Fertility is of central interest in the dairy production but has during the last decades declined. Increased milk yield has resulted in high pressure on the metabolism of the dairy cows that are supposed to manage the transition from dry cows to lactating cows within a few weeks around the parturition. Much indicate that metabolism and fertility are closely linked, with insulin playing a substantial part. There are many studies suggesting that the main part of gestation loss can be found during the early embryo development, a period which can be studied in vitro. The aim of this study was to test the effect of insulin during maturation in vitro and to evaluate two different fluorescent stainings on oocytes and embryos; a nuclear stain and a staining of apoptotic cells through the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-method. Bovine cumulus-oocyte-complexes (n=991) were aspirated from abattoir-derived ovaries.

Stump wood was used between 1850 and 1950 for production of tar and as firewood. In the 1950s the use decreased because of the introduction of the cheap fossil oil. In the 1970s stump wood became an interesting issue again as a raw material for the pulp industry. Stump lifting has today become a possible source for bioenergy. The objectives with this study were to investigate the productivity of stump lifting and stump extraction, and to analyse the economy.

People who invest capital in promising projects as a profession are called venture capitalists. They are constantly looking for new investment opportunities. Recently, media have observed a growing interest in forest land as capital investment. This is because several fund and investment company market the possibility of safe return through investment in woodland, both in Sweden and abroad. When an investment in forests is seen as an acceptable investment option, focus turns to nearby areas, namely agricultural land.

Älvdalens Savings Forest was formed in the late 1800's. During this time the country was conducting the first major land reform in Sweden, namely the redistribution of arable land through government action. In Älvdalen people saw an opportunity to form Savings Forest, that is jointly owned forests, where everyone would get part of the proceeds. The yield in the first place would cover were costs to manage and monitor the forest and to the measures to ensure regrowth and improve the forests. You could also use the proceeds to develop the area and make it easier for the population to manage their forest. In early summer, a survey was sent to all the members of Älvdalens Savings Forest.

Ett centralt processteg för sågverk är att sönderdela stockar med olika sågmönster. Vid sönderdelning uppstår ett visst råvaruspill, men genom att använda rätt sågmönster till varje enskild stock kan detta spill minimeras. Som ett steg i att göra detta försorteras därför timmer i ett antal timmerklasser som samlar stockar med liknande egenskaper. Råvarustyrning innebär att välja vilka mönster varje klass ska sågas med, hur stor andel av varje klass som ska sågas med dessa mönster samt att bestämma hur stockar sorteras till klasserna.I detta arbete utvecklas ett optimeringsverktyg som angriper problemet att optimera råvarustyrningen med avseende på de framställda produkternas försäljningsvärde. Problemet delas upp i två nivåer där linjärprogrammering kan användas i den ena nivån med syfte att, givet en uppsättning klasser, optimera valen av sågmönster.

Increasing the use of biofuels is an important part of achieving the EU?s target of 10 percent renewable energy in the transport sector. However, the competition between biofuels and food production is an ongoing concern. Also, several studies have indicated a significantly higher climate impact than was earlier estimated, due to emissions from land use. In Sweden, both the use and production of biofuels from crops have increased substantially during the last decade. The purpose of this project is first to present an overview of the Swedish land use in all sectors.

A common goal in practical forest management is to maximize the yield, measured in economical terms. When a forest stand is thinned a so called inoptimality loss can arise due to non-optimal decisions. This means that the selected management schedule results in a lower net present value than the optimal one which lowers the profitability for the forest owner. Holmen Skog uses the term tract which means an aggregation of stands made before a management action. A tract should be delineated in different tract parts in connection with pre-thinning planning if there is different bearing capacity within the tract, different thinning grades should be used or if the tract contains a weaker part that should not be thinned.

Agricultural soils constitute the base in human food production and soil content of organic matter and plant nutrients together with soil microbial activity are all important parameters for high crop yield of good quality. These parameters are dependant on proper fertilization.Anaerobic digestion of organic wastes for biogas production generates a liquid residue called biogas residue (BR). It contains organic material and plant nutrients which makes ita potential fertilizer for arable cropping. However, it also contains heavy metals and toxic organic compounds and it is therefore in need of evaluation before usage.Microbial tests were performed aiming to evaluate the agronomic traits of four different BR and to find a viable procedure for evaluating slurry fertilizers. Two experiments where soil respiration and soil potential denitrification activity (PDA) was measured at fertilizer addition were performed.

In Kenya the Maasai pastoralists have based their livelihoods on dairy production and the production goal is to maintain a sufficient milk supply throughout the year. The pastoral dairy production has two vital characteristics; breeding and milking. Traditionally, breeding is the men?s responsibility, while milking is the duty of women. Depending on this partition of chores between men and women, they also have different management routines, ambitions and strategies regarding the milk production.

Syfte: Syftet med denna undersökning är att studera råvaruprisets samt aktiemarknadens prestationer i form av procentuell avkastning under olika konjunkturlägen från år 1969 och fram till 2009. Samt att studera råvarumarknadens reaktion vid börsfall. Marknaderna ställs dessutom i relation till varandra. Detta görs genom tre delsyften: Hur presterar råvaror i relation till aktiemarknaden i hög- respektive lågkonjunktur? Ökar råvarupriset och aktiemarknaden i samma konjunkturlägen? Hur har råvarumarknaden till skillnad från aktiemarknaden reagerat vid större börsfall?Metod: Undersökningen är kvantitativ, deduktiv samt utgår från primärdata ansamlad via vedertagna källor och databaser.

Mastit är en sjukdom som leder till stora problem i svenska mjölkkobesättningar. De flesta mastiter är subkliniska inflammationer som ofta inte upptäcks på grund av avsaknaden av synliga sjukdomssymtom, men där SCC är förhöjt och mjölkkvaliteten försämrad precis som vid klinisk mastit. Detta leder till att mjölk med förändrad sammansättning och kvalitet levereras till mejerierna som därmed har sämre förutsättningar att framställa mejeriprodukter av hög kvalitet. Även lantbrukaren drabbas ekonomiskt, dels på grund av att ett förhöjt celltal inte ger maximalt betalt för mjölken och dels på grund av en minskad mjölkmängd då all mjölk från kor med konstaterad subklinisk mastit ofta kasseras. Vid mjölkning i automatiska mjölkningssystem finns möjlighet att separera mjölken på fjärdedelsnivå redan vid mjölkning, detta sker dock inte idag.

The open air museum of Disagården is situated in the Old Uppsala parish, Uppsala municipality, are projected to portray a double row village, before the land enclosure, on the Uppsala plain during the 1860s and 1870s. Disagården operates under the County Museum of Uppland and serves as an exhibit of Uppland's farming culture during the late 19th century. However, an open-air museum is a complex institution where many interests are linked together. Disagården aims to simultaneously portray an historical environment while offering broad public appeal. The Disagården open air museum was inaugurated in 1931 and consists of relocated buildings that together form three farm complexes "Gränbygården", "Skuttungegården" and "Bärbygården". The thesis explores how the close surroundings of a typical farm in Uppland looked during the 1860s and 1870s. This historical depiction has then been applied to Disagården in a development suggestion creating a foundation from which Disagården can structure the close cultivation of the different farms. The basis of the development program has primarily been compiled through archival and literary studies but also through on-site visits and interviews. How did the concept of open air museums start and what were the ideas behind the concept? Which external influences affected the situating of cultivations and buildings? Which crops and species were present on the farms in Uppland during the specified time period? What was the relation of the different structures to each other? Which organizations had influences on the farmer's household of the Uppland plain? The thesis attempts to clarify the answers to these questions. The influences affecting on the farmer's household in Uppland were probably numerous.

Feed intake in dairy cows is regulated by a variety of factors influencing hunger and satiety. One of the regulation systems includes the short chain fatty acids produced during feed degradation in the rumen. Starch can be digested either in the rumen where short chain fatty acids are produced or in the small intestine where glucose is the end product. Since glucose does not have the same effect on satiety that short chain fatty acids have, the site of starch digestion might be an important factor that affects feed intake and milk production. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of site of starch digestion on feeding behaviour (feed intake, consumption time, and eating frequency) and milk production. Because feeding behaviour is closely connected to the cows? environment, the study also included observations of behaviour. Three different feed rations were compared.

The relatively poor economy in European dairy farming might be improved from efficient feeding systems and dietary management. Increasing herd sizes and transition to loose housing systems in Sweden, increases the possibilities for other feeding systems than separate feeding that is the traditional feeding system in Sweden. Other possible feeding systems are partial mixed ration (PMR) and total mixed ration (TMR), where the TMR system sometimes is associated with overfeeding and thereby increased environmental impact and high feed cost. Diets providing nutrients above or below animal requirements are considered as unbalanced, which in turn are associated with reductions in health, fertility and milk production. On the other hand, a balanced feed ration improves feed efficiency, nitrogen utilization and profitability.

Problem: Företag i näringslivet, universitet, högskolor och statliga organisationer satsar idag mycket pengar på att föreläsare och olika typer av expertis ska hjälpa dem. För företag i dagsläget är företagshälsovård ett sådant ämne. Det satsas pengar på olika typer av expertis för att man vill minska sina sjuktal. Vi menar dock att en stor del av dessa ekonomiska satsningar går till spillo på grund av att behoven hos de anställda ej matchas korrekt mot den expertishjälp som finns på marknaden. Det skapas inget intresse eller aktivt deltagande på företagen och därmed ger det inte heller någon positiv utdelning i relation till de satsade pengarna. Syfte: Vårt syfte med denna uppsats är att beskriva hur företagsledare blint satsar pengar på att förbättra hälsan hos sina anställda.