Introduction to the challenge addressed Differently from courses or technical meetings, a solution to help operators evaluate and monitor the critical points in managing the animals can be a manual, a practical guide, easy to consult and to personalize on every one’s farm characteristic. | ||
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Description of Innovation Two examples of manuals or practical guides are presented as tools for the farmers to handle animals in their farms. The first in time is a “practical guide to the management of principal critical points in beef cattle production”. It’s a paper manual which includes 3 chapters in which all characteristics of the beef production typical of Italy are descripted in detail, then the most diffused health problems and all critical points connected to animals. At the end there is a self-evaluation scheme to understand the farmer quality of management, detection and solving problems. The second is a “Manual of the good farmer – technical code for the cure and managing of animal welfare in beef cattle farms”. In this case also the characteristics of the production system are described in detail, with many suggestions and good practices to avoid or solve problematic situations during the growing and fattening of animals. | ||
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Impact on farm performance Farmers have a tool available at hand that contains many technical information about the whole management of a beef cattle production activity, and also have the possibility to find solutions and suggestions, and even to evaluate the condition and efficiency of one’s own work. With the availability of technologies, it may easily be possible to transform or upload the manual as computer program or an application for smartphones. | ||
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Audio-visual material
The “Practical guide to managing the principal critical points in beef cattle production” and the “Manual of the good farmer – technical code for the cure and managing of animal welfare I beef cattle farms”
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Farmer comment (for Good Practices) The manuals represent an useful help to keep all the management aspects under control, to find solutions to everyday problems in the farm and to make our own evaluation of the quality of the work, and so we can compare ourselves with average standards or with other farmers. | ||
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Further information University of Milan, Vespa department – CRPA: www.crpa.it
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