Challenging the boundaries of local and scientific knowledge in Australia: Opportunities for social learning in managing temperate upland pastures

Evidence of an emerging focus on the role of farmer knowledge in developed countries is highlighted by the debate on the nature of local and scientific knowledge. Less attention has been paid to the interaction of different ways of knowing for sustainable capital-intensive agriculture. This paper explores the relationship between local and scientific knowledge in managing temperate pasture and grazing systems in Australia. The nature of farmer knowledge is firstly examined by describing the experiences of farm families in managing native and introduced perennial grasses in upland areas of the Murray-Darling Basin. The building of knowledge and skills through social learning was explored in group case studies and interviews with stakeholders involved in pasture research and development. The interchange of local and scientific knowledge in groups was shown to have a synergistic effect, whereby local knowledge was broadened and strengthened, and scientific knowledge adapted and molded to specific situations. The effectiveness of social learning was greatest in collaborative programs based on small, local groups involved in monitoring and evaluation of whole farm pasture and grazing systems.     

Understanding community perceptions of aquaculture: lessons from Australia

Aquaculture is a growing and high-value industry that depends on access to and wise use of shared inland, coastal and marine resources. Varied stakeholders and communities are very interested in these public resources, and there has been conflict about how the aquaculture industry uses them. Prior to the research discussed in this article, there have been few large-scale studies of community perceptions of aquaculture. Our research drew upon an extensive literature review, stakeholder interviews and a survey mailed to the public in two regional case studies in Australia: the Eyre Peninsula in the state of South Australia and Port Phillip Bay in the state of Victoria. The data revealed some public support for aquaculture’s socioeconomic benefits and strong interest in minimizing the risk of its environmental impacts. There were mixed opinions about the trustworthiness of governments’ aquaculture decisions and actions. Some industry sectors attracted greater trust and lower perceived environmental risks. The importance and credibility of different information sources varied. There was strong support for improved dialogue among governments, the aquaculture industry and communities. Key differences between the regions included levels of awareness of and knowledge about aquaculture. Our research is consistent with literature on risk communication and perception that suggests that conflict and subsequent costs to industry and the community can be overcome or mitigated if government and industry understand, acknowledge and respond to community perceptions of the industry.     

Oceanographic habitat suitability is positively correlated with the body condition of a coastal‐pelagic fish

Species distribution models are commonly used to determine a species’ probability of occurrence but have not been used to examine the effect of environmental habitat suitability on fish condition, which is considered to be an integrated measure of physiological status. Here, we test for a relationship between oceanographic habitat suitability and the body condition of kingfish (Seriola lalandi) from eastern Australia. We (a) test whether individuals sampled from areas of high‐quality habitat were in better condition than individuals sampled from areas of low‐quality habitat, and (b) assess whether the condition of kingfish responded to oceanographic habitat suitability predicted at varying time‐before‐capture periods. Kingfish habitat was modelled as a function of sea surface temperature, sea‐level anomaly and eddy kinetic energy in a generalized additive modelling framework. Model predictions were made over one‐ to six‐week time‐before‐capture periods and compared to field‐derived kingfish condition data measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Oceanographic habitat suitability was significantly correlated with kingfish condition at time‐before‐capture periods ranging from one to four weeks and became increasingly correlated at shorter lead‐times. Our results highlight that (a) fish condition can respond sensitively to environmental variability and this response can be detected using oceanographic habitat suitability models, and (b) climate change may drive extensions in species range limits through spatial shifts in oceanographic habitat quality that allow individuals to persist beyond historical range boundaries without their body condition being compromised.     

Discrimination of olive oils and fruits into cultivars and maturity stages based on phenolic and volatile compounds

Olive oil and fruit samples from six cultivars sampled at four different maturity stages were discriminated into cultivars and maturity stages. The variables-volatile and phenolic compounds-that significantly (p < 0.01) discriminated cultivars and maturity stage groups were identified. Separation by stepwise linear discriminant analysis revealed that Manzanilla olive cultivar was separated from cultivars Leccino, Barnea, Mission, Corregiola, and Paragon, whereas cultivars Corregiola and Paragon formed a cluster. The volatile compounds hexanol, hexanal, and 1-penten-3-ol were responsible for the discrimination of cultivars. All maturity stages were discriminated, with the separation of early stages attributed to oil phenolic compounds, tyrosol and oleuropein derivatives, whereas the volatile compounds (E)-2-hexenal, hexanol, 1-penten-3-ol, and (Z)-2-penten-3-ol characterized the separation of all maturity stages and in particular the late stages. Hexanol and 1-penten-3-ol characterized the separation of both cultivars and maturity stages.     

Aspects of the epidemiology of nematode infections in a cow-calf herd in Ontario.

On May 29, 1980, 108 cows and calves were placed on a 20 hectare pasture until October 26, except that from September 18 to October 2 they were in a barn. Every two weeks during the total period, fecal samples were taken from 17 cows and 14 calves and herbage samples were collected from the pasture. Parasite fecal egg counts were estimated using the Cornell-Wisconsin centrifugation technique and herbage infective larvae by a modified Sandwich technique. Daily maximum and minimum air temperature and precipitation were recorded. The principal parasite egg found was the trichostrongyle-strongyle morulate, oval-shaped egg referred to as a gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) egg. The mean GIN egg/g of feces for cows varied from 14.2 to 23.9 and for calves it rose from 0.2 in the spring to 134.8 in the fall. Nematodirus, Trichuris, Strongyloides, Moniezia and coccidia were also found. Larvae were recovered first in July, with the greatest number, over 2000/kg of dry weight of herbage, in September and were primarily Cooperia and Ostertagia.     

禽蛋生产中的微生物挑战

在过去40年中,蛋生产和加工过程以及蛋本身均发生了很大的变化,这其中绝大部分要归因于我们正在面临的蛋中微生物的挑战.过去,对蛋鸡的遗传选择主要集中在生产性状,如蛋重、产蛋量以及饲料转化率,微生物问题还没有得到重视.直到20世纪90年代,对食品安全的关注还没有涉及到鸡蛋方面,蛋在破裂之前一直被认为是没有病原菌污染的.……     

Factors associated with morbidity and mortality in feedlot calves: the Bruce County beef project, year two.

The results of the second year of the project confirmed most of the major findings from the initial year. Feeding cornsilage, particularly as the major roughage in the first month after arrival was associated with excess mortality. Mixing of cattle from different sources and vaccinating against respiratory disease appeared to be the most important additional factors that increased mortality rates. Delaying vaccination at least two days postarrival may have prevented the negative effects of vaccination but only in calves fed cornsilage. Morbidity rates were highly variable among farms but were positively correlated with mortality rates and treatment costs. The occurrence of infectious thromboembolic meningoencephalitis appeared to share some of the same risk factors as mortality; whereas, urolithiasis did not. Water deprivation may be a risk factor in the occurrence of urolithiasis. Fibrinous pneumonia was again the most frequent cause of death. Relative to year one, infectious thromboembolic meningoencephalitis increased in frequency and only one death was attributed to bovine virus diarrhea.