How should agricultural research studies be chosen?

[holwellcourtfarm]

do something practical, are is that to easy? couple of suggestions a trial of the use of grass slitters to see if they benifit the grass by increasing the amount grown, and soil health, someone design please a cattle watertrough thats got all the pipework protected in the design and dosnt need any sort of stand? Wormers are they needed can a pasture mix sown with certain plants have a natural worming effect? people say so but has there been any practical studies to show this?

Several of those don't lead to a sales opportunity though so are highly unlikely to be funded as studies.

For what it's worth we haven't wormed in 4 years and have very low worm counts (in cattle).

 

[steveR]

do something practical, are is that to easy? couple of suggestions a trial of the use of grass slitters to see if they benifit the grass by increasing the amount grown, and soil health, someone design please a cattle watertrough thats got all the pipework protected in the design and dosnt need any sort of stand? Wormers are they needed can a pasture mix sown with certain plants have a natural worming effect? people say so but has there been any practical studies to show this?

Aber Uni did trials years ago which showed increased production of grass from using an aerator.

Water troughs... now that is a different matter!!

 

[steveR]

Several of those don't lead to a sales opportunity though so are highly unlikely to be funded as studies.

For what it's worth we haven't wormed in 4 years and have very low worm counts (in cattle).

I now only worm bought in cattle now...

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I now only worm bought in cattle now...

The big change for me was the realisation that 90% of the wormers I poured on ended up in the soil killing all the animal biology there...

Something conveniently ignored by the industry selling them (and many researchers running industry funded trials on them).

We now have dung beetles back and no longer see last year's dung in this year's meadows.

 

[steveR]

The big change for me was the realisation that 90% of the wormers I poured on ended up in the soil killing all the animal biology there...

Something conveniently ignored by the industry selling them (and many researchers running industry funded trials on them).

We now have dung beetles back and no longer see last year's dung in this year's meadows.

Intererstingly, that was my rationale too... Ivermectin is just too good for it's own good.

I have less problem with a Housing worming BUT, I do wonder what the active life of ivermectin in FYM is??

 

[Muck Spreader]

One of the things that irritates me is so much stuff that is currently being researched or trialled has already been done before. If only researchers could be bothered to look though academic journals much of it is already there. One good thing about the web is they now only have a very easy way of checking on more recent work.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Aber Uni did trials years ago which showed increased production of grass from using an aerator.

Water troughs... now that is a different matter!!

I read about that in Practical farm ideas

 

[Ffermer Bach]

The big change for me was the realisation that 90% of the wormers I poured on ended up in the soil killing all the animal biology there...

Something conveniently ignored by the industry selling them (and many researchers running industry funded trials on them).

We now have dung beetles back and no longer see last year's dung in this year's meadows.

I asked the dung beetle vet at Groundswell, what should I do about fly strike on the lambs, after I used Click extra I read that it kills dung beetles, she did not have an answer but said if there is a choice animal welfare has to come first.

 

[Goweresque]

Most universities are usually looking for research subjects so if you are willing to aid them they usually jump at the opportunity for graduate students. So any good topics for research you have send them to your local ag educational institute.

I've often wished someone would do some research on ragwort. How toxic it is at various stages of growth, and for different varieties, and in different forms (fresh, wilted, completely dry). Also which parts of the plant contain the most toxins, stem, leaf, flowers etc etc.

 

[Tarw Coch]

do something practical, are is that to easy? couple of suggestions a trial of the use of grass slitters to see if they benifit the grass by increasing the amount grown, and soil health, someone design please a cattle watertrough thats got all the pipework protected in the design and dosnt need any sort of stand? Wormers are they needed can a pasture mix sown with certain plants have a natural worming effect? people say so but has there been any practical studies to show this?

As far as the water troughs go, you need to speak to Forden Concrete, all their pipe work is protected on their cattle troughs and they don’t need a stand.
@shanewatertrough is your man.

 

[primmiemoo]

Now, if there was a smart eartag for sheep and outdoor cattle that had the capability of changing colour, or flashing a light to say its wearer has just begun feeling not all that well, with a different colour for what's wrong, I could be tempted to think about buying some.

The problem with the ' eye ' is it's too late, having information before you see the symptoms is key. This can only be provided by body activity missed by the eye.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Now, if there was a smart eartag for sheep and outdoor cattle that had the capability of changing colour, or flashing a light to say its wearer has just begun feeling not all that well, with a different colour for what's wrong, I could be tempted to think about buying some.

The gps collar sold by Halter from NZ links by Bluetooth to a ruminal bolus that measures temperature (& heart rate iirc) and can give early warning of raised temperature. That's starting to get usefully clever.

Another example is using thermal cameras to look at livestock to pick up early signs of lameness.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Problem with research, a lot of the time you don't know what the beneficial outcome will be. You start off researching one thing and end up discovering another. So as long as someone is willing to foot the bill let them get on with it.

Several of those don't lead to a sales opportunity though so are highly unlikely to be funded as studies.

Something conveniently ignored by the industry selling them (and many researchers running industry funded trials on them).

The outcome of the research, or at the very least the data generated in the process, is usually of value to whoever funded the research in the first place.

Research with no chance of commercial benefit doesn't tend to attract funding.

Classic example, I know someone who did a Phd researching potato COP, funded by McCain's

 

[Blaithin]

So from a cattle side, I know of research done in feedlots measuring time spent at the bunk, time spent at the water, and time spent communal grooming. You’re all going to say of course an off animal will spend less time eating and drinking but how many people actually have noticed a decrease in an ill animal partaking in a groom session with other animals?

By the time we can visually see such a thing it’s progressed far enough to be evident. Not like we stare at them all day.

By recording the time spent throughout the day you get a better picture because, I’m sorry, no matter how much you say it, farmers are not just standing around watching animals all day every day to recognize minuscule changes in time. By the time we see it, it’s an issue. What if it can be caught sooner?

What else can this research mean? We aren’t all going to fit our animals with new and expensive gadgets, as said. Well the research focused on implementing RFID tags with this ability. So the bunk/feeder and the water trough would need technology to talk with the tags (can’t remember how they figured the grooming part). Install the feeder, buy the rfid tags, done.

How did people ever learn a drop in a bitches temperature means whelping? Research. Now it’s a standard measurement to help predict labour. Even though there are other signs.

Also, when it comes to research projects, for someone looking to get a Ph.D they need to have a unique thesis do they not.

 

[steveR]

I read about that in Practical farm ideas

Same here, decades ago....

 

[steveR]

I've often wished someone would do some research on ragwort. How toxic it is at various stages of growth, and for different varieties, and in different forms (fresh, wilted, completely dry). Also which parts of the plant contain the most toxins, stem, leaf, flowers etc etc.

You might have thougfht the bloody BHS would have sponsored some work??

 

[steveR]

As far as the water troughs go, you need to speak to Forden Concrete, all their pipe work is protected on their cattle troughs and they don’t need a stand.
@shanewatertrough is your man.

Bugger, just bought one!! Not from Fordens though ;-)

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

The outcome of the research, or at the very least the data generated in the process, is usually of value to whoever funded the research in the first place.

Research with no chance of commercial benefit doesn't tend to attract funding.

Classic example, I know someone who did a Phd researching potato COP, funded by McCain's

The trouble is we can all think of research that would be of benefit to actual farmers but would not lead to a marketable product to sell to farmers. That sort of research should be funded by organisations like AHDB on our behalf using money from our levies. We rarely get to decide that though.

 

[steveR]

The lass doing her dissertation here is researching microplastics in sludge cake getting into the soil, and in what quantity... I wonder if the Water Companies would be supporting extensive research into this...

Preliminary testing is yes, plastic residues are in evidence on a field with a single application of cake last year. Are they a problem? I dunno....

 

[primmiemoo]

The lass doing here dissertation here is researching microplastics in sludge cake getting into the soil, and in what quantity... I wonder if the Water Companies would be supporting extensive research into this...

Preliminary testing is yes, plastic residues are in evidence on a field with a single application of cake last year. Are they a problem? I dunno....

If microplastics are being eaten by soil microfauna, then that's going to upset the nutritional value of the food chain, so yes, they could be.