2. The Investigators:

Israel:

P.I. Dr. M. GUTMAN -Agricultural Research Organization
Phone: Home: 972-4-6930388 Cellular: 050-294646 FAX: 972-4-6944980
Address: Galilee Technological Center (Migal), Kyriat Shmona, (Migal) 10200 ISRAEL
E mail: mgutman@shani.net
Dr. M. ROSEN- Galilee Technological Center (Migal).
Dr. A. BROSH- Agricultural Research Organization

Peru:

Dr. E. M. NOLTE- Universidad National de Piura (UNP)
Ing. J. F. PONCE - Universidad National de Piura (UNP)
Address: Solitario de Sayan 437
Urb. Maranga Lima, 32 - PERU
Phone: (+ 511) 578 6363
FAX (+ 511) 578 5514

E mail: menolte@computextos.com.pe

Guatemala:

Lic. C. E. SAAVEDRA V. - Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
E mail: usacmvyz@usac.edu.gt

3. Scientific Objectives:

Objective 1. Determine the effect of grazing activity in subtropical and Mediterranean climates on heart rate (HR) of free ranging lactating beef cattle.

Objective 2. Determine the ability of animal activity measured by pedometers and/or global positioning systems (GPS) in conjunction with continuous body temperature monitoring to predict grazing behavior of lactating beef cows in Mediterranean and subtropical environments.

Objective 3. Determine the usefulness of pedometers and/or GPS as a substitute for HR monitors for predicting the Energy Expenditure (EE) of grazing lactating beef cows.

4. Technical Discussion:

The most economically important trait in beef cattle production is reproductive performance. The majority of improvement in reproductive performance in beef cattle will come from changes in the management environment . In disease free herds, studies have shown that one of the largest losses in potential calves occurred because cows did not get pregnant during the breeding season. The major factor regulating time of conception postpartum is weight or more accurately, body condition (BC) of the cow.

Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia Hypotheses
1. Lactating beef cows are the most sensitive class of beef animal to changes in nutritive quality and availability due to the combined energy requirements of maintenance, lactation, and concurrent pregnancy.

2. Grazing management alters the quantity and nutritive value of available forage.

3. Subsequent changes in quantity and nutritive value of available forage in conjunction with environmental conditions, particularly temperature, affects the grazing behavior of lactating cows by reducing or lengthening the time and amount of grazing activity, which affects their ability to meet their dietary requirements.

4. Changes in grazing time affect the EE (as reflected in HR) of lactating beef cows, which are reflected in weight and BC gain or loss.

5. Movement of lactating beef cows as determined by daily pedometer measurements is correlated with grazing behavior determined by vibracorder measurements and animal body temperature.

6. Diurnal and seasonal changes in relative geographic location of lactating beef cows in pasture or range sites are also correlated with grazing behavior determined by vibracorder measurements and animal body temperature.

7. Movements of grazing lactating beef cattle determined by pedometer and/or GPS can affect HR and thus predicted EE of grazing lactating beef cattle.

Brosh et al. (1998) examined whether HR could be used to estimate EE in cattle. The objective of this study was to examine whether HR in cattle can be used to estimate EE under different nutritional and environmental conditions.

This preliminary study also showed that the daily peak for HR for the low stocking rate occurred between 1000 and 1400 hr, when the cows were at rest after the morning grazing. This suggests, that under the management conditions studied, variation in HR was not due to physical activity associated with grazing.

In beef cattle production systems world wide, the majority if not all of the energy requirement of the cowherd comes from forages, either native or tame. Thus grazing management decisions greatly impact beef cattle production by altering the available energy supply for grazing cattle by influencing such variables as forage availability, sward botanical composition, and nutritive value. A better understanding of the effect of grazing management on grazing behavior as it relates to energy expenditure (EE) of beef cattle should provide more precise and timely information for both production systems researchers and grazing system and animal modelers. Newly developed remote sensing devices now offer the opportunity for the near continuous study of grazing behavior under free-range conditions. The present research proposal utilizes a comprehensive monitoring system, integrating five independent measurements, which can relate to animal performance. 1) heart rate (HR) for estimation of EE; 2) activity determined by pedometers; 3) grazing time based on vibracorders; 4) body temperature to monitor environmental effects, and 5) animal position based on GPS. The first objective will be to measure the grazing activity of lactating beef cows under Mediterranean and subtropical environments.

5. Innovation: The simultaneous measurement of GPS combined with both vibracorder, pedometer, and HR monitoring provides an unique opportunity to test the effectiveness of individual or combinations of these measurements for determining the effect of management systems on the grazing behavior and performance of beef cows.

6. Relevance: The most economically important trait in beef cattle production is reproductive performance. The majority of improvement in reproductive performance in beef cattle will come from changes in the management The proposed system will provide an indirect method of measure cattle performance without the need to conduct direct production trials which could not been carried out in the target countries due to the lack of facilities.

7. Capacity Strengthening: The target countries will be introduced to new research methods which will enable them to make grazing management decisions that greatly impact beef cattle production.

8. Collaboration: The cooperative nature of this proposal is based on both groups taking similar measurements of grazing behavior in two different environmental and management systems which allows for greater inference of the data generated. Both groups will share existing equipment and/or expertise.

9. Budget (in US $ for the three year project duration)
 

	Other sources				CDR
Guatemala	Peru	Israel	Guatemala	Peru	Israel
10000	10000	30000	25000	25000	30000	Salaries
4000	4000	14000	25000	25000	30000	Equipment/Materials
			15000	15000	18000	Travel
			10000	10000	15000	Training/Consultation
2100	2100	6600	11250	11250	13950	Overhead
16100	16100	20600	61250	61250	76950	Total
					199450	Total CDR