Sheep Industry News August 2022

Using Precision Ag Tools To Produce Sustainable Animals

ANDREWHESS, Ph.D. University of Nevada, Reno I n 2019, the U.S. Department of Agricul ture outlined its blueprint for agricultural research for the next decade. One of its major goals was the development of more sustainable practices in animal agriculture. Th is includes environmental – land, water us age and greenhouse gas emissions – as well as economic – consumer a ff ordability and farmer profi ability – considerations. A key component should be improving animal fi ness and welfare, but also producing desirable animal products, including lean and tender meat products.

Figure 1: Weigh station prototype in Reno, Nev.

exposed to more variable environmental conditions, such as those found in rangeland production systems. However, the challenge in these systems is to develop methods to routinely capture data when the animals are in these environments. At the University of Nevada-Reno, we are conducting research using the R aft er 7 fl ock that aims to use precision livestock man agement tools to inform management practices and develop traits related to resilience. Th se include developing a high-throughput portable weigh system for routine collection and using low-cost GPS units to capture animal movement. To capture the genetic component of these and other production traits, we have undertaken a large genotyping e ff ort to enable selec tion of animals based on their genetic merit. ROUTINE WEIGHT COLLECTION A high-throughput automated weighing system that can be easily transported to diff erent locations will enable the routine collection of weights during summer turnout of sheep. A system to routinely collect weights on sheep has been developed, which uses equip ment that can be easily transported and can be powered using solar panels. However, for successful adoption for routine use by herders, a more high-throughput method is needed. We have worked on de veloping a multi-gated weighing system that can measure multiple animals simultaneously and can be set up in areas where daily use enables frequent data collection, such as by water or at encamp ments. Th is work is funded by the National Sheep Industry Im provement Center.

IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY BY SELECTING RESILIENT ANIMALS

Resilience will be a key component of sustainable agriculture and can be defi ed as the capacity of an animal to be minimally aff cted by disturbances, or to rapidly return to the state pertained before exposure to a disturbance. A more resilient animal will show better adaptation to changing environmental conditions – temperature and rainfall – as well as being able to tolerate exposure to diseases. Th s, a more resilient animal will need less intervention to maintain a high level of performance because they are able make the most out of the resources available in their environment. Useful indicators of resilience utilize routine measurements over time or measurements that are indicative of the cumulative response to an individual’s environment, thereby capturing an individual’s ability to recover from stressors, such as a period of extreme heat. Precision livestock management tools oft en rely on sensors and ad vanced analysis methods that reduce the complex data into metrics useful to the producer. Th se tools provide a potential avenue for identifying more resilient animals because they are aimed at routinely collecting data for management purposes and are typically automated in a way that reduces the burden on the producer. Routinely recorded body weights in chickens and lactation re cords in dairy cattle have been used to develop resilience traits. Most studies on resilience to-date have focused on species where frequent data collection is common practice, and there are easy access facilities to collect the longitudinal data necessary for trait development. A greater impact might be realized in animals that are

See SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION on Page 34

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