Mark Feinstein, a teacher at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, has found a method of measuring stress in sheep through recording and analyzing their vocal behaviour.
To farmers, agronomists and animal welfare experts, stressed sheep are a serious subject, with concerns ranging from humane treatment to the economic impacts of reduced reproductive rates.
Feinstein, whose past research included the vocalizations of sheep-herding and sheep-guarding dogs, was recently in Ireland as a visiting scientist at Teagasc, a government agricultural research organization.
While there, he did experiments in various stress-inducing circumstances, including isolation of individual sheep and comparisons of vocal behaviour of just-weaned sheep after a period of adjustment to separation from the mother. He found a pattern of well defined acoustic markers of stress.
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Feinstein is continuing his research on stressed sheep at the Hampshire College Farm Center in Amherst, with students assisting.
His findings are significant for several reasons. They run counter to the belief that sheep, unlike some other animals including cows, do not vocalize their stress.
What differed in Feinstein’s work from previous studies is that he investigated the full acoustic spectrum of each bleat, not just the basic pitch of a signal or the number of vocalizations an animal made.
Looking at the characteristics of individual signals, he found distinctive and consistent markers within waveforms that showed a statistical correlation with stressful conditions.
They suggest that sheep reflect stress in their vocalizations and possibly communicate it to other animals by altering their voice timbre or the overall quality of sounds, rather than by changes in pitch or loudness over time.
This ability is characteristic of human speech, but most other animals are unable to change the timbre of a signal because they have less ability to manipulate their vocal tracts.
Past methods of measuring stress in sheep have involved invasive procedures, such as drawing blood or hooking up an animal to a heartbeat monitor.
Feinstein’s method is non-invasive, using an external device that records the sounds and measures waveforms.
Sweep system
John Deere’s new Perma-Loc is a quick-change system for field cultivators.
Perma-Loc is the only sweep system on the market that can be hand-installed, making it easier and safer than hammer installation.
Its ratcheting system ensures a secure lock, preventing sweep loss and adapter wear caused by loose-fitting assemblies. The company said installation and removal is up to nine times faster than conventional bolt-on systems and up to three times faster than other quick-change systems.
“Its Tru-Width design provides consistent cutting throughout the life of the sweep to minimize soil slabbing and soil movement, and the new stem design increases longevity of the parts by reducing stem wear and the need for a shank protector.”
The system fits on John Deere tillage equipment and is compatible with other machines equipped with a 47-degree shank.
It will be available in December. The field cultivator sweeps are available in 7, 9, 10 and 12 inches.
For more information, contact a John Deere dealer.
Water chemical
Water$avr is a non-toxic powder that can be added to ponds and dugouts to slow evaporation by 30-40 percent.
The product is a mixture of food-safe ingredients including fatty alcohols, which creates a quick-spreading, one-molecule thin layer on the water’s surface to keep it from evaporating.
It is biodegradable and oxygen permeable. The particles are attracted to each other so that when wind and waves break up the film, it naturally reforms when the surface calms.
An application of 500 grams covers one hectare of water surface. The product biodegrades in about 21/2 days, requiring reapplication.
The product can also be used on swimming pools to reduce heat loss.
For more information, contact Flexible Solutions International Ltd., 2614 Queenswood Dr., Victoria, B.C., V8N 1X5, phone 800-661-3560 or visit www.flexiblesolutions.com.
Cereal crop fungicide
Bayer CropScience has launched the first post-emergent fungicide with two modes of action for use on cereal crops in Western Canada.
Stratego 250EC is a broad spectrum product that covers diseases in wheat, barley and oats. It controls septoria leaf and glume blotch, tan spot, powdery mildew, net blotch, spot blotch, scald and rusts.
It has some curative activity and sustained residual control.
It is a combination of fungal respiration and sterol inhibitor active ingredients.
The dual mode of action reduces the risk of developing resistance problems. It can be applied by air or ground and is rain fast in one hour.
For more information, contact a Bayer CropScience retailer or visit www.bayercropscience.com.
Utility tractor
New Holland has introduced the TC48DA, with 48 engine horsepower, and TC55DA, with 55 engine horsepower, to its line of Boomer utility tractors.
The sleeveless parent bore engine design features a deep skirt and ribbed block for added strength and durability.
The standard 12×12 Synchro Shuttle Shift transmission allows the operator to shift from forward to reverse without coming to a complete stop.
A 12×12 Electro-Hydraulic Shuttle Shift transmission is optional on the larger TC55DA (4WD only).
It allows the operator to shuttle between forward and reverse without clutching.
In difficult conditions, a differential lock foot pedal locks the rear wheels together for added traction.
A dedicated gear hydraulic pump provides 12.03 gallons per minute on the TC48DA and 11.60 gpm on the TC55DA, while a separate 5.52-gpm pump supplies power for hydrostatic power steering.
The 18LA front-end loader features a curved boom design that provides superior reach and lift capacity.
The Quick-Latch system allows the operator to unlatch the loader from the tractor seat and simply back away.
For more information, contact a New Holland dealer or visit www.newholland.com/na.
Barn ventilation
Fancom AgriComputers’ new Central Flow exhaust fans can save money on energy in livestock barns.
In systems with central air control, the section with the highest ventilation demand determines the rpms of all the fans. Measuring and damping units compensate for the excess of ventilated air in the other sections. But experience shows that even in the section with highest demand, the ventilated air is damped.
The Central Flow control constantly checks the vortex damper position and automatically controls the central fan slightly lower to ensure the vortex damper opens more.
The company said this results in the central fan running 10-15 percent less than would be otherwise necessary.
For more information, contact Can-Neth Imports Ltd., 8162 Dyke Road, Abbotsford, B.C., phone 604-856-7296 or e-mail fancom@uniserve.com.
