Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2024
Authors
Mario Guajardo Rasmus Bang Ola Flaten Julio C. Goez Bjørn Gunnar Hansen Hanne Møller Stine Samsonstuen Jon Kristian SommersethAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Rasmus Bang Stine Samsonstuen Bjørn Gunnar Hansen Mario Guajardo Ola Flaten Hanne Møller Julio Cesar Goez Gutierrez Jon Kristian SommersethAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Housing and indoor feeding of sheep is required throughout the cold season, which can last more than half a year, in Nordic highlands and Alpine regions. This study aimed to examine and evaluate the housing costs, including labour requirements, according to type of sheep housing system and degree of mechanized feeding by investigating systems commonly used in Nordic and Alpine regions. Detailed cost data were obtained from 61 surveyed sheep farmers in Norway with sheep houses built between the years 2008 and 2015. Costs were calculated for a baseline scenario (2021-prices) as well as for five scenarios at low and high discount rates and opportunity cost of labour, and high energy prices. The median (interquartile range) flock size was 150 (100) winter-fed sheep. Houses with slatted floors were more expensive than deep-litter systems. Costs of bedding material and feed waste were however higher, and the net value of the manure were lower in houses with deeplitter systems. At the baseline assumptions, overall net housing costs per sheep was not statistically different among the main housing types studied. Multiple regression analyses showed that net housing costs per sheep were lower in larger flocks and for centrally located farms (control variables). Undertaking daily chores, such as feeding of roughages twice a day rather than once, resulted in significantly higher net housing costs. Mechanized feeding of roughages, and even more so for concentrates, were not economically justified since labour savings were not sufficient to pay for the additional capital costs. A round bale chopper lowered net housing costs, significantly at a high labour cost. None of the scenarios found slatted floors to be significantly more expensive than deep-litter systems. High costs of labour and capital favoured deep-litter systems, while slatted floor systems were more advantageous at rising prices of energy that resulted in increased values of organic manures and costs of feed wastes and bedding materials. The study was based on a decade old data from common Norwegian sheep house variants. Farmers that consider constructing a new sheep house today, still must compare these variants as their main alternatives. We encourage other researchers to include effects of housing systems and mechanized feeding on animal performance, health, and welfare. Moreover, future studies should preferably also be undertaken in other environmental or socio-economic settings to produce more general results.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Annette Folkedal SchjøllAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Fruit yield in wild berry species can vary greatly from year to year. Despite the short growing season and low temperatures in the Arctic region, many small fruit species are thriving under such conditions. Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.) is a perennial dioecious plant dependent upon insects for pollination. Cloudberries are high-valued, but fruit set and yield can fluctuate substantially between years. Although most commercial harvesting of cloudberries is done from wild stands, a few commercial cultivars are available, and cultivation techniques for natural stands have been developed. There is limited knowledge of variations in cloudberry crops. Increased research on this topic can be crucial for enhancing our knowledge of cloudberry cultivation and having better predictions for increased commercial utilization.
Abstract
Only approximately 2% of the land area in Northern Norway is suitable for agricultural purposes. The short growing season and cold climate impose limitations for what can be produced. Agriculture still takes place here, with forage crops for livestock being the most important. On free rangeland areas, including both semi-natural and natural habitats, livestock grazing is common. The biomass production on some of these rangelands is presumed to be high, although little is known about the actual fodder potential. In 2022 a preliminary study was performed to determine abundance and variety of wild pasture plants, dry matter yield (DM) and feed quality in the (presumed) highest yielding Vegetation types. Results showed an average of 1520 kg DM ha–1 in spring and 5380 kg DM ha–1 in autumn. Early season feed quality was high, but with rapidly decreasing trends. The number of pasture plants was also high. Our results show that in sub-arctic Northern Norway grazing animals can harvest substantial amounts of ‘free’ fodder of good quality, yet the official statistics show that only 14% of this resource is utilised. Continuous grazing is needed to maintain production and fodder quality in these areas.
Abstract
Only approximately 2% of the land area in Northern Norway is suitable for agricultural purposes. The short growing season and cold climate impose limitations for what can be produced. Agriculture still takes place here, with forage crops for livestock being the most important. On free rangeland areas, including both semi-natural and natural habitats, livestock grazing is common. The biomass production on some of these rangelands is presumed to be high, although little is known about the actual fodder potential. In 2022 a preliminary study was performed to determine abundance and variety of wild pasture plants, dry matter yield (DM) and feed quality in the (presumed) highest yielding vegetation types. Results showed an average of 1520 kg DM ha–1 in spring and 5380 kg DM ha–1 in autumn. Early season feed quality was high, but with rapidly decreasing trends. The number of pasture plants was also high. Our results show that in sub-arctic Northern Norway grazing animals can harvest substantial amounts of ‘free’ fodder of good quality, yet the official statistics show that only 14% of this resource is utilised. Continuous grazing is needed to maintain production and fodder quality in these areas.