Lecture 2 Flashcards
Where does Ireland stand in terms of sheep production in EU?
5TH largest producers in the EU
How many sheep farms are in ireland?
How many breeding ewes in the country?
35,555 active flocks farming 2.65 million breeding ewes
Herbage can fulfil what % of ewes energy requirement?
Whats the average annual herbage production t/ha DM?
95%
4.5T/ha DM
Whats the challanges faced by irish sheep sector? (5)
-Increasing input costs and price fluctuations
- Natural resources are deteriorating
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Policy is addressing these issues
- Achieve more while improving the sustainability of ruminant
production systems
How viable are farms as an income source:
Gross output?
Gross MARGIN?
nET PROFIT?
Income?
Gross output € 1,360/ha
Gross MARGIN €685/ha
nET PROFIT €103/ha
Income €286/ha
Environmental Sustainability (3)
1) Social – farmer, animal and community well-being
2) Economic – how viable the farm is as an income source
3) Environmental – reducing the impact of agricultural systems on
the environment
Whats ammonia?
Not directly a GHG
Agriculture accounts for 99% of total irish ammonia emission
Deposited into the soil
Acts as a substrate for emissions of nitrous oxide
What is nitrogen use efficiency ?
Animals ability to utilise dietary N efficiency , maximizing productive output
Improving Nitrogen Use efficiency by : (3)
(2) How can we improve NUE?
Breeding- better genetic potential for efficient nitrogen utilisation based on traits like growth rates and FCE
Rumen Health - healthy rumen function can contribute to higher NUE Use feed additives like probiotics enzymes
How much does agriculture account for GHG emissions?
37.8%
Average Sheep production systems :
Whats enteric fermentation?
Natural process in feed digestion
Microbes in rumen start decomposing and ferment feed
Microbes= bacteria protozoa Fungi
Whats the main source of energy for the animal and what %?
acetate
butyrate
propionate
70%
How long does methane persist in the environment?
12 years
Where is methane on the GWP scale?
28
How much methane is released through the animals mouth?
How much methane is released through animal farts ?
90-95%
5-10%
Whats methane a direct response to?
What they eat
List the 3 social sustainability headings:
- Farmer- isolation, hours worked on the farm..
- Animal- health and welfare
- Community- public perception to sheep production systems around
animal welfare, farming practices, environmental impact of these
systems
What % is Ireland in terms of self-sufficiency in sleep meat?
397% self sufficient
What is the average flock size of sheep in Ireland and the average farm size?
Flock Size- 140 sheep
Farm size- 44 ha
Concentrate costs what what % of direct costs?
42.4% direct costs
What % of sheep farmers are :
-Viable
-Sustainable
-Vulnerable
-Viable- 16%
-Sustainable- 45%
-Vulnerable- 39%
Average family farm income sheep enterprise in 2023:
Look at slide 12 and 13 not sure wtf they could ask us
Environmental sustainability 3 things that need to be addressed:
Ammonia emissions
Nitrogen use efficiency
Greenhouse gas emissions
What % does ag account for ammonia emissions?
99% ammonia emissions
How does ammonia emissions be released?
Ammonia is deposited onto the soil
- Then acts as a substrate
for emissions of nitrous oxide
What can ammonia emissions be broken down into:
Different sources :
1- Manure Landscaping
2- Manure management housing and storage
What does nitrogen use efficiency mean?
The animals ability to utilize dietary nitrogen efficiently, maximizing
productive output (i.e. growth, milk) and minimize waste (i.e.
excreted nitrogen)
Improved NUE Leads to… (3)
1) Less environmental pollution i.e. N leaching into waterbodies
2) Animal performance
3) Improved economic return
What helps Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) 4 things
*Breeding: Better genetic potential for efficient nitrogen utilization,
based on traits like growth rates and feed conversion efficiency
*Rumen health: Healthy rumen function can contribute to higher
NUE. Use of feed additives i.e. probiotics, enzymes
*Optimizing diets: Understanding animals nitrogen requirement
and balancing dietary protein content to meet the animal’s N
requirements
*Improved forage management: Forage species, pasture quality
and grazing management
National greenhouse gas emissions
- Agriculture- ?% of total Irish greenhouse gases in 2023
37.8%
GHG emissions Broken down by source: (7)
Enteric Fermentation 63%
Fuel combustion 4.1%
Urea application 0.6%
Liming 2.2%
Agricultural soils 18.3%
Manure management 11.8%
History of sheep GHG emissions (3)
- Sheep emissions peaked in late ’90s before dropping
- Slow increase from 2010
- GHG mitigation strategies are needed
Average sheep production system
Slide 20 just look at it
Whats LCA used to calculate ?
Life cycle assessment (LCA) used to calculate the environmental impact of
all life stages of a product, process, system or service and is internationally
recognized
What does the teagasc sheep LCA model account for?
The Teagasc Sheep LCA model accounts for all GHG emissions up to the
point at which the product (live weight and wool) leaves the farm
What does LCA build on?
LCA builds on data of average performance of sheep production systems to
determine how to achieve the 25% GHG reduction set by the government
Baseline greenhouse gas intensity (kg CO2 equivalent /kg live weight) and mitigation strategies list them: 6
Reducing
mortality rate
from 7.9% to 5%
Reduce concentrate
fed from 103kg/ ewe
to 50kg/ ewe
Reduce fert by
20% by
incorporating
white clover
Using
protected
urea
Increase weaning
rate 1.39 to 1.5
lambs/ewe
11%
reduction
in GHG
intensity
Enteric fermentation ghg %
63%
Parts of the sheep digestion process (6)
-Oesophagus
-(Rumen
-Reticulum
-Omasum)-Forestomach
-Abomasum
-Intestines
What is enteric fermentation? 3 points
- Natural process in feed digestion
- Microbes (bacteria, protozoa and fungi)
in rumen decompose and ferment feed - Feed source determines rate of
digestion i.e. sugars and starches broken
down quickly while lignified forage takes
longer to digest
What are VFA’s? 2 points
- Anaerobic fermentation of feed produces end products including Volatile Fatty
Acids (VFA’s) - Major source of energy (70%) in the animal
What are the 3 main types of VFA’s?
- Three main types
1) Acetate
2) Butyrate
3) Propionate - Proportion that these are produced in depends on the feed being fermented
- Fresh forage diets: Acetate 70%, Propionate 20%, Butyrate: 10%
In fresh forage diets :
What % are the different VFA’s disposed as?
- Proportion that these are produced in depends on the feed being fermented
- Fresh forage diets:
Acetate 70%,
Propionate 20%,
Butyrate: 10%
Nonfibrous carbs what do they turn into?
Soluble Sugars and starch and then converted into Butyrate
What does fibrous carbs (cell wall) Structural carbs turn into?
Pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose
What does pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose turn into?
Propionate and acetate
In the rumen, butyrate, propionate, and acetate, what happens to them?
Absorbed across the rumen wall and carried by the bloodstream to the liver used as an energy source for:
-Maintenance
-Activity
-Milk production
-Body condition
-Pregnancy
-Growth
Look at slides 27 and 28 and 29
Enteric methane
3 points on methane
Methane (CH4) is the second most important GHG globally
Methane persists in the atmosphere for 12 years after release
before being broken down
GWP100 = 28 – Global warming potential 28 times that of carbon
dioxide over a 100-year period
Enteric methane
Accounts for ?% gross energy loss
2-12%
Slide 31
Managing enteric methane
3 points
Natural process of feed digestion
Eliminate methane = disrupt digestive process
Must consider overall impact of mitigation strategies
Animal Health and Nutrition What are the 3 things that we should do ?
Balance the diet
Monitor rumen health
Consider animal-specific needs
What can have a significant impact on
rumen microbial populations?
Some feed additives
What are the 2 environmental considerations that we need to look at ? (2)
Sustainability of feed sources: Some methods to reduce
methane could have environmental impacts if not sourced
sustainably
Waste management: As some strategies, like methane
capture, focus on reducing emissions at the waste stage,
ensuring proper infrastructure for collection and management
is essential
What are the two economic impacts that we should be looking at?
Cost-effectiveness: Some strategies for reducing methane can be
expensive. Cost-benefit for the system, including potential
changes in production efficiency, milk or meat yield need to be
considered
Assess potential trade-offs: While focusing on methane
reduction, productivity and overall livestock health should not
negatively affected
The company behind Bovaer which is added in small quantities to coow feed could reduce cow methane emissions by between what?
30-45%
How do we be more sustainable as sheep farmers? (4)
Grain-based diets
Lipids and oils
Ionophores
3-NOP (3-nitrooxypropanol)
(All feed additives)
Grain-based diets how are they beneficial?
Diets that are more starch-heavy (such as grains) compared to
fibre-rich diets tend to produce less methane because starch fermentation in the
rumen is more efficient and shifts towards propionate production in oppose to acetate
production
Lipids and oils, how are they beneficial?
Adding unsaturated fats or oils to the diet may inhibit the activity of
methanogens and reduce methane emissions
Ionophores how are they beneficial?
Antibiotics that can modify rumen fermentation by altering the microbial
population. Banned for use in the EU
3-NOP (3-nitrooxypropanol) how are they beneficial?
Reduce methane emissions by inhibiting the enzymes
methanogenesis relies on. It’s been shown to significantly reduce methane output
without negatively affecting animal growth or milk production
50:50 forage: concentrate diet
What is the excretion?
142mg 3-NOP/kg DMI
3-NOP – indoor beef system what is interesting about this?
“Offering 3-NOP effectively reduced
CH4 emissions in young growing beef
cattle when included at 142 mg/kg
DM and was persistent over the
course of the 12-wk study, with
greater reductions observed over
time”
“DM feed intake and animal
performance were not affected by
the inclusion of 3-NOP”
3-NOP - outdoor dairy system whats interesting about this?
80 mg of 3-NOP per kg DMI
The additive was only effective for 3 h after additive feeding,
during which period the enteric CH4 production of cows
supplemented with 3-NOP was 28.5% lower than that of CON
cows”
“When CH4 production was considered across the entire 24-h
period, the cows offered 3-NOP produced ~5% less CH4 than
the control”
Seaweed as a feed additive:
Studies, particularly those focusing on
Asparagopsis have shown that small amounts of
seaweed added to livestock feed reduce methane
emissions. The bioactive compounds in seaweed
inhibit the activity of methanogens.
Whats the story with brown and green sea weed?
“The seven indigenous brown and green seaweeds
assessed in the present study had no effect on
nutrient disappearance, failed to reduce absolute
methane emissions or alter fermentation patterns in
the artificial rumen”
In 2012, flocks of low- and high-emitting sheep were established by
measuring the methane emissions and daily feed intakes of over 1,300
animals
Sheep bred from these flocks and the low and high-emitting sheep are
now estimated to differ on average by around ??% since selection
started in 2008
There is no evidence that important production traits, such as growth
rates, wool production and disease resistance, are compromised in the
low-emitting line”
16%
Animal management what are the 2 steps farmers should be taking to help with animal management?
Optimizing feeding frequency and meal sizes
Improved rumen health
Optimizing feeding frequency and meal sizes:
Providing animals
with smaller, more frequent meals could reduce the amount of
time methane-producing microbes have to act on the feed,
potentially reducing methane output
Improved rumen health:
Ensuring good rumen health and
balance can help optimize fermentation processes, leading to
more efficient digestion and less methane production.
Reducing methane in pasture-based sheep production systems
Pasture species and quality: (3)
Feeding higher-quality, easily digestible forages can reduce methane
production
While fibre is essential for rumen function, reducing the amount of lignified
material (low digestibility) can lower methane emissions.
Some plant species i.e. herbs and legumes contain secondary plant compounds
inc. tannins. Research suggests tannins may reduce methane production
What are multispecies swards: (3)
- Variety of species from various families
of plants - Grasses, legumes and herbs
- Species complementarity
What are the benefits of multi-species swards? (5)
-Reducing N inputs
-Improved animal performance
-Enhanced animal health
-Environmental benefits
-Increased forage DM production
What was Rachels PhD about?
- Part of the Multi4More project
- Designing multispecies swards for agronomic, livestock and environmental
performance - Funded by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Department of
Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs - Multi-site project
Understanding the impact of grazing multispecies swards on livestock performance,
and the impact of livestock grazing on the performance of multispecies swards
What was the objective and hypothesis of Rachels project “The effect of multispecies swards on
sward and animal performance”
- Objective: Assess the impact
multispecies swards have on animal
performance and the effect of
grazing on the persistency of
multispecies swards in a three-year
grazing trial - Hypothesis: Multispecies swards
will support enhanced animal
performance
What type of an experiment was it?
How many Ha? and how many ewes and lambs ?
What breeds did she use?
What metrics measured was included?
Systems experiment
- 10ha (2 X 5ha farmlets) grazed by
60 ewes and lambs per farmlet - Breeds include Mule, Belclare and
Lleyn - Metrics measured include
-Sward productivity, botanical and
chemical composition
-Ewe and lamb performance
-Lamb carcass yield and quality
What was the swards like of Rachels project?
5ha PRG
4ha MSS
1ha PRGRC
What is the Seasonal change in MSS botanical composition? (3)
- Early season- MSS primarily comprised of
grass - Mid season- Legume component of the MSS
increased substantially, while grass
component decreased - Late season- Grass reduced further as herb
component increased
What is the Annual change in MSS botanical composition? (3)
- 2021- MSS primarily comprised of grass
- 2022- Legume and herb component of the
MSS increased, while grass component
decreased - 2023- Grass increased as the legume and herb
component declined
In Rachels project “The effect of sward type on rumen
fermentation and enteric methane
production” what was the objective and hypothesis?
- Objective: Assess the impact of grazing
different sward types on sheep enteric
methane production and rumen function - Hypothesis: Sheep grazing multispecies
swards will produce less enteric methane in
comparison to sheep grazing perennial
ryegrass swards
What was the study overview of Rachels Project “The effect of sward type on rumen
fermentation and enteric methane
production”
- 60 animals
30 grazing PRG
30 grazing MSS - Ewes measured twice: 1) Lactating 2) Dry
- Lambs measured once: Post-weaning
- Fasted 1 hour prior to measurement
- Portable Accumulation Chamber
- Rumen fluid sampled subsequently
Theres other slides their on Rachels PhD probably 4/5 more
