecology in European countries.

A profound transformation of agricultural production methods has become unavoidable due to the increase in the world's population, and environmental and climatic challenges. Agroecology is now recognized as a challenging model for agricultural systems, promoting their diversification and adaptation to environmental and socio-economic contexts, with consequences for the entire agri-food system and the development of rural and urban areas. Through a prospective exercise performed at a large interdisciplinary institute, INRAE, a research agenda for agroecology was built that filled a gap through its ambition and interdisciplinarity.

Invited review: Disentangling residual feed intake-Insights and approaches to make it more fit for purpose in the modern context.

Residual feed intake (RFI) is an increasingly used trait to analyze feed efficiency in livestock, and in some sectors such as dairy cattle, it is one of the most frequently used traits. Although the principle for calculating RFI is always the same (i.e.

Estimation of dairy goat body composition: A direct calibration and comparison of eight methods.

The objective was to compare eight methods for estimation of dairy goat body composition, by calibrating against chemical composition (water, lipid, protein, mineral and energy) measured post-mortem. The methods tested on 20 Alpine goats were body condition score (BCS), 3-dimension imaging (3D) automatic assessment of BCS or whole body scan, ultrasound, computer tomography (CT), adipose cell diameter, deuterium oxide dilution space (DOS) and bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS). Regressions were tested between predictive variates derived from the methods and empty body (EB) composition.

Identification of rumen microbial biomarkers linked to methane emission in Holstein dairy cows.

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions is relevant for reducing the environmental impact of ruminant production. In this study, the rumen microbiome from Holstein cows was characterized through a combination of 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Methane production (CH ) and dry matter intake (DMI) were individually measured over 4-6 weeks to calculate the CH yield (CH y = CH /DMI) per cow.

Early lactation performance in Holstein heifers first calving at 36 months and managed for high or low weight gain during mid- and late gestation.

The effect of weight gain during mid- and late gestation in dairy heifers on performance at the start of first lactation was studied. In this experiment, 47 Holstein heifers with first calving at 36 months of age were used. The plane of nutrition aimed to have a high (900 g/d, H; n = 23) and low (500, L; n = 24) average daily gain (ADG) from the 4th month of gestation until 3 weeks before the expected day of calving, achieved by ad libitum intake of high quality pasture (H) or controlled intake of a total mixed ration (L).

The Relationship of Dairy Farm Eco-Efficiency with Intensification and Self-Sufficiency. Evidence from the French Dairy Sector Using Life Cycle Analysis, Data Envelopment Analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling.

We aimed at quantifying the extent to which agricultural management practices linked to animal production and land use affect environmental outcomes at a larger scale. Two practices closely linked to farm environmental performance at a larger scale are farming intensity, often resulting in greater off-farm environmental impacts (land, non-renewable energy use etc.) associated with the production of imported inputs (e.

Effect of a long chain n-3 PUFA-enriched diet on production and reproduction variables in Holstein dairy cows.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a rumen-protected fish oil supplement on the production and reproduction variables in postpartum dairy cows. Holstein cows (n=46) were given a basal total mixed diet plus one PUFA supplement: n-3 (n-3; protected fish oil; 1% dry matter intake (DMI); n=23) or control (n-6; toasted soybeans; 1.8% DMI; n=23), in a switchback design over two consecutive lactations.