Animal Production Flashcards
What changes consumption patterns regarding export and imports?
-wealth- as wealth increases, consumption of a range of products, including livestock, tends to increase
Which countries and in what order, have the highest amount of imports of abaca, manila hemp and raw?
- Asia
- Africa
- Americans
What is Australian soil fertility particularly low in?
Phosphorous
What has dramatically changed livestock production systems, plus cropping systems?
New technologies - mechanisation
How did using tractors instead of horses improve farming?
-tractors increased the areas that could be sown/harvested
How does modern tractors and harvesting equipment improve farming?
Hint: are as many employees required?
-modern tractors and harvesting equipment reduce teams needed from large numbers to 2-3 people to completely harvest crop
What product has allowed for minimum till production?
-round-up products
What is tilling in agriculture?
-turning the soil to control for weeds and pests and to prepare for seeding
What can intensive soil tillage do?
-increase the likelihood of soil erosion, nutrient runoff into nearby waterways, and the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
What is the meaning of no-tillage or zero tillage?
-seeds are directly placed into untilled soil, which has retained the previous crop residues
-also referred to as no-till
How do special no-till seeding equipment work?
-they open a narrow slot into the residue covered soil which is only wide enough to put the seeds into the ground and cover them with soil
What is the aim of no-till seeding equipment?
-to move as little soil as possible in order not to bring weed seeds to the surface and not stimulating them to germinate. No other soil tillage operation is done. The residues from the previous crops will remain largely undisturbed at the soil surface as mulch
What are the advantages of no-till farming?
-more productive soils
-profitable farms
What does tilled soil by machinery cause?
-exposes soil to air
-organic matter is lost
-trapped carbon that is vital for soil health gets lost into the atmosphere
What 3 things does no-till farming help retain in the soil?
-organic matter
-nutrients
-water
What are the advantages of crop residues being left on the soil surface?
-protects the soil from water and wine erosion
-reduces the risk of sealing
-reduces nutrient run-off
-better soil structure
-better water-holding capacity
-increased microbial activity
In no-till systems, weed seeds stay near the soil surface. Is this an advantage or disadvantage and why?
-advantage
-on the surface the seeds are subjected to decomposition and predation
-seed bank will decrease over time
What are the 2 minerals that soils are particularly fertilised with across Australia?
-phosphorus
-nitrogen
What is the purpose of sub-clover?
-to provide nutritious feed for livestock
-improve soil fertility
-improves nitrogen levels in soil
What is the largest irrigation area in Australia?
Hint: what 2 rivers irrigate Victoria, Sth Queensland and NSW
- Murray River
- Darling River
-Murray Darling Basin
What are the advantages of the Great Artesian Basement (rivers)?
-supply ground water for livestock watering systems
How is productivity generally measured?
-output/animal or
-output/area
What is profit?
-the amount of money left after all other business expenses are paid and income accounted for
-over a given period of time
What can be shown by ‘return on assets’ or ‘return on investment’?
-profit
