# Presentation: 512594

## Slide 1

## Status:  Needs to be investigated further

**Priority Rating:  High**
_**Issue:**_**  Limited ability to define and assess well being and stress of animals under production in pasture based systems**
_**Explanation:**_**  Limited data concerning the well being of animals in pasture based production systems exist. **
**Agreement on defining well being & limited methods for assessing animal stress constrain researchers from developing protocols for reducing this stress.**

## Status:  New and needs to be investigated

**Priority Rating:  Medium**
_**Issue:**_**  Limited empirical data concerning how utilization of grazing systems affect productive longevity of animals.**
_**Explanation:**_**  There is the assumption that animals completing their production cycles in extensive systems have increased productive longevity versus those in intensive systems of production.**

## Status:     

**Priority Rating:  N/A**
_**Issue:**_**  Limited information on combining nontraditional and conventional management systems to increase resource utilization.**
_**Explanation:**_**  Combient Modeling**
**Example:  Conventional concentrated dry lot dairy with maxed nutrient credits might consider moving certain aspects of operation to pasture based systems (e.g., dry cows, cows with mastitis, heifers).**

## Status:  Needs to be investigated further

**Priority Rating:  Medium**
_**Issue:**_**  There is limited empirical data quantifying the potential synergistic benefits of integrated grazing systems utilizing multiple forage-animal species.**
_**Explanation:**_**  Empirical data exists concerning the benefits of these systems under limited situations. **
**Synergistic benefits of these systems are still not well defined, thereby limiting development of management protocols to fully capture all resource inputs.**

## Status:  Needs to be investigated further

**Priority Rating:  High**
_**Issue:**_**  Consistent product delivery from pasture finished meat animals suffers from a lack of predictability of input (e.g., forages) quantities & qualities.**
_**Explanation:**_**  Year round delivery of quality meat products from pasture finished meat animals requires improved understanding seasonal forage quality fluctuation & G*E interaction impacts on product quality & quantity.**

## Status:  New and needs to be investigated

**Priority Rating:  High**
_**Issue:**_**  Lack of data concerning how to switch from conventional farming to organic farming while maintaining economic viability.**
_**Explanation:**_**  Farmers considering a transition to organic farming need information to guide them in making appropriate decisions during the transition to ensure sustainability of the new operation.**

## Status:  Needs to be investigated further

**Priority Rating:  High**
_**Issue:**_**  Optimum supplementation of grazing dairy animals (includes: cattle, goats, sheep)**
_**Explanation:**_**       **

## Status:  New and needs to be investigated

**Priority Rating:  High**
_**Issue:**_**  Limited empirical data concerning effects of forage-based management and environment on equine health & production.**
_**Explanation:**_**  Horses are effected by many of the same issues affecting other grazing species (e.g., fescue toxicosis, salmonella, reproductive efficiency, etc.).  However, horses have not routinely been recognized by ARS or other agencies for research funding.**

## Status:  New and needs to be investigated

**Priority Rating:  Medium**
_**Issue:**_**  Limited empirical data effects of forage-based management and environment on grazing monogastric animal (e.g., chickens, pigs) health and production.**
_**Explanation:**_**  Much of the information available for grazing ruminant animals does not exist for these animals which are filling a niche market.  Thus, development of sustainable production systems for these animals on pasture is particularly difficult.**

## Status:     

**Priority Rating:  N/A**
_**Issue:**_**  Animal Identification & Disease Survey**
_**Explanation:**_**  After discussing this topic, it was decided that it was an APHIS issue & that APHIS would contact ARS if they needed ARS to research particular components.**

## Status:     

**Priority Rating:     **
_**Issue:**_**  How do we retain for the producer the value added to niche products?**
_**Explanation:**_**  This was not fully discussed.  May not be a researchable issue - but rather a marketing issue.**