Implementation of Technical and Technological Progress in Dairy Production

Does Gender Impact Technology Adoption in Dual-Purpose Cattle in Mexico?

This paper examines the role of women in the dual-purpose livestock system (DP) in Mexico through their technological adoption patterns and aims to evaluate whether there are significant differences between the technology adoption networks of men and women farmers. The sample was composed of 383 DP small farms with 20 or fewer cows and a high level of vulnerability. Social Network Analysis (SNA) was applied, and the centrality measures were calculated for the technological areas of management, feeding, genetics, reproduction, and animal health. Significant differences were found in reproduction levels between men and women farmers. Therefore, SNA was developed in this technological area where men mainly occupied central positions (brokers) while women were just close to the leaders in the network. The results have shown that farms run by women were smaller and presented higher levels of specialization and milk productivity (20% higher), and women prioritized those technologies linked to female reproductive efficiency. Moreover, women were deeply embedded in men's networks through numerous ties and were capable of building connections with groups of farmers outside of their own group.

Comparison of Cattle Housing Systems Based on the Criterion of Damage to Barn Equipment and Construction Errors

Simple Summary

As a result of many years of use, dairy cattle barns are subject to gradual wear and degradation. Damage to technical equipment can be identified in many areas in the barn. These areas are used by dairy cattle, so it is important to recognize the problem of damage and the associated health risks for animals. The problem of damage to internal equipment (e.g., damage to the floor, partitions between lying stalls, feed ladders, drinking bowls) applies to both tie-stall and freestall barns, which are the most common in dairy farms. Such premises became an inspiration to compare barns with a tie-stall system, a freestall system and their individual areas (lying, feeding, milking and social) in terms of the amount of damage but also construction errors. Most damage per one barn was found in the feeding area of objects with a tie-stall housing system. More cow health problems (e.g., laminitis, hoof problems) were identified in the barns with the freestall housing system. Equipment failures and construction errors may disrupt efficient and animal-safe dairy production in the barn. The results of the research study may be an incentive for farmers to check the barns in terms of their technical wear.

Abstract

Dairy cattle housing systems are the subject of numerous studies, in which a strong emphasis is placed on the comparison of animal welfare, animal behavior, production indicators and labor inputs. Dairy cattle housing systems are linked to specific livestock buildings, which is a prerequisite for undertaking studies comparing barns and their technical equipment. The aim of the study was to compare barns with two types of housing systems, i.e., tie-stall and freestall, including the identification of technical wear in various areas used by animals. This objective was linked to the assessment of animal health problems in livestock facilities. The research covered 38 dairy farms, 19 of which kept cows in the tie-stall system and 19 in the freestall system. The barns in these farms were examined for technical damage and construction errors, assessed in four areas: lying, feeding, milking and social. The research results confirmed significant differences in the degree of damage to technical equipment in individual areas of barns and between barns with tie-stall and freestall housing systems. The conclusions indicate the need to link the degradation of barns and their technical equipment, as well as design errors with the evaluation of dairy cattle welfare in future studies.

Supporting Decision-Making in the Technical Equipment Selection Process by the Method of Contradictory Evaluations

Creating new research concepts is an important element in supporting the development of production systems and their components, including technical equipment. Many technical devices are characterized by a high degree of complexity, which justifies the need for a specific approach to their assessment and becomes an inspiration to search for innovative methods of assessment. As part of the proposed new approach to the assessment of technical objects, studies were carried out in which users of chainsaws assessed their technical and functional features, taking into account the options: advantage and disadvantage. The number of positive and negative assessments of a given feature was used in the developed methodology to calculate the utility potential index. The proposed formula for calculating the utility potential index is a contribution to the current state of knowledge in the field of evaluation of technical objects and their features, as well as comparisons between technical objects. Based on the definition of the utility potential index, its value ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. The conducted research and calculation results indicated the accumulation of the lowest and the highest values of the utility potential index for one of the functional features, i.e., the price of the equipment. The utilitarian effect of the study is the creation of a tool supporting the selection of equipment for the needs of its users. The research results can also be used as a suggestion for the improvement of the indicated features of technical devices by their manufacturers.

Production Processes Related to Conventional and Renewable Energy in Enterprises and in the Circular Economy

In modern enterprises, all processes that are understood as structured activities intended for production, i [...]