The Experts below are selected from a list of 306 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Kim Murray Berger - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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carnivore livestock conflicts effects of subsidized predator control and economic correlates on the Sheep Industry
Conservation Biology, 2006Co-Authors: Kim Murray BergerAbstract:Abstract: Despite the importance of carnivores in terrestrial ecosystems, many nations have implemented well-coordinated, state-funded initiatives to remove predators, largely because of conflicts with humans over livestock. Although these control efforts have been successful in terms of the number of carnivores removed, their effects on the viability of the industries they seek to protect are less understood. I assessed the efficacy of long-term efforts by the U.S. government to improve the viability of the Sheep Industry by reducing predation losses. I used regression analysis and hierarchical partitioning of a 60-year data set to explore associations among changes in Sheep numbers and factors such as predator control effort, market prices, and production costs. In addition, I compared trends in the Sheep Industry in the western United States, where predator control is subsidized and coyotes (Canis latrans) are abundant, with trends in eastern states that lack federally subsidized predator control and that were (1) colonized by coyotes before 1950 or (2) colonized by coyotes between 1950 and 1990. Although control efforts were positively correlated with fluctuations in Sheep numbers, production costs and market prices explained most of the model variation, with a combined independent contribution of 77%. Trends in Sheep numbers in eastern and western states were highly correlated (r ≥0.942) independent of the period during which they were colonized by coyotes, indicating either that control has been ineffective at reducing predation losses or that factors other than predation account for the declines in both regions. These results suggest that government-subsidized predator control has failed to prevent the decline in the Sheep Industry and alternative support mechanisms need to be developed if the goal is to increase Sheep production and not simply to kill carnivores.
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Carnivore‐Livestock Conflicts: Effects of Subsidized Predator Control and Economic Correlates on the Sheep Industry
Conservation Biology, 2006Co-Authors: Kim Murray BergerAbstract:Abstract: Despite the importance of carnivores in terrestrial ecosystems, many nations have implemented well-coordinated, state-funded initiatives to remove predators, largely because of conflicts with humans over livestock. Although these control efforts have been successful in terms of the number of carnivores removed, their effects on the viability of the industries they seek to protect are less understood. I assessed the efficacy of long-term efforts by the U.S. government to improve the viability of the Sheep Industry by reducing predation losses. I used regression analysis and hierarchical partitioning of a 60-year data set to explore associations among changes in Sheep numbers and factors such as predator control effort, market prices, and production costs. In addition, I compared trends in the Sheep Industry in the western United States, where predator control is subsidized and coyotes (Canis latrans) are abundant, with trends in eastern states that lack federally subsidized predator control and that were (1) colonized by coyotes before 1950 or (2) colonized by coyotes between 1950 and 1990. Although control efforts were positively correlated with fluctuations in Sheep numbers, production costs and market prices explained most of the model variation, with a combined independent contribution of 77%. Trends in Sheep numbers in eastern and western states were highly correlated (r ≥0.942) independent of the period during which they were colonized by coyotes, indicating either that control has been ineffective at reducing predation losses or that factors other than predation account for the declines in both regions. These results suggest that government-subsidized predator control has failed to prevent the decline in the Sheep Industry and alternative support mechanisms need to be developed if the goal is to increase Sheep production and not simply to kill carnivores.
Yadong Zheng - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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High-throughput identification of miRNAs of Taenia ovis, a cestode threatening Sheep Industry
Infection genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases, 2017Co-Authors: Yadong ZhengAbstract:Taenia ovis is a tapeworm that is mainly transmitted between dogs and Sheep or goats and has an adverse effect on Sheep Industry. miRNAs are short regulatory non-coding RNAs, involved in parasite development and growth as well as parasite infection. The miRNA profile of T. ovis remains to be established. Herein, 33 known miRNAs belonging to 23 different families were identified in T. ovis metacestodes using deep sequencing approach. Of them, expression of some miRNAs such as tov-miR-10 and -let-7 was absolutely predominant. Moreover, comparative analysis revealed the presence of a miR-71/2b/2c cluster in T. ovis, which was also completely conserved in other 6 cestodes. The study provides rich data for further understandings of T. ovis biology.
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Taenia ovis: an emerging threat to the Chinese Sheep Industry?
Parasites & vectors, 2016Co-Authors: Yadong ZhengAbstract:Taenia ovis is a tapeworm that is mainly transmitted between dogs and Sheep. Although T. ovis infection is not a public health issue, it causes a great financial loss due to condemnation of carcasses. The first outbreak of T. ovis infection in China occurred in 2015. Reassessment of adverse effects of T. ovis infection on Chinese Sheep Industry in future is necessary. The first T. ovis outbreak in China suggests that the epidemic situation across the country is underestimated. For the transmission of T. ovis, many factors, including eggs, dogs and wild canids, human behaviours and Sheep trade, should be seriously considered. In blocking the transmission chain, regular treatments of the infected dogs using anthelmintics play a crucial step, but at the moment it is difficult to be fully executed in China, largely due to the behaviours, customs and faith of local farmers. Moreover, combined with no clinical symptoms in the infected adult Sheep and goats, the lack of pre-mortem diagnostic tools makes it harder to practice a national wide surveillance as well as inspection and quarantine in increasingly frequent free Sheep trade activities in China, leading to an inability to restrict T. ovis infection into small areas. Furthermore, the ongoing campaigns against Echinococcus granulosus may have an adverse effect on control of T. ovis infection because of no consideration of a role of dogs in the transmission of the parasite. Lack of national epidemic data, pre-mortem diagnostic reagents and vaccines severely hampers the implementation of disease control campaigns and the restriction of T. ovis infection into small areas. Consequently, Sheep and goats are at an increasing risk of T. ovis exposure and the possibility of large-scale outbreaks across China in future is possible, causing great adversity towards Sheep Industry.
Ana Maria Reis Ferreira - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Toxoplasma gondii in the Sheep Industry: a global overview and the situation in Brazil
Revista Brasileira de Ciência Veterinária, 2013Co-Authors: Andressa Ferreira Da Silva, Felipe Zandonadi Brandão, Francisco Carlos Rodrigues De Oliveira, Ana Maria Reis FerreiraAbstract:Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most widely studied parasites due to its medical and veterinary importance. The parasitic infection of Sheep occurs worldwide, with studies showing prevalences ranging from 1.8% in North Tunisian to 95.7% in Turkey. In this ruminant species, infection with T. gondii causes fetal death, mummification, stillbirth, the birth of debilitated animals and frequent abortion. The latter has been reported as the primary cause of economic losses in the Sheep Industry because of the high rates of infection. Concerns over toxoplasmosis infections in Sheep, as well as the economic losses they can cause, induced this literature review. A review of the topic will provide the reader with some basic information concerning the importance of this parasite in the Sheep Industry in Brazil and worldwide, which might assist in controlling the disease and promptly identifying the problem in a flock, thus avoiding losses from potential abortions caused by this important parasite.
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Toxoplasma gondii in the Sheep Industry: a global overview and the situation in Brazil* Toxoplasma gondii na ovinocultura: um panorama global e a situação no Brazil
2013Co-Authors: Andressa Ferreira Da Silva, Felipe Zandonadi Brandão, Francisco Carlos Rodrigues De Oliveira, Ana Maria Reis FerreiraAbstract:, **** Abstract Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most widely studied parasites due to its medical and veterinary importance. The parasitic infection of Sheep occurs worldwide, with studies showing prevalences ranging from 1.8% in North Tunisian to 95.7% in Turkey. In this ruminant species, infection with T. gondii causes fetal death, mummification, stillbirth, the birth of debilitated animals and frequent abortion. The latter has been reported as the primary cause of economic losses in the Sheep Industry because of the high rates of infection. Concerns over toxoplasmosis infections in Sheep, as well as the economic losses they can cause, induced this literature review. A review of the topic will provide the reader with some basic information concerning the importance of this parasite in the Sheep Industry in Brazil and worldwide, which might assist in controlling the disease and promptly identifying the problem in a flock, thus avoiding losses from potential abortions caused by this important parasite.
David Vere - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The Proposed Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation: Economic Evaluation of the Science Programs
2007Co-Authors: Garry R. Griffith, David Vere, Randall E. JonesAbstract:\" The Australian Sheep Industry and its associated research and development agencies recently developed a funding proposal for the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Sheep Industry Innovation. The stringent assessment criteria set by the Commonwealth Government require the use of a formal economic modelling framework to estimate the expected benefits from the proposed program of research. The purpose of this paper is to describe the modelling framework developed for the evaluation and to report the results of that assessment. Top-down and bottom-up economic evaluation procedures were used to assess the expected economic benefits. Formal with-CRC and without-CRC scenarios were defined for both wool and Sheep-meat and for each research theme. Relevant costs were similarly defined. Thus, the requested investment by the Commonwealth and the Australian Sheep Industry in the CRC was assessed relative to a scenario where an alternative, lower cost research program into this Industry is implemented. The extra resources provided by the Commonwealth funding are assumed to have a discounted value of about $34 million over the 25-year period of this evaluation. These resources are sufficient to allow some new research components to be added to the portfolio, some existing components to produce better outcomes, and a more targeted approach to development and extension that speeds up and increases the adoption of the new technologies that are generated by the research program. The benefit from this extra investment and consequent research effort is estimated to be worth about $518 million in present value terms, which is far in excess of the marginal investment of $34 million. Thus every $1 of these extra resources brought into the Australian Sheep Industry through funding the proposed CRC is expected to return almost $14 to the Industry in present value terms. Disaggregating the estimates by region and market group shows that almost two-thirds of the anticipated benefits (about $824 million) will be claimed by Australian Sheep producers and Australian consumers of Sheep products. Disaggregating the estimates by type of impact shows that more than $300 million can be attributed to the proposed accelerated adoption program. This is some 22 per cent of the total estimated benefit. The paper concludes by recording several lessons learnt arising from this particular application. \"
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Sheep CRC Renewal Proposal: Economic Evaluation of the Proposed Scientific Themes
2006Co-Authors: Garry R. Griffith, David Vere, Randall E. JonesAbstract:The Australian Sheep Industry and its associated research and development agencies have developed a proposal for the CRC for Sheep Industry Innovation. “Top-down” and “bottomup” procedures were used to assess the expected economic benefits from this proposal. Formal “with-CRC” and “without-CRC” scenarios were defined for each product and each research theme. Relevant costs were similarly defined. The requested investment by the Commonwealth and the Australian Sheep Industry in the CRC is assessed relative to a scenario where an alternative, lower cost research program into this Industry is implemented. These extra resources have a discounted value of about $34 million over the 25-year period of this evaluation. These resources are sufficient to allow some new research components to be added to the portfolio, some existing components to produce better outcomes, and a more targeted approach to development and extension that speeds up and increases the adoption of the new technologies that are generated by the research program. The benefit from this extra investment and consequent research effort is estimated to be worth about $518 million in present value terms, which is far in excess of the marginal investment. Thus every $1 of these extra resources brought into the Australian Sheep Industry through funding the proposed CRC is expected to return around $15.30 to the Industry in present value terms.
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Modelling Economic Activity in the Australian Sheep Industry
2005Co-Authors: David VereAbstract:\"Quantitative economic models are regularly used in analysing the economic issues that affect Australias agricultural industries. The value of quantitative economic models for Industry analyses depends on how accurately they represent an Industrys economic activity. This paper describes the development of such a structural econometric model of the Australian Sheep Industry. The structural econometric procedures on which this model is based provide a high degree of rigour in modelling the economic relationships in the Sheep Industry. The models specification, estimation and validation processes are described and its intended uses in evaluating Sheep Industry research are discussed. \"
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Economic Evaluations of Production Technologies in the Australian Sheep Industry
2005Co-Authors: Luke T. Silvester, David VereAbstract:The Australian Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre (Sheep CRC) commenced operations in February 2002 and will receive federal funding of $19.8 million over its seven-year grant period. As well, the Sheep Industry is expected to invest over $10 million in Sheep CRC activities over this period, while core and supporting parties will make in-kind contributions totalling about $60 million. The main objective of the Sheep CRC is to develop new technologies that will increase the productivity and profitability of Sheep meat and wool production and provide the skills and knowledge needed to fully utilise the available technologies. The Sheep CRC will be considered to have been successful if its outcomes have delivered measurable economic benefits to the Sheep Industry and to the rural communities. Accordingly, the Sheep CRC has placed a high priority on the rigorous economic evaluation of its research activities. With a focus on the production technology programs, that requirement has included the preliminary economic evaluation of a large number of individual projects. The more comprehensive evaluation of groups of projects is now being attempted. This paper describes the procedures that have been adopted in making those evaluations and presents some preliminary results.
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Australian Sheep Industry CRC: Economic Evaluations of Scientific Research Programs
2005Co-Authors: David Vere, Garry R. Griffith, Luke T. SilvesterAbstract:By the end of its seven-year term in 2007-08, the Australian Sheep Industry CRC (Sheep CRC) will have received total funds of about $90 million, that comprises Commonwealth and Industry funding of $30 million, and in-kind contributions valued at $60 million. This level of public and private funding emphasises the need for the Sheep CRC to demonstrate that its research programs will generate sound economic returns to all stakeholders. This paper reports an evaluation of the potential economic value of the achievements of the Sheep CRC at the midpoint of its term of operations at which it has some completed research and a large volume of research in progress. The main question that has been addressed in this evaluation concerns the nature and likely magnitude of the potential benefits relative to the costs of their realisation. The economic methods and other procedures that were used to answer this question, the evaluation scenarios and the results obtained are described. Based on the defined with- and without-Sheep CRC evaluation scenarios, the ‘bottom-line’ result was that the Sheep CRC’s scientific research programs have the potential to deliver a total incremental benefit with a 20-year net present value (NPV) of $191.3 million, and a total benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 8.1:1 (both at a 5% real rate of discount), indicating that the Sheep CRC’s total research investment over all programs has the potential to return about $8 for every $1 of research investment funds.
Charles E. Mcintosh - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan for Continuity of Business.
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 2021Co-Authors: Danelle A. Bickett-weddle, Reneé D. Dewell, Charles E. McintoshAbstract:Sheep operations will be subject to movement controls during a US foot and mouth disease outbreak and should be prepared to manage animal and product movement disruptions. The voluntary Secure Sheep and Wool Supply (SSWS) Plan for Continuity of Business provides tools for the Sheep Industry to develop contingency plans, write enhanced, operation-specific biosecurity plans, and learn about disease surveillance opportunities and challenges. The SSWS Plan is science-based and risk-based, funded by the American Sheep Industry Association, and developed collaboratively with Industry, government officials, and veterinarians at Iowa State University. For more information, visit www.secureSheepwool.org.
