Information regarding cows Grazing behaviour and time spent Grazing can be of great interest to dairy farmers, since this information can indicate how well suited the pasture is to the cows. Feed intake at pasture is however challenging to measure. Automated systems for monitoring the behaviour of cows within dairy production have become increasingly important and relatively common. The aim of this study was to validate an activity measuring device (HOBO® G Logger Pendant Data Logger, USA), a triaxial accelerometer that registers the cow?s head positions during Grazing, in order to see if cows? Grazing behaviour on pasture could be distinguished from their non Grazing behaviour.

The aim of the study was to investigate if the Grazemore Decision Support System (DSS) is able to provide a Grazing management strategy that gives a high utilisation of grazed grass in milk production in the north of Scandinavia. To do this, a Grazing experiment was planed and performed during the summer 2005. Simulations in the DSS were run to get a suggestion of how the cows should graze, Grazing calendar 1. Deviations and updates during the season resulted in the simulated Grazing calendar 2. During the experiment, the actual milk yield was recorded twice weekly. The difference between actual and predicted milk yield by Grazemore DSS was analysed statistically with regression analysis and the mean square prediction error (MSPE) was estimated.

When I began my studies at Gammelkroppa forest school I started to think about an appropriate thesis. There was much discussion about the wild Grazing damage during that period. I was at that time a part of Boo property and helped at their great hunts. They had the dual uses of wildlife and forest. I decided that I want to study how big the wild Grazing damages are and if we can reduce them.

The purpose of this study was to show how the Hybrid Larch (Larix eurolepis x) are used by large herbivores in terms of Grazing and fraying. More specifically I studied how impact on the seedlings was affected by forest stand area, tree height and stem density (stems/ha).The survey was done in Jönköpings county in southern Sweden. About 50 % of all stems that are measured are damaged by Grazing and 5,8 % was damaged from fraying. The conclusion of the study is that the biggest influencing factor is the height of the seedlings. The size of the stands and number off seedlings per hectare have almost no impact on the injuries on the seedlings. Fraying are common on trees smaller than 3 meters, and doesn?t occur on trees above that height.

Livestock animals affect their environment in a number of different ways, mostly through Grazing and trampling. This study focused on the effects of Gotland pony Grazing on forest structure and diversity, and the impact on ground cover. To compare the fenced and grazed area with a reference area outside the enclosure a number of transects were used. The study showed that there was no significant difference in height structure and diversity between the compared sites; however, there were a significantly higher proportion of damaged trees inside the enclosure. The ground cover variables showed a higher amount of bare soil, plant litter and wood-rush (Luzula sp.) inside the enclosure whilst grass was more frequent in the reference area.

To be able to provide the growing human population with food, the productivity of the animals as well as land use needs to be improved and intensified. Hence, understanding the behavior of animals is crucial both for animal welfare and productivity as well as the management of the cattle. There are many factors affecting the Grazing behavior of cattle in tropical conditions, such as human-animal interactions, herd management, breed, season and temperature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Grazing behavior of two tropical cattle breeds, Ankole and Boran cattle. Kenyan Boran belongs to a zebu type of cattle and is preferred to many other breeds due to the higher productive and reproductive capacity and adaptability to tropical conditions.

Twenty-four calves, which had not grazed previously, were divided into four groups. They were subsequently inoculated orally with either E. alabamensis oocysts, O.ostertagi/C. oncophora larvae, or both. One group remained uninfected and was used as a control.

During thousands of years, reindeer have adapted to living under harsh conditions with large seasonal variations in climate and forage availability. This adaptation implies that body functions and nourishment needs are strongly bound to the season. In the summer the reindeer has to maximize food intake to build up fat and protein reserves for the winter. More than 200 different plant species are included in the reindeer diet, but since reindeer have an unique ability to use the nourishment in lichen, different lichen species make up a large portion of their winter diet in many areas. Fundamental for reindeer husbandry is access to natural Grazing during most of the year.

The report is a comparative study between spruce plantations where 4 plants are treated with deer repellents and 4 plantations are untreated. The study aims to provide a base for the Forest Society's future decisions regarding the use of wildlife-repellents.  The report indicates that wildlife-repellents work reasonably well for its purpose, the treated stocks were virtually untouched during the planting year and next year while the untreated stocks have been heavily grazed during these years.  Growth difference between grazed plants and ungrazed plants found to be virtually non-existent (0, 01 m) of the treated stocks and 0, 07 m in the untreated plants. Because of the growth differences are so small between grazed and no grazed plants, it seems like the treatment of deer-repellent are unnecessary. Unless you know in particularly that the area has a specific problem whit severe deer-Grazing..

This literature review examines different forages which are well suited for suckle cow production in Sweden today. They should also be possible to cultivate in Sweden under the current circumstances. Crops suitable for Grazing in Swedish climate but not used in Sweden today, but which may be relevant for Swedish conditions are also mentioned. In Sweden today, mainly grass silage, straw and hay are used as forage, but also wholecrop silage is used to some extent. However, concentrates are not used to a greater extent, since it contains too much energy.

The forest and mire landscape surrounding the north Swedish villages have been of fundamental importance through time for the farmers. In the Scandinavian summer farm system the forest and mire pasture was used to its full potential. The system consisted of smaller summer farms some kilometres from the main farm in the village, and were the livestock grazed in the forest around the summer farm. The livestock affect their environment, and grazed forests generally contain a higher biodiversity than an ungrazed forest. The overall aim of this thesis is to understand the impact of livestock Grazing on a northern forest ecosystem over a long time period.

Time studies in dairy production are an essential tool when deciding about level of mechanisation and automatisation both in investment situation and improving efficiency in existing operations. In previous investigations such studies have been carried out during normal barn conditions during winter. Since there is a compulsory to have dairy cows Grazing 3 to 5 months during summer time in Sweden time studies during this season is important to have a full picture of needed working time. During Grazing season time studies was carried out at 14 dairy farms representing herd sizes from 66 to 450 dairy cows of which 6 farms with AMS. 8 farms were the same as studied during winter season.

With a growing human population as well as a changing lifestyle, the conflict of wildlife and humans is intensifying. In Kenya, Maasais and their livestock have for a long time coexisted with wildlife, but an adjustment to privately own land and cultivation might rapidly change the terms for this coexistence. To understand how the Maasais and their livestock affect the wildlife in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the surrounding area, this study was undertaken. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how hippos are concerned..

An automatic milking (AM) system should be combined with some form of controlled cow traffic to minimize the time spend on fetching cows to milking and to increase the milking frequency. By restricting the hours spent on pasture per day you optimise the AM system use during pasture period. A reason for this is becuase cows do not return to the stable for milking during night which cause that the milking unit stands empty those hours. In organic production it is required that the cows should be able to graze a certain amount of daily dry matter (DM) intake on the pasture. In the county of Dalarna where the farm is located the yield of the pasture is about 3000 kg DM per Grazing season and hectar.This means that the pasture area should be 14,25 hectare to 57 milking cows.

This study concerns the type of vegetation selected by cattle Grazing on semi-natural pastures, and whether the selection depends on the nutrient content of the vegetation or on other factors. The study was carried out in three different semi-natural pastures in the Uppsala area during June, July and August in 2006. The three pastures were first surveyed, mapped out and divided into sub-areas with regard to the type of dominating vegetation. The vegetation types identified were: wet, mesic, dry, wooded, pasture with signs of former cultivation (arable). Within each vegetation type three 1x1 m sampling plots were laid out. The Grazing behaviour of the cows was recorded in a behaviour study.