The study aims to identify any changes in the communication channels used by Slovenian livestock farmers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the main (dis)advantages of relying on them. An online survey was completed by 502 Slovenian farmers of various farm enterprises in winter 2020/2021. Most respondents generally used telephone, e-mail, and the internet to obtain agricultural information before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, farmers increasingly relied on online conferences and social networking sites. At the same time, younger farmers and farmers with a higher education level used digital channels the most frequently, with men doing so more often than women. Digital channels were primarily used by cattle and horse farmers, while cattle farmers showed the greatest online conference participation. Respondents reported having more time to spend with their families and animals as an advantage and the lack of face-to-face interaction with other farmers and advisers as a disadvantage of such communication patterns. As the study reveals differences in the use of communication channels during the COVID-19 pandemic by various farmers, a new communication strategy is needed that involves the use of appropriate communication channels to provide farmers with agricultural information both during the COVID-19 situation and later.

In the recent years, numerous publications have analysed the efficiency of phytogenic feed additives, plant-based supplements, in animal nutrition for improving livestock productivity and the quality of products. Regarding ruminant nutrition, the publications very often focus on the fate of proteins and on productivity as a result of the use of tannins rich plant extracts and plant parts. Most tannin-related studies are concerned with forages, mostly legumes, less is know about tannins extracts. Tannins are phenolic secondary compounds naturally occurring in plants and helping to protect them against herbivores, defend them against pathogens and are participating in energy and nitrogen conservation. Tannins were for a long time considered to be antinutritive compounds to ruminants. Several new systematic studies, associated with analyses of tannins have revealed beneficial roles in animal nutrition and health. New studies more precisely distinguish different groups of tannin. As a result, feed containing tannins, hydrolysable or condensed, has the effect of slowing down the protein digestion, increasing microbial protein synthesis in rumen and reducing methanogenesis. Positive effects onanimal health such as the prevention of bloating and multiplication of parasites have also been reported. When fed in proper amounts, tannins may promote higher level of productivity such as higher growth rate, higher milk yield and improved milk quality. Due to their positive role, they are being gradually considered as important nutritive additives in many ruminant feeds. Tanini in njihov vpliv na učinkovitost proizvodnih lastnosti pri prežvekovalcih. V zadnjih letih so v številnih publikacijah proučevali učinkovitost fitogenih krmnih dodatkov, rastlinskih krmnih dodatkov, v živalski prehrani za izboljšanje produktivnosti živali in kakovosti njihovih proizvodov. Pri prehrani prežvekovalcev se raziskave zelo pogosto osredotočajo na usodo beljakovin in produktivnost kot posledico uporabe s tanini bogatih rastlinskih ektraktov in rastlinskih delov. Večina študij, povezanih s tanini, se ukvarja s preučevanjem krme, predvsem metuljnic, manj je znanega o taninskih ektraktih. Tanini so fenolne sekundarne spojine, ki se naravno pojavljajo v rastlinah kot njihova zaščita pred rastlinojedi, obramba pred patogeni ter za ohranjanje energije in dušika. Tanini so pri prežvekovalcih dolgo časa veljali za antinutritivne spojine, vendar pa nove sistematične študije povezujejo tanine s koristnimi vlogami pri prehrani in zdravju živali. Nove študije natančneje razlikujejo različne skupine taninov. Krma, ki vsebuje hidrolizirajoče ali kondenzirane tanine, posledično učinkuje na upočasnitev prebave beljakovin, povečavo sinteze mikrobnih beljakovin v vampu in zmanjšanje metanogeneze. Poročali so o pozitivnih učinkih na zdravje živali, kot je preprečevanje napenjanja in pojava parazitov. Kadar tanine krmimo v ustrezni količini, lahko le-ti posledično vplivajo na izboljšane proizvodne lastosti, kot so večji prirasti, večja prireja mleka ter boljša sestava mleka. Njihova vloga se šteje za vse bolj pomembno v uporabi kot krmni dodatek pri številnih krmnih mešanicah za prežvekovalce.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementation of hydrolyzable tannins (HT) from sweet chestnut wood extract (Castanea sativa Mill.) to the diet of Limousin bulls on growth rate, carcass and meat quality traits, and fecal Clostridia strain levels in a 7-month feeding trial. Thirty-two bulls were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (CON (without addition of HT); TAN 1 (1 g HT kg⁻¹ DM); TAN 2 (1.5 g HT kg⁻¹ DM); and TAN 3 (1.5 g HT kg⁻¹ DM with a nominally lower dose of concentrate). Compared with the CON group, supplementation with HT significantly (p < 0.050) increased bull growth rate during 4–7 months, whereas carcass and meat quality traits were unaffected during the last three months of fattening. Supplementation of HT significantly reduced meat drip loss (p = 0.000) compared with the CON group. No effects were observed on the total number of fecal Clostridia strains; however, the concentration of Clostridiumperfringens was significantly lower (p = 0.004) in TAN 1 than that in the CON group. The results obtained in fattening bulls indicate that the addition of HT is justified in practice to improve growth performance and feed efficiency without adverse effects on the carcass and meat quality.