Running ANS Notes

Everything! From every lecture! Review for daily iClicker and midterm :)

What does NAEMS stand for?

National Air Emission Monitoring Study

What is the goal of NAEMS?

Evaluate and improve emission data; Fulfill public desire for ethically and responsibly sourced food

What is Cal DEHRI?

California Dairy Environment Health Research Initiative

What does Cal DEHRI look at?

Worker health and welfare

What are gas bubbles?

Coverings over animal habitat

What is the purpose of gas bubbles?

Capture all emissions from communal animal habitats, study!

Which city has the worst air quality and why?

Fresno, the state topography caused accumulation of pollution in this area

How does California’s topography impact air quality?

The Sierra mountains and coastal mountains form a trough (the central valley) where air pollution accumulates; only ‘fresh’ air supply is from the bay area

How does snowfall impact water levels?

Snowmelt in the spring fills aquifers, which supply water throughout dry seasons; bad snow year = less water supply

What is the backbone of California?

Agriculture

Which area contains the most agriculture production in the country and the globe?

California

Various stats for what CA grows:

- Fresno is global tomato capitol

- 19% of all nuts

- 50% of all vegetables in the US

- Citrus, grapes, cotton, olives

What is Ag./Urban conflict?

People move into country areas, determine they do not like the lifestyle, and then fight against the agricultural system to urbanize

Why do people move to less-urban areas?

Cheaper land

What is the consequence of urban encroachment?

Loss of agriculture

What is Urban Encroachment?

Urban areas beginning to push against established agricultural operations or other natural areas

What is the 2050 Challenge?

Refers to the population in 2050 - expected to reach 9-10 billion people

- Population increase without concurrent resource increase

Why is population still growing, despite industrialized countries having a relatively stable birth rate?

Developing countries continue to have multiple children per family

What is the average birth rate in industrialized countries?

1-1.5 children per woman

How is population unevenly distributed across the globe?

Population is extremely dense in Southeast Asia, more people live in that region than across the rest of the globe

Which regions of the globe are expected to have more growth?

Africa and Southeast Asia; Americas and Europe expected to be small or even decrease

Why is there so much discourse surrounding food and nutrition recently?

A lot of people don’t actually know where their food comes from, which makes it easier for influencers to sway ideas

Which country’s urbanization is the key driver for industrial feed and food demand?

Asia; 8/10 emerging megacities are in Asia

How many people are food insecure, starving, and malnourished?

2 billion food insecure, 1 billion starving, 2 billion malnourished

Why is consumption tied to income?

Individuals in developing countries spend disposable income on foods for children to avoid stunted growth or other health problems

How much of the globe is land?

1/4

How much of the globe is water/ice?

3/4

What is marginal land?

Land we are unable to grow crops on, likely due to soil conditions, too steep/rocky, etc.

What do we use marginal land for?

Ruminant livestock, ie. cattle, sheep, goats

What portion of agricultural land is used for livestock vs crop growth?

2/3 livestock, 1/3 crops

What is arable land?

Land that crops are grown on

What does arable land provide?

All crops for human and animal use

Why is arable land limited and how does that influence usage?

We cannot ‘create’ more arable land without continuing deforestation or other clearing; knowledge and scientific advancement towards more efficient production are very important

How and why do we use ruminant animals on marginal land?

Ruminants are the only organisms capable of digesting cellulose, which is present in marginal land. Grazing them on marginal land allows us to make good use of the space

Which two countries have more cattle than the rest of the world combined?

India and Brazil

Which country produces 50% of the world’s pigs?

China

What percentage of the world’s pigs does China produce?

50%

Why are ruminants so important in marginal land agriculture?

Ruminants are the only organisms who can digest the cellulose-rich plants that grow in these areas

What’s so special about cellulose?

It’s the world’s most prevalent biomass

How much milk does an average American cow produce?

45 liters per day

How much milk does an average Columbian cow produce?

5 liters per day

What explains the difference between American and Columbian cow’s milk production?

American cows have been genetically selected and optimized for production; Columbia does not have these resources and such their cows are less efficient

What does GHG stand for?

Greenhouse Gas

What are the 4 main interventions to improve productivity?

Reproduction, veterinary care, genetics, and nutrition

What do the 4 interventions do?

Allow us to optimize production; contributes to sustainability efforts in commercial agriculture

What does FPCM stand for?

Fat and Protein Corrected Milk

In developing countries, what does the relationship between GHG emissions and Milk production look like? Why?

Developing countries have less technology, so their production systems produce less milk with more GHG emissions as compared to industrialized countries

How do emissions/milk production trends change as output increases? Why?

Increased output is associated with decreased emissions, since technological advancements help increase production and then contribute to sustainability as well

How does efficiency impact GHG emissions in production?

More efficient operations have lower emissions

How have beef production trends changed over time?

We produce the same amount of meat now as we did in 1970, but we have decreased our herd size by about 50 million head; more efficient!

How many head of beef did the U.S. have in 1970?

140 million

How many head of beef does the U.S. have now? (per the slides)

90 million

How many pounds of beef are produced annually (now and in 1970)?

24 million

How have dairy production trends changed over time?

We produce around 2/3 more milk now than we did in 1950, but have decreased herd size by about 16 million

How many dairy cows did the U.S. have in 1950?

25 million

How many dairy cows does the U.S. have now?

9 million

How does the carbon footprint of current milk compare with 70 years ago?

A glass of milk today has a carbon footprint 2/3 smaller than it was 70 years ago

How did old dairy production methods compare with current production methods in terms of welfare and carbon footprint?

Old methods had a higher carbon footprint and lower animal welfare

Why is Bacteria stronger than us?

They reproduce much faster than we are able to, so mutations and resistant forms can evolve and spread quickly

How do bacteria reproduce?

Conjugation; asexual repro. through literally just touching another bacterium

How can we protect ourselves against bacteria?

Proactively: stay really, really clean (handwash, etc.)

Reactively: take antibiotis

Why is bacteria such a concern in production systems?

Fast pathogen reproduction times and animals living in close quarters don’t mix well

How many total pigs are there in the U.S?

~74 million

How many of the total number of pigs in the U.S. are considered ‘market herd’?

~68 million

What is a ‘market herd’ pig?

Pig sent for meat harvesting

How many of the total number of pigs in the U.S. are considered ‘breeding herd’?

~6 million

What is a ‘breeding herd’ pig?

Pig used for reproductive purposes (ie. gestation or sperm)

What is the average number of pigs/sow/litter?

12 pigs/sow/litter

Does every pig have 12 pigs/sow/litter?

No, variation still exists

What is the gestation period of a pig?

3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days; 113-114 days

What do we do if a sow has too many piglets (ie. not enough room for all of them to suckle at once)?

Split suckle; remove some of the piglets from Mom and move them to another sow

Are pigs good mothers?

Absolutely not

How do we protect piglets from their Mother?

Farrowing crates

Are farrowing crates inhumane?

Yes, for about 3 weeks

How do we justify farrowing crates?

It’s inhumane to the Mom for 3 weeks, but it greatly increases piglet survival; Trade off is worth it

Over the past couple years, what trend can we see in piglet production? What does this indicate?

More piglets are being weaned per litter; indicative of better survivability, nutrition, and health (implementation of 4 interventions)

How is the U.S. industry structure changing?

Smaller farms are being weeded out, ~75% of farms now have over 5,000 hogs

Why is industry structure changing?

Margins are low, which makes it really hard for small farms to succeed

What are the 4 main components of food buying decisions?

Price, taste, nutrition, and brand

Why are food buying decisions important to production?

Food buying decisions directly impact producer action; Producers act to meet consumer desire so their product will sell

What are the main stages of swine production?

Breeding, gestation, farrowing/lactation, nursery, growing/finishing

What are the main types of swine production?

Farrow to finish, farrow to feeder pig, feeder pig to finish, wean to finish

What is a ‘feeder pig’?

A young, weaned pig; 30-80 pounds

How long, from birth to slaughter weight, does it take for a pig to be finished?

6 months

What is the feed conversion ratio in swine?

3 pounds of feed to one pound of meat

What is the only kind of meat with a more efficient feed:meat ratio than swine?

Broilers, finished in about 40 days

How long is lactation in swine?

~3 weeks on average

How long does weaning take in swine?

~3 weeks

How much do piglets weigh at weaning?

12-14 lbs

How much do pigs weight at the end of their nursey or wean-to-feeder stage?

~40 lbs

On average, how long does finishing take in swine?

~4 months

How much do swine weigh at slaughter?

270-285 lbs

What is the dominant method of breeding swine in commercial U.S. operations?

Artificial insemination (AI)

Do swine have an efficient conversion ratio?

Yes! 3lbs feed: 1 lb meat

What are the top 3 states for swine production in the United States?

Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina

Which state is number 1 for hog production in the U.S? How many head are in this state?

Iowa; 24.7 million head

How many head of hogs are in Minnesota? Where does it rank on the production hierarchy?

9.3 million, 2nd

Why is it important that we monitor pigs weaned per litter?

This measurement is a good performance indicator

Where are the majority of pigs located?

On large farms (>5,000 hogs)

What percentage of hog inventory in the United States is located on large (>5,000 head) farms?

75%