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Sustainability

Bodenverdichtung

How does compacted soil recover?

It takes mere seconds to compact a soil, but years or even decades for it to recover. Biological activities by plant roots and soil organisms (earthworms) as well as physical effects like drying out and rewetting phases, and freezing-thawing cycles are vital for natural regeneration. Exactly how recovery happens is being investigated in a long-term field trial. For this, an observational infrastructure with hundreds of soil probes – the Soil Structure Observatory (SSO) – was set up in 2014 together with ETH Zurich. After the initial compaction event, a fallow, a permanent grassland and a crop rotation with and without tillage were set up. This allows to analyse e.g. the influence of plants and tillage on recovery.

Bodenfruchtbarkeit und Bodenschutz
SoilStructureObservatory
Regeneration verdichteter Böden

Publikation Arbeitshaltung Melken

Ergonomics in the milking parlour

Milkers frequently suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, especially in the area of the shoulders and arms.  Agroscope therefore investigated whether appropriate working heights can reduce workload in the milking parlour. For this, the angle of flexion of various joints during milking was recorded in one experiment, whilst a second experiment recorded muscle contractions at three different heights. The study showed that although a lower working height in the milking parlour has no effect on forearms or upper arms, it significantly reduces strain on the shoulders. 

Projektnummer: 22.11.17.06.03

Indikator für Wohlbefinden und virtuelles Zaunsystem

A virtual fencing system serves as an enclosure without a physical barrier. Its application could reduce management costs and thus has the potential to prevent the abandonment of marginal land and subsequent biodiversity loss. In addition, virtual fencing systems can protect wildlife by preventing injuries and fatalities caused by physical fences. However, their use requires animal-friendly training and keeping of livestock. To assess the animal welfare effects, field trials will be conducted and a new automated welfare indicator based on the activity rhythm will be evaluated. As constant rhythms are characteristic of a healthy organism and stressors may disturb rhythmicity, the activity rhythm could be a promising marker to assess the animal's state. In particular, it will be tested whether changes in rhythmic behavioural patterns may reflect health- and distress-related challenges in cows such as rumen acidosis, weaning and metabolic imbalances.

Name, Vorname Standort
Bérard Joël Posieux
Eggerschwiler Lukas Posieux
Fuchs Patricia Posieux
Nasser Roland Tänikon
Schneider Manuel K. Reckenholz

Schneider M., Umstatter C., Nasser H.-R., Gallmann E., Barth K.
Effect of the daily duration of calf contact on the dam's ultra- and circadian activity rhythms.
JDS Communications, In Press, 2024, 1-5.

Schneider M., Umstätter C., Nasser H. R., Gallmann E., Barth K.
Vorläufige Ergebnisse zum Einfluss der muttergebundenen Kälberaufzucht auf die ultra- und circadiane Aktivitätsrhythmik von Milchkühen.
In: One step ahead - einen Schritt voraus. 7. März - 10. März, Hrsg. FiBL, Frick (CH). 2023, 454-455.

Schneider M., Umstätter C., Nasser H. R., Gallmann E., Barth K.
Erste Untersuchungen zum Einfluss der muttergebundenen Kälberaufzucht auf die ultra- und circadiane Aktivitätsrhythmik von Milchkühen.
In: 16. Wissenchaftstagung Ökologischer Landbau. 8. März, Hrsg. FiBL, Frick (CH). 2023.

Fuchs P., Stachowicz J., Schneider M. K., Probo M., Bruckmaier R., Umstätter C.
Learning behavior and milk cortisol levels of dairy cows managed under a rotational grazing system with virtual fencing.
In: Abstract Booklet. 13.10, Hrsg. Agroscope, Changins. 2022, 19.

Fuchs P., Stachowicz J. , Schneider M. K., Probo M., Bruckmaier R., Umstätter C.
Learning behavior and milk cortisol levels of dairy cows managed under a rotational grazing system with virtual fencing.
In: 3rd Agroscope PhD-PostDoc Symposium. 13. Oktober, Hrsg. Agroscope, Changins. 2022.

Nasser H. R., Schneider M., Stachowicz J., Umstätter C.
digiRhythm: Analyzing Animal's Rhythmicity.

Stachowicz J., Nasser H. R., Adrion F., Umstätter C.
Can we detect patterns in behavioral time series of cows using cluster analysis?
Journal of Dairy Science, 105, (12), 2022, 1-11.

Fuchs P., Stachowicz J., Schneider M. K., Probo M., Bruckmaier R., Umstätter C.
Learning behaviour and welfare of dairy cows using a virtual fencing system in rotational grazing.
In: 73rd Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science. 5 - 9 September, Hrsg. EAAP, Porto. 2022.

Fuchs P., Stachowicz J., Schneider M. K., Probo M., Bruckmaier R., Umstätter C.
Learning behavior and welfare of dairy cows using a virtual fencing system in rotational grazing.
In: 73º Annual Meeting of European Federation of Animal Science. 5. - 9. September, Hrsg. EAAP, Porto, Portugal. 2022, 1-13.

Bach L.
Wie werden Schweizer Kühe trockengestellt?
UFA-Revue, 3. Februar, 2022, 1-4.

Fuchs P., Adrion F., Shafiullah A.Z.M., Bruckmaier R., Umstätter C.
Detecting ultra- and circadian activity rhythms of dairy cows in automatic milking systems using the degree of functional coupling: A pilot study.
Frontiers in Animal Science, 3, 2022, 1-15.

Rinder Fuetterung

Optimised feed reduces environmental impacts

On behalf of Micarna SA, Agroscope analysed the environmental impacts of beef, pork and poultry production. With beef production, feed intensity was crucial. In the case of pork and poultry production, the quantity of feed used per kg of meat had the greatest influence on environmental impacts. The use of European soya with its shorter transport distances had a positive effect. 

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