@conference {4191,
	title = {BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Can a portable Laser Methane Detector be used to measure compare methane production in grazing animals?},
	booktitle = {Hamilton},
	volume = {85},
	year = {2025},
	pages = {52-54},
	address = {Hamilton},
	abstract = {<p>Methane production from grazing animals makes a significant contribution to New Zealand{\textquoteright}s greenhouse gas emissions and as such there is a need to compare methane emissions from different feeds and management systems. Laser Methane Detector (LMD) meters are portable, fast and relatively inexpensive and have been utilised overseas to measure methane emissions. The aim of this study was to determine whether LMD meters could be used to measure methane in grazing animals by testing it in a situation where methane production was likely to vary, in this case morning (AM) and afternoon (PM). The method used involved eight hand-reared hoggets and a small sheltered pen to minimise external air flows and enable a set distance from the LMD operator and the hoggets. The amount of methane produced in the PM was greater than the methane produced in the AM and the pattern was different with multiple smaller peaks in morning and a small number of larger peaks in the afternoon.</p>
},
	author = {B.C. Thomson and P.D. Muir and K.R. Ward and N.B. Smith}
}
@conference {4190,
	title = {BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Rearing calves on crushed barley},
	booktitle = {Hamilton},
	volume = {85},
	year = {2025},
	pages = {49-51},
	address = {Hamilton},
	abstract = {<p>Bull calf rearing systems typically have tight financial margins, with calf starter meal being a significant cost under a restricted milk-feeding regime. Two experiments were carried out to examine the effect of substituting calf starter meal with crushed barley. In the first experiment, there was no difference in growth rate during the first five weeks of milk feeding but during the seven days of transitioning from milk to grass, the growth rate of the barley-fed calves was lower (0.24 kg/d vs 0.88 kg/d; P\&lt;0.001). This period of lower growth was a major contributor to the 7 kg live weight difference at 12.5 weeks. In Experiment 2, the calves on crushed barley consistently grew slower than those on calf starter (0.67 kg/d vs 0.83 kg/d; P\&lt;0.001) resulting in a 16 kg live weight difference at 12 weeks of age. While feeding crushed barley was cheaper, the poorer and more variable calf performance indicates there is a lower likelihood of meeting individual live weights targets resulting in having to sell calves on a declining summer market.</p>
},
	keywords = {barley; calf pellets; rearing calves},
	author = {P.D. Muir and B.C. Thomson and A. Nieuwenhuis}
}
