Cleanliness versus cow comfort – an insolvable problem?

Cubicle should provide good resting comfort as well as clean udders. Dairy cows in cubicle houses often face a restrictive environment with regard to resting behaviour, whereas cleanliness may still be impaired. This study aimed to determine reliable behavioural measures regarding resting comfort applicable in on-farm welfare assessments. Furthermore, relationships between cubicle design, cow sizes, management factors and udder cleanliness (namely teats and teat tips) were investigated. Altogether 15 resting measures were examined in terms of feasibility, inter-observer reliability (IOR) and consistency of results per farm over time. They were recorded during three farm visits on farms in Germany and Austria with cubicle, deep litter and tie stall systems. Seven measures occurred to infrequently to allow reliable recording within a limited observation time. IOR was generally acceptable to excellent except for 'collisions during lying down', which only showed good IOR after improvement of the definition. Only three measures were acceptably repeatable over time: 'duration of lying down', 'percentage of collisions during lying down' and 'percentage of cows lying partly or completely outside lying area'. These measures were evaluated as suitable animal based welfare measures regarding resting behaviour in the framework of an on-farm welfare assessment protocol. The second part of the thesis comprises a cross-sectional study on resting comfort and cow cleanliness including 23 Holstein Friesian dairy herds with very low within-farm variation in cubicle measures. Height at withers, shoulder width and diagonal body length were measured in 79-100 % of the cows (herd size 30 to115 cows). Based on the 25 % largest animals, compliance with recommendations for cubicle measures was calculated. Cleanliness of different body parts, the udder, teats and teat tips was assessed for each cow in the herd prior to morning milking. No significant correlation was found between udder soiling and teat or teat tip soiling on herd level. The final model of a stepwise regression regarding the percentage of dirty teats per farm explained 58.5 % the variance and contained four factors. Teat dipping after milking which might be associated with an overall clean and accurate management style, deep bedded cubicles, increasing cubicle maintenance times and decreasing compliance concerning total cubicle length predicted lower teat soiling. The final model concerning teat tip soiling explained 46.0 % of the variance and contained three factors. Increasing litter height in the rear part of the cubicle and increased alley soiling which is difficult to explain, predicted for less soiled teat tips, whereas increasing compliance concerning resting length was associated with higher percentages of dirty teat tips. The dependent variable ‘duration of lying down’ was analysed using again stepwise regression. The final model explained 54.8 % of the total variance. Lying down duration was significantly shorter in deep bedded cubicles. Further explanatory though not significant factors in the model were neck-rail height, deep bedding or comfort mattresses versus concrete floor or rubber mats and clearance height of side partitions. In the attempt to create a more comprehensive lying down measure, another analysis was carried out with percentage of ‘impaired lying down’ (i.e. events exceeding 6.3 seconds, with collisions or being interrupted) as dependent variable. The explanatory value of this final model was 41.3 %. An increase in partition length, in compliance concerning cubicle width and the presence of straw within bedding predicted a lower proportion of impaired lying down. The effect of partition length is difficult to interpret, but partition length and height were positively correlated on the study farms, possibly leading to a bigger zone of clear space for pelvis freedom. No associations could be found between impaired lying down and teat or teat tip soiling. Altogether, in agreement with earlier studies it was found that cubicle dimensions in practice are often inadequate with regard to the body dimensions of the cows, leading to high proportions of impaired lying down behaviour, whereas teat cleanliness is still unsatisfactory. Connections between cleanliness and cow comfort are far from simplistic. Especially the relationship between cubicle characteristics and lying down behaviour apparently is very complex, so that it is difficult to identify single influential factors that are valid for all farm situations. However, based on the results of the present study the use of deep bedded cubicles can be recommended as well as improved management with special regard to cubicle and litter maintenance in order to achieve both better resting comfort and teat cleanliness.

Happy growers! Relationship quality in the German organic apple chain

Relational factors between supply chain actors have been acknowledged to contribute significantly to competitiveness. With the example of the German market for organic apples the suitability of the concept of the Relational View for explaining competitiveness was investigated. Structured interviews were conducted with selected actors of the supply chain. Actors at all levels of the supply chain proved to be highly committed and described their business relations as satisfying and trustful. Strong vertical and horizontal collaboration was found. Thus, the Relational View proved to be highly suitable to explain competitiveness in the market for organic apples.

Nuestra clase se transforma en una casa : jugamos en igualdad

Se presenta experiencia educativa que propone la simulaci??n en clase de una casa para trabajar talleres de coeducaci??n con el alumnado de Infantil. Se realiza en el CEIP Francisco Ayala en C??llar Vega, Granada.

Estrategias para conseguir los objetivos básicos de la ESO : la agricultura ecológica, un proyecto de futuro.

Se presenta memoria final de proyecto educativo que propone el desarrollo de un programa transversalizado en un aula de apoyo sobre agricultura ecológica. Se realiza en el IES Arcelacis en Santaella, Córdoba. Los objetivos son: motivar al alumnado en la consecución del título de graduado en ESO; alcanzar las capacidades establecidas entre los objetivos generales de la etapa para que estos alumnos y alumnas puedan conseguir el título de graduado en ESO; desarrollar actitudes de curiosidad, entusiasmo y motivación por las actividades escolares especialmente por las desarrolladas en el aula ordinaria; desarrollar su autoconcepto y autoestima de forma que se vean alumnos y alumnas capaces no sólo respecto a las actividades propias del taller del huerto sino también en las puramente académicas; potenciar actitudes de respeto y valoración de los demás así como su entorno; disminuir el absentismo escolar de los alumnos y alumnas participantes.

Igualdad : mirando al futuro desde la totalidad del pasado

Este programa es fruto de un proyecto becado por la Direcci??n General de Pol??tica Social y Familia en la convocatoria de 1996

Los j??venes ante el futuro de la Unidad Europea : una experiencia did??ctica activa y multic??ntrica

El objetivo principal favorecer el desarrollo e incorporaci??n de la dimensi??n europea como parte esencial del quehacer educativo del profesorado de la regi??n de Murcia, tomando muy en cuenta las vivencias, experiencias y expectativas de los j??venes. Esta propuesta de formaci??n europeista surge de la colaboraci??n a lo largo de m??s de dos cursos acad??micos del CEP de Murcia con la Universidad y con profesores de ciencias sociales del segundo ciclo de EGB, de BUP y de FP. Como consecuencia de la realizaci??n durante el a??o acad??mico 1991-92 de un curso sobre formaci??n europeista destinado a profesores de Ense??anza Secundaria Obligatoria, se ha elaborado una unidad did??ctica centrada en la formaci??n europea. En esta unidad did??ctica se plantean los siguientes objetivos: facilitar la comprensi??n sobre los elementos del proceso europeo m??s directamente relacionados con los propios alumnos, convirtiendo la experiencia de la adolescencia en cauce para la adquisici??n de conceptos fundamentados cient??ficamente. Las hip??tesis que gu??an el desarrollo de la unidad did??ctica han sido entre otras, las siguientes: existe entre los adolescentes una gran infravaloraci??n hacia los elementos culturales europeos y tambi??n desconocimiento del proyecto pol??tico de unidad europea.

10 a??os de integraci??n en Espa??a : an??lisis de la realidad y perspectivas de futuro

Del 9 al 12 de noviembre de 1995 se celebr?? en Murcia la 22 Reuni??n Cient??fica Anual de la AEDES (Asociaci??n Espa??ola para la Educaci??n Especial) dedicada, en esta edici??n, a realizar un balance sobre la integraci??n. En el libro de actas se recogen las ponencias y comunicaciones presentadas en cada una de las cuatro secciones: integraci??n y pol??tica educativa; integraci??n: realidad o mito; hacia una escuela para todos y formaci??n del profesorado.

Universidad de Murcia : pasado, presente y futuro.

Publicación de la Universidad de Murcia en colaboración con la Asamblea Regional que pretende dar a conocer de forma muy cuidada la labor de la Universidad en sus más de ochenta años de existencia. La edición, profusamente ilustrada, contiene colaboraciones de importantes profesores y personalidades de la vida cultural murciana, organizadas en los siguientes apartados temáticos: tradición y futuro, consejos sociales, relaciones internacionales, relaciones institucionales, la Región de Murcia, el nacimiento de la Universidad (1914), su historia, deportes, rectores, doctores honoris causa, personalidades en la historia de la universidad y centros universitarios.

Formación Profesional : una realidad con futuro, tú decides.

Guía informativa que contiene la oferta de ciclos formativos de formación profesional en la Región de Murcia especificando salidas profesionales, titulaciones y responsabilidades laborales de cada una de ellas, además de los requisitos para cursar tanto la FP específica de grado medio como la de grado superior, el acceso a los estudios universitarios desde los ciclos formativos de grado superior y los módulos de formación en centros de trabajo (FCT).