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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #245949

Title: Adapting livestock behaviour to achieve management goals

Author
item Anderson, Dean

Submitted to: Symposium Series
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/2/2008
Publication Date: 6/3/2008
Citation: Anderson, D.M. 2008. Adapting livestock behaviour to achieve management goals. Symposium Series. Multi-Species Grazing; Profitable for your land, Profitable for you! June 3-4, 2009, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Using livestock to efficiently achieve management goals requires melding animal behavior with mechanical and electronic equipment. Practices such as autonomously obtaining individual animal liveweight when combined with individual animal electronic identification can produce numerous cost saving advantages by bringing together cause and effect events in a meaningful time frame that allows for proactive management intervention. Other technologies such as fluorometry makes it possible to rapidly determine what free-ranging animals are eating including those plants that may be toxic to an animal's health. Soon virtual fencing will be commercially available making the spatial and temporal control of animals in real time a reality. All of these evolving technologies when used appropriately will foster low stress animal handling, the keystone in realizing optimum free-ranging animal management goals.