Cheese whey (CW) is a worldwide abundant by-product of the cheese industry, which can be used for biogas production if further processing is not performed to produce other valuable food products. This study evaluates biogas production from CW in low-cost, tubular reactors, thus comparing the effect of temperature control. CW was monodigested in two tubular reactors at the pilot scale: one of them with temperature control (30 ± 3 °C) and the other one working at environmental conditions. The results show that CW could be monodigested in pilot scale tubular reactors, thus yielding high methane. Temperature control (30 ± 3 °C) at the pilot scale led to higher methane yields under all tested operating conditions, thus reaching 565.8 ± 20.9 L kg⁻¹_VS at an Organic Loading Rate (OLR) of 0.416 ± 0.160 kg_VS L⁻¹ d⁻¹, which was higher than the maximum yield obtained without temperature control (445.6 ± 21.9 L kg⁻¹_VS) at 0.212 ± 0.020 kg_VS L⁻¹ d⁻¹. Methane yield differences were attributed to the increase in temperature, thus leading to a more stable process and a higher degradation capacity. The increase in temperature is only worthwhile if adequate thermal insulation is used between the digester and the soil; otherwise, the increase in biogas production will not meet the digester’s heat demand. The anaerobic monodigestion of CW in low-cost tubular reactors is a promising alternative for CW valorization, thus leading to high biogas yields, which can be used in several energy applications replacing fossil fuels.

Timely calving detection is important but difficult in grazing systems because cows may calve in remote areas. This study developed and evaluated a near real-time calving alert system based exclusively on behavioral anomalies calculated from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) collar data. Data were collected from 149 cows across three grazing farms in Spain and Australia, including 76 calving events. Individual, social, and herd-relative behavioral indicators were calculated every 30 min using 24 h rolling windows. Anomalies were defined as directional deviations from recent behavior using delta-self and Z-score transformations and were evaluated either at each 30 min timestamp or accumulated over rolling 3 h windows. Detection performance was assessed within the 20 days before calving, using a 48 h calving window as the reference period. Increasing the number of anomalies required to trigger a calving alert improved precision but reduced recall, while 3 h anomaly accumulation improved the stability of the alert system. Intermediate anomaly thresholds maximized F1-score, reaching 0.41 with individual behavioral indicators and 0.58 with the complete indicator set, irrespective of whether anomalies were evaluated at 30 min intervals or accumulated over 3 h. Alerts and indicator-specific anomalies were concentrated during the final two days before calving, mainly reflecting increased spatial separation and reduced movement relative to the group. These results support GNSS-based anomaly accumulation as a transparent and flexible approach for calving detection under grazing conditions.

Grazing is widely used to manage grasslands, but its effects on plant diversity and community composition are context-dependent. In the Canary Islands, pastures are limited and fragmented but represent some of the most species-rich plant communities. This study evaluates the effects of grazing abandonment and grazing intensity on plant diversity and composition in the mountain pastures of Gran Canaria under wildfire prevention management. Vegetation was surveyed in 11 paired grazed and ungrazed plots across an environmental gradient over two years. Grazing intensity was quantified using livestock GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) tracking, distinguishing low- and high-intensity regimes. A total of 112 plant species were recorded, mostly typical of pasture communities. Species richness remained stable across treatments, grazing intensities, and years (2023–2024), indicating strong short-term resistance. However, species composition varied along the grazing intensity gradient: high-intensity grazing produced more homogeneous communities dominated by grazing-tolerant species, while low-intensity grazing maintained greater variability. Grazing abandonment showed no clear compositional shifts, suggesting delayed responses. Environmental factors such as soil, moisture, temperature, and coastal influence also structured species distributions. Overall, grazing intensity is the main driver of plant community structure, highlighting its importance for biodiversity conservation, wildfire risk reduction, and maintaining traditional pastoral practices.