Integrated crop/livestock systems research: Practical research considerations

Abstract

There are many reasons for the paucity of integrated crop/livestock research and associated publications. Integrated/crop livestock experiments that involve adequate treatments and replications, as perceived by both crop and animal scientists, require large numbers of hectares, many animals, considerable labor to conduct the research, substantial financial resources, and a commitment by Federal and State Research Agencies to fund such long-term research projects. To be truly integrated, crop/livestock research must be multidisciplinary, involving scientists of diverse training and experience with expertise to address various aspects of the research problem, and scientists must function as a cohesive unit or team. The prevailing attitude that all experimental data must be statistically analyzed to be of any value is also a detriment to integrated research. Statistical analyses of these projects may be quite challenging and require new or unusual approaches. Related to the prevailing need for statistical analysis is also the need for scientists to publish senior authored publications for career advancement. Conducting integrated research may not facilitate scientists' publishing the number and quality of publications required for them to meet these criteria. A further obstacle to integrated research alluded to above, involves the many experimental design compromises that must be made by cooperating scientists. Crop and soil scientists for example, use many treatments and replications with small plots, while animal scientists, by necessity, have experiments that involve relatively large numbers of hectares and animal numbers with relatively few treatments and replications. It is therefore extremely difficult to initiate such projects given these inherent differences in crop versus livestock research protocol, as well as to design effective experiments that will provide publishable data. Making compromises on the many factors relevant to integrated crop/livestock research while designing experiments that will provide solutions to pertinent producer problems as well as useful data that can be statistically analyzed and published is, therefore, extremely difficult.

Integrated overview of results from a farmlet experiment which compared the effects of pasture inputs and grazing management on profitability and sustainability

“…Our experience accords with Tanaka et al (2008) who stated that research on farming systems which attempts to integrate multi-disciplinary strands can be extremely difficult to fund, carry out, statistically analyse and publish. The integration of the multiple findings from this research has been a challenge for all project participants, including the livestock producers who led this Project.…”

Diversification and ecosystem services for conservation agriculture: Outcomes from pastures and integrated crop–livestock systems

“…Integrated crop-livestock research projects are large, not only in land area and livestock requirements but also in financial commitment by research agencies. These projects are often multi-disciplinary in nature and require compromise and cooperation among scientists to ensure that adequate data are collected 7 .…”

Selection of experimental treatments, methods used and evolution of management guidelines for comparing and measuring three grazed farmlet systems

“…They also noted that system boundaries need to be established in such a way that transfers between systems are minimised. Tanaka et al (2008) also highlighted the challenges of undertaking experiments over relatively large areas with large numbers of animals in ways that provide publishable objective data without compromising the many factors which make up a farm system. The Cicerone farmlet experiment was fortunate to have had a secure lease of the experimental land for its duration.…”