The increasing use of antibiotics in livestock farming raises concerns about environmental impacts. This study examined the effects of three commonly used veterinary antibiotics – Tylosin, Enrofloxacin, and Oxytetracycline – on manure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fertilizer quality during solid manure storage. Aliquots of fresh cattle manure (10 kg) were either spiked with high or low concentrations of each antibiotic, or left untreated as Control, then incubated in open buckets for 110 days to simulate manure heaping. Emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O were measured using a static chamber with a laser spectrometer. Tylosin (High and Low) treatments and High-dose Enrofloxacin significantly increased manure N2O emissions (2.1 ± 0.2 to 2.5 ± 0.4 %), exceeding the IPCC default values of 1 % manure-N. All antibiotic treatments increased CH4 emission factors (6.4 ± 0.7 to 14.2 ± 1.1 g CH4 kg−1 VS) compared to the Control (2.2 ± 0.5 g CH4 kg−1 VS) and the IPCC default value (4.44 g CH4 kg−1 VS). Overall, antibiotic residues increased the global warming potential (GWP) of stored solid manure by 218 % compared to the Control. Despite the slightly greater nitrogen losses from increased N2O emissions, the final fertilizer quality of the manure remained unaffected by the antibiotic treatments. Besides health concerns related to antimicrobial resistance, our findings on environmental impacts call for a One Health approach to promote sustainable antibiotic use in livestock production.
Tag: cattle
Supplementation of fresh Leucaena prunings on the milk production of dual cattle in Aroa Valley, Venezuela
Eight highbrid dual purpose cows from 2 to 6 months of suckling and from one to six offsprings were selected to prove the supplementation of freshly cuttings of Leucaena on the effect of milk production. The experiment with complete random design lasted 56 days. The cows feed on the cutting were grouped into two groups of four. All were milked twice a day. One group was fed on the prunings at the beginning of the evaluation and the second at the end. The average milk production of the various groups did not vary much with or without Leucaena. During the grazing periods calves were separated from their mothers and were only allowed to such briefly before milking. The Leucaena supplementation can only be seen to be effective on the milk production only during dry seasons.
The role of cattle and sheep in campesino (peasant) production systems in the highlands of central Mexico
The Research Centre in Agricultural Science (CICA) of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico undertakes multi and interdisciplinary research in agricultural science for rural development. The main objective pursued by the Centre is to contribute to the improvement of campesino (peasant) livelihoods, particularly in the highlands of Central Mexico. A group from CICA undertakes research on the development of appropriate technologies for campesino production systems through participatory methodologies in two contrasting zones in the Northwest of the State of Mexico. One zone is located in a high altitude valley within a relatively prosperous irrigated agriculture, based on maize crop; the second zone is located in a mountainous area with low productive potential and marginal rainfed, maize-based agriculture, resulting in very poor communities. As part of CICA’s Research Programme a study to understand the role that ruminants play within campesino agricultural systems in the highlands of Central Mexico was undertaken.
Cattle, broadleaf forests and the agricultural modernization law of Honduras: the case of Olancho
The broadleaf forests of Honduras are among the most extensive in Central America and have been subject to rapid deforestation. Among the important factors in the process of deforestation has been the growth of cattle farming. Structural adjustment policies enacted in 1992 have been directed at overcoming grave economic problems. The authors of the adjustment plans have assumed the same policies will help protect the natural resource base of the country, including its forests. Field research conducted in August – November 1994 sought to understand the effect of the 1992 Agricultural Modernization Law (AML) on the cattle sector and on the management of broadleaf forests in eastern Honduras. The research found that the cattle sector may have benefited from reforms introduced through the new policies (this remains to be proven), while state capabilities in forest conservation and management have clearly declined. The recommendations of this report are to: (1) strengthen the capacity of the state to enforce existing laws aimed at protecting broadleaf forests; (2) revise and amend the provisions of the AML to include provisions aimed specifically at the protection of broadleaf forests; (3) strengthen efforts to harmonise policies among various eco-nomic sectors; (4) conduct a national cadastral survey and implement national land-use planning; and (5) strengthen official support and the policy environment for community-based forest management. There are three further research questions in need of attention: (1) Would intensification of the cattle sector assist efforts to reduce deforestation?; (2) Is halting of road construction in the vicinity of forests a promising way of lowering rates of deforestation?; (3) To what extent is broadleaf deforestation alleviated through attention to the cattle sector alone?
Implications of local policies and institutions on the adoption of improved fallows in eastern Zambia
Planted-tree fallows (syn. improved fallows) have demonstrated great biophysical potential for improving soil fertility on smallholders’ farms but efforts to scale up their adoption to more farming households are constrained by lack of permanent ownership rights over land, incidence of bush fires and browsing of tree biomass by livestock. To resolve these institutional bottlenecks, some traditional authorities in Zambia enacted bylaws to prohibit these incursions. Using a combination of village workshops, expert opinion surveys and structured questionnaires, this study assessed the effectiveness of the bylaws across the major cultural communities in eastern Zambia, identified factors that influence the effectiveness of the bylaws and the lessons emanating from the bylaws in the scaling up of improved fallows. The results indicate that fire poses greater risks to the scaling up of agroforestry than does grazing in terms of the risk of occurrence and the extent of damage. Respondents identified mice hunters and `jealous’ neighbors as main causes of fire outbreaks. The effectiveness of the bylaws is influenced by many factors such as ambiguous interpretation of the bylaws, relying exclusively on moral persuasion to enforce the bylaws and lack of well defined responsibilities for enforcing the bylaws, conflict of economic interests among different stakeholders within the communities. Formal documentation of the bylaws will be helpful, but that would not be an exclusive panacea to solve all the constraints. The pattern of distribution of benefits (or costs) of an agricultural technology among various sectors of a community may be important factors that affect widespread adoption of a technology. Technological characteristics are important but not exclusive condition for sustained widespread adoption of soil fertility management options. Privatizing seasonal commons is an important issue in the development of institutional regulations within communities. Policy dialogue among community members, increased awareness and diversification of options appear to be the way forward to improve the effectiveness of the bylaws.
The effect of cattle grazing on soil physical and chemical properties in a silvopastoral system in the Peruvian Amazon
In a six-year-old peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) plantation, centrosema (Centrosema macrocarpum), a leguminous forage plant, was established as a cover crop which was eventually grazed. This experiment was designed to monitor probable changes in soil physical and chemical properties and measure peach palm fruit production and live-weight gain of cattle grazing this silvopastoral system. The experiment was installed on land that was previously cleared by a D7 bulldozer having a straight blade that mixed the thin layer of topsoil with the acid subsoil (20–40 cm) and severely compacted the soil. The results demonstrated that the centrosema cover crop reduced soil bulk density, increased water infiltration rates and reduced mechanical resistance. In general soil physical properties were improved with the use of Centrosema as forage and cover crop. Soil acidity and aluminum saturation decreased considerably, while potassium concentrations increased. Calcium and magnesium concentrations decreased over time as these minerals were stored in the pasture biomass, translocated to fresh peach palm fruits and/or exported to animals. A strong competition for nutrients was observed between the peach palm plants and Centrosema. The low production of peach palm fruits was in response to mechanized land clearing during initial establishment of the plantation, and also probably due to deficits of N, P, K, Ca and Mg in the soil instead of being a consequence to the presence of cattle. The average increase in live-weight gains of the cattle was at a rate of 445 g/animal/day during the four-years of the study. Such an increase is substantially greater than those registered in the area under traditional grazing systems used in the region.