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Pestiviruses are globally distributed and cause substantial economic losses to the cattle industry. In Brazil, the country with the world's largest cattle population, pestivirus infections are well described in some regions, such as in the south, where a high frequency of BVDV-2 is described and contrasts with the high prevalence of HoBi-like pestivirus (HoBiPeV) in the northeast. However, there is a lack of information about pestiviruses in the Amazon Region, in northern Brazil, with a cattle population estimated at 55.7 million head, which has a significant impact on the international livestock market. Therefore, this study investigated the seroprevalence and genetic variability of ruminant pestiviruses in 944 bovine serum samples from four states in northern Brazil: Pará (PA), Amapá (AP), Roraima (RR), and Amazonas (AM). Our results showed that 45.4% of the samples were seropositive (19.8% for BVDV-1, 14.1% for BVDV-2, and 20.9% for HoBiPeV). All samples were tested by RT–qPCR, and three were positive and classified as HoBiPeV in a phylogenetic analysis. These serological and molecular results contrast with those from other regions of the world, suggesting that the northern Brazilian states have a high prevalence of all bovine pestiviruses including HoBiPeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beef production is of great importance worldwide and, in Brazil, it plays a fundamental role in the country's economy, making it one of the largest producers, consumers and exporters. Meat quality is influenced by several factors, and among these, the occurrence of bruises on carcasses is highlighted and, consequently, losses due to commercial restrictions stands out. Thus, this research aimed to establish the occurrence of bruises in bovine carcasses diverted to the Department of Final Inspection (DIF), with the total condemnation of the carcass, from January 4 to September 15, 2022, in an abattoir under Federal Inspection Service (SIF), located in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. A set of 20,864 males and 1,927 females were slaughtered and inspected, totaling 22,791 bovines, of which 172 carcasses were diverted to the DIF, 7 of which were completely condemned (0.031% of the total), resulting in R$ 37,490.10 of economic loss. To avoid the total condemnation of carcasses, effective animal welfare strategies must be implemented, making the Brazilian cattle industry continue to develop and reduce its losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trypanosoma vivax is considered the most important pathogenic Trypanosoma for cattle and causes great damage to the dairy and beef cattle industries. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anti-T. vivax antibodies in dairy cattle from the municipality of Tapira, located in the Alto Paranaíba region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The 74 blood serum samples from dairy cattle were analyzed using an indirect immunofluorescence reaction. The seroprevalence was 82.4 % (61/74), and the highest incidence observed can be correlated with the transit of untested animals, the presence of vectors, and needle sharing by owners. The data allowed defining Tapira as an area of expansion of T. vivax epizootic infections in the state of Minas Gerais. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dermatobia hominis (Diptera: Oestridae: Cuterebrinae) is a parasite with an important zoonotic and economical impact in the cattle industry, distributed in Central and South America, inhabiting wooded areas along rivers and lowlands. It infests mammals including humans. Lately, there has been a growing trend for people to travel on holidays with their pet dog and also international trade of dogs has increased significantly in the last two decades. Hence, the risk of importation of exotic parasites, including agents of myiasis has increased. Dermatobia hominis has been commonly reported as an imported parasite to various countries, mostly as human cases and currently there are only two published cases of D. hominis imported with dogs to Europe. Herein, we report a case of D. hominis infestation in Romania in a dog recently imported from Brazil. Methods: Larvae were manually extracted from nodules of a 4-month old non-neutered male, Fila Brasileiro in Arad, Romania. The larvae were morphologically identified, and one specimen was characterized molecularly by amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1). Results: All larvae were morphologically identified as L3 of Dermatobia hominis. The BLAST analysis revealed a 98.81% nucleotide similarity to two D. hominis isolates from Brazil. The sequence was deposited in the GenBank database under the accession number MT364820. Conclusions: The travel history of dogs is an important part of the veterinary anamnesis questions and should be thoroughly conducted in the daily practice. Also, prior to and after the importation of dogs from tropical regions, a thorough check of the body surface to detect the presence of nodules is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Boletín Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Plantas Medicinales y Aromáticas is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The state of Mato Grosso is Brazil’s agribusiness powerhouse with a cattle herd of 30.2 million head in 2017. With land use patterns heavily influenced by beef production, which requires substantial land inputs, the state is a key target for environmental conservation. Yet the spatial and temporal dynamics of slaughterhouses in Mato Grosso remain largely unknown due to data limitations. Here, we provide a novel method to map slaughterhouse expansion and contraction. We analyzed the opening and closing of 133 plants between 1967 and 2016 in Mato Grosso and estimated the geographic locations and slaughter volumes. This was achieved by triangulating across multiple data sources including a registry of 21 million companies, government records of three million slaughter transactions (Portuguese acronym GTA), and high resolution satellite imagery. Our study is the first to include longitudinal information and both inspected (for food quality) and uninspected slaughterhouses. The results show that 72 plants operated in 2016 through 52 holding companies. By measuring geographic distances between active plants and pasture areas, we documented a 29% increase in the density of plants during 2000–2016, showing an expansion of the cattle slaughter infrastructure. We identified three periods of expansion: 1967–1995, with 15.1% of the plant openings; 1996–2003, with 24.6%; and 2004–2016, with 60.3%. While closings likely occurred throughout the period studied, no data were available prior to 2002. We estimated a minimum value for the volume of uninspected slaughter as 2–3% for 2013–2016. We conclude by discussing potential applications of the data, a deidentified version of which is made available through an online repository. The method developed here can be replicated for the whole country, which would increase our understanding of the dynamics of cattle slaughter and their impact on land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to assess changes in the production systems of the beef cattle industry from its origins to the present day, with emphasis on bovine cattle breeding in the Uruguayan and Argentine Pampa and in the Campanha gaúcha region, in the Brazilian Pampa. A center of modernization that also forged a regional and territorial identity, the Pampa is a unique mark of identity of bovine production in the world. Associated with farming, this activity verticalizes production, establishing ties in and outside Brazil with different forms of international capital, both in the production and in new forms of consumption, redefining the insertion of the beef cattle industry in agribusiness, as well as the dynamics of the domestic and foreign markets and the uniqueness of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A number of governance mechanisms address socio-environmental challenges associated with commodity agriculture in tropical forested countries. Governance mechanisms that prove effective in one agricultural sector are often applied to other sectors as well. For example, voluntary certification programs have been adopted by producers of commodities as diverse as beef, coffee, palm oil, and soy. However, there are substantial differences in the extent to which governance mechanisms scale up and achieve impact in different sectors. This paper analyzes how the potential for scaling up a particular governance mechanism is influenced by environmental, market, and social geographies that differ between sectors. Through stakeholder interviews, farm-level surveys, and a literature review, we examine two types of voluntary governance mechanisms (third-party certification, and sustainable intensification programs) in the coffee and cattle sectors in Brazil, to understand why the two governance mechanisms have scaled differently between these two sectors. We find that third-party certification programs have scaled up relatively well in Brazil's coffee sector, more so than its cattle sector, in part owing to differences in sustainability priorities, market orientations, supply chain traceability, and social networks between the two sectors. We also find that pilot sustainable intensification programs in the cattle sector have had more success than certification in engaging farmers, in part because they involve less investment from participating farmers. We conclude that the distribution and quality of environmental resources, markets, knowledge, actors, and networks can play an important role in the ability of a governance mechanism to effectively take root. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Review of Economics & Agribusiness / Revista de Economia e Agronegócio is the property of Brazilian Review of Economics & Agribusiness / Revista de Economia e Agronegocio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Anaplasma marginale, the causative agent of bovine anaplasmosis, is a tick-borne bacterium that causes significant economic losses for cattle industries and is increasingly being detected in other animal species. Rhipicephalus microplus is the main vector of this bacterium and may be found parasitizing small ruminants. In northeastern Brazil, multispecies grazing is a common family subsistence practice on smallholder farms possibly facilitating interspecies transmission of pathogens. Considering that A. marginale infection has been previously molecularly described in sheep, this study has aimed to estimate the prevalence of A. marginale and factors associated with the infection in goats from northeastern Brazil. A total of 403 goat blood samples were included in the study. An epidemiological questionnaire was applied to each farm owner addressing age, gender, presence of ticks and multispecies grazing. All samples were screened for A. marginale- and A. ovis-infection using primers targeting the Anaplasma spp. msp4 gene. The identity of A. marginale in the blood was confirmed by PCR amplification of msp5 followed by sequencing. Anaplasma spp. were differentiated by sequencing of the repeat region of the msp1α gene. For the statistical analysis the Chi-square or the Fisher’s exact test was used to verify association of the individual factors (age, gender, presence of ticks, and multispecies grazing) with Anaplasma spp. infection. We report the first molecular detection of A. marginale in goats from northeastern Brazil, based on msp1α, msp4 and msp5 gene sequencing analysis. Sequencing of the detected A. marginale msp1α gene revealed the F repeat. Amblyomma parvum and R. microplus were found feeding on animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has recently been estimated that the economic basis of the municipalities of the Cuiabá River basin and that of the other municipalities of the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, are on convergent tracks. They produce goods, such as soybean, cotton, corn and cattle, which underscore the state's agricultural and cattle industry. In spite of the convergence, the economy of these municipalities is different from that of the other municipalities of the state. Employing the multi-variegated analysis method, contrasts in rural development between these two sets of municipalities are discussed. Results reveal that the economy of the municipalities of the Cuiabá River Valley, as a rule, presents decreasing rural development when compared to others municipalities of the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For centuries cattle production has been the main economic activity in Brazil's eastern Marajó Archipelago in the State of Pará. Territorial tensions have risen, however, after large rice producers from the northern State of Roraima relocated to the region and expanded their activity to the vicinity of the traditional Quilombo Territories. The purpose of this study is to analyze the migration of rice farmers to the archipelago and to measure its impacts on the local populations after the introduction of these large rice plantations. The study area corresponds to two of the municipalities in the archipelago where two large plantations have been established. Data from interviews and from direct observation in the field are complemented with an analysis of the literature and a review of official documents. We find that low land prices, soil and climatic conditions, and the State's support for natural resources appropriation, are essential elements that have attracted large rice farmers to the region. As a result, there has been a shift in the territorial dynamics in the archipelago, and new socio-environmental problems have emerged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional serosurvey was performed to identify environmental features or practices of dairy farms associated with risk for exposure to vaccinia-like viruses in dairy cattle in Brazil. Sera from 103 cows from 18 farms in Minas Gerais state were examined for Orthopoxvirus -neutralizing antibodies. A database of 243 binary or multiple-selection categorical variables regarding the physical features and surrounding ecology of each property was obtained. Thirteen of 46 presumptive predictor variables were found to be significantly associated with Orthopoxvirus serostatus by univariate logistic regression methods. Use of teat sanitizer and having felids on the property were independently associated with virus exposure by multivariable analysis. Rodents have long been suspected of serving as maintenance reservoirs for vaccinia-like viruses in Brazil. Therefore, domestic felids are not only effective predators of small rodent pests, but also their urine can serve as a deterrent to rodent habitation in buildings such as stables and barns. These results corroborate previous evidence of the high significance of rodents in the Vaccinia virus transmission cycle, and they also raise questions regarding the common use of teat sanitizers in dairy production areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the main environmental impacts related to semi-intensive beef cattle production system in the State of Bahia, in Brazil's Northeast. Methods: A cradle to gate study was undertaken in a beef cattle production system comprising two stages: calves production in one farm (farm 1) and cattle production in another farm (farm 2), both located in the central-southern meso-region of Bahia. The functional unit was 1 kg live weight. Impact assessment was performed using five impact categories from the ReCiPe method. Results and discussion: When compared to calves, the cattle production had the greatest contributions in all of the five studied impact categories. The process pasture cultivation had expressive environmental impacts in all categories, with 70.05 % for climate change (CC), 82.01 % for terrestrial acidification (TA), 76.53 % for fossil depletion (FD), 86.14 % for freshwater eutrophication (FE) and 100 % for agricultural land occupation (ALO). In CC and TA, the principal elementary flow was the direct emissions due to the use of mineral fertilizers. In FE and FD, the dominant flow was related to the use of phosphate fertilizer. In ALO, the process pasture cultivation was predominant due to the physical area of the farms, which is a characteristic of pasture-based production systems. The processes breeding-rearing and fattening were second in the contribution analysis, with 29.95 % and 17.99 %, respectively, for CC and TA, due to the enteric methane (CH) and the direct emissions of nitrous oxide (NO) volatilization from the animal excreta. Conclusions: The cattle production is responsible for the greater part of impacts, compared to the calves production. The direct emissions from fertilizers used in the pastures, from enteric emissions and from animal wastes in the breeding-rearing and fattening processes were identified as the critical points of the analysed cattle production system. Measures aiming at the improvement of the feed conversion of the animals and at the substitution of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers by natural nitrogen fixation can considerably contribute to the reduction of environmental impacts of these production systems. Accordingly, the respective modifications should be considered in future studies on the potential of these measures to enhance the environmental performance of semi-intensive beef cattle production. These results will complement other similar studies conducted in other regions of the country, following the tendency of growing usage of the life cycle assessment methodology in Brazilian agricultural and livestock systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Bovine papillomavirus type 13 ( BPV-13), a novel Deltapapillomavirus, has been found associated with urothelial tumours of the urinary bladder of cattle grazing on lands infested with bracken fern. BPV-13 was detected in 28 of 39 urothelial tumours. Diagnosis was based on sequencing of L1 and E5 amplicons from tumour samples. The nucleotide sequences generated from these amplicons showed a 100% homology with the sequences of BPV-13 L1 and E5 DNA found in Brazil from a fibropapilloma of the ear in a cow and from equine sarcoids in two horses. GenBank accession number of our representative BPV-13 sequences is . Furthermore, mRNA encoding BPV-13 E5 oncoprotein was also documented, and its expression was also shown by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence in the basal and suprabasal urothelial tumour cells. In twenty-three tumours, BPV-13 was simultaneously found with BPV-2, a Deltapapillomavirus genus, species 4. The latter virus was detected by amplifying and sequencing a 154-bp-sized DNA fragment of BPV-2 E5. In addition, BPV-13 by itself was seen to be expressed in five BPV-2-negative urothelial tumours. This study shows that BPV-13 is present in urothelial tumour cells thus sharing biological properties with BPV-1 and BPV-2. Although further studies are needed, BPV-13 appears to be another worldwide infectious agent responsible for a distressing disease causing severe economic losses in cattle industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In biome Pampa, Brazil, cattle farmers have managed the natural grasslands using practices that result in overgrazing, low productivity and low farm income. In addition, farmers in the region converted natural grasslands from beef production to more profitable activities, such as cash crops. This conversion and overgrazing have caused environmental problems in biome Pampa. Although several innovations that increase beef productivity without damaging the environment are currently available to farmers in the region, the adoption rate remains low. This study used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify the beliefs that influence farmers’ intention to use improved natural grassland. The TPB hypothesizes that adoption is driven by intention, which in turn is determined by three psychological constructs: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. These three constructs are derived from behavioral, normative and control beliefs, respectively. Results show that attitude had a strong impact on intention, followed by subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. Results also show that farmers’ intention to use improved natural grassland depends on the extent to which farmers think this innovation allows for increasing the cattle density, the extent to which they think family and cattle traders support them in their decision to adopt and the extent to which farmers think they have sufficient knowledge and access to technical assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil has the largest commercial cattle herd in the world, consequently the generation of wastewaters in this country has enormously grown, and the absence of treatment of these residues directly affects water bodies and soil near slaughterhouses. Given the possibility of reusing wastewaters, this study aimed to examine the quality of wastewaters generated during the slaughter of cattle, in São Luís, State Capital of Maranhão, Brazil, evaluating the compliance of the current legislation regarding the discharge of wastewater and the possibility of reusing it. Thus, we carried out four bimonthly sample collections from the final effluent, obtained at the outlet of the last pond of the effluent treatment station of one of the slaughterhouses of São Luís, to evaluate its physicochemical and microbiological quality. The effluent evaluation showed that it did not meet the standards required by the current federal legislation; therefore, it is not recommended to be reused. Some improvement alternatives were suggested, which may be adopted by other local abattoirs. This study represented a contribution to the slaughterhouse sectors, aiming the strengthening of the state inspection system and expansion of discussions related to the absence of public policies, especially regarding state laws relevant to this agribusiness sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nelore is the major beef cattle breed in Brazil with more than 130 million heads. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are often used to associate markers and genomic regions to growth and meat quality traits that can be used to assist selection programs. An alternative methodology to traditional GWAS that involves the construction of gene network interactions, derived from results of several GWAS is the AWM (Association Weight Matrices)/PCIT (Partial Correlation and Information Theory). With the aim of evaluating the genetic architecture of Brazilian Nelore cattle, we used high-density SNP genotyping data (~770,000 SNP) from 780 Nelore animals comprising 34 half-sibling families derived from highly disseminated and unrelated sires from across Brazil. The AWM/PCIT methodology was employed to evaluate the genes that participate in a series of eight phenotypes related to growth and meat quality obtained from this Nelore sample. Results: Our results indicate a lack of structuring between the individuals studied since principal component analyses were not able to differentiate families by its sires or by its ancestral lineages. The application of the AWM/PCIT methodology revealed a trio of transcription factors (comprising VDR, LHX9 and ZEB1) which in combination connected 66 genes through 359 edges and whose biological functions were inspected, some revealing to participate in biological growth processes in literature searches. Conclusions: The diversity of the Nelore sample studied is not high enough to differentiate among families neither by sires nor by using the available ancestral lineage information. The gene networks constructed from the AWM/PCIT methodology were a useful alternative in characterizing genes and gene networks that were allegedly influential in growth and meat quality traits in Nelore cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to verify, accurate and precisely, the responses of Italian ryegrass 'BRS Ponteio' cultivar to different frequencies of defoliation for forage production and especially for seed production. For this purpose, a randomized block design experiment with four replications was conducted. Four frequencies of defoliation were applied (zero, one, two, and three) based on the thermal sum, evaluating the rate of leaf appearance (LAR), phyllochron (P), leaf expansion rate (LER), leaf senescence rate (LSR), stems expansion rate (SER), tillering rate (TR), leaf life span (LL), forage production, proportion of leaf blades, stems plus sheaths, senescent material, and inflorescences, as well as seed production. Second defoliation noticeably altered the morphogenic plant responses, reduced expansion rates and leaf appearance, increased rates of tillering and stems expansion. This phenotypic maintained a high seed production and provided a harvest of forage mass 100% higher than the collected mass in the first cutting. Third defoliation led to an increase of 100% of the harvested forage mass; however, it caused drastic and negative changes in the morphogenic characteristics and seed yielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botulism is a well-known intoxication that affects humans and animals. The disease is endemic in cattle in Brazil and recently emerged as an important disease in commercial laying hens and broiler chickens in Europe. Dogs and other animal species can also be affected. Although antitoxins are commonly administered to humans diagnosed with botulism, in animals this is rarely the case and the treatment of botulism is still based only on support therapy. In the present work, we report an outbreak of type C botulism in Brazil that simultaneously affected domestic chickens, dogs and a black-pencilled marmoset ( Callithrix penicillata ). The successful use of Clostridium botulinum types C and D antitoxin for the treatment of an affected dog is also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciência Animal Brasileira is the property of Universidade Federal de Goias, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aimed to assess possible deviations in mutation-drift equilibrium in bovine breeds. A total of 178 blood samples were collected from Curraleiro Pé-Duro, Tabapuã, Guzerat and Senepol breeds for DNA extraction and genotypic analysis by eleven microsatellite markers. The deviation loci number to mutation-drift equilibrium was 1 according to allele infinity model (IAM) and 2 by the stepwise mutation model (SMM) for Curraleiro Pé-Duro breed. For Tabapuã breed, there were 5 loci by IAM, and 3 loci by SMM. Although no locus was found by IAM for Guzerat breed, 2 loci were found by SMM. 3 loci by IAM and 2 by SMM were found in Senepol breed. Sign test showed deviation of the number of loci with Heterozygosity excess applying IAM only in Tabapuã breed. In Wilcoxon breed sign test showed deviation of the number of loci with heterozygosity excess in IAM only on Curraleiro Pé-Duro, Tabapuã and Senepol breeds. Overall, the results showed presence of mutation-drift equilibrium. No potential bottleneck effect was detected by mode-shift allele distributions, therefore all breeds were in normal L-shaped. All breeds have shown evidences of mutation-drift equilibrium due more to high loci number of heterozygosity excess than deficiency of heterozygosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is the world's largest exporter of beef and home to the world's biggest commercial beef herd. So a study was conducted to understand how the Brazilian cattle industry has developed, by analysing the Agricultural Censuses carried out in 1985, 1995 and 2006. Databases (per region) were collected: bovine herd, total pasture area (natural and cultivated) and forage storage silos, and the stocking rate calculated (heads/ha). Brazilian regions are: North, North-east, South-east, South and Midwest. The average annual growth rate (%/year) was calculated. In 1985, Brazil had 128 million bovine heads, raised on 179.2 million hectares of pasture (0.71 head/ha). In 2006, the bovine herd went up to 176.1 million heads, raised on 160 million hectares of pasture (1.1 head/ha). The North region (Amazon forest) showed the highest growth in bovine herd (6.3%/year), and in total (1.2%/year) and cultivated (4.0%/year) pasture areas, increasing the stocking rate from 0.43 (1985) up to 1.21 head/ha (2006). The Midwest region accounted for the largest bovine herd in 2006 and showed the second highest growth in herd size (2.4%/year) and in cultivated (1.9%/year) pasture area, increasing the stocking rate from 0.61 (1985) up to 1.01 head/ha (2006). The South-east and South regions (the most developed regions) presented negative growth in herd size and total pasture, but with the highest stocking rate in 2006 (1.24 and 1.5 head/ha, respectively). The displacement of the cattle industry towards North concerns the government, due to the Amazon's deforestation, but the intensification of the production system has relieved the pressure on the forest. Brazil is the world's largest beef exporter and has the biggest commercial bovine herd. This study aimed at evaluating the development of the Brazilian cattle industry in the different regions and showed that it has migrated to Midwest and North. Fortunately the technology in the agricultural frontier has been adopted at the same rate as the cattle have migrated into it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Gir cattle breed (Bos indicus) is an important genetic resource for milk production throughout the tropics. The small number of Gir animals introduced in Brazil, rapid dissemination of this breed recently, and the intensification of selection practices could contribute to increase of inbreeding level and reduce genetic diversity in this population. The population was analyzed in terms of pedigree completeness level, inbreeding coefficient, coancestry, generation interval, effective population size, effective number of founders and ancestors, among others. Despite the low mean inbreeding (around 2%), minor problems were identified in the population structure of the Brazilian Gir cattle, e.g., trend of narrower bottlenecks in the pedigree in recent years. The effective population sizes based on inbreeding (94) or coancestry (165.9) as well as the effective number of ancestors (76) and founders (143) were relativity high. The major subdivision of the Gir breed was observed between 1993 and 2002 (dairy and dual-purpose herds, wide use of within-herd matings). In this period the level of inbreeding remained at a higher level, there was a small increase in coancestry and the number of equivalent subpopulations was approximately 6. After 2002, there was genetic exchange between subpopulations, reduction in the average inbreeding, pronounced increase in the average coancestry, and the number of equivalent subpopulations was about 2. Furthermore, it was found that the mean generation interval of the population tended to increase in recent years (around 9 years). About 2.3% of genetic diversity has been lost since the first generation of founders. Based on the effective population size, number of equivalent subpopulations, inbreeding, coancestry, and loss of genetic diversity, the Gir population is still highly structured, but there is ample room for artificial selection. The results regarding the effective number of founders and ancestors in the present population demonstrate the existence of bottlenecks in the pedigree and indicate the need for population structure monitoring. Nevertheless, the Brazilian Gir breed can perfectly face a breeding program with high selection intensity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The economic incentives for conversion to pasture in Mato Grosso Brazil are investigated using pastureland rents. Pastureland rents are estimated from physical and geographic determinants, and verified by predicting the location of conversion to pasture between 2001 and 2004. Results indicate that a one-hundred dollar increase in mean cattle rent increases the probability of conversion to pasture from 8.6 to 11.1%. The use of economic rent allows the direct study of fiscal policy levers on land conversion behavior, expanding policy discussions beyond the role of roads and road improvement towards the use of excise and conversion taxes, or conservation subsidies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the agricultural commodities traded in the futures Market in Brazil, the contract for live cattle is what comes with higher growth in trading volume. In addition, there is a significant increase in the price of the commodity in the spot market. The growing volume of trading is explained by the fact that not only attract hedgers, but also other types of participants, called speculators. In light of the foregoing, this study aimed to evaluate the process of financialization of the Brazilian futures market cattle. To this end, we compared the hedge ratio given in the literature and hedge ratio practiced in the market. The results show that the ratio of hedge practiced in the market has overcome the optimal hedge ratio proposed in the literature from 2006, warning signs of possible existence of a process of financialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of spent lamb meat in the preparation of mortadella. Three formulations of mortadella were developed, using 90, 80 and 70% of lamb meat, each with 10, 20 and 30% of pork fat, respectively. The results showed that the proposed formulations met the microbiological parameters recommended by the Brazilian legislation, being, therefore, a safe meat product for human consumption. The parameters of ashes, starch, sodium chloride, pH and water activity showed no significant difference among the formulations (P>0.05). The moisture contents differed significantly from one sample to the other (P<0.05). An increase in the amount of lamb meat in the mortadella formulation resulted in an increase in moisture; this made the formulation with 90% meat improper, according to the standards recommended by the Brazilian legislation. The mortadella with 90 % meat had the highest percentages of emulsion stability and water holding capacity. The sensory evaluation showed that the formulation with 90% lamb meat presented the lowest scores of texture and overall acceptance. However, the evaluators commented that they would buy any of the products regardless of the formulation. The results show that the use of spent lamb meat is a viable option for the preparation of mortadella, as the resulting products have been widely accepted. In addition, it also gives spent lamb carcasses more commercial value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study estimated, for the first time, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with cattle raising in Brazil, focusing on the period from 2003 to 2008 and the three principal sources: 1) portion of deforestation resulting in pasture establishment and subsequent burning of felled vegetation; 2) pasture burning; and 3) bovine enteric fermentation. Deforestation for pasture establishment was only considered for the Amazon and Cerrado. Emissions from pasture burning and enteric fermentation were accounted for the entire country. The consolidated emissions estimate lies between approximately 813 Mt COeq in 2008 (smallest value) and approximately 1,090 Mt COeq in 2003 (greatest value). The total emissions associated with Amazon cattle ranching ranged from 499 to 775 Mt COeq, that of the Cerrado from 229 to 231 Mt COeq, and that of the rest of the country between 84 and 87 Mt COeq. The full set of emissions originating from cattle raising is responsible for approximately half of all Brazilian emissions (estimated to be approximately 1,055 Mt COeq in 2005), even without considering cattle related sources not explicitly estimated in this study, such as energy use for transport and refrigeration along the beef and derivatives supply chain. The potential for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions offered by the Brazilian cattle industry is very high and might constitute Brazil's most important opportunity for emissions mitigation. The study offers a series of policy recommendations for mitigation that can be implemented by public and private administrators at a low cost relative to other greenhouse gas reduction options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bovine babesiosis caused by Babesia bovis remains an important constraint for the development of cattle industries worldwide. Effective control can be achieved by vaccination with live attenuated phenotypes of the parasite. However, these vaccines have a number of drawbacks, which justifies the search for better, safer vaccines. In recent years, a number of parasite proteins with immunogenic potential have been discovered. However, there is little information on the genetic conservation of these proteins among different parasite isolates, which hinders their assessment as immunogens. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the conservation of the genes ama-1, acs-1, rap-1, trap, p0 and msa2c among five Brazilian isolates of B. bovis. Through polymerase chain reaction, genetic sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of the genes, a high degree of conservation (98–100%) was found among Brazilian isolates of B. bovis and the T2Bo isolate. Thus, these genes are worth considering as viable candidates to be included in a recombinant cocktail vaccine for cattle babesiosis caused by B. bovis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Among the several elements that influence the consumer to purchase and consume a product is the country of origin. The present paper aims to understand the influence of a country image on the purchase intentions regarding the products made in this country. It also verifies if there are differences in the magnitude of the country of origin effect, depending on the familiarity that consumers have towards the country, contributing thus to the deepening of knowledge on the theme. In order to do that, a descriptive quantitative study was performed, about the effects that Brazil image exerts on the purchase intentions that foreign consumers have towards Brazilian products. The sample used was composed of Dutch undergraduate students. The results indicate that there was an influence of Brazil image in the purchase of all Brazilian products researched: cow meat, fresh fruits, shoes and furniture. There were differences on the influence magnitude, depending on the familiarity the respondents had towards Brazil. The conclusions obtained by this research can help Brazilian firms to adopt more effective strategies in the trading of their products abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock movements create complex dynamic interactions among premises that can be represented, interpreted, and used for epidemiological purposes. These movements are a very important part of the production chain but may also contribute to the spread of infectious diseases through the transfer of infected animals over large distances. Social network analysis (SNA) can be used to characterize cattle trade patterns and to identify highly connected premises that may act as hubs in the movement network, which could be subjected to targeted control measures in order to reduce the transmission of communicable diseases such as bovine tuberculosis (TB). Here, we analyzed data on cattle movement and slaughterhouse surveillance for detection of TB-like lesions (TLL) over the 2016–2018 period in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) in Brazil with the following aims: (i) to characterize cattle trade describing the static full, yearly, and monthly snapshots of the network contact trade, (ii) to identify clusters in the space and contact networks of premises from which animals with TLL originated, and (iii) to evaluate the potential of targeted control actions to decrease TB spread in the cattle population of RS using a stochastic metapopulation disease transmission model that simulated within-farm and between-farm disease spread. We found heterogeneous densities of premises and animals in the study area. The analysis of the contact network revealed a highly connected (~94%) trade network, with strong temporal trends, especially for May and November. The TLL cases were significantly clustered in space and in the contact network, suggesting the potential for both local (e.g., fence-to-fence) and movement-mediated TB transmission. According to the disease spread model, removing the top 7% connected farms based on degree and betweenness could reduce the total number of infected farms over three years by >50%. In conclusion, the characterization of the cattle network suggests that highly connected farms may play a role in TB dissemination, although being close to infected farms was also identified as a risk factor for having animals with TLL. Surveillance and control actions based on degree and betweenness could be useful to break the transmission cycle between premises in RS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zootecno - Zootechnic Processes Control System is software developed, in Belem, Para State, Brazil, public-private project between Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation - Embrapa Eastern Amazon and Agrotecno LTDA, for monitoring and management of the buffalo meat and involves the control of information of the productive system and the alimentary, reproductive and sanitary management of the cattle systems. The system uses the simple Web platform, what minimizes the complexity and maximizes its acceptance, with Java language, for the lesser cost and portability. The system has functionalities and adequacy of the country properties to the SISBOV (Brazilian System of Identification and Certification of Origin Bovine and Bubaline), a control service and traceability of the productive chain of bovines and buffaloes, created for the Ministry of Agriculture, Cattle and Supplying - MAPA, to characterize the origin, sanitary aspects, production and productivity of the bubaline cattle for meat production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood samples from 188 bulls, raised in wetland and floodplain areas, without control reproductive status and health, aged 2 to 15 years, of Murrah and Mediterranean breeds and its crossbred types were evaluated for the presence of antibodies to HBV-1, by testing neutralization. Also it were obtained in 51 semen samples, and analyzed by RT-PCR. All farms had positive animals, and in 155 (82,4%) of the animals blood samples tested among 188 males were serologically positive. Among the Mediterranean and Murrah breeds and their crossbred types showed a statistical significant difference in prevalence (p <0.05). There was influence of body condition scorer (BCS) in the prevalence of bulls serologically positive, and the good BCS animals showed a higher prevalence of the disease when compared to the animals with regular BCS. The prevalence according to age showed a significant difference (p <0.0001) among two years old animals and more than two years old bulls, with a progressively increasing rates of infection with advancing age. The prevalence in the Amapá State was significantly higher than in the Pará State. Through the analysis of the neutralizing antibodies distribution, it was observed a large frequency of high titers. In spite of the high titers observed most animals with titration 128, occurring in the Amapá State. Furthermore, all the 51 semen samples were negative in the test of RT-PCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Big data" represents the new era in data exploration and use in livestock systems. With recent developments in data recording technology and analytics tools, it is now possible to get important insight regarding management practices and environmental effects affecting livestock productivity and product quality on a much larger scale. Even though analyzing big data is challenging (as it requires cautious data curation, large computer memory, and specific data mining tools), it can be extremely valuable. In this analysis, data from Brazilian beef cattle was available from 2 sources: JBS S.A. (81,053 farms) and DSM Produtos Nutricionais (22,223 farms). After merging, the final data set comprised information from 7,248 farms and 1,571,023 carcasses slaughtered in the years 2014 through 2016. Three outcome variables were analyzed: BW at slaughter (BWS; kg), carcass fat index (FI; 1-5), and age at slaughter (AS; yr). Covariates included in all models were AS (except when it was an outcome), season (dry or rainy in each year), animal category (steer, bull, cull bull, heifer, and cow), frequent technical consulting (FTC; binary), regional sales team (RST; 17 levels), type of feedlot premix (no feedlot premix [NFP], finishing grazing cattle [FGC], feedlot without additives [FWA], and feedlot with additives [FA]) and farm (random effect). After extensive data mining, mixed model analyses were performed for all outcomes. The use of FA premix decreased AS and increased BWS and FI in comparison with NFP (0.55 yr [P < 0.00], -1.78 kg [P < 0.00], and -0.13 [P < 0.00], respectively), FGC (0.34 yr [P < 0.00], -3.58 kg [P < 0.00], and -0.12 [P < 0.00], respectively), and FWA (0.72 yr [P = 0.04], -21.09 kg [P = 0.05], and -0.25 [P = 0.02], respectively). Adopting FTC increased BWS (6.38 kg; P < 0.01) and FI (0.07; P < 0.01) and reduced AS (-0.13 yr; P < 0.01). Bulls presented greater BWS (26.51 kg; P < 0.01) and lower AS (-0.46 yr; P < 0.01) but presented lower FI (-0.51; P < 0.00) in comparison with steers. Differences in BWS were observed for different RST and seasons (most P < 0.01). Age at slaughter was reduced and BWS and FI increased for rainy seasons of 2014 through 2016 (P < 0.01). Combining FTC and FA was capable of increasing BWS by 27.4 kg and reducing AS in approximately 10 mo in comparison with FWA and non-FTC, suggesting that this approach might be favorable for production. Results presented here provided a wide snapshot of beef production in Brazil under a big data perspective never explored before. They provide also useful insight to validate experimental findings and aid decision-making at the farm level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry matter intake (DMI) is a factor that must be estimated before an animal's diet can be properly calculated. Given the fact that it is almost impossible to account for the many factors that control feed intake, empirical equations have been developed for its prediction. Almeida et al. (2005) published an equation to predict feed intake of Nellore cattle in Brazil, based on BW and NEm, (Eq. 1), but limited validation has been conducted. Thus, the objective in this study was to test that equation and to develop an alternative one that could be largely adopted by the Brazilian beef cattle industry. A data set of 144 individual observations (8 experiments) was used to challenge Eq. 1. A second data set comprised of 155 records on Nellore males (14 trials) was used to develop the new equation, which was validated using a third independent data set of 66 animals. Eq. 1 did not precisely predict the DMI of Nellore cattle, as evidenced by both the slope (β1) and intercept (β0) of the regression of observed on estimated values, which were significantly different from 1 and 0 (P<0.01) respectively. The evaluation of the MSPE indicated that Eq. 1 was accurate but lacked in precision. The equation overpredicted DMI when actual DMI was low. Conversely, as DMI increased it was underestimated by the equation, showing a not precise prediction pattern. The equation developed using the backward regression procedure of SAS was: DMI (kg/d) = 0.872 + 5.1645 * ADG - 1.6624 * ADG2 + 0.00002882 * BW2 (r2 = 0.79); where ADG = average daily gain (kg/d) and BW = body weight (kg). The variables presented in the model are easily measured and are frequently available, making the adoption of this equation by the Brazilian cattle industry a more practical approach. The validation of this new equation showed that β1 and β0 were not statistically different from 1 and 0 respectively (P>0.22). The correlation between predicted and observed values (r=0.89) was high. It can be concluded that the equation based on ADG and BW predicts DMI of individual Nellore cattle more accurately and precisely than the Eq. 1. Depending upon the purpose, nutritionists have another alternative to estimate DMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]