KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vytelle and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) announce today the demonstrated accuracy and reliability of In-Pen Weighing Positions with the use of appropriate conversion factors for native South African cattle breeds and crosses. The use of In-Pen Weighing Positions reduces labor requirements associated with chute weight collection, stress, and injury in animals and handlers.
Nicky Lansink, SENSE Product Manager for Vytelle commented on the pitfalls of chute weights alone, “The challenge is that, although chute weights may be correct, they are not accurate since there can be large variations between consecutive weights of the same animal.”
Data was collected at the ARC Animal Production facility in Pretoria, South Africa, from October 2017 to December 2020 over several different trials.
Data was collected on bulls from 18 different breeds, including purebred and crossbred animals of the following breeds: Afrikaner, Angus, Bonsmara, Brahman, Holstein, Nguni, Simbrah and Simmentaler with an average weight of 342 kg (Std Dev = 86 kg), and a minimum and maximum weight of 142 kg and 630 kg, respectively.
Animals were on trial for at least 70 days, with a maximum trial length of 203 days. On average, animals were chute weighed every 11 days during the trial period and on average each animal had 12 chute weights collected.
“This study was specifically designed to learn the accuracy of estimated full body weights for native South African cattle breeds and its crosses with Vytelle’s In-Pen Weighing Positions. More than 4,000 records demonstrated In-Pen Weighing Positions accurately and reliably measure body weights of cattle from South African breeds, when the appropriate conversion factors are used,” said Professor Scholtz, of the Agricultural Research Council.
The In-Pen Weighing Position measures individual animal partial body weight and growth. It weighs every second an animal is standing at the water trough, which can equate up to 450 weights a day.
Vytelle’s In-Pen Weighing Positions and integrated livestock technology platform is available globally to cattle producers. Visit www.vytelle.com to learn more.
Vytelle is a precision livestock company reshaping how cattle producers worldwide optimize their herds. Through Vytelle’s integrated technology platform, generations of genetic gains can be made in just a few years. This allows producers to sustainably deliver more protein with fewer inputs, helping to ensure meat and milk are viable, competitive food choices for future generations.
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Danielle Starr Vytelle +1 816 886 8363 danielle.starr@vytelle.com