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Animals
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Innovations in Livestock Farms
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Innovations in Livestock Farms

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 17426

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maria Caria

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Science, University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: precision livestock farming; animal welfare; milking management; milking systems; wearable technologies; mechanization of livestock farms; ergonomic and safety issues; energy and environmental sustainability of dairy farms; smart glasses for augmented reality; logistics of milk collection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giuseppe Todde

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Science, University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: energy and environmental impact of dairy farms; environmental sustainability of agricultural systems: energy and environmental performance of photovoltaic irrigation systems; precision livestock farming; wearable technologies; mechanization of livestock farms; smart glasses for augmented reality; logistics of milk collection; life cycle assessment; direct and indirect energy analysis of livestock farms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, the livestock industry has managed production according to high quantitative and qualitative criteria, placing modern livestock farming within a highly competitive national and international supply chain. Nevertheless, animal husbandry has been exposed to a wide variation in profit levels due to considerable variability in product price and energy and feed costs. For these reasons, it is necessary that the livestock industry improve competitiveness by adopting innovative production processes and improving animal welfare. Development and miniaturization of sensors along with continuing costs reduction encourage the implementation of new technologies in livestock farms, allowing increases in their efficiency and productiveness. However, to design and use new management systems towards an improvement of the livestock sector, more knowledge is needed about the relationships among animal wellbeing, productions, technology, and large data sets.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide innovative experimental research, models, and tools focusing on new livestock farming technologies, including the related economic and environmental impacts. This Special Issue may include but is not limited to:

  • Innovative technologies for animal husbandry;
  • Performances of new technologies in livestock farming;
  • Animal monitoring systems;
  • Influence of sensors and automatisms on animal performances and wellbeing;
  • Sustainable livestock farming systems;
  • Augmented reality applications.
Prof. Maria Caria
Dr. Giuseppe Todde
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • smart farming
  • animal welfare
  • wearable technologies
  • farm management
  • sensors
  • automation in animal farming

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1402 KiB  
Article
Activity-Integrated Hidden Markov Model to Predict Calving Time
by Kosuke Sumi, Swe Zar Maw, Thi Thi Zin, Pyke Tin, Ikuo Kobayashi and Yoichiro Horii
Animals 2021, 11(2), 385; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11020385 - 03 Feb 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2219
Abstract
Accurately predicting when calving will occur can provide great value in managing a dairy farm since it provides personnel with the ability to determine whether assistance is necessary. Not providing such assistance when necessary could prolong the calving process, negatively affecting the health [...] Read more.
Accurately predicting when calving will occur can provide great value in managing a dairy farm since it provides personnel with the ability to determine whether assistance is necessary. Not providing such assistance when necessary could prolong the calving process, negatively affecting the health of both mother cow and calf. Such prolongation could lead to multiple illnesses. Calving is one of the most critical situations for cows during the production cycle. A precise video-monitoring system for cows can provide early detection of difficulties or health problems, and facilitates timely and appropriate human intervention. In this paper, we propose an integrated approach for predicting when calving will occur by combining behavioral activities extracted from recorded video sequences with a Hidden Markov Model. Specifically, two sub-systems comprise our proposed system: (i) Behaviors extraction such as lying, standing, number of changing positions between lying down and standing up, and other significant activities, such as holding up the tail, and turning the head to the side; and, (ii) using an integrated Hidden Markov Model to predict when calving will occur. The experiments using our proposed system were conducted at a large dairy farm in Oita Prefecture in Japan. Experimental results show that the proposed method has promise in practical applications. In particular, we found that the high frequency of posture changes has played a central role in accurately predicting the time of calving. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Livestock Farms)
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10 pages, 620 KiB  
Communication
Relation of Subclinical Ketosis of Dairy Cows with Locomotion Behaviour and Ambient Temperature
by Ramūnas Antanaitis, Vida Juozaitienė, Mindaugas Televičius, Dovilė Malašauskienė, Mingaudas Urbutis and Walter Baumgartner
Animals 2020, 10(12), 2311; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani10122311 - 07 Dec 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2254
Abstract
Rumination time, chewing time and drinking time are indicators that can be assessed in case of cow disease. In this research, two groups of cows were formed: cows with subclinical ketosis (SCK; n = 10) and healthy cows (HG; n = 10). Behaviour [...] Read more.
Rumination time, chewing time and drinking time are indicators that can be assessed in case of cow disease. In this research, two groups of cows were formed: cows with subclinical ketosis (SCK; n = 10) and healthy cows (HG; n = 10). Behaviour such as walking activity, feeding time with head position up, feeding time with head position down, change of activity and average, minimal and maximal ambient temperature of cows were recorded by the RumiWatch noseband system (RWS; RumiWatch System, Itin+Hoch GmbH, Liestal, Switzerland). The RWS comprises a noseband halter with a built-in pressure sensor and a liquid-filled pressure tube. Data from each studied cow were recorded for 420 h. According to the results of our study, it was determined that cows diagnosed with subclinical ketosis showed a tendency to change their activity more frequently. Our data indicates that minimal and maximal ambient temperatures are related with SCK. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Livestock Farms)
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18 pages, 1183 KiB  
Article
Insights into German Consumers’ Perceptions of Virtual Fencing in Grassland-Based Beef and Dairy Systems: Recommendations for Communication
by Ekaterina Stampa, Katrin Zander and Ulrich Hamm
Animals 2020, 10(12), 2267; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani10122267 - 01 Dec 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3040
Abstract
The share of cattle grazing on grassland is decreasing in many European countries. While the production costs of intensive stall-based beef and dairy systems are usually lower per kg product, grazing-based systems provide more ecosystem services that are valued by consumers. Innovative grazing [...] Read more.
The share of cattle grazing on grassland is decreasing in many European countries. While the production costs of intensive stall-based beef and dairy systems are usually lower per kg product, grazing-based systems provide more ecosystem services that are valued by consumers. Innovative grazing systems that apply virtual fencing technology can improve animal welfare, optimize grassland use as pasture, and contribute to biodiversity conservation. Although consumer demand for pasture-raised products could promote animal-friendly practices, consumer perception of virtual fencing remains unknown. To address this gap in research, this study developed information brochures with different lines of argumentation and tested the responses of German consumers using concurrent think aloud protocols. The results demonstrated ambivalence in consumers’ attitudes to virtual fencing. The participants supported the idea of cattle pasturing to promote animal welfare and foster biodiversity declaring a willingness to contribute not only by paying price premiums for pasture-raised products but also through seeking other possibilities of action and participation. However, participants raised concerns about the effects on animal welfare and the social ramifications of the technology. The study offers recommendations for addressing these issues in communication and further contributes to the understanding of consumers’ perceptions of innovation in animal production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Livestock Farms)
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11 pages, 1115 KiB  
Article
Remotely Sensed Imagery for Early Detection of Respiratory Disease in Pigs: A Pilot Study
by Maria Jorquera-Chavez, Sigfredo Fuentes, Frank R. Dunshea, Robyn D. Warner, Tomas Poblete, Rebecca S. Morrison and Ellen C. Jongman
Animals 2020, 10(3), 451; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani10030451 - 09 Mar 2020
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4151
Abstract
Respiratory diseases are a major problem in the pig industry worldwide. Due to the impact of these diseases, the early identification of infected herds is essential. Computer vision technology, using RGB (red, green and blue) and thermal infrared imagery, can assist the early [...] Read more.
Respiratory diseases are a major problem in the pig industry worldwide. Due to the impact of these diseases, the early identification of infected herds is essential. Computer vision technology, using RGB (red, green and blue) and thermal infrared imagery, can assist the early detection of changes in animal physiology related to these and other diseases. This pilot study aimed to identify whether these techniques are a useful tool to detect early changes of eye and ear-base temperature, heart rate and respiration rate in pigs that were challenged with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Clinical observations and imagery were analysed, comparing data obtained from animals that showed some signs of illness with data from animals that showed no signs of ill health. Highly significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between sick and healthy pigs in heart rate, eye and ear temperature, with higher heart rate and higher temperatures in sick pigs. The largest change in temperature and heart rate remotely measured was observed around 4–6 h before signs of clinical illness were observed by the skilled technicians. These data suggest that computer vision techniques could be a useful tool to detect indicators of disease before the symptoms can be observed by stock people, assisting the early detection and control of respiratory diseases in pigs, promoting further research to study the capability and possible uses of this technology for on farm monitoring and management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Livestock Farms)
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Review

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21 pages, 4279 KiB  
Review
Challenges and Tendencies of Automatic Milking Systems (AMS): A 20-Years Systematic Review of Literature and Patents
by Alessia Cogato, Marta Brščić, Hao Guo, Francesco Marinello and Andrea Pezzuolo
Animals 2021, 11(2), 356; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11020356 - 31 Jan 2021
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 4921
Abstract
Over the last two decades, the dairy industry has adopted the use of Automatic Milking Systems (AMS). AMS have the potential to increase the effectiveness of the milking process and sustain animal welfare. This study assessed the state of the art of research [...] Read more.
Over the last two decades, the dairy industry has adopted the use of Automatic Milking Systems (AMS). AMS have the potential to increase the effectiveness of the milking process and sustain animal welfare. This study assessed the state of the art of research activities on AMS through a systematic review of scientific and industrial research. The papers and patents of the last 20 years (2000–2019) were analysed to assess the research tendencies. The words appearing in title, abstract and keywords of a total of 802 documents were processed with the text mining tool. Four clusters were identified (Components, Technology, Process and Animal). For each cluster, the words frequency analysis enabled us to identify the research tendencies and gaps. The results showed that focuses of the scientific and industrial research areas complementary, with scientific papers mainly dealing with topics related to animal and process, and patents giving priority to technology and components. Both scientific and industrial research converged on some crucial objectives, such as animal welfare, process sustainability and technological development. Despite the increasing interest in animal welfare, this review highlighted that further progress is needed to meet the consumers’ demand. Moreover, milk yield is still regarded as more valuable compared to milk quality. Therefore, additional effort is necessary on the latter. At the process level, some gaps have been found related to cleaning operations, necessary to improve milk quality and animal health. The use of farm data and their incorporation on herd decision support systems (DSS) appeared optimal. The results presented in this review may be used as an overall assessment useful to address future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Livestock Farms)
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