Talking Pictures Dairy

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Talking Pictures - Dairy

• Guide to Taking Effective Pictures for TP-D Guides

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Pictorial Representations of TP-D Variables

• Stage of lactation.
• Bodyweight change.
• Calf rearing system.
• Fodder quality.
• Fodder quantity.
• Milk measure.
• Concentrate measure.

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Picture Taking
Effective pictures for TP-D guides should

• Represent the situation that they describe
  clearly and unambiguously.
• Fill the frame of the image with the relevant
  information avoid large areas of background or
  superfluous objects or people.
• Be taken in landscape, not portrait mode, at a
  resolution of 640 x 480 pixels higher resolution
  images only waste storage space.

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Stage of Lactation - Guidelines

• Represented by pictures of calves standing next
  to their dams.
• Calves should represent a range of ages
  appropriate to the guide being designed.
• For a general guide, ages should range from
  approximately one to twelve months.
• A more specific guide might cover a smaller range
  within this.
• Check and note the age of each calf photographed
  with the owner.

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Stage of Lactation - Examples
Poor picture does not fill the frame and the
relative sizes of the animals are difficult to see
Good picture fills the frame, both dam and calf
are clearly visible.
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Bodyweight Change - Guidelines

• Use pictures of dams at different levels of body
  condition.
• One picture should represent a thin cow clearly
  visible ribs and pin bones are appropriate.
• A second picture should represent a dam in good
  condition, well-covered in flesh.
• Using a third, different picture for the no
  change in bodyweight situation may help to avoid
  confusion.
• For the sake of consistency, all pictures should,
  if possible, show cows of similar genotypes.

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Bodyweight Change - Examples
Good pictures similar genotypes, clear
difference in body condition
Poor pictures different genotypes, similar
condition levels, one picture is too dark
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Calf Rearing - Guidelines

• There are likely to be three major options in
  most cases.
• Weaned animals can be shown separate from the
  dam, preferably with feed in front of them.
• Pictures depicting artificial rearing methods
  (bottle or bucket feeding) should clearly show
  the calf taking milk from the feeding vessel.
• Where calf milk consumption comes from limited
  access to the dam, clear pictures of sucking
  calves may be used.
• As younger calves remove more milk, it may be
  appropriate to depict two levels of milk removal
  using pictures of different sized calves sucking.

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Calf Rearing - Examples
Good picture calf is clearly being suckled.
Poor picture no indication of how the calf is
being fed, out-of-focus!
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Fodder Quality - Guidelines

• Three pictures are required to represent a range
  of fodder qualities.
• Visible indicators of forage quality are
  subjective so discuss them with the farmers who
  will use the guides.
• Generally, drier, stemmy materials are often
  appropriate for representing poorer forage
  qualities.
• Greener, leafier materials used to represent
  better forage qualities are likely to be widely
  understood.
• The range of qualities represented will vary
  considerably with the guides intended season of
  use.

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Fodder Quality - Examples
Good pictures images and quality differences are
clear.
Poor pictures top picture is taken from too far
away, quality represented appears very similar
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Fodder Quantities - Guidelines

• Only one picture is needed to depict fodder
  quantities
• It should represent a manageable quantity that
  can be used to describe the different amounts
  that farmers normally feed during one day.
• Usually an amount in the range 15 25 kg as fed
  is appropriate for green fodders.
• Smaller amounts may be better for dry fodders
  (approximately 10 kg as fed).
• Discuss daily amounts fed with farmers while
  taking pictures so that an appropriate quantity
  can be chosen.

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Fodder Quantities - Examples
Good picture bundle size is clear and
appropriate for indicating quantities fed.
Poor picture quantity above the daily intake
capacity of most dairy animals
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Milk Measure - Guidelines

• The container should be of a type that is
  commonly used in the area, so that people are
  familiar with it.
• It should not be more than 1 litre in size. Half
  a litre or less will allow you to construct a
  more sensitive and accurate TP-D guide.
• Including a reference point for size, such as a
  hand, may also be helpful.
• Showing the milk inside the container makes the
  picture unambiguous

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Milk Measure - Examples
Good picture milk clearly visible and size can
be seen in relation to the ladys hand.
Poor picture type of measure may be unfamiliar,
nothing to compare size, no milk visible.
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Concentrate Measure - Guidelines

• As for the milk measure, choose a container that
  is common locally.
• Container capacity should not exceed 1 kg 0.5 kg
  or less is usually better.
• Hands or other reference points for size can be
  helpful to users.
• As much as possible, make sure that the type of
  concentrate can be distinguished

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Concentrate Measure - Examples
Good picture all is not lost! Crop with an image
editor and the type and amount is much clearer.
Poor picture well, its a nice picture for this
ladys wall, but what about the concentrate?
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Remember!

• Follow these simple, common-sense guidelines and
  you will produce effective guides with clear
  pictures.
• Clear pictures
• fill the image frame.
• are unambiguous in the ideas that they present.
• Talking Pictures Dairy is a pictorial tool
• if the pictures in a guide are not clear, users
  will fail to get maximum benefit from it.