Unified method to integrate and blend several, potentially related, sources of information for genetic evaluation.

PubMed

Vandenplas, Jérémie; Colinet, Frederic G; Gengler, Nicolas

2014-09-30

A condition to predict unbiased estimated breeding values by best linear unbiased prediction is to use simultaneously all available data. However, this condition is not often fully met. For example, in dairy cattle, internal (i.e. local) populations lead to evaluations based only on internal records while widely used foreign sires have been selected using internally unavailable external records. In such cases, internal genetic evaluations may be less accurate and biased. Because external records are unavailable, methods were developed to combine external information that summarizes these records, i.e. external estimated breeding values and associated reliabilities, with internal records to improve accuracy of internal genetic evaluations. Two issues of these methods concern double-counting of contributions due to relationships and due to records. These issues could be worse if external information came from several evaluations, at least partially based on the same records, and combined into a single internal evaluation. Based on a Bayesian approach, the aim of this research was to develop a unified method to integrate and blend simultaneously several sources of information into an internal genetic evaluation by avoiding double-counting of contributions due to relationships and due to records. This research resulted in equations that integrate and blend simultaneously several sources of information and avoid double-counting of contributions due to relationships and due to records. The performance of the developed equations was evaluated using simulated and real datasets. The results showed that the developed equations integrated and blended several sources of information well into a genetic evaluation. The developed equations also avoided double-counting of contributions due to relationships and due to records. Furthermore, because all available external sources of information were correctly propagated, relatives of external animals benefited from the integrated information and, therefore, more reliable estimated breeding values were obtained. The proposed unified method integrated and blended several sources of information well into a genetic evaluation by avoiding double-counting of contributions due to relationships and due to records. The unified method can also be extended to other types of situations such as single-step genomic or multi-trait evaluations, combining information across different traits.

Brazilian Citizens: Expectations Regarding Dairy Cattle Welfare and Awareness of Contentious Practices.

PubMed

Cardoso, Clarissa S; von Keyserlingk, Marina A G; Hötzel, Maria José

2017-11-26

The primary aim of this study was to explore attitudes of urban Brazilian citizens about dairy production. A secondary aim was to determine their knowledge and attitudes about four potentially contentious routine dairy cattle management practices: early cow-calf separation; zero-grazing; culling of newborn male calves; and dehorning without pain mitigation. To address the first aim 40 participants were interviewed using open-ended semi-structured questions designed to probe their views and attitudes about dairy production in Brazil, and 300 participants answered a questionnaire that included an open-ended question about the welfare of dairy cattle. Primary concerns reported by the participants centered on milk quality, which included the rejection of any chemical additives, but also animal welfare, environmental and social issues. The interviewees rarely mentioned animal welfare directly but, when probed, expressed several concerns related to this topic. In particular, participants commented on factors that they perceived to influence milk quality, such as good animal health, feeding, clean facilities, and the need to avoid or reduce the use of drugs, hormones and pesticides, the avoidance of pain, frustration and suffering, and the ability of the animals to perform natural behaviors. To address our second aim, participants were asked questions about the four routine management practices. Although they self-reported being largely unaware of these practices, the majority of the participants rejected these practices outright. These data provide insight that animal welfare may be an important issue for members of the public. Failure to consider this information may increase the risk that certain dairy production practices may not be socially sustainable once lay citizens become aware of them.

Wicked problems: a value chain approach from Vietnam's dairy product.

PubMed

Khoi, Nguyen Viet

2013-12-01

In the past few years, dairy industry has become one of the fastest growing sectors in the packaged food industry of Vietnam. However, the value-added creation among different activities in the value chain of Vietnam dairy sector is distributed unequally. In the production activities, the dairy farmers gain low value-added rate due to high input cost. Whereas the processing activities, which managed by big companies, generates high profitability and Vietnamese consumers seem to have few choices due to the lack of dairy companies in the market. These wicked problems caused an unsustainable development to the dairy value chain of Vietnam. This paper, therefore, will map and analyze the value chain of the dairy industry in Vietnam. It will also assess the value created in each activity in order to imply solutions for a sustainable development of Vietnam's dairy industry. M10, M11.

Feasibility of vermicomposting dairy biosolids using a modified system to avoid earthworm mortality.

PubMed

Nogales, R; Elvira, C; Benítez, E; Thompson, R; Gomez, M

1999-01-01

A laboratory study was conducted to examine the feasibility of vermicomposting dairy biosolids (dairy sludge), either alone or with either of the bulking agents-cereal straw or wood shavings, using the epigeic earthworm-Eisinea andrei. Earthworms added directly to these three substrates died within 48 hours. A system was developed to overcome the toxic effect of unprocessed dairy biosolids. The substrates were placed over a layer of vermicomposted sheep manure into which the earthworms were inoculated. Within two weeks, all earthworms were within the upper layer of substrate. Compared to sheep manure which is a favourable substrate for vermicomposting, the three substrates containing dairy biosolids were more effective in supporting earthworm growth and reproduction. The final products obtained after 63 days of vermicomposting had 39-53% less organic carbon than the initial substrates. Organic fractionation indicated that vermicomposting increased the stability of the materials to biological decomposition. The vermicomposts obtained from the three substrates with dairy biosolids had low heavy metal contents and electrical conductivities, and did not inhibit plant growth when compared with a commercial vermicompost in a bioassay.

Foodborne Illnesses

MedlinePlus

... toast or bread, cereal, lean meat, applesauce, and bananas avoiding fatty foods, sugary foods, dairy products, caffeine, ... vegetables, including lettuce and fruit salads, unless they peel the fruits or vegetables themselves eating raw or ...

Bacteriophages in the Dairy Environment: From Enemies to Allies

PubMed Central

Fernández, Lucía; Escobedo, Susana; Gutiérrez, Diana; Portilla, Silvia; García, Pilar; Rodríguez, Ana

2017-01-01

The history of dairy farming goes back thousands of years, evolving from a traditional small-scale production to the industrialized manufacturing of fermented dairy products. Commercialization of milk and its derived products has been very important not only as a source of nourishment but also as an economic resource. However, the dairy industry has encountered several problems that have to be overcome to ensure the quality and safety of the final products, as well as to avoid economic losses. Within this context, it is interesting to highlight the role played by bacteriophages, or phages, viruses that infect bacteria. Indeed, bacteriophages were originally regarded as a nuisance, being responsible for fermentation failure and economic losses when infecting lactic acid bacteria, but are now considered promising antimicrobials to fight milk-borne pathogens without contributing to the increase in antibiotic resistance. PMID:29117107

Listeriosis Prevention Knowledge Among Pregnant Women in the USA

DOE PAGES

Ogunmodede, Folashade; Jones, Jeffery L.; Scheftel, Joni; ...

2005-01-01

Background: Listeriosis is a food-borne disease often associated with ready-to-eat foods. It usually causes mild febrile gastrointestinal illness in immunocompetent persons. In pregnant women, it may cause more severe infection and often crosses the placenta to infect the fetus, resulting in miscarriage, fetal death or neonatal morbidity. Simple precautions during pregnancy can prevent listeriosis. However, many women are unaware of these precautions and listeriosis education is often omitted from prenatal care. Methods: Volunteer pregnant women were recruited to complete a questionnaire to assess their knowledge of listeriosis and its prevention, in two separate studies. One study was a national surveymore » of 403 women from throughout the USA, and the other survey was limited to 286 Minnesota residents. Results: In the multi-state survey, 74 of 403 respondents (18%) had some knowledge of listeriosis, compared with 43 of 286 (15%) respondents to the Minnesota survey. The majority of respondents reported hearing about listeriosis from a medical professional. In the multi-state survey, 33% of respondents knew listeriosis could be prevented by not eating delicatessen meats, compared with 17% in the Minnesota survey ( p = 0.01). Similarly, 31% of respondents to the multi-state survey compared with 19% of Minnesota survey respondents knew listeriosis could be prevented by avoiding unpasteurized dairy products (p = 0.05). As for preventive behaviors, 18% of US and 23% of Minnesota respondents reported avoiding delicatessen meats and ready-to-eat foods during pregnancy, whereas 86% and 88%, respectively, avoided unpasteurized dairy products. Conclusions: Most pregnant women have limited knowledge of listeriosis prevention. Even though most respondents avoided eating unpasteurized dairy products, they were unaware of the risk associated with ready-to-eat foods. Improved education of pregnant women regarding the risk and sources of listeriosis in pregnancy is needed.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ogunmodede, Folashade; Jones, Jeffery L.; Scheftel, Joni

Background: Listeriosis is a food-borne disease often associated with ready-to-eat foods. It usually causes mild febrile gastrointestinal illness in immunocompetent persons. In pregnant women, it may cause more severe infection and often crosses the placenta to infect the fetus, resulting in miscarriage, fetal death or neonatal morbidity. Simple precautions during pregnancy can prevent listeriosis. However, many women are unaware of these precautions and listeriosis education is often omitted from prenatal care. Methods: Volunteer pregnant women were recruited to complete a questionnaire to assess their knowledge of listeriosis and its prevention, in two separate studies. One study was a national surveymore » of 403 women from throughout the USA, and the other survey was limited to 286 Minnesota residents. Results: In the multi-state survey, 74 of 403 respondents (18%) had some knowledge of listeriosis, compared with 43 of 286 (15%) respondents to the Minnesota survey. The majority of respondents reported hearing about listeriosis from a medical professional. In the multi-state survey, 33% of respondents knew listeriosis could be prevented by not eating delicatessen meats, compared with 17% in the Minnesota survey ( p = 0.01). Similarly, 31% of respondents to the multi-state survey compared with 19% of Minnesota survey respondents knew listeriosis could be prevented by avoiding unpasteurized dairy products (p = 0.05). As for preventive behaviors, 18% of US and 23% of Minnesota respondents reported avoiding delicatessen meats and ready-to-eat foods during pregnancy, whereas 86% and 88%, respectively, avoided unpasteurized dairy products. Conclusions: Most pregnant women have limited knowledge of listeriosis prevention. Even though most respondents avoided eating unpasteurized dairy products, they were unaware of the risk associated with ready-to-eat foods. Improved education of pregnant women regarding the risk and sources of listeriosis in pregnancy is needed.« less

Exploring expert opinion on the practicality and effectiveness of biosecurity measures on dairy farms in the United Kingdom using choice modeling.

PubMed

Shortall, Orla; Green, Martin; Brennan, Marnie; Wapenaar, Wendela; Kaler, Jasmeet

2017-03-01

Biosecurity, defined as a series of measures aiming to stop disease-causing agents entering or leaving an area where farm animals are present, is very important for the continuing economic viability of the United Kingdom dairy sector, and for animal welfare. This study gathered expert opinion from farmers, veterinarians, consultants, academics, and government and industry representatives on the practicality and effectiveness of different biosecurity measures on dairy farms. The study used best-worst scaling, a technique that allows for greater discrimination between choices and avoids the variability in interpretation associated with other methods, such as Likert scales and ranking methods. Keeping a closed herd was rated as the most effective measure overall, and maintaining regular contact with the veterinarian was the most practical measure. Measures relating to knowledge, planning, and veterinary involvement; buying-in practices; and quarantine and treatment scored highly for effectiveness overall. Measures relating to visitors, equipment, pest control, and hygiene scored much lower for effectiveness. Overall, measures relating to direct animal-to-animal contact scored much higher for effectiveness than measures relating to indirect disease transmission. Some of the most effective measures were also rated as the least practical, such as keeping a closed herd and avoiding nose-to-nose contact between contiguous animals, suggesting that real barriers exist for farmers when implementing biosecurity measures on dairy farms. We observed heterogeneity in expert opinion on biosecurity measures; for example, veterinarians rated the effectiveness of consulting the veterinarian on biosecurity significantly more highly than dairy farmers, suggesting a greater need for veterinarians to promote their services on-farm. Still, both groups rated it as a practical measure, suggesting that the farmer-veterinarian relationship holds some advantages for the promotion of biosecurity. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fibromyalgia Misconceptions

MedlinePlus

... fibromyalgia symptoms are worsened by certain foods or food additives — such as refined flour, dairy products, sugar, sugar ... Some studies show a benefit in avoiding certain foods or additives, while other studies don't show such a ...

Lactose maldigestion, calcium intake and osteoporosis in African-, Asian-, and Hispanic-Americans.

PubMed

Jackson, K A; Savaiano, D A

2001-04-01

Dietary calcium is critical for the development of the human skeleton and likely plays an important role in the prevention of osteoporosis. Dairy products provide approximately three-fourths of calcium consumed in the diet and are the most concentrated sources of this essential nutrient. One obstacle that likely interferes with calcium consumption among many ethnic groups is lactose maldigestion. The real or perceived occurrence of intolerance symptoms after dairy food consumption may cause maldigesters to avoid dairy products. Several investigators have observed a relationship between lactose maldigestion, dietary calcium and osteoporosis in Caucasian populations. Research on ethnically diverse populations is necessary to better understand how lactose maldigestion influences the risk for osteoporosis. Low calcium intakes, a greater than previously thought potential for low bone density and extensive lactose maldigestion among Hispanic-American and Asian-American populations may create an elevated risk for osteoporosis. Dietary management strategies for lactose maldigesters to increase calcium consumption include consuming (1) dairy foods with meals, (2) yogurts, (3) calcium-fortified foods, (4) using lactose digestive aids and (5) including dairy foods daily in the diet to enhance colonic metabolism of lactose.

Farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems in dairy cattle: From concepts to operational simulations.

PubMed

Van De Gucht, Tim; Saeys, Wouter; Van Meensel, Jef; Van Nuffel, Annelies; Vangeyte, Jurgen; Lauwers, Ludwig

2018-01-01

Although prototypes of automatic lameness detection systems for dairy cattle exist, information about their economic value is lacking. In this paper, a conceptual and operational framework for simulating the farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems was developed and tested on 4 system types: walkover pressure plates, walkover pressure mats, camera systems, and accelerometers. The conceptual framework maps essential factors that determine economic value (e.g., lameness prevalence, incidence and duration, lameness costs, detection performance, and their relationships). The operational simulation model links treatment costs and avoided losses with detection results and farm-specific information, such as herd size and lameness status. Results show that detection performance, herd size, discount rate, and system lifespan have a large influence on economic value. In addition, lameness prevalence influences the economic value, stressing the importance of an adequate prior estimation of the on-farm prevalence. The simulations provide first estimates for the upper limits for purchase prices of automatic detection systems. The framework allowed for identification of knowledge gaps obstructing more accurate economic value estimation. These include insights in cost reductions due to early detection and treatment, and links between specific lameness causes and their related losses. Because this model provides insight in the trade-offs between automatic detection systems' performance and investment price, it is a valuable tool to guide future research and developments. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clostridium botulinum in cattle and dairy products.

PubMed

Lindström, Miia; Myllykoski, Jan; Sivelä, Seppo; Korkeala, Hannu

2010-04-01

The use of plastic-wrapped and nonacidified silage as cattle feed has led to an increasing number of botulism outbreaks due to Clostridium botulinum Groups I-III in dairy cattle. The involvement of Groups I and II organisms in cattle botulism has raised concern of human botulism risk associated with the consumption of dairy products. Multiplication of C. botulinum in silage and in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle with botulism has been reported, thus contamination of the farm environment and raw milk, and further transmission through the dairy chain, are possible. The standard milk pasteurization treatment does not eliminate spores, and the intrinsic factors of many dairy products allow botulinal growth and toxin production. Although rare, several large botulism outbreaks due to both commercial and home-prepared dairy products have been reported. Factors explaining these outbreaks include most importantly temperature abuse, but also unsafe formulation, inadequate fermentation, insufficient thermal processing, post-process contamination, and lack of adequate quality control for adjunct ingredients were involved. The small number of outbreaks is probably explained by a low incidence of spores in milk, the presence of competitive bacteria in pasteurized milk and other dairy products, and growth-inhibitory combinations of intrinsic and extrinsic factors in cultured and processed dairy products.

Coxiella burnetii seroprevalence and risk factors on commercial sheep farms in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Schimmer, B; de Lange, M M A; Hautvast, J L A; Vellema, P; van Duynhoven, Y T H P

2014-07-05

Coxiella burnetii seroprevalence was assessed on Dutch dairy and non-dairy sheep farms using ELISA. Risk factors for seropositivity on non-dairy sheep farms were identified at farm and sheep level by univariate and multivariate multilevel analyses. Based on 953 dairy and 5671 non-dairy serum samples, sheep seroprevalences were 18.7 per cent and 2.0 per cent, respectively, and 78.6 per cent and 30.5 per cent at farm level. Significant risk factors for non-dairy sheep farms were farm location in the south of the country, sheep kept on marginal grounds, one or several supply addresses for ewes during 2007-2009 and wearing farm boots and/or outfit by professional visitors. On sheep level, risk factors included among others farm location in the south of the country, lamb breeding as main farm purpose, goat density within 10 km farm radius, use of windbreak curtain or windshields, and presence of ≥6 stillborn lambs in 2009. Farm location in the south of the country and goat density suggests that infected goats have played a role in the transmission to non-dairy sheep. Other risk factors suggest introduction of the bacterium through sheep supply and professional visitors. Biosecurity measures should be strengthened, including avoiding infection during handling of stillborn lambs and birth products in the lambing period. British Veterinary Association.

[Detection and application of PIS genetic deficiency gene in dairy goat].

PubMed

Yang, Bo; Jia, Li-Li; Zhao, De-Chao; Meng, Li-Yun; Liu, Xue-Feng; Zhang, Yan-Jun; Zhang, Wen-Guang; Li, Jin-Quan

2012-07-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a molecular method for detecting polled intersex syndrome (PIS) genetic deficiency gene in dairy goat. Three pairs of primers, PIS-, PIS+, and NEI were designed based on PIS gene sequence (AF404302) to identify the PIS genetic deficiency genotype. For the normal phenotype, the fragments of 141 and 300 bp were obtained for the genotype PIS-PIS-, and 141, 449, and 300 bp for the genotype PIS-PIS+. For the PIS goat with the genotype PIS+PIS+, 449 and 300 bp were obtained. Two hundred and twenty-four dairy goats in one population were tested based on this method. The results showed that there were 150 PIS-PIS+, 70 PIS -PIS-, and 4 PIS+PIS+. The genotype frequency of PIS-PIS+ was 66.9%, and the gene frequency of PIS+ was 35.3% in the population. Therefore, the frequency of PIS offspring was over 12%. This study developed a method to detect PIS genetic deficiency dairy goat. The method could identify buck genotype accurately to avoid the occurrence of PIS genetic deficiency. The ease and accuracy show a strong potential of the method for use in marker assisted selection of dairy goats and healthy development of dairy goat industry.

Gout Diet

MedlinePlus

... provide complex carbohydrates. Avoid foods and beverages with high-fructose corn syrup, and limit consumption of naturally sweet fruit juices. Water. Stay well-hydrated by drinking water. Fats. Cut back on saturated ... fatty poultry and high-fat dairy products. Proteins. Focus on lean meat ...

An assessment of dairy herd bulls in southern Australia: 1. Management practices and bull breeding soundness evaluations.

PubMed

Hancock, A S; Younis, P J; Beggs, D S; Mansell, P D; Stevenson, M A; Pyman, M F

2016-12-01

In the pasture-based, seasonally calving dairy herds of southern Australia, the mating period usually consists of an initial artificial insemination period followed by a period of natural service using herd bulls. Bull breeding soundness evaluations (BBSE) were performed on 256 bulls from 32 dairy herds in southwest Victoria, using guidelines produced by the Australian Cattle Veterinarians, before and immediately after a single natural mating period. At the same time, herd managers were questioned regarding the management of the bulls. The objectives of this study were to describe the management practices of dairy herd bulls; to describe the causes of increased risk of reduced fertility in dairy herd bulls, as measured by a standard BBSE; and to describe the reasons for bull removal by herd managers during mating. At the premating BBSE, 19.5% of bulls were classified as high risk of reduced fertility, mostly due to physical abnormalities and reduced semen quality. At the postmating BBSE, 36.5% of bulls were classified as high risk of reduced fertility, mostly due to physical abnormalities, primarily lameness. Of the bulls used, 15.9% were removed from normal mating use by the herd manager, predominantly due to lameness and injuries. A premating BBSE is recommended in dairy herd bulls to identify bulls at risk of reduced fertility. Lameness is the most common problem in dairy herd bulls during the natural mating period, and risk factors associated with lameness in these bulls should be identified to better manage herd bulls. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of Dietary Factors with Presence and Severity of Tinnitus in a Middle-Aged UK Population

PubMed Central

McCormack, Abby; Edmondson-Jones, Mark; Mellor, Duane; Dawes, Piers; Munro, Kevin J.; Moore, David R.; Fortnum, Heather

2014-01-01

Objective The impact of dietary factors on tinnitus has received limited research attention, despite being a considerable concern among people with tinnitus and clinicians. The objective was to examine the link between dietary factors and presence and severity of tinnitus. Design This study used the UK Biobank resource, a large cross-sectional study of adults aged 40–69. 171,722 eligible participants were asked questions specific to tinnitus (defined as noises such as ringing or buzzing in the head or ears). Dietary factors included portions of fruit and vegetables per day, weekly fish consumption (oily and non-oily), bread type, cups of caffeinated coffee per day, and avoidance of dairy, eggs, wheat and sugar. We controlled for lifestyle, noise exposure, hearing, personality and comorbidity factors. Results Persistent tinnitus, defined as present at least a lot of the time, was elevated with increased: (i) fruit/vegetable intake (OR = 1.01 per portion/day), (ii) bread (wholemeal/wholegrain, OR = 1.07; other bread, 1.20) and (iii) dairy avoidance (OR = 1.27). Persistent tinnitus was reduced with: (i) fish consumption (non-oily, OR = 0.91; oily, 0.95), (ii) egg avoidance (OR = 0.87) and (iii) caffeinated coffee consumption (OR = 0.99 per cup/day). Reports of “bothersome” tinnitus (moderate-severe handicap) increased with wholemeal/wholegrain bread intake (OR = 0.86). Reports of less frequent transient tinnitus increased with dairy avoidance (OR = 1.18) and decreased with caffeinated coffee (OR = 0.98 per cup/day) and brown bread (OR = 0.94). Conclusions This is the first population study to report the association between dietary factors and tinnitus. Although individually dietary associations are mostly modest, particular changes in diet, such as switching between foodstuffs, may result in stronger associations. These findings offer insights into possible dietary associations with tinnitus, and this may be useful when discussing management options in combination with other lifestyle changes and therapies. PMID:25503070

7 CFR 1150.155 - Adjustment of accounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Agreements and Orders; Milk), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DAIRY PROMOTION PROGRAM Dairy Promotion and Research... against amounts due in succeeding months. (b) Any importer of dairy products against whose imports an... assessment was made on milk solids of U.S. origin or milk solids other than cow's milk may apply to the...

7 CFR 1150.155 - Adjustment of accounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MILK), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DAIRY PROMOTION PROGRAM Dairy Promotion and Research... against amounts due in succeeding months. (b) Any importer of dairy products against whose imports an... assessment was made on milk solids of U.S. origin or milk solids other than cow's milk may apply to the...

7 CFR 1150.155 - Adjustment of accounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MILK), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DAIRY PROMOTION PROGRAM Dairy Promotion and Research... against amounts due in succeeding months. (b) Any importer of dairy products against whose imports an... assessment was made on milk solids of U.S. origin or milk solids other than cow's milk may apply to the...

Brazilian Citizens: Expectations Regarding Dairy Cattle Welfare and Awareness of Contentious Practices

PubMed Central

Cardoso, Clarissa S.; von Keyserlingk, Marina A. G.; Hötzel, Maria José

2017-01-01

Simple Summary Animal welfare is an important issue for citizens in North America and Europe, but much less is known about how citizens from emergent countries, such as Brazil, view this topic. Our aim was to explore attitudes of urban Brazilian citizens about dairy production and, in particular, how they view four routine husbandry practices: early cow-calf separation; zero-grazing; culling of the newborn male calf; and dehorning without pain mitigation. Through in-depth interviews and a questionnaire using open-ended questions, we can conclude that animal welfare was a major issue for our participants, especially in terms of its perceived relation with milk quality. Although participants were initially unaware about any of the four management practices, they were all viewed as contentious and not supported. This study provides some insights that farmers and others working in the Brazilian dairy supply chain should take into consideration, particularly in terms of social sustainability. Abstract The primary aim of this study was to explore attitudes of urban Brazilian citizens about dairy production. A secondary aim was to determine their knowledge and attitudes about four potentially contentious routine dairy cattle management practices: early cow-calf separation; zero-grazing; culling of newborn male calves; and dehorning without pain mitigation. To address the first aim 40 participants were interviewed using open-ended semi-structured questions designed to probe their views and attitudes about dairy production in Brazil, and 300 participants answered a questionnaire that included an open-ended question about the welfare of dairy cattle. Primary concerns reported by the participants centered on milk quality, which included the rejection of any chemical additives, but also animal welfare, environmental and social issues. The interviewees rarely mentioned animal welfare directly but, when probed, expressed several concerns related to this topic. In particular, participants commented on factors that they perceived to influence milk quality, such as good animal health, feeding, clean facilities, and the need to avoid or reduce the use of drugs, hormones and pesticides, the avoidance of pain, frustration and suffering, and the ability of the animals to perform natural behaviors. To address our second aim, participants were asked questions about the four routine management practices. Although they self-reported being largely unaware of these practices, the majority of the participants rejected these practices outright. These data provide insight that animal welfare may be an important issue for members of the public. Failure to consider this information may increase the risk that certain dairy production practices may not be socially sustainable once lay citizens become aware of them. PMID:29186864

Metabolic Disorders in the Transition Period Indicate that the Dairy Cows’ Ability to Adapt is Overstressed

PubMed Central

Sundrum, Albert

2015-01-01

Simple Summary Metabolic disorders are a key problem in the transition period of dairy cows and often appear before the onset of further health problems. Problems derive from difficulties animals have to adapt to large variations and disturbances occurring both outside and inside the organism. A lack of success in solving these issues may be due to predominant approaches in farm management and agricultural science, dealing with such disorders as merely negative side effects. Instead, a successful adaptation of animals to their living conditions should be seen as an important end in itself. Both farm management and agricultural sciences should support animals in their ability to cope with nutritional and metabolic challenges by employing a functional and result-driven approach. Abstract Metabolic disorders are a key problem in the transition period of dairy cows and often appear before the onset of further health problems. They mainly derive from difficulties the animals have in adapting to changes and disturbances occurring both outside and inside the organisms and due to varying gaps between nutrient supply and demand. Adaptation is a functional and target-oriented process involving the whole organism and thus cannot be narrowed down to single factors. Most problems which challenge the organisms can be solved in a number of different ways. To understand the mechanisms of adaptation, the interconnectedness of variables and the nutrient flow within a metabolic network need to be considered. Metabolic disorders indicate an overstressed ability to balance input, partitioning and output variables. Dairy cows will more easily succeed in adapting and in avoiding dysfunctional processes in the transition period when the gap between nutrient and energy demands and their supply is restricted. Dairy farms vary widely in relation to the living conditions of the animals. The complexity of nutritional and metabolic processes and their large variations on various scales contradict any attempts to predict the outcome of animals’ adaptation in a farm specific situation. Any attempts to reduce the prevalence of metabolic disorders and associated production diseases should rely on continuous and comprehensive monitoring with appropriate indicators on the farm level. Furthermore, low levels of disorders and diseases should be seen as a further significant goal which carries weight in addition to productivity goals. In the long run, low disease levels can only be expected when farmers realize that they can gain a competitive advantage over competitors with higher levels of disease. PMID:26479480

Improving the time efficiency of identifying dairy herds with poorer welfare in a population.

PubMed

de Vries, M; Bokkers, E A M; van Schaik, G; Engel, B; Dijkstra, T; de Boer, I J M

2016-10-01

Animal-based welfare assessment is time consuming and expensive. A promising strategy for improving the efficiency of identifying dairy herds with poorer welfare is to first estimate levels of welfare in herds based on data that are more easily obtained. Our aims were to evaluate the potential of herd housing and management data for estimating the level of welfare in dairy herds, and to estimate the associated reduction in the number of farm visits required for identification of herds with poorer welfare in a population. Seven trained observers collected data on 6 animal-based welfare indicators in a selected sample of 181 loose-housed Dutch dairy herds (herd size: 22 to 211 cows). Severely lame cows, cows with lesions or swellings, cows with a dirty hindquarter, and very lean cows were counted, and avoidance distance was assessed for a sample of cows. Occurrence of displacements (social behavior) was recorded in the whole barn during 120 min of observation. For the same herds, data regarding cattle housing and management were collected on farms, and data relating to demography, management, milk production and composition, and fertility were extracted from national databases. A herd was classified as having poorer welfare when it belonged to the 25% worst-scoring herds. We used variables of herd housing and management data as potential predictors for individual animal-based welfare indicators in logistic regressions at the herd level. Prediction was less accurate for the avoidance distance index [area under the curve (AUC)=0.69], and moderately accurate for prevalence of severely lame cows (AUC=0.83), prevalence of cows with lesions or swellings (AUC=0.81), prevalence of cows with a dirty hindquarter (AUC=0.74), prevalence of very lean cows (AUC=0.83), and frequency of displacements (AUC=0.72). We compared the number of farm visits required for identifying herds with poorer welfare in a population for a risk-based screening with predictions based on herd housing and management data and a full screening of herds. Compared with a full screening, the number of farm visits required for identifying almost all herds with poorer welfare reduced by 5% (avoidance distance index) to 37% (prevalence of severely lame cows) when using risk-based screening. For identifying 70% of herds with poorer welfare, the number of farm visits reduced by 43% to 67%. The number of farm visits required for identifying dairy herds with poorer welfare can be reduced when herds are first screened using herd housing and management data. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fall management of eastern gamagrass

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Recent research has suggested that eastern gamagrass (EGG) may be an effective alternative to chopped straw in the blended diets of dairy heifers and cows. Most extension materials discussing appropriate fall management of EGG recommend avoiding harvest within 6 weeks of first frost. Using this guid...

A novel model to explain dietary factors affecting hypocalcaemia in dairy cattle.

PubMed

Martín-Tereso, Javier; Verstegen, Martin W A

2011-12-01

Most dairy cows exhibit different degrees of hypocalcaemia around calving because the gestational Ca requirements shift to the disproportionately high Ca requirements of lactation. Ca homeostasis is a robust system that effectively adapts to changes in Ca demand or supply. However, these adaptations often are not rapid enough to avoid hypocalcaemia. A delay in the reconfiguration of intestinal Ca absorption and bone resorption is probably the underlying cause of this transient hypocalcaemia. Several dietary factors that affect different aspects of Ca metabolism are known to reduce the incidence of milk fever. The present review describes the interactions between nutrition and Ca homeostasis using observations from cattle and extrapolations from other species and aims to quantitatively model the effects of the nutritional approaches that are used to induce dry cows into an early adaptation of Ca metabolism. The present model suggests that reducing dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) increases Ca clearance from the blood by dietary induction of systemic acidosis, which results in hypercalciuria due to the loss of function of the renal Ca transient receptor potential vanilloid channel TRPV5. Alternatively, reducing the gastrointestinal availability of Ca by reducing dietary Ca or its nutritional availability will also induce the activation of Ca metabolism to compensate for basal blood Ca clearance. Our model of gastrointestinal Ca availability as well as blood Ca clearance in the transition dairy cow allowed us to conclude that the most common dietary strategies for milk fever prevention may have analogous modes of action that are based on the principle of metabolic adaptation before calving.

Physiological and Behavioral Responses of Dairy Cattle to the Introduction of Robot Scrapers.

PubMed

Doerfler, Renate L; Lehermeier, Christina; Kliem, Heike; Möstl, Erich; Bernhardt, Heinz

2016-01-01

Autonomous mobile robot scrapers are increasingly used in order to clean the floors on dairy farms. Given the complexity of robot scraper operation, stress may occur in cows due to unpredictability of the situation. Experiencing stress can impair animal welfare and, in the long term, the health and milk production of the cows. Therefore, this study addressed potential stress responses of dairy cattle to the robot scraper after introducing the autonomous mobile machine. Thirty-six cows in total were studied on three different farms to explore possible modifications in cardiac function, behavior, and adrenocortical activity. The research protocol on each farm consisted of four experimental periods including one baseline measurement without robot scraper operation followed by three test measurements, in which cows interacted with the robotic cleaning system. Interbeat intervals were recorded in order to calculate the heart rate variability (HRV) parameter RMSSD; behavior was observed to determine time budgets; and fecal samples were collected for analysis of the cortisol metabolites concentration. A statistical analysis was carried out using linear mixed-effects models. HRV decline immediately after the introduction of the robot scraper and modified behavior in the subsequent experimental periods indicated a stress response. The cortisol metabolites concentration remained constant. It is hypothesized that after the initial phase of decrease, HRV stabilized through the behavioral adjustments of the cows in the second part of the study. Persistent alterations in behavior gave rise to the assumption that the animals' habituation process to the robot scraper was not yet completed. In summary, the present study illustrated that the cows showed minor signs of disturbance toward the robotic cleaning system. Thus, our findings suggest that dairy cattle can largely adjust their behavior to avoid aversive effects on animal welfare. Additional research can provide further insight into the development of the animal-machine interaction beyond the initial phase of robot scraper operation considered in this study.

Milk drop due to leptospirosis in dairy cows.

PubMed

2015-03-07

Leptospiral milk drop in dairy cows. Pseudomonas aeruginosa mastitis in a cow. Systemic pasteurellosis in lambs. Encephalopathy due to water deprivation/salt poisoning suspected in weaned lambs. Biliary cystadenoma in a red deer hind. These are among matters discussed in the disease surveillance report for November 2014 from SAC Consulting: Veterinary Services (SAC C VS). British Veterinary Association.

Fall harvest management of eastern gamagrass in central Wisconsin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Recent research has suggested that eastern gamagrass (EGG) may be an effective alternative to chopped straw in the blended diets of dairy heifers and cows. Extension materials discussing appropriate fall management of EGG often recommend avoiding harvest within six weeks of first frost. However, pre...

Chemical P recovery from dairy manure using the Quick Wash process and use of low-P washed manure solids as soil amendments.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Large volumes of manure generated by intensive dairy production and their final land disposal is a significant environmental problem. Due to the imbalance of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) (4:1), emendation of soils with dairy manure entails a raise in available soil P levels beyond the crops' capa...

Assessing regional differences in nitrogen losses from U.S. dairy farms using the integrated farm systems model

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nitrogen (N) enters and leaves a dairy production system through many pathways and in many forms: undergoing numerous transformations as it passes from feed to animal to milk or manure and back again. Due to the complexity of the dairy system, estimates of N flows and losses require the use of model...

Metabolic and immunological changes in transition dairy cows: A review

PubMed Central

Wankhade, Pratik Ramesh; Manimaran, A.; Kumaresan, A.; Jeyakumar, S.; Ramesha, K. P.; Sejian, V.; Rajendran, D.; Varghese, Minu Rachel

2017-01-01

Smooth transition from pregnancy to lactation is important for high productive and reproductive performance during later postpartum period in dairy animals. On the other hand, the poor transition often leads to huge economic loss to dairy farmers due to compromised production and reproduction. Therefore, understanding the causes and consequence of metabolic changes during the transition period is very important for postpartum health management. In this review, metabolic changes with reference to negative energy balance in transition cow and its effect on health and reproduction during the later postpartum period in dairy animals are discussed besides the role of metabolic inflammation in postpartum performance in dairy animals. PMID:29263601

21 CFR 558.185 - Coumaphos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... chapter. (e) Conditions of use—(1) Beef and dairy cattle—(i) Amount. 0.0002 lb. (0.091 gram) per 100 lb... of stress; treatment of colored breeds of commercial layers should be avoided while in production since these breeds appear to be more sensitive to coumaphos than white breeds; as sole medication...

21 CFR 558.185 - Coumaphos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... chapter. (e) Conditions of use—(1) Beef and dairy cattle—(i) Amount. 0.0002 lb. (0.091 gram) per 100 lb... of stress; treatment of colored breeds of commercial layers should be avoided while in production since these breeds appear to be more sensitive to coumaphos than white breeds; as sole medication...

21 CFR 558.185 - Coumaphos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... chapter. (e) Conditions of use—(1) Beef and dairy cattle—(i) Amount. 0.0002 lb. (0.091 gram) per 100 lb... of stress; treatment of colored breeds of commercial layers should be avoided while in production since these breeds appear to be more sensitive to coumaphos than white breeds; as sole medication...

21 CFR 558.185 - Coumaphos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... chapter. (e) Conditions of use—(1) Beef and dairy cattle—(i) Amount. 0.0002 lb. (0.091 gram) per 100 lb... of stress; treatment of colored breeds of commercial layers should be avoided while in production since these breeds appear to be more sensitive to coumaphos than white breeds; as sole medication...

Effect of cattle management practices on raw milk quality on farms operating in a two-stage dairy chain.

PubMed

Sraïri, M T; Benhouda, H; Kuper, M; Le Gal, P Y

2009-02-01

In many developing countries, milk production varies greatly according to farm size, cattle breed, and milking practices. However, production systems often are dominated by smallholder farms. Therefore, relatively small volumes of milk are delivered daily from numerous farms to intermediate cooperatives which supply industrial units. This paper argues that in such two-stage dairy chains, milk quality could be improved by focusing on farming practices rather than on the testing of individual deliveries. Indeed, it is difficult to analyze their quality due to technical, economic, and logistic limitations. The objective of this study is to link on-farm practices with milk chemical quality parameters (fat and protein) and hygienic quality criteria (Aerobic Plate Count, APC and Coliforms). Cattle management practices were monitored monthly over one year on 23 farms located on an irrigation scheme in Morocco. 276 milk samples were analyzed. The monthly variability of milk quality parameters was then characterized. Results show that average cow milk chemical parameters vary within a normal range. They remain primarily linked to the genetic type of cows, the lactation stage, and the conversion of feed concentrates' net energy into milk. Overall milk hygienic quality was poor (APC and Coliforms counts were 100 fold international norms), due essentially to a lack of hygiene and inadequate milking conditions (hands, udder, and teat washing, type of bucket used, dirtiness of cows...). It is suggested that a close monitoring of herd management practices may allow the indirect control of milk quality parameters, thereby avoiding costly analyses of numerous smallholder milk deliveries.

Lactase non-persistence and general patterns of dairy intake in indigenous and mestizo chilean populations.

PubMed

Fernández, Catalina I; Montalva, Nicolás; Arias, Macarena; Hevia, Macarena; Moraga, Mauricio L; Flores, Sergio V

2016-01-01

Lactase persistence (LP) is a genetic trait that has been studied among different countries and ethnic groups. In Latin America, the frequencies of this trait have been shown to vary according to the degree of admixture of the populations. The objective of this study is to better understand the relationship between this genetic trait and dairy intake in a multiethnic context through a synthesis of studies conducted in four regions of Chile. Genotypes frequencies for the SNP LCT-13910C>T (rs4988235) and frequency of dairy consumption were obtained from four populations: Polynesians from Easter Island (Rapanui); Amerindians (Mapuche) and Mestizos from the Araucanía region; urban Mestizos from Santiago; and rural Mestizos from the Coquimbo region. Genetic differentiation and association between milk consumption and genotype frequencies were estimated. Genetic differentiation between Native and Mestizo populations was significant; the LP frequency in Mapuche and Rapanui was 10% and 25%, respectively, whereas among the Mestizos, LP frequency was near 40%. Dairy intake was below the nutritional recommendations for the four groups, and extremely below recommendations among the indigenous populations. Association between milk intake and LP was found in Santiago and Rapanui populations. Although the frequency of LP varies among the populations according to their degree of admixture, dairy consumption was very low across the populations. Given that the association between milk consumption and expected phenotype was found only in two of the populations analyzed, it seems that lactase non-persistence (LNP) is not the only cause for dairy avoidance. Thus, it is suggested that SES and cultural preferences are likely affecting dairy consumption. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Toxic and essential elements in Lebanese cheese.

PubMed

Bou Khozam, Rola; Pohl, Pawel; Al Ayoubi, Baydaa; Jaber, Farouk; Lobinski, Ryszard

2012-01-01

Concentrations of 20 minor, trace and ultratrace elements relevant to human health (Ag, Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, V) were determined in four different varieties of the most consumed cheese in Lebanon (Halloumi, Double Crème, Baladi, Labneh) sampled at five different provinces (Grand Beirut, South of Lebanon, North of Lebanon, Mount of Lebanon and Beka'a) during the wet and dry seasons. The analyses were carried out by double focussing sector field inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in order to avoid errors due to polyatomic interferences. Levels of toxic elements (As, Cd, Pb) were generally below the WHO permissible levels in dairy products. Concentrations of most elements were considerably affected by the type of cheese, the geographical site and the season of sampling.

Silage review: Foodborne pathogens in silage and their mitigation by silage additives.

PubMed

Queiroz, O C M; Ogunade, I M; Weinberg, Z; Adesogan, A T

2018-05-01

Silage is one of the main ingredients in dairy cattle diets and it is an important source of nutrients, particularly energy and digestible fiber. Unlike properly made and managed silage, poorly made or contaminated silage can also be a source of pathogenic bacteria that may decrease dairy cow performance, reduce the safety and quality dairy products, and compromise animal and human health. Some of the pathogenic bacteria that are frequently or occasionally associated with silage are enterobacteria, Listeria, Bacillus spp., Clostridium spp., and Salmonella. The symptoms caused by these bacteria in dairy cows vary from mild diarrhea and reduced feed intake by Clostridium spp. to death and abortion by Listeria. Contamination of food products with pathogenic bacteria can cause losses of millions of dollars due to recalls of unsafe foods and decreases in the shelf life of dairy products. The presence of pathogenic bacteria in silage is usually due to contamination or poor management during the fermentation, aerobic exposure, or feed-out stages. Silage additives and inoculants can improve the safety of silage as well as the fermentation, nutrient recovery, quality, and shelf life. This review summarizes the literature on the main foodborne pathogens that occasionally infest silage and how additives can improve silage safety. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors Associated with Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Shedding by Dairy and Beef Cattle

PubMed Central

Venegas-Vargas, Cristina; Henderson, Scott; Khare, Akanksha; Mosci, Rebekah E.; Lehnert, Jonathan D.; Singh, Pallavi; Ouellette, Lindsey M.; Norby, Bo; Funk, Julie A.; Rust, Steven; Bartlett, Paul C.; Grooms, Daniel

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Cattle are the primary reservoir for STEC, and food or water contaminated with cattle feces is the most common source of infections in humans. Consequently, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,096 cattle in six dairy herds (n = 718 animals) and five beef herds (n = 378 animals) in the summers of 2011 and 2012 to identify epidemiological factors associated with shedding. Fecal samples were obtained from each animal and cultured for STEC. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with STEC positivity. The prevalence of STEC was higher in beef cattle (21%) than dairy cattle (13%) (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25, 2.47), with considerable variation occurring across herds (range, 6% to 54%). Dairy cattle were significantly more likely to shed STEC when the average temperature was >28.9°C 1 to 5 days prior to sampling (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.25, 4.91), during their first lactation (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1, 2.8), and when they were <30 days in milk (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 2.1, 7.2). These data suggest that the stress or the negative energy balance associated with lactation may result in increased STEC shedding frequencies in Michigan during the warm summer months. Future prevention strategies aimed at reducing stress during lactation or isolating high-risk animals could be implemented to reduce herd-level shedding levels and avoid transmission of STEC to susceptible animals and people. IMPORTANCE STEC shedding frequencies vary considerably across cattle herds in Michigan, and the shedding frequency of strains belonging to non-O157 serotypes far exceeds the shedding frequency of O157 strains, which is congruent with human infections in the state. Dairy cattle sampled at higher temperatures, in their first lactation, and early in the milk production stage were significantly more likely to shed STEC, which could be due to stress or a negative energy balance. Future studies should focus on the isolation of high-risk animals to decrease herd shedding levels and the potential for contamination of the food supply. PMID:27342555

Optimal management of on-farm resources in small-scale dairy systems of Central Mexico: model development and evaluation.

PubMed

Castelán-Ortega, Octavio Alonso; Martínez-García, Carlos Galdino; Mould, Fergus L; Dorward, Peter; Rehman, Tahir; Rayas-Amor, Adolfo Armando

2016-06-01

This study evaluates the available on-farm resources of five case studies typified as small-scale dairy systems in central Mexico. A comprehensive mixed-integer linear programming model was developed and applied to two case studies. The optimal plan suggested the following: (1) instruction and utilization of maize silage, (2) alfalfa hay making that added US$140/ha/cut to the total net income, (3) allocation of land to cultivated pastures in a ratio of 27:41(cultivated pastures/maize crop) rather than at the current 14:69, and dairy cattle should graze 12 h/day, (4) to avoid grazing of communal pastures because this activity represented an opportunity cost of family labor that reduced the farm net income, and (5) that the highest farm net income was obtained when liquid milk and yogurt sales were included in the optimal plan. In the context of small-scale dairy systems of central Mexico, the optimal plan would need to be implemented gradually to enable farmers to develop required skills and to change management strategies from reliance on forage and purchased concentrate to pasture-based and conserved forage systems.

Molecular insights into the mechanisms of liver-associated diseases in early-lactating dairy cows: hypothetical role of endoplasmic reticulum stress.

PubMed

Ringseis, R; Gessner, D K; Eder, K

2015-08-01

The transition period represents the most critical period in the productive life of high-yielding dairy cows due to both metabolic and inflammatory stimuli, which challenge the liver and predispose dairy cows to develop liver-associated diseases such as fatty liver and ketosis. Despite the fact that all high-yielding dairy cows are affected by marked metabolic stress due to a severe negative energy balance (NEB) during early lactation, not all cows develop liver-associated diseases. Although the reason for this is largely unknown, this indicates that the capacity of the liver to cope with metabolic and inflammatory challenges varies between individual high-yielding dairy cows. Convincing evidence exists that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a key role in the development of fatty liver, and it has been recently shown that ER stress occurs in the liver of high-yielding dairy cows. This indicates that ER stress may be involved in the development of liver-associated diseases in dairy cows. The present review shows that the liver of dairy cows during early lactation is exposed to several metabolic and inflammatory challenges, such as non-esterified fatty acids, tumour necrosis factor α, interleukin-1β, reactive oxygen species and lipopolysaccharides, which are known inducers of ER stress. Thus, ER stress may represent a molecular basis for fatty liver development and account for the frequent occurrence of fatty liver and ketosis in high-yielding dairy cows. Interindividual differences between dairy cows in the activation of hepatic stress response pathways, such as nuclear factor E2-related factor 2, which is activated during ER stress and reduces the sensitivity of tissues to oxidative and inflammatory damage, might provide an explanation at the molecular level for differences in the capacity to cope with pathological inflammatory challenges during early lactation and the susceptibility to develop liver-associated diseases between early-lactating dairy cows with similar NEB and milk yield. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Tunisian date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) by-products: Characterization and potential effects on sensory, textural and antioxidant properties of dairy desserts.

PubMed

Jridi, Mourad; Souissi, Nabil; Salem, Marwa Ben; Ayadi, M A; Nasri, Moncef; Azabou, Samia

2015-12-01

Three Tunisian date varieties, Deglet Nour, Kentichi and Allig, served to produce syrups and powders, which were then examined for their physico-chemical composition and antioxidant properties. Different proportions of these sweetening-like agents were incorporated to produce nine different formulations of dairy desserts, with lower amount of added sugars to avoid any artificial flavoring or coloring agents. Sensory and color evaluation data revealed that incorporating Deglet Nour and Kentichi syrup offers the most desirable formulation. Furthermore, syrup polysaccharides and fibers contribute to better maintain the final product texture. In addition, date by-products create a good source of natural thickening agents, involved in enhancing apparent viscosity and spontaneous exudation. Thanks to their high content in phenolic compounds, date by-products considerably improve antioxidant activities of the formulated desserts. Therefore, they could be valued as natural ingredients in the formulation of novel dairy products with high nutritional-properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emergy evaluation of contrasting dairy systems at multiple levels.

PubMed

Vigne, Mathieu; Peyraud, Jean-Louis; Lecomte, Philippe; Corson, Michael S; Wilfart, Aurélie

2013-11-15

Emergy accounting (EmA) was applied to a range of dairy systems, from low-input smallholder systems in South Mali (SM), to intermediate-input systems in two regions of France, Poitou-Charentes (PC) and Bretagne (BR), to high-input systems on Reunion Island (RI). These systems were studied at three different levels: whole-farm (dairy system and cropping system), dairy-system (dairy herd and forage land), and herd (animals only). Dairy farms in SM used the lowest total emergy at all levels and was the highest user of renewable resources. Despite the low quality of resources consumed (crop residues and natural pasture), efficiency of their use was similar to that of industrialised inputs by intensive systems in RI, PC and BR. In addition, among the systems studied, SM dairy farms lay closest to environmental sustainability, contradicting the usual image of high environmental impact of cattle production in developing countries. EmA also revealed characteristics of the three intensive systems. Systems from RI and PC had lower resource transformation efficiency and higher environmental impacts than those from BR, due mainly to feeding strategies that differed due to differing socio-climatic constraints. Application of EmA at multiple levels revealed the importance of a multi-level analysis. While the whole-farm level assesses the overall contribution of the system to its environment, the dairy-system level is suitable for comparison of multi-product systems. In contrast, the herd level focuses on herd management and bypasses debates about definition of system boundaries by excluding land management. Combining all levels highlights the contribution of livestock to the global agricultural system and identifies inefficiencies and influences of system components on the environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dairy Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: Do We Really Need to Be Concerned?

PubMed Central

Tsoupras, Alexandros; Zabetakis, Ioannis

2018-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain a major cause of death and morbidity globally and diet plays a crucial role in the disease prevention and pathology. The negative perception of dairy fats stems from the effort to reduce dietary saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake due to their association with increased cholesterol levels upon consumption and the increased risk of CVD development. Institutions that set dietary guidelines have approached dairy products with negative bias and used poor scientific data in the past. As a result, the consumption of dairy products was considered detrimental to our cardiovascular health. In western societies, dietary trends indicate that generally there is a reduction of full-fat dairy product consumption and increased low-fat dairy consumption. However, recent research and meta-analyses have demonstrated the benefits of full-fat dairy consumption, based on higher bioavailability of high-value nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties. In this review, the relationship between dairy consumption, cardiometabolic risk factors and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases are discussed. Functional dairy foods and the health implications of dairy alternatives are also considered. In general, evidence suggests that milk has a neutral effect on cardiovascular outcomes but fermented dairy products, such as yoghurt, kefir and cheese may have a positive or neutral effect. Particular focus is placed on the effects of the lipid content on cardiovascular health. PMID:29494487

Short communication: Identifying challenges and opportunities for improved nutrient management through the USDA's Dairy Agroecosystem Working Group.

PubMed

Holly, M A; Kleinman, P J; Bryant, R B; Bjorneberg, D L; Rotz, C A; Baker, J M; Boggess, M V; Brauer, D K; Chintala, R; Feyereisen, G W; Gamble, J D; Leytem, A B; Reed, K F; Vadas, P A; Waldrip, H M

2018-04-25

Nutrient management on US dairy farms must balance an array of priorities, some of which conflict. To illustrate nutrient management challenges and opportunities across the US dairy industry, the USDA Agricultural Research Service Dairy Agroecosystems Working Group (DAWG) modeled 8 confinement and 2 grazing operations in the 7 largest US dairy-producing states using the Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM). Opportunities existed across all of the dairies studied to increase on-farm feed production and lower purchased feed bills, most notably on large dairies (>1,000 cows) with the highest herd densities. Purchased feed accounted for 18 to 44% of large dairies' total operating costs compared with 7 to 14% on small dairies (<300 milk cows) due to lower stocking rates. For dairies with larger land bases, in addition to a reduction in environmental impact, financial incentives exist to promote prudent nutrient management practices by substituting manure nutrients or legume nutrients for purchased fertilizers. Environmental priorities varied regionally and were principally tied to facility management for dry-lot dairies of the semi-arid western United States (ammonia-N emissions), to manure handling and application for humid midwestern and eastern US dairies (nitrate-N leaching and P runoff), and pasture management for dairies with significant grazing components (nitrous oxide emissions). Many of the nutrient management challenges identified by DAWG are beyond slight modifications in management and require coordinated solutions to ensure an environmentally and economically sustainable US dairy industry. The Authors. Published by FASS Inc. and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Effects of stored feed cropping systems and farm size on the profitability of Maine organic dairy farm simulations.

PubMed

Hoshide, A K; Halloran, J M; Kersbergen, R J; Griffin, T S; DeFauw, S L; LaGasse, B J; Jain, S

2011-11-01

United States organic dairy production has increased to meet the growing demand for organic milk. Despite higher prices received for milk, organic dairy farmers have come under increasing financial stress due to increases in concentrated feed prices over the past few years, which can make up one-third of variable costs. Market demand for milk has also leveled in the last year, resulting in some downward pressure on prices paid to dairy farmers. Organic dairy farmers in the Northeast United States have experimented with growing different forage and grain crops to maximize on-farm production of protein and energy to improve profitability. Three representative organic feed systems were simulated using the integrated farm system model for farms with 30, 120, and 220 milk cows. Increasing intensity of equipment use was represented by organic dairy farms growing only perennial sod (low) to those with corn-based forage systems, which purchase supplemental grain (medium) or which produce and feed soybeans (high). The relative profitability of these 3 organic feed systems was strongly dependent on dairy farm size. From results, we suggest smaller organic dairy farms can be more profitable with perennial sod-based rather than corn-based forage systems due to lower fixed costs from using only equipment associated with perennial forage harvest and storage. The largest farm size was more profitable using a corn-based system due to greater economies of scale for growing soybeans, corn grain, winter cereals, and corn silages. At an intermediate farm size of 120 cows, corn-based forage systems were more profitable if perennial sod was not harvested at optimum quality, corn was grown on better soils, or if milk yield was 10% higher. Delayed harvest decreased the protein and energy content of perennial sod crops, requiring more purchased grain to balance the ration and resulting in lower profits. Corn-based systems were less affected by lower perennial forage quality, as corn silage is part of the forage base. Growing on better soils increased corn yields more than perennial forage yields. Large corn-based organic dairy farms that produced and fed soybeans minimized off-farm grain purchases and were the most profitable among large farms. Although perennial sod-based systems purchased more grain, these organic systems were more profitable under timely forage harvest, decreased soil quality, and relatively lower purchased energy prices and higher protein supplement prices. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of co-digestion on existing salt and nutrient mass balances for a full-scale dairy energy project.

PubMed

Camarillo, Mary Kay; Stringfellow, William T; Spier, Chelsea L; Hanlon, Jeremy S; Domen, Jeremy K

2013-10-15

Anaerobic digestion of manure and other agricultural waste streams with subsequent energy production can result in more sustainable dairy operations; however, importation of digester feedstocks onto dairy farms alters previously established carbon, nutrient, and salinity mass balances. Salt and nutrient mass balance must be maintained to avoid groundwater contamination and salination. To better understand salt and nutrient contributions of imported methane-producing substrates, a mass balance for a full-scale dairy biomass energy project was developed for solids, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, chloride, and potassium. Digester feedstocks, consisting of thickened manure flush-water slurry, screened manure solids, sudan grass silage, and feed-waste, were tracked separately in the mass balance. The error in mass balance closure for most elements was less than 5%. Manure contributed 69.2% of influent dry matter while contributing 77.7% of nitrogen, 90.9% of sulfur, and 73.4% of phosphorus. Sudan grass silage contributed high quantities of chloride and potassium, 33.3% and 43.4%, respectively, relative to the dry matter contribution of 22.3%. Five potential off-site co-digestates (egg waste, grape pomace, milk waste, pasta waste, whey wastewater) were evaluated for anaerobic digestion based on salt and nutrient content in addition to bio-methane potential. Egg waste and wine grape pomace appeared the most promising co-digestates due to their high methane potentials relative to bulk volume. Increasing power production from the current rate of 369 kW to the design value of 710 kW would require co-digestion with either 26800 L d(-1) egg waste or 60900 kg d(-1) grape pomace. However, importation of egg waste would more than double nitrogen loading, resulting in an increase of 172% above the baseline while co-digestion with grape pomace would increase potassium by 279%. Careful selection of imported co-digestates and management of digester effluent is required to manage salt and nutrient mass loadings and reduce groundwater impacts. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Caprine and ovine Greek dairy products: The official German method generates false-positive results due to κ-casein gene polymorphism.

PubMed

Tsartsianidou, V; Triantafillidou, D; Karaiskou, N; Tarantili, P; Triantafillidis, G; Georgakis, E; Triantafyllidis, A

2017-05-01

Caseins are widely used for species identification of dairy products. Isoelectric focusing (IEF) of para-κ-casein peptide is used as the official German method for the differentiation between caprine (isoform A) and ovine (isoform B) dairy products, based on their different isoelectric points. The discrimination between Greek goat and ewe dairy products using IEF has, however, been shown to be problematic because of the existence of the ewe isoform in milk from Greek indigenous dairy goats. This could be due to nucleotide polymorphisms within the goat κ-casein gene of Greek indigenous breeds, which alter the isoelectric point of the para-κ-casein peptide and lead to false positive results. Previous DNA analysis of the goat κ-casein gene has shown high levels of polymorphism; however, no such information is available for Greek indigenous dairy goats. Therefore, 87 indigenous dairy goats were sequenced at exon IV of κ-casein gene. In total, 9 polymorphic sites were detected. Three nonsynonymous point mutations were identified, which change the isoelectric point of the goat para-κ-casein peptide so that it appears identical to that of the ewe peptide. Ten composite genotypes were reconstructed and 6 of them included the problematic point mutations. For the verification of genetic results, IEF was carried out. Both goat and ewe patterns appeared in the problematic genotypes. The frequency of these genotypes could be characterized as moderate (0.23) to high (0.60) within Greek indigenous breeds. However, this is not an issue restricted to Greece, as such genotypes have been detected in various non-Greek goat breeds. In conclusion, IEF based on the official German method is certainly inappropriate for ovine and caprine discrimination concerning Greek dairy goat products, and consequently a new method should be established. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Lactic acid bacteria proteinase and quality of fermented dairy products--A review].

PubMed

Zhang, Shuang; Zhang, Lanwei; Han, Xue

2015-12-04

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could synthesize cell envelope proteinase with weak activity, which primarily degrades casein. In addition to its crucial role in the rapid growth of LAB in milk, LAB proteinases are also of industrial importance due to their contribution to the formation of texture and flavor of many fermented dairy products. The proteolytic system, properties of proteinase, the degradation product of casein and its effect on the quality of fermented dairy products were reviewed in this manuscript.

Fate of Nitrogen on California Dairies as Measured by Regulatory Reporting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsons, T.; Lee, E.; Harter, T.

2016-12-01

California is the largest dairy producer in the Unites States, generating over 20% of U.S. milk and cheese. Many California dairy herds live in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the Central Valley. Surrounding these CAFOs, dairies also manage a significant amount of forage land where animal waste is recycled. Through expansion and more efficient production, the milk and manure output of the Central Valley dairies increased nearly exponentially for five decades, until animal numbers levelled off in the 2000s. Due to this expansion, specifically in the Central Valley, the dairy industry poses significant concerns in regard to nitrate contamination and salinization of groundwater. In 2007, new regulations were placed upon the California dairy industry, pertaining to nonpoint source emissions to groundwater. We have digitized and are currently analyzing these annual dairy reports submitted by individual operators to the regulatory agency (Regional Water Boards) to assess the fate of nutrients on dairies in the Central Valley. We are able to assess data completeness and consistency, annual trends over the first eight years of the program, and evaluate the reporting program. Our analysis can be used to determine potential groundwater nitrate impacts based on field nitrogen mass balance. Preliminary results indicate that increased regulation and efforts made by dairy operations have decreased the presence of excess nutrients on dairy lands, although improvements need to be made to the reporting process in order to further this progress.

Why are dairy cows not able to cope with the subacute ruminal acidosis?

PubMed

Brzozowska, A M; Sloniewski, K; Oprzadek, J; Sobiech, P; Kowalski, Z M

2013-01-01

One of the largest challenges for the dairy industry is to provide cows with a diet which is highly energetic but does not negatively affect their rumens' functions. In highly productive dairy cows, feeding diets rich in readily fermentable carbohydrates provides energy precursors needed for maximum milk production, but simultaneously decreases ruminal pH, leading to a widespread prevalence of subacute ruminal acidosis. Maximizing milk production without triggering rumen acidosis still challenges dairy farmers, who try to prevent prolonged bouts of low ruminal pH mainly by proper nutrition and management practices. The animals try to avoid overeating fermentable feeds, as it causes negative consequences by disturbing digestive processes. The results of several experiments show that ruminants, including sheep and beef cattle, are able to modify some aspects of feeding behaviour in order to adjust nutrient intake to their needs and simultaneously prevent physiological disturbances. Particularly, such changes (e.g., increased preference for fibrous feeds, reduced intake of concentrates) were observed in animals, which were trying to prevent the excessive drop of rumen fluid pH. Thanks to a specific mechanism called "the postingestive feedback", animals should be able to work out such a balance in intake, so they do not suffer either from hunger or from negative effects of over-ingesting the fermentable carbohydrates. This way, an acidosis should not be a frequent problem in ruminants. However, prolonged periods of excessively decreased rumen pH are still a concern in dairy cows. It raises a question, why the regulation of feed intake by postingestive feedback does not help to maintain stable rumen environment in dairy cows?

Heterologous production of pediocin for the control of Listeria monocytogenes in dairy foods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pediocin is an antimicrobial peptide naturally produced by Pediococci with the potential to serve as a food-grade preservative for controlling Listeria contamination. The use of Pediococci in dairy products is limited due to their inability to ferment lactose, thus lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have b...

Nitrate Contamination of Shallow Groundwater in The San Joaquin Valley - A Domestic Well Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockhart, K.; King, A.

2011-12-01

Groundwater quality has been, and continues to be, a major concern in agricultural areas where concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) exist or where fertilizers are applied. In the San Joaquin Valley, California, the majority of land-use is agricultural and groundwater contamination by nitrate is common in areas where many people rely on shallow domestic wells. Elevated levels of nitrate in drinking water have been linked to adverse health effects. This project sampled 200 domestic wells in Stanislaus, Merced, Tulare, and Kings Counties for nitrate as NO3-N. Wells were given a "dairy" or "non-dairy" designation depending on the distance to the nearest dairy corral or lagoon. This study found 46% of wells sampled in Tulare and Kings Counties and 42% of wells sampled in Stanislaus and Merced Counties exceeded the MCL for nitrate (10 mg/l). In Tulare and Kings Counties, non-dairy wells had a significantly greater mean nitrate value than dairy wells, and Tulare and Kings County non-dairy wells had a significantly greater mean nitrate value than Stanislaus and Merced non-dairy wells. Stanislaus and Merced County dairy wells had a significantly greater mean nitrate value than Tulare and Kings dairy wells. Tulare and Kings non-dairy wells may have greater nitrate values due to overlying row-crop and orchard land-use (commonly citrus) and the large quantities of fertilizers typically applied to these crops. Stanislaus and Merced Counties contain some of the densest CAFO areas of the state, possibly leading to Stanislaus and Merced dairy wells having higher nitrate concentrations than Tulare and Kings dairy wells.

Sprinklers and shade cool cows and reduce insect-avoidance behavior in pasture-based dairy systems.

PubMed

Kendall, P E; Verkerk, G A; Webster, J R; Tucker, C B

2007-08-01

The body temperature of dairy cows in pastoral systems during summer reaches a peak during and following the p.m. milking. Shade and sprinklers can be used separately or in combination at the milking parlor to reduce heat load. Farmers anecdotally report that the use of sprinklers reduces irritation from insects that occurs while cows are waiting for milking. Once daily, we assessed the effectiveness of short-term exposure to shade and sprinklers for cooling cows [via respiration rate and body (vaginal) temperature] and reducing insect-avoidance behaviors before the p.m. milking in a pasture-based dairy system. Head position was measured as an indicator of whether cattle were avoiding water from the sprinklers. Forty-eight Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were divided into 12 groups (4 cows per group, n = 3 groups/treatment) and were exposed to 1 of 4 treatments for 90 min before the p.m. milking: 1) shade, 2) sprinklers, 3) shade and sprinklers, or 4) uncooled control. Respiration rate was reduced by 30% with shade alone compared with controls [54 vs. 78 +/- 2.3 ( +/- SED) breaths/min, respectively]. Sprinklers alone (30 +/- 2.3 breaths/min) and the combined effects of shade and sprinklers (24 +/- 2.3 breaths/min) reduced the respiration rate by 60 and 67%, respectively, compared with controls. Shaded cows had lower body temperatures during the 90-min treatment period compared with controls (shade: 38.6 degrees C; shade and sprinklers: 38.6 degrees C; control: 38.9 +/- 0.09 degrees C). The decrease in body temperature of cows under sprinklers was more marked than for shade alone and remained lower for at least 4 h after milking (sprinklers: 38.7 degrees C; shade and sprinklers: 38.6 degrees C; shade: 38.9 degrees C; control: 39.2 +/- 0.10 degrees C). The sprinkler treatment reduced the number of tail flicks (control: 12.6 vs. sprinklers: 6.6 +/- 2.4 flicks/min) and hoof stamps (control: 4.4 vs. sprinkler: 2.2 +/- 0.5 stamps/min). Cows exposed to sprinklers spent more time with their heads lowered compared with cows in the shaded and control treatments. The reductions in body temperature and respiration rate attributable to shade and sprinklers were greatest when the temperature-humidity index and heat-load index were > or = 69 and 77, respectively, and cows benefited from cooling when these levels were exceeded.

Tillage system and time post-liquid dairy manure: Effects on runoff, sediment and nutrients losses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Liquid manure applied in agricultural lands improves soil quality. However, incorrect management of manure may cause environmental problems due to sediments and nutrients losses associated to runoff. The aims of this work were to: (i) evaluate the time effect of post-liquid dairy manure (LDM) applic...

21 CFR 526.464a - Cloxacillin benzathine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... chapter for use in dairy cows. (d) Sponsor. See No. 000069 in § 510.600(c) of this chapter for use in dairy cows. (1) Amount. Administer one dose in each quarter immediately after last milking. (2) Indications for use. Treatment and prophylaxis of bovine mastitis in nonlactating cows due to S. agalactiae...

Genome changes due to forty years of artificial selection associated with divergent dairy production and reproduction

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Artificial selection in dairy cattle since 1964 has achieved steady increase in milk production that was accompanied by unintended declines in fertility. Direct comparison of 45,878 SNPs between a group of Holstein cattle unselected since 1964 and the contemporary Holsteins was conducted to identify...

Application of selection mapping to identify genomic regions associated with dairy production in sheep.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Gil, Beatriz; Arranz, Juan Jose; Pong-Wong, Ricardo; García-Gámez, Elsa; Kijas, James; Wiener, Pamela

2014-01-01

In Europe, especially in Mediterranean areas, the sheep has been traditionally exploited as a dual purpose species, with income from both meat and milk. Modernization of husbandry methods and the establishment of breeding schemes focused on milk production have led to the development of "dairy breeds." This study investigated selective sweeps specifically related to dairy production in sheep by searching for regions commonly identified in different European dairy breeds. With this aim, genotypes from 44,545 SNP markers covering the sheep autosomes were analysed in both European dairy and non-dairy sheep breeds using two approaches: (i) identification of genomic regions showing extreme genetic differentiation between each dairy breed and a closely related non-dairy breed, and (ii) identification of regions with reduced variation (heterozygosity) in the dairy breeds using two methods. Regions detected in at least two breeds (breed pairs) by the two approaches (genetic differentiation and at least one of the heterozygosity-based analyses) were labeled as core candidate convergence regions and further investigated for candidate genes. Following this approach six regions were detected. For some of them, strong candidate genes have been proposed (e.g. ABCG2, SPP1), whereas some other genes designated as candidates based on their association with sheep and cattle dairy traits (e.g. LALBA, DGAT1A) were not associated with a detectable sweep signal. Few of the identified regions were coincident with QTL previously reported in sheep, although many of them corresponded to orthologous regions in cattle where QTL for dairy traits have been identified. Due to the limited number of QTL studies reported in sheep compared with cattle, the results illustrate the potential value of selection mapping to identify genomic regions associated with dairy traits in sheep.

Application of Selection Mapping to Identify Genomic Regions Associated with Dairy Production in Sheep

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-Gil, Beatriz; Arranz, Juan Jose; Pong-Wong, Ricardo; García-Gámez, Elsa; Kijas, James; Wiener, Pamela

2014-01-01

In Europe, especially in Mediterranean areas, the sheep has been traditionally exploited as a dual purpose species, with income from both meat and milk. Modernization of husbandry methods and the establishment of breeding schemes focused on milk production have led to the development of “dairy breeds.” This study investigated selective sweeps specifically related to dairy production in sheep by searching for regions commonly identified in different European dairy breeds. With this aim, genotypes from 44,545 SNP markers covering the sheep autosomes were analysed in both European dairy and non-dairy sheep breeds using two approaches: (i) identification of genomic regions showing extreme genetic differentiation between each dairy breed and a closely related non-dairy breed, and (ii) identification of regions with reduced variation (heterozygosity) in the dairy breeds using two methods. Regions detected in at least two breeds (breed pairs) by the two approaches (genetic differentiation and at least one of the heterozygosity-based analyses) were labeled as core candidate convergence regions and further investigated for candidate genes. Following this approach six regions were detected. For some of them, strong candidate genes have been proposed (e.g. ABCG2, SPP1), whereas some other genes designated as candidates based on their association with sheep and cattle dairy traits (e.g. LALBA, DGAT1A) were not associated with a detectable sweep signal. Few of the identified regions were coincident with QTL previously reported in sheep, although many of them corresponded to orthologous regions in cattle where QTL for dairy traits have been identified. Due to the limited number of QTL studies reported in sheep compared with cattle, the results illustrate the potential value of selection mapping to identify genomic regions associated with dairy traits in sheep. PMID:24788864

Quantitative Risk Assessment of Antimicrobial-Resistant Foodborne Infections in Humans Due to Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin Usage in Dairy Cows.

PubMed

Singer, Randall S; Ruegg, Pamela L; Bauman, Dale E

2017-07-01

Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) is a production-enhancing technology that allows the dairy industry to produce milk more efficiently. Concern has been raised that cows supplemented with rbST are at an increased risk of developing clinical mastitis, which would potentially increase the use of antimicrobial agents and increase human illnesses associated with antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens delivered through the dairy beef supply. The purpose of this study was to conduct a quantitative risk assessment to estimate the potential increased risk of human infection with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and subsequent adverse health outcomes as a result of rbST usage in dairy cattle. The quantitative risk assessment included the following steps: (i) release of antimicrobial-resistant organisms from the farm, (ii) exposure of humans via consumption of contaminated beef products, and (iii) consequence of the antimicrobial-resistant infection. The model focused on ceftiofur (parenteral and intramammary) and oxytetracycline (parenteral) treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cattle and tracked the bacteria Campylobacter spp., Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, and Escherichia coli in the gastrointestinal tract of the cow. Parameter estimates were developed to be maximum risk to overestimate the risk to humans. The excess number of cows in the U.S. dairy herd that were predicted to carry resistant bacteria at slaughter due to rbST administration was negligible. The total number of excess human illnesses caused by resistant bacteria due to rbST administration was also predicted to be negligible with all risks considerably less than one event per 1 billion people at risk per year for all bacteria. The results indicate a high probability that the use of rbST according to label instructions presents a negligible risk for increasing the number of human illnesses and subsequent adverse outcomes associated with antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter, Salmonella, or E. coli .

Perceptions of Health and Safety among Immigrant Latino/a Dairy Workers in the U.S.

PubMed

Menger, Lauren M; Pezzutti, Florencia; Tellechea, Teresa; Stallones, Lorann; Rosecrance, John; Roman-Muniz, Ivette Noami

2016-01-01

The U.S. dairy industry is increasingly relying on an immigrant workforce to help meet growing demands. Due to scant research, little is known about the factors related to workplace safety among this occupational group. The purpose of this study was to identify dairy worker perceptions of the barriers to and facilitators for enhancing workplace safety. Focus groups (FG) were conducted with 44 immigrant Latino/a workers from 2 dairies in South Dakota and 1 dairy in Colorado to gain firsthand insights into their work experiences. Interviews were conducted in Spanish, audio recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Results were analyzed through a two-step qualitative coding process. The Contributing Factors in Accident Causation model was used as a guiding framework. Promising points of intervention identified were related to the workers, the work itself, the physical environment, equipment issues, the social-psychological environment, and management/organizational factors. Suggestions for how to improve safety outcomes in the dairy industry are provided. It is likely that the dairy industry will continue to employ a growing number of immigrant workers. Therefore, these findings have significant implications that can be used to guide the development of culturally congruent policies and practices.

Perceptions of Health and Safety among Immigrant Latino/a Dairy Workers in the U.S.

PubMed Central

Menger, Lauren M.; Pezzutti, Florencia; Tellechea, Teresa; Stallones, Lorann; Rosecrance, John; Roman-Muniz, Ivette Noami

2016-01-01

The U.S. dairy industry is increasingly relying on an immigrant workforce to help meet growing demands. Due to scant research, little is known about the factors related to workplace safety among this occupational group. The purpose of this study was to identify dairy worker perceptions of the barriers to and facilitators for enhancing workplace safety. Focus groups (FG) were conducted with 44 immigrant Latino/a workers from 2 dairies in South Dakota and 1 dairy in Colorado to gain firsthand insights into their work experiences. Interviews were conducted in Spanish, audio recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Results were analyzed through a two-step qualitative coding process. The Contributing Factors in Accident Causation model was used as a guiding framework. Promising points of intervention identified were related to the workers, the work itself, the physical environment, equipment issues, the social–psychological environment, and management/organizational factors. Suggestions for how to improve safety outcomes in the dairy industry are provided. It is likely that the dairy industry will continue to employ a growing number of immigrant workers. Therefore, these findings have significant implications that can be used to guide the development of culturally congruent policies and practices. PMID:27303660

Effect of temperature and manure placement in a snowpack on nutrient release from dairy manure during snowmelt

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural nutrient management is an issue due to nitrogen (NH4) and phosphorus (P) losses from fields and water quality degradation. Better information is needed on the risk of nutrient loss in runoff from dairy manure applied in winter. We investigated the effect of temperature on nutrient relea...

Effects of different flooring options in outside pens of hutches on dairy calf growth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Growth rates of dairy calves may vary due to many different factors, including housing. The objective of this study was to determine if calf growth was affected by different flooring options in the outside penned area of a calf hutch. For this study, 33 hutches were blocked in groups of 3 by locatio...

Y Se Repite = And It Repeats Itself

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katzew, Adriana

2010-01-01

In this article, the author discusses Y Se Repite [And It Repeats Itself], a project she conceptualized due to the growing number of Latino/a Mexican migrant workers in dairy farms in the state of Vermont. In 2006, approximately 2,000 Latinos/as--most of them undocumented Mexican migrant workers--worked throughout the state's dairy farms, yet…

ICAR guidelines for recording, evaluation and genetic improvement of female fertility in dairy cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fertility refers to the ability of a cow to conceive and maintain pregnancy within a specific time period, and is of substantial economic importance in the dairy industry because lactations begin with the birth of a calf. Culling rates due to infertility are much higher than two or three decades ago...

Flunixin urine residues in culled dairy cows and its relevance to food safety and environmental concerns

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Flunixin is a US-FDA approved non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent; it is prominent due to violative meat residues detected by the US-FSIS in dairy cows. The effects of route of administration (2.2 mg/kg) and endotoxin challenge on flunixin elimination and residues were investigated. High urinary ...

[Occurrence of Prototheca mastitis in dairy farms in Hesse].

PubMed

Schlenstedt, R; Zschöck, M; Kloppert, B; Wolter, W

1997-08-01

During January 1994 and August 1996 from dairy farms in Hessia a total of 305,609 milk samples were investigated. Prototheca sp. as etiological agent of a mastitis was isolated from milk samples of seven dairy herds. According to our experiences and to several reports from various countries dealing with Prototheca infections in dairy herds, mastitis control programs should include Prototheca algae as potential pathogens. Mastitis due to this organism usually occurs in different semeiologies, one with clinical symptoms, and the other, more common type, as subclinical mastitis. In both cases, Prototheca organisms use to persist in the tissue of the mammary gland also during the dry period and antimicrobial treatment proves to be ineffective. Considering the wide distribution of these algae as saprophytes in the environment and in feces of several domestic animals, predisposing factors like a humid aerobic milieu and unsanitary milking conditions are necessary for Prototheca infections becoming manifest in the udder of dairy cows. Control measures should preferably stress the identification and removal of infected animals, in particular when the disease is sporadic in the herd. Due to the more questionable occurrence of spontaneous healing and the lack of an efficient drug, slaughtering of infected cows appears as a suitable method to eliminate the disease from the herd. Additionally, improvement of the hygiene status concerning feeding and milking management within a herd is as essential as in the control of other opportunistic udder pathogens.

Characterization of micro-organisms isolated from dairy industry after cleaning and fogging disinfection with alkyl amine and peracetic acid.

PubMed

Bore, E; Langsrud, S

2005-01-01

To characterize micro-organisms isolated from Norwegian dairy production plants after cleaning and fogging disinfection with alkyl amine/peracetic acid and to indicate reasons for survival. Microbial samples were collected from five dairy plants after cleaning and fogging disinfection. Isolates from two of these production plants, which used fogging with alkylamino acetate (plant A), and peracetic acid (plant B), were chosen for further characterization. The sequence of the 16S ribosomal DNA, fatty acid analysis and biochemical characteristics were used to identify isolates. Three isolates identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis, Methylobacterium rhodesianum and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were isolated from plant A and one Sphingomonas sp. and two M. extorquens from plant B. Different patterns of resistance to seven disinfectants in a bactericidal suspension test and variable degree of attachment to stainless steel were found. The strains with higher disinfectant resistance showed lower degree of attachment than susceptible strains. The study identifies and characterizes micro-organisms present after cleaning and fogging disinfection. Both surface attachment and resistance were shown as possible reasons for the presence of the isolates after cleaning and disinfection. These results contribute to the awareness of disinfectant resistance as well as attachment as mechanisms of survival in dairy industry. It also strengthens the argument of frequent alternation of disinfectants in the food processing industry to avoid the establishment of resistant house strains.

Infrared thermography: A potential noninvasive tool to monitor udder health status in dairy cows

PubMed Central

Sathiyabarathi, M.; Jeyakumar, S.; Manimaran, A.; Jayaprakash, G.; Pushpadass, Heartwin A.; Sivaram, M.; Ramesha, K. P.; Das, D. N.; Kataktalware, Mukund A.; Prakash, M. Arul; Kumar, R. Dhinesh

2016-01-01

The animal husbandry and livestock sectors play a major role in the rural economy, especially for the small and marginal farmers. India has the largest livestock population in the world and ranks first in the milk production. Mastitis is the most common and expensive infectious disease in dairy cattle. The global economic losses per year due to mastitis amounts to USD 35 billion and for Indian dairy industry ₹6000 crores per year. Early detection of mastitis is very important to reduce the economic loss to the dairy farmers and dairy industry. Automated methods for early and reliable detection of mastitis are currently in focus under precision dairying. Skin surface temperature is an important indicator for the diagnosis of cow’s illnesses and for the estimation of their physiological status. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a simple, effective, on-site, and noninvasive method that detects surface heat, which is emitted as infrared radiation and generates pictorial images without causing radiation exposure. In human and bovine medicine, IRT is used as a diagnostic tool for assessment of normal and physiological status. PMID:27847416

Economic comparison of common treatment protocols and J5 vaccination for clinical mastitis in dairy herds using optimized culling decisions.

PubMed

Kessels, J A; Cha, E; Johnson, S K; Welcome, F L; Kristensen, A R; Gröhn, Y T

2016-05-01

This study used an existing dynamic optimization model to compare costs of common treatment protocols and J5 vaccination for clinical mastitis in US dairy herds. Clinical mastitis is an infection of the mammary gland causing major economic losses in dairy herds due to reduced milk production, reduced conception, and increased risk of mortality and culling for infected cows. Treatment protocols were developed to reflect common practices in dairy herds. These included targeted therapy following pathogen identification, and therapy without pathogen identification using a broad-spectrum antimicrobial or treating with the cheapest treatment option. The cost-benefit of J5 vaccination was also estimated. Effects of treatment were accounted for as changes in treatment costs, milk loss due to mastitis, milk discarded due to treatment, and mortality. Following ineffective treatments, secondary decisions included extending the current treatment, alternative treatment, discontinuing treatment, and pathogen identification followed by recommended treatment. Average net returns for treatment protocols and vaccination were generated using an existing dynamic programming model. This model incorporates cow and pathogen characteristics to optimize management decisions to treat, inseminate, or cull cows. Of the treatment protocols where 100% of cows received recommended treatment, pathogen-specific identification followed by recommended therapy yielded the highest average net returns per cow per year. Out of all treatment scenarios, the highest net returns were achieved with selecting the cheapest treatment option and discontinuing treatment, or alternate treatment with a similar spectrum therapy; however, this may not account for the full consequences of giving nonrecommended therapies to cows with clinical mastitis. Vaccination increased average net returns in all scenarios. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NIH consensus development conference statement: Lactose intolerance and health.

PubMed

Suchy, Frederick J; Brannon, Patsy M; Carpenter, Thomas O; Fernandez, Jose R; Gilsanz, Vicente; Gould, Jeffrey B; Hall, Karen; Hui, Siu L; Lupton, Joanne; Mennella, Julie; Miller, Natalie J; Osganian, Stavroula Kalis; Sellmeyer, Deborah E; Wolf, Marshall A

2010-02-24

To provide health care providers, patients, and the general public with a responsible assessment of currently available data on lactose intolerance and health. A non-DHHS, nonadvocate 14-member panel representing the fields of internal medicine, pediatrics, pediatric and adult endocrinology, gastroenterology, hepatology, neonatology and perinatology, geriatrics, racial/ethnic disparities, radiology, maternal and fetal nutrition, vitamin and mineral metabolism, nutritional sciences, bone health, preventive medicine, biopsychology, biostatistics, statistical genetics, epidemiology, and a public representative. In addition, 22 experts from pertinent fields presented data to the panel and conference audience. Presentations by experts and a systematic review of the literature prepared by the University of Minnesota Evidence-based Practice Center, through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Scientific evidence was given precedence over anecdotal experience. The panel drafted its statement based on scientific evidence presented in open forum and on published scientific literature. The draft statement was presented on the final day of the conference and circulated to the audience for comment. The panel released a revised statement later that day at http://consensus.nih.gov. This statement is an independent report of the panel and is not a policy statement of the NIH or the Federal Government. • Lactose intolerance is a real and important clinical syndrome, but its true prevalence is not known. • The majority of people with lactose malabsorption do not have clinical lactose intolerance. Many individuals who think they are lactose intolerant are not lactose malabsorbers. • Many individuals with real or perceived lactose intolerance avoid dairy and ingest inadequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, which may predispose them to decreased bone accrual, osteoporosis, and other adverse health outcomes. In most cases, individuals do not need to eliminate dairy consumption completely. • Evidence-based dietary approaches with and without dairy foods and supplementation strategies are needed to ensure appropriate consumption of calcium and other nutrients in lactose-intolerant individuals. • Educational programs and behavioral approaches for individuals and their healthcare providers should be developed and validated to improve the nutrition and symptoms of individuals with lactose intolerance and dairy avoidance.

The Immunology of Mammary Gland of Dairy Ruminants between Healthy and Inflammatory Conditions

PubMed Central

Ezzat Alnakip, Mohamed; Quintela-Baluja, Marcos; Fernández-No, Inmaculada; Caamaño-Antelo, Sonia; Calo-Mata, Pillar; Barros-Velázquez, Jorge

2014-01-01

The health of dairy animals, particularly the milk-producing mammary glands, is essential to the dairy industry because of the crucial hygienic and economic aspects of ensuring production of high quality milk. Due to its high prevalence, mastitis is considered the most important threat to dairy industry, due to its impacts on animal health and milk production and thus on economic benefits. The MG is protected by several defence mechanisms that prevent microbial penetration and surveillance. However, several factors can attenuate the host immune response (IR), and the possession of various virulence and resistance factors by different mastitis-causing microorganisms greatly limits immune defences and promotes establishment of intramammary infections (IMIs). A comprehensive understanding of MG immunity in both healthy and inflammatory conditions will be an important key to understand the nature of IMIs caused by specific pathogens and greatly contributes to the development of effective control methods and appropriate detection techniques. Consequently, this review aims to provide a detailed overview of antimicrobial defences in the MG under healthy and inflammatory conditions. In this sense, we will focus on pathogen-dependent variations in IRs mounted by the host during IMI and discuss the potential ramifications of these variations. PMID:26464939

Fast real-time polymerase chain reaction for quantitative detection of Lactobacillus delbrueckii bacteriophages in milk.

PubMed

Martín, Maria Cruz; del Rio, Beatriz; Martínez, Noelia; Magadán, Alfonso H; Alvarez, Miguel A

2008-12-01

One of the main microbiological problems of the dairy industry is the susceptibility of starter bacteria to virus infections. Lactobacillus delbrueckii, a component of thermophilic starter cultures used in the manufacture of several fermented dairy products, including yogurt, is also sensitive to bacteriophage attacks. To avoid the problems associated with these viruses, quick and sensitive detection methods are necessary. In the present study, a fast real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay for the direct detection and quantification of L. delbrueckii phages in milk was developed. A set of primers and a TaqMan MGB probe was designed, based on the lysin gene sequence of different L. delbrueckii phages. The results show the proposed method to be a rapid (total processing time 30 min), specific and highly sensitive technique for detecting L. delbrueckii phages in milk.

The phytoremediation potential of native plants on New Zealand dairy farms.

PubMed

Hahner, Jason L; Robinson, Brett H; Hong-Tao, Zhong; Dickinson, Nicholas M

2014-01-01

Ecological restoration of marginal land and riparian zones in agricultural landscapes in New Zealand enhances the provision of above-ground ecosystem services. We investigated whether native endemic plant assemblages have remediation potential, through modifying soil nutrient and trace element mobility. Analysis of native plant foliage in situ indicated that selective uptake of a range of commonly deficient trace elements including Zn, B, Cu, Mn and Co could provide a browse crop to avoid deficiencies of these elements in livestock, although some native plants may enhance the risk of Mo and Cd toxicity. Native plant rhizospheres were found to modify soil physico-chemistry and are likely to influence lateral and vertical fluxes of chemical elements in drainage waters. Native plants on marginal land in agricultural landscapes could add value to dairy production systems whilst helping to resolve topical environmental issues.

Disease management of dairy calves and heifers.

PubMed

McGuirk, Sheila M

2008-03-01

This article focuses on the most important diseases of dairy calves and heifers and presents clinical approaches that can improve detection, diagnosis, and treatment of herd-based problems. A systematic herd investigation strategy is pivotal to define the problems, understand important risk factors, develop a plan, and make recommendations for disease management accurately. A review of records, colostrum and feeding routines, housing and bedding management, routine procedures, vaccination, and treatment protocols begins the investigation and determines which diagnostic procedures and testing strategies are most useful. Disease management is most effective when the problem source is well defined and the exposure can be limited, calf immunity can be enhanced, or a combination of both. Screening examinations performed regularly or done at strategic time points improves detection of disease, can be used to monitor treatment outcomes, and can avoid disease outbreaks.

Ammonia and Methane Dairy Emission Plumes in the San Joaquin Valley of California from Individual Feedlot to Regional Scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, David J.; Sun, Kang; Pan, Da; Zondlo, Mark A.; Nowak, John B.; Liu, Zhen; Diskin, Glenn; Sachse, Glen; Beyersdorf, Andreas; Ferrare, Richard;

Ammonia and methane dairy emissions in the San Joaquin Valley of California from individual feedlot to regional scale

DOE PAGES

Miller, David J.; Sun, Kang; Tao, Lei; ...

2015-09-27

Agricultural ammonia (NH 3) emissions are highly uncertain, with high spatiotemporal variability and a lack of widespread in situ measurements. Regional NH 3 emission estimates using mass balance or emission ratio approaches are uncertain due to variable NH 3 sources and sinks as well as unknown plume correlations with other dairy source tracers. We characterize the spatial distributions of NH 3 and methane (CH 4) dairy plumes using in situ surface and airborne measurements in the Tulare dairy feedlot region of the San Joaquin Valley, California, during the NASA Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observationsmore » Relevant to Air Quality 2013 field campaign. Surface NH 3 and CH 4 mixing ratios exhibit large variability with maxima localized downwind of individual dairy feedlots. The geometric mean NH 3:CH 4 enhancement ratio derived from surface measurements is 0.15 ± 0.03 ppmv ppmv –1. Individual dairy feedlots with spatially distinct NH 3 and CH 4 source pathways led to statistically significant correlations between NH 3 and CH 4 in 68% of the 69 downwind plumes sampled. At longer sampling distances, the NH 3:CH 4 enhancement ratio decreases 20–30%, suggesting the potential for NH 3 deposition as a loss term for plumes within a few kilometers downwind of feedlots. Aircraft boundary layer transect measurements directly above surface mobile measurements in the dairy region show comparable gradients and geometric mean enhancement ratios within measurement uncertainties, even when including NH 3 partitioning to submicron particles. Individual NH 3 and CH 4 plumes sampled at close proximity where losses are minimal are not necessarily correlated due to lack of mixing and distinct source pathways. As a result, our analyses have important implications for constraining NH 3 sink and plume variability influences on regional NH 3 emission estimates and for improving NH 3 emission inventory spatial allocations.« less

Veterinary dairy herd health management in Europe: constraints and perspectives.

PubMed

Cannas da Silva, J; Noordhuizen, J P T M; Vagneur, M; Bexiga, R; Gelfert, C C; Baumgartner, W

2006-03-01

The nature of veterinary work in dairy health management in Europe has changed over the past years and will change even more dramatically in the near future. The consumers and the media show increasing concern about animal welfare, safety of products of animal origin and traceability of animal products. Farmers in Europe have to produce under strict, often expensive and laborious regulations, while still commercially competing with farmers outside the EU and not subject to the same rules. Veterinarians should adapt their knowledge and skills to the new challenges and developments of the dairy sector. Dairy farmers nowadays ask for support in areas that go beyond clinical activities: environmental protection, welfare, nutrition, grassland management, economics and business management. Bovine practitioners should be able to advise in many different areas and subjects--that is the challenge to our profession. Veterinary education with regards to cattle health management should start with individual animal clinical work, which constitutes the basis of herd health advisory programmes. The bovine practitioner should then look beyond that and regard the herd as the unit. Each diseased cow or group of cows should be detected early enough to avoid financial losses or such losses should be prevented altogether by detecting and managing risk factors contributing to disease occurrence. Herd health and production management programmes represent the first level to optimise dairy farm performance. Expansions to that should further be considered, comprising both animal health and welfare issues, as well as food safety and public health issues. The latter could be addressed by quality risk management programmes following the HACCP-principles. Cattle veterinarians should follow recent developments and invest in new skills and knowledge in order to maintain their usefulness to the modern dairy farmer. Finally we are convinced that the cattle practitioner should evolve into this direction, otherwise the veterinarian as we know him will miss the train in the next years.

Evaluation of anaerobic co-digestion of dairy manure with food wastes via bio-methane potential assay and CSTR reactor.

PubMed

Ye, Yulin; Zamalloa, Carlos; Lin, Hongjian; Yan, Mi; Schmidt, David; Hu, Bo

2015-01-01

The introduction of food wastes into anaerobic digestion (AD) brings a promising scenario of increasing feedstock availability and overall energy production from AD. This study evaluated the biodegradability and methane potential from co-digestion of two typical food wastes, kitchen waste and chicken fat, with dairy manure. For single substrate, the bio-methane potential assays showed that kitchen waste had the highest methane yield of 352 L-CH4 kg(-1)-VS added, 92% more than dairy manure alone. Chicken fat at the same Volatile Solid (VS) level (2 g L(-1)) inhibited bio-methane production. Addition of kitchen waste and chicken fat to a VS percentage of up to 40% improved overall methane yield by 44% and 34%, respectively. Synergistic effect was observed when either combining two or three substrates as AD feedstock, possibly as a result of increased biodegradability of organic materials in chicken fat and kitchen waste compared with dairy manure. Addition of chicken fat improved methane yield more than kitchen waste. However, addition of chicken fat VS over 0.8 g L(-1) should be cautiously done because it may cause reactor failure due to decrease in pH. The maximum methane yield was 425 L-CH4 kg(-1)-VS, achieved at a VS ratio of 2:2:1 for kitchen waste, chicken fat, and dairy manure. Results from batch AD experiment demonstrated that supplementing dairy manure to chicken fat and/or kitchen waste improved alkalinity of substrate due to the inclusion of more titratable bases in dairy manure, and therefore stabilized the methanogenesis and substantially improved biogas yield. A mixture of substrates of kitchen waste, chicken fat, and dairy manure at a ratio of 1:1:3 was fed to a continuously stirred tank reactor operated at organic loading rates of 3.28, 6.55, and 2.18 g-COD L(-1)-day (hydraulic retention time of 20, 10, and 30 days, respectively) under mesophilic condition, and methane production rate reached 0.65, 0.95, and 0.34 L-CH4 L(-1)-reactor-day.

Herd-Level Mastitis-Associated Costs on Canadian Dairy Farms

PubMed Central

Aghamohammadi, Mahjoob; Haine, Denis; Kelton, David F.; Barkema, Herman W.; Hogeveen, Henk; Keefe, Gregory P.; Dufour, Simon

2018-01-01

Mastitis imposes considerable and recurring economic losses on the dairy industry worldwide. The main objective of this study was to estimate herd-level costs incurred by expenditures and production losses associated with mastitis on Canadian dairy farms in 2015, based on producer reports. Previously, published mastitis economic frameworks were used to develop an economic model with the most important cost components. Components investigated were divided between clinical mastitis (CM), subclinical mastitis (SCM), and other costs components (i.e., preventive measures and product quality). A questionnaire was mailed to 374 dairy producers randomly selected from the (Canadian National Dairy Study 2015) to collect data on these costs components, and 145 dairy producers returned a completed questionnaire. For each herd, costs due to the different mastitis-related components were computed by applying the values reported by the dairy producer to the developed economic model. Then, for each herd, a proportion of the costs attributable to a specific component was computed by dividing absolute costs for this component by total herd mastitis-related costs. Median self-reported CM incidence was 19 cases/100 cow-year and mean self-reported bulk milk somatic cell count was 184,000 cells/mL. Most producers reported using post-milking teat disinfection (97%) and dry cow therapy (93%), and a substantial proportion of producers reported using pre-milking teat disinfection (79%) and wearing gloves during milking (77%). Mastitis costs were substantial (662 CAD per milking cow per year for a typical Canadian dairy farm), with a large portion of the costs (48%) being attributed to SCM, and 34 and 15% due to CM and implementation of preventive measures, respectively. For SCM, the two most important cost components were the subsequent milk yield reduction and culling (72 and 25% of SCM costs, respectively). For CM, first, second, and third most important cost components were culling (48% of CM costs), milk yield reduction following the CM events (34%), and discarded milk (11%), respectively. This study is the first since 1990 to investigate costs of mastitis in Canada. The model developed in the current study can be used to compute mastitis costs at the herd and national level in Canada. PMID:29868620

Monitoring and remediation of on-farm and off-farm ground current measured as step potential on a Wisconsin dairy farm: A case study.

PubMed

Stetzer, Dave; Leavitt, Adam M; Goeke, Charles L; Havas, Magda

2016-01-01

Ground current commonly referred to as "stray voltage" has been an issue on dairy farms since electricity was first brought to rural America. Equipment that generates high-frequency voltage transients on electrical wires combined with a multigrounded (electrical distribution) system and inadequate neutral returns all contribute to ground current. Despite decades of problems, we are no closer to resolving this issue, in part, due to three misconceptions that are addressed in this study. Misconception 1. The current standard of 1 V at cow contact is adequate to protect dairy cows; Misconception 2. Frequencies higher than 60 Hz do not need to be considered; and Misconception 3. All sources of ground current originate on the farm that has a ground current problem. This case study of a Wisconsin dairy farm documents, 1. how to establish permanent monitoring of ground current (step potential) on a dairy farm; 2. how to determine and remediate both on-farm and off-farm sources contributing to step potential; 3. which step-potential metrics relate to cow comfort and milk production; and 4. how these metrics relate to established standards. On-farm sources include lighting, variable speed frequency drives on motors, radio frequency identification system and off-farm sources are due to a poor primary neutral return on the utility side of the distribution system. A step-potential threshold of 1 V root mean square (RMS) at 60 Hz is inadequate to protect dairy cows as decreases of a few mV peak-peak at higher frequencies increases milk production, reduces milking time and improves cow comfort.

Cellulose decomposition and larval biomass production from the co-digestion of dairy manure and chicken manure by mini-livestock (Hermetia illucens L.).

PubMed

Rehman, Kashif Ur; Cai, Minmin; Xiao, Xiaopeng; Zheng, Longyu; Wang, Hui; Soomro, Abdul Aziz; Zhou, Yusha; Li, Wu; Yu, Ziniu; Zhang, Jibin

2017-07-01

World trends toward the modern dairies intensification on large production units cause massive animal manure production and accumulation. Improper handling of manure produced by industrial farm operation greatly deteriorates the major environmental media including air, water and soil. The black soldier fly utilizes organic waste and converts it into larvae biomass to be used as livestock feed and into residues to be used as bio-fertilizer. However, due to the high ratio of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in dairy manure, this conversion is difficult. Therefore, dairy manure treated with chicken manure was digested by Hermetia illucens. In this paper, we found that the co-digestion process significantly enhanced the larval production, waste mass reduction, rate of larvae conversion, feed conversion ratio, nutrient reduction and fibers utilization. Whereas 40% dairy manure and 60% chicken manure group show better results than other manure mixtures and had a significantly increased the cellulose consumption by 61.19%, hemicellulose consumption by 53.22% and lignin consumption by 42.23% compared with 49.89%, 49.77% and 31.95%, respectively, in the dairy-only manure group. Finally, scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the structural changes of dairy manure, chicken manure and their co-digestion mixtures. The scan electron microscopy showed the deterioration in the structure of dairy and chicken manure fibers by Hermetia illucens. Moreover, the carbon-nitrogen ratio was decreased in all end products of post vermicomposting. The results suggest that the co-digestion of 40% dairy manure with 60% chicken manure is an appropriate proportion for dairy manure management with the black soldier fly. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative genome analysis of Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius CJ18, an African fermented camel milk isolate with adaptations to dairy environment.

PubMed

Jans, Christoph; Follador, Rainer; Hochstrasser, Mira; Lacroix, Christophe; Meile, Leo; Stevens, Marc J A

2013-03-22

Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius (Sii) belongs to the Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex associated with several human and animal infections. Sii is a predominant bacterium in spontaneously fermented milk products in Africa. The genome sequence of Sii strain CJ18 was compared with that of other Streptococcus species to identify dairy adaptations including genome decay such as in Streptococcus thermophilus, traits for its competitiveness in spontaneous milk fermentation and to assess potential health risks for consumers. The genome of Sii CJ18 harbors several unique regions in comparison to Sii ATCC BAA-102T, among others an enlarged exo- and capsular polysaccharide operon; Streptococcus thermophilus-associated genes; a region containing metabolic and hypothetical genes mostly unique to CJ18 and the dairy isolate Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. macedonicus; and a second oligopeptide transport operon. Dairy adaptations in CJ18 are reflected by a high percentage of pseudogenes (4.9%) representing genome decay which includes the inactivation of the lactose phosphotransferase system (lacIIABC) by multiple transposases integration. The presence of lacS and lacZ genes is the major dairy adaptation affecting lactose metabolism pathways also due to the disruption of lacIIABC.We constructed mutant strains of lacS, lacZ and lacIIABC and analyzed the resulting strains of CJ18 to confirm the redirection of lactose metabolism via LacS and LacZ.Natural competence genes are conserved in both Sii strains, but CJ18 contains a lower number of CRISPR spacers which indicates a reduced defense capability against alien DNA. No classical streptococcal virulence factors were detected in both Sii strains apart from those involved in adhesion which should be considered niche factors. Sii-specific virulence factors are not described. Several Sii-specific regions encoding uncharacterized proteins provide new leads for virulence analyses and investigation of the unclear association of dairy and clinical Sii with human diseases. The genome of the African dairy isolate Sii CJ18 clearly differs from the human isolate ATCC BAA-102T. CJ18 possesses a high natural competence predisposition likely explaining the enlarged genome. Metabolic adaptations to the dairy environment are evident and especially lactose uptake corresponds to S. thermophilus. Genome decay is not as advanced as in S. thermophilus (10-19%) possibly due to a shorter history in dairy fermentations.

Comparative genome analysis of Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius CJ18, an African fermented camel milk isolate with adaptations to dairy environment

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius (Sii) belongs to the Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex associated with several human and animal infections. Sii is a predominant bacterium in spontaneously fermented milk products in Africa. The genome sequence of Sii strain CJ18 was compared with that of other Streptococcus species to identify dairy adaptations including genome decay such as in Streptococcus thermophilus, traits for its competitiveness in spontaneous milk fermentation and to assess potential health risks for consumers. Results The genome of Sii CJ18 harbors several unique regions in comparison to Sii ATCC BAA-102T, among others an enlarged exo- and capsular polysaccharide operon; Streptococcus thermophilus-associated genes; a region containing metabolic and hypothetical genes mostly unique to CJ18 and the dairy isolate Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. macedonicus; and a second oligopeptide transport operon. Dairy adaptations in CJ18 are reflected by a high percentage of pseudogenes (4.9%) representing genome decay which includes the inactivation of the lactose phosphotransferase system (lacIIABC) by multiple transposases integration. The presence of lacS and lacZ genes is the major dairy adaptation affecting lactose metabolism pathways also due to the disruption of lacIIABC. We constructed mutant strains of lacS, lacZ and lacIIABC and analyzed the resulting strains of CJ18 to confirm the redirection of lactose metabolism via LacS and LacZ. Natural competence genes are conserved in both Sii strains, but CJ18 contains a lower number of CRISPR spacers which indicates a reduced defense capability against alien DNA. No classical streptococcal virulence factors were detected in both Sii strains apart from those involved in adhesion which should be considered niche factors. Sii-specific virulence factors are not described. Several Sii-specific regions encoding uncharacterized proteins provide new leads for virulence analyses and investigation of the unclear association of dairy and clinical Sii with human diseases. Conclusions The genome of the African dairy isolate Sii CJ18 clearly differs from the human isolate ATCC BAA-102T. CJ18 possesses a high natural competence predisposition likely explaining the enlarged genome. Metabolic adaptations to the dairy environment are evident and especially lactose uptake corresponds to S. thermophilus. Genome decay is not as advanced as in S. thermophilus (10-19%) possibly due to a shorter history in dairy fermentations. PMID:23521820

Phase behaviour of casein micelles and barley beta-glucan polymer molecules in dietary fibre-enriched dairy systems.

PubMed

Repin, Nikolay; Scanlon, Martin G; Fulcher, R Gary

2012-07-01

Enrichment of colloidal dairy systems with dietary fibre frequently causes quality defects because of phase separation. We investigate phase separation in skimmed milk enriched with Glucagel (a commercial product made from barley that is predominantly comprised of the polysaccharide β-glucan). The driving force for phase separation was depletion flocculation of casein micelles in the presence of molecules of the polysaccharide. Depending on the volume fraction of casein micelles and the concentration of Glucagel, the stable system phase separated either as a transient gel or as a sedimented system. The rate at which phase separation progressed also depended on the volume fraction of casein micelles and the concentration of Glucagel. To confirm the role of depletion flocculation in the phase separation process, enzymatic reduction in the molecular weight of β-glucan was shown to limit the range of attraction between micelles and allow the stable phase to exist at a higher β-glucan concentration for any given volume fraction of casein micelles. These phase diagrams will be useful to dairy product manufacturers striving to improve the nutrient profile of their products while avoiding product quality impairment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A 100-Year Review: The production of fluid (market) milk.

PubMed

Barbano, David M

2017-12-01

During the first 100 years of the Journal of Dairy Science, dairy foods and dairy production dairy scientists have partnered to publish new data and research results that have fostered the development of new knowledge. This knowledge has been the underpinning of both the commercial development of the fluid milk processing industry and regulations and marketing policies for the benefit of dairy farmers, processors, and consumers. During the first 50 years, most of the focus was on producing and delivering high-quality raw milk to factories and improving the shelf life of pasteurized fluid milk. During the second 50 years, raw milk quality was further improved through the use of milk quality payment incentives. Due to changing demographics and lifestyle, whole fluid milk consumption declined and processing technologies were developed to increase the range of fluid milk products (skim and low-fat milks, flavored milks, lactose-reduced milk, long-shelf-life milks, and milks with higher protein and calcium contents) offered to the consumer. In addition, technology to produce specialty high-protein sports beverages was developed, which expanded the milk-based beverage offerings to the consumer. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measurement of EPF for detection of cow pregnancy using rosette inhibition test.

PubMed

Ghaffari Laleh, V; Ghaffari Laleh, R; Pirany, N; Moghadaszadeh Ahrabi, M

2008-07-01

Early embryonic death of calves due to sub-fertility in cows is of great economic concern to dairy industry. Early pregnancy factor (EPF) is a secretory protein with pregnancy associated immunosuppressive properties. Rosette inhibition test (RIT) was used to detect EPF in inseminated dairy cows. Blood samples were collected at two intervals, 1-3 and 5-7 days after insemination from 23 inseminated and 18 non-inseminated control cows for RIT and pregnancy diagnosis performed between 42 and 45 days on palpation. The study indicates that RIT (P<0.05) has the potential to distinguish pregnant from non-pregnant dairy cows in the first week of pregnancy.

Genome-wide association studies of growth traits in three dairy cattle breeds using whole-genome sequence data.

PubMed

Mao, X; Sahana, G; De Koning, D-J; Guldbrandtsen, B

2016-04-01

Male calves and culled cows of dairy cattle are used for beef production. However, unlike beef breeds, the genetics of growth performance traits in dairy breeds have not been extensively studied. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on Holsteins ( = 5,519), Jerseys ( = 1,231), and Red Dairy Cattle ( = 4,410) to identify QTL for growth traits. First, a GWAS was performed within breeds using whole-genome sequence variants. Later, a meta-analysis was performed to combine information across the 3 breeds. We have identified several QTL that have large effects on growth traits in Holsteins and Red Dairy Cattle but with little overlap across breeds. Only 1 QTL located on chromosome 10 was shared between Holsteins and Red Dairy Cattle. The most significant variant (BTA10:59,164,533, rs43636323; -value = 2.8 × 10) in this QTL explained 2.4% of the total additive genetic variance in Red Dairy Cattle. The gene is a strong candidate for the underlying gene of this QTL. In Red Dairy Cattle, a QTL near 25 Mb on chromosome 14 was very significantly associated with growth traits, consistent with the previously reported gene , which affects growth in beef cattle and humans. No QTL for growth performance was statistically significant in Jerseys, possibly due to the low power of detection with the small sample size. The meta-analysis of the 3 breeds increased the power to detect QTL.

Milk and acid-base balance: proposed hypothesis versus scientific evidence.

PubMed

Fenton, Tanis R; Lyon, Andrew W

2011-10-01

Recently the lay press has claimed a hypothetical association among dairy product consumption, generation of dietary acid, and harm to human health. This theoretical association is based on the idea that the protein and phosphate in milk and dairy products make them acid-producing foods, which cause our bodies to become acidified, promoting diseases of modern civilization. Some authors have suggested that dairy products are not helpful and perhaps detrimental to bone health because higher osteoporotic fracture incidence is observed in countries with higher dairy product consumption. However, scientific evidence does not support any of these claims. Milk and dairy products neither produce acid upon metabolism nor cause metabolic acidosis, and systemic pH is not influenced by diet. Observations of higher dairy product intake in countries with prevalent osteoporosis do not hold when urban environments are compared, likely due to physical labor in rural locations. Milk and other dairy products continue to be a good source of dietary protein and other nutrients. Key teaching points: Measurement of an acidic pH urine does not reflect metabolic acidosis or an adverse health condition. The modern diet, and dairy product consumption, does not make the body acidic. Alkaline diets alter urine pH but do not change systemic pH. Net acid excretion is not an important influence of calcium metabolism. Milk is not acid producing. Dietary phosphate does not have a negative impact on calcium metabolism, which is contrary to the acid-ash hypothesis.

Dairy Tool Box Talks: A Comprehensive Worker Training in Dairy Farming.

PubMed

Rovai, Maristela; Carroll, Heidi; Foos, Rebecca; Erickson, Tracey; Garcia, Alvaro

2016-01-01

Today's dairies are growing rapidly, with increasing dependence on Latino immigrant workers. This requires new educational strategies for improving milk quality and introduction to state-of-the-art dairy farming practices. It also creates knowledge gaps pertaining to the health of animals and workers, mainly due to the lack of time and language barriers. Owners, managers, and herdsmen assign training duties to more experienced employees, which may not promote "best practices" and may perpetuate bad habits. A comprehensive and periodic training program administered by qualified personnel is currently needed and will enhance the sustainability of the dairy industry. Strategic management and employee satisfaction will be achieved through proper training in the employee's language, typically Spanish. The training needs to address not only current industry standards but also social and cultural differences. An innovative training course was developed following the same structure used by the engineering and construction industries, giving farm workers basic understanding of animal care and handling, cow comfort, and personal safety. The "Dairy Tool Box Talks" program was conducted over a 10-week period with nine sessions according to farm's various employee work shifts. Bulk milk bacterial counts and somatic cell counts were used to evaluate milk quality on the three dairy farms participating in the program. "Dairy Tool Box Talks" resulted in a general sense of employee satisfaction, significant learning outcomes, and enthusiasm about the topics covered. We conclude this article by highlighting the importance of educational programs aimed at improving overall cross-cultural training.

Detrimental effect of selection for milk yield on genetic tolerance to heat stress in purebred Zebu cattle: Genetic parameters and trends.

PubMed

Santana, M L; Pereira, R J; Bignardi, A B; Filho, A E Vercesi; Menéndez-Buxadera, A; El Faro, L

2015-12-01

In an attempt to determine the possible detrimental effects of continuous selection for milk yield on the genetic tolerance of Zebu cattle to heat stress, genetic parameters and trends of the response to heat stress for 86,950 test-day (TD) milk yield records from 14,670 first lactations of purebred dairy Gir cows were estimated. A random regression model with regression on days in milk (DIM) and temperature-humidity index (THI) values was applied to the data. The most detrimental effect of THI on milk yield was observed in the stage of lactation with higher milk production, DIM 61 to 120 (-0.099kg/d per THI). Although modest variations were observed for the THI scale, a reduction in additive genetic variance as well as in permanent environmental and residual variance was observed with increasing THI values. The heritability estimates showed a slight increase with increasing THI values for any DIM. The correlations between additive genetic effects across the THI scale showed that, for most of the THI values, genotype by environment interactions due to heat stress were less important for the ranking of bulls. However, for extreme THI values, this type of genotype by environment interaction may lead to an important error in selection. As a result of the selection for milk yield practiced in the dairy Gir population for 3 decades, the genetic trend of cumulative milk yield was significantly positive for production in both high (51.81kg/yr) and low THI values (78.48kg/yr). However, the difference between the breeding values of animals at high and low THI may be considered alarming (355kg in 2011). The genetic trends observed for the regression coefficients related to general production level (intercept of the reaction norm) and specific ability to respond to heat stress (slope of the reaction norm) indicate that the dairy Gir population is heading toward a higher production level at the expense of lower tolerance to heat stress. These trends reflect the genetic antagonism between production and tolerance to heat stress demonstrated by the negative genetic correlation between these components (-0.23). Monitoring trends of the genetic component of heat stress would be a reasonable measure to avoid deterioration in one of the main traits of Zebu cattle (i.e., high tolerance to heat stress). On the basis of current genetic trends, the need for future genetic evaluation of dairy Zebu animals for tolerance to heat stress cannot be ruled out. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes in dairy food and nutrient intakes in Australian adolescents.

PubMed

Parker, Carole E; Vivian, Wendy J; Oddy, Wendy H; Beilin, Lawrence J; Mori, Trevor A; O'Sullivan, Therese A

2012-11-22

Dairy nutrients, such as calcium, are particularly important in adolescence, a critical time for growth and development. There are limited Australian data following individuals through adolescence, evaluating changes in dairy nutrient and dairy product consumption. We used a validated food frequency questionnaire to investigate consumption in adolescents participating in both the 14 and 17 year follow-ups of the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Most adolescents did not reach age and gender specific recommended daily intakes for calcium or magnesium at 14 years, and this decreased as they aged to 17 years (from 33.0% to 29.2% meeting for calcium, P < 0.05, and from 33.6% to 20.5% meeting for magnesium, P < 0.01). Mean intakes of calcium, potassium, riboflavin and vitamin A also decreased with age (P < 0.01). Mean dairy intake decreased from 536 ± 343 g/day to 464 ± 339 g/day (P < 0.01), due mostly to a decrease in regular milk, although flavoured milk consumption increased in boys. Cheese and butter were the only products to show a significantly increased consumption over the period. Girls decreased from 2.2 to 1.9 serves/day of dairy, while boys remained relatively steady at 2.9 to 2.8 serves/day. Our findings suggest that dairy product consumption decreases over adolescence. This may have implications for bone mass, development and later health.

Can methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevalence from dairy cows in India act as potential risk for community-associated infections?: A review

PubMed Central

Gopal, Sathish; Divya, Kurunchi C.

2017-01-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is classified as hospital associated (HA), community associated (CA), livestock associated (LA) and is a global concern. Developing countries, like India, are densely populated country challenging for public hygiene practices. HA-MRSA is comfortably recorded in India, and CA-MRSA is also reported as increasing one. CA-MRSA is serious disease which affects the community as endemic. MRSA is one among major mastitis-causing organisms in India as LA-MRSA. There were reports for transmission of MRSA as community between milk handlers and cow in global perspective. In India reports of MRSA in short among milk handlers and also transmission between animal and human. Hence, proper monitoring of MRSA transmission in India should be elucidated in account among milk handlers and dairy cows to avoid emerging CA-MRSA as outbreak. PMID:28435193

Attitudes to coping with radiologically suspect or contaminated milk in the UK: a dairy industry viewpoint.

PubMed

Komorowski, E S

2005-01-01

The attitudes of the UK milk processing industry to a nuclear incident which resulted in milk supplies being suspected of being contaminated, or actually being contaminated, with radioactivity is examined. The factors influencing these attitudes are discussed, together with their implications. In the event of a nuclear incident in which part of the United Kingdom's milk supply is possibly contaminated, the milk processing industry will want to ensure that consumers and retailers maintain complete confidence in dairy products. As a consequence the industry will require that solutions are not adopted merely to avoid wastage of milk, or awkward milk disposal problems. In the early history of the BSE crisis the government wrongly assured consumers that beef was completely safe to eat. It will be necessary to ensure that any assurances that milk is safe, following a nuclear incident, are well founded.

Parkinson's disease: no milk today?

PubMed

Kistner, Andrea; Krack, Paul

2014-01-01

Several prospective epidemiological studies on large cohorts have consistently reported an association between milk intake and a higher incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD). Pesticide contamination of milk and milk's urate-lowering effects have been put forward as risk factors to explain epidemiological data. This has led to considerable uncertainty among physicians and avoidance of dairy products by PD patients. However, neither factor stands up to the rational and detailed examination of the literature carried out in this mini-review. We suggest that changes in eating behavior related to pre-motor PD are an alternative potential explanation of correlations observed between milk intake and PD occurrence. Despite clear-cut associations between milk intake and PD incidence, there is no rational explanation for milk being a risk factor for PD. Based on current knowledge, limiting the consumption of dairy products does not seem to be a reasonable strategy in the prevention of the development and progression of PD.

Milk yield differences between 1x and 4x milking are associated with changes in mammary mitochondrial number and milk protein gene expression, but not mammary cell apoptosis or "SOCS" gene expression

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Milking frequency is known to affect milk production and lactation persistence in dairy cows. Despite this, the mechanisms underlying this effect are only partially understood. Previous work in dairy cows examining increases in milk yield due to increased milking frequency have identified changes in...

Using Life Cycle Assessment methodology to assess UHT milk production in Portugal.

PubMed

González-García, Sara; Castanheira, Erica G; Dias, Ana Cláudia; Arroja, Luis

2013-01-01

Milk and dairy products constitute an important ingredient in the human diet. Ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk is the main dairy product consumed in Portugal and its production entails large inputs of resources which derive on negative environmental effects such as nutrient enrichment of the ecosystem and climate change. In this study, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was considered for the environmental assessment of packaged UHT milk produced in Portugal, including simple (whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed) and cocoa milk from a cradle-to-gate perspective and to identify the environmental hot spots. Results showed that the production of the raw milk in the dairy farm is the main hot spot in almost all the categories under assessment mainly due to the emissions from enteric fermentation, manure management and fertilisers production and application. Furthermore, on-site emissions derived from dairy factory are remarkable together with the packages and energy requirements production. The values reported in this study are in the range of other related papers. However, differences were also identified due to several reasons such as allocation approach, data sources, characterisation factors, farm management regimes and assumptions considered. Therefore, these aspects should be carefully addressed and sensitivity to the assumptions and uncertainty of the results should be evaluated. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short communication: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in bulk tank milk of dairy cows and effect of swine population density.

PubMed

Locatelli, C; Cremonesi, P; Bertocchi, L; Zanoni, M G; Barberio, A; Drigo, I; Varisco, G; Castiglioni, B; Bronzo, V; Moroni, P

2016-03-01

The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has recently frequently been reported in dairy cattle, usually with low prevalence. The livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) ST398 is especially involved in cases of subclinical and clinical mastitis. Swine carry LA-MRSA without clinical symptoms and are considered its reservoir and shedder. People exposed to swine are particularly at risk of LA-MRSA colonization. Environments with relevant livestock density are a demonstrated risk factor for humans to be carriers of a LA-MRSA. This work investigated dairy farms located in an area with a high livestock density, mainly represented by swine. Bulk tank milk samples from 224 dairy farms were collected, and their status was defined as MRSA-positive or MRSA-negative based on culture on chromogenic medium. The number of fattening swine and of fattening swine herds was calculated in an area of 3 km around each dairy farm through georeferencing. The probability of a Staphylococcus aureus-positive dairy farm to be MRSA positive based on the extent of potential infective pressure due to swine density was calculated. Both the number of swine herds and the number of swine were associated with the MRSA status of dairy herds. The 9 MRSA isolated were typed by multi-locus sequence typing and spa-typing, and characterized for their virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance profiles. The ST and spa-types detected are consistent with those present in the Italian swine population. Virulence and resistance profiles are mostly consistent with the types detected. This work provides the first evidence of the epidemiological challenge exerted by the density of the swine population on MRSA in dairy cows. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ammonia sources in the California South Coast Air Basin and their impact on ammonium nitrate formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowak, J. B.; Neuman, J. A.; Bahreini, R.; Middlebrook, A. M.; Holloway, J. S.; McKeen, S. A.; Parrish, D. D.; Ryerson, T. B.; Trainer, M.

2012-04-01

Observations from the NOAA WP-3D aircraft during CalNex in May and June 2010 are used to quantify ammonia (NH3) emissions from automobiles and dairy facilities in the California South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) and assess their impact on particulate ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) formation. These airborne measurements in the SoCAB are used to estimate automobile NH3 emissions, 62 ± 24 metric tons day-1, and dairy facility NH3 emissions, 33 ± 16 to 176 ± 88 metric tons day-1. Emission inventories agree with the observed automobile NH3:CO emission ratio, but substantially underpredict dairy facility NH3 emissions. Conditions observed downwind of the dairy facilities were always thermodynamically favorable for NH4NO3 formation due to high NH3 mixing ratios from the concentrated sources. Although automobile emissions generated lower NH3 mixing ratios, they also can thermodynamically favor NH4NO3 formation. As an aerosol control strategy, addressing the dairy NH3 source would have the larger impact on reducing SoCAB NH4NO3 formation.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of lactose digestion, its impact on intolerance and nutritional effects of dairy food restriction in inflammatory bowel diseases.

PubMed

Szilagyi, Andrew; Galiatsatos, Polymnia; Xue, Xiaoqing

2016-07-13

Relationships between inflammatory bowel disease and lactose containing foods remain controversial and poorly defined regarding symptoms, nutritional outcomes, and epidemiologic associations for lactose maldigestion. A literature review was performed using Pub Med, Cochrane library and individual references, to extract data on lactose maldigestion prevalence in inflammatory bowel diseases. A meta-analysis was done using selected articles, to determine odds ratios of maldigestion. Information was collected about symptoms, impact on pattern of dairy food consumption, as well as the effects of dairy foods on the course of inflammatory bowel diseases. A total of 1022 articles were evaluated, 35 articles were retained and 5 studies were added from review articles. Of these 17 were included in meta-analysis which showed overall increased lactose maldigestion in both diseases. However increased risk on sub analysis was only found in Crohn's in patients with small bowel involvement. Nine additional studies were reviewed for symptoms, with variable outcomes due to confounding between lactose intolerance and lactose maldigestion. Fourteen studies were evaluated for dairy food effects. There was a suggestion that dairy foods may protect against inflammatory bowel disease. Nutritional consequences of dairy restrictions might impact adversely on bone and colonic complications. Lactose maldigestion in inflammatory bowel disease is dependent on ethnic makeup of the population and usually not disease. No bias of increased disease prevalence was noted between lactase genotypes. Intolerance symptoms depend on several parameters besides lactose maldigestion. Dairy foods may decrease risks of inflammatory bowel disease. Dairy restrictions may adversely affect disease outcome.

Dairy Tool Box Talks: A Comprehensive Worker Training in Dairy Farming

PubMed Central

Rovai, Maristela; Carroll, Heidi; Foos, Rebecca; Erickson, Tracey; Garcia, Alvaro

2016-01-01

Today’s dairies are growing rapidly, with increasing dependence on Latino immigrant workers. This requires new educational strategies for improving milk quality and introduction to state-of-the-art dairy farming practices. It also creates knowledge gaps pertaining to the health of animals and workers, mainly due to the lack of time and language barriers. Owners, managers, and herdsmen assign training duties to more experienced employees, which may not promote “best practices” and may perpetuate bad habits. A comprehensive and periodic training program administered by qualified personnel is currently needed and will enhance the sustainability of the dairy industry. Strategic management and employee satisfaction will be achieved through proper training in the employee’s language, typically Spanish. The training needs to address not only current industry standards but also social and cultural differences. An innovative training course was developed following the same structure used by the engineering and construction industries, giving farm workers basic understanding of animal care and handling, cow comfort, and personal safety. The “Dairy Tool Box Talks” program was conducted over a 10-week period with nine sessions according to farm’s various employee work shifts. Bulk milk bacterial counts and somatic cell counts were used to evaluate milk quality on the three dairy farms participating in the program. “Dairy Tool Box Talks” resulted in a general sense of employee satisfaction, significant learning outcomes, and enthusiasm about the topics covered. We conclude this article by highlighting the importance of educational programs aimed at improving overall cross-cultural training. PMID:27471726

Short communication: Pseudomonas azotoformans causes gray discoloration in HTST fluid milk.

PubMed

Evanowski, Rachel L; Reichler, Samuel J; Kent, David J; Martin, Nicole H; Boor, Kathryn J; Wiedmann, Martin

2017-10-01

Pseudomonas species are well recognized as dairy product spoilage organisms, particularly due to their ability to grow at refrigeration temperatures. Although Pseudomonas-related spoilage usually manifests itself in flavor, odor, and texture defects, which are typically due to production of bacterial enzymes, Pseudomonas is also reported to cause color defects. Because of consumer complaints, a commercial dairy company shipped 4 samples of high temperature, short time (HTST)-pasteurized milk with distinctly gray colors to our laboratory. Bacterial isolates from all 4 samples were identified as Pseudomonas azotoformans. All isolates shared the same partial 16S rDNA sequence and showed black pigmentation on Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol agar. Inoculation of one pigment-producing P. azotoformans isolate into HTST-pasteurized fluid milk led to development of gray milk after 14 d of storage at 6°C, but only in containers that had half of the total volume filled with milk (∼500 mL of milk in ∼1,000-mL bottles). We conclusively demonstrate that Pseudomonas can cause a color defect in fluid milk that manifests in gray discoloration, adding to the palette of color defects known to be caused by Pseudomonas. This information is of considerable interest to the dairy industry, because dairy processors and others may not typically associate black or gray colors in fluid milk with the presence of microbial contaminants but rather with product tampering (e.g., addition of ink) or other inadvertent chemical contamination. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The potential of avocado paste (Persea americana) as fat substitute in non-dairy ice cream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ervina; Surjawan, I.; Abdillah, E.

2018-01-01

Consumer preferences towards plant-based food have shifted significantly due to sustainable and healthy reasons. Dairy products consist of high Saturated Fatty Acid (SFA) and overconsumption of SFA could lead to cardiovascular diseases. Avocado contains high levels of fat dominated by Monounsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA) and phytosterol that have the potential as a plant-based fat source to substitute dairy-fat in ice cream. The objective of this study was to analyze the physicochemical, rheological and sensorial properties of ice cream substituted with different concentrations of avocado paste ranging from 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% respectively against dairy fat to produce non-dairy fat ice cream. The psychochemical properties and total fat were determined. Sensorial quality and hedonic attributes of ice cream were investigated using 60 semi-trained panelists. There were significant differences (p<0.05) for overrun, melting rate, and viscosity of the ice cream substituted with avocado paste. The addition of avocado paste lead to the increase in viscosity and hardness of the ice cream significantly (p<0.05) while the sensorial properties for airiness and creaminess were perceived the same (p>0.05). The addition of 50% avocado paste was the most preferred among the panelists. Avocado could provide a potential substitution for dairy-fat in ice cream.

Ergonomics in industrialized dairy operations.

PubMed

Douphrate, David I; Nonnenmann, Matthew W; Rosecrance, John C

2009-01-01

This paper presents a summary of a panel presentation by agriculture health and safety scientists on ergonomics of industrialized dairy parlor operations in the United States. Dairy industry trends in the United States were discussed in the panel presentation, which took place during the New Paths: Health and Safety in Western Agriculture conference, November 11-13, 2008. Dairy production is steadily moving to large-herd operations because of associated economies of scale and other economic and social conditions. Large-herd operations utilize a parlor milking system, as compared to a stanchion system used primarily in smaller operations. Each milking system presents different risks for worker injury. Low back, knee, and shoulder musculoskeletal symptoms were most frequently reported among workers in smaller dairy operations. Another study analyzing workers' compensation (WC) data from large-herd milking operations found nearly 50% of livestock-handling injury claims involved parlor milking activities. Nearly 27% of injuries were to the wrist, hand, and fingers, nearly 13% to the head or face, and 11% to the chest. Results indicated the vulnerability of these body parts to injury due to the worker-livestock interface during milking. More focused research should investigate milking practices and parlor designs as they relate to worker safety and health. Additional dairy-related injury research is vital given the trend towards large industrial milking operations.

Texturized dairy proteins.

PubMed

Onwulata, Charles I; Phillips, John G; Tunick, Michael H; Qi, Phoebi X; Cooke, Peter H

2010-03-01

Dairy proteins are amenable to structural modifications induced by high temperature, shear, and moisture; in particular, whey proteins can change conformation to new unfolded states. The change in protein state is a basis for creating new foods. The dairy products, nonfat dried milk (NDM), whey protein concentrate (WPC), and whey protein isolate (WPI) were modified using a twin-screw extruder at melt temperatures of 50, 75, and 100 degrees C, and moistures ranging from 20 to 70 wt%. Viscoelasticity and solubility measurements showed that extrusion temperature was a more significant (P < 0.05) change factor than moisture content. The degree of texturization, or change in protein state, was characterized by solubility (R(2)= 0.98). The consistency of the extruded dairy protein ranged from rigid (2500 N) to soft (2.7 N). Extruding at or above 75 degrees C resulted in increased peak force for WPC (138 to 2500 N) and WPI (2.7 to 147.1 N). NDM was marginally texturized; the presence of lactose interfered with its texturization. WPI products extruded at 50 degrees C were not texturized; their solubility values ranged from 71.8% to 92.6%. A wide possibility exists for creating new foods with texturized dairy proteins due to the extensive range of states achievable. Dairy proteins can be used to boost the protein content in puffed snacks made from corn meal, but unmodified, they bind water and form doughy pastes with starch. To minimize the water binding property of dairy proteins, WPI, or WPC, or NDM were modified by extrusion processing. Extrusion temperature conditions were adjusted to 50, 75, or 100 degrees C, sufficient to change the structure of the dairy proteins, but not destroy them. Extrusion modified the structures of these dairy proteins for ease of use in starchy foods to boost nutrient levels. Dairy proteins can be used to boost the protein content in puffed snacks made from corn meal, but unmodified, they bind water and form doughy pastes with starch. To minimize the water binding property of dairy proteins, whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, or nonfat dried milk were modified by extrusion processing. Extrusion temperature conditions were adjusted to 50, 75, or 100 degrees C, sufficient to change the structure of the dairy proteins, but not destroy them. Extrusion modified the structures of these dairy proteins for ease of use in starchy foods to boost nutrient levels.

Greenhouse gas emissions of realistic dietary choices in Denmark: the carbon footprint and nutritional value of dairy products

PubMed Central

Werner, Louise Bruun; Flysjö, Anna; Tholstrup, Tine

2014-01-01

Background Dairy products are important in a healthy diet due to their high nutritional value; they are, however, associated with relatively large greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) per kg product. When discussing the need to reduce the GHGE caused by the food system, it is crucial to consider the nutritional value of alternative food choices. Objective The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of dairy products in overall nutrition and to clarify the effects of dietary choices on GHGE, and to combine nutritional value and GHGE data. Methods We created eight dietary scenarios with different quantity of dairy products using data from the Danish National Dietary Survey (1995–2006). Nutrient composition and GHGE data for 71 highly consumed foods were used to estimate GHGE and nutritional status for each dietary scenario. An index was used to estimate nutrient density in relation to nutritional recommendation and climate impact for solid food items; high index values were those with the highest nutrient density scores in relation to the GHGE. Results The high-dairy scenario resulted in 27% higher protein, 13% higher vitamin D; 55% higher calcium; 48% higher riboflavin; and 18% higher selenium than the non-dairy scenario. There was a significant correlation between changes in calcium and changes in vitamin D, selenium, and riboflavin content (P=0.0001) throughout all of the diets. The estimated GHGE for the dietary scenario with average-dairy consumption was 4,631 g CO2e/day. Conclusions When optimizing a diet with regard to sustainability, it is crucial to account for the nutritional value and not solely focus on impact per kg product. Excluding dairy products from the diet does not necessarily mitigate climate change but in contrast may have nutritional consequences. PMID:24959114

Greenhouse gas emissions of realistic dietary choices in Denmark: the carbon footprint and nutritional value of dairy products.

PubMed

Werner, Louise Bruun; Flysjö, Anna; Tholstrup, Tine

2014-01-01

Dairy products are important in a healthy diet due to their high nutritional value; they are, however, associated with relatively large greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) per kg product. When discussing the need to reduce the GHGE caused by the food system, it is crucial to consider the nutritional value of alternative food choices. The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of dairy products in overall nutrition and to clarify the effects of dietary choices on GHGE, and to combine nutritional value and GHGE data. We created eight dietary scenarios with different quantity of dairy products using data from the Danish National Dietary Survey (1995-2006). Nutrient composition and GHGE data for 71 highly consumed foods were used to estimate GHGE and nutritional status for each dietary scenario. An index was used to estimate nutrient density in relation to nutritional recommendation and climate impact for solid food items; high index values were those with the highest nutrient density scores in relation to the GHGE. The high-dairy scenario resulted in 27% higher protein, 13% higher vitamin D; 55% higher calcium; 48% higher riboflavin; and 18% higher selenium than the non-dairy scenario. There was a significant correlation between changes in calcium and changes in vitamin D, selenium, and riboflavin content (P=0.0001) throughout all of the diets. The estimated GHGE for the dietary scenario with average-dairy consumption was 4,631 g CO2e/day. When optimizing a diet with regard to sustainability, it is crucial to account for the nutritional value and not solely focus on impact per kg product. Excluding dairy products from the diet does not necessarily mitigate climate change but in contrast may have nutritional consequences.

Mini review on role of β-galactosidase in lactose intolerance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A, Nivetha; V, Mohanasrinivasan

2017-11-01

This review mainly focuses on the role and properties of β-galactosidase in lactose intolerance and its industrial application. β-Galactosidase, hydrolyses the lactose into glucose and galactose and it is most commonly used in food based technology, particularly in the dairy manufacturing industry. This catalyst mainly focus for the improvement of new and novel products with hydrolyzed lactose, which can be appropriate for the lactose-intolerant persons, to improve the technological, texture and scientific properties of non-fermented dairy products. β-Galactosidase derived from the group of saccharides which is a converting enzymes in the family of hydrolases. They are broadly distributed in the several biological living systems. The enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose is also preferred in food based technology due to the low soluble range of lactose. The concentration lactose was found to be high in fermented dairy products such as ice cream, butter, cheese curd, yogurt, etc., can prompt extreme lactose crystallization bringing about items through a coarse, abrasive surface. Lactose hydrolysis in dairy products enhances adaptability also, richness altogether. These products are extra edible. Also for this purpose, the utilization of β-galactosidase enzyme prior to the condensing operation can reduce the lactose content to a point where lactose was no longer a problem industrial application of β-galactosidase. In Industries, due to the positive and constructive effect on intestinal bacterial microflora, different types of applications are possible in β-galactosidase enzyme.

Major advances in extension education programs in dairy production.

PubMed

Chase, L E; Ely, L O; Hutjens, M F

2006-04-01

The dairy industry has seen structural changes in the last 25 yr that have an impact on extension programming. The number of cows in the United States has decreased by 17%, whereas the number of dairy farms has decreased by 74%. The average milk production per cow has increased from 5,394 to 8,599 kg/lactation. Even though there are fewer farms, dairy farm managers are asking for more specific and targeted information. The extension resources available have also decreased during this period. Because of these changes, shifts have taken place in extension programming and staffing. A key change has been a shift to subject matter-targeted programs and workshops. Extension has also incorporated and expanded use of the Internet. Discussion groups, subject matter courses, and searchable databases are examples of Internet use. There will be continuing shifts in the demographics of the US dairy industry that will influence future extension efforts. It is also probable that fewer extension professionals will be available to provide programming due to changes in funding sources at national, state, and local levels. Future shifts in extension programming will be needed to provide the information needs of the industry with a smaller number of extension workers.

NOx emissions from a Central California dairy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasson, Alam S.; Ogunjemiyo, Segun O.; Trabue, Steven; Ashkan, Shawn; Scoggin, Kenwood; Steele, Julie; Olea, Catalina; Middala, Srikar; Vu, Kennedy; Scruggs, Austen; Addala, Laxmi R.; Nana, Lucien

2013-05-01

Concentrations of NOx (NO + NO2) were monitored downwind from a Central California dairy facility during 2011 and 2012. NOx concentrations at the dairy were significantly higher than the background levels during August 2011 primarily due to the presence of elevated NO, but were indistinguishable from background concentrations during January and April 2012. A Gaussian plume model (AERMOD) and a Lagrangian back trajectory model (Wind Trax) were used to estimate the flux of NO from the dairy during August 2011 with the assumption that emissions were primarily from animal feed. NO emissions from silage were also directly measured from feed to provide additional insight into the sources. Isolation flux chamber measurements imply an NO flux from the feed of about 1.3 × 10-3 g m-2 h-1, but these relatively low fluxes are inconsistent with the elevated NO concentrations observed during August 2011. This implies that either the flux chamber method grossly underestimates the true NO emissions from feed, or that most of the ambient NO measured at the dairy is from other sources. Emissions from farm machinery may account for the NO concentrations observed. Animal feed thus appears to be a small contributor to NOx emissions within Central California.

Patterns of dairy food intake, body composition and markers of metabolic health in Ireland: results from the National Adult Nutrition Survey.

PubMed

Feeney, E L; O'Sullivan, A; Nugent, A P; McNulty, B; Walton, J; Flynn, A; Gibney, E R

2017-02-20

Studies examining the association between dairy consumption and metabolic health have shown mixed results. This may be due, in part, to the use of different definitions of dairy, and to single types of dairy foods examined in isolation. The objective of the study was to examine associations between dairy food intake and metabolic health, identify patterns of dairy food consumption and determine whether dairy dietary patterns are associated with outcomes of metabolic health, in a cross-sectional survey. A 4-day food diary was used to assess food and beverage consumption, including dairy (defined as milk, cheese, yogurt, cream and butter) in free-living, healthy Irish adults aged 18-90 years (n=1500). Fasting blood samples (n=897) were collected, and anthropometric measurements taken. Differences in metabolic health markers across patterns and tertiles of dairy consumption were tested via analysis of covariance. Patterns of dairy food consumption, of different fat contents, were identified using cluster analysis. Higher (total) dairy was associated with lower body mass index, %body fat, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio (P<0.001), and lower systolic (P=0.02) and diastolic (P<0.001) blood pressure. Similar trends were observed when milk and yogurt intakes were considered separately. Higher cheese consumption was associated with higher C-peptide (P<0.001). Dietary pattern analysis identified three patterns (clusters) of dairy consumption; 'Whole milk', 'Reduced fat milks and yogurt' and 'Butter and cream'. The 'Reduced fat milks and yogurt' cluster had the highest scores on a Healthy Eating Index, and lower-fat and saturated fat intakes, but greater triglyceride levels (P=0.028) and total cholesterol (P=0.015). Overall, these results suggest that while milk and yogurt consumption is associated with a favourable body phenotype, the blood lipid profiles are less favourable when eaten as part of a low-fat high-carbohydrate dietary pattern. More research is needed to better understand this association. Overall, these results suggest that although milk and yogurt consumption is associated with a favourable body phenotype, the blood lipid profiles are less favourable when eaten as part of a low-fat high-carbohydrate dietary pattern. More research is needed to better understand this association.

Patterns of dairy food intake, body composition and markers of metabolic health in Ireland: results from the National Adult Nutrition Survey

PubMed Central

Feeney, E L; O'Sullivan, A; Nugent, A P; McNulty, B; Walton, J; Flynn, A; Gibney, E R

2017-01-01

Background: Studies examining the association between dairy consumption and metabolic health have shown mixed results. This may be due, in part, to the use of different definitions of dairy, and to single types of dairy foods examined in isolation. Objective: The objective of the study was to examine associations between dairy food intake and metabolic health, identify patterns of dairy food consumption and determine whether dairy dietary patterns are associated with outcomes of metabolic health, in a cross-sectional survey. Design: A 4-day food diary was used to assess food and beverage consumption, including dairy (defined as milk, cheese, yogurt, cream and butter) in free-living, healthy Irish adults aged 18–90 years (n=1500). Fasting blood samples (n=897) were collected, and anthropometric measurements taken. Differences in metabolic health markers across patterns and tertiles of dairy consumption were tested via analysis of covariance. Patterns of dairy food consumption, of different fat contents, were identified using cluster analysis. Results: Higher (total) dairy was associated with lower body mass index, %body fat, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio (P<0.001), and lower systolic (P=0.02) and diastolic (P<0.001) blood pressure. Similar trends were observed when milk and yogurt intakes were considered separately. Higher cheese consumption was associated with higher C-peptide (P<0.001). Dietary pattern analysis identified three patterns (clusters) of dairy consumption; 'Whole milk', 'Reduced fat milks and yogurt' and 'Butter and cream'. The 'Reduced fat milks and yogurt' cluster had the highest scores on a Healthy Eating Index, and lower-fat and saturated fat intakes, but greater triglyceride levels (P=0.028) and total cholesterol (P=0.015). conclusion: Overall, these results suggest that while milk and yogurt consumption is associated with a favourable body phenotype, the blood lipid profiles are less favourable when eaten as part of a low-fat high-carbohydrate dietary pattern. More research is needed to better understand this association. Conclusion: Overall, these results suggest that although milk and yogurt consumption is associated with a favourable body phenotype, the blood lipid profiles are less favourable when eaten as part of a low-fat high-carbohydrate dietary pattern. More research is needed to better understand this association. PMID:28218736

Foodborne pathogens in milk and the dairy farm environment: food safety and public health implications.

PubMed

Oliver, S P; Jayarao, B M; Almeida, R A

2005-01-01

Milk and products derived from milk of dairy cows can harbor a variety of microorganisms and can be important sources of foodborne pathogens. The presence of foodborne pathogens in milk is due to direct contact with contaminated sources in the dairy farm environment and to excretion from the udder of an infected animal. Most milk is pasteurized, so why should the dairy industry be concerned about the microbial quality of bulk tank milk? There are several valid reasons, including (1) outbreaks of disease in humans have been traced to the consumption of unpasteurized milk and have also been traced back to pasteurized milk, (2) unpasteurized milk is consumed directly by dairy producers, farm employees, and their families, neighbors, and raw milk advocates, (3) unpasteurized milk is consumed directly by a large segment of the population via consumption of several types of cheeses manufactured from unpasteurized milk, (4) entry of foodborne pathogens via contaminated raw milk into dairy food processing plants can lead to persistence of these pathogens in biofilms, and subsequent contamination of processed milk products and exposure of consumers to pathogenic bacteria, (5) pasteurization may not destroy all foodborne pathogens in milk, and (6) inadequate or faulty pasteurization will not destroy all foodborne pathogens. Furthermore, pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes can survive and thrive in post-pasteurization processing environments, thus leading to recontamination of dairy products. These pathways pose a risk to the consumer from direct exposure to foodborne pathogens present in unpasteurized dairy products as well as dairy products that become re-contaminated after pasteurization. The purpose of this communication is to review literature published on the prevalence of bacterial foodborne pathogens in milk and in the dairy environment, and to discuss public health and food safety issues associated with foodborne pathogens found in the dairy environment. Information presented supports the model in which the presence of pathogens depends on ingestion of contaminated feed followed by amplification in bovine hosts and fecal dissemination in the farm environment. The final outcome of this cycle is a constantly maintained reservoir of foodborne pathogens that can reach humans by direct contact, ingestion of raw contaminated milk or cheese, or contamination during the processing of milk products. Isolation of bacterial pathogens with similar biotypes from dairy farms and from outbreaks of human disease substantiates this hypothesis.

Dilemma between health and environmental motives when purchasing animal food products: sociodemographic and nutritional characteristics of consumers.

PubMed

Péneau, Sandrine; Fassier, Philippine; Allès, Benjamin; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Hercberg, Serge; Méjean, Caroline

2017-11-10

Dietary guidelines in France give quantitative recommendations for intake of meat, fish and dairy products whereas consumers are increasingly concerned by the environmental impacts associated with the production of these foods. This potentially leads to consumer dilemmas when purchasing food products. The present study aimed at investigating the sociodemographic profiles of individuals reporting health and environmental dilemmas when purchasing meat, fish and dairy products, and comparing diet quality of individuals with and without dilemma. A total of 22,936 adult participants in the NutriNet-Santé cohort were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing motives when purchasing meat, fish and dairy products, including health and environmental determinants. Environmental vs. health dilemmas were assessed using implicit and explicit methods. Sociodemographic data as well as dietary intake using repeated 24 h-records were collected. The association between sociodemographic characteristics and presence of dilemma was assessed using logistic regression models and between dilemma and intake of these products, adherence to food group guidelines, or overall dietary quality, using covariance analysis. Among participants, 13% were torn between buying meat for health reasons and to avoid buying it for environmental reasons, 12% in the case of fish and 5% in the case of dairy products. Older participants, women and low income individuals were more likely to report dilemmas. Participants reporting dilemmas for meat and dairy products consumed less of these foods (P < 0.05 and P < 0.0001, respectively) and had a better dietary quality overall (both P < 0.0001). In addition, participants with meat dilemma showed a better adherence to meat/fish/eggs guidelines (P < 0.001). Individuals reporting dilemmas concerning animal products had specific sociodemographic characteristics and showed higher diet quality overall compared with those having no dilemma. Our data suggest that having environmental concerns is not contradictory with adherence to nutritional guidelines.

Measurement of atmospheric ammonia at a dairy using differential optical absorption spectroscopy in the mid-ultraviolet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mount, George H.; Rumburg, Brian; Havig, Jeff; Lamb, Brian; Westberg, Hal; Yonge, David; Johnson, Kristen; Kincaid, Ronald

Ammonia is the most abundant basic gas in the atmosphere, and after N 2 and N 2O is the most abundant nitrogen-containing specie (Seinfeld and Pandis, 1998. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: from air pollution to climate changes. Wiley, New York). Typical concentrations of ammonia in the boundary layer range from <1 part per billion by volume (ppbv) in the free continental troposphere to parts per million (ppmv) levels over animal waste lagoons and near animal stalls. Agricultural activities are the dominant global source of ammonia emissions and a major environmental concern. In the US, ≈85% of ammonia emissions come from livestock operations (EPA Trends, 1998. www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/trends98/chapter2.pdf). Dairy farms constitute a large fraction of the livestock inventory. Current estimates of ammonia emissions to the atmosphere are characterized by a high degree of uncertainty, and so it is very important to obtain better estimates of ammonia emissions. We are working at the Washington State University research dairy to quantify ammonia emissions and investigate the effects of various mitigation strategies on those emissions. We describe here a new instrument utilizing the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique to measure ammonia in the mid-ultraviolet with a detectability limit of about 1 ppb. DOAS avoids many of the problems that have thwarted past ammonia concentration measurements. Initial results show concentrations in the barn/concrete yard areas in the tens of parts per million range, over the slurry lagoons of hundreds of parts per billion to low parts per million, and low parts per million levels after initial slurry applications onto pastureland. Future papers will report on emission fluxes from the various parts of the dairy and the results of mitigation strategies; we show here initial data results. For a recent review of ammonia volatilization from dairy farms, see Bussink and Oenema (Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 51(1998) 19).

Application of microsatellite markers as potential tools for traceability of Girgentana goat breed dairy products.

PubMed

Sardina, Maria Teresa; Tortorici, Lina; Mastrangelo, Salvatore; Di Gerlando, Rosalia; Tolone, Marco; Portolano, Baldassare

2015-08-01

In livestock, breed assignment may play a key role in the certification of products linked to specific breeds. Traceability of farm animals and authentication of their products can contribute to improve breed profitability and sustainability of animal productions with significant impact on the rural economy of particular geographic areas and on breed and biodiversity conservation. With the goal of developing a breed genetic traceability system for Girgentana dairy products, the aim of this study was to identify specific microsatellite markers able to discriminate among the most important Sicilian dairy goat breeds, in order to detect possible adulteration in Girgentana dairy products. A total of 20 microsatellite markers were analyzed on 338 individual samples from Girgentana, Maltese, and Derivata di Siria goat breeds. Specific microsatellite markers useful for traceability of dairy products were identified. Eight microsatellite markers showed alleles present at the same time in Maltese and Derivata di Siria and absent in Girgentana and, therefore, they were tested on DNA pools of the three breeds. Considering the electropherograms' results, only FCB20, SRCRSP5, and TGLA122 markers were tested on DNA samples extracted from cheeses of Girgentana goat breed. These three microsatellite markers could be applied in a breed genetic traceability system of Girgentana dairy products in order to detect adulteration due to Maltese and Derivata di Siria goat breeds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anti-methanogenic effects of monensin in dairy and beef cattle: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Appuhamy, J A D Ranga Niroshan; Strathe, A B; Jayasundara, S; Wagner-Riddle, C; Dijkstra, J; France, J; Kebreab, E

2013-08-01

Monensin is a widely used feed additive with the potential to minimize methane (CH4) emissions from cattle. Several studies have investigated the effects of monensin on CH4, but findings have been inconsistent. The objective of the present study was to conduct meta-analyses to quantitatively summarize the effect of monensin on CH4 production (g/d) and the percentage of dietary gross energy lost as CH4 (Ym) in dairy cows and beef steers. Data from 22 controlled studies were used. Heterogeneity of the monensin effects were estimated using random effect models. Due to significant heterogeneity (>68%) in both dairy and beef studies, the random effect models were then extended to mixed effect models by including fixed effects of DMI, dietary nutrient contents, monensin dose, and length of monensin treatment period. Monensin reduced Ym from 5.97 to 5.43% and diets with greater neutral detergent fiber contents (g/kg of dry matter) tended to enhance the monensin effect on CH4 in beef steers. When adjusted for the neutral detergent fiber effect, monensin supplementation [average 32 mg/kg of dry matter intake (DMI)] reduced CH4 emissions from beef steers by 19±4 g/d. Dietary ether extract content and DMI had a positive and a negative effect on monensin in dairy cows, respectively. When adjusted for these 2 effects in the final mixed-effect model, monensin feeding (average 21 mg/kg of DMI) was associated with a 6±3 g/d reduction in CH4 emissions in dairy cows. When analyzed across dairy and beef cattle studies, DMI or monensin dose (mg/kg of DMI) tended to decrease or increase the effect of monensin in reducing methane emissions, respectively. Methane mitigation effects of monensin in dairy cows (-12±6 g/d) and beef steers (-14±6 g/d) became similar when adjusted for the monensin dose differences between dairy cow and beef steer studies. When adjusted for DMI differences, monensin reduced Ym in dairy cows (-0.23±0.14) and beef steers (-0.33±0.16). Monensin treatment period length did not significantly modify the monensin effects in dairy cow or beef steer studies. Overall, monensin had stronger antimethanogenic effects in beef steers than dairy cows, but the effects in dairy cows could potentially be improved by dietary composition modifications and increasing the monensin dose. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Screening of antibiotics and chemical analysis of penicillin residue in fresh milk and traditional dairy products in Oyo state, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Olatoye, Isaac Olufemi; Daniel, Oluwayemisi Folashade; Ishola, Sunday Ayobami

2016-01-01

Background and Aim: There are global public health and economic concerns on chemical residues in food of animal origin. The use of antibiotics in dairy cattle for the treatment of diseases such as mastitis has contributed to the presence of residues in dairy products. Penicillin residues as low as 1 ppb can lead to allergic reactions and shift of resistance patterns in microbial population as well as interfere with the processing of several dairy products. Antibiotic monitoring is an essential quality control measure in safe milk production. This study was aimed at determining antibiotic residue contamination and the level of penicillin in dairy products from Fulani cattle herds in Oyo State. Materials and Methods: The presence of antibiotic residues in 328 samples of fresh milk, 180 local cheese (wara), and 90 fermented milk (nono) from Southwest, Nigeria were determined using Premi® test kit (R-Biopharm AG, Germany) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of penicillin-G residue. Results: Antibiotic residues were obtained in 40.8%, 24.4% and 62.3% fresh milk, wara and nono, respectively. Penicillin-G residue was also detected in 41.1% fresh milk, 40.2% nono and 24.4% wara at mean concentrations of 15.22±0.61, 8.24±0.50 and 7.6±0.60 μg/L with 39.3%, 36.7% and 21.1%, respectively, containing penicillin residue above recommended Codex maximum residue limit (MRL) of 5 μg/L in dairy. There was no significant difference between the mean penicillin residues in all the dairy products in this study. Conclusion: The results are of food safety concern since the bulk of the samples and substantial quantities of dairy products in Oyo state contained violative levels of antibiotic residues including penicillin residues in concentrations above the MRL. This could be due to indiscriminate and unregulated administration of antibiotics to dairy cattle. Regulatory control of antibiotic use, rapid screening of milk and dairy farmers’ extension education on alternatives to antibiotic prophylaxis, veterinary prescriptions and withdrawal periods are recommended to prevent residues. PMID:27733794

Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Analysis of an Anaerobic Codigestion Facility Processing Dairy Manure and Industrial Food Waste.

PubMed

Ebner, Jacqueline H; Labatut, Rodrigo A; Rankin, Matthew J; Pronto, Jennifer L; Gooch, Curt A; Williamson, Anahita A; Trabold, Thomas A

2015-09-15

Anaerobic codigestion (AcoD) can address food waste disposal and manure management issues while delivering clean, renewable energy. Quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to implementation of AcoD is important to achieve this goal. A lifecycle analysis was performed on the basis of data from an on-farm AcoD in New York, resulting in a 71% reduction in GHG, or net reduction of 37.5 kg CO2e/t influent relative to conventional treatment of manure and food waste. Displacement of grid electricity provided the largest reduction, followed by avoidance of alternative food waste disposal options and reduced impacts associated with storage of digestate vs undigested manure. These reductions offset digester emissions and the net increase in emissions associated with land application in the AcoD case relative to the reference case. Sensitivity analysis showed that using feedstock diverted from high impact disposal pathways, control of digester emissions, and managing digestate storage emissions were opportunities to improve the AcoD GHG benefits. Regional and parametrized emissions factors for the storage emissions and land application phases would reduce uncertainty.

Frequency of viral infections and environmental factors in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Eftekharian, Mohammad Mahdi; Ghannad, Masoud Sabouri; Taheri, Mohammad; Roshanaei, Ghodratollah; Mazdeh, Mehrdokht; Musavi, Mehrnoosh; Hormoz, Mona Bahmani

2016-06-08

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complicated disease which occurs due to relationship between genes and environmental factors that causes tissue damage by autoimmune mechanisms.We investigated and illustrated the hypotheses correlated to the evidence of several putative environmental risk factors for MS onset and progression in this part of Iran. Univariate logistic regression was used to detect the effects of environmental factors on the risk of MS. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. The childhood history of patients with rubella, measles and chickenpox increased the risk of MS significantly. Moreover, low consumption of dairy products, avoidance of seafood consumption, cigarette smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke, stress, anxiety disorders, depress and disturbing thoughts, negative and disturbing thoughts, developing a sudden shock upon hearing bad news, having obsessive-compulsive and being depressed increased the risk of MS significantly. The results of the current research partially solved the puzzling question of complex interplay between environmental factors and MS disease in this part of Iran. Incorporating these factors enables more powerful and accurate detection of novel risk factors with diagnostic and prognostic methods.

Lactose intolerance and risk of lung, breast and ovarian cancers: aetiological clues from a population-based study in Sweden.

PubMed

Ji, J; Sundquist, J; Sundquist, K

2015-01-06

Individuals with lactose intolerance are recommended to avoid milk or dairy products, which may affect the development of cancer. We identified individuals with lactose intolerance from several Swedish Registers linked to the Swedish Cancer Registry to calculate standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) for cancers in the breast, lung, and ovary. A total of 22,788 individuals with lactose intolerance were identified, and their risks of lung (SIR=0.55), breast (SIR=0.79), and ovarian (SIR=0.61) cancers were significantly decreased. Cancer incidences in the siblings and parents of individuals with lactose intolerance were similar to those in the general population. In this large cohort study, people with lactose intolerance, characterised by low consumption of milk and other dairy products, had decreased risks of lung, breast, and ovarian cancers, but the decreased risks were not found in their family members, suggesting that the protective effects against these cancers may be related to their specific dietary pattern.

A long-term study on the effect of magnetite supplementation in continuous anaerobic digestion of dairy effluent - Magnetic separation and recycling of magnetite.

PubMed

Baek, Gahyun; Jung, Heejung; Kim, Jaai; Lee, Changsoo

2017-10-01

Promotion of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) between exoelectrogenic bacteria and electron-utilizing methanogens has recently been discussed as a new method for enhanced biomethanation. This study evaluated the effect of magnetite-promoted DIET in continuous anaerobic digestion of dairy effluent and tested the magnetic separation and recycling of magnetite to avoid continuous magnetite addition. The applied magnetite recycling method effectively supported enhanced DIET activity and biomethanation performance over a long period (>250days) without adding extra magnetite. DIET via magnetite particles as electrical conduits was likely the main mechanism for the enhanced biomethanation. Magnetite formed complex aggregate structures with microbes, and magnetite recycling also helped retain more biomass in the process. Methanosaeta was likely the major methanogen group responsible for DIET-based methanogenesis, in association with Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi populations as syntrophic partners. The recycling approach proved robust and effective, highlighting the potential of magnetite recycling for high-rate biomethanation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Food choices at lunch during the third year of life: high selection of animal and starchy foods but avoidance of vegetables.

PubMed

Nicklaus, Sophie; Boggio, Vincent; Issanchou, Sylvie

2005-07-01

The objective was to show patterns of food selection by 2- to 3-y-old children for a wide variety of foods in a self-service cafeteria and to assess the effect of individual variables (gender, BMI, mode of feeding after birth and rank in sibship). In a nursery self-service canteen, food choices at lunch made by children (n=418, 24-36 mo; 109 observations per child on average) were recorded by trained assistants who monitored portion size. An offer of eight dishes (animal products, starchy foods, combination dishes, vegetables and dairy products), excluding dessert-type foods, was proposed. Choice level was calculated for each food. Analysis of variance was used to compare choices for the various foods and to assess the effect of the individual variables. The choice of a food largely depended upon its nature: animal products, starchy foods and their combinations were widely chosen, whereas vegetables were not often selected; the choice for dairy products depended upon the type. The mode of preparation of the food influenced its choice. Segmenting products were identified; however, except for cheeses, a given child did not refuse an entire food category. Children's characteristics did not explain the choice variability. At the age of 2 to 3 y, children preferentially choose animal products and starchy foods and avoid vegetables; the high individual variability of their food choices could be related to previous food experiences.

Molecular methods to assess Listeria monocytogenes route of contamination in a dairy processing plant.

PubMed

Alessandria, Valentina; Rantsiou, Kalliopi; Dolci, Paola; Cocolin, Luca

2010-07-31

In this study we investigated the occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in a dairy processing plant during two sampling campaigns in 2007 and 2008. Samples represented by semifinished and finished cheeses, swabs from the equipment and brines from the salting step, were subjected to analysis by using traditional and molecular methods, represented mainly by quantitative PCR. Comparing the results obtained by the application of the two approaches used, it became evident how traditional microbiological analysis underestimated the presence of L. monocytogenes in the dairy plant. Especially samples of the brines and the equipment swabs were positive only with qPCR. For some equipment swabs it was possible to detect a load of 10(4)-10(5) cfu/cm(2), while the modified ISO method employed gave negative results both before and after the enrichment step. The evidences collected during the first sampling year, highlighting a heavy contamination of the brines and of the equipment, lead to the implementation of specific actions that decreased the contamination in these samples during the 2008 campaign. However, no reduction in the number of L. monocytogenes positive final products was observed, suggesting that a more strict control is necessary to avoid the presence of the pathogen. All the isolates of L. monocytogenes were able to attach to abiotic surfaces, and, interestingly, considering the results obtained from their molecular characterization it became evident how strains present in the brines, were genetically connected with isolates from the equipment and from the final product, suggesting a clear route of contamination of the pathogen in the dairy plant. This study underlines the necessity to use appropriate analytical tools, such as molecular methods, to fully understand the spread and persistence of L. monocytogenes in food producing companies. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of farm and simulated laboratory cold environmental conditions on the performance and physiological responses of lactating dairy cows supplemented with bovine somatotropin (BST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, B. A.; Johnson, H. D.; Li, R.; Collier, R. J.

1990-09-01

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of bovine somatotropin (BST) supplementation in twelve lactating dairy cows maintained in cold environmental conditions. Six cows were injected daily with 25 mg of BST; the other six were injected with a control vehicle. Cows were maintained under standard dairy management during mid-winter for 30 days. Milk production was recorded twice daily, and blood samples were taken weekly. Animals were then transferred to environmentally controlled chambers and exposed to cycling thermoneutral (15° to 20° C) and cycling cold (-5° to +5° C) temperatures for 10 days in a split-reversal design. Milk production, feed and water intake, body weights and rectal temperatures were monitored. Blood samples were taken on days 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 of each period and analyzed for plasma triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), cortisol, insulin and prolactin. Under farm conditions, BST-treated cows produced 11% more milk than control-treated cows and in environmentally controlled chambers produced 17.4% more milk. No differences due to BST in feed or water intake, body weights or rectal temperatures were found under laboratory conditions. Plasma T3 and insulin increased due to BST treatment while no effect was found on cortisol, prolactin or T4. The results showed that the benefits of BST supplementation in lactating dairy cows were achieved under cold environmental conditions.

Dairy goat production systems: status quo, perspectives and challenges.

PubMed

Escareño, Luis; Salinas-Gonzalez, Homero; Wurzinger, Maria; Iñiguez, Luiz; Sölkner, Johann; Meza-Herrera, Cesar

2013-01-01

Goat production concentrated in developing countries (tropics, dry areas), contributes largely to the livelihoods of low and medium income farmers. Farming systems in these areas have evolved to cope with the formidable constraints imposed by harsh natural and economic conditions by adapting integrated crop/livestock production strategies. In Asia, Africa and Latin America, due to its almost exclusive extensive nature, goat production relies mainly on grazing on communal lands that hardly provide the minimum nutrient requirements due to overstocking and degradation. While some of these production systems are becoming semi-intensive, appropriate breeding strategies should be designed to promote conservation and improvement of their unique attributes, such as adaptability, water use efficiency and suitability under harsh climatic conditions. In Europe, dairy goat production is more common around the Mediterranean basin, where it is important from an economic, environmental and sociological perspective to the Mediterranean countries: Spain, France, Italy and Greece. Europe owns only 5.1 % of the world's dairy goat herds, but produces 15.6 % of the world's goat milk; this is the only continent where goat milk has such an economic importance and organization. In developing countries the dairy goat sector requires a systemic approach, whereby nutrition, animal health, breeding, know-how, inputs and technologies must be assembled. This would allow the optimization of natural and local resources and would promote the transition from a risk reduction strategy towards an increased productivity strategy. Such an increase would privilege production efficiency based on clean, green and ethical practices for responsible innovation.

Dairy and cardiovascular health: Friend or foe?

PubMed Central

Markey, O; Vasilopoulou, D; Givens, D I; Lovegrove, J A

2014-01-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence at a global level is predicted to increase substantially over the next decade due to the increasing ageing population and incidence of obesity. Hence, there is an urgent requirement to focus on modifiable contributors to CVD risk, including a high dietary intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA). As an important source of SFA in the UK diet, milk and dairy products are often targeted for SFA reduction. The current paper acknowledges that milk is a complex food and that simply focusing on the link between SFA and CVD risk overlooks the other beneficial nutrients of dairy foods. The body of existing prospective evidence exploring the impact of milk and dairy consumption on risk factors for CVD is reviewed. The current paper highlights that high milk consumption may be beneficial to cardiovascular health, while illustrating that the evidence is less clear for cheese and butter intake. The option of manipulating the fatty acid profile of ruminant milk is discussed as a potential dietary strategy for lowering SFA intake at a population level. The review highlights that there is a necessity to perform more well-controlled human intervention-based research that provides a more holistic evaluation of fat-reduced and fat-modified dairy consumption on CVD risk factors including vascular function, arterial stiffness, postprandial lipaemia and markers of inflammation. Additionally, further research is required to investigate the impact of different dairy products and the effect of the specific food matrix on CVD development. PMID:25400508

Developing a systematic strategy incorporating ethical , animal welfare and practice principles to guide the genetic improvement of dairy cattle.

PubMed

Fisher, M W; Mellor, D J

2008-06-01

People have complex and diverse relationships and interactions with, and expectations of, animals; relationships which are very important. In making sense of this complexity, we draw on our values. The objective of this study was to reflect upon, develop and articulate key values guiding the genetic improvement of dairy cattle. Animal husbandry is guided by the philosophy that while animals serve our needs, we must ensure that their needs are met, and any compromises to those needs justified and minimised. In applying modern technology to the genetic improvement of animals, this philosophy should be enacted through consideration of all the broader goals of agriculture, and the ecology and biology of the farming system. It should also be informed by the differing perspectives of interested parties, including stock handlers, veterinarians, animal welfare groups, consumers, and the public. Monitoring the consequences of technology applications, managing and avoiding any harms, and considering the future of animals and ourselves, should also be part of decision making in this area. Transparent consideration of these principles will help to ensure that any compromises to animal welfare resulting from trait selection are both reasonable and necessary, and that any harms are minimised, thereby helping to safeguard continuation of the important contribution that animal agriculture, and in particular the dairy sector, makes to society.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cattle in the state of Paraíba, Brazil.

PubMed

Filho, Ruy Brayner de Oliveira; Malta, Karla Campos; Borges, Jonas de Melo; Oliveira, Pollyanne Raysa Fernandes de; Filho, Givanildo Jacinto Dos Santos; Nascimento, Glaucia Grazielle; Mota, Rinaldo Aparecido; Júnior, José Wilton Pinheiro

2018-06-26

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus infection and to evaluate risk factors associated with this infection among cattle in the state of Paraíba in northeastern Brazil. Samples of cervicovaginal mucus from 290 females and smegma from 59 males [beef, 31; mixed aptitude (beef and dairy), 10; and dairy, 18] from 31 farms were collected. Modified Diamond's medium and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used for the laboratory diagnosis of T. foetus infection. Univariate analysis and logistic regression were performed to test for potential risk factors in addition to prevalence mapping. No sample was positive for T. foetus in culture, and the prevalence of T. foetus infection using PCR was 3.7% (13/349) [confidence interval (CI) 95%, 2.1%-6.4%]. In total, 19.3% (6/31) of the farms had at least one animal positive for T. foetus. The contact of females with males from other farms [Odds ratio, 5.9; 95% CI, 1.5-22.4; p = 0.009] was identified as a risk factor for T. foetus infection. This study demonstrates that T. foetus infection is prevalent among dairy cows in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Sexual resting, removal of positive females, and avoiding contact of females with males from other farms are recommended to reduce the risk of infection.

Exposure of farm laborers and dairy cattle to formaldehyde from footbath use at a dairy farm in New York State.

PubMed

Doane, M; Sarenbo, S

2014-07-15

Formalin footbaths are commonly used in the dairy industry to prevent cattle hoof diseases. Although formalin is a well-documented disinfectant, it is also a carcinogen and irritant. The aim of this study was to estimate the exposure of farm workers and dairy cattle to formaldehyde from footbaths located in a milking facility and a heifer facility at a dairy farm in western New York, USA. The dairy farm included approximately 3900 dairy cattle including young stock; of these, 1670 cows were milked three times per day in a 60-stall carousel milking parlor, and approximately 800 heifers were located at the heifer facility where footbaths with formalin were in use. The formaldehyde concentration of the air was measured using a Formaldemeter™ htV approximately 50cm above the 3% formalin footbaths in the milking (one footbath location) and heifer (three footbath locations) facilities on three consecutive days. The measured formaldehyde concentrations varied between 0.00 and 2.28ppm, falling within the safety guidelines established by the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the United States. Significant differences were found in the formaldehyde concentrations at the different footbath locations in the heifer facility, potentially due to the varying levels of ventilation at each location. Changes in the ambient temperature during the 3-day sampling period did not significantly affect the concentrations. We believe that the substantial ventilation at both the heifer and milking facilities ensured that the formaldehyde concentrations did not exceed OSHA guidelines, thus permitting the safe use of formalin footbaths in this farm. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Review: Efficiency of Physical and Chemical Treatments on the Inactivation of Dairy Bacteriophages

PubMed Central

Guglielmotti, Daniela M.; Mercanti, Diego J.; Reinheimer, Jorge A.; Quiberoni, Andrea del L.

2011-01-01

Bacteriophages can cause great economic losses due to fermentation failure in dairy plants. Hence, physical and chemical treatments of raw material and/or equipment are mandatory to maintain phage levels as low as possible. Regarding thermal treatments used to kill pathogenic bacteria or achieve longer shelf-life of dairy products, neither low temperature long time nor high temperature short time pasteurization were able to inactivate most lactic acid bacteria (LAB) phages. Even though most phages did not survive 90°C for 2 min, there were some that resisted 90°C for more than 15 min (conditions suggested by the International Dairy Federation, for complete phage destruction). Among biocides tested, ethanol showed variable effectiveness in phage inactivation, since only phages infecting dairy cocci and Lactobacillus helveticus were reasonably inactivated by this alcohol, whereas isopropanol was in all cases highly ineffective. In turn, peracetic acid has consistently proved to be very fast and efficient to inactivate dairy phages, whereas efficiency of sodium hypochlorite was variable, even among different phages infecting the same LAB species. Both alkaline chloride foam and ethoxylated non-ylphenol with phosphoric acid were remarkably efficient, trait probably related to their highly alkaline or acidic pH values in solution, respectively. Photocatalysis using UV light and TiO2 has been recently reported as a feasible option to industrially inactivate phages infecting diverse LAB species. Processes involving high pressure were barely used for phage inactivation, but until now most studied phages revealed high resistance to these treatments. To conclude, and given the great phage diversity found on dairies, it is always advisable to combine different anti-phage treatments (biocides, heat, high pressure, photocatalysis), rather than using them separately at extreme conditions. PMID:22275912

Serum paraoxonase-1 as biomarker for improved diagnosis of fatty liver in dairy cows.

PubMed

Farid, Ayman Samir; Honkawa, Kazuyuki; Fath, Eman Mohamed; Nonaka, Nariaki; Horii, Yoichiro

2013-04-11

Fatty liver is a major metabolic disorder in dairy cows and is believed to result in major economic losses in dairy farming due to decreased health status, reproductive performance and fertility. Currently, the definitive means for diagnosing fatty liver is determining the fat content of hepatic tissue by liver biopsy, which is an invasive and costly procedure, making it poorly suited to dairy farms. Therefore, the key aim of this study was to investigate the measurement of serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1), an enzyme exclusively synthesized by the liver, as a sensitive noninvasive biomarker for diagnosis of fatty liver in dairy cows. A comparative cohort study using serum specimens from Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (46 healthy and 46 fatty liver cases) was conducted. Serum PON1 (paraoxonase, lactonase and arylesterase) activity and other biochemical and hematological parameters were measured. We found that serum PON1 activity was lower (P<0.001) in cows suffering from fatty liver. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) of PON1 activity for diagnosis of fatty liver was 0.973-0.989 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.941, 1.000] which was higher than the AUC-ROC of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). We found that adding serum PON1 measurement to different batteries of serum diagnostic panels showed a combination of high sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (+LR), negative likelihood ratio (-LR), diagnostic odd ratio (DOR) and overall diagnostic accuracy in diagnosing fatty liver. The present results indicate that addition of serum PON1 activity measurement to the biochemical profile could improve the diagnosis of fatty liver in dairy cows, which would have a considerable clinical impact and lead to greater profitability in the dairy industry.

High γ-aminobutyric acid production from lactic acid bacteria: Emphasis on Lactobacillus brevis as a functional dairy starter.

PubMed

Wu, Qinglong; Shah, Nagendra P

2017-11-22

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and GABA-rich foods have shown anti-hypertensive and anti-depressant activities as the major functions in humans and animals. Hence, high GABA-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could be used as functional starters for manufacturing novel fermented dairy foods. Glutamic acid decarboxylases (GADs) from LAB are highly conserved at the species level based on the phylogenetic tree of GADs from LAB. Moreover, two functionally distinct GADs and one intact gad operon were observed in all the completely sequenced Lactobacillus brevis strains suggesting its common capability to synthesize GABA. Difficulties and strategies for the manufacture of GABA-rich fermented dairy foods have been discussed and proposed, respectively. In addition, a genetic survey on the sequenced LAB strains demonstrated the absence of cell envelope proteinases in the majority of LAB including Lb. brevis, which diminishes their cell viabilities in milk environments due to their non-proteolytic nature. Thus, several strategies have been proposed to overcome the non-proteolytic nature of Lb. brevis in order to produce GABA-rich dairy foods.

Effect of application of dairy manure, effluent and inorganic fertilizer on nitrogen leaching in clayey fluvo-aquic soil: A lysimeter study.

PubMed

Fan, Jianling; Xiao, Jiao; Liu, Deyan; Ye, Guiping; Luo, Jiafa; Houlbrooke, David; Laurenson, Seth; Yan, Jing; Chen, Lvjun; Tian, Jinping; Ding, Weixin

2017-08-15

Dairy farm manure and effluent are applied to cropland in China to provide a source of plant nutrients, but there are concerns over its effect on nitrogen (N) leaching loss and groundwater quality. To investigate the effects of land application of dairy manure and effluent on potential N leaching loss, two lysimeter trials were set up in clayey fluvo-aquic soil in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation cropping system on the North China Plain. The solid dairy manure trial included control without N fertilization (CK), inorganic N fertilizer (SNPK), and fresh (RAW) and composted (COM) dairy manure. The liquid dairy effluent trial consisted of control without N fertilization (CF), inorganic N fertilizer (ENPK), and fresh (FDE) and stored (SDE) dairy effluent. The N application rate was 225kgNha -1 for inorganic N fertilizer, dairy manure, and effluent treatments in both seasons. Annual N leaching loss (ANLL) was highest in SNPK (53.02 and 16.21kgNha -1 in 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, respectively), which were 1.65- and 2.04-fold that of COM, and 1.59- and 1.26-fold that of RAW. In the effluent trial (2014/2015), ANLL for ENPK and SDE (16.22 and 16.86kgNha -1 , respectively) were significantly higher than CF and FDE (6.3 and 13.21kgNha -1 , respectively). NO 3 - contributed the most (34-92%) to total N leaching loss among all treatments, followed by dissolved organic N (14-57%). COM showed the lowest N leaching loss due to a reduction in NO 3 - loss. Yield-scaled N leaching in COM (0.35kgNMg -1 silage) was significantly (P<0.05) lower than that in the other fertilization treatments. Therefore, the use of composted dairy manure should be increased and that of inorganic fertilizer decreased to reduce N leaching loss while ensuring high crop yield in the North China Plain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metagenomic Analysis of Dairy Bacteriophages: Extraction Method and Pilot Study on Whey Samples Derived from Using Undefined and Defined Mesophilic Starter Cultures

PubMed Central

Muhammed, Musemma K.; Kot, Witold; Neve, Horst; Mahony, Jennifer; Castro-Mejía, Josué L.; Krych, Lukasz; Hansen, Lars H.; Nielsen, Dennis S.; Sørensen, Søren J.; Heller, Knut J.; van Sinderen, Douwe

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Despite being potentially highly useful for characterizing the biodiversity of phages, metagenomic studies are currently not available for dairy bacteriophages, partly due to the lack of a standard procedure for phage extraction. We optimized an extraction method that allows the removal of the bulk protein from whey and milk samples with losses of less than 50% of spiked phages. The protocol was applied to extract phages from whey in order to test the notion that members of Lactococcus lactis 936 (now Sk1virus), P335, c2 (now C2virus) and Leuconostoc phage groups are the most frequently encountered in the dairy environment. The relative abundance and diversity of phages in eight and four whey mixtures from dairies using undefined mesophilic mixed-strain cultures containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis and Leuconostoc species (i.e., DL starter cultures) and defined cultures, respectively, were assessed. Results obtained from transmission electron microscopy and high-throughput sequence analyses revealed the dominance of Lc. lactis 936 phages (order Caudovirales, family Siphoviridae) in dairies using undefined DL starter cultures and Lc. lactis c2 phages (order Caudovirales, family Siphoviridae) in dairies using defined cultures. The 936 and Leuconostoc phages demonstrated limited diversity. Possible coinduction of temperate P335 prophages and satellite phages in one of the whey mixtures was also observed. IMPORTANCE The method optimized in this study could provide an important basis for understanding the dynamics of the phage community (abundance, development, diversity, evolution, etc.) in dairies with different sizes, locations, and production strategies. It may also enable the discovery of previously unknown phages, which is crucial for the development of rapid molecular biology-based methods for phage burden surveillance systems. The dominance of only a few phage groups in the dairy environment signifies the depth of knowledge gained over the past decades, which served as the basis for designing current phage control strategies. The presence of a correlation between phages and the type of starter cultures being used in dairies might help to improve the selection and/or design of suitable, custom, and cost-efficient phage control strategies. PMID:28754704

Nutrient losses and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production in China: Lessons learned from historical changes and regional differences.

PubMed

Zhang, Nannan; Bai, Zhaohai; Luo, Jiafa; Ledgard, Stewart; Wu, Zhiguo; Ma, Lin

2017-11-15

The dairy industry in China was rapidly expanded and intensified from 1980 to 2010, engendering potential long-term impacts on the environment and natural resources. However, impacts of dairy intensification on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were unknown. This study was undertaken to examine these relations using the NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment and Resources use (NUFER)-dairy model. Results showed that milk yield increased by 64% from 1980 to 2010 on average, and the use of concentrate feeds increased by 57% associated with a shift of production from traditional and grassland systems to collective and industrialized systems. At herd level, the N use efficiency (NUE; conversion of N inputs to products) doubled from 7 to 15%, and the P use efficiency (PUE) increased from 10 to 17%, primarily resulting from increased milk yield per cow. In contrast, at the system level, NUE showed a small increase (from 10 to 15%, associated with reduced gaseous losses) while PUE decreased from 46 to 30% due to a large increase in manure discharges. This is attributed to decoupling of feed and dairy production, as the proportion of manure N and P recycled to cropland decreased by 52% and 54%, respectively. Despite this, the average total N loss decreased from 63 to 48gkg -1 milk, and the average GHG emissions from 1.7 to 1.1kgCO 2 equivalentkg -1 milk associated with increased per-cow productivity. However, average P loss increased from 1.4 to 2.8gPkg -1 milk due to higher discharge rate to wastewater and landfill in collective and industrialized systems. Anyhow, average N and P losses exceeded levels in developed countries. There were large regional variations in nutrient use efficiency, nutrient losses and GHG emissions in China, largely determined by the dairy production structure. Average N losses and GHG emissions per unit of milk showed a negative correlation with production intensification based on the proportion of farms in collective or industrialized systems, while average P losses per unit of milk in different regions showed a positive relationship with intensification. In conclusion, dairy intensification was associated with increased milk yield per cow and reduced average N losses and GHG emissions per unit of milk, but reduced system level PUE and manure recycling contributed to high levels of total N and P losses. Dairy production in China is likely to continue to be intensified as a result of rising milk demand, and significant improvements must be made in manure management to control N and P losses and GHG emissions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 526.464a - Cloxacillin benzathine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae including penicillin resistant strains in dairy cows during... bovine mastitis in nonlactating cows due to S. agalactiae and S. aureus. (3) Limitations. For use in dry...

21 CFR 526.464a - Cloxacillin benzathine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae including penicillin resistant strains in dairy cows during... bovine mastitis in nonlactating cows due to S. agalactiae and S. aureus. (3) Limitations. For use in dry...

21 CFR 526.464a - Cloxacillin benzathine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae including penicillin resistant strains in dairy cows during... bovine mastitis in nonlactating cows due to S. agalactiae and S. aureus. (3) Limitations. For use in dry...

Diet-induced bacterial immunogens in the gastrointestinal tract of dairy cows: Impacts on immunity and metabolism

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Dairy cows are often fed high grain diets to meet the energy demand for high milk production or simply due to a lack of forages at times. As a result, ruminal acidosis, especially subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA), occurs frequently in practical dairy production. When SARA occurs, bacterial endotoxin (or lipopolysaccharide, LPS) is released in the rumen and the large intestine in a large amount. Many other bacterial immunogens may also be released in the digestive tract following feeding dairy cows diets containing high proportions of grain. LPS can be translocated into the bloodstream across the epithelium of the digestive tract, especially the lower tract, due to possible alterations of permeability and injuries of the epithelial tissue. As a result, the concentration of blood LPS increases. Immune responses are subsequently caused by circulating LPS, and the systemic effects include increases in concentrations of neutrophils and the acute phase proteins such as serum amyloid-A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), LPS binding protein (LBP), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in blood. Entry of LPS into blood can also result in metabolic alterations. Blood glucose and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations are enhanced accompanying an increase of blood LPS after increasing the amount of grain in the diet, which adversely affects feed intake of dairy cows. As the proportions of grain in the diet increase, patterns of plasma β-hydoxybutyric acid, cholesterol, and minerals (Ca, Fe, and Zn) are also perturbed. The bacterial immunogens can also lead to reduced supply of nutrients for synthesis of milk components and depressed functions of the epithelial cells in the mammary gland. The immune responses and metabolic alterations caused by circulating bacterial immunogens will exert an effect on milk production. It has been demonstrated that increases in concentrations of ruminal LPS and plasma acute phase proteins (CRP, SAA, and LBP) are associated with declines in milk fat content, milk fat yield, 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield, as well as milk energy efficiency. PMID:21824438

A 100-Year Review: Identification and genetic selection of economically important traits in dairy cattle.

PubMed

Miglior, Filippo; Fleming, Allison; Malchiodi, Francesca; Brito, Luiz F; Martin, Pauline; Baes, Christine F

2017-12-01

Over the past 100 yr, the range of traits considered for genetic selection in dairy cattle populations has progressed to meet the demands of both industry and society. At the turn of the 20th century, dairy farmers were interested in increasing milk production; however, a systematic strategy for selection was not available. Organized milk performance recording took shape, followed quickly by conformation scoring. Methodological advances in both genetic theory and statistics around the middle of the century, together with technological innovations in computing, paved the way for powerful multitrait analyses. As more sophisticated analytical techniques for traits were developed and incorporated into selection programs, production began to increase rapidly, and the wheels of genetic progress began to turn. By the end of the century, the focus of selection had moved away from being purely production oriented toward a more balanced breeding goal. This shift occurred partly due to increasing health and fertility issues and partly due to societal pressure and welfare concerns. Traits encompassing longevity, fertility, calving, health, and workability have now been integrated into selection indices. Current research focuses on fitness, health, welfare, milk quality, and environmental sustainability, underlying the concentrated emphasis on a more comprehensive breeding goal. In the future, on-farm sensors, data loggers, precision measurement techniques, and other technological aids will provide even more data for use in selection, and the difficulty will lie not in measuring phenotypes but rather in choosing which traits to select for. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The dairy industry: a brief description of production practices, trends, and farm characteristics around the world.

PubMed

Douphrate, David I; Hagevoort, G Robert; Nonnenmann, Matthew W; Lunner Kolstrup, Christina; Reynolds, Stephen J; Jakob, Martina; Kinsel, Mark

2013-01-01

The global dairy industry is composed of a multitude of countries with unique production practices and consumer markets. The global average number of cows per farm is about 1-2 cows; however, as a farm business model transitions from sustenance to market production, the average herd size, and subsequent labor force increases. Dairy production is unique as an agricultural commodity because milk is produced daily, for 365 days per year. With the introduction of new technology such as the milking parlor, the global industry trend is one of increasing farm sizes. The farm sizes are the largest in the United States; however, the European Union produces the most milk compared with other global producers. Dairy production is essential for economic development and sustainable communities in rural areas. However, the required capital investment and availability of local markets and labor are continued challenges. Due to farm expansion, international producers are faced with new challenges related to assuring food safety and a safe working environment for their workforce. These challenges exist in addition to the cultural and language barriers related to an increasing dependence on immigrant labor in many regions of the world. Continued success of the global dairy industry is vital. Therefore, research should continue to address the identification of occupational risk factors associated with injuries and illnesses, as well as develop cost-effective interventions and practices that lead to the minimization or elimination of these injuries and illnesses on a global scale, among our valuable population of dairy producers and workers.

Ammonia emission from a permanent grassland on volcanic soil after the treatment with dairy slurry and urea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salazar, F.; Martínez-Lagos, J.; Alfaro, M.; Misselbrook, T.

2014-10-01

Ammonia (NH3) is an air pollutant largely emitted from agricultural activities including the application of livestock manures and fertilizers to grassland. This gas has been linked with important negative impacts on natural ecosystems. In southern Chile, the use of inorganic and organic fertilizers (e.g. slurries) has increased in cattle production systems over recent years, heightening the risk of N losses to the wider environment. The objectives of this study were to evaluate on permanent grasslands on a volcanic ash soil in southern Chile: 1) the N loss due to NH3 volatilization following surface application of dairy slurry and urea fertilizer; and 2) the effect of a urease inhibitor on NH3 emissions from urea fertilizer application. Small plot field experiments were conducted over spring, fall, winter and summer seasons, using a system of wind tunnels to measure ammonia emissions. Ammonia losses ranged from 1.8 (winter) to 26.0% (fall) and 3.1 (winter) to 20.5% (summer) of total N applied for urea and slurry, respectively. Based on the readily available N applied (ammoniacal N for dairy slurry and urea N for urea fertilizer), losses from dairy slurry were much greater, at 16.1 and 82.0%, for winter and summer, respectively. The use of a urease inhibitor proved to be an effective option to minimize the N loss due NH3 volatilization from urea fertilizer, with an average reduction of 71% across all seasons. The results of this and other recent studies regarding N losses suggest that ammonia volatilization is the main pathway of N loss from grassland systems in southern Chile on volcanic ash soils when urea and slurry are used as an N source. The use of good management practices, such as the inclusion of a urease inhibitor with urea fertilizer could have a beneficial impact on reducing N losses due NH3 volatilization and the environmental and economic impact of these emissions.

Effect of claw disorders on milk production, fertility, and longevity, and their economic impact in Spanish Holstein cows.

PubMed

Charfeddine, N; Pérez-Cabal, M A

2017-01-01

The aims of this study were (1) to estimate the phenotypic association between different degrees of severity of claw disorders and production, fertility performance, and longevity in Spanish dairy cattle, and (2) to quantify its economic impact at the animal and herd level. In this study, claw data comprised 108,468 trimmings collected between 2012 and 2014 by 25 trimmers from 804 Holstein dairy herds. The claw disorders considered were the 3 most frequent disorders in Spanish dairy herds: dermatitis (DE), sole ulcer (SU), and white line disease (WL). The presence of SU or WL was associated with a significant decrease in milk production and was more important in cows in second or later lactations. A severe lesion of SU or WL lead to twice the milk losses associated with a mild lesion, ranging from 1.47 to 2.66kg/d of energy-corrected milk. The presence of SU or WL during the early lactation period was associated with more days open, fewer inseminations to get pregnant, and longer calving to first service interval (4.83 and 8.0 d longer due to mild and severe lesions of SU, respectively, and 4.94 and 17.43 d longer due to mild and severe lesions of WL, respectively). The occurrence of a case of SU or WL in first lactation had a significant effect on longevity, with severe lesions reducing up to 71 d of productive life. The cost of a mild lesion ranged from $53 to $232 per affected cow and year, whereas the cost of a severe lesion ranged from $402 to $622 per affected cow and year. The annual costs per cow for DE, SU, and WL were $10.80, $50.9, and $43.2, respectively. An average herd with 64 cows had an extra expenditure of $691/yr due to DE, $3,256/yr due to SU, and $2,765/year due to WL. Milk losses, longer calving intervals, and premature culling contributed to more than half of the costs. Therefore, providing this information to farmers could help decide on strategies to reduce the incidence of claw disorders on the farm. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Atmospheric Ammonia Emissions and a Nitrogen Mass Balance for a Dairy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumburg, B. P.; Mount, G. H.; Filipy, J. M.; Lamb, B.; Yonge, D.; Wetherelt, S.

2003-12-01

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) emissions have many impacts on the environment and human health. Environmental NH3 impacts include terrestrial and aquatic eutrophication, soil acidification, and aerosol formation. Aerosols affect global radiative transfer and have been linked to human health effects. The global emissions of NH3 are estimated to be 45 Tg N yr-1 (Dentener and Crutzen, 1994) with most of the emissions coming from domestic animals. The largest per animal emission come from dairy cows at 33 kg N animal{-1} year{-1} versus 10 kg N animal{-1} {-1} for cattle. On a global scale the emissions uncertainty is about 25%, but local emissions are highly uncertain (Bouwman et al., 1997). Local emissions determination is required for proper treatment in air pollution models. The main sources of emission from dairies are the cow stalls where urea and manure react to form NH3, the storage lagoons where NH3 is the end product of microbial degradation and the disposal of the waste. There have been numerous studies of NH3 emissions in Europe but farming practices are quite different in Europe than in the U.S.. The impact of these differences on emissions is unknown. We have been studying the NH3 emissions from the Washington State University dairy for three years to develop a detailed emission model for use in a regional air pollution model. NH3 is measured using a short-path spectroscopic absorption near 200 nm with a sensitivity of a few ppbv and a time resolution of a few seconds. The open air short-path method is advantageous because it is self calibrating and avoids inlet wall adherence which is a major problem for most NH3 measurement techniques. A SF6 tracer technique has been used to measure fluxes from the three main emission sources: the cow stalls, anaerobic lagoon and the waste application to grass fields using a sprinkler system. Estimated yearly emissions from each source will be compared to a nitrogen mass balance model for the dairy.

Phosphorus balance and use efficiency on 21 intensive grass-based dairy farms in the South of Ireland.

PubMed

Mihailescu, E; Murphy, P N C; Ryan, W; Casey, I A; Humphreys, J

2015-04-01

Given the finite nature of global phosphorus (P) resources, there is an increasing concern about balancing agronomic and environmental impacts from P usage on dairy farms. Data from a 3-year (2009-2011) survey were used to assess farm-gate P balances and P use efficiency (PUE) on 21 intensive grass-based dairy farms operating under the good agricultural practice (GAP) regulations in Ireland. Mean stocking rate (SR) was 2·06 livestock units (LU)/ha, mean P surplus was 5·09 kg/ha, or 0·004 kg P/kg milk solids (MS), and mean PUE was 0·70. Phosphorus imports were dominated by inorganic fertilizer (7·61 kg P/ha) and feeds (7·62 kg P/ha), while exports were dominated by milk (6·66 kg P/ha) and livestock (5·10 kg P/ha). Comparison to similar studies carried out before the introduction of the GAP regulations in 2006 indicated that P surplus, both per ha and per kg MS, has significantly decreased (by 74 and 81%, respectively) and PUE increased (by 48%), mostly due to decreased inorganic fertilizer P import and improvements in P management. There has been a notable shift towards spring application of organic manures, indicating improved awareness of the fertilizer value of organic manures and good compliance with the GAP regulations regarding fertilizer application timing. These results suggested a positive impact of the GAP regulations on dairy farm P surplus and PUE, indicating an improvement in both environmental and economic sustainability of dairy production through improved resource use efficiencies. Such improvements will be necessary to achieve national targets of improved water quality and increased dairy production. Results suggest that optimizing fertilizer and feed P imports combined with improved on-farm P recycling are the most effective way to increase PUE. Equally, continued monitoring of soil test P (STP) and P management will be necessary to ensure that adequate soil P fertility is maintained. Mean P surplus was lower and PUE was much higher than the overall mean surplus (15·92 kg P/ha) and PUE (0·47) from three studies of continental and English dairy farms, largely due to the low import system that is more typical in Ireland, with seasonal milk production (compact spring calving), low use of imported feeds and high use of grazed grass.

Consumption of Dairy Products in Relation to Changes in Anthropometric Variables in Adult Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies

PubMed Central

Schwingshackl, Lukas; Hoffmann, Georg; Schwedhelm, Carolina; Kalle-Uhlmann, Tamara; Missbach, Benjamin; Knüppel, Sven; Boeing, Heiner

2016-01-01

Background The current state of knowledge regarding the association of dairy products and weight gain, overweight, and obesity is based on studies reporting contradicting and inconclusive results. The aim of the present study was thus to clarify the link between dairy consumption in relation to changes in anthropometric measures/adiposity by a meta-analytical approach. Methods For the meta-analysis PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Sciences, and google scholar were searched by two independent authors up to May 2016 with no restriction to language or calendar date. Prospective cohort studies reporting about intake of dairy consumption (including milk, yogurt, cheese, butter) and changes in body weight or waist circumference, risk of overweight, obesity, or weight gain were eligible. Pooled effects were calculated using a random effects model, and also a fixed effect model for sensitivity analysis. Due to the heterogeneity of statistical analytical approaches of the studies the analysis were done separately for beta-coefficients of changes in body weight and/or waist circumference per serving of dairy, for differences in weight gain/gain in waist circumference when comparing extreme categories of dairy consumption, and for odds ratios in regard to weight gain, overweight/obesity, or abdominal obesity. Findings 24 studies (27 reports) met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review, and 22 studies provided sufficient data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis of the five studies on changes in body weight per serving of dairy no significant results could be found for whole fat dairy and low fat dairy. However, there was inverse association between changes in body weight for each serving’s increase of yogurt (beta: -40.99 gram/year, 95% CI, -48.09 to -33.88), whereas each serving’s increase of cheese was positively associated (beta: -10.97 gram/year, 95% CI, 2.86 to 19.07). Furthermore, the highest dairy intake category was associated with a reduced risk of abdominal obesity (OR: 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.95), and risk of overweight (OR: 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.00) compared to the lowest intake category. No significant association could be observed for risk of weight gain. Conclusion In summary the results of the meta-analysis still reflect that dairy consumption was not positively related to changes in body weight. Yogurt was the only dairy food that showed some evidence for a beneficial effect, where higher intakes were inversely associated a reduced risk of obesity, changes in body weight or waist circumference. Further research is needed, since the overall interpretation of the results is limited by heterogeneous risk estimates. PMID:27310919

Altered plasma lipidome profile of dairy cows with fatty liver disease.

PubMed

Gerspach, C; Imhasly, S; Gubler, M; Naegeli, H; Ruetten, M; Laczko, E

2017-02-01

Fatty liver disease is a common health problem of dairy cows occurring during the transition from pregnancy to lactation. It is a direct response to fat mobilization due to negative energy balance. Accumulation of lipids in the liver occurs if the uptake of non-esterified fatty acids by the liver exceeds the capacity of lipid oxidation or secretion by the liver. Currently, the diagnosis of fatty liver disease requires confirmation through biopsies to determine the hepatic lipid content. In view of this lack of a practical diagnostic tool, we compared the plasma lipidome of diseased dairy cows using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Multivariate data analysis yielded 20 m/z values that were able to distinguish between dairy cows with no hepatic lipidosis and those exhibiting different stages of the disease. Based on the chromatography retention time and m/z ratios, we identified phosphatidylcholines with reduced plasma abundances in cows with fatty liver disease. The abundances of different bile acids tended to be increased. In addition, we detected two metabolites related to inflammation, resolvin E1 and palmitoyl-ethanolamine (PEA), which need to be further investigated in cattle. These results indicate that the measurement of specific representatives of phosphatidylcholines in plasma may provide a novel diagnostic biomarker of fatty liver disease in dairy cows. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water quality and resource management in the dairy industry.

PubMed

Boguniewicz-Zablocka, Joanna; Klosok-Bazan, Iwona; Naddeo, Vincenzo

2017-11-03

Food industry is one of the most important and fastest growing sectors of economy in Poland. This sector is also characterized by high demand for the resources, particularly for water. Polish food industrial plants consumed 793 hm 3 of water in 2014. Dairy branch had a combined 35% share of the above consumption. As shown by the data obtained from the Polish Central Statistical Office, the majority of dairy plants use its own source of water, so this branch is also important water producer in Poland. Water used for dairy industry should meet the requirements of at least drinking water quality, so the factories need to treat the water. This paper analyses the correlations between selected technical process, equipment profiles and water quality, and consumption in two types of dairy factories (DF). The first one DF-1 processes approx. 50,000 L of milk, and the second, DF-2 processes approx. 330,000 L of milk per day. The water taken from the wells needs to be pre-treated because of iron and manganese concentration and due to specific requirements in various industrial processes. As a result of this work, we have managed to propose technological solutions in the context of water consumption rationalization. The proposed solutions aim at improving water and wastewater management by reducing the amount of consumed water by industry.

Recent Advances in Phospholipids from Colostrum, Milk and Dairy By-Products.

PubMed

Verardo, Vito; Gómez-Caravaca, Ana Maria; Arráez-Román, David; Hettinga, Kasper

2017-01-17

Milk is one of the most important foods for mammals, because it is the first form of feed providing energy, nutrients and immunological factors. In the last few years, milk lipids have attracted the attention of researchers due to the presence of several bioactive components in the lipid fraction. The lipid fraction of milk and dairy products contains several components of nutritional significance, such as ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, CLA, short chain fatty acids, gangliosides and phospholipids. Prospective cohort evidence has shown that phospholipids play an important role in the human diet and reinforce the possible relationship between their consumption and prevention of several chronic diseases. Because of these potential benefits of phospholipids in the human diet, this review is focused on the recent advances in phospholipids from colostrum, milk and dairy by-products. Phospholipid composition, its main determination methods and the health activities of these compounds will be addressed.

Recent Advances in Phospholipids from Colostrum, Milk and Dairy By-Products

PubMed Central

Verardo, Vito; Gómez-Caravaca, Ana Maria; Arráez-Román, David; Hettinga, Kasper

2017-01-01

Milk is one of the most important foods for mammals, because it is the first form of feed providing energy, nutrients and immunological factors. In the last few years, milk lipids have attracted the attention of researchers due to the presence of several bioactive components in the lipid fraction. The lipid fraction of milk and dairy products contains several components of nutritional significance, such as ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, CLA, short chain fatty acids, gangliosides and phospholipids. Prospective cohort evidence has shown that phospholipids play an important role in the human diet and reinforce the possible relationship between their consumption and prevention of several chronic diseases. Because of these potential benefits of phospholipids in the human diet, this review is focused on the recent advances in phospholipids from colostrum, milk and dairy by-products. Phospholipid composition, its main determination methods and the health activities of these compounds will be addressed. PMID:28106745

Meta-analysis of the effect of pregrazing pasture mass on pasture intake, milk production, and grazing behavior of dairy cows strip-grazing temperate grasslands.

PubMed

Pérez-Prieto, L A; Delagarde, R

2012-09-01

Grazing management is a key factor in pasture-based dairy systems, which can be improved given advanced knowledge of the effects of pregrazing pasture mass (PM) on the performance of dairy cows. The aim of this study was to quantify the effects of PM on the pasture intake, milk production, milk composition, and grazing behavior of strip- or rotational-grazing dairy cows, based on a meta-analysis of published research papers. A database was created that included experiments in which the effects of PM on pasture intake and milk production of dairy cows were studied. Papers were selected only if at least 2 PM were compared under similar experimental conditions, particularly the same pasture allowance (SPA). The final database included 15 papers with 27 PM comparisons. For analytical purposes, the database was subdivided into 3 subsets that varied according to the estimation height at which pasture allowance was determined; that is, where PM were compared at the SPA above ground level (SPA(0) subset), above 2 to 3 cm (SPA(3) subset), and above 4 to 5 cm (SPA(5) subset). Statistical analyses were conducted on the entire database (global analysis) and within each subset using linear model procedures. An interaction between PM and estimation height was found for pasture intake and milk production in the global analysis. On the basis of the predictive equations, pasture intake increased by 1.58 kg of dry matter/d per tonne increase in PM when PM were compared at SPA(0), was not affected by PM when PM were compared at SPA(3), and decreased by 0.65 kg of dry matter/d per tonne increase in PM when PM were compared at SPA(5). This is consistent with the effect of PM on milk production, which was positive and negative (1.04 and -0.79 kg/t of PM, respectively) when PM were compared at SPA(0) and SPA(5), respectively. Grazing time was only slightly affected by PM, irrespective of estimation height, because the effect of PM on pasture intake was mainly dependent on the variation in pasture intake rate. Pasture intake rate increased with increasing PM at SPA(0) but decreased with increasing PM at SPA(5). This meta-analysis clearly demonstrates that the effects of PM on pasture intake, milk production, and behavior of strip-grazing dairy cows depend largely on the height at which the PM and pasture allowance are measured. These results have methodological implications for future grazing research because it can be recommended that PM be compared at similar levels of pasture availability (i.e., at the same pasture allowance above 2 to 3 cm) to avoid possible misinterpretations of results. They also reveal the benefits of improving grazing management and intake prediction through modeling in pasture-based dairy systems. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recent advances on lactose intolerance: Tolerance thresholds and currently available answers.

PubMed

Corgneau, M; Scher, J; Ritie-Pertusa, L; Le, D T L; Petit, J; Nikolova, Y; Banon, S; Gaiani, C

2017-10-13

The genetically programmed reduction in lactase activity during adulthood affects 70% of the world adult population and can cause severe digestive disorders, which are the sign of lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance symptoms vary depending on the residual lactase activity, the small bowel transit time, and especially the amount of ingested lactose. To formulate dairy products suitable for the vast majority of lactose intolerants, it is essential to define lactose intolerance threshold. A recent meta-analysis permitted to show that almost all lactose intolerants tolerate 12 g of lactose in one intake and approximately 18 g of lactose spread over the day. The prevalence and severity of lactose intolerance are probably overestimated by the general public. This misconception usually leads to an unnecessary reduction of dairy foodstuff consumption. Nevertheless, dairy products are essential for health mainly due to their calcium content and the positive influence of probiotic bacteria. The formulation of dairy products suitable for most intolerant and suspicious subjects seems necessary. The use of exogenous enzyme preparations, as well as the consumption of lactose-free products or products rich in probiotic bacteria are proposed as symptom-reducing strategies.

Transrectal ultrasound evaluation in tropical dairy goats: an indispensable tool for the diagnosis of reproductive disorders.

PubMed

Maia, A L R S; Brandão, F Z; Souza-Fabjan, J M G; Veiga, M O; Balaro, M F A; Facó, O; Fonseca, J F

2018-04-01

In Brazil, great milk productivity was achieved after the implementation of a genetic improvement program. However, reproductive efficiency is still far from optimal, possibly due to the high number of undiagnosed disorders that may affect fertility. The aim of this study was to evaluate occurrences of the main reproductive disorders in dairy goats in southeastern Brazil. Data were collected between January 2015 and May 2017 from 23 commercial herds of different breeds, with goats ranging from 8 months to 12 years of age. Transrectal ultrasound exams were performed in 2680 goats. A total of 14.8% of the does showed a disorder in the reproductive tract: hydrometra (10.0%), ovarian follicular cysts (2.3%), gestational loss (1.5%), and hydrosalpinx (1.1%). This was the first study evaluating reproductive disorders in live animals that used a high number of Brazilian dairy goats. Considering that all these diseases affect fertility to different degrees, the performance of transrectal ultrasonography exams twice a year is strongly suggested, in order to guide precocious treatment or discard the animal as soon as possible, thus reducing economic losses in dairy goat farming.

HACCP-based quality risk management approach to udder health problems on dairy farms

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Against the background of prevailing udder health problems on dairy farms, this paper discusses a new approach to mastitis control. Current udder health control programmes, such as the 'five-point plan', are highlighted and their drawbacks indicated. The concept and principles of hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) are introduced. The eight core elements of this concept are dealt with by using the example of a dairy herd with a mastitis problem due to Staphylococcus aureus. The various steps to be taken in the development of a HACCP-based quality risk management programme are illustrated through the application of core elements. Finally, it is shown that the HACCP key words, structure, organisation, planning, communication and formalisation; which do not frequently appear in conventional herd health and production management programmes can contribute to better udder health. The role of the veterinarian can be paramount and of added value, if he/she is willing to invest in new knowledge and skills, such as the HACCP concept, farm economics, animal nutrition, and particularly the role of coach to the dairy farmer in the implementation of preventative measures in relation to udder health. PMID:22082372

HACCP-based quality risk management approach to udder health problems on dairy farms.

PubMed

Noordhuizen, Jptm; Cannas da Silva, J

2009-04-01

Against the background of prevailing udder health problems on dairy farms, this paper discusses a new approach to mastitis control. Current udder health control programmes, such as the 'five-point plan', are highlighted and their drawbacks indicated. The concept and principles of hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) are introduced. The eight core elements of this concept are dealt with by using the example of a dairy herd with a mastitis problem due to Staphylococcus aureus. The various steps to be taken in the development of a HACCP-based quality risk management programme are illustrated through the application of core elements. Finally, it is shown that the HACCP key words, structure, organisation, planning, communication and formalisation; which do not frequently appear in conventional herd health and production management programmes can contribute to better udder health. The role of the veterinarian can be paramount and of added value, if he/she is willing to invest in new knowledge and skills, such as the HACCP concept, farm economics, animal nutrition, and particularly the role of coach to the dairy farmer in the implementation of preventative measures in relation to udder health.

Environmental and water sustainability of milk production in Northeast Spain.

PubMed

Noya, I; González-García, S; Berzosa, J; Baucells, F; Feijoo, G; Moreira, M T

2018-03-01

This study focuses on the assessment of the environmental profile of a milk farm, representative of the dairy sector in Northeast Spain, from a cradle-to-gate perspective. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) principles established by ISO standards together with the carbon footprint guidelines proposed by International Dairy Federation (IDF) were followed. The environmental results showed two critical contributing factors: the production of the livestock feed (e.g., alfalfa) and the on-farm emissions from farming activities, with contributions higher than 50% in most impact categories. A comparison with other LCA studies was carried out, which confirmed the consistency of these results with the values reported in the literature for dairy systems from several countries. Additionally, the Water Footprint (WF) values were also estimated according to the Water Footprint Network (WFN) methodology to reveal that feed and fodder production also had a predominant influence on the global WF impacts, with contributions of 99%. Green WF was responsible for remarkable environmental burdens (around 88%) due to the impacts associated with the cultivation stage. Finally, the substitution of alfalfa by other alternative protein sources in animal diets were also proposed and analysed due to its relevance as one of the main contributors of livestock feed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silage review: Silage feeding management: Silage characteristics and dairy cow feeding behavior.

PubMed

Grant, R J; Ferraretto, L F

2018-05-01

Feeding environment and feed accessibility influence the dairy cow's response to the ration and forage composition. Fiber content, physical form, and fermentability influence feeding behavior, feed intake, and overall cow metabolic and lactational responses to forage. It is possible to vary eating time of lactating dairy cattle by over 1 h/d by changing dietary silage fiber content, digestibility, and particle size. Optimizing silage particle size is important because excessively long particles increase the necessary chewing to swallow a bolus of feed, thereby increasing eating time. Under competitive feeding situations, excessively coarse or lower fiber digestibility silages may limit DMI of lactating dairy cows due to eating time requirements that exceed available time at the feed bunk. Additionally, greater silage particle size, especially the particles retained on the 19-mm sieve using the Penn State Particle Separator, are most likely to be sorted. Silage starch content and fermentability may influence ruminal propionate production and thereby exert substantial control over meal patterns and feed consumption. Compared with silage fiber characteristics, relatively little research has assessed how silage starch content and fermentability interact with the feeding environment to influence dairy cow feeding behavior. Finally, voluminous literature exists on the potential effects that silage fermentation end products have on feeding behavior and feed intake. However, the specific mechanisms of how these end products influence behavior and intake are poorly understood in some cases. The compounds shown to have the greatest effect on feeding behavior are lactate, acetate, propionate, butyrate, ammonia-N, and amines. Any limitation in the feeding environment will likely accentuate the negative response to poor silage fermentation. In the future, to optimize feeding behavior and dry matter intake of silage-based diets fed to dairy cattle, we will need to consider the chemical and physical properties of silage, end products of silage fermentation, and the social and physical components of the feeding environment. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vitro calcium availability in bakery products fortified with tuna bone powder as a natural calcium source.

PubMed

Nemati, Mahnaz; Kamilah, Hanisah; Huda, Nurul; Ariffin, Fazilah

2015-08-01

Avoidance of dairy products due to lactose intolerance can lead to insufficiency of calcium (Ca) in the body. In an approach to address this problem, tuna bone powder (TBP) was formulated as a calcium supplement to fortify bakery products. In a study, TBP recovered by alkaline treatment contained 38.16 g/100 g of calcium and 23.31 g/100 g of phosphorus. The ratio of Ca:P that was close to 2:1 was hence comparable to that in human bones. The availability of calcium in TBP was 53.93%, which was significantly higher than most calcium salts, tricalcium phosphate (TCP) being the exception. In vitro availability of calcium in TBP-fortified cookies or TCP-fortified cookies were comparable at 38.9% and 39.5%, respectively. These values were higher than the readings from TBP-fortified bread (36.7%) or TCP-fortified bread (37.4%). Sensory evaluation of bakery products containing TBP or TCP elicited comparable scores for the two additives from test panels. Hence, TBP could be used in the production of high calcium bakery products that would enjoy consumer acceptance.

Metagenomic Analysis of Dairy Bacteriophages: Extraction Method and Pilot Study on Whey Samples Derived from Using Undefined and Defined Mesophilic Starter Cultures.

PubMed

Muhammed, Musemma K; Kot, Witold; Neve, Horst; Mahony, Jennifer; Castro-Mejía, Josué L; Krych, Lukasz; Hansen, Lars H; Nielsen, Dennis S; Sørensen, Søren J; Heller, Knut J; van Sinderen, Douwe; Vogensen, Finn K

2017-10-01

Despite being potentially highly useful for characterizing the biodiversity of phages, metagenomic studies are currently not available for dairy bacteriophages, partly due to the lack of a standard procedure for phage extraction. We optimized an extraction method that allows the removal of the bulk protein from whey and milk samples with losses of less than 50% of spiked phages. The protocol was applied to extract phages from whey in order to test the notion that members of Lactococcus lactis 936 (now Sk1virus ), P335, c2 (now C2virus ) and Leuconostoc phage groups are the most frequently encountered in the dairy environment. The relative abundance and diversity of phages in eight and four whey mixtures from dairies using undefined mesophilic mixed-strain cultures containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis and Leuconostoc species (i.e., DL starter cultures) and defined cultures, respectively, were assessed. Results obtained from transmission electron microscopy and high-throughput sequence analyses revealed the dominance of Lc. lactis 936 phages (order Caudovirales , family Siphoviridae ) in dairies using undefined DL starter cultures and Lc. lactis c2 phages (order Caudovirales , family Siphoviridae ) in dairies using defined cultures. The 936 and Leuconostoc phages demonstrated limited diversity. Possible coinduction of temperate P335 prophages and satellite phages in one of the whey mixtures was also observed. IMPORTANCE The method optimized in this study could provide an important basis for understanding the dynamics of the phage community (abundance, development, diversity, evolution, etc.) in dairies with different sizes, locations, and production strategies. It may also enable the discovery of previously unknown phages, which is crucial for the development of rapid molecular biology-based methods for phage burden surveillance systems. The dominance of only a few phage groups in the dairy environment signifies the depth of knowledge gained over the past decades, which served as the basis for designing current phage control strategies. The presence of a correlation between phages and the type of starter cultures being used in dairies might help to improve the selection and/or design of suitable, custom, and cost-efficient phage control strategies. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Perception of the importance of human-animal interactions on cattle flow and worker safety on Minnesota dairy farms.

PubMed

Sorge, U S; Cherry, C; Bender, J B

2014-07-01

Proper cattle-handling techniques (stockmanship) are important to ensure calm animals and a safe work environment for dairy workers on farm. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess Minnesota dairy herd owners' attitudes toward stockmanship, its perceived importance for cow comfort and worker health, and the establishment of calm cattle movement; and (2) identify current resources and methods of stockmanship training on Minnesota dairy farms. A stratified-random sample of Minnesota dairy farmers were contacted via mail to participate in a 28-question survey. One hundred eight bovine dairy producers participated. Most commonly, respondents learned their cattle handling skills from family members (42.6%) and 29.9% of producers had participated in previous stockmanship training. Producers thought that the skill of the human handler was the most important factor in establishing good cattle flow. Cattle-handling techniques was the third most common topic for new-employee orientation after training in milking parlor protocols and milking parlor disinfection. Time limitations and language barrier were considered serious challenges for worker training. Work-related injuries were responsible for lost work days in the previous year in 13.3% of dairy herds and 73.3% of those injuries occurred while working with cattle. Producers perceived that cattle-related injuries were predominantly the handler's fault: either because of not paying enough attention to the animal or due to poor cattle handling skills. Facility design was considered the least important for the occurrence of worker injuries. Although no causal inference can be made, herds that had workers who had previously participated in stockmanship training had a 810 ± 378 kg (mean ± standard error of the mean) higher rolling herd average than those that did not, even after adjusting for herd size and bulk tank somatic cell count. However, 50% of respondents were not interested in attending future stockmanship training sessions. In conclusion, cattle handling skills are considered important by Minnesota dairy producers to ensure worker safety and cow flow. Limited availability of time, language barrier, and a perceived lack of training materials were considered challenges during the training of workers on farms. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Consuming the daily recommended amounts of dairy products would reduce the prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes in the United States: diet modeling study based on NHANES 2007-2010.

PubMed

Quann, Erin E; Fulgoni, Victor L; Auestad, Nancy

2015-09-04

A large portion of Americans are not meeting the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for several essential vitamins and minerals due to poor dietary choices. Dairy products are a key source of many of the nutrients that are under consumed, but children and adults do not consume the recommended amounts from this food group. This study modeled the impact of meeting daily recommended amounts of dairy products on population-based nutrient intakes. Two-day 24-h dietary recalls collected from participants ≥ 2 years (n = 8944) from the 2007-2010 What We Eat in America, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed. Databases available from the WWEIA/NHANES and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were used to determine nutrient, food group, and dietary supplement intakes. Modeling was performed by adding the necessary number of dairy servings, using the dairy composite designed by USDA, to each participant's diet to meet the dairy recommendations outlined by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. All analyses included sample weights to account for the NHANES survey design. The majority of children 4 years and older (67.4-88.8%) and nearly all adults (99.0-99.6%) fall below the recommended 2.5-3 daily servings of dairy products. Increasing dairy consumption to recommended amounts would result in a significant reduction in the percent of adults with calcium, magnesium, and vitamin A intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) when considering food intake alone (0-2.0 vs. 9.9-91.1%; 17.3-75.0 vs. 44.7-88.5%; 0.1-15.1 vs. 15.3-48.0%, respectively), as well as food and dietary supplement intake. Minimal, but significant, improvements were observed for the percent of people below the EAR for vitamin D (91.7-99.9 vs. 91.8-99.9%), and little change was achieved for the large percentage of people below the Adequate Intake for potassium. Increasing dairy food consumption to recommended amounts is one practical dietary change that could significantly improve the population's adequacy for certain vitamins and minerals that are currently under-consumed, as well as have a positive impact on health.

38 CFR 38.618 - Findings concerning commission of a capital crime where a person has not been convicted due to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... commission of a capital crime where a person has not been convicted due to death or flight to avoid... of a capital crime where a person has not been convicted due to death or flight to avoid prosecution... unavailability for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution, the cemetery director, with the assistance...

The Hidden Effects of Dairy Farming on Public and Environmental Health in the Netherlands, India, Ethiopia, and Uganda, Considering the Use of Antibiotics and Other Agro-chemicals

PubMed Central

Groot, Maria J.; van’t Hooft, Katrien E.

2016-01-01

The current and expected growth of the world’s population warrants an increased production of high-quality animal protein. Dairy farming is regarded as one of the important ways of satisfying this need to meet the growing demand for milk, especially in developing countries. The focus on crossbreeding and increasing the productivity of dairy cattle has, besides enhanced milk production, also resulted in an increased use of agro-­chemicals, mainly antibiotics and anti-parasite drugs. The residues of these agro-chemicals, if not managed properly, could leak into the environment, affecting natural processes, biodiversity, and soil life. Public health can also be affected due to residues in milk and meat, especially in countries with insufficient food quality controls. These processes contribute to the growing global threat to human and animal health posed by multi-resistant microbes. This article discusses the differences and similarities of dairy farming, and the effect on public and environmental health, between the Netherlands, India, Ethiopia, and Uganda, emphasizing the strategies that have been developed during the E-Motive exchange project to reduce the use of antibiotics and other chemicals in dairy farming. Proposed solutions include raising consciousness about the risk of antibiotics and their effect on food quality, and implementing the Natural Livestock Farming five-layer approach for reducing the use of antibiotics and other chemicals. This approach is based on improving animal and farm management, revitalizing ethno veterinary knowledge and the use of medicinal plants, genetic improvement through strategic use of local breeds, establishing quality control systems in the dairy chain, and extra payment to farmers for residue-free milk. PMID:26942171

Greenhouse gas emissions from the enteric fermentation and manure storage of dairy and beef cattle in China during 1961-2010.

PubMed

Gao, Zhiling; Lin, Zhi; Yang, Yuanyuan; Ma, Wenqi; Liao, Wenhua; Li, Jianguo; Cao, Yufeng; Roelcke, Marco

2014-11-01

Due to the expanding dairy and beef population in China and their contribution to global CH4 and N2O budgets, a framework considering changes in feed, manure management and herd structure was established to indicate the trends of CH4 and N2O emissions from the enteric formation and manure storage in China׳s beef and dairy production and the underlying driving forces during the period 1961-2010. From 1961 to 2010, annual CH4 and N2O emissions from beef cattle in China increased from 2.18Mt to 5.86Mt and from 7.93kt-29.56kt, respectively, while those from dairy cattle increased from 0.023 to 1.09Mt and 0.12 to 7.90kt, respectively. These increases were attributed to the combined changes in cattle population and management practices in feeds and manure storage. Improvement in cattle genetics during the period increased the bodyweight, required dry matter intake and gross energy and thus resulted in increased enteric CH4 EFs for each category of beef and dairy cattle as well as the overall enteric EFs (i.e., Tier 1 in IPCC). However, for beef cattle, such an impact on the overall enteric EFs was largely offset by the herd structure transition from draft animal-oriented to meat animal-oriented during 1961-2010. Although the CO2-eq of CH4 and N2O from manure storage was less than the enteric emissions during 1961-2010 in China, it tended to increase both in beef and dairy cattle, which was mainly driven by the changes in manure management practices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Central genomic regulation of the expression of oestrous behaviour in dairy cows: a review.

PubMed

Woelders, H; van der Lende, T; Kommadath, A; te Pas, M F W; Smits, M A; Kaal, L M T E

2014-05-01

The expression of oestrous behaviour in Holstein Friesian dairy cows has progressively decreased over the past 50 years. Reduced oestrus expression is one of the factors contributing to the current suboptimal reproductive efficiency in dairy farming. Variation between and within cows in the expression of oestrous behaviour is associated with variation in peripheral blood oestradiol concentrations during oestrus. In addition, there is evidence for a priming role of progesterone for the full display of oestrous behaviour. A higher rate of metabolic clearance of ovarian steroids could be one of the factors leading to lower peripheral blood concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone in high-producing dairy cows. Oestradiol acts on the brain by genomic, non-genomic and growth factor-dependent mechanisms. A firm base of understanding of the ovarian steroid-driven central genomic regulation of female sexual behaviour has been obtained from studies on rodents. These studies have resulted in the definition of five modules of oestradiol-activated genes in the brain, referred to as the GAPPS modules. In a recent series of studies, gene expression in the anterior pituitary and four brain areas (amygdala, hippocampus, dorsal hypothalamus and ventral hypothalamus) in oestrous and luteal phase cows, respectively, has been measured, and the relation with oestrous behaviour of these cows was analysed. These studies identified a number of genes of which the expression was associated with the intensity of oestrous behaviour. These genes could be grouped according to the GAPPS modules, suggesting close similarity of the regulation of oestrous behaviour in cows and female sexual behaviour in rodents. A better understanding of the central genomic regulation of the expression of oestrous behaviour in dairy cows may in due time contribute to improved (genomic) selection strategies for appropriate oestrus expression in high-producing dairy cows.

Does Dietary Mitigation of Enteric Methane Production Affect Rumen Function and Animal Productivity in Dairy Cows?

PubMed Central

Veneman, Jolien B.; Muetzel, Stefan; Hart, Kenton J.; Faulkner, Catherine L.; Moorby, Jon M.; Perdok, Hink B.; Newbold, Charles J.

2015-01-01

It has been suggested that the rumen microbiome and rumen function might be disrupted if methane production in the rumen is decreased. Furthermore concerns have been voiced that geography and management might influence the underlying microbial population and hence the response of the rumen to mitigation strategies. Here we report the effect of the dietary additives: linseed oil and nitrate on methane emissions, rumen fermentation, and the rumen microbiome in two experiments from New Zealand (Dairy 1) and the UK (Dairy 2). Dairy 1 was a randomized block design with 18 multiparous lactating cows. Dairy 2 was a complete replicated 3 x 3 Latin Square using 6 rumen cannulated, lactating dairy cows. Treatments consisted of a control total mixed ration (TMR), supplementation with linseed oil (4% of feed DM) and supplementation with nitrate (2% of feed DM) in both experiments. Methane emissions were measured in open circuit respiration chambers and rumen samples were analyzed for rumen fermentation parameters and microbial population structure using qPCR and next generation sequencing (NGS). Supplementation with nitrate, but not linseed oil, decreased methane yield (g/kg DMI; P<0.02) and increased hydrogen (P<0.03) emissions in both experiments. Furthermore, the effect of nitrate on gaseous emissions was accompanied by an increased rumen acetate to propionate ratio and consistent changes in the rumen microbial populations including a decreased abundance of the main genus Prevotella and a decrease in archaeal mcrA (log10 copies/ g rumen DM content). These results demonstrate that methane emissions can be significantly decreased with nitrate supplementation with only minor, but consistent, effects on the rumen microbial population and its function, with no evidence that the response to dietary additives differed due to geography and different underlying microbial populations. PMID:26509835

Does Dietary Mitigation of Enteric Methane Production Affect Rumen Function and Animal Productivity in Dairy Cows?

PubMed

Veneman, Jolien B; Muetzel, Stefan; Hart, Kenton J; Faulkner, Catherine L; Moorby, Jon M; Perdok, Hink B; Newbold, Charles J

2015-01-01

It has been suggested that the rumen microbiome and rumen function might be disrupted if methane production in the rumen is decreased. Furthermore concerns have been voiced that geography and management might influence the underlying microbial population and hence the response of the rumen to mitigation strategies. Here we report the effect of the dietary additives: linseed oil and nitrate on methane emissions, rumen fermentation, and the rumen microbiome in two experiments from New Zealand (Dairy 1) and the UK (Dairy 2). Dairy 1 was a randomized block design with 18 multiparous lactating cows. Dairy 2 was a complete replicated 3 x 3 Latin Square using 6 rumen cannulated, lactating dairy cows. Treatments consisted of a control total mixed ration (TMR), supplementation with linseed oil (4% of feed DM) and supplementation with nitrate (2% of feed DM) in both experiments. Methane emissions were measured in open circuit respiration chambers and rumen samples were analyzed for rumen fermentation parameters and microbial population structure using qPCR and next generation sequencing (NGS). Supplementation with nitrate, but not linseed oil, decreased methane yield (g/kg DMI; P<0.02) and increased hydrogen (P<0.03) emissions in both experiments. Furthermore, the effect of nitrate on gaseous emissions was accompanied by an increased rumen acetate to propionate ratio and consistent changes in the rumen microbial populations including a decreased abundance of the main genus Prevotella and a decrease in archaeal mcrA (log10 copies/g rumen DM content). These results demonstrate that methane emissions can be significantly decreased with nitrate supplementation with only minor, but consistent, effects on the rumen microbial population and its function, with no evidence that the response to dietary additives differed due to geography and different underlying microbial populations.

Sustainability evaluation of pasteurized milk production with a life cycle assessment approach: An Iranian case study.

PubMed

Rafiee, Shahin; Khoshnevisan, Benyamin; Mohammadi, Issa; Aghbashlo, Mortaza; Mousazadeh, Hossein; Clark, Sean

2016-08-15

Agro-food systems play a significant role in the economies of all nations due to energy use and the resulting environmental consequences. The sustainability of these systems is determined by a multitude of interacting economic, social and environmental factors. Dairy production presents a relevant example of the sustainability trade-offs that occur within such systems. On the one hand, dairy production constitutes an important part of the human diet, but it is also responsible for significant emissions of potent greenhouse gases and other pollutants. In this study, the environmental aspects of pasteurized milk production in Iran were investigated using a life-cycle approach. Three sub-systems, namely feed production, dairy farm and dairy factory, were taken into account to determine how and where Iranian pasteurized milk production might be made more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. The results clearly demonstrate that the feed production stage was the hot spot in pasteurized milk production in terms of energy consumption, environmental burdens and economic costs. The largest share of the total production costs belonged to animal feeds (43%), which were part of the feed production stage. The largest consumers of energy in the production of raw milk were alfalfa (30.3%), concentrate (24%), straw (17.8%) and maize (10.9%) for cows, followed by diesel fuel (6.6%) and electricity (5.6%). The global warming potential for the production of 1000kg of raw milk at the dairy-farm gate was estimated at 457kg CO2,eq. Thus, more than 69% of the total impact at the milk-processing gate resulted from the previous two sub-systems (feed production and dairy farm), with the feed-production stage accounting for the largest fractions of the environmental burdens. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Factors affecting sustainable dairy production: A case study from Uva Province of Sri Lanka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijethilaka, D.; De Silva, S.; Deshapriya, R. M. C.; Gunaratne, L. H. P.

2018-05-01

Dairy farming has been playing a key role by improving household incomes and food security for rural communities in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, it has failed to meet the expected self-sufficiency. In 2015, Sri Lanka imported 51percent of the national milk requirement spending US 251 million from its debt-ridden economy. This paper aims to analyse socio-economic characteristics of dairy farmers and factors affecting dairy production efficiency in the Uva Province of Sri Lanka, a highly potential area comprising all the dairy value chain actors. Surveyed was conducted to farmers, key informants from input suppliers, collectors, transporters, processors, sellers and support service providers. Result revealed that intensive farmer’s milk yields per cow was only 7.97 L/day, which was 35% and 60% higher than the yields of semi-intensive and extensive farmers respectively. The highest profit of Rs. 53.30 per litre was earned by extensive farmers, whereas it was Rs. 47.63 for semi-intensive and Rs. 44.76 for intensive farmers respectively if family labour cost was not taken into the account. The Technical Efficiency Analysis revealed that 37.1% and 20% milk production of intensive farmers and semi-intensive is being loss due to inefficiency and could be increased without any additional inputs. The main factors affecting efficiency in milk production included farmers’ socio-economic characteristics and farm characteristics. Based on the results it can be concluded that sustainability dairy production depends on farmer training, collectivizing farmers into farmer societies, culling unproductive male animals, increasing the availability and access to AI/other breading programs and low-cost quality concentrate feed and other supplements, and, thus appropriate measures should be taken to provide these conditions if Sri Lanka aims to achieve self-sufficiency in milk production.

Municipal wastewater biological nutrient removal driven by the fermentation liquid of dairy wastewater.

PubMed

Liu, Hui; Chen, Yinguang; Wu, Jiang

2017-11-01

Carbon substrate is required by biological nutrient removal (BNR) microorganism, but it is usually insufficient in the influent of many municipal wastewater treatment plants. In this study the use of ethanol-enriched fermentation liquid, which was derived from dairy wastewater, as the preferred carbon substrate of BNR was reported. First, the application of dairy wastewater and food processing wastewater and their fermentation liquid as the carbon substrate of BNR was compared in the short-term tests. The fermented wastewater showed higher BNR performance than the unfermented one, and the fermentation liquid of dairy wastewater (FL-DW), which was obtained under pH 8 and fermentation time of 6 day, exhibited the highest phosphorus (95.5%) and total nitrogen (97.6%) removal efficiencies due to its high ethanol content (57.9%). Then, the long-term performance of FL-DW acting as the carbon substrate of BNR was compared with that of acetate and ethanol, and the FL-DW showed the greatest phosphorus and total nitrogen removal. Further investigation showed that the use of FL-DW caused the highest polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) synthesis in BNR microbial cells, and more PHAs were used for phosphorus uptake and denitrification rather than glycogen synthesis and microbial growth. The FL-DW can be used as a preferred carbon substrate for BNR microbes. AB: aerobic end sludge active biomass; BNR: biological nutrient removal; DW: dairy wastewater; FL-DW: fermentation liquid of dairy wastewater; FPW: food processing wastewater; FL-FPW: fermentation liquid of food processing wastewater; PHAs: polyhydroxyalkanoates; PHB: poly-3-hydroxybutyrate; PHV: poly-3-hydroxyvalerate; PH2MV: poly-3-hydroxy-2- methylvalerate; PAOs: phosphorus accumulating organisms; SBR: sequencing batch reactor; SOP: soluble ortho-phosphorus; TN: total nitrogen; TSS: total suspended solids; VSS: volatile suspended solids; VFAs: volatile fatty acids; WWTPs: wastewater treatment plants.

Adaptation potential of naturally ventilated barns to high temperature extremes: The OptiBarn project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menz, Christoph

2016-04-01

Climate change interferes with various aspects of the socio-economic system. One important aspect is its influence on animal husbandry, especially dairy faming. Dairy cows are usually kept in naturally ventilated barns (NVBs) which are particular vulnerable to extreme events due to their low adaptation capabilities. An effective adaptation to high outdoor temperatures for example, is only possible under certain wind and humidity conditions. High temperature extremes are expected to increase in number and strength under climate change. To assess the impact of this change on NVBs and dairy cows also the changes in wind and humidity needs to be considered. Hence we need to consider the multivariate structure of future temperature extremes. The OptiBarn project aims to develop sustainable adaptation strategies for dairy housings under climate change for Europe, by considering the multivariate structure of high temperature extremes. In a first step we identify various multivariate high temperature extremes for three core regions in Europe. With respect to dairy cows in NVBs we will focus on the wind and humidity field during high temperature events. In a second step we will use the CORDEX-EUR-11 ensemble to evaluate the capability of the RCMs to model such events and assess their future change potential. By transferring the outdoor conditions to indoor climate and animal wellbeing the results of this assessment can be used to develop technical, architectural and animal specific adaptation strategies for high temperature extremes.

Oxidative stress in dairy cows seropositives for Neospora caninum.

PubMed

Glombowsky, Patrícia; Bottari, Nathieli B; Klauck, Vanderlei; Fávero, Juscivete F; Soldá, Natan M; Baldissera, Matheus D; Perin, Gessica; Morsch, Vera M; Schetinger, Maria Rosa C; Stefani, Lenita M; Da Silva, Aleksandro S

2017-10-01

Bovine neosporosis is caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum and is one of the major causes of abortion in cows. Cattle are intermediate hosts of this parasite and may have asymptomatic or symptomatic infections. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative stress marker reactive oxygen species (ROS), thiobarbituric reactive acid substances (TBARS) levels, glutathione S-transferase (GST), adenosine deaminase (ADA), and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities in dairy cows seropositives for N. caninum (asymptomatic or symptomatic). Dairy cows (n=90) were tested by immunofluorescent antibody assay (IFA) for N. caninum and divided accordingly into three groups: the group A (seronegatives, n=30), the group B (seropositives and asymptomatic, n=30), and the group C (seropositives and symptomatic, n=30). It was observed increased levels of TBARS and reduced (P<0.05) BChE activity in seropositives either asymptomatic or symptomatic animals. ROS levels and ADA activity increased, and GST activity decreased (P<0.05) only in seropositives symptomatic dairy cows (the group C) compared to seronegatives dairy cows (the group A). Based on these results, it was observed that seropositive animals showed cell damage associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, mainly in those with symptomatic infections. Increased seric ROS levels and BChE activity may have influenced N. caninum pathogenesis in symptomatic animals due to increased cell damage and exacerbated inflammatory response, leading to the development of clinical signs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bulk milk-estimated seroprevalence of Fasciola hepatica in dairy herds and collecting of risk factor data in East Frisia, northern Germany.

PubMed

Kuerpick, Birte; Fiedor, Christiane; von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg; Schnieder, Thomas; Strube, Christina

2012-01-01

The liver fluke Fasciola (F) hepatica is one of the most important trematodes in cattle farming worldwide. Fasciolosis in dairy cows is leading to production losses due to decreased milk yield, liver condemnation and impaired reproduction. The treatment of dairy cows is unsatisfactory, because available drugs are either effective against adult flukes only or have long withdrawal times or in some countries may not be used at all. In the present study the prevalence of F. hepatica in dairy farms located in East Frisia, which is part of the federal state Lower Saxony, was investigated. East Frisia is considered a high risk area for Fasciola hepatica infections, because of its coastal location, high precipitation and moist pastures. About 750 bulk milk samples were collected in January and November 2006 and analysed for F. hepatica antibodies using the Pourquier ELISA. In addition, questionnaires, which were answered by 260 of the participating farmers, were evaluated to analyse management-related factors associated with fasciolosis. In January and November, 52.1% and 53.6% of the bulk milk samples, respectively, showed positive results. Thereby, 88.1% of the examined farms showed an unchanged infection status, whereas 6.2% of the farms became seropositive during the grazing season and 5.8% of the dairy herds turned seronegative. Statistical analysis revealed a significant negative association between average annual milk production and the frequency of infections with F. hepatica.

Differences in sheep and goats milk fatty acid profile between conventional and organic farming systems.

PubMed

Tsiplakou, Eleni; Kotrotsios, Vaios; Hadjigeorgiou, Ioannis; Zervas, George

2010-08-01

The objective of this study was to investigate whether there is a difference in chemical composition and particularly in fatty acid (FA) profile, with emphasis on cis-9, trans-11 CLA, of milk obtained from conventional and organic dairy sheep and goats farms under the farming conditions practiced in Greece. Four dairy sheep and four dairy goat farms, representing common conventional production systems and another four dairy sheep and four dairy goat farms, organically certified, representing organic production and feeding systems were selected from all over Greece. One hundred and sixty two individual milk samples were collected from those farms in January-February 2009, about three months after parturition. The milk samples were analyzed for their main chemical constituents and their FA profile. The results showed that the production system affected milk chemical composition: in particular fat content was lower in the organic sheep and goats milk compared with the corresponding conventional. Milk from organic sheep had higher content in MUFA, PUFA, alpha-LNA, cis-9, trans-11 CLA, and omega-3 FA, whereas in milk from organic goats alpha-LNA and omega-3 FA content was higher than that in conventional one. These differences are, mainly, attributed to different feeding practices used by the two production systems. The results of this study show that the organic milk produced under the farming conditions practiced in Greece has higher nutritional value, due to its FA profile, compared with the respective conventional milk.

Interaction of green tea polyphenols with dairy matrices in a simulated gastrointestinal environment.

PubMed

Lamothe, Sophie; Azimy, Naheed; Bazinet, Laurent; Couillard, Charles; Britten, Michel

2014-10-01

The consumption of polyphenols in green tea has been associated with beneficial health effects. Although polyphenols are unstable in the intestinal environment, they may be protected by interactions with dairy proteins during digestion. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of a green tea extract on the digestibility of different dairy matrices and to monitor the antioxidant activity of these matrices with or without the green tea extract during digestion in a simulated gastrointestinal environment. Milk, yogurt and cheese with similar fat-to-protein ratios were subjected to simulated digestion. Matrix degradation, protein and fat hydrolysis, polyphenol concentration and radical scavenging activity were analyzed during gastric and intestinal digestion phases. Cheese was the matrix most resistant to protein and fat digestion. The addition of the green tea extract significantly decreased proteolysis in the gastric phase but had no effect in the intestinal phase. The kinetics of fatty acid release was reduced by the presence of the green tea extract. Transition from the gastric phase to the intestinal phase induced a 50% decrease in the antioxidant activity of the control (tea extract dispersed in water) due to the degradation of polyphenols. The presence of dairy matrices significantly improved polyphenol stability in the intestinal phase and increased the antioxidant activity by 29% (cheese) to 42% (milk) compared to the control. These results suggest that simultaneous consumption of green tea and dairy products helps to maintain the integrity and antioxidant activity of polyphenols during digestion.

Consumers' perceptions toward 3 different fermented dairy products: Insights from focus groups, word association, and projective mapping.

PubMed

Esmerino, Erick A; Ferraz, Juliana P; Filho, Elson R Tavares; Pinto, Letícia P F; Freitas, Mônica Q; Cruz, Adriano G; Bolini, Helena M A

2017-11-01

Yogurts, fermented milk beverages, and fermented milks have great similarity and are widely accepted by Brazilian population, but the factors that influence their choice and consumption are unknown. In this sense, the present study aimed to identify the main aspects involved in consumers' perception of 3 different products, comparing the findings by using the 2 fast qualitative methods, word association and projective mapping, and a standard method, focus group. The tasks were performed by different participants through graphic stimuli (word association and projective mapping) and focus interviews (focus group). Results showed that all the 3 methodologies identified numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the consumer choices regarding fermented dairy products. Major dimensions were closely related to the sensory aspects, emotional factors, perception of benefits, and composition, among others. It is noteworthy that the stimuli related to fermented milk beverages evoked rejecting responses, possibly due to the dissociation between information and consumers' expectation. Although minor differences were observed between the number and type of dimensions that were obtained, similar conclusions can be drawn from all 3 sensory methods, which shows the relevance of qualitative and projective methods for investigation of consumers' perception. These findings can help dairy companies to provide subsidies and guidelines for the reformulation of their products, marketing strategies, and improvement in the communication between producers and consumers from different fermented dairy products. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and presentation of lactose intolerance and effects on dairy product intake in healthy subjects and patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

PubMed

Yang, Jianfeng; Deng, Yanyong; Chu, Hua; Cong, Yanqun; Zhao, Jianmin; Pohl, Daniel; Misselwitz, Benjamin; Fried, Michael; Dai, Ning; Fox, Mark

2013-03-01

The effects of lactase deficiency on digestive symptoms and diet in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have not been well defined. We assessed lactose absorption and tolerance and the intake of dairy products in healthy volunteers (controls) and patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS (D-IBS). Sixty patients diagnosed with D-IBS at the Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Hangzhou, China and 60 controls were given hydrogen breath tests to detect malabsorption and intolerance after administration of 10, 20, and 40 g lactose in random order 7-14 days apart; participants and researchers were blinded to the dose. We assessed associations between the results and self-reported lactose intolerance (LI). Malabsorption of 40 g lactose was observed in 93% of controls and 92% of patients with D-IBS. Fewer controls than patients with D-IBS were intolerant to 10 g lactose (3% vs 18%; odds ratio [OR], 6.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-30.8; P = .008), 20 g lactose (22% vs 47%; OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.43-7.02; P = .004), and 40 g lactose (68% vs 85%; OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.08-6.42; P = .03). H(2) excretion was associated with symptom score (P = .001). Patients with D-IBS self-reported LI more frequently than controls (63% vs 22%; OR, 6.25; 95% CI, 2.78-14.0; P < .001) and ate fewer dairy products (P = .040). However, self-reported LI did not correlate with results from hydrogen breath tests. The risk of LI is related to the dose of lactose ingested and intestinal gas production and is increased in patients with D-IBS. Self-reported LI, but not objective results from hydrogen breath tests, was associated with avoidance of dairy products. Copyright © 2013 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of nutrition, puberty and dancing on bone density in adolescent ballet dancers.

PubMed

Burckhardt, Peter; Wynn, Emma; Krieg, Marc-Antoine; Bagutti, Carlo; Faouzi, Mohamed

2011-06-01

Ballet dancers have on average a low bone mineral content (BMC), with elevated fracture-risk, low body mass index (BMI) for age (body mass index, kg/m2), low energy intake, and delayed puberty. This study aims at a better understanding of the interactions of these factors, especially with regard to nutrition. During a competition for pre-professional dancers we examined 127 female participants (60 Asians, 67 Caucasians). They averaged 16.7 years of age, started dancing at 5.8 years, and danced 22 hours/week. Assessments were made for BMI, BMC (DXA), and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, pubertal stage (Tanner score), and nutritional status (EAT-40 questionnaire and a qualitative three-day dietary record). BMI for age was found to be normal in only 42.5% of the dancers, while 15.7% had a more or less severe degree of thinness (12.6% Grade2 and 3.1% Grade 3 thinness). Menarche was late (13.9 years, range 11 to 16.8 years). Food intake, evaluated by number of consumed food portions, was below the recommendations for a normally active population in all food groups except animal proteins, where the intake was more than twice the recommended amount. In this population, with low BMI and intense exercise, BMC was low and associated with nutritional factors; dairy products had a positive and non-dairy proteins a negative influence. A positive correlation between BMAD and years since menarche confirmed the importance of exposure to estrogens and the negative impact of delayed puberty. Because of this and the probable negative influence of a high intake of non-dairy proteins, such as meat, fish, and eggs, and the positive association with a high dairy intake, ballet schools should promote balanced diets and normal weight and should recognize and help dancers avoid eating disorders and delayed puberty caused by extensive dancing and inadequate nutrition.

Economic assessment of Ostertagia ostertagi and Fasciola hepatica infections in dairy cattle herds in Germany using Paracalc®.

PubMed

Fanke, Jane; Charlier, Johannes; Steppin, Torsten; von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg; Vercruysse, Jozef; Demeler, Janina

2017-06-15

The aim of the current study was to estimate economic costs of Ostertagia ostertagi and Fasciola hepatica infections in dairy cattle herds in Germany using the online calculation programme Paracalc ® . Following a questionnaire, survey data were available from 464 farms in 14 federal states. On those farms bulk tank milk (BTM) samples and additionally up to six serum samples collected from first season grazing calves were analysed, using a commercially available ELISA (Boehringer Ingelheim SVANOVA Biotech AB, Uppsala, Sweden), an in-house ELISA (F. hepatica) and an in-house serum pepsinogen test. In total, samples obtained from 344 farms were included in the analysis since those were the only farms with complete questionnaires. Median costs per farm and year were estimated for gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections (€721.38) and F. hepatica infection (€565.61). Decreases in milk yield in multiparous cows were the major reason for annual production losses due to GI nematodes (€13.33 per cow) and F. hepatica infections (€7.95 per cow), which was followed by annual costs for anthelmintic treatment against GI nematode infections in adult cows (€10.00 per cow) and F. hepatica infection associated annual costs due to repeated artificial insemination (€10.13 per cow) and prolonged calving intervals (€9.40 per cow). The study demonstrated that if all required information is provided, the Paracalc ® tool can assist to identify productions losses in dairy cattle herds due to helminth infections and to optimise farm economics in Germany. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The high producing dairy cow and its reproductive performance

PubMed Central

Dobson, H; Smith, RF; Royal, MD; Knight, CH; Sheldon, IM

2009-01-01

Contents: Intensive genetic selection has resulted in modern dairy cow with very high milk yields but reduced fertility, due mainly to an increase in postpartum clinical problems, poor expression of oestrus, defective oocytes/embryos and uterine infections. It is a challenge to get enough food into these cows to meet the high demands of peak milk yields in early lactation and the animals require considerable veterinary attention in the early period after calving. Both genetic and management changes to increase the persistency of lactations would reduce the number and intensity of clinical risk periods throughout a cow's life without compromising milk output. PMID:17688598

Cost-benefit analysis of vaccination against Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in dairy cattle, given its cross-reactivity with tuberculosis tests.

PubMed

Groenendaal, Huybert; Zagmutt, Francisco J; Patton, Elisabeth A; Wells, Scott J

2015-09-01

Johne's disease (JD), or paratuberculosis, is a chronic enteric disease of ruminants, caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Johne's disease causes considerable economic losses to the US dairy industry, estimated to be over $200 million annually. Available control strategies include management measures to improve calf hygiene, test-and-cull strategies, and vaccination. Although the first 2 strategies have shown to reduce the prevalence of MAP, they require dedicated and long-term efforts from dairy producers, with often relatively slow progress. As a result, uptake of both strategies has not been as wide as expected given the economic benefits especially of improved hygiene. Vaccination has also been found to reduce the prevalence and economic losses of JD, but most economic estimates have been based on simulation of hypothetical vaccines. In addition, if an animal is vaccinated, cross-reactivity between MAP antibodies and bovine tuberculosis (BTB) antigens may occur, decreasing the specificity of BTB tests. Therefore, MAP vaccination would cause additional indirect costs to the BTB surveillance and control program. The objective of the present study was to use data from a MAP vaccine trial together with an epidemiologic and economic model to estimate the direct on-farm benefits of MAP vaccination and to estimate the indirect costs of MAP vaccination due to the cross-reactivity with BTB tests. Direct economic benefits of MAP vaccination were estimated at $8.03 (90% predictive interval: -$25.97 to $41.36) per adult animal per year, all accruing to the dairy producers. This estimate is likely an underestimation of the true direct benefits of MAP vaccination. In addition, indirect economic costs due to cross-reactivity were $2.14 per adult animal per year, making MAP vaccination economically attractive. Only in regions or states with a high frequency of BTB testing (because of, for example, Mycobacterium bovis outbreaks in a wild deer population) and areas where typically small groups of animals are BTB tested would MAP vaccination not be economically attractive. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lungworm outbreaks in adult dairy cows: estimating economic losses and lessons to be learned.

PubMed

Holzhauer, M; van Schaik, G; Saatkamp, H W; Ploeger, H W

2011-11-05

Two lungworm outbreaks in dairy herds were investigated in order to estimate the resulting economic costs. On the two farms, with 110 and 95 cows, total costs were estimated at €159 and €167 per cow, respectively. Overall, milk production reduced by 15 to 20 per cent during the outbreaks. Five cows died on one farm, while on the other farm seven cows died as a result of the lungworm outbreak. On one farm, 51.7 per cent of the total costs was due to reduced milk production and 33.1 per cent was due to disposal of dead animals. On the other farm, it was 36.3 and 50.9 per cent, respectively. The remaining 13 to 15 per cent of the total costs were due to extra inseminations, laboratory diagnosis and treatments. The history and development of the outbreaks are described. One lesson from these outbreaks is that recognising that potentially lungworm-naïve animals are to be introduced into the adult herd allows for timely measures (for example, vaccination) to prevent a lungworm outbreak.

Effects of optimism on creativity under approach and avoidance motivation

PubMed Central

Icekson, Tamar; Roskes, Marieke; Moran, Simone

2014-01-01

Focusing on avoiding failure or negative outcomes (avoidance motivation) can undermine creativity, due to cognitive (e.g., threat appraisals), affective (e.g., anxiety), and volitional processes (e.g., low intrinsic motivation). This can be problematic for people who are avoidance motivated by nature and in situations in which threats or potential losses are salient. Here, we review the relation between avoidance motivation and creativity, and the processes underlying this relation. We highlight the role of optimism as a potential remedy for the creativity undermining effects of avoidance motivation, due to its impact on the underlying processes. Optimism, expecting to succeed in achieving success or avoiding failure, may reduce negative effects of avoidance motivation, as it eases threat appraisals, anxiety, and disengagement—barriers playing a key role in undermining creativity. People experience these barriers more under avoidance than under approach motivation, and beneficial effects of optimism should therefore be more pronounced under avoidance than approach motivation. Moreover, due to their eagerness, approach motivated people may even be more prone to unrealistic over-optimism and its negative consequences. PMID:24616690

Sugar-coated: exopolysaccharide producing lactic acid bacteria for food and human health applications.

PubMed

Ryan, P M; Ross, R P; Fitzgerald, G F; Caplice, N M; Stanton, C

2015-03-01

The human enteric microbiome represents a veritable organ relied upon by the host for a range of metabolic and homeostatic functions. Through the production of metabolites such as short chain fatty acids (SCFA), folate, vitamins B and K, lactic acid, bacteriocins, peroxides and exopolysaccharides, the bacteria of the gut microbiome provide nutritional components for colonocytes, liver and muscle cells, competitively exclude potential pathogenic organisms and modulate the hosts immune system. Due to the extensive variation in structure, size and composition, microbial exopolysaccharides represent a useful set of versatile natural ingredients for the food industrial sector, both in terms of their rheological properties and in many cases, their associated health benefits. The exopolysaccharide-producing bacteria that fall within the 35 Lactobacillus and five Bifidobacterium species which have achieved qualified presumption of safety (QPS) and generally recognised as safe (GRAS) status are of particular interest, as their inclusion in food products can avoid considerable scrutiny. In addition, additives commonly utilised by the food industry are becoming unattractive to the consumer, due to the demand for a more 'natural' and 'clean labelled' diet. In situ production of exopolysaccharides by food-grade cultures in many cases confers similar rheological and sensory properties in fermented dairy products, as traditional additives, such as hydrocolloids, collagen and alginate. This review will focus on microbial synthesis of exopolysaccharides, the human health benefits of dietary exopolysaccharides and the technofunctional applications of exopolysaccharide-synthesising microbes in the food industry.

Risks of antibiotic residues in milk following intramammary and intramuscular treatments in dairy sheep.

PubMed

Pengov, A; Kirbis, A

2009-04-01

Very few drugs on the market are approved for use in lactating ewes. Veterinarians in the European Union are allowed to prescribe drugs in an off-label manner but are then obligated to assure that residues do not enter the food chain. In case of mastitis treatment in dairy ewes antibiotic preparations designed and authorized for the bovine mammary gland are usually used. Due to inter-species differences, available bovine data cannot be accurately extrapolated for use in the dairy ewe. The objective of the study was therefore to determine appropriate withdrawal periods for ewe's milk following mastitis treatment with two commercial lactating cow products. For the detection of all components standard agar plate diffusion techniques were used. Regardless of the therapy regime and the product used, residues of antibiotics in milk were detected up to 192h after the last infusion. These results indicate that the required withholding periods for ewe's milk are considerably longer than recommended on the label for bovine milk.

Relationship between physical attributes and heat stress in dairy cattle from different genetic groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfonzo, Evelyn Priscila München; Barbosa da Silva, Marcos Vinicius Gualberto; dos Santos Daltro, Darlene; Stumpf, Marcelo Tempel; Dalcin, Vanessa Calderaro; Kolling, Giovani; Fischer, Vivian; McManus, Concepta Margaret

2016-02-01

Dairy cattle raised under harsh conditions have to adapt and prevent heat stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate physical characteristics and their association with heat tolerance in different genetic groups of dairy cattle. Thickness of the skin and coat, length and number of hairs, body measurements, as well as physiological parameters and body temperatures by infrared thermography were determined in 19 Holstein and 19 Girolando (½ and ¾ Holstein) cows. The Holstein cattle were less tolerant to heat stress than Girolando (GH50 and GH75 Holstein), because of the difficulty in dissipating heat due to the larger body size, as well as thicker and longer hairs. The correlations between physical characteristics, physiological parameters, and thermographic measurements prove to be inconsistent among genetic groups and therefore are not predictive of heat tolerance, while the regressions of morphometric characteristics on physiological and thermographic measures were not significant. Thus, the physical characteristics were not good predictors of physiological indices and thermographic temperature and so should not be used.

Relationship between physical attributes and heat stress in dairy cattle from different genetic groups.

PubMed

Alfonzo, Evelyn Priscila München; Barbosa da Silva, Marcos Vinicius Gualberto; dos Santos Daltro, Darlene; Stumpf, Marcelo Tempel; Dalcin, Vanessa Calderaro; Kolling, Giovani; Fischer, Vivian; McManus, Concepta Margaret

2016-02-01

Dairy cattle raised under harsh conditions have to adapt and prevent heat stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate physical characteristics and their association with heat tolerance in different genetic groups of dairy cattle. Thickness of the skin and coat, length and number of hairs, body measurements, as well as physiological parameters and body temperatures by infrared thermography were determined in 19 Holstein and 19 Girolando (½ and ¾ Holstein) cows. The Holstein cattle were less tolerant to heat stress than Girolando (GH50 and GH75 Holstein), because of the difficulty in dissipating heat due to the larger body size, as well as thicker and longer hairs. The correlations between physical characteristics, physiological parameters, and thermographic measurements prove to be inconsistent among genetic groups and therefore are not predictive of heat tolerance, while the regressions of morphometric characteristics on physiological and thermographic measures were not significant. Thus, the physical characteristics were not good predictors of physiological indices and thermographic temperature and so should not be used.

Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate preservatives in food stuffs in Iran.

PubMed

Amirpour, Mansooreh; Arman, Azim; Yolmeh, Ahmad; Akbari Azam, Maryam; Moradi-Khatoonabadi, Zhila

2015-01-01

A high-performance liquid chromatography method was applied for the determination of the levels of benzoate and sorbate in 400 food samples, including pickled cucumbers, canned tomato pastes, sour cherry jams, soft drinks, fruit juices and dairy products (UF-Feta cheeses, Lighvan cheeses, lactic cheeses, yogurts and doogh). The results showed that 270 (67.5%) of all samples contained benzoate ranging from 11.9 to 288.5 mg kg(-1) in lactic cheese and fruit juice, respectively. The levels of sorbate in 98 (24.5%) of the samples were 20.1 to 284.3 mg kg(-1) in doogh and fruit juice, respectively. Moreover, benzoate was detected in all dairy products ranging from 11.9 mg kg(-1) in lactic cheese to 91.2 mg kg(-1) in UF-Feta cheese. A low concentration of benzoate could originate naturally, due to specific biochemical mechanisms during cheese, yogurt and doogh maturation. In conclusion, a minimum level for benzoate in dairy products should be defined in the legislation.

Recoupling Industrial Dairy Feedlots and Industrial Farmlands Mitigates the Environmental Impacts of Milk Production in China.

PubMed

Fan, Xing; Chang, Jie; Ren, Yuan; Wu, Xu; Du, Yuanyuan; Xu, Ronghua; Liu, Dong; Chang, Scott X; Meyerson, Laura A; Peng, Changhui; Ge, Ying

2018-04-03

Dairy production is becoming more industrialized globally, especially in developing countries. The large amount of animal wastes from industrial feedlots cannot be fully used on nearby farmlands, leading to severe environmental problems. Using China as a case study, we found that most dairy feedlots employ a semicoupled mode that only recycles solid manure to farmlands, and only a few dairy feedlots employ a fully coupled mode that recycles both solid and liquid animal manure. To produce 1 ton of milk, the fully coupled mode could reduce greenhouse gas (including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in this paper) emissions by 24%, ammonia emissions by 14%, and N discharge into water by 29%, compared with the semicoupled systems. Coupling feedlots with constructed wetlands can further result in greater mitigation of N leaching into groundwater. However, the fully coupled system has not been widely used due to the low benefit to farmers and the institutional barrier that the feedlot owners have no right to use adjacent farmlands. Since a fully coupled system improves net ecosystem services that favor the public, a policy that supports removing the economic and institutional barriers is necessary. Our approach provides a template for mitigating environmental impacts from livestock production without sacrificing milk production.

Feed-derived volatile basic nitrogen increases reactive oxygen species production of blood leukocytes in lactating dairy cows.

PubMed

Tsunoda, Ei; Gross, Josef J; Kawashima, Chiho; Bruckmaier, Rupert M; Kida, Katsuya; Miyamoto, Akio

2017-01-01

The present study investigated over 9 months the changes of fermentative quality of total mixed rations (TMR) containing grass silage (GS) as a major component, associated with changes in the volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) levels in an experimental dairy farm. Effects of VBN levels in TMR on metabolic parameters, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and conception rates for dairy cows were analyzed. According to VBN levels in TMR during survey periods, three distinct phases were identified; phase A with low VBN; phase B with high VBN; and phase C with mid-VBN. Metabolic parameters in blood were all within normal range. However, during phases B and C, nitrogen metabolic indices such as blood urea nitrogen and milk urea nitrogen showed higher levels compared to those in phase A, and a simultaneous increase in ROS production by blood PMNs and the load on hepatic function in metabolic parameters was observed in the cows with a lower conception rate. This suggests that feeding TMR with elevated VBN levels due to poor fermented GS results in stimulation of ROS production by PMNs by ammonia, and negatively affects metabolism and reproductive performance in lactating dairy cow. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Impact of biogas digesters on wood utilisation and self-reported back pain for women living on rural Kenyan smallholder dairy farms.

PubMed

Dohoo, Carolyn; VanLeeuwen, John; Read Guernsey, Judith; Critchley, Kim; Gibson, Mark

2013-01-01

Women living on rural Kenyan dairy farms spend significant amounts of time collecting wood for cooking. Biogas digesters, which generate biogas for cooking from the anaerobic decomposition of livestock manure, are an alternative fuel source. The objective of this study was to quantify the quality of life and health benefits of installing biogas digesters on rural Kenyan dairy farms with respect to wood utilisation. Women from 62 farms (31 biogas farms and 31 referent farms) participated in interviews to determine reliance on wood and the impact of biogas digesters on this reliance. Self-reported back pain, time spent collecting wood and money spent on wood were significantly lower (p < 0.01) for the biogas group, compared to referent farms. Multivariable linear regression showed that wood consumption increased by 2 lbs/day for each additional family member living on a farm. For an average family of three people, the addition of one cow was associated with increased wood consumption by 1.0 lb/day on biogas farms but by 4.4 lbs/day on referent farms (significant interaction variable - likely due to additional hot water for cleaning milk collection equipment). Biogas digesters represent a potentially important technology that can reduce reliance on wood fuel and improve health for Kenyan dairy farmers.

Epidemiology of bovine anaplasmosis in dairy herds from Costa Rica.

PubMed

Oliveira, J B; Montoya, J; Romero, J J; Urbina, A; Soto-Barrientos, N; Melo, E S P; Ramos, C A N; Araújo, F R

2011-05-11

Bovine anaplasmosis is endemic and occurs in almost all areas of livestock production of Costa Rica. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of anaplasmosis in dairy farms of Costa Rica by the recombinant truncated MSP-5 (rMSP-5) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum samples were obtained from 733 cattle from 20 commercial dairy herds of Costa Rica. The overall seroprevalence was 37.2% and herd seroprevalence ranged from 20.0 to 72.0%. The age-specific seroprevalence was 49.3% in young and 33.4% in adult animals. The main risk factors associated with seroprevalence were season of occurrence of clinical cases (rainy season) (OR=22.8), presence of tabanids (OR=9.5) and stable flies (OR=6.2), stable flies control measures (OR=3.2), non-use of ear tattoos (OR=2.8), interval of veterinary visit (≤ 60 days) (OR=2.7), altitude of the farms (<800 masl) (OR=2.6) and age (<2 years) (OR=1.8). The results indicated that exposure of cattle to Anaplasma marginale is common in dairy herds of Costa Rica and endemic instability situation probably is due to inadequate vector control. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Viability of smallholder dairying in Wedza, Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Zvinorova, Plaxedis Ivy; Halimani, Tinyiko Edward; Mano, Renneth T; Ngongoni, Nobbert Takarwirwa

2013-04-01

Viability differences in smallholder dairy farming are a result of differences in access to markets and services. It is hypothesized that innovations that improve productivity and market linkages also improve returns and viability. The viability of smallholder dairying in Wedza was characterised by interviewing 52 households using semi-structured questionnaires. Information on demographics, production, marketing, livestock numbers, assets and constraints was obtained. Farmers were resource-constrained with differences in access to resources. The highly resourced farmers had higher milk output and numbers of livestock. Almost 40 % of the households were female-headed, and these dominated the poor category. Household sizes ranged from 4 to 13 persons. Milk off-take was low (3.7 ± 0.53 l/cow/day), due to various constraints. Only rich farmers had viable enterprises in purely financial terms. Per litre cost of milk was more than selling price (US$0.96) for most farmers except the relatively rich. Operating ratios were 1.7, 0.6, 1.4 and 1.1 for the poor, rich, sub-centre and milk collection centre farmers, respectively. This means incomes from the dairy activities did not cover costs. Sensitivity analysis indicated that increases in total variable costs and labour reduced returns. Milk production and viability were influenced by access to resources and markets.

Potential for improving the carbon footprint of butter and blend products.

PubMed

Flysjö, A

2011-12-01

To reduce the environmental impact of a product efficiently, it is crucial to consider the entire value chain of the product; that is, to apply life cycle thinking, to avoid suboptimization and identify the areas where the largest potential improvements can be made. This study analyzed the carbon footprint (CF) of butter and dairy blend products, with the focus on fat content and size and type of packaging (including product waste at the consumer level). The products analyzed were butter with 80% fat in 250-g wrap, 250-g tub, and 10-g mini tub, and blends with 80% and 60% fat in 250-g tubs. Life cycle assessment was used to account for all greenhouse gas emissions from cow to consumer. A critical aspect when calculating the CF is how emissions are allocated between different products. Here, allocation of raw milk between products was based on a weighted fat and protein content (1:1.7), based on the price paid for raw milk to dairy farmers. The CF (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents, CO₂e) for 1 kg of butter or blend (assuming no product waste at consumer) ranged from 5.2 kg (blend with 60% fat content) to 9.3 kg of CO₂e (butter in 250-g tub). When including product waste at the consumer level, the CF ranged from 5.5 kg of CO₂e (blend with 60% fat content) to 14.7 kg of CO₂e (butter in mini tub). Fat content and the proportion of vegetable oil in products had the greatest effect on CF of the products, with lower fat content and a higher proportion of vegetable oil resulting in lower CF. Hence, if the same functionality as butter could be retained while shifting to lower fat and higher proportions of vegetable oil, the CF of the product would be decreased. Size and type of packaging were less important, but it is crucial to have the correct size and type of packaging to avoid product losses at the consumer. The greatest share of greenhouse gas emissions associated with butter production occurred at the farm level; thus, minimizing product losses in the whole value chain--from cow to consumer--is essential for efficient production. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantification of bovine oxylipids during intramammary Streptococcus uberis infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Streptococcus uberis mastitis results in severe mammary tissue damage in dairy cows due to uncontrolled inflammation. Oxylipids are potent lipid mediators that orchestrate pathogen-induced inflammatory responses, however, changes in oxylipid biosynthesis during S. uberis mastitis are unknown. Thus, ...

Latent class evaluation of a milk test, a urine test, and the fat-to-protein percentage ratio in milk to diagnose ketosis in dairy cows.

PubMed

Krogh, M A; Toft, N; Enevoldsen, C

2011-05-01

In this study, 3 commonly used tests to diagnose ketosis were evaluated with a latent class model to avoid the assumption of an available perfect test. The 3 tests were the KetoLac BHB (Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho Co. Ltd., Nagoya, Japan) test strip that tests milk for β-hydroxybutyrate, the KetoStix (Bayer Diagnostics Europe Ltd., Dublin, Ireland) test strip that tests urine for acetoacetate, and the fat-to-protein percentage ratio (FPR) in milk. A total of 8,902 cows were included in the analysis. The cows were considered to be a random sample from the population of Danish dairy cattle under intensive management, thus representing a natural spectrum of ketosis as a disease. All cows had a recorded FPR between 7 and 21 d postpartum. The KetoLac BHB recordings were available from 2,257 cows and 6,645 cows had a KetoStix recording. The recordings were analyzed with a modified Hui-Walter model, in a Bayesian framework. The specificity of the KetoLac BHB test and the KetoStix test were both high [0.99 (0.97-0.99)], whereas the specificity of FPR was somewhat lower [0.79 (0.77-0.81)]. The best sensitivity was for the KetoStix test [0.78 (0.55-0.98)], followed by the FPR [0.63 (0.58-0.71)] and KetoLac BHB test [0.58 (0.35-0.93)]. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance of small-scale dairy farms in the highlands of central Mexico during the dry season under traditional feeding strategies.

PubMed

Martínez-García, Carlos Galdino; Rayas-Amor, Adolfo Armando; Anaya-Ortega, Juan Pablo; Martínez-Castañeda, Francisco Ernesto; Espinoza-Ortega, Angélica; Prospero-Bernal, Fernando; Arriaga-Jordán, Carlos Manuel

2015-02-01

In Mexico, small-scale dairy systems (SSDS) represent over 78 % of dairy farms and contribute with 37 % of national milk production; however, they face high feeding costs. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of SSDS during the dry season in terms of milk yields, milk composition and feeding costs under traditional feeding strategies, to identify areas of opportunity for improving their profitability. The information was collected from 22 SSDS every month during dry season. Feeds were classified in quality forages (QF), supplements (SU) and straws (ST). Two factors were identified: factor 1-a positive relationship among QF, SU, milk yield and ration cost and factor 2-represented straw usage. Four feeding strategies were identified: (1) low-cost feeding strategy; (2) home-grown feeding strategy; (3) high-cost feeding strategy; and (4) straw-based feeding strategy. There were differences (P < 0.001) among feeding strategies for QF, SU, ST, total dry matter offered (TDMO), ration cost (RC), external inputs, home-grown inputs and milk yield. There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences among feeding strategies for fat and protein contents in milk. It is concluded that to improve performance and profitability and enhance sustainability in SSDS, farmers should base feeding strategies on home-grown quality forages, as it was the case in group 2 which showed lower feeding cost and better milk yield. It is also recommended to increase the inclusion of quality forages like grazing pastures and maize silages during the dry season and to avoid the inclusion of straws.

Genetic diversity of thermoduric spoilage microorganisms of milk from Brazilian dairy farms.

PubMed

Ribeiro Júnior, J C; Tamanini, R; de Oliveira, A L M; Alfieri, A A; Beloti, V

2018-05-16

When correctly pasteurized, packaged, and stored, milk with low total bacterial counts (TBC) has a longer shelf life. Therefore, microorganisms that resist heat treatments are especially important in the deterioration of pasteurized milk and in its shelf life. The aim of this work was to quantify the thermoduric microorganisms after the pasteurization of refrigerated raw milk samples with low TBC and to identify the diversity of these isolates with proteolytic or lipolytic potential by RFLP analysis. Twenty samples of raw milk were collected in bulk milk tanks shortly after milking in different Brazilian dairy farms and pasteurized. The mean thermoduric count was 3.2 (±4.7) × 10 2 cfu/mL (2.1% of the TBC). Of the 310 colonies obtained, 44.2% showed milk spoilage potential, 32.6% were proteolytic and lipolytic simultaneously, 31% were exclusively proteolytic, and 48 (36.4%) were only lipolytic. Regarding the diversity, 8 genera were observed (Bacillus, Brachybacterium, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Micrococcus, Kocuria, Paenibacillus, and Macrococcus); there was a predominance of endospore-forming bacteria (50%), and Bacillus licheniformis was the most common (34.1%) species. Considering the RFLP types, it was observed that the possible clonal populations make up the microbiota of different milk samples, but the same milk samples contain microorganisms of a single species with different RFLP types. Thus, even in milk with a high microbiological quality, it is necessary to control the potential milk-deteriorating thermoduric microorganisms to avoid the risk of compromising the shelf life and technological potential of pasteurized milk. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal relationship between fecal culture, fecal quantitative PCR, and milk ELISA in Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis-infected cows from low-prevalence dairy herds.

PubMed

Beaver, A; Sweeney, R W; Hovingh, E; Wolfgang, D R; Gröhn, Y T; Schukken, Y H

2017-09-01

Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP), the causative agent of ruminant Johne's disease, presents a particular challenge with regard to infection mitigation on dairy farms. Diagnostic testing strategies to identify and quantify MAP and associated antibodies are imperfect, and certain facets of the relationship between diagnostic tests remain to be explored. Additional repeated-measures data from known infected animals are needed to complement the body of cross-sectional research on Johne's disease-testing methods. Statistical models that accurately account for multiple diagnostic results while adjusting for the effects of individual animals and herds over time can provide a more detailed understanding of the interplay between diagnostic outcomes. Further, test results may be considered as continuous wherever possible so as to avoid the information loss associated with dichotomization. To achieve a broader understanding of the relationship between diagnostic tests, we collected a large number of repeated fecal and milk samples from 14 infected cows, in addition to bulk milk samples, from 2 low-prevalence dairy herds in the northeast United States. Predominately through the use of mixed linear modeling, we identified strong associations between milk ELISA optical density, fecal quantitative PCR, and fecal culture in individual animals while concurrently adjusting for variables that could alter these relationships. Notably, we uncovered subtleties in the predictive abilities of fecal shedding level on milk ELISA results, with animals categorized as disease progressors reaching higher ELISA optical density levels. Moreover, we observed that spikes in fecal shedding could predict subsequent high ELISA values up to 2 mo later. We also investigated the presence of MAP in individual milk samples via PCR and noted an association between poor udder hygiene and MAP positivity in milk, suggesting some level of environmental contamination. The paucity of positive milk samples and the complete absence of detectable MAP in the bulk tank throughout the study period indicate that contamination of milk with MAP may not be of chief concern in low-prevalence herds. An enhanced understanding of the interrelationships between diagnostic tests can only benefit the development of testing strategies and objectives, which in turn may lessen MAP infection prevalence in dairy herds. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Invited review: Dairy intake and bone health: a viewpoint from the state of the art.

PubMed

Caroli, A; Poli, A; Ricotta, D; Banfi, G; Cocchi, D

2011-11-01

The aim of this review was to focus on the complex relationships between milk and dairy products intake and bone health, with particular emphasis on osteoporosis. The literature was extensively examined to provide an objective overview of the most significant achievements on the subject. Osteoporosis can be defined as a disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to enhanced bone fragility and a consequent increase in fracture risk. Although the major determinants of peak bone mass and strength are genetic, major factors during childhood and adolescence may affect the ability to achieve peak bone mass. These include nutrition, particularly calcium and protein intake, physical activity, endocrine status, as well as exposure to a wide variety of risk factors. The role of calcium intake in determining bone mineral mass is well recognized to be the most critical nutritional factor to achieve optimal peak bone mass. The greatest amount of dietary calcium is obtained from milk and dairy foods, which also provide the human diet with vitamin D (particularly for products fortified with vitamin D), potassium, and other macro- and micronutrients. Although studies supporting the beneficial effects of milk or calcium on bone health are predominant in the literature, perplexity or discordance on this subject was expressed by some authors. Discordant data, mainly on the risk of fractures, provided limited proof of the unfavorable effect of dairy intake. More often, discordant works indicate no effect of dairy consumption on bone safety. Some considerations can be drawn from this viewpoint. Milk and dairy products are an optimal source of calcium as well as of other limiting nutrients (e.g., potassium and magnesium), with important effects on bone health. Bioactive components occurring in milk and dairy products may play an essential role on bone metabolism, as shown by in vivo and in vitro studies on colostrum acidic proteins and milk basic proteins. Calcium intake positively affects bone mass and is crucial in childhood and youth for correct bone development. In elderly people, calcium intake as well as vitamin D availability should be carefully checked. As a general conclusion, calcium is essential for bone health, although it will not prevent bone loss due to other factors; in this context, milk and dairy foods are bioavailable, relatively inexpensive sources of calcium for the human diet. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of different methods to detect microbial hygiene indicators relevant in the dairy industry.

PubMed

Hervert, C J; Alles, A S; Martin, N H; Boor, K J; Wiedmann, M

2016-09-01

It is estimated that 19% of the total food loss from retail, food service, and households comes from dairy products. A portion of this loss may be attributed to premature spoilage of products due to lapses in sanitation and postpasteurization contamination at the processing level. Bacterial groups including coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae (EB), and total gram-negative organisms represent indicators of poor sanitation or postpasteurization contamination in dairy products worldwide. Although Petrifilms (3M, St. Paul, MN) and traditional selective media are commonly used for the testing of these indicator organism groups throughout the US dairy industry, new rapid methods are also being developed. This project was designed to evaluate the ability of different methods to detect coliforms, EB, and other gram-negative organisms isolated from various dairy products and dairy processing environments. Using the Food Microbe Tracker database, a collection of 211 coliform, EB, and gram-negative bacterial isolates representing 25 genera associated with dairy products was assembled for this study. We tested the selected isolates in pure culture (at levels of approximately 15 to 300 cells/test) to evaluate the ability of 3M Coliform Petrifilm to detect coliforms, 3M Enterobacteriaceae Petrifilm, violet red bile glucose agar, and an alternative flow cytometry-based method (bioMérieux D-Count, Marcy-l'Étoile, France) to detect EB, and crystal violet tetrazolium agar to detect total gram-negative organisms. Of the 211 gram-negative isolates tested, 82% (174/211) had characteristic growth on crystal violet tetrazolium agar. Within this set of 211 gram-negative organisms, 175 isolates representing 19 EB genera were screened for detection using EB selective/differential testing methods. We observed positive results for 96% (168/175), 90% (158/175), and 86% (151/175) of EB isolates when tested on EB Petrifilm, violet red bile glucose agar, and D-Count, respectively; optimization of the cut-off thresholds for the D-Count may further improve its sensitivity and specificity, but will require additional data and may vary in food matrices. Additionally, 74% (129/175) of the EB isolates tested positive as coliforms. The data obtained from this study identify differences in detection between 5 microbial hygiene indicator tests and highlight the benefits of EB and total gram-negative testing methods. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrating forest ecosystem services into the farming landscape: A stochastic economic assessment.

PubMed

Monge, Juan J; Parker, Warren J; Richardson, James W

2016-06-01

The objective of this study was to assess how payments for ecosystem services could assist plantation forestry's integration into pastoral dairy farming in order to improve environmental outcomes and increase business resilience to both price uncertainty and production limits imposed by environmental policies. Stochastic Dominance (SD) criteria and portfolio analysis, accounting for farmers' risk aversion levels, were used to rank different land-use alternatives and landscapes with different levels of plantation forestry integration. The study was focused on a modal 200-ha dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua Catchment of the Central North Island region of New Zealand, where national environmental policies are being implemented to improve water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nitrogen and carbon payments would help farmers improve early cash flows for forestry, provide financial leverage to undertake afforestation projects and contribute to improved environmental outcomes for the catchment. The SD criteria demonstrated that although dairy farming generates the highest returns, plantation forestry with nitrogen and carbon payments would be a preferred alternative for landowners with relatively low risk aversion levels who consider return volatility and environmental limits within their land-use change criteria. Using the confidence premium concept, environmental payments to encourage plantation forestry into the landscape were shown to be lower when the majority of landowners are risk averse. The certainty equivalence approach helped to identify the optimal dairy-forestry portfolio arrangements for landowners of different levels of risk aversion, intensities of dairy farming (status quo and intensified) and nitrogen prices. At low nitrogen prices, risk neutral farmers would choose to afforest less than half of the farm and operate at the maximum nitrogen allowance, because dairy farming at both intensities provides the highest return among the different land uses available. However, at relatively low risk aversion levels, farmers would operate at levels below the maximum nitrogen allowance by including plantation forestry to a greater extent, compared to risk neutral farmers, due to its more certain returns. At a high nitrogen price of $400/kg, plantation forestry would completely subsume dairying, across risk aversion and intensity levels. These results confirm that plantation forestry as well as being an environmentally sound land-use alternative, also reduces uncertainty for landowners that are exposed to volatile international markets for dairy commodities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Creating a framework for the prioritization of biosecurity risks to the New Zealand dairy industry.

PubMed

Muellner, P; Hodges, D; Ahlstrom, C; Newman, M; Davidson, R; Pfeiffer, D; Marshall, J; Morley, C

2018-03-25

The New Zealand dairy sector relies on robust biosecurity measures to control and mitigate a wide range of threats to the industry. To optimize the prioritization of organisms and manage the risk they pose to the sector in a transparent and credible way, the Dairy Biosecurity Risk Evaluation Framework (D-BRiEF) was developed. This comprehensive framework was specifically designed for decision support, using a standardized approach to address the full spectrum of biosecurity threats to the sector, including exotic and endemic animal disease organisms, pest plants and insects. D-BRiEF is underpinned by three main processes, namely (i) hazard identification; (ii) multicriteria risk assessment; and (iii) communication for risk management. Expert knowledge and empirical data, including associated uncertainty, are harnessed in a standardized format. Results feed into a probability-impact model that was developed in close collaboration with dairy sector economists to provide overall comparative 10-year quantitative economic impact estimates for each assessed risk organism. A description of the overarching framework, which applies to diverse organism groups, is presented with detailed methodology on both endemic and exotic animal disease risk organisms. Examples of visual outputs are included, although actual ranking results are not reported due to industry confidentiality. D-BRiEF can provide a decision advantage to DairyNZ biosecurity risk managers and sector stakeholders by creating a transparent process that can be interrogated and updated at multiple levels to fully understand the layers of risk posed by different organisms. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Prevalence of latent and active tuberculosis among dairy farm workers exposed to cattle infected by Mycobacterium bovis.

PubMed

Torres-Gonzalez, Pedro; Soberanis-Ramos, Orbelin; Martinez-Gamboa, Areli; Chavez-Mazari, Barbara; Barrios-Herrera, Ma Teresa; Torres-Rojas, Martha; Cruz-Hervert, Luis Pablo; Garcia-Garcia, Lourdes; Singh, Mahavir; Gonzalez-Aguirre, Adrian; Ponce de Leon-Garduño, Alfredo; Sifuentes-Osornio, José; Bobadilla-Del-Valle, Miriam

2013-01-01

Human tuberculosis caused by M. bovis is a zoonosis presently considered sporadic in developed countries, but remains a poorly studied problem in low and middle resource countries. The disease in humans is mainly attributed to unpasteurized dairy products consumption. However, transmission due to exposure of humans to infected animals has been also recognized. The prevalence of tuberculosis infection and associated risk factors have been insufficiently characterized among dairy farm workers (DFW) exposed in settings with poor control of bovine tuberculosis. Tuberculin skin test (TST) and Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) were administered to 311 dairy farm and abattoir workers and their household contacts linked to a dairy production and livestock facility in Mexico. Sputa of individuals with respiratory symptoms and samples from routine cattle necropsies were cultured for M. bovis and resulting spoligotypes were compared. The overall prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) was 76.2% (95% CI, 71.4-80.9%) by TST and 58.5% (95% CI, 53.0-64.0%) by IGRA. Occupational exposure was associated to TST (OR 2.72; 95% CI, 1.31-5.64) and IGRA (OR 2.38; 95% CI, 1.31-4.30) adjusting for relevant variables. Two subjects were diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, both caused by M. bovis. In one case, the spoligotype was identical to a strain isolated from bovines. We documented a high prevalence of latent and pulmonary TB among workers exposed to cattle infected with M. bovis, and increased risk among those occupationally exposed in non-ventilated spaces. Interspecies transmission is frequent and represents an occupational hazard in this setting.

Eradication of bovine tuberculosis at a herd-level in Madrid, Spain: study of within-herd transmission dynamics over a 12 year period

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Eradication of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) through the application of test-and-cull programs is a declared goal of developed countries in which the disease is still endemic. Here, longitudinal data from more than 1,700 cattle herds tested during a 12 year-period in the eradication program in the region of Madrid, Spain, were analyzed to quantify the within-herd transmission coefficient (β) depending on the herd-type (beef/dairy/bullfighting). In addition, the probability to recover the officially bTB free (OTF) status in infected herds depending on the type of herd and the diagnostic strategy implemented was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models. Results Overall, dairy herds showed higher β (median 4.7) than beef or bullfighting herds (2.3 and 2.2 respectively). Introduction of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) as an ancillary test produced an apparent increase in the β coefficient regardless of production type, likely due to an increase in diagnostic sensitivity. Time to recover OTF status was also significantly lower in dairy herds, and length of bTB episodes was significantly reduced when the IFN-γ was implemented to manage the outbreak. Conclusions Our results suggest that bTB spreads more rapidly in dairy herds compared to other herd types, a likely cause being management and demographic-related factors. However, outbreaks in dairy herds can be controlled more rapidly than in typically extensive herd types. Finally, IFN-γ proved its usefulness to rapidly eradicate bTB at a herd-level. PMID:22748007

The nasal microbiota of dairy farmers is more complex than oral microbiota, reflects occupational exposure, and provides competition for staphylococci

PubMed Central

Sandberg, Scott; Reyes, Iris; Fritsche, Thomas R.

2017-01-01

Allergic and autoimmune diseases had been attributed to lack of exposure to biodiversity, an important factor in regulating immune homeostasis in a healthy host. We posit that the microbiome of healthy dairy farmers (DF) will be richer than non-farmers (NF) living in urban settings due to exposure to a greater biodiversity in the dairy environment. However, no studies have investigated the relationships between microbiota of dairy farmers (DF) compared with urban non-farmers (NF). We compared the nasal and oral microbiota of dairy farmers (N_DF, O_DF, respectively) with nasal and oral microbiota of NF in the same geographical area. The N_DF showed high microbial diversity with hundreds of unique genera that reflected environmental/occupational exposures. The nasal and oral microbiomes clustered separately from each other using Principal Coordinate Analysis, and with DF harboring two-fold and 1.5-fold greater exclusive genera in their nose and mouth respectively, than did non-farmers. Additionally, the N_DF group had a lower burden of Staphylococcus spp. suggesting a correlation between higher microbial diversity and competition for colonization by staphylococci. The N_DF samples were negative for the mecA gene, a marker of methicillin-resistance in staphylococci. The lower burden of staphylococci was found to be independent of the abundance of Corynebacterium spp. Exposure to greater biodiversity could enhance microbial competition, thereby reducing colonization with opportunistic pathogens. Future studies will analyze whether exposure to livestock microbiomes offers protection from acute and chronic diseases. PMID:28850578

The nasal microbiota of dairy farmers is more complex than oral microbiota, reflects occupational exposure, and provides competition for staphylococci.

PubMed

Shukla, Sanjay K; Ye, Zhan; Sandberg, Scott; Reyes, Iris; Fritsche, Thomas R; Keifer, Matthew

2017-01-01

Allergic and autoimmune diseases had been attributed to lack of exposure to biodiversity, an important factor in regulating immune homeostasis in a healthy host. We posit that the microbiome of healthy dairy farmers (DF) will be richer than non-farmers (NF) living in urban settings due to exposure to a greater biodiversity in the dairy environment. However, no studies have investigated the relationships between microbiota of dairy farmers (DF) compared with urban non-farmers (NF). We compared the nasal and oral microbiota of dairy farmers (N_DF, O_DF, respectively) with nasal and oral microbiota of NF in the same geographical area. The N_DF showed high microbial diversity with hundreds of unique genera that reflected environmental/occupational exposures. The nasal and oral microbiomes clustered separately from each other using Principal Coordinate Analysis, and with DF harboring two-fold and 1.5-fold greater exclusive genera in their nose and mouth respectively, than did non-farmers. Additionally, the N_DF group had a lower burden of Staphylococcus spp. suggesting a correlation between higher microbial diversity and competition for colonization by staphylococci. The N_DF samples were negative for the mecA gene, a marker of methicillin-resistance in staphylococci. The lower burden of staphylococci was found to be independent of the abundance of Corynebacterium spp. Exposure to greater biodiversity could enhance microbial competition, thereby reducing colonization with opportunistic pathogens. Future studies will analyze whether exposure to livestock microbiomes offers protection from acute and chronic diseases.

Factors Influencing the Flavour of Bovine Milk and Cheese from Grass Based versus Non-Grass Based Milk Production Systems

PubMed Central

Faulkner, Hope; Clarke, Holly J.; O’Sullivan, Maurice G.; Kerry, Joseph P.

2018-01-01

There has been a surge in interest in relation to differentiating dairy products derived from pasture versus confined systems. The impact of different forage types on the sensory properties of milk and cheese is complex due to the wide range of on farm and production factors that are potentially involved. The main effect of pasture diet on the sensory properties of bovine milk and cheese is increased yellow intensity correlated to β-carotene content, which is a possible biomarker for pasture derived dairy products. Pasture grazing also influences fat and fatty acid content which has been implicated with texture perception changes in milk and cheese and increased omega-3 fatty acids. Changes in polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk and cheese due to pasture diets has been suggested may increase susceptibility to lipid oxidation but does not seem to be an issue to due increased antioxidants and the reducing environment of cheese. It appears that pasture derived milk and cheese are easier to discern by trained panellists and consumers than milk derived from conserved or concentrate diets. However, milk pasteurization, inclusion of concentrate in pasture diets, cheese ripening time, have all been linked to reducing pasture dietary effects on sensory perception. Sensory evaluation studies of milk and cheese have, in general, found that untrained assessors who best represent consumers appear less able to discriminate sensory differences than trained assessors and that differences in visual and textural attributes are more likely to be realized than flavour attributes. This suggests that sensory differences due to diet are often subtle. Evidence supports the direct transfer of some volatiles via inhalation or ingestion but more so with indirect transfer post rumen metabolism dietary components. The impact of dietary volatiles on sensory perception of milk and dairy products obviously depends upon their concentration and odour activity, however very little quantitative studies have been carried out to date. Some studies have highlighted potential correlation of pasture with enhanced “barny” or “cowy” sensory attributes and subsequently linked these to accumulation of p-cresol from the metabolism of β-carotene and aromatic amino acids or possibly isoflavones in the rumen. p-Cresol has also been suggested as a potential biomarker for pasture derived dairy products. Other studies have linked terpenes to specific sensory properties in milk and cheese but this only appears to be relevant in milk and cheese derived from unseeded wild pasture where high concentrations accumulate, as their odour threshold is quite high. Toluene also a product of β-carotene metabolism has been identified as a potential biomarker for pasture derived dairy products but it has little impact on sensory perception due to its high odour threshold. Dimethyl sulfone has been linked to pasture diets and could influence sensory perception as its odour threshold is low. Other studies have linked the presence of maize and legumes (clover) in silage with adverse sensory impacts in milk and cheese. Considerably more research is required to define key dietary related impacts on the flavour of milk and cheese. PMID:29534042

An automated walk-over weighing system as a tool for measuring liveweight change in lactating dairy cows.

PubMed

Dickinson, R A; Morton, J M; Beggs, D S; Anderson, G A; Pyman, M F; Mansell, P D; Blackwood, C B

2013-07-01

Automated walk-over weighing systems can be used to monitor liveweights of cattle. Minimal literature exists to describe agreement between automated and static scales, and no known studies describe repeatability when used for daily measurements of dairy cows. This study establishes the repeatability of an automated walk-over cattle-weighing system, and agreement with static electronic scales, when used in a commercial dairy herd to weigh lactating cows. Forty-six lactating dairy cows from a seasonal calving, pasture-based dairy herd in southwest Victoria, Australia, were weighed once using a set of static scales and repeatedly using an automated walk-over weighing system at the exit of a rotary dairy. Substantial agreement was observed between the automated and static scales when assessed using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient. Weights measured by the automated walkover scales were within 5% of those measured by the static scales in 96% of weighings. Bland and Altman's 95% limits of agreement were -23.3 to 43.6 kg, a range of 66.9 kg. The 95% repeatability coefficient for automated weighings was 46.3 kg. Removal of a single outlier from the data set increased Lin's concordance coefficient, narrowed Bland and Altman's 95% limits of agreement to a range of 32.5 kg, and reduced the 95% repeatability coefficient to 18.7 kg. Cow misbehavior during walk-over weighing accounted for many of the larger weight discrepancies. The automated walk-over weighing system showed substantial agreement with the static scales when assessed using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient. This contrasted with limited agreement when assessed using Bland and Altman's method, largely due to poor repeatability. This suggests the automated weighing system is inadequate for detecting small liveweight differences in individual cows based on comparisons of single weights. Misbehaviors and other factors can result in the recording of spurious values on walk-over scales. Excluding outlier weights and comparing means of 7 consecutive daily weights may improve agreement sufficiently to allow meaningful assessment of small short-term changes in automated weights in individuals and groups of cows. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feed and manure use in low-N-input and high-N-input dairy cattle production systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, J. Mark

2014-11-01

In most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa fertilizers and feeds are costly, not readily available and used sparingly in agricultural production. In many parts of Western Europe, North America, and Oceania fertilizers and feeds are relatively inexpensive, readily available and used abundantly to maximize profitable agricultural production. A case study, dairy systems approach was used to illustrate how differences in feed and manure management in a low-N-input dairy cattle system (Niger, West Africa) and a high-N-input dairy production system (Wisconsin, USA) impact agricultural production and environmental N loss. In Niger, an additional daily feed N intake of 114 g per dairy animal unit (AU, 1000 kg live weight) could increase annual milk production from 560 to 1320 kg AU-1, and the additional manure N could greatly increase millet production. In Wisconsin, reductions in daily feed N intake of 100 g AU-1 would not greatly impact milk production but decrease urinary N excretion by 25% and ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from manure by 18% to 30%. In Niger, compared to the practice of housing livestock and applying dung only onto fields, corralling cattle or sheep on cropland (to capture urinary N) increased millet yields by 25% to 95%. The additional millet grain due to dung applications or corralling would satisfy the annual food grain requirements of 2-5 persons; the additional forage would provide 120-300 more days of feed for a typical head of cattle; and 850 to 1600 kg ha-1 more biomass would be available for soil conservation. In Wisconsin, compared to application of barn manure only, corralling heifers in fields increased forage production by only 8% to 11%. The application of barn manure or corralling increased forage production by 20% to 70%. This additional forage would provide 350-580 more days of feed for a typical dairy heifer. Study results demonstrate how different approaches to feed and manure management in low-N-input and high-N-input dairy cattle systems impact milk production, manure N excretion, manure N capture, N recycling and environmental N loss.

Recapturing nutrients from dairy waste using biochar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkhot, D.; Ghezzehei, T. A.; Berhe, A. A.

2009-12-01

Biochar or biomass derived black carbon is known to be highly resistant to decomposition with half-life periods ranging from hundreds of years to millennia. It is also reported to enhance soil productivity due to high nutrient retention and favorable effects on soil pH, water retention capacity as well as microbial population. Brazilian Terra Preta soils have shown the potential of biochar for long-term carbon sequestration capacity and productivity of soil and many researchers have now focused on utilizing this phenomenon to create fertile, carbon-rich soils, called Terra Preta Nova. Although the highly adsorptive nature of biochar is well characterized, the potential for using biochar in environmental cleanup efforts is relatively unexplored. Dairy waste is a source of significant water pollution because it introduces excess nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates into the soil and water system. Since many soils have limited capacity to retain nitrate and phosphate, especially for long periods of time, the utility of dairy waste manure to enhance soil fertility and nutrient availability to plants is limited. Here, we present results from a project that we started to determine the potential of biochar to recover the excess nutrients from dairy flushed manure. In this initial study, a commercially available biochar amendment was ground and used in a batch sorption experiment with the dairy flushed manure from a local dairy in Merced, California. Four manure dilutions viz. 10, 25, 50 and 100%, and three shaking times, viz. 1, 12 and 24 hours were used for this study. We then calculated the amount of ammonia, nitrate and phosphate adsorbed by the biochar using differences in nutrient concentrations before and after the sorption experiment. Biochar showed significant capacity of adsorbing these nutrients, suggesting a potential for controlling the dairy pollution. The resulting enriched biochar can potentially act as a slow release fertilizer and enhance soil productivity as well as increasing the long-term carbon sequestration potential of soils. We are currently initiating further research to determine the desorption potenial of the biochar sorbed nutrients in soil.

9 CFR 50.17 - Payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF TUBERCULOSIS Dairy... this subpart in connection with a buffer zone depopulation program due to tuberculosis, provided the... free of bovine tuberculosis, as determined epidemiologically by APHIS, but in any event for a period of...

9 CFR 50.17 - Payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF TUBERCULOSIS Dairy... this subpart in connection with a buffer zone depopulation program due to tuberculosis, provided the... free of bovine tuberculosis, as determined epidemiologically by APHIS, but in any event for a period of...

9 CFR 50.17 - Payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF TUBERCULOSIS Dairy... this subpart in connection with a buffer zone depopulation program due to tuberculosis, provided the... free of bovine tuberculosis, as determined epidemiologically by APHIS, but in any event for a period of...

9 CFR 50.17 - Payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF TUBERCULOSIS Dairy... this subpart in connection with a buffer zone depopulation program due to tuberculosis, provided the... free of bovine tuberculosis, as determined epidemiologically by APHIS, but in any event for a period of...

The effects of body posture and temperament on heart rate variability in dairy cows.

PubMed

Frondelius, Lilli; Järvenranta, Kirsi; Koponen, Taija; Mononen, Jaakko

2015-02-01

Reactivity of cattle affects many aspects of animal production (e.g. reduced milk and meat production). Animals have individual differences in temperament and emotional reactivity, and these differences can affect how animals react to stressful and fear-eliciting events. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a good indicator of stress and balance of the autonomous nervous system, and low parasympathetic activity is connected with higher emotional reactivity. The study had two specific aims: (1) to compare HRV in dairy cows for standing and lying postures (no earlier results available), and (2) to assess whether dairy cows' emotional reactivity is connected to their HRV values. Eighteen dairy cows were subjected twice to a handling test (HT): morning (HT1) and afternoon (HT2), to evaluate emotional reactivity (avoidance score, AS). HRV was measured during HT (standing). HRV baseline values, both standing and lying down, were measured one week before HTs. HRV was analyzed with time and frequency domain analyses and with the Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA). Heart rate (HR), low-frequency/high-frequency band ratio (LH/HF), % determinism (%DET) and longest diagonal line segment in the recurrence plot (Lmax) were higher (p<0.05) while the cows were standing than when lying down, whereas the root mean square of successive R-R intervals (RMSSD) (p<0.05) and power of the high-frequency band (HF) (p<0.1) were higher while the animals were lying down. HR, the standard deviation of all interbeat intervals (SDNN), RMSSD, HF, power of the low-frequency band (LF), % recurrence (%REC), %DET, Shannon entropy (p<0.05), and HF (p<0.1) were higher during the handling test compared to standing baseline values. AS (i.e. tendency to avoid handling) correlated positively with SDNN (r=0.48, p<0.05), RMSSD (r=0.54, p<0.05), HF, RMSSD (r=0.46, p<0.1) and LF (r=0.57, p<0.05), and negatively with %DET (r=-0.53, p<0.05), entropy (r=-0.60, p<0.05) and Lmax (r=-0.55, p<0.05) in the baseline HRV measurements. AS correlated positively with SDNN (r=0.43, p<0.1) and HF (r=0.53, p<0.05) during HT. Some HRV parameters (HR, LF, %REC, %DET) indicated that the handling test may have caused stress to the experimental cows, although some HRV results (SDNN, RMSSD, HF, entropy) were controversial. The correlations between HRV variables and AS suggest that the emotional reactivity of the cow can be assessed from the baseline values of the HRV. It is debatable, however, whether the handling test used in the present study was a good method of causing mild stress in dairy cattle, since it may have even induced a positive emotional state. The posture of the cow affected HRV values as expected (based on results from other species), so that while standing a shift towards more sympathetic dominance was evident. Our results support the idea that linear (time and frequency domain) and non-linear (RQA) methods measuring HRV complement each other, but further research is needed for better understanding of the connection between temperament and HRV. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Therapeutic management of botulism in dairy cattle.

PubMed

Pandian, S Jegaveera; Subramanian, M; Vijayakumar, G; Balasubramaniam, G A; Sukumar, K

2015-11-01

To report the successful recovery of few dairy cattle from botulism in response to a modified therapeutic strategy. Seventy four naturally-occurring clinical cases of bovine botulism encountered during the period of 2012-2014 which were confirmed by mouse lethality test became material for this study. Affected animals were made into three groups based on the treatment modifications made during the course of study. With the modified therapeutic regimen, 17 animals recovered after 7-10 days of treatment. Clinical recovery took 2-30 days. Animals which were not given intravenous fluid and calcium recovered uneventfully. Cattle which were already treated with intravenous fluids, calcium borogluconate, and antibiotics did not recover. They were either died or slaughtered for salvage. In cattle with botulism, administration of Vitamin AD3E and activated charcoal aid the clinical recovery. Besides, strictly avoiding anti-clostridial antibiotics, fluid therapy, and calcium therapy may facilitate the clinical recovery. Upon fluid administration, the pulmonary congestion existed in the ailing cattle might have worsened the anoxia. Administration of antibiotics like penicillin, aminoglycosides, and tetracyclines further worsen the neuronal paralysis by increasing the availability of botulinum neurotoxin. Cattle in early botulism have fair chances of recovery with the modified therapy.

Epilactose production by 2 cellobiose 2-epimerases in natural milk.

PubMed

Krewinkel, Manuel; Gosch, Maria; Rentschler, Eva; Fischer, Lutz

2014-01-01

It was reported recently that cellobiose 2-epimerases (CE) from various aerobic microorganisms convert lactose to epilactose in defined buffer systems. In this study, we showed that CE from 2 mesophilic microorganisms, Flavobacterium johnsoniae and Pedobacter heparinus, were capable of converting lactose to prebiotic epilactose not only in buffer but also in a complex milk system. First, the 2 enzymes were separately cloned, recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified by column chromatography. The production of F. johnsoniae CE was carried out in a stirred-tank reactor, indicating that future upscaling is possible. The bioconversions of milk lactose were carried out at an industrially relevant low temperature of 8°C to avoid undesired microbial contaminations or chemical side reactions. Both enzymes were reasonably active at this low temperature, because of their origin from mesophilic organisms. The enzymes showed different operational stabilities over a 24-h time-course. A conversion yield of about 30 to 33% epilactose was achieved with both enzymes. No side products were detected other than epilactose. Therefore, CE may introduce an added value for particular dairy products by in situ production of the prebiotic sugar epilactose. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Importance of bovine mastitis in Africa.

PubMed

Motaung, Thabiso E; Petrovski, Kiro R; Petzer, Inge-Marie; Thekisoe, Oriel; Tsilo, Toi J

2017-06-01

Bovine mastitis is an important animal production disease that affects the dairy industry globally. Studies have estimated the prevalence of this disease in approximately 30% of African countries, with the highest prevalence found in Ethiopia. This is despite the wide cattle distribution in Africa, and the largest number of dairy farms and herds in countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. Furthermore, the estimated financial losses due to direct and indirect impacts of bovine mastitis are lacking in this continent. Therefore, intensive research efforts will help determine the continent-wide economic impacts and advance careful monitoring of disease prevalence and epidemiology. Here, published cases supporting the occurrence and importance of bovine mastitis in certain regions of Africa are outlined.

Development and Validation of a UPLC-MS/MS Method to Monitor Cephapirin Excretion in Dairy Cows following Intramammary Infusion

PubMed Central

Ray, Partha; Knowlton, Katharine F.; Shang, Chao; Xia, Kang

2014-01-01

Cephapirin, a cephalosporin antibiotic, is used by the majority of dairy farms in the US. Fecal and urinary excretion of cephapirin could introduce this compound into the environment when manure is land applied as fertilizer, and may cause development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics critical for human health. The environmental loading of cephapirin by the livestock industry remains un-assessed, largely due to a lack of appropriate analytical methods. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a cephapirin quantification method to capture the temporal pattern of cephapirin excretion in dairy cows following intramammary infusion. The method includes an extraction with phosphate buffer and methanol, solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up, and quantification using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The LOQ values of the developed method were 4.02 µg kg−1 and 0.96 µg L−1 for feces and urine, respectively. This robust method recovered >60% and >80% cephapirin from spiked blank fecal and urine samples, respectively, with acceptable intra- and inter-day variation (<10%). Using this method, we detected trace amounts (µg kg−1) of cephapirin in dairy cow feces, and cephapirin in urine was detected at very high concentrations (133 to 480 µg L−1). Cephapirin was primarily excreted via urine and its urinary excretion was influenced by day (P = 0.03). Peak excretion (2.69 mg) was on day 1 following intramammary infusion and decreased sharply thereafter (0.19, 0.19, 0.08, and 0.17 mg on day 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively) reflecting a quadratic pattern of excretion (Quadratic: P = 0.03). The described method for quantification of cephapirin in bovine feces and urine is sensitive, accurate, and robust and allowed to monitor the pattern of cephapirin excretion in dairy cows. This data will help develop manure segregation and treatment methods to minimize the risk of antibiotic loading to the environment from dairy farms. PMID:25375097

Phenotypic, fermentation characterization, and resistance mechanism analysis of bacteriophage-resistant mutants of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus isolated from traditional Chinese dairy products.

PubMed

Deng, Kaibo; Fang, Wei; Zheng, Baodong; Miao, Song; Huo, Guicheng

2018-03-01

Bacteriophage infection is a large factor in dairy industrial production failure on the basis of pure inoculation fermentation, and developing good commercial starter cultures from wild dairy products and improving the environmental vigor of starter cultures by enhancing their phage resistance are still the most effective solutions. Here we used a spontaneous isolation method to obtain bacteriophage-resistant mutants of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus strains that are used in traditional Chinese fermented dairy products. We analyzed their phenotypes, fermentation characteristics, and resistance mechanisms. The results showed that bacteriophage-insensitive mutants (BIM) BIM8 and BIM12 had high bacteriophage resistance while exhibiting fermentation and coagulation attributes that were as satisfying as those of their respective parent strains KLDS1.1016 and KLDS1.1028. According to the attachment receptor detection, mutants BIM8 and BIM12 exhibited reduced absorption to bacteriophage phiLdb compared with their respective bacteriophage-sensitive parent strains because of changes to the polysaccharides or teichoic acids connected to their peptidoglycan layer. Additionally, genes, including HSDR, HSDM, and HSDS, encoding 3 subunits of a type I restriction-modification system were identified in their respective parent strains. We also discovered that HSDR and HSDM were highly conserved but that HSDS was variable because it is responsible for the DNA specificity of the complex. The late lysis that occurred only in strain KLDS1.1016 and not in strain KLDS1.1028 suggests that the former and its mutant BIM8 also may have an activatable restriction-modification mechanism. We conclude that the L. bulgaricus BIM8 and BIM12 mutants have great potential in the dairy industry as starter cultures, and their phage-resistance mechanism was effective mainly due to the adsorption interference and restriction-modification system. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Expression of miR-34c in response to overexpression of Boule and Stra8 in dairy goat male germ line stem cells (mGSCs).

PubMed

Li, Mingzhao; Yu, Meng; Liu, Chao; Zhu, Haijing; Hua, Jinlian

2013-06-01

Reproduction is required for the survival of all mammalian animals. Spermatogenesis is an essential and complex developmental process that ultimately results in production of haploid spermatozoa. Recent studies demonstrated that Boule and stimulated by retinoic acid 8 (Stra8) played important roles in initiation meiosis in male germ cells. miR-34c is indispensable in the late steps of spermatogenesis; remarkably, the main function of miR-34c is to reduce cell proliferation potentiality and promote cellular apoptosis. The objectives of this study were to investigate the expression patterns of Boule, Stra8, P53 and miR-34c in dairy goat testis and their relationship in male germ line stem cells (mGSCs). The results first revealed the expression patterns of Boule, Stra8, P53 and miR-34c in 30 dpp, 90 dpp and adult testes of dairy goats. The expression levels of Boule, Stra8, P53 and miR-34c in adult dairy goat testes were significantly higher than that of 30 dpp. Overexpression of Boule and Stra8 promoted the expression of miR-34c in dairy goat mGSCs. In our previous study, we showed that miR-34c was P53 dependent in mGSCs. These results have shown that the up-regulation of miR-34c was not due to P53 protein activation but which might be caused by the up-regulation of Boule and Stra8 promoting the advance of meiosis. In addition, we found retinoic acid would decrease the expression of P53 and miR-34c, however, did not change the expression of c-Myc greatly. It suggested that the function of driving differentiation of dairy goat mGSCs by retinoic acid might not be caused by P53. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of an Environmental Monitoring Program for the Microbial Safety of Air and Surfaces in a Dairy Plant Environment.

PubMed

Zacharski, Krzysztof A; Southern, Mark; Ryan, Alan; Adley, Catherine C

2018-07-01

Microbiological hazards can occur when foodstuffs come into contact with contaminated surfaces or infectious agents dispersed by air currents in the manufacturing environment. An environmental monitoring program (EMP) is a critical aspect of sustainable and safe food manufacturing used to evaluate the effectiveness of the microbial controls in place. An effective EMP should be based on risk analysis, taking into account previous sampling history to determine the selection of the sampling points, the scope of the test, and the frequency of analysis. This study involved evaluation of the environmental monitoring regime and microbiological status of a medium-sized dairy plant manufacturing food ingredients, e.g., proteins, milk powders, and dairy fats. The data specific to microbial tests ( n = 3,468), recorded across 124 fixed sampling locations over a 2-year period (2014 to 2015) from air ( n = 1,787) and surfaces ( n = 1,681) were analyzed. The aim of this study was to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the EMP in a select dairy processing plant. The results of this study outline the selection of sampling locations, the scope of the test, and the frequency of analysis. An analysis of variance revealed subsections of the manufacturing areas with high risk factors, especially the packaging subsection specified for bulk packaging, the atomizer, and the fluidized bed. The temporal and spatial analysis showed the potential to reduce or relocate the monitoring effort, most notably related to total coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus, across the dairy plant due to homogeneity across the sampling subsections with little or no deviations. The results suggest a need to reevaluate the current EMP and the corrective action plan, especially with regard to detection of pathogens. Recommendations for optimization of the EMP are presented to assist the dairy industry with reviewing and revising the control measures and hazard assessment with regard to existing contamination issues.

Overcoming the barrier of lactose intolerance to reduce health disparities.

PubMed Central

Jarvis, Judith K.; Miller, Gregory D.

2002-01-01

Federal health goals for the public have focused on reducing health disparities that exist between whites and various racial and ethnic groups. Many of the chronic diseases for which African Americans are at greater risk- hypertension, stroke, colon cancer, and obesity-may be exacerbated by a low intake of calcium and/or other dairy-related nutrients. For example, a low intake of dairy food nutrients, such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, may contribute to the high risk of hypertension seen in African Americans. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study demonstrated that a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables (8 to 10 servings) and low-fat dairy foods (3 servings) significantly reduced blood pressure-and was twice as effective in African-American participants. Calcium and dairy food consumption is particularly low among African-American, Hispanic, and Asian populations. Average intakes are near the threshold of 600 to 700 mg/day, below which bone loss and hypertension can result. Although lactose intolerance may be partly to blame for the low calcium intakes due to reduced dairy food consumption by minority populations, culturally determined food preferences and dietary practices learned early in life also play a role. The high incidence figures for primary lactose maldigestion among minority groups grossly overestimates the number who will experience intolerance symptoms after drinking a glass of milk with a meal. Randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that by using a few simple dietary strategies, those who maldigest lactose (have low levels of the lactase enzyme) can easily tolerate a dairy-rich diet that meets calcium intake recommendations. Physicians and other health professionals can help their minority patients and the general public understand how to improve calcium nutrition by overcoming the surmountable barrier of lactose intolerance. At the same time they will be helping to reduce the incidence of calcium-related chronic diseases for which minority populations are at high risk. PMID:11853047

Overcoming the barrier of lactose intolerance to reduce health disparities.

PubMed

Jarvis, Judith K; Miller, Gregory D

2002-02-01

Federal health goals for the public have focused on reducing health disparities that exist between whites and various racial and ethnic groups. Many of the chronic diseases for which African Americans are at greater risk- hypertension, stroke, colon cancer, and obesity-may be exacerbated by a low intake of calcium and/or other dairy-related nutrients. For example, a low intake of dairy food nutrients, such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, may contribute to the high risk of hypertension seen in African Americans. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study demonstrated that a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables (8 to 10 servings) and low-fat dairy foods (3 servings) significantly reduced blood pressure-and was twice as effective in African-American participants. Calcium and dairy food consumption is particularly low among African-American, Hispanic, and Asian populations. Average intakes are near the threshold of 600 to 700 mg/day, below which bone loss and hypertension can result. Although lactose intolerance may be partly to blame for the low calcium intakes due to reduced dairy food consumption by minority populations, culturally determined food preferences and dietary practices learned early in life also play a role. The high incidence figures for primary lactose maldigestion among minority groups grossly overestimates the number who will experience intolerance symptoms after drinking a glass of milk with a meal. Randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that by using a few simple dietary strategies, those who maldigest lactose (have low levels of the lactase enzyme) can easily tolerate a dairy-rich diet that meets calcium intake recommendations. Physicians and other health professionals can help their minority patients and the general public understand how to improve calcium nutrition by overcoming the surmountable barrier of lactose intolerance. At the same time they will be helping to reduce the incidence of calcium-related chronic diseases for which minority populations are at high risk.

Dairy fat blends high in α-linolenic acid are superior to n-3 fatty-acid-enriched palm oil blends for increasing DHA levels in the brains of young rats.

PubMed

Du, Qin; Martin, Jean-Charles; Agnani, Genevieve; Pages, Nicole; Leruyet, Pascale; Carayon, Pierre; Delplanque, Bernadette

2012-12-01

Achieving an appropriate docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) status in the neonatal brain is an important goal of neonatal nutrition. We evaluated how different dietary fat matrices improved DHA content in the brains of both male and female rats. Forty rats of each gender were born from dams fed over gestation and lactation with a low α-linolenic acid (ALA) diet (0.4% of fatty acids) and subjected for 6 weeks after weaning to a palm oil blend-based diet (10% by weight) that provided either 1.5% ALA or 1.5% ALA and 0.12% DHA with 0.4% arachidonic acid or to an anhydrous dairy fat blend that provided 1.5% or 2.3% ALA. Fatty acids in the plasma, red blood cells (RBCs) and whole brain were determined by gas chromatography. The 1.5% ALA dairy fat was superior to both the 1.5% ALA palm oil blends for increasing brain DHA (14.4% increase, P<.05), and the 2.3% ALA dairy blend exhibited a further increase that could be ascribed to both an ALA increase and n-6/n-3 ratio decrease. Females had significantly higher brain DHA due to a gender-to-diet interaction, with dairy fats attenuating the gender effect. Brain DHA was predicted with a better accuracy by some plasma and RBC fatty acids when used in combination (R(2) of 0.6) than when used individually (R(2)=0.47 for RBC n-3 docosapentaenoic acid at best). In conclusion, dairy fat blends enriched with ALA appear to be an interesting strategy for achieving optimal DHA levels in the brain of postweaning rats. Human applications are worth considering. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Biodiversity of the Microbiota Producing Heat-Resistant Enzymes Responsible for Spoilage in Processed Bovine Milk and Dairy Products.

PubMed

Machado, Solimar G; Baglinière, François; Marchand, Sophie; Van Coillie, Els; Vanetti, Maria C D; De Block, Jan; Heyndrickx, Marc

2017-01-01

Raw bovine milk is highly nutritious as well as pH-neutral, providing the ideal conditions for microbial growth. The microbiota of raw milk is diverse and originates from several sources of contamination including the external udder surface, milking equipment, air, water, feed, grass, feces, and soil. Many bacterial and fungal species can be found in raw milk. The autochthonous microbiota of raw milk immediately after milking generally comprises lactic acid bacteria such as Lactococcus , Lactobacillus , Streptococcus , and Leuconostoc species, which are technologically important for the dairy industry, although they do occasionally cause spoilage of dairy products. Differences in milking practices and storage conditions on each continent, country and region result in variable microbial population structures in raw milk. Raw milk is usually stored at cold temperatures, e.g., about 4°C before processing to reduce the growth of most bacteria. However, psychrotrophic bacteria can proliferate and contribute to spoilage of ultra-high temperature (UHT) treated and sterilized milk and other dairy products with a long shelf life due to their ability to produce extracellular heat resistant enzymes such as peptidases and lipases. Worldwide, species of Pseudomonas , with the ability to produce these spoilage enzymes, are the most common contaminants isolated from cold raw milk although other genera such as Serratia are also reported as important milk spoilers, while for others more research is needed on the heat resistance of the spoilage enzymes produced. The residual activity of extracellular enzymes after high heat treatment may lead to technological problems (off flavors, physico-chemical instability) during the shelf life of milk and dairy products. This review covers the contamination patterns of cold raw milk in several parts of the world, the growth potential of psychrotrophic bacteria, their ability to produce extracellular heat-resistant enzymes and the consequences for dairy products with a long shelf life. This problem is of increasing importance because of the large worldwide trade in fluid milk and milk powder.

Dairy Attenuates Weight Gain to a Similar Extent as Exercise in Rats Fed a High-Fat, High-Sugar Diet.

PubMed

Trottier, Sarah K; MacPherson, Rebecca E K; Knuth, Carly M; Townsend, Logan K; Peppler, Willem T; Mikhaeil, John S; Leveille, Cam F; LeBlanc, Paul J; Shearer, Jane; Reimer, Raylene A; Wright, David C

2017-10-01

To compare the individual and combined effects of dairy and endurance exercise training in reducing weight gain and adiposity in a rodent model of diet-induced obesity. An 8-week feeding intervention of a high-fat, high-sugar diet was used to induce obesity in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were then assigned to one of four groups for 6 weeks: (1) casein sedentary (casein-S), (2) casein exercise (casein-E), (3) dairy sedentary (dairy-S), and (4) dairy exercise (dairy-E). Rats were exercise trained by treadmill running 5 d/wk. Dairy-E prevented weight gain to a greater extent than either dairy or exercise alone. Adipose tissue and liver mass were reduced to a similar extent in dairy-S, casein-E, and dairy-E groups. Differences in weight gain were not explained by food intake or total energy expenditure. The total amount of lipid excreted was greater in the dairy-S compared to casein-S and dairy-E groups. This study provides evidence that dairy limits weight gain to a similar extent as exercise training and the combined effects are greater than either intervention alone. While exercise training reduces weight gain through increases in energy expenditure, dairy appears to increase lipid excretion in the feces. © 2017 The Obesity Society.

75 FR 14564 - Dairy Industry Advisory Committee; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-26

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Farm Service Agency Dairy Industry Advisory Committee; Public Meeting... established Dairy Industry Advisory Committee (Dairy Committee) to review the current state of the dairy industry, discuss current dairy programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Federal dairy...

Explorations in genome-wide association studies and network analyses with dairy cattle fertility traits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Unfavorable genetic correlations between production and fertility traits are well documented. Genetic selection for fertility traits is slow, however, due to low heritabilities. Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) involved in reproduction has improved the reliability of genomic e...

Effects of long-term, near-term, and real-time energy balance, and blood progesterone concentrations, on the pregnancy rate of contemporary dairy cows.

PubMed

Gomez, N A; Conley, A J; Robinson, P H

2018-02-01

This study aimed to contribute to understanding the interface between reproductive and nutritional energetic physiology in contemporary dairy cattle. Multiparous Holstein cows (n = 32) between 70 and 180 days in milk were used in a study starting 10 d prior to the artificial insemination (AI) date and were estrous synchronized using a hormonal regimen. Fourteen cows were determined pregnant on day 39 post-AI. Coccygeal blood samples of all cows were collected on d -10 and -3 prior to AI to determine estrous cyclicity, as well as at AI and at 6, 13 and 20 d post-AI. Milk progesterone was measured 20 d post-AI, and body condition was scored (BCS; 1-5 scale) on days -10, 0, 13 and 27 relative to AI. Blood non-esterified fatty acid concentrations, measured on the same days as BCS, and changes of BCS from d -10 to AI were not predictive of pregnancy outcome. The BCS of cows on the day of AI was greater (P = 0.02) for pregnant cows with an approximate minimum BCS for a high probability of conception being 2.50. Serum progesterone concentrations of pregnant cows were greater (P < 0.05) on days 6, 13 and 20 post-AI, as was milk progesterone at day 20 post-AI (P < 0.01). Pregnant cows had greater (P = 0.02) net energy output (NE L ), which is inconsistent with a common belief that low pregnancy rates in contemporary dairy cows are due to excessive milk production, but is consistent with published studies in this study area. The present research indicates that current low pregnancy rates in commercial high-producing multiparous dairy cattle may be partly due to breeding cows that have insufficient BCS to support pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Spread of tetracycline resistance genes at a conventional dairy farm

PubMed Central

Kyselková, Martina; Jirout, Jiří; Vrchotová, Naděžda; Schmitt, Heike; Elhottová, Dana

2015-01-01

The use of antibiotics in animal husbandry contributes to the worldwide problem of increasing antibiotic resistance in animal and human pathogens. Intensive animal production is considered an important source of antibiotic resistance genes released to the environment, while the contribution of smaller farms remains to be evaluated. Here we monitor the spread of tetracycline resistance (TC-r) genes at a middle-size conventional dairy farm, where chlortetracycline (CTC, as intrauterine suppository) is prophylactically used after each calving. Our study has shown that animals at the farm acquired the TC-r genes in their early age (1–2 weeks), likely due to colonization with TC-resistant bacteria from their mothers and/or the farm environment. The relative abundance of the TC-r genes tet(W), tet(Q), and tet(M) in fresh excrements of calves was about 1–2 orders of magnitude higher compared to heifers and dairy cows, possibly due to the presence of antibiotic residues in milk fed to calves. The occurrence and abundance of TC-r genes in fresh excrements of heifers and adult cows remained unaffected by intrauterine CTC applications, with tet(O), tet(Q), and tet(W) representing a “core TC-resistome” of the farm, and tet(A), tet(M), tet(Y), and tet(X) occurring occasionally. The genes tet(A), tet(M), tet(Y), and tet(X) were shown to be respectively harbored by Shigella, Lactobacillus and Clostridium, Acinetobacter, and Wautersiella. Soil in the farm proximity, as well as field soil to which manure from the farm was applied, was contaminated with TC-r genes occurring in the farm, and some of the TC-r genes persisted in the field over 3 months following the manure application. Concluding, our study shows that antibiotic resistance genes may be a stable part of the intestinal metagenome of cattle even if antibiotics are not used for growth stimulation, and that smaller dairy farms may also contribute to environmental pollution with antibiotic resistance genes. PMID:26074912

Epigenetic disorders and altered gene expression after use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in domestic cattle

PubMed Central

Urrego, Rodrigo; Rodriguez-Osorio, Nélida; Niemann, Heiner

2014-01-01

The use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) in modern cattle breeding is an important tool for improving the production of dairy and beef cattle. A frequently employed ART in the cattle industry is in vitro production of embryos. However, bovine in vitro produced embryos differ greatly from their in vivo produced counterparts in many facets, including developmental competence. The lower developmental capacity of these embryos could be due to the stress to which the gametes and/or embryos are exposed during in vitro embryo production, specifically ovarian hormonal stimulation, follicular aspiration, oocyte in vitro maturation in hormone supplemented medium, sperm handling, gamete cryopreservation, and culture of embryos. The negative effects of some ARTs on embryo development could, at least partially, be explained by disruption of the physiological epigenetic profile of the gametes and/or embryos. Here, we review the current literature with regard to the putative link between ARTs used in bovine reproduction and epigenetic disorders and changes in the expression profile of embryonic genes. Information on the relationship between reproductive biotechnologies and epigenetic disorders and aberrant gene expression in bovine embryos is limited and novel approaches are needed to explore ways in which ARTs can be improved to avoid epigenetic disorders. PMID:24709985

Shedding and serological patterns of dairy cows following abortions associated with Coxiella burnetii DNA detection.

PubMed

Guatteo, R; Joly, A; Beaudeau, F

2012-03-23

To describe both shedding and serological patterns following abortions detected as being associated with Coxiella burnetii (Cb), 24 cows experiencing an abortion due to Cb were followed over a one month period. Samples taken on the day of abortion (D0) were followed 3-fold by weekly samplings from day 14 (D14) to D28 after the abortion. Milk and vaginal mucus were collected at each weekly sampling and tested using real-time PCR while blood samples were collected 2-fold on D21 and D28 and tested using ELISA. We found a very short duration of C. burnetii shedding in vaginal mucus after abortion, highlighting the need to collect samples as rapidly as possible following an abortion to avoid false negative results. In contrast with previous results, concomitancy of vaginal and mucus shedding was frequent, especially for cows shedding a high bacterial load on DO leading to the hypothesis that the clinical onset of the infection influences the modalities of Cb shedding. Lastly, serological results indicating a lack of sensitivity to detect Cb shedder cows (especially for cows for which Ct values were high) suggest that ELISA is not a useful tool to diagnose abortions at the individual level. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trends in dairy and non-dairy probiotic products - a review.

PubMed

Vijaya Kumar, Bathal; Vijayendra, Sistla Venkata Naga; Reddy, Obulam Vijaya Sarathi

2015-10-01

Health awareness has grown to a greater extent among consumers and they are looking for healthy probiotic counterparts. Keeping in this view, the present review focuses recent developments in dairy and non-dairy probiotic products. All over the world, dairy probiotics are being commercialized in many different forms. However, the allergy and lactose intolerance are the major set-backs to dairy probiotics. Whereas, flavor and refreshing nature are the major advantages of non-dairy drinks, especially fruit juices. Phenotypic and genotypic similarities between dairy and non-dairy probiotics along with the matrix dependency of cell viability and cell functionality are reviewed. The heterogeneous food matrices of non-dairy food carriers are the major constraints for the survival of the probiotics, while the probiotic strains from non-dairy sources are satisfactory. Technological and functional properties, besides the viability of the probiotics used in fermented products of non-dairy origin are extremely important to get a competitive advantage in the world market. The functional attributes of dairy and non-dairy probiotic products are further enhanced by adding prebiotics such as galacto-oligosaccharide, fructo-oligosaccharide and inulin.

Milk and dairy products: a unique micronutrient combination.

PubMed

Gaucheron, Frédéric

2011-10-01

Milk and dairy products contain micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins, which contribute to multiple and different vital functions in the organism. The mineral fraction is composed of macroelements (Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, and Cl) and oligoelements (Fe, Cu, Zn, and Se). From a physicochemical point of view, the chemical forms, the associations with other ions or organic molecules, and the location of macroelements such as Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, and Cl in milk are relatively well described and understood. Thus, it is admitted that these macroelements are differently distributed into aqueous and micellar phases of milk, depending on their nature. K, Na, and Cl ions are essentially in the aqueous phase, whereas Ca, P, and Mg are partly bound to the casein micelles. About one third of the Ca, half of the P, and two thirds of the Mg are located in the aqueous phase of milk. Dairy products are more or less rich in these different minerals. In cheeses, mineral content depends mainly on their processing. The Ca content is strongly related to the acidification step. Moreover, if acidification is associated with the draining step, the Ca content in the cheese will be reduced. Thus, the Ca content varies in the following increasing order: milks/fermented milks/fresh cheeses < soft cheeses < semi-hard cheeses < hard cheeses. The chemical forms and associations are less described than those present in milk. Concerning Ca, the formation of insoluble calcium phosphate, carbonate, and lactate is reported in some ripened cheeses. The NaCl content in cheeses depends on the salting of the curd. From a nutritional point of view, it is largely admitted that milk and dairy products are important sources of Ca, Mg, Zn, and Se. The vitamin fraction of milk and dairy products is composed of lipophilic (A, D, E, and K) and hydrophilic (B(1), B(2), B(3), B(5), B(6), B(8), B(9), B(12), and C) vitamins. Because of their hydrophobic properties, the lipophilic vitamins are mainly in the milk fat fraction (cream, butter). The hydrophilic vitamins are in the aqueous phase of milk. For one part of these vitamins, the concentrations described in the literature are not always homogenous and sometimes not in accordance between them; these discrepancies are due to the difficulty of the sample preparation and the use of appropriate methods for their quantification. However, there is no doubt of the significant contribution of milk and dairy products to the intake of vitamins. Milk and dairy are considered essential sources for vitamins. Key teaching points: Milk and dairy products are unique micronutrient combinations with recognized health benefits. The concentration, chemical forms, and location of different minerals are relatively well known and described. For example, Ca is present in dairy products in different forms: free, associated with citrate, inorganic and organic phosphates, and free fatty acids. Milk and dairy products are excellent sources of Ca, P, Mg, Zn, and Se. The concentration of vitamins in milk and dairy products is variable and depends on several factors such as biosynthesis, animal feeding, physicochemical conditions (heat, light, O(2), oxidant agents), and analytical methods for their determinations. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are mainly located in the lipid phase and vitamins of group B and C in the aqueous phase. Milk and dairy products are excellent sources of vitamins A, B(1), B(2), and B(12).

Energy and Macronutrient Intakes and Food Sources in Preschool Children: Thai NHES IV.

PubMed

Satheannoppakao, Warapone; Kasemsup, Rachada; Nontarak, Jiraluck; Kessomboon, Pattapong; Putwatana, Panwadee; Taneepanichskul, Surasak; Sangthong, Rassamee; Chariyalertsak, Suwat; Aekplakorn, Wichai

2015-10-01

Examine intakes of energy and macronutrients, and identify their food sources, in Thai preschool children. Data from the Thai National Health Examination Survey (NHES) IV were used. Mothers/caregivers were interviewed regarding their children's 24-hour-dietary intake. Dietary data were analyzed for energy and macronutrients, and their food sources were investigated. Due to skewed data, Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare energy and macronutrient intake between sexes and age groups. Among 256 preschool children, more than 90% had protein intakes higher than the recommended level. Only 12.7 to 29.0% met the recommended intake for energy. Amounts of carbohydrate and fat consumed varied from below to above the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommendation. Intakes of carbohydrate in boys and fat in girls were statistically different between age groups (p < 0.05). Fifty to 60% of energy came from dairy products, grains and starchy products. The major carbohydrate contributors were grains and starchy products. Dairy products were the main source of protein. Important food sources of fat were dairy products for one- to three-year-old children and fat and oils for four- to five-year-old children. Thai preschool children have inappropriate intakes of energy and macronutrients. Dairy products and grains and/or starchy products were the main sources of energy, carbohydrate, and protein. Dietary fat sources varied by age group.

Estimation of genetic parameters for heat stress, including dominance gene effects, on milk yield in Thai Holstein dairy cattle.

PubMed

Boonkum, Wuttigrai; Duangjinda, Monchai

2015-03-01

Heat stress in tropical regions is a major cause that strongly negatively affects to milk production in dairy cattle. Genetic selection for dairy heat tolerance is powerful technique to improve genetic performance. Therefore, the current study aimed to estimate genetic parameters and investigate the threshold point of heat stress for milk yield. Data included 52 701 test-day milk yield records for the first parity from 6247 Thai Holstein dairy cattle, covering the period 1990 to 2007. The random regression test day model with EM-REML was used to estimate variance components, genetic parameters and milk production loss. A decline in milk production was found when temperature and humidity index (THI) exceeded a threshold of 74, also it was associated with the high percentage of Holstein genetics. All variance component estimates increased with THI. The estimate of heritability of test-day milk yield was 0.231. Dominance variance as a proportion to additive variance (0.035) indicated that non-additive effects might not be of concern for milk genetics studies in Thai Holstein cattle. Correlations between genetic and permanent environmental effects, for regular conditions and due to heat stress, were - 0.223 and - 0.521, respectively. The heritability and genetic correlations from this study show that simultaneous selection for milk production and heat tolerance is possible. © 2014 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Carbon footprint of Canadian dairy products: calculations and issues.

PubMed

Vergé, X P C; Maxime, D; Dyer, J A; Desjardins, R L; Arcand, Y; Vanderzaag, A

2013-09-01

The Canadian dairy sector is a major industry with about 1 million cows. This industry emits about 20% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the main livestock sectors (beef, dairy, swine, and poultry). In 2006, the Canadian dairy herd produced about 7.7 Mt of raw milk, resulting in about 4.4 Mt of dairy products (notably 64% fluid milk and 12% cheese). An integrated cradle-to-gate model (field to processing plant) has been developed to estimate the carbon footprint (CF) of 11 Canadian dairy products. The on-farm part of the model is the Unified Livestock Industry and Crop Emissions Estimation System (ULICEES). It considers all GHG emissions associated with livestock production but, for this study, it was run for the dairy sector specifically. Off-farm GHG emissions were estimated using the Canadian Food Carbon Footprint calculator, (cafoo)(2)-milk. It considers GHG emissions from the farm gate to the exit gate of the processing plants. The CF of the raw milk has been found lower in western provinces [0.93 kg of CO2 equivalents (CO2e)/L of milk] than in eastern provinces (1.12 kg of CO2e/L of milk) because of differences in climate conditions and dairy herd management. Most of the CF estimates of dairy products ranged between 1 and 3 kg of CO2e/kg of product. Three products were, however, significantly higher: cheese (5.3 kg of CO2e/kg), butter (7.3 kg of CO2e/kg), and milk powder (10.1 kg of CO2e/kg). The CF results depend on the milk volume needed, the co-product allocation process (based on milk solids content), and the amount of energy used to manufacture each product. The GHG emissions per kilogram of protein ranged from 13 to 40 kg of CO2e. Two products had higher values: cream and sour cream, at 83 and 78 kg of CO2e/kg, respectively. Finally, the highest CF value was for butter, at about 730 kg of CO2e/kg. This extremely high value is due to the fact that the intensity indicator per kilogram of product is high and that butter is almost exclusively fat. Protein content is often used to compare the CF of products; however, this study demonstrates that the use of a common food component is not suitable as a comparison unit in some cases. Functionality has to be considered too, but it might be insufficient for food product labeling because different reporting units (adapted to a specific food product) will be used, and the resulting confusion could lead consumers to lose confidence in such labeling. Therefore, simple units might not be ideal and a more comprehensive approach will likely have to be developed. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genomic and fluxomic analysis of carbohydrate metabolism in Bifidobacterium spp: human symbiotic bacteria

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bifidobacteria are gram-positive microorganisms widely applied in fermented dairy products due to their health-promoting effects. Bifidobacterium ssp. may also represent up to 91% of microbial gut population in the infant colon, but considerably less in adults. Fructose-6 phosphate phosphoketolase...

Genomic and metagenomic diversity of antibiotic resistance in dairy animals

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Antibiotic resistance in food animals has received increased scrutiny in recent years due to the increased prevalence of antibiotic resistant infections in the human clinical setting. The extent to which antibiotic usage in food animals is responsible for the burden of antibiotic resistance in human...

21 CFR 558.128 - Chlortetracycline.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

..., 046573, 048164, 066104. (iv) 500 g/ton Chickens: For the reduction of mortality due to E. coli infections... weight 1. Swine: For the treatment of bacterial enteritis caused by E. coli and S. choleraesuis and.... Calves, beef and nonlactating dairy cattle; treatment of bacterial enteritis caused by E. coli and...

21 CFR 558.128 - Chlortetracycline.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., 046573, 048164, 066104. (iv) 500 g/ton Chickens: For the reduction of mortality due to E. coli infections... weight 1. Swine: For the treatment of bacterial enteritis caused by E. coli and S. choleraesuis and.... Calves, beef and nonlactating dairy cattle; treatment of bacterial enteritis caused by E. coli and...

Financial analysis of various strategies for the control of Neospora caninum in dairy cattle in Switzerland.

PubMed

Häsler, Barbara; Regula, Gertraud; Stärk, Katharina D C; Sager, Heinz; Gottstein, Bruno; Reist, Martin

2006-12-18

The present study was conducted to estimate the direct losses due to Neospora caninum in Swiss dairy cattle and to assess the costs and benefits of different potential control strategies. A Monte Carlo simulation spreadsheet module was developed to estimate the direct costs caused by N. caninum, with and without control strategies, and to estimate the costs of these control strategies in a financial analysis. The control strategies considered were "testing and culling of seropositive female cattle", "discontinued breeding with offspring from seropositive cows", "chemotherapeutical treatment of female offspring" and "vaccination of all female cattle". Each parameter in the module that was considered to be uncertain, was described using probability distributions. The simulations were run with 20,000 iterations over a time period of 25 years. The median annual losses due to N. caninum in the Swiss dairy cow population were estimated to be euro 9.7 million euros. All control strategies that required yearly serological testing of all cattle in the population produced high costs and thus were not financially profitable. Among the other control strategies, two showed benefit-cost ratios (BCR) >1 and positive net present values (NPV): "Discontinued breeding with offspring from seropositive cows" (BCR=1.29, NPV=25 million euros ) and "chemotherapeutical treatment of all female offspring" (BCR=2.95, NPV=59 million euros). In economic terms, the best control strategy currently available would therefore be "discontinued breeding with offspring from seropositive cows".

Differences in response to heat stress due to production level and breed of dairy cows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gantner, Vesna; Bobic, Tina; Gantner, Ranko; Gregic, Maja; Kuterovac, Kresimir; Novakovic, Jurica; Potocnik, Klemen

2017-09-01

The climatic conditions in Croatia are deteriorating which significantly increases the frequency of heat stress. This creates a need for an adequate dairy farming strategy. The impact of heat stress can be reduced in many ways, but the best long-term solution includes the genetic evaluation and selection for heat stress resistance. In order to create the basis for genetic evaluation, this research determined the variation in daily milk yield (DMY) and somatic cell count (SCC) as well as the differences in resistance to heat stress due to production level (high, low) and breed (Holstein, Simmental) of dairy cattle breed in Croatia. For statistical analysis, 1,070,554 test-day records from 70,135 Holsteins reared on 5679 farms and 1,300,683 test-day records from 86,013 Simmentals reared on 8827 farms in Croatia provided by the Croatian Agricultural Agency were used. The results of this research indicate that the high-producing cows are much more susceptible to heat stress than low-producing especially Holsteins. Also, the results of this research indicate that Simmental breed, in terms of daily milk production and somatic cell count, could be more resistant to heat stress than Holstein. The following research should determine whether Simmentals are genetically more appropriate for the challenges that are in store for the future milk production in this region. Furthermore, could an adequate production level be achieved with Simmentals by maintaining the heat resistance?

Differences in response to heat stress due to production level and breed of dairy cows.

PubMed

Gantner, Vesna; Bobic, Tina; Gantner, Ranko; Gregic, Maja; Kuterovac, Kresimir; Novakovic, Jurica; Potocnik, Klemen

2017-09-01

The climatic conditions in Croatia are deteriorating which significantly increases the frequency of heat stress. This creates a need for an adequate dairy farming strategy. The impact of heat stress can be reduced in many ways, but the best long-term solution includes the genetic evaluation and selection for heat stress resistance. In order to create the basis for genetic evaluation, this research determined the variation in daily milk yield (DMY) and somatic cell count (SCC) as well as the differences in resistance to heat stress due to production level (high, low) and breed (Holstein, Simmental) of dairy cattle breed in Croatia. For statistical analysis, 1,070,554 test-day records from 70,135 Holsteins reared on 5679 farms and 1,300,683 test-day records from 86,013 Simmentals reared on 8827 farms in Croatia provided by the Croatian Agricultural Agency were used. The results of this research indicate that the high-producing cows are much more susceptible to heat stress than low-producing especially Holsteins. Also, the results of this research indicate that Simmental breed, in terms of daily milk production and somatic cell count, could be more resistant to heat stress than Holstein. The following research should determine whether Simmentals are genetically more appropriate for the challenges that are in store for the future milk production in this region. Furthermore, could an adequate production level be achieved with Simmentals by maintaining the heat resistance?

Lipomobilization in periparturient dairy cows influences the composition of plasma nonesterified fatty acids and leukocyte phospholipid fatty acids.

PubMed

Contreras, G A; O'Boyle, N J; Herdt, T H; Sordillo, L M

2010-06-01

The periparturient period is characterized by sudden changes in metabolic and immune cell functions that predispose dairy cows to increased incidence of disease. Metabolic changes include alterations in the energy balance that lead to increased lipomobilization with consequent elevation of plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations. The objective of this study was to establish the influence of lipomobilization on fatty acid profiles within plasma lipid fractions and leukocyte phospholipid composition. Blood samples from 10 dairy cows were collected at 14 and 7 d before due date, at calving, and at 7, 14, and 30 d after calving. Total lipids and lipid fractions were extracted from plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The degree of lipomobilization was characterized by measurement of plasma NEFA concentrations. The fatty acid profile of plasma NEFA, plasma phospholipids, and leukocyte phospholipids differed from the composition of total lipids in plasma, where linoleic acid was the most common fatty acid. Around parturition and during early lactation, the proportion of palmitic acid significantly increased in the plasma NEFA and phospholipid fractions with a concomitant increase in the phospholipid fatty acid profile of leukocytes. In contrast, the phospholipid fraction of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in leukocytes was diminished during the periparturient period, especially during the first 2 wk following parturition. This study showed that the composition of total plasma lipids does not necessarily reflect the NEFA and phospholipid fractions in periparturient dairy cows. These findings are significant because it is the plasma phospholipid fraction that contributes to fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids. Increased availability of certain saturated fatty acids in the NEFA phospholipid fractions may contribute to altered leukocyte functions during the periparturient period. 2010 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short communication: Passive shedding of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in commercial dairy goats in Brazil.

PubMed

Schwarz, D G G; Lima, M C; Barros, M; Valente, F L; Scatamburlo, T M; Rosado, N; Oliveira, C T S A M; Oliveira, L L; Moreira, M A S

2017-10-01

Goat farming is a low-cost alternative to dairy production in developing countries. In Brazil, goat production has increased in recent years due in part to the implementation of programs encouraging this activity. Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis, a disease that causes chronic granulomatous enteritis in ruminants, but MAP transmission dynamics are still poorly understood in goats. In a previously published study of our research group, 10 dairy goat farms (467 animals) from Minas Gerais state were analyzed for MAP detection; 2 fecal cultures and 11 milk samples tested positive for MAP by conventional PCR and were confirmed by sequencing. Because no clinical signs were observed over 1 yr of monitoring, we hypothesized that these MAP-positive goats could be passive shedders. Thus, in the present study, 4 positive goats (4/13) from the previous study were purchased and feces and milk samples were collected for evaluation (twice, with an interval of 3 mo between tests) by culture of MAP, IS900 PCR, or both. All analyses were negative for MAP. At the last time point, blood samples were collected for ELISA, the animals were killed, and tissues collected for tissue culture and histopathology. At necropsy, no macroscopic lesions related to paratuberculosis were observed. Similarly, no histological changes were observed and MAP in samples stained by Ziehl-Neelsen was not detected. These animals were characterized as potential passive shedders with upward contamination of the teat canal by MAP. This is the first report of the passive shedding phenomenon in goats in Brazil and it highlights the importance of identifying these animals for control programs and to ensure the quality of dairy products. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Associations of farm management practices with annual milk sales on smallholder dairy farms in Kenya.

PubMed

Richards, Shauna; VanLeeuwen, John; Shepelo, Getrude; Gitau, George Karuoya; Kamunde, Collins; Uehlinger, Fabienne; Wichtel, Jeff

2015-01-01

Cows on smallholder dairy farms (SDF) in developing countries such as Kenya typically produce volumes of milk that are well below their genetic potential. An epidemiological study was conducted to determine reasons for this low milk production, including limited use of best management practices, such as suboptimal nutritional management. An observational cross-sectional study of 111 SDF was performed in Nyeri County, Kenya in June of 2013 determining the effect of cow factors, farmer demographics and farm management practices on the volume of milk sold per cow per year (kg milk sold/cow). In particular, the effect of feeding high protein fodder trees and other nutritional management practices were examined. Approximatly 38% of farmers fed fodder trees, but such feeding was not associated with volume of milk sold per cow, likely due to the low number of fodder trees per farm. Volume of milk sold per cow was positively associated with feeding dairy meal during the month prior to calving, feeding purchased hay during the past year, deworming cows every 4 or more months (as opposed to more regularly), and having dairy farming as the main source of family income. Volume of milk sold per cow was negatively associated with a household size of >5 people and feeding Napier grass at >2 meters in height during the dry season. An interaction between gender of the principal farmer and feed shortages was noted; volume of milk sold per cow was lower when female farmers experienced feed shortages whereas milk sold per cow was unaffected when male farmers experienced feed shortages. These demographic and management risk factors should be considered by smallholder dairy farmers and their advisors when developing strategies to improve income from milk sales and animal-source food availability for the farming families.

Seroprevalence and first multilocus microsatellite genotyping of Neospora caninum in dairy cattle in Henan, central China.

PubMed

Qian, Weifeng; Wang, Tianqi; Yan, Wenchao; Zhang, Min; Han, Lifang; Xue, Rui; Song, Shaofu; Lv, Chaochao

2017-09-15

Neospora caninum is one of the important causes of abortion in cattle worldwide, and losses due to neosporosis to the cattle industry are considerable. However, the knowledge of genetic characterization of this parasite is limited. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence and genetic characterization of N. caninum from dairy cows in Henan Province, central China. A total of 510 blood samples and 7 aborted fetuses were collected from 8 dairy farms in Henan Province. Serum antibodies to N. caninum were examined by ELISA using a recombinant tNcSRS2 protein as the coating antigen. The overall seroprevalence of N. caninum in dairy cows was 41.2% (210/510). The seropositivity rate of N. caninum in aborting cows (49.3%) was statistically significant higher than that (29.3%) in non-aborting cows (p<0.05) with an odds ratio of 2.44 (95% CI, 1.61-3.41). Statistical association was also found between farm type and the seropositivity rate of N. caninum infection in cows (p<0.01).N. caninum DNA was detected from 6 of 396 blood samples (1.5%) and 4 of 7 aborted fetuses by nested PCR based on NC5 gene, and the 10N. caninum positive DNA samples were further analyzed by multilocus microsatellite (MS) genotyping for MS4, MS5, MS6A, MS7, MS8, MS10, and MS12. Only 2 samples were successfully genotyped at all genetic loci, and two unique profiles including two novel allelic patterns were identified. To our knowledge, this study is the first report of genetic characterization of N. caninum isolates from naturally infected dairy cows based on multilocus microsatellites (more than 2 loci) in China. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pasture v. standard dairy cream in high-fat diet-fed mice: improved metabolic outcomes and stronger intestinal barrier.

PubMed

Benoit, Bérengère; Plaisancié, Pascale; Géloën, Alain; Estienne, Monique; Debard, Cyrille; Meugnier, Emmanuelle; Loizon, Emmanuelle; Daira, Patricia; Bodennec, Jacques; Cousin, Olivier; Vidal, Hubert; Laugerette, Fabienne; Michalski, Marie-Caroline

2014-08-28

Dairy products derived from the milk of cows fed in pastures are characterised by higher amounts of conjugated linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid (ALA), and several studies have shown their ability to reduce cardiovascular risk. However, their specific metabolic effects compared with standard dairy in a high-fat diet (HFD) context remain largely unknown; this is what we determined in the present study with a focus on the metabolic and intestinal parameters. The experimental animals were fed for 12 weeks a HFD containing 20 % fat in the form of a pasture dairy cream (PDC) or a standard dairy cream (SDC). Samples of plasma, liver, white adipose tissue, duodenum, jejunum and colon were analysed. The PDC mice, despite a higher food intake, exhibited lower fat mass, plasma and hepatic TAG concentrations, and inflammation in the adipose tissue than the SDC mice. Furthermore, they exhibited a higher expression of hepatic PPARα mRNA and adipose tissue uncoupling protein 2 mRNA, suggesting an enhanced oxidative activity of the tissues. These results might be explained, in part, by the higher amounts of ALA in the PDC diet and in the liver and adipose tissue of the PDC mice. Moreover, the PDC diet was found to increase the proportions of two strategic cell populations involved in the protective function of the intestinal epithelium, namely Paneth and goblet cells in the small intestine and colon, compared with the SDC diet. In conclusion, a PDC HFD leads to improved metabolic outcomes and to a stronger gut barrier compared with a SDC HFD. This may be due, at least in part, to the protective mechanisms induced by specific lipids.

Spatio-temporal modelling of heat stress and climate change implications for the Murray dairy region, Australia.

PubMed

Nidumolu, Uday; Crimp, Steven; Gobbett, David; Laing, Alison; Howden, Mark; Little, Stephen

2014-08-01

The Murray dairy region produces approximately 1.85 billion litres of milk each year, representing about 20 % of Australia's total annual milk production. An ongoing production challenge in this region is the management of the impacts of heat stress during spring and summer. An increase in the frequency and severity of extreme temperature events due to climate change may result in additional heat stress and production losses. This paper assesses the changing nature of heat stress now, and into the future, using historical data and climate change projections for the region using the temperature humidity index (THI). Projected temperature and relative humidity changes from two global climate models (GCMs), CSIRO MK3.5 and CCR-MIROC-H, have been used to calculate THI values for 2025 and 2050, and summarized as mean occurrence of, and mean length of consecutive high heat stress periods. The future climate scenarios explored show that by 2025 an additional 12-15 days (compared to 1971 to 2000 baseline data) of moderate to severe heat stress are likely across much of the study region. By 2050, larger increases in severity and occurrence of heat stress are likely (i.e. an additional 31-42 moderate to severe heat stress days compared with baseline data). This increasing trend will have a negative impact on milk production among dairy cattle in the region. The results from this study provide useful insights on the trends in THI in the region. Dairy farmers and the dairy industry could use these results to devise and prioritise adaptation options to deal with projected increases in heat stress frequency and severity.

Parasite control practices on pasture-based dairy farms in the Republic of Ireland.

PubMed

Bloemhoff, Yris; Danaher, Martin; Andrew Forbes; Morgan, Eric; Mulcahy, Grace; Power, Clare; Sayers, Ríona

2014-08-29

Dictyocaulus viviparus, Ostertagia ostertagi (nematode parasites), and Fasciola hepatica (trematode parasite) result in productivity losses on dairy farms and impact on animal health through clinical and sub-clinical disease. Parasite control in livestock systems is largely based on the use of chemoprophylactic agents (anthelmintics), grazing management, or a combination of both. The objective of this study was to document current parasite control measures employed by Irish dairy farmers in a predominantly pasture-based livestock system. A questionnaire survey of 312 geographically representative farmers was completed in 2009 with a follow up survey completed in 2011. Statistical analysis highlighted significant differences in chemoprophylactic usage between 2009 and 2011. In particular, an increase in the use of albendazole for both trematode (19% in 2009 to 36% in 2011) and nematode (30% in 2009 to 58% in 2011) control was observed. This was most likely due to flukicide restrictions introduced in the Republic of Ireland in 2010 for dairy animals. Logistic regression highlighted regional differences in chemoprophylactic use. Farmers in southern parts of Ireland, an area with good quality soil, less rainfall, and a higher density of dairy farms than other regions, were approximately half as likely to dose for F. hepatica and were more likely (OR>2.0) to use albendazole for both nematode and fluke control. Approximately 30% of respondents who used a chemoprophylactic treatment for nematodes, used a product which was 'unsuitable for purpose' (e.g. ivermectin for the treatment of F. hepatica), highlighting the need for increased awareness, continuing research, and regionally targeted education tools regarding optimal parasite control. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatio-temporal modelling of heat stress and climate change implications for the Murray dairy region, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nidumolu, Uday; Crimp, Steven; Gobbett, David; Laing, Alison; Howden, Mark; Little, Stephen

2014-08-01

The Murray dairy region produces approximately 1.85 billion litres of milk each year, representing about 20 % of Australia's total annual milk production. An ongoing production challenge in this region is the management of the impacts of heat stress during spring and summer. An increase in the frequency and severity of extreme temperature events due to climate change may result in additional heat stress and production losses. This paper assesses the changing nature of heat stress now, and into the future, using historical data and climate change projections for the region using the temperature humidity index (THI). Projected temperature and relative humidity changes from two global climate models (GCMs), CSIRO MK3.5 and CCR-MIROC-H, have been used to calculate THI values for 2025 and 2050, and summarized as mean occurrence of, and mean length of consecutive high heat stress periods. The future climate scenarios explored show that by 2025 an additional 12-15 days (compared to 1971 to 2000 baseline data) of moderate to severe heat stress are likely across much of the study region. By 2050, larger increases in severity and occurrence of heat stress are likely (i.e. an additional 31-42 moderate to severe heat stress days compared with baseline data). This increasing trend will have a negative impact on milk production among dairy cattle in the region. The results from this study provide useful insights on the trends in THI in the region. Dairy farmers and the dairy industry could use these results to devise and prioritise adaptation options to deal with projected increases in heat stress frequency and severity.

Functionalized gold nanorod-based labels for amplified electrochemical immunoassay of E. coli as indicator bacteria relevant to the quality of dairy product.

PubMed

Zhang, Xinai; Zhang, Fan; Zhang, Hongyin; Shen, Jianzhong; Han, En; Dong, Xiaoya

2015-01-01

In this paper, we report an amplified electrochemical immunoassay for Escherichia coli as indicator bacteria relevant to the quality of dairy product using the functionalized gold nanorod-based labels ({dAb-AuNR-FCA}). The {dAb-AuNR-FCA} labels were designed by exploiting silica-functionalized gold nanorods (AuNR@SiO2) as the carriers for immobilization of detection antibody (dAb) and ferrocenecarboxylic acid (FCA), in which dAb was used for recognition of E. coli and FCA tags served as signal-generating molecule. Greatly amplified signal was achieved in the sandwich-type immunoassay when enormous FCA linked to AuNR@SiO2. Compared with the commercially available {dAb-FCA}, the {dAb-AuNR-FCA} labels exhibited a better performance for E. coli assay due to the advantages of AuNR@SiO2 as carriers. Under optimal experimental conditions, it showed a linear relationship between the peak current of FCA and the logarithmic value of E. coli concentration ranging from 1.0×10(2) to 5.0×10(4) cfu mL(-1) with a detection limit of 60 cfu mL(-1) (S/N=3), and the electrochemical detection of E. coli could be achieved in 3h. Moreover, the proposed strategy was used to determine E. coli in dairy product (pure fresh milk, yogurt in shelf-life, and expired yogurt), and the recoveries of standard additions were in the range of 95.1-106%. This proposed strategy exhibited rapid response, high sensitivity and specificity for E. coli assay in dairy product, and could become a promising technique to estimate the quality of dairy product. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF TROPICAL THEILERIOSIS ON A HOLSTEIN FRIESIAN DAIRY FARM IN PAKISTAN.

PubMed

Rashid, Muhammad; Haroon, Akbar; Rashid, Muhmmad Imran; Khalid, Saeed; Liaquat, Ahmad; Saghir, Abdullah; Wasim, Shehzad; Saher, Islam; Shahid, Farooqi

2018-03-09

The dairy industry in Pakistan is booming and investors are anxious to fund dairy farms that are using high milk producing (exotic) cattle breeds such as Holsteins that are not native to the country. Unfortunately, the benefits of increased milk production do not provide resistance to pathogens present in regions where the exotic breeds are introduced. Therefore, the current study was conducted to evaluate the economic impact of Theileria annulata on a commercial Holstein dairy farm in the District of Ranjanpur, in the Province of Punjab, Pakistan. The economic impact of T. annulata infection was calculated for cattle with subclinical and clinical theileriosis. Losses were estimated based on milk production, morbidity, mortality and tick control costs (organophosphate sprays). Animals were classified into groups after screening for mastitis, teat abnormality, abnormal parturition, intestinal parasites and hemoparasites (T. annulata, Babesia spp., and Anaplasma spp.). Microscopy was done for hemoparasites and intestinal parasites. PCR was used to confirm microscopic identification of T. annulata. Animals were classified into 3 groups, comprising group A (normal), group B (subclinical theileriosis) and group C (acute theileriosis). Hemoparasites were observed microscopically in 28.7% of cows. Theileria annulata was found in 8% and the herd incidence (new cases) of T. annulata was 2.8%. Milk production, animal rectal temperature and body condition scores of group A with B and C were significantly different (P<0.05). But the enlargement of sub-scapular lymph node and interval of body condition score of the 3 groups were not significant (P>0.05). The total expenditure incurred due to theileriosis was US $74.98 per animal and 13.83% of total farm costs. Hence theileriosis caused significant economic loss of US $18743.76 (0.02 million) on this Holstein Friesian dairy.

Estimating milk yield and value losses from increased somatic cell count on US dairy farms.

PubMed

Hadrich, J C; Wolf, C A; Lombard, J; Dolak, T M

2018-04-01

Milk loss due to increased somatic cell counts (SCC) results in economic losses for dairy producers. This research uses 10 mo of consecutive dairy herd improvement data from 2013 and 2014 to estimate milk yield loss using SCC as a proxy for clinical and subclinical mastitis. A fixed effects regression was used to examine factors that affected milk yield while controlling for herd-level management. Breed, milking frequency, days in milk, seasonality, SCC, cumulative months with SCC greater than 100,000 cells/mL, lactation, and herd size were variables included in the regression analysis. The cumulative months with SCC above a threshold was included as a proxy for chronic mastitis. Milk yield loss increased as the number of test days with SCC ≥100,000 cells/mL increased. Results from the regression were used to estimate a monetary value of milk loss related to SCC as a function of cow and operation related explanatory variables for a representative dairy cow. The largest losses occurred from increased cumulative test days with a SCC ≥100,000 cells/mL, with daily losses of $1.20/cow per day in the first month to $2.06/cow per day in mo 10. Results demonstrate the importance of including the duration of months above a threshold SCC when estimating milk yield losses. Cows with chronic mastitis, measured by increased consecutive test days with SCC ≥100,000 cells/mL, resulted in higher milk losses than cows with a new infection. This provides farm managers with a method to evaluate the trade-off between treatment and culling decisions as it relates to mastitis control and early detection. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Invited review: Role of bacterial endotoxins in the etiopathogenesis of periparturient diseases of transition dairy cows.

PubMed

Eckel, Emily F; Ametaj, Burim N

2016-08-01

The dairy industry continues to suffer severe economic losses due to the increased disease incidence cows experience during the transition period. It has long been the classical view that the major contributing factor to the development of these periparturient diseases is the considerable increase in nutritional demands for milk production. This classical view, however, fails to account for the substantial correlation between both metabolic and infectious diseases and the detrimental effects that can occur with the provision of high-energy diets to support these nutritional demands. Currently, increasing evidence implicates bacterial endotoxins in the etiopathology of most periparturient diseases. Bacterial endotoxins are components of the outer cell wall of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria that are highly immunostimulatory and can trigger proinflammatory immune responses. The ability of endotoxins to translocate from the mucosal tissues, including the gastrointestinal tract, mammary gland, and uterus, into the systemic circulation has been observed. Once they have entered the circulation, endotoxins potentially contribute to disease either directly, through eliciting an inflammatory response, or indirectly through other factors such as the overreaction of the natural protective mechanisms of the host. Although the evidence implicating a role of endotoxins in the pathogenesis of transition diseases continues to grow, our current knowledge of the host response to mucosal endotoxin exposure and pathogenic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Developing our understanding of the connection between endotoxemia and dairy cattle disease holds significant potential for the future development of preventative measures that could benefit the productivity of the dairy industry as well as animal welfare. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatially explicit estimation of heat stress-related impacts of climate change on the milk production of dairy cows in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Fodor, Nándor; Foskolos, Andreas; Topp, Cairistiona F E; Moorby, Jon M; Pásztor, László; Foyer, Christine H

2018-01-01

Dairy farming is one the most important sectors of United Kingdom (UK) agriculture. It faces major challenges due to climate change, which will have direct impacts on dairy cows as a result of heat stress. In the absence of adaptations, this could potentially lead to considerable milk loss. Using an 11-member climate projection ensemble, as well as an ensemble of 18 milk loss estimation methods, temporal changes in milk production of UK dairy cows were estimated for the 21st century at a 25 km resolution in a spatially-explicit way. While increases in UK temperatures are projected to lead to relatively low average annual milk losses, even for southern UK regions (<180 kg/cow), the 'hottest' 25×25 km grid cell in the hottest year in the 2090s, showed an annual milk loss exceeding 1300 kg/cow. This figure represents approximately 17% of the potential milk production of today's average cow. Despite the potential considerable inter-annual variability of annual milk loss, as well as the large differences between the climate projections, the variety of calculation methods is likely to introduce even greater uncertainty into milk loss estimations. To address this issue, a novel, more biologically-appropriate mechanism of estimating milk loss is proposed that provides more realistic future projections. We conclude that South West England is the region most vulnerable to climate change economically, because it is characterised by a high dairy herd density and therefore potentially high heat stress-related milk loss. In the absence of mitigation measures, estimated heat stress-related annual income loss for this region by the end of this century may reach £13.4M in average years and £33.8M in extreme years.

Reduced lung cancer mortality in dairy farmers: is endotoxin exposure the key factor?

PubMed

Mastrangelo, G; Marzia, V; Marcer, G

1996-11-01

From two areas in the Province of Padova, we selected 2,283 male farmers who worked either in cattle raising or in crop/orchard cultivation. There were 422 cohort deaths from 1970 to 1992. Using the regional population as a reference, the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated, with 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on the Poisson distribution. Cancer mortality was significantly reduced among the 1,561 dairy farmers (SMR = 0.65; CI = 0.53-0.81); there was a significant decrease in lung cancer (SMR = 0.49; CI = 0.31-0.74), whereas a significant increase from brain tumors was found (SMR = 2.83; CI = 1.04-6.17). Neither overall cancer mortality nor the lung cancer SMR deviated significantly from unity for the 722 crop/orchard farmers. Among dairy farmers, moreover, lung cancer SMRs showed a significant downward trend across the quartiles of increasing length of work, 0.96 in the first quartile, and 0.48, 0.40, and 0.25 in the second, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively. Moreover, lung cancer risk decreased with increasing farm land area, with SMRs in the quartiles of 0.89, 0.37, 0.41 and 0.19. This decrease cannot be attributed to either a selection (healthy worker effect) or a confounding (lower percentage of smokers) bias. Nor was it due to an artifact introduced by differences in age distribution among the quartiles. Dairy farmers are known to be exposed to higher airborne endotoxin concentrations; reasonably, this cumulative exposure increases further with years of work and area of farm. Endotoxins may have protected the dairy farmers against lung cancer through the tumor necrosis factor produced by alveolar macrophages.

In vitro and in vivo antioxidant potential of milks, yoghurts, fermented milks and cheeses: a narrative review of evidence.

PubMed

Fardet, Anthony; Rock, Edmond

2018-06-01

The antioxidant potential (AP) is an important nutritional property of foods, as increased oxidative stress is involved in most diet-related chronic diseases. In dairy products, the protein fraction contains antioxidant activity, especially casein. Other antioxidants include: antioxidant enzymes; lactoferrin; conjugated linoleic acid; coenzyme Q10; vitamins C, E, A and D3; equol; uric acid; carotenoids; and mineral activators of antioxidant enzymes. The AP of dairy products has been extensively studied in vitro, with few studies in animals and human subjects. Available in vivo studies greatly differ in their design and objectives. Overall, on a 100 g fresh weight-basis, AP of dairy products is close to that of grain-based foods and vegetable or fruit juices. Among dairy products, cheeses present the highest AP due to their higher protein content. AP of milk increases during digestion by up to 2·5 times because of released antioxidant peptides. AP of casein is linked to specific amino acids, whereas β-lactoglobulin thiol groups play a major role in the AP of whey. Thermal treatments such as ultra-high temperature processing have no clear effect on the AP of milk. Raw fat-rich milks have higher AP than less fat-rich milk, because of lipophilic antioxidants. Probiotic yoghurts and fermented milks have higher AP than conventional yoghurt and milk because proteolysis by probiotics releases antioxidant peptides. Among the probiotics, Lactobacillus casei/acidophilus leads to the highest AP. The data are insufficient for cheese, but fermentation-based changes appear to make a positive impact on AP. In conclusion, AP might participate in the reported dairy product-protective effects against some chronic diseases.

The influence of the environment on dairy cow behavior, claw health and herd lameness dynamics.

PubMed

Cook, Nigel B; Nordlund, Kenneth V

2009-03-01

Free stall housing increases the exposure of dairy cows' claws to concrete walk-ways and to manure between periods of rest, and generally shows the highest rate of lameness compared with other dairy management systems. However, there is great variation within a system, and the rate of new cases of lameness can be reduced to very low levels provided time spent resting per day is maximized through good stall design, access to stalls through stocking density control and comfortable transition cow facilities, limiting the time spent milking, provision of adequate heat abatement, and good leg hygiene. Sand bedded stalls are useful as they also permit lame cows to maintain adequate daily rest. Rubberized alley flooring surfaces benefit the cow by reducing claw wear and trauma compared to concrete, making them ideal for parlor holding areas and long transfer lanes and walk ways. However, caution is required when using rubber floors in pens with uncomfortable stalls due to apparent adverse effects on cow time budgets, which may in turn have a detrimental effect on lameness.

Bovine mastitis due to Prototheca zopfii: clinical, epidemiological and pathological aspects in a Brazilian dairy herd.

PubMed

Corbellini, L G; Driemeier, D; Cruz, C; Dias, M M; Ferreiro, L

2001-12-01

The clinical, epidemiological and pathological aspects of protothecal mastitis in a Brazilian dairy herd are described. Prototheca zopfii infection was diagnosed in 11 of 121 milking cows. Clinical mastitis refractory to usual therapy was observed in 7 cows. Several environmental conditions conducive to the growth of Prototheca spp., such as wetness, muddiness and the presence of organic material, were present in the dairy. Improper milking practices and insanitary infusion of the intramammary antibiotics were also observed. Six cows with protothecal mastitis were slaughtered and the affected quarters of each cow were examined by histology and immunohistochemical staining for bovine keratin and P. zopfii. The histological lesions were characterized by interstitial infiltrates of macrophages, plasma cells and lymphocytes; algae were seen in the alveolar lumen and interstitium. The lack of a positive reaction with an antiserum against bovine keratin in the mammary alveolar epithelial layer in some affected areas suggests destruction of milk-producing tissues, which may be related to the low milk production observed. The algal organisms stained positively with a polyclonal antibody against P. zopfii.

Reproduction and lactational performance of cattle in a smallholder dairy system in Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Masama, E; Kusina, N T; Sibanda, S; Majoni, C

2003-04-01

A study was conducted in two adjacent locations. Nharira (communal) and Lancashire (small-scale commercial) farming areas in Zimbabwe to characterize the breeds and evaluate the reproductive and lactation performance of dairy cattle under smallholder management. The types of cows identified were Friesian, Jersey and Red Dane, and an indigenous Sanga breed called the Mashona and its crossbreds. Both sectors used more exotic and crossbred cows than indigenous cows. The mean monthly weights of the dairy cows were higher in Lancashire than in Nharira and the calving intervals were longer in Nharira than in Lancashire. The mean age at first calving was higher and the mean total lactation yields were greater in Nharira than in Lancashire, but the mean 305-day lactation yields were not significantly different. The mean lactation lengths were longer for the cows from Nharira. It was concluded that the reproductive and lactation performances were low. The calving intervals were extended, probably owing to suboptimal nutrition and heat stress, particularly during the dry season, and to poor management practices, such as delayed mating due to the poor availability of bulls.

Characterization of dairy cattle manure/wallboard paper compost mixture.

PubMed

Saludes, Ronaldo B; Iwabuchi, Kazunori; Miyatake, Fumihito; Abe, Yoshiyuki; Honda, Yoshifumi

2008-10-01

The aim of this research was to evaluate the use of manufacturing wallboard paper scraps as an alternative bulking agent for dairy cattle manure composting. The characteristics of the composting process were studied based on the changes in physico-chemical parameters and final compost quality. Composting of dairy cattle manure with wallboard paper was performed in a 481-L cylindrical reactor with vacuum-type aeration. Rapid degradation of organic matter was observed during the thermophilic stage of composting due to high microbial activity. High temperature and alkaline pH conditions promoted intense ammonia emission during the early stage of composting. The number of mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms were found to be affected by changes in temperature at different composting stages. The total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sodium (Na) concentrations of the mixture did not change significantly after 28days of composting. However, the presence of gypsum in the paper scraps increased the calcium content of the final compost. The wallboard paper had no phyto-inhibitory effects as shown by high germination index of final compost (GI=99%).

Glycerol Enhances the Antifungal Activity of Dairy Propionibacteria

PubMed Central

Lind, Helena; Broberg, Anders; Jacobsson, Karin; Jonsson, Hans; Schnürer, Johan

2010-01-01

Dairy propionibacteria are widely used in starter cultures for Swiss type cheese. These bacteria can ferment glucose, lactic acid, and glycerol into propionic acid, acetic acid, and carbon dioxide. This research examined the antifungal effect of dairy propionibacteria when glycerol was used as carbon source for bacterial growth. Five type strains of propionibacteria were tested against the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and the molds Penicillium commune and Penicillium roqueforti. The conversion of 13C glycerol by Propionibacterium jensenii was followed with nuclear magnetic resonance. In a dual culture assay, the degree of inhibition of the molds was strongly enhanced by an increase in glycerol concentrations, while the yeast was less affected. In broth cultures, decreased pH in glycerol medium was probably responsible for the complete inhibition of the indicator fungi. NMR spectra of the glycerol conversion confirmed that propionic acid was the dominant metabolite. Based on the results obtained, the increased antifungal effect seen by glycerol addition to cultures of propionibacteria is due to the production of propionic acid and pH reduction of the medium. PMID:21331381

Systematic Review of the Association between Dairy Product Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular-Related Clinical Outcomes123

PubMed Central

Drouin-Chartier, Jean-Philippe; Brassard, Didier; Tessier-Grenier, Maude; Côté, Julie Anne; Labonté, Marie-Ève; Desroches, Sophie; Couture, Patrick; Lamarche, Benoît

2016-01-01

The objective of this systematic review was to determine if dairy product consumption is detrimental, neutral, or beneficial to cardiovascular health and if the recommendation to consume reduced-fat as opposed to regular-fat dairy is evidence-based. A systematic review of meta-analyses of prospective population studies associating dairy consumption with cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, hypertension, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) was conducted on the basis of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. Quality of evidence was rated by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation scale. High-quality evidence supports favorable associations between total dairy intake and hypertension risk and between low-fat dairy and yogurt intake and the risk of T2D. Moderate-quality evidence suggests favorable associations between intakes of total dairy, low-fat dairy, cheese, and fermented dairy and the risk of stroke; intakes of low-fat dairy and milk and the risk of hypertension; total dairy and milk consumption and the risk of MetS; and total dairy and cheese and the risk of T2D. High- to moderate-quality evidence supports neutral associations between the consumption of total dairy, cheese, and yogurt and CVD risk; the consumption of any form of dairy, except for fermented, and CAD risk; the consumption of regular- and high-fat dairy, milk, and yogurt and stroke risk; the consumption of regular- and high-fat dairy, cheese, yogurt, and fermented dairy and hypertension risk; and the consumption of regular- and high-fat dairy, milk, and fermented dairy and T2D risk. Data from this systematic review indicate that the consumption of various forms of dairy products shows either favorable or neutral associations with cardiovascular-related clinical outcomes. The review also emphasizes that further research is urgently needed to compare the impact of low-fat with regular- and high-fat dairy on cardiovascular-related clinical outcomes in light of current recommendations to consume low-fat dairy. PMID:28140321

Systematic Review of the Association between Dairy Product Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular-Related Clinical Outcomes.

PubMed

Drouin-Chartier, Jean-Philippe; Brassard, Didier; Tessier-Grenier, Maude; Côté, Julie Anne; Labonté, Marie-Ève; Desroches, Sophie; Couture, Patrick; Lamarche, Benoît

2016-11-01

The objective of this systematic review was to determine if dairy product consumption is detrimental, neutral, or beneficial to cardiovascular health and if the recommendation to consume reduced-fat as opposed to regular-fat dairy is evidence-based. A systematic review of meta-analyses of prospective population studies associating dairy consumption with cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, hypertension, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) was conducted on the basis of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. Quality of evidence was rated by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation scale. High-quality evidence supports favorable associations between total dairy intake and hypertension risk and between low-fat dairy and yogurt intake and the risk of T2D. Moderate-quality evidence suggests favorable associations between intakes of total dairy, low-fat dairy, cheese, and fermented dairy and the risk of stroke; intakes of low-fat dairy and milk and the risk of hypertension; total dairy and milk consumption and the risk of MetS; and total dairy and cheese and the risk of T2D. High- to moderate-quality evidence supports neutral associations between the consumption of total dairy, cheese, and yogurt and CVD risk; the consumption of any form of dairy, except for fermented, and CAD risk; the consumption of regular- and high-fat dairy, milk, and yogurt and stroke risk; the consumption of regular- and high-fat dairy, cheese, yogurt, and fermented dairy and hypertension risk; and the consumption of regular- and high-fat dairy, milk, and fermented dairy and T2D risk. Data from this systematic review indicate that the consumption of various forms of dairy products shows either favorable or neutral associations with cardiovascular-related clinical outcomes. The review also emphasizes that further research is urgently needed to compare the impact of low-fat with regular- and high-fat dairy on cardiovascular-related clinical outcomes in light of current recommendations to consume low-fat dairy. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

Evidence suggesting a point source exposure in an outbreak of bovine abortion due to neosporosis.

PubMed

McAllister, M M; Huffman, E M; Hietala, S K; Conrad, P A; Anderson, M L; Salman, M D

1996-07-01

A Holstein dairy farm suffered an abortion outbreak due to neosporosis. Abortion losses were > 18%. Cows with the highest Neospora antibody titers were at the greatest risk of aborting. Mummified fetuses were found after the 43rd day of the outbreak. The epidemic curve was suggestive of a point source exposure, which is consistent with the hypothesis that Neospora can be spread by a definitive host.

Effect of dystocia on subsequent reproductive performance and functional longevity in Holstein cows.

PubMed

Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N

2016-10-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dystocia on the reproductive performance and functional longevity in Iranian Holsteins. Data consisted of 1 467 064 lactation records of 581 421 Holstein cows from 3083 herds which were collected by the Animal Breeding Center of Iran from April 1987 to February 2014. Reproduction traits in this study included interval from first to second calving, days open and days from first calving to first service. The generalized linear model was used for the statistical analysis of reproductive traits. Survival analysis was performed using the Weibull proportional hazards models to analyse the impact of dystocia on functional longevity. The incidence of dystocia had an adverse effect on the reproductive performance of dairy cows. Therefore, reproductive traits deteriorated along with increase in dystocia score (p < 0.05). The culling risk was increased along with increase in the score of dystocia (p < 0.0001). The greatest culling risk was observed in primiparous cows, small herds and low-yielding cows (p < 0.0001). Also, the lowest culling risk was found for cows calving at the youngest age (<27 months), and cows with age at first calving >33 months had the greatest risk (p < 0.0001). The results of current study indicated that dystocia had important negative effects on the reproductive performance and functional longevity in dairy cows, and it should be avoided as much as possible to provide a good perspective in the scope of economic and animal welfare issues in dairy herds. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Decline of antibody response in indirect ELISA tests during the periparturient period caused diagnostic gaps in Coxiella burnetii and BVDV serology in pluriparous cows within a Holstein dairy herd.

PubMed

Walraph, J; Zoche-Golob, V; Weber, J; Freick, M

2018-06-01

In cattle, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests are commonly used in serological routine diagnostics. In a longitudinal study design, changes in relative optical density (OD) from drying-off until week 11 after calving were analyzed in blood and milk samples from pluriparous dairy cows (n=21) using a commercial indirect anti-C. burnetii ELISA test. In a second part of this study, changes over time were evaluated in blood and milk samples of 11 of these cows in an indirect ELISA detecting anti-Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) antibodies. Regarding the cows which were still in the herd at the time of calving, blood serological qualitative changes from positive to negative or indeterminate were demonstrated in 7/20 cows (35%) for the anti-C. burnetii indirect ELISA and in 2/10 cows (20%) for the anti-BVDV indirect ELISA, respectively, during the period from 14days ante partum to calving. Relative OD in the anti-C. burnetii and the anti-BVDV indirect ELISA tests followed basically similar courses over time. In blood serum, relative OD initially increased after drying-off, before a drop around calving was observed. After the colostrum period, relative OD in blood serum showed an increase until week 11 of lactation. In colostrum samples, relative OD levels were higher than in milk samples obtained one day before drying-off. After parturition, relative OD in milk decreased until week 6 of lactation in the anti-C. burnetii indirect ELISA and until week 11 in the anti-BVDV indirect ELISA, respectively. In conclusion, blood serological investigations in periparturient dairy cows using indirect ELISA kits should be avoided. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bayesian estimation of test characteristics of real-time PCR, bacteriological culture and California mastitis test for diagnosis of intramammary infections with Staphylococcus aureus in dairy cattle at routine milk recordings.

PubMed

Mahmmod, Yasser S; Toft, Nils; Katholm, Jørgen; Grønbæk, Carsten; Klaas, Ilka C

2013-11-01

Danish farmers can order a real-time PCR mastitis diagnostic test on routinely taken cow-level samples from milk recordings. Validation of its performance in comparison to conventional mastitis diagnostics under field conditions is essential for efficient control of intramammary infections (IMI) with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of real-time PCR, bacterial culture (BC) and California mastitis test (CMT) for the diagnosis of the naturally occurring IMI with S. aureus in routinely collected milk samples using latent class analysis (LCA) to avoid the assumption of a perfect reference test. Using systematic random sampling, a total of 609 lactating dairy cows were selected from 6 dairy herds with bulk tank milk PCR cycle threshold (Ct) value ≤39 for S. aureus. At routine milk recordings, automatically obtained cow-level (composite) milk samples were analyzed by PCR and at the same milking, 2436 quarter milk samples were collected aseptically for BC and CMT. Results showed that 140 cows (23%) were positive for S. aureus IMI by BC while 170 cows (28%) were positive by PCR. Estimates of Se and Sp for PCR were higher than test estimates of BC and CMT. SeCMT was higher than SeBC however, SpBC was higher than SpCMT. SePCR was 91%, while SeBC was 53%, and SeCMT was 61%. SpPCR was 99%, while SpBC was 89%, and SpCMT was 65%. In conclusion, PCR has a higher performance than the conventional diagnostic tests (BC and CMT) suggesting its usefulness as a routine test for accurate diagnosis of S. aureus IMI from dairy cows at routine milk recordings. The use of LCA provided estimates of the test characteristics for two currently diagnostic tests (BC, CMT) and a novel technique (real-time PCR) for diagnosing S. aureus IMI under field conditions at routine milk recordings in Denmark. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seroprevalence and risk factors of Q fever in goats on commercial dairy goat farms in the Netherlands, 2009-2010.

PubMed

Schimmer, Barbara; Luttikholt, Saskia; Hautvast, Jeannine L A; Graat, Elisabeth A M; Vellema, Piet; Duynhoven, Yvonne T H P van

2011-12-30

The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in dairy goat farms in the Netherlands and to identify risk factors for farm and goat seropositivity before mandatory vaccination started. We approached 334 eligible farms with more than 100 goats for serum sampling and a farm questionnaire. Per farm, median 21 goats were sampled. A farm was considered positive when at least one goat tested ELISA positive. In total, 2,828 goat serum samples from 123 farms were available. Farm prevalence was 43.1% (95%CI: 34.3%-51.8%). Overall goat seroprevalence was 21.4% (95%CI: 19.9%-22.9%) and among the 53 positive farms 46.6% (95%CI: 43.8%-49.3%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis included 96 farms and showed that farm location within 8 kilometres proximity from a bulk milk PCR positive farm, location in a municipality with high cattle density (≥ 100 cattle per square kilometre), controlling nuisance animals through covering airspaces, presence of cats or dogs in the goat stable, straw imported from abroad or unknown origin and a herd size above 800 goats were independent risk factors associated with Q fever on farm level. At animal level almost identical risk factors were found, with use of windbreak curtain and artificial insemination as additional risk factors. In 2009-2010, the seroprevalence in dairy goats in the Netherlands increased on animal and farm level compared to a previous study in 2008. Risk factors suggest spread from relatively closely located bulk milk-infected small ruminant farms, next to introduction and spread from companion animals, imported straw and use of artificial insemination. In-depth studies investigating the role of artificial insemination and bedding material are needed, while simultaneously general biosecurity measures should be updated, such as avoiding companion animals and vermin entering the stables, next to advice on farm stable constructions on how to prevent introduction and minimize airborne transmission from affected dairy goat farms to prevent further spread to the near environment.

Seroprevalence and risk factors of Q fever in goats on commercial dairy goat farms in the Netherlands, 2009-2010

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in dairy goat farms in the Netherlands and to identify risk factors for farm and goat seropositivity before mandatory vaccination started. We approached 334 eligible farms with more than 100 goats for serum sampling and a farm questionnaire. Per farm, median 21 goats were sampled. A farm was considered positive when at least one goat tested ELISA positive. Results In total, 2,828 goat serum samples from 123 farms were available. Farm prevalence was 43.1% (95%CI: 34.3%-51.8%). Overall goat seroprevalence was 21.4% (95%CI: 19.9%-22.9%) and among the 53 positive farms 46.6% (95%CI: 43.8%-49.3%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis included 96 farms and showed that farm location within 8 kilometres proximity from a bulk milk PCR positive farm, location in a municipality with high cattle density (≥ 100 cattle per square kilometre), controlling nuisance animals through covering airspaces, presence of cats or dogs in the goat stable, straw imported from abroad or unknown origin and a herd size above 800 goats were independent risk factors associated with Q fever on farm level. At animal level almost identical risk factors were found, with use of windbreak curtain and artificial insemination as additional risk factors. Conclusion In 2009-2010, the seroprevalence in dairy goats in the Netherlands increased on animal and farm level compared to a previous study in 2008. Risk factors suggest spread from relatively closely located bulk milk-infected small ruminant farms, next to introduction and spread from companion animals, imported straw and use of artificial insemination. In-depth studies investigating the role of artificial insemination and bedding material are needed, while simultaneously general biosecurity measures should be updated, such as avoiding companion animals and vermin entering the stables, next to advice on farm stable constructions on how to prevent introduction and minimize airborne transmission from affected dairy goat farms to prevent further spread to the near environment. PMID:22208798

Economic considerations of breeding for polled dairy cows versus dehorning in the United States.

PubMed

Thompson, Nathanael M; Widmar, Nicole Olynk; Schutz, Michael M; Cole, John B; Wolf, Christopher A

2017-06-01

This paper examines the costs and benefits of selecting for polled dairy heifers versus traditional dehorning practices. Stochastic budgets were developed to analyze the expected costs (EC) associated with polled dairy genetics. The economic assessment was expanded beyond on-farm cash costs by incorporating cost and benefit estimates to generate industry-wide discussion, and preliminary economic evaluations, surrounding the public acceptance and attitude toward polled genetics versus dehorning calves. Triangular distributions, commonly used to represent distributions with limited data, were used to represent labor costs for dehorning, the likelihood of treatment of calf, and the cost of veterinary treatment. In total, 10,000 iterations were run using @Risk v 6.0 (Palisade Corp., Newfield, NY). The EC of the 4 traditional dehorning methods evaluated in this study ranged from $6 to $25/head, with a mean EC around $12 to $13/head. The EC of incorporating polled genetics into a breeding program ranged from $0 to $26/head depending on the additional cost, or premium, associated with polled relative to horned genetics. Estimated breakeven premiums associated with polled genetics indicate that, on average, producers could spend up to $5.95/head and $11.90/head more for heterozygous and homozygous polled genetics, respectively, compared with conventional horned genetics (or $2.08 and $4.17/straw of semen at an assumed average conception rate of 35%). Given the parameters outlined, sensitivity to individual farm semen and dehorning costs are likely to swamp these differences. Beyond on-farm costs, industry-wide discussion may be warranted surrounding the public's acceptance and attitude toward polled genetics versus dehorning or disbudding of calves. The value of avoiding dehorning may be larger for the industry, and perhaps some individual farms, than initially suggested if additional value is put on calf comfort and possible worker aversion to dehorning. If public perception of dehorning influences market access, the EC of dehorning may be large but that cost is unknown at present. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dairy cow disability weights.

PubMed

McConnel, Craig S; McNeil, Ashleigh A; Hadrich, Joleen C; Lombard, Jason E; Garry, Franklyn B; Heller, Jane

2017-08-01

Over the past 175 years, data related to human disease and death have progressed to a summary measure of population health, the Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY). As dairies have intensified there has been no equivalent measure of the impact of disease on the productive life and well-being of animals. The development of a disease-adjusted metric requires a consistent set of disability weights that reflect the relative severity of important diseases. The objective of this study was to use an international survey of dairy authorities to derive disability weights for primary disease categories recorded on dairies. National and international dairy health and management authorities were contacted through professional organizations, dairy industry publications and conferences, and industry contacts. Estimates of minimum, most likely, and maximum disability weights were derived for 12 common dairy cow diseases. Survey participants were asked to estimate the impact of each disease on overall health and milk production. Diseases were classified from 1 (minimal adverse effects) to 10 (death). The data was modelled using BetaPERT distributions to demonstrate the variation in these dynamic disease processes, and to identify the most likely aggregated disability weights for each disease classification. A single disability weight was assigned to each disease using the average of the combined medians for the minimum, most likely, and maximum severity scores. A total of 96 respondents provided estimates of disability weights. The final disability weight values resulted in the following order from least to most severe: retained placenta, diarrhea, ketosis, metritis, mastitis, milk fever, lame (hoof only), calving trauma, left displaced abomasum, pneumonia, musculoskeletal injury (leg, hip, back), and right displaced abomasum. The peaks of the probability density functions indicated that for certain disease states such as retained placenta there was a relatively narrow range of expected impact whereas other diseases elicited a wider breadth of impact. This was particularly apparent with respect to calving trauma, lameness and musculoskeletal injury, all of which could be redefined using gradients of severity or accounting for sequelae. These disability weight distributions serve as an initial step in the development of the disease-adjusted lactation (DALact) metric. They will be used to assess the time lost due to dynamic phases of dairy cow diseases and injuries. Prioritizing health interventions based on time expands the discussion of animal health to view profits and losses in light of the quality and length of life. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An assessment tool to help producers improve cow comfort on their farms.

PubMed

Vasseur, E; Gibbons, J; Rushen, J; Pellerin, D; Pajor, E; Lefebvre, D; de Passillé, A M

2015-01-01

Effective management and an appropriate environment are essential for dairy cattle health and welfare. Codes of practice provide dairy producers with best practice guidance for the care and handling of their cattle. New Canadian recommendations have been established for the dairy industry. The objectives of this study were to develop an on-farm assessment tool that helps producers assess how well they are meeting their code of practice and that identifies management and environment modifications that could improve dairy cow comfort on their farms. The assessment tool addressed critical areas of dairy cow comfort, including accommodation and housing (stall design, space allowance, stall management, pen management, milking parlor, and transfer alleys), feed and water (body condition scoring, nutrition), and health and welfare (lameness, claw health, and hoof-trimming). Targets of good practices were identified from the requirements and recommendations of the code of practice. Each farm received a score for each target, ranging from 0 (target not reached) to 100 (target reached). One hundred tiestall and 110 freestall farms were surveyed in 3 provinces of Canada (Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta). The duration of the assessment, in 2 visits lasting, on average, 8 and 9h (range between freestall and tiestall farms) and 4 and 4.1h, was beyond the targeted 3 to 4h due mainly to the animal-based measures; strategies to reduce the duration of the assessment were discussed. Standard operating procedures were developed to ensure consistency in measuring and recording data. Periodical checks were conducted by trainers to ensure all 15 assessors remained above target agreement of weighted kappa ≥0.6. Average scores for all critical areas ranged from 25 to 89% for freestall farms and from 48 to 95% for tiestall farms. These scores need to be considered with caution when comparing farms because scores could not always be calculated the same way between housing systems. An evaluation report was provided and discussed with each producer, identifying strengths and areas for improvement that could benefit dairy cow comfort on their farms. The producers were convinced of the effectiveness of our tool for assessing cow comfort (freestall: 86%; tiestall: 95%) and in assisting them to make decisions for improvements (freestall: 83%; tiestall: 93%). Our cow comfort assessment tool served as background material for the Dairy Farmers of Canada animal care assessment program. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide association study of fertility traits in dairy cattle using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism marker panels

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Unfavorable genetic correlations between production and fertility traits are well documented. Genetic selection for fertility traits is slow, however, due to low heritabilities. Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) involved in reproduction could improve reliability of genomic esti...

The Northern Territories: Case Study in Japanese-Soviet Relations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

types ( watermelons and tomatoes) due to the relatively warm climatic conditions. Pigs, sheep, and horses populate most all settlements, and dairy...reluctantly accepted these restrictions because of its depend- ence on fish as its primary source of protein , but in doing so has given de facto recognition to

A review of coccidiosis in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is important to the economy of several countries in Asia, and South America and there are also isolated herds in Europe. In India, buffalo is the main dairy animal. Coccidiosis due to Eimeria is an important cause of diarrhea in livestock worldwide. Eimeria specie...

Implications of ultra-low gossypol cottonseed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Historically, cottonseed has not been a viable source of protein for any animals other than those with mature rumens due to gossypol. Consequently, approximately 70% of the cottonseed produced in the U.S. is fed to the dairy industry, with the other 30% sent to cottonseed oil mills for processing in...

48 CFR 32.904 - Determining payment due dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... section 111(e) of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 4502(e)), edible fats or oils, and food products prepared from edible fats or oils. Liquid milk, cheese, certain processed cheese products, butter, yogurt, ice cream, mayonnaise, salad dressings, and other similar products fall within...

48 CFR 32.904 - Determining payment due dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... section 111(e) of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 4502(e)), edible fats or oils, and food products prepared from edible fats or oils. Liquid milk, cheese, certain processed cheese products, butter, yogurt, ice cream, mayonnaise, salad dressings, and other similar products fall within...

Dietary Trans Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Past and Present

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dietary trans double bond fatty acids have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. There are two main sources of dietary trans fatty acids: meat and dairy fats, and partially-hydrogenated oils. Due to a number of factors, including changes in federal labeling requirements fo...

Survey of quality defects in market beef and dairy cows and bulls sold through livestock auction markets in the Western United States: I. Incidence rates.

PubMed

Ahola, J K; Foster, H A; Vanoverbeke, D L; Jensen, K S; Wilson, R L; Glaze, J B; Fife, T E; Gray, C W; Nash, S A; Panting, R R; Rimbey, N R

2011-05-01

A survey was conducted to quantify incidence of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)-related defects in market beef and dairy cows and bulls selling at auction during 2 seasons in 2008. Twenty-three BQA-related traits were evaluated by 9 trained personnel during sales at 10 livestock auction markets in Idaho (n = 5; beef and dairy), California, (n = 4; dairy only), and Utah (n = 1; beef and dairy). Overall, 18,949 unique lots (8,213 beef cows, 1,036 beef bulls, 9,177 dairy cows, and 523 dairy bulls,) consisting of 23,479 animals (9,299 beef cows, 1,091 beef bulls, 12,429 dairy cows, and 660 dairy bulls) were evaluated during 125 sales (64 spring, 61 fall) for dairy and 79 sales (40 spring, 39 fall) for beef. The majority of market beef cows and bulls (60.9 and 71.3%, respectively) were predominantly black-hided, and the Holstein hide pattern was observed in 95.4 and 93.6% of market dairy cows and bulls, respectively. Market cattle weighed 548 ± 103.6 kg (beef cows), 751 ± 176.1 kg (beef bulls), 658 ± 129.7 kg (dairy cows), and 731 ± 150.8 kg (dairy bulls). Most beef cows (79.6%) weighed 455 to 726 kg, and most beef bulls (73.8%) weighed 545 to 954 kg, respectively. Among market beef cattle, 16.0% of cows and 14.5% of bulls weighed less than 455 and 545 kg, respectively, and 63.7% of dairy cows and 81.5% of dairy bulls weighed 545 to 817 kg or 545 to 954 kg, respectively. However, 19.5% of dairy cows and 13.1% of dairy bulls weighed less than 545 kg. Mean BCS for beef cattle (9-point scale) was 4.7 ± 1.2 (cows) and 5.3 ± 0.9 (bulls), and for dairy cattle (5-point scale) was 2.6 ± 0.8 (cows) and 2.9 ± 0.6 (bulls). Some 16.5% of beef cows and 4.1% of beef bulls had a BCS of 1 to 3, whereas 34.8% of dairy cows and 10.4% of dairy bulls had a BCS of 2 or less. Emaciation (beef BCS = 1, dairy BCS = 1.0) or near-emaciation (beef BCS = 2, dairy BCS = 1.5) was observed in 13.3% of dairy cows and 3.9% of beef cows. Among beef cattle, 15.1% of cows and 15.4% of bulls were considered lame. In contrast, 44.7% of dairy cows and 26.1% of dairy bulls were lame. Ocular neoplasia (cancer eye) was observed in only 0.6% of beef cows, 0.3% of beef bulls, 0.3% of dairy cows, and 0.0% of dairy bulls. However, among animals with ocular neoplasia, it was cancerous in 34.4% of beef bulls, 48.0% of dairy cows, and 73.3% of beef cows. In conclusion, numerous quality defects are present in market beef and dairy cattle selling at auction in the Western United States, which could influence their value at auction.

7 CFR 1170.4 - Dairy products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Dairy products. 1170.4 Section 1170.4 Agriculture... and Orders; Milk), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DAIRY PRODUCT MANDATORY REPORTING § 1170.4 Dairy products. Dairy Products means: (a) Manufactured dairy products that are used by the Secretary to establish...

Changing patterns in deforestation avoidance by different protection types in the Brazilian Amazon.

PubMed

Jusys, Tomas

2018-01-01

This study quantifies how much deforestation was avoided due to legal protection in Legal Amazon in strictly protected areas, sustainable use areas, and indigenous lands. Only regions that are protected de jure (i.e., where deforestation is avoided due to effective laws rather than remoteness) were considered, so that the potential of legal protection could be better assessed. This is a cross-sectional approach, which allows comparisons in terms of avoided deforestation among the different types of protection in the same period. This study covers three different periods. Regions protected de jure were sampled by estimating a threshold distance at which deforestation starts to diminish and retaining all pixels up to that distance, and deforestation that has been avoided due to legal protection was estimated by matching. Indigenous lands avoided the highest percentage of deforestation during the 2001-2004 and 2005-2008 periods, followed by those under strict protection and sustainable use areas, in respective order. Shifting patterns in deforestation avoidance are clearly noticeable for the 2009-2014 period when 1) strictly protected areas outperformed indigenous lands in terms of the percentage of saved forests, 2) some protected regions began to attract deforestation instead of avoiding it, and 3) sustainable use areas, on average, did not avoid deforestation.

Changing patterns in deforestation avoidance by different protection types in the Brazilian Amazon

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This study quantifies how much deforestation was avoided due to legal protection in Legal Amazon in strictly protected areas, sustainable use areas, and indigenous lands. Only regions that are protected de jure (i.e., where deforestation is avoided due to effective laws rather than remoteness) were considered, so that the potential of legal protection could be better assessed. This is a cross-sectional approach, which allows comparisons in terms of avoided deforestation among the different types of protection in the same period. This study covers three different periods. Regions protected de jure were sampled by estimating a threshold distance at which deforestation starts to diminish and retaining all pixels up to that distance, and deforestation that has been avoided due to legal protection was estimated by matching. Indigenous lands avoided the highest percentage of deforestation during the 2001–2004 and 2005–2008 periods, followed by those under strict protection and sustainable use areas, in respective order. Shifting patterns in deforestation avoidance are clearly noticeable for the 2009–2014 period when 1) strictly protected areas outperformed indigenous lands in terms of the percentage of saved forests, 2) some protected regions began to attract deforestation instead of avoiding it, and 3) sustainable use areas, on average, did not avoid deforestation. PMID:29689071

The lived experience of low back pain among Irish farmers: case studies.

PubMed

Osborne, Aoife; Blake, Catherine; Meredith, David; McNamara, John; Phelan, Jim; Cunningham, Caitriona

2014-01-01

Low back pain (LBP) is the most commonly reported musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) among farmers. There is limited researching regarding the lived experience of LBP among farmers. Video interviews were conducted with three dairy farmers who reported having a significant episode of LBP. The interview data were transcribed and analyzed, and results were presented in relation to the constructs explored. The farmers experienced their first significant episode of LBP in their late 20s or early 30s and all attributed their LBP to farm work or a farm-related incident. Hours worked per day ranged from 9 to 13 hours. Tasks identified by farmers that they were unable to do due to LBP included physical work, working with sheep, building work, and "certain jobs." Work changes made due to LBP included getting help, slowing down, avoiding strenuous work, carrying smaller loads, mechanizing the farm, using the tractor more, and wearing a back belt for certain jobs. Each farmer had his own way of preventing or managing his LBP, including a mix of active self-management and passive coping strategies such as swimming, using ice, spinal manipulation, and taking medication. The farmers were unable to quantify how much their LBP had cost them directly or indirectly. The case studies illustrate farmers engaging in ongoing work despite significant pain. All of the farmers have adapted at work and engaged in self-management strategies to reduce the occurrence of LBP. Given the rich data produced by these case studies, future case studies are recommended to gain greater insights into farmers' experiences concerning LBP.

Effects of dairy intake on weight maintenance

PubMed Central

Zemel, Michael B; Donnelly, Joseph E; Smith, Bryan K; Sullivan, Debra K; Richards, Joanna; Morgan-Hanusa, Danielle; Mayo, Matthew S; Sun, Xiaocun; Cook-Wiens, Galen; Bailey, Bruce W; Van Walleghen, Emily L; Washburn, Richard A

2008-01-01

Background To compare the effects of low versus recommended levels of dairy intake on weight maintenance and body composition subsequent to weight loss. Design and Methods Two site (University of Kansas-KU; University of Tennessee-UT), 9 month, randomized trial. Weight loss was baseline to 3 months, weight maintenance was 4 to 9 months. Participants were maintained randomly assigned to low dairy (< 1 dairy serving/d) or recommended dairy (> 3 servings/d) diets for the maintenance phase. Three hundred thirty eight men and women, age: 40.3 ± 7.0 years and BMI: 34.5 ± 3.1, were randomized; Change in weight and body composition (total fat, trunk fat) from 4 to 9 months were the primary outcomes. Blood chemistry, blood pressure, resting metabolism, and respiratory quotient were secondary outcomes. Energy intake, calcium intake, dairy intake, and physical activity were measured as process evaluation. Results During weight maintenance, there were no overall significant differences for weight or body composition between the low and recommended dairy groups. A significant site interaction occurred with the low dairy group at KU maintaining weight and body composition and the low dairy group at UT increasing weight and body fat. The recommended dairy group exhibited reductions in plasma 1,25-(OH)2-D while no change was observed in the low dairy group. No other differences were found for blood chemistry, blood pressure or physical activity between low and recommended dairy groups. The recommended dairy group showed significantly greater energy intake and lower respiratory quotient compared to the low dairy group. Conclusion Weight maintenance was similar for low and recommended dairy groups. The recommended dairy group exhibited evidence of greater fat oxidation and was able to consume greater energy without greater weight gain compared to the low dairy group. Recommended levels of dairy products may be used during weight maintenance without contributing to weight gain compared to diets low in dairy products. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00686426 PMID:18950508

Genetic tests for estimating dairy breed proportion and parentage assignment in East African crossbred cattle.

PubMed

Strucken, Eva M; Al-Mamun, Hawlader A; Esquivelzeta-Rabell, Cecilia; Gondro, Cedric; Mwai, Okeyo A; Gibson, John P

2017-09-12

Smallholder dairy farming in much of the developing world is based on the use of crossbred cows that combine local adaptation traits of indigenous breeds with high milk yield potential of exotic dairy breeds. Pedigree recording is rare in such systems which means that it is impossible to make informed breeding decisions. High-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays allow accurate estimation of breed composition and parentage assignment but are too expensive for routine application. Our aim was to determine the level of accuracy achieved with low-density SNP assays. We constructed subsets of 100 to 1500 SNPs from the 735k-SNP Illumina panel by selecting: (a) on high minor allele frequencies (MAF) in a crossbred population; (b) on large differences in allele frequency between ancestral breeds; (c) at random; or (d) with a differential evolution algorithm. These panels were tested on a dataset of 1933 crossbred dairy cattle from Kenya/Uganda and on crossbred populations from Ethiopia (N = 545) and Tanzania (N = 462). Dairy breed proportions were estimated by using the ADMIXTURE program, a regression approach, and SNP-best linear unbiased prediction, and tested against estimates obtained by ADMIXTURE based on the 735k-SNP panel. Performance for parentage assignment was based on opposing homozygotes which were used to calculate the separation value (sv) between true and false assignments. Panels of SNPs based on the largest differences in allele frequency between European dairy breeds and a combined Nelore/N'Dama population gave the best predictions of dairy breed proportion (r 2  = 0.962 to 0.994 for 100 to 1500 SNPs) with an average absolute bias of 0.026. Panels of SNPs based on the highest MAF in the crossbred population (Kenya/Uganda) gave the most accurate parentage assignments (sv = -1 to 15 for 100 to 1500 SNPs). Due to the different required properties of SNPs, panels that did well for breed composition did poorly for parentage assignment and vice versa. A combined panel of 400 SNPs was not able to assign parentages correctly, thus we recommend the use of 200 SNPs either for breed proportion prediction or parentage assignment, independently.

Economic analysis of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis vaccines in dairy herds.

PubMed

Cho, J; Tauer, L W; Schukken, Y H; Gómez, M I; Smith, R L; Lu, Z; Grohn, Y T

2012-04-01

Johne's disease, or paratuberculosis, is a chronic infectious enteric disease of ruminants, caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Given the absence of a fail-safe method of prevention or a cure, Johne's disease can inflict significant economic loss on the US dairy industry, with an estimated annual cost of over $200 million. Currently available MAP control strategies include management measures to improve hygiene, culling MAP serologic- or fecal-positive adult cows, and vaccination. Although the 2 first control strategies have been reported to be effective in reducing the incidence of MAP infection, the changes in herd management needed to conduct these control strategies require significant effort on the part of the dairy producer. On the other hand, vaccination is relatively simple to apply and requires minor changes in herd management. Despite these advantages, only 5% of US dairy operations use vaccination to control MAP. This low level of adoption of this technology is due to limited information on its cost-effectiveness and efficacy and some important inherent drawbacks associated with current MAP vaccines. This study investigates the epidemiological effect and economic values of MAP vaccines in various stages of development. We create scenarios for the potential epidemiological effects of MAP vaccines, and then estimate economically justifiable monetary values at which vaccines become economically beneficial to dairy producers such that a net present value (NPV) of a farm's net cash flow can be higher than the NPV of a farm using no control or alternative nonvaccine controls. Any vaccination with either low or high efficacy considered in this study yielded a higher NPV compared with a no MAP control. Moreover, high-efficacy vaccines generated an even higher NPV compared with alternative controls, making vaccination economically attractive. Two high-efficacy vaccines were particularly effective in MAP control and NPV maximization. One was a high-efficacy vaccine that reduced susceptibility to MAP infection. The other was a high-efficacy vaccine that had multiple efficacies on the dynamics of MAP infection and disease progress. Only one high-efficacy vaccine, in which the vaccine is targeted at reducing MAP shedding and the number of clinical cases, was not economically beneficial to dairy producers compared with an alternative nonvaccine control, when herds were highly infected with MAP. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Global environmental costs of China's thirst for milk.

PubMed

Bai, Zhaohai; Lee, Michael R F; Ma, Lin; Ledgard, Stewart; Oenema, Oene; Velthof, Gerard L; Ma, Wenqi; Guo, Mengchu; Zhao, Zhanqing; Wei, Sha; Li, Shengli; Liu, Xia; Havlík, Petr; Luo, Jiafa; Hu, Chunsheng; Zhang, Fusuo

2018-05-01

China has an ever-increasing thirst for milk, with a predicted 3.2-fold increase in demand by 2050 compared to the production level in 2010. What are the environmental implications of meeting this demand, and what is the preferred pathway? We addressed these questions by using a nexus approach, to examine the interdependencies of increasing milk consumption in China by 2050 and its global impacts, under different scenarios of domestic milk production and importation. Meeting China's milk demand in a business as usual scenario will increase global dairy-related (China and the leading milk exporting regions) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 35% (from 565 to 764 Tg CO 2eq ) and land use for dairy feed production by 32% (from 84 to 111 million ha) compared to 2010, while reactive nitrogen losses from the dairy sector will increase by 48% (from 3.6 to 5.4 Tg nitrogen). Producing all additional milk in China with current technology will greatly increase animal feed import; from 1.9 to 8.5 Tg for concentrates and from 1.0 to 6.2 Tg for forage (alfalfa). In addition, it will increase domestic dairy related GHG emissions by 2.2 times compared to 2010 levels. Importing the extra milk will transfer the environmental burden from China to milk exporting countries; current dairy exporting countries may be unable to produce all additional milk due to physical limitations or environmental preferences/legislation. For example, the farmland area for cattle-feed production in New Zealand would have to increase by more than 57% (1.3 million ha) and that in Europe by more than 39% (15 million ha), while GHG emissions and nitrogen losses would increase roughly proportionally with the increase of farmland in both regions. We propose that a more sustainable dairy future will rely on high milk demanding regions (such as China) improving their domestic milk and feed production efficiencies up to the level of leading milk producing countries. This will decrease the global dairy related GHG emissions and land use by 12% (90 Tg CO 2eq reduction) and 30% (34 million ha land reduction) compared to the business as usual scenario, respectively. However, this still represents an increase in total GHG emissions of 19% whereas land use will decrease by 8% when compared with 2010 levels, respectively. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A comparison of a novel time-based summary measure of dairy cow health against cumulative disease frequency.

PubMed

McConnel, Craig S; McNeil, Ashleigh A; Hadrich, Joleen C; Lombard, Jason E; Heller, Jane; Garry, Franklyn B

2018-01-01

There is an increasing push for dairy production to be scientifically grounded and ethically responsible in the oversight of animal health and well-being. Addressing underlying challenges affecting the quality and length of productive life necessitates novel assessment and accountability metrics. Human medical epidemiologists developed the Disability-Adjusted Life Year metric as a summary measure of health addressing the complementary nature of disease and death. The goal of this project was to develop and implement a dairy Disease-Adjusted Lactation (DALact) summary measure of health, as a comparison against cumulative disease frequency. A total of 5694 cows were enrolled at freshening from January 1st, 2014 through May 26th, 2015 on 3 similarly managed U.S. Midwestern Plains' region dairies. Eleven health categories of interest were tracked from enrollment until culling, death, or the study's completion date. The DALact accounted for the days of life lost due to illness, forced removal, and death relative to the average lactation length across the participating farms. The DALact consistently identified mastitis as the primary disease of concern on all 3 dairies (19,007-23,955 days lost). Secondary issues included musculoskeletal injuries (19,559 days), pneumonia (11,034 days), or lameness (8858 days). By comparison, cumulative frequency measures pointed to mastitis (31-50%) and lameness (25-54%) as the 2 most frequent diseases. Notably, the DALact provided a robust accounting of health events such as musculoskeletal injuries (5010-19,559 days) and calving trauma (2952-5868 days) otherwise overlooked by frequency measures (0-3%). The DALact provides a time-based method for assessing the overall burden of disease on dairies. It is important to emphasize that a summary measure of dairy health goes beyond simply linking morbidity to culling and mortality in a standardized fashion. A summary measure speaks to the burden of disease on both the well-being and productivity of individuals and populations. When framed as lost days, years, or lactations the various health issues on a farm are more comprehensible than they may be by frequency measures alone. Such an alternative accounting of disease highlights the lost opportunity costs of production as well as the burden of disease on life as a whole.

Assessment of management and basic beef quality assurance practices on Idaho dairies.

PubMed

Glaze, J B; Chahine, M

2009-03-01

In 2004 a mail-in survey was conducted to establish a baseline level of awareness and knowledge related to dairy beef quality assurance (BQA) issues in Idaho. A 30-question survey was mailed to every (n = 736) registered Idaho dairy. Two-hundred seventy-three (37%) dairies participated and were categorized as small (n <201 cows; 53.5%), medium-sized (n = 201 to 1,000 cows; 27.1%) or large (n >1,000 cows; 19.4%). The majority of respondents were dairy owners (83%). Eighty-nine percent of respondents indicated they followed BQA recommendations for animal care. The neck region in cows was used by 68% of respondents for i.m. injections and by 80% for s.c. injections. In calves, the values were 61 and 78%, respectively. Seventy-four percent of respondents indicated they had been trained for injections. Training methods cited included veterinarians (19.8%), dairy owners (16.8%), experience (9.9%), and BQA events or schools (4.5%). The importance of BQA in the dairy industry was rated 2.6 on a 5-point scale (0 = low; 4 = high). Participants rated the effect of dairy animals on the beef industry at 2.5. Plastic ear tags were the preferred method of animal identification, with 100% of large dairies, 97.3% of medium-sized dairies, and 84% of small dairies citing their use. Less than 10% used electronic identification for their animals. Almost half (48%) of large and medium-sized (49%) dairies and 32% of small dairies supported a national animal identification program. A mandatory identification program was supported by 41, 69, and 59% for small, medium-sized, and large dairies, respectively. The percentage of dairies keeping records was similar between small (93%), medium-sized (99%), and large (100%) dairies. Most small dairies (58%) used some form of paper records, whereas most medium-sized (85%) and large (100%) dairies used computers for record keeping. The preferred method to market cull cows by Idaho dairies was the auction market (64%), followed by order buyers (17%), direct to the packer (17%), private treaty sales (16%), and forward contracts (1%). To market calves, dairies used private treaty sales (52%), auction markets (42%), order buyers (14%), and forward contracts (1%). The results of this study will be used by University of Idaho Extension faculty in the design, development, and delivery of dairy BQA program information and materials.

Associations of Dairy Intake with Arterial Stiffness in Brazilian Adults: The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).

PubMed

Ribeiro, Amanda Gomes; Mill, José Geraldo; Cade, Nágela Valadão; Velasquez-Melendez, Gustavo; Matos, Sheila Maria Alvim; Molina, Maria Del Carmen Bisi

2018-05-31

Recent studies have suggested the possible effect of dairy product intake on cardiovascular risk markers, including arterial stiffness. Our aim was to investigate whether dairy food intake is associated with arterial stiffness, which we assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and pulse pressure (PP) in a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data (2008⁻2010; n = 12,892) of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Dairy consumption was evaluated with a validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) by computing servings per day for total and subgroups of dairy products. Dairy consumption was described in four categories (≤1 serving/day to >4 servings/day). Covariance analysis (ANCOVA) was used to compare cfPWV across increasing intake of dairy food, adjusting for confounding factors, including non-dairy food groups. The intake of total dairy was inversely associated with cfPWV and PP (-0.13 m/s and -1.3 mmHg, from the lowest and to the highest category of dairy intake). Low-fat dairy, fermented dairy and cheese showed an inverse relationship with cfPWV and PP. These findings suggest a beneficial effect of dairy consumption to reduce arterial stiffness. However, further evidence from longitudinal studies or long-term intervention is needed to support reduction of cfPWV and PP mediating the beneficial effects of dairy products on cardiovascular health.

Gender, perceptions and behaviour towards health risks associated with urban dairy farming in Dagoretti Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

PubMed

Kimani, V N; Ngonde, A M; Kang'ethe, E K; Kiragu, M W

2007-11-01

To determine the socio-cultural, economic and environmental factors that encourage urban dairy production and the factors which may predispose the producer, consumer and other handlers to risks associated with dairy farming. To assess the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of men and women towards health risks and benefits associated with urban dairy farming in smallholder dairy farming and their immediate non-dairy farming neighbour households. A cross sectional study and participatory urban appraisal (PUA. Urban and peri-urban households in Dagoretti Division, Nairobi. Three hundred dairy farming households, and 150 non-dairy farming neighbour households and six participatory urban appraisals, 58 males and 45 females. There were more females than males dairy farmers. Both women and men had equal access to resources and benefits obtained from dairy farming but the men had the greater control over the resources. Low levels of knowledge on the specific health risks related to urban dairy farming were observed. Less than half of the respondents believed they were at risk of being exposed to the health hazards, while 63% sensed they could protect themselves from the health risks. There was an association between knowledge levels, perceptions and behaviour of men and women toward risks associated with dairy farming. Apart from giving treatment to animals most men did less dairy farming activities. Women rated men lower in all dairy activities but when the men did the scoring for the same activities they rated themselves higher, arguing that their participation was indirect such as providing cash to buy the feed supplements and veterinary services. There were gender differences in all important tasks associated with dairy keeping. Farmers stated that older children, when not in school sometimes assisted but in general children did not show much enthusiasm in dairy work.

Culture versus PCR for Salmonella Species Identification in Some Dairy Products and Dairy Handlers with Special Concern to Its Zoonotic Importance.

PubMed

Gwida, Mayada M; Al-Ashmawy, Maha A M

2014-01-01

A total of 200 samples of milk and dairy products as well as 120 samples of dairy handlers were randomly collected from different dairy farms and supermarkets in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. The conventional cultural and serotyping methods for detection of Salmonella in dairy products were applied and the results were compared with those obtained by molecular screening assay using (ttr sequence). The obtained results revealed that 21% of milk and dairy products (42/200) were positive for Salmonella species using enrichment culture-based PCR method, while 12% of different dairy samples (24/200) were found to be positive for Salmonella species by using the conventional culture methods. Two stool specimens out of 40 apparently healthy dairy handlers were positive by the PCR method. Serotyping of Salmonella isolates revealed that 58.3% (14/24) from different dairy products were contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium. We conclude that the enrichment culture-based PCR assay has high sensitivity and specificity for detection of Salmonella species in dairy products and handlers. High incidence of Salmonella Typhimurium in the examined dairy samples highlights the important role played by milk and dairy products as a vehicle in disease prevalence. Great effort should be applied for reducing foodborne risk for consumers.

Effect of Calf Gender on Milk Yield and Fatty Acid Content in Holstein Dairy Cows

PubMed Central

Ehrlich, James L.; Grove-White, Dai H.

2017-01-01

The scale of sexed semen use to avoid the birth of unwanted bull calves in the UK dairy industry depends on several economic factors. It has been suggested in other studies that calf gender may affect milk yield in Holsteins- something that would affect the economics of sexed semen use. The present study used a large milk recording data set to evaluate the effect of calf gender (both calf born and calf in utero) on both milk yield and saturated fat content. Linear regression was used to model data for first lactation and second lactation separately. Results showed that giving birth to a heifer calf conferred a 1% milk yield advantage in first lactation heifers, whilst giving birth to a bull calf conferred a 0.5% advantage in second lactation. Heifer calves were also associated with a 0.66kg reduction in saturated fatty acid content of milk in first lactation, but there was no significant difference between the genders in second lactation. No relationship was found between calf gender and milk mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acid content. The observed effects of calf gender on both yield and saturated fatty acid content was considered minor when compared to nutritional and genetic influences. PMID:28068399

Effect of Calf Gender on Milk Yield and Fatty Acid Content in Holstein Dairy Cows.

PubMed

Gillespie, Amy V; Ehrlich, James L; Grove-White, Dai H

2017-01-01

The scale of sexed semen use to avoid the birth of unwanted bull calves in the UK dairy industry depends on several economic factors. It has been suggested in other studies that calf gender may affect milk yield in Holsteins- something that would affect the economics of sexed semen use. The present study used a large milk recording data set to evaluate the effect of calf gender (both calf born and calf in utero) on both milk yield and saturated fat content. Linear regression was used to model data for first lactation and second lactation separately. Results showed that giving birth to a heifer calf conferred a 1% milk yield advantage in first lactation heifers, whilst giving birth to a bull calf conferred a 0.5% advantage in second lactation. Heifer calves were also associated with a 0.66kg reduction in saturated fatty acid content of milk in first lactation, but there was no significant difference between the genders in second lactation. No relationship was found between calf gender and milk mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acid content. The observed effects of calf gender on both yield and saturated fatty acid content was considered minor when compared to nutritional and genetic influences.

Therapeutic management of botulism in dairy cattle

PubMed Central

Pandian, S. Jegaveera; Subramanian, M.; Vijayakumar, G.; Balasubramaniam, G. A.; Sukumar, K.

2015-01-01

Aim: To report the successful recovery of few dairy cattle from botulism in response to a modified therapeutic strategy. Materials and Methods: Seventy four naturally-occurring clinical cases of bovine botulism encountered during the period of 2012-2014 which were confirmed by mouse lethality test became material for this study. Affected animals were made into three groups based on the treatment modifications made during the course of study. Results and Discussion: With the modified therapeutic regimen, 17 animals recovered after 7-10 days of treatment. Clinical recovery took 2-30 days. Animals which were not given intravenous fluid and calcium recovered uneventfully. Cattle which were already treated with intravenous fluids, calcium borogluconate, and antibiotics did not recover. They were either died or slaughtered for salvage. Conclusion: In cattle with botulism, administration of Vitamin AD3E and activated charcoal aid the clinical recovery. Besides, strictly avoiding anti-clostridial antibiotics, fluid therapy, and calcium therapy may facilitate the clinical recovery. Upon fluid administration, the pulmonary congestion existed in the ailing cattle might have worsened the anoxia. Administration of antibiotics like penicillin, aminoglycosides, and tetracyclines further worsen the neuronal paralysis by increasing the availability of botulinum neurotoxin. Cattle in early botulism have fair chances of recovery with the modified therapy. PMID:27047034

Beyond Meatless, the Health Effects of Vegan Diets: Findings from the Adventist Cohorts

PubMed Central

Le, Lap Tai; Sabaté, Joan

2014-01-01

Vegetarians, those who avoid meat, and vegans, additionally avoiding dairy and eggs, represent 5% and 2%, respectively, of the US population. The aim of this review is to assess the effects of vegetarian diets, particularly strict vegetarian diets (i.e., vegans) on health and disease outcomes. We summarized available evidence from three prospective cohorts of Adventists in North America: Adventist Mortality Study, Adventist Health Study, and Adventist Health Study-2. Non-vegetarian diets were compared to vegetarian dietary patterns (i.e., vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian) on selected health outcomes. Vegetarian diets confer protection against cardiovascular diseases, cardiometabolic risk factors, some cancers and total mortality. Compared to lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets, vegan diets seem to offer additional protection for obesity, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular mortality. Males experience greater health benefits than females. Limited prospective data is available on vegetarian diets and body weight change. Large randomized intervention trials on the effects of vegetarian diet patterns on neurological and cognitive functions, obesity, diabetes, and other cardiovascular outcomes are warranted to make meaningful recommendations. PMID:24871675

Beyond meatless, the health effects of vegan diets: findings from the Adventist cohorts.

PubMed

Le, Lap Tai; Sabaté, Joan

2014-05-27

Vegetarians, those who avoid meat, and vegans, additionally avoiding dairy and eggs, represent 5% and 2%, respectively, of the US population. The aim of this review is to assess the effects of vegetarian diets, particularly strict vegetarian diets (i.e., vegans) on health and disease outcomes. We summarized available evidence from three prospective cohorts of Adventists in North America: Adventist Mortality Study, Adventist Health Study, and Adventist Health Study-2. Non-vegetarian diets were compared to vegetarian dietary patterns (i.e., vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian) on selected health outcomes. Vegetarian diets confer protection against cardiovascular diseases, cardiometabolic risk factors, some cancers and total mortality. Compared to lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets, vegan diets seem to offer additional protection for obesity, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular mortality. Males experience greater health benefits than females. Limited prospective data is available on vegetarian diets and body weight change. Large randomized intervention trials on the effects of vegetarian diet patterns on neurological and cognitive functions, obesity, diabetes, and other cardiovascular outcomes are warranted to make meaningful recommendations.

Antibiotic resistance and molecular analysis of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from cow's milk and dairy products in northeast Brazil.

PubMed

Silveira-Filho, Vladimir M; Luz, Isabelle S; Campos, Ana Paula F; Silva, Wellington M; Barros, Maria Paloma S; Medeiros, Elizabeth S; Freitas, Manuela F L; Mota, Rinaldo A; Sena, Maria J; Leal-Balbino, Tereza C

2014-04-01

This work aimed to assess the clonal distribution among 94 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from cow's milk, raw cheese, and a milking machine in 12 dairy farms in northeast Brazil, by analyzing different typing methods and detecting resistance and toxigenic profiles. For the first time, isolates of this region were assessed simultaneously by the polymorphism of the 3'-end coa gene and 16S-23S rDNA, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, antibiotic resistance phenotyping, and toxigenic arsenal. Although pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns showed a wider variation (discriminatory index 0.83) than the PCR-based methods, the internal transcribed spacer-PCR proved to be a useful and inexpensive procedure for conducting epidemiological surveys of S. aureus on a regional scale. Each dairy farm had its own resistance profile, and in two herds, 63% of the strains were multiresistant, probably due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in bovine mastitis treatment. No methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains were detected in this study; however, 93.6% of S. aureus strains harbored variable profiles of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes seg, seh, sei, and sej. Transcriptional analysis revealed that 53.3% of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes actually transcribed, pointing out the food poisoning risk of these dairy products to consumers in the region. Based on the detection of the most prevalent clones in a herd or region, appropriate antibiotic therapy and specific immunization can be used for the treatment and control of staphylococcal mastitis.

Production of enterocin A by Enterococcus faecium MMRA isolated from 'Rayeb', a traditional Tunisian dairy beverage.

PubMed

Rehaiem, A; Martínez, B; Manai, M; Rodríguez, A

2010-05-01

Characterization and purification of a bacteriocin produced by a wild Enterococcus faecium strain, isolated from a Tunisian traditional fermented milk. Enterococcus faecium MMRA was selected on the basis of its strong anti-Listeria activity. The antibacterial activity was sensitive to proteases, confirming its proteinaceous nature. It was extremely heat stable (15 min at 121 degrees C), remained active over a wide pH range (2-12), and also after treatment with lipase, amylase, organic solvents, detergents, lyophilisation and long-term storage at -20 degrees C. Production of the bacteriocin occurred throughout the logarithmic growth phase, it did not adhere to the surface of the producer cells and the mode of action was bactericidal. After partial purification of the active supernatants, a 4-kDa band with antibacterial activity was revealed by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and bioassay. Tryptic digestion followed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identified the peptide as enterocin A. The inhibitory activity of Ent. faecium MMRA, a wild strain isolated from the artisan dairy beverage 'Rayeb', is due to the synthesis of an enterocin A. Traditional fresh Tunisian fermented dairy products are generally manufactured with raw milk that can be used as a source of uncharacterized wild lactic acid bacteria strains. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the isolation of an enterocin A producing Ent. faecium from 'Rayeb'. This bacteriocin or the producing strain might have a promising potential in biopreservation to enhance the hygienic quality of this dairy product.

Raw milk consumption and health.

PubMed

Vranješ, Anka Popović; Popović, Milka; Jevtić, Marija

2015-01-01

Contrary to the safe practices of milk pasteurization or sterilization, which effectively reduce foodborne outbreaks incidence associated with raw milk and dairy products use, outbreaks caused by such products continue to occur. Despite this fact, a worldwide movement advocating for the rights of raw milk and cheese selling and consumption, due to their specific nutritive characteristics, has strengthened significantly in recent years. Traditional agricultural manufacturers from Serbia still sell products related to thermally unprocessed milk, such as cottage cheese and raw cream. In AP Vojvodina during the period of 1981-2010 a total of 179 foodborne outbreaks were reported, where the incriminated cause of the outbreak were milk or diary. In 126 (70.39%) outbreaks, totaling 2276 sick individuals and one casualty, it was confirmed that the incriminated food was from the group of dairy products. In 48 instances (26.82%), bacteriological tests confirmed that milk and dairy products were excluded as the outbreak causes, while in another 5 (2.79%) outbreaks, microbiological analysis of food failed to confirm any relation to the actual epidemiological instances. In some cases, bacteriological testing of incriminated foods was not possible. In the cases of outbreaks associated with the consumption of milk and dairy products, traditional raw milk products were cited as being used. Consumption of unpasteurized milk and cheese represents public health threat. National and international rules ensuring use of safe products for human consumption have to set rules of trade of thermally processed milk and products on the market.

Polyamines in foods: development of a food database

PubMed Central

Ali, Mohamed Atiya; Poortvliet, Eric; Strömberg, Roger; Yngve, Agneta

2011-01-01

Background Knowing the levels of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) in different foods is of interest due to the association of these bioactive nutrients to health and diseases. There is a lack of relevant information on their contents in foods. Objective To develop a food polyamine database from published data by which polyamine intake and food contribution to this intake can be estimated, and to determine the levels of polyamines in Swedish dairy products. Design Extensive literature search and laboratory analysis of selected Swedish dairy products. Polyamine contents in foods were collected using an extensive literature search of databases. Polyamines in different types of Swedish dairy products (milk with different fat percentages, yogurt, cheeses, and sour milk) were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a UV detector. Results Fruits and cheese were the highest sources of putrescine, while vegetables and meat products were found to be rich in spermidine and spermine, respectively. The content of polyamines in cheese varied considerably between studies. In analyzed Swedish dairy products, matured cheese had the highest total polyamine contents with values of 52.3, 1.2, and 2.6 mg/kg for putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, respectively. Low fat milk had higher putrescine and spermidine, 1.2 and 1.0 mg/kg, respectively, than the other types of milk. Conclusions The database aids other researchers in their quest for information regarding polyamine intake from foods. Connecting the polyamine contents in food with the Swedish Food Database allows for estimation of polyamine contents per portion. PMID:21249159

Salmonella Muenster infection in a dairy herd

PubMed Central

Radke, Brian R.; McFall, Margaret; Radostits, Steve M.

2002-01-01

The overall purpose of this study was to provide information on animal and occupational health associated with the infection of a dairy herd with Salmonella Muenster that would be useful in the management of dairy herds so infected. This retrospective, longitudinal report records a 2-year infection of a 140-cow dairy herd with S. Muenster, which was likely introduced by additions to the herd. Six cows aborted or had diarrhea due to salmonellosis in the last trimester of pregnancy. Additions to the herd and the presence of animals that had not received an Escherichia coli bacterin-toxoid were risk factors for salmonellosis. One neonate died, and 24 of 36 calves born between November 1998 and May 1999 had diarrhea by 1 mo of age. Initially, over 60% of the cows were fecal positive; within 6 months, all cows but 1 had become infected. The intermittent shedding of the organism and the eventual zero prevalence highlight the inappropriateness of extensive culling as an eradication strategy. Cultures of the bulk-tank milk filters were more sensitive than cultures of the bulk-tank milk samples at detecting S. Muenster. Two months after the index case, S. Muenster was cultured from the milk of 7.8% of the cows. Positive fecal or milk cultures were not associated with impaired health or production. The herd's milk was a zoonotic risk, but contact with infected animals was not. The organism spread easily between operations, likely via manure-contaminated clothing and footwear. PMID:12058570

Opportunities for Automated Demand Response in California’s Dairy Processing Industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Homan, Gregory K.; Aghajanzadeh, Arian; McKane, Aimee

During periods of peak electrical demand on the energy grid or when there is a shortage of supply, the stability of the grid may be compromised or the cost of supplying electricity may rise dramatically, respectively. Demand response programs are designed to mitigate the severity of these problems and improve reliability by reducing the demand on the grid during such critical times. In 2010, the Demand Response Research Center convened a group of industry experts to suggest potential industries that would be good demand response program candidates for further review. The dairy industry was suggested due to the perception thatmore » the industry had suitable flexibility and automatic controls in place. The purpose of this report is to provide an initial description of the industry with regard to demand response potential, specifically automated demand response. This report qualitatively describes the potential for participation in demand response and automated demand response by dairy processing facilities in California, as well as barriers to widespread participation. The report first describes the magnitude, timing, location, purpose, and manner of energy use. Typical process equipment and controls are discussed, as well as common impediments to participation in demand response and automated demand response programs. Two case studies of demand response at dairy facilities in California and across the country are reviewed. Finally, recommendations are made for future research that can enhance the understanding of demand response potential in this industry.« less

Developing a Contemporary Dairy Foods Extension Program: A Training and Technical Resource Needs Assessment of Pennsylvania Dairy Foods Processors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syrko, Joseph; Kaylegian, Kerry E.

2015-01-01

Growth in the dairy industry and the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act have renewed interest in dairy foods processing extension positions. A needs assessment survey was sent to Pennsylvania dairy processors and raw milk providers to guide priorities for a dairy foods extension program. The successful development and delivery of…

Value-Added Dairy Products from Grass-Based Dairy Farms: A Case Study in Vermont

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Qingbin; Parsons, Robert; Colby, Jennifer; Castle, Jeffrey

2016-01-01

On-farm processing of value-added dairy products can be a way for small dairy farms to diversify production and increase revenue. This article examines characteristics of three groups of Vermont farmers who have grass-based dairy farms--those producing value-added dairy products, those interested in such products, and those not interested in such…

Dairy Products and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes: Implications for Research and Practice

PubMed Central

Kalergis, Maria; Leung Yinko, Sylvie S. L.; Nedelcu, Roxana

2013-01-01

A growing body of scientific evidence has linked dairy intake to a reduced type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. Using an evidence-based approach, we reviewed the most recent and strongest evidence on the relationship between dairy intake and the risk of T2D. Evidence indicates that dairy intake is significantly associated with a reduced T2D risk, and likely in a dose-response manner. The association between low-fat dairy and T2D risk reduction appears consistent. A beneficial impact is suggested for regular-fat dairy. The role of specific dairy products needs to be clarified. Potential underlying mechanisms include the role of dairy products in obesity and metabolic syndrome, as well as several dairy components, such as calcium, vitamin D, dairy fat, and specifically trans-palmitoleic acid. To conclude, there is strong, consistent, and accumulating evidence that dairy intake reduces the risk of T2D. More research is needed to better understand the role of regular-fat and specific dairy products. Well-designed randomized controlled trials and mechanistic studies are needed to support these findings. Efforts to translate this evidence into clinical practice and public health guidance are needed. PMID:23888154

Canadian National Dairy Study: Herd-level milk quality.

PubMed

Bauman, C A; Barkema, H W; Dubuc, J; Keefe, G P; Kelton, D F

2018-03-01

The objective of this study was to estimate Canadian national milk quality parameters and estimate the bulk tank milk (BTM) prevalence of 4 mastitis pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Mycoplasma bovis, and Prototheca spp., on Canadian dairy farms. A questionnaire was sent to all Canadian dairy producers. Of the 1,062 producers who completed the questionnaire, 374 producers from across the country were visited and milking hygiene was assessed. Farm-level milk quality data for all Canadian dairy producers was collected from the provincial marketing boards and combined with the questionnaire and farm visit data. In addition, a BTM sample was collected either during the farm visit or by the marketing board in November of 2015 and was tested for 4 major mastitis pathogens using the PathoProof Mastitis Major 4 PCR Assay (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Waltham, MA). Apparent herd-level prevalence was 46% for S. aureus, 6% for Prototheca spp., 0% for M. bovis, and 0% for Strep. agalactiae. Due to the low prevalence of M. bovis and Strep. agalactiae and a lack of significant factors associated with farms testing positive for Prototheca spp., an association analysis could only be carried out for Staph. aureus-positive farms. Factors associated with Staph. aureus-positive farms were not fore-stripping cows before milking (odds ratio = 1.87), milking with a pipeline system (odds ratio = 2.21), and stall bases made of a rubberized surface (mats and mattresses), whereas protective factors were using blanket dry cow therapy (odds ratio = 0.49) and applying a tag or visible mark on cows known to have chronic mastitis infections (odds ratio = 0.45). The Canadian national production-weighted geometric mean somatic cell count was determined to be 208,000 cells/mL. This is the first national dairy study conducted in Canada. Participating farms had higher milk yield; were more likely to have a loose housing system, parlor, or automated milking system; and had lower weighted mean BTM somatic cell count than the national level. Sampling larger farms with better milk quality means the apparent prevalence of the 4 mastitis pathogens likely underestimates the true levels. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stochastic bio-economic modeling of mastitis in Ethiopian dairy farms.

PubMed

Getaneh, Abraham Mekibeb; Mekonnen, Sefinew Alemu; Hogeveen, Henk

2017-03-01

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland that is considered to be one of the most frequent and costly diseases in the dairy industry. Also in Ethiopia, bovine mastitis is one of the most frequently encountered diseases of dairy cows. However, there was no study, so far, regarding the costs of clinical mastitis and only two studies were reported on costs of subclinical mastitis. Presenting an appropriate and complete study of the costs of mastitis will help farmers in making management decisions for mastitis control. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic effects of mastitis on Ethiopian market-oriented dairy farms. Market-oriented dairy farming is driven by making profits through selling milk in the market on a regular basis. A dynamic stochastic Monte-Carlo simulation model (bio-economic model) was developed taking into account both clinical and subclinical mastitis. Production losses, culling, veterinarian costs, treatment, discarded milk, and labour were the main cost factors which were modeled in this study. The annual incidence of clinical mastitis varied from 0 to 50% with a mean annual incidence of 21.6%, whereas the mean annual incidence of subclinical mastitis was 36.2% which varied between 0 and 75%. The total costs due to mastitis for a default farm size of 8 lactating cows were 6,709 ETB per year (838 ETB per cow per year). The costs varied considerably, with 5th and 95th percentiles of 109 ETB and 22,009 ETB, respectively. The factor most contributing to the total annual cost of mastitis was culling. On average a clinical case costs 3,631 ETB, varying from 0 to 12,401, whereas a sub clinical case costs 147 ETB, varying from 0 to 412. The sensitivity analysis showed that the total costs at the farm level were most sensitive for variation in the probability of occurrence of clinical mastitis and the probability of culling. This study helps farmers to raise awareness about the actual costs of mastitis and motivate them to timely treat and/or take preventive measures. As a results, the dairy industry will improve. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Biodiversity of the Microbiota Producing Heat-Resistant Enzymes Responsible for Spoilage in Processed Bovine Milk and Dairy Products

PubMed Central

Machado, Solimar G.; Baglinière, François; Marchand, Sophie; Van Coillie, Els; Vanetti, Maria C. D.; De Block, Jan; Heyndrickx, Marc

2017-01-01

Raw bovine milk is highly nutritious as well as pH-neutral, providing the ideal conditions for microbial growth. The microbiota of raw milk is diverse and originates from several sources of contamination including the external udder surface, milking equipment, air, water, feed, grass, feces, and soil. Many bacterial and fungal species can be found in raw milk. The autochthonous microbiota of raw milk immediately after milking generally comprises lactic acid bacteria such as Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Leuconostoc species, which are technologically important for the dairy industry, although they do occasionally cause spoilage of dairy products. Differences in milking practices and storage conditions on each continent, country and region result in variable microbial population structures in raw milk. Raw milk is usually stored at cold temperatures, e.g., about 4°C before processing to reduce the growth of most bacteria. However, psychrotrophic bacteria can proliferate and contribute to spoilage of ultra-high temperature (UHT) treated and sterilized milk and other dairy products with a long shelf life due to their ability to produce extracellular heat resistant enzymes such as peptidases and lipases. Worldwide, species of Pseudomonas, with the ability to produce these spoilage enzymes, are the most common contaminants isolated from cold raw milk although other genera such as Serratia are also reported as important milk spoilers, while for others more research is needed on the heat resistance of the spoilage enzymes produced. The residual activity of extracellular enzymes after high heat treatment may lead to technological problems (off flavors, physico-chemical instability) during the shelf life of milk and dairy products. This review covers the contamination patterns of cold raw milk in several parts of the world, the growth potential of psychrotrophic bacteria, their ability to produce extracellular heat-resistant enzymes and the consequences for dairy products with a long shelf life. This problem is of increasing importance because of the large worldwide trade in fluid milk and milk powder. PMID:28298906

Dairy cow feeding space requirements assessed in a Y-maze choice test.

PubMed

Rioja-Lang, F C; Roberts, D J; Healy, S D; Lawrence, A B; Haskell, M J

2012-07-01

The effect of proximity to a dominant cow on a low-ranking cow's willingness to feed was assessed using choice tests. The main aim of the experiment was to determine the feeding space allowance at which the majority of subordinate cows would choose to feed on high-palatability food (HPF) next to a dominant cow rather than feeding alone on low-palatability food (LPF). Thirty Holstein-Friesian cows were used in the study. Half of the cows were trained to make an association between a black bin and HPF and a white bin and LPF, and the other half were trained with the opposite combination. Observations of pair-wise aggressive interactions were observed during feeding to determine the relative social status of each cow. From this, dominant and subordinate cows were allocated to experimental pairs. When cows had achieved an HPF preference with an 80% success rate in training, they were presented with choices using a Y-maze test apparatus, in which cows were offered choices between feeding on HPF with a dominant cow and feeding on LPF alone. Four different space allowances were tested at the HPF feeder: 0.3, 0.45, 0.6, and 0.75 m. At the 2 smaller space allowances, cows preferred to feed alone (choices between feeding alone or not for 0.3- and 0.45-m tests were significantly different). For the 2 larger space allowances, cows had no significant preferences (number of choices for feeding alone or with a dominant). Given that low-status cows are willing to sacrifice food quality to avoid close contact with a dominant animal, we suggest that the feeding space allowance should be at least 0.6m per cow whenever possible. However, even when space allowances are large, it is clear that some subordinate cows will still prefer to avoid proximity to dominant individuals. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of manure storage additivies on manure composition and greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Abstract: Storage of dairy manure slurry allows for flexibility in the timing of land application of manure to reduce environmental impacts related to water quality. Yet, manure storage can increase greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions and cause operational issues due to the buildup of slurry ...

Odor and chemical emissions from dairy and swine facilities: Part 1 - project overview and collection methods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Livestock facilities have received numerous criticisms due to their emissions of odorous air and chemicals. Hence, there is a significant need for odor emission factors and identification of principle odorous chemicals. Odor emission factors are used as inputs to odor setback models, while chemica...

Bovine leukemia virus seroprevalence among cattle presented for slaughter in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) results in economic loss due reduced productivity, especially the reduction of milk production and early culling. In the USA.,USA, previous studies in 1996, 1999 and 2007 showed BLV infections widespread, especially in the dairy herds. The goal of this stud...

Determination of Beet Root Betanin in Dairy Products by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gandia-Herrero, Fernando; Simon-Carrillo, Ana; Escribano, Josefa; Garcia-Carmona, Francisco

2012-01-01

The food industry uses different additives to give foods and beverages the appearance expected by the consumer. Among them, pigments of natural origin are receiving increasing attention due to safety concerns about traditional colorants and the relevance of a healthy diet. This experiment describes the quantitative determination of the…

Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program Development of a Computer-based Benchmarking and Analytical Tool. Benchmarking and Energy & Water Savings Tool in Dairy Plants (BEST-Dairy)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Tengfang; Flapper, Joris; Ke, Jing

The overall goal of the project is to develop a computer-based benchmarking and energy and water savings tool (BEST-Dairy) for use in the California dairy industry - including four dairy processes - cheese, fluid milk, butter, and milk powder. BEST-Dairy tool developed in this project provides three options for the user to benchmark each of the dairy product included in the tool, with each option differentiated based on specific detail level of process or plant, i.e., 1) plant level; 2) process-group level, and 3) process-step level. For each detail level, the tool accounts for differences in production and other variablesmore » affecting energy use in dairy processes. The dairy products include cheese, fluid milk, butter, milk powder, etc. The BEST-Dairy tool can be applied to a wide range of dairy facilities to provide energy and water savings estimates, which are based upon the comparisons with the best available reference cases that were established through reviewing information from international and national samples. We have performed and completed alpha- and beta-testing (field testing) of the BEST-Dairy tool, through which feedback from voluntary users in the U.S. dairy industry was gathered to validate and improve the tool's functionality. BEST-Dairy v1.2 was formally published in May 2011, and has been made available for free downloads from the internet (i.e., http://best-dairy.lbl.gov). A user's manual has been developed and published as the companion documentation for use with the BEST-Dairy tool. In addition, we also carried out technology transfer activities by engaging the dairy industry in the process of tool development and testing, including field testing, technical presentations, and technical assistance throughout the project. To date, users from more than ten countries in addition to those in the U.S. have downloaded the BEST-Dairy from the LBNL website. It is expected that the use of BEST-Dairy tool will advance understanding of energy and water usage in individual dairy plants, augment benchmarking activities in the market places, and facilitate implementation of efficiency measures and strategies to save energy and water usage in the dairy industry. Industrial adoption of this emerging tool and technology in the market is expected to benefit dairy plants, which are important customers of California utilities. Further demonstration of this benchmarking tool is recommended, for facilitating its commercialization and expansion in functions of the tool. Wider use of this BEST-Dairy tool and its continuous expansion (in functionality) will help to reduce the actual consumption of energy and water in the dairy industry sector. The outcomes comply very well with the goals set by the AB 1250 for PIER program.« less

7 CFR 1430.502 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program § 1430... administering the Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program established by this subpart. Application means the Dairy... dairy operation, during which milk was produced and marketed. Commodity Credit Corporation means the...

7 CFR 1430.502 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program § 1430... administering the Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program established by this subpart. Application means the Dairy... dairy operation, during which milk was produced and marketed. Commodity Credit Corporation means the...

7 CFR 1430.502 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program § 1430... administering the Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program established by this subpart. Application means the Dairy... dairy operation, during which milk was produced and marketed. Commodity Credit Corporation means the...

7 CFR 1430.502 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program § 1430... administering the Dairy Market Loss Assistance Program established by this subpart. Application means the Dairy... dairy operation, during which milk was produced and marketed. Commodity Credit Corporation means the...

Evaluation of the change of serum copper and zinc concentrations of dairy cows with subclinical ketosis.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhigang; Liu, Guowen; Li, Xiaobing; Gao, Li; Guo, Changming; Wang, Hongbin; Wang, Zhe

2010-12-01

Ketosis in dairy cows can lead to poor reproductive success and decreased milk production. Since the serum concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) are closely associated with the health status of cows, we investigated whether serum concentrations of Cu and Zn differed in dairy cows with subclinical ketosis and healthy dairy cows. Blood samples of 19 healthy dairy cows and 15 subclinically ketotic dairy cows were collected from three farms, and the concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), Cu, and Zn were determined. Subclinically ketotic dairy cows had significantly higher BHBA and NEFA levels (p < 0.01) and lower glucose (p < 0.01) than healthy dairy cows. Likewise, serum concentrations of Zn were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in dairy cows with subclinical ketosis. There was no significant difference observed for serum Cu concentration between healthy and subclinically ketotic dairy cows. This study suggests that a decreased serum Zn concentration could be a cause of decreased reproductive performance in subclinically ketotic dairy cows.

Strategies to characterize fungal lipases for applications in medicine and dairy industry.

PubMed

Gopinath, Subash C B; Anbu, Periasamy; Lakshmipriya, Thangavel; Hilda, Azariah

2013-01-01

Lipases are water-soluble enzymes that act on insoluble substrates and catalyze the hydrolysis of long-chain triglycerides. Lipases play a vital role in the food, detergent, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. In the past, fungal lipases gained significant attention in the industries due to their substrate specificity and stability under varied chemical and physical conditions. Fungal enzymes are extracellular in nature, and they can be extracted easily, which significantly reduces the cost and makes this source preferable over bacteria. Soil contaminated with spillage from the products of oil and dairy harbors fungal species, which have the potential to secrete lipases to degrade fats and oils. Herein, the strategies involved in the characterization of fungal lipases, capable of degrading fatty substances, are narrated with a focus on further applications.

Strategies to Characterize Fungal Lipases for Applications in Medicine and Dairy Industry

PubMed Central

Gopinath, Subash C. B.; Anbu, Periasamy; Lakshmipriya, Thangavel; Hilda, Azariah

2013-01-01

Lipases are water-soluble enzymes that act on insoluble substrates and catalyze the hydrolysis of long-chain triglycerides. Lipases play a vital role in the food, detergent, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. In the past, fungal lipases gained significant attention in the industries due to their substrate specificity and stability under varied chemical and physical conditions. Fungal enzymes are extracellular in nature, and they can be extracted easily, which significantly reduces the cost and makes this source preferable over bacteria. Soil contaminated with spillage from the products of oil and dairy harbors fungal species, which have the potential to secrete lipases to degrade fats and oils. Herein, the strategies involved in the characterization of fungal lipases, capable of degrading fatty substances, are narrated with a focus on further applications. PMID:23865040

Dairy Wastes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pico, Richard F.

1978-01-01

Presents a literature review of wastes from the dairy industry covering publications of 1976-77. This review covers: (1) government regulations; (2) ion-plant control of dairy effluents; (3) dairy effluent treatment methods; and (4) research on dairy effluents. A list of 26 references is also presented. (HM)

Years of Life Lost (YLL) in Colombia 1998-2011: Overall and Avoidable Causes of Death Analysis

PubMed Central

Castillo-Rodríguez, Liliana; Díaz-Jiménez, Diana; Castañeda-Orjuela, Carlos; De la Hoz-Restrepo, Fernando

2015-01-01

Objective Estimate the Years of Life Lost (YLL) for overall and avoidable causes of death (CoD) in Colombia for the period 1998-2011. Methods From the reported deaths to the Colombian mortality database during 1998-2011, we classified deaths from avoidable causes. With the reference life table of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 study, we estimated the overall YLL and YLL due to avoidable causes. Calculations were performed with the difference between life expectancy and the age of death. Results are reported by group of cause of death, events, sex, year and department. Comparative analysis between number of deaths and YLL was carried out. Results A total of 83,856,080 YLL were calculated in Colombia during period 1998-2011, 75.9% of them due to avoidable CoD. The year 2000 reported the highest number of missed YLL by both overall and avoidable CoD. The departments with the highest YLL rates were Caquetá, Guaviare, Arauca, Meta, and Risaralda. In men, intentional injuries and cardiovascular and circulatory diseases had the higher losses, while in women YLL were mainly due to cardiovascular and circulatory diseases. Conclusions The public health priorities should focus on preventing the loss of YLL due to premature death and differentiated interventions by sex. PMID:25942009

Responses to diagnostic tests for bovine tuberculosis in dairy and non-dairy cattle naturally exposed to Mycobacterium bovis in Great Britain.

PubMed

Downs, S H; Broughan, J M; Goodchild, A V; Upton, P A; Durr, P A

2016-10-01

Field surveillance of British cattle using the single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) test shows a higher incidence rate of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in dairy compared to beef herds, but a lower probability of post-mortem examination confirmed (PMC) Mycobacterium bovis infection in dairy herds. A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare animal level differences in bTB detection between dairy and non-dairy cattle in Great Britain. During the period from 2002 to 2005, 200 (41% dairy) reactors in the SICCT test (standard interpretation) were randomly selected, and 200 in-contact cattle (43% dairy) were purposively selected from bTB-infected herds. Interferon (IFN)-γ responses in blood to bovine and avian purified protein derivative (PPD), and early secretory antigen target 6 kDa and culture filtrate protein 10 (ESAT-6/CFP10), were measured. The post-mortem examination included gross pathological examination, mycobacterial culture and histopathology. The proportions of cattle positive to ESAT6/CFP10 were 26% (95% confidence interval, CI, 15-39%) in dairy reactors and 62% (95% CI 51-72%) in non-dairy reactors (P <0.001). PMC risk was 34% (95% CI 24-45%) in dairy reactors and 69% (95% CI 60-78%) in non-dairy reactors (P <0.001). The odds ratio for PMC risk in dairy reactors compared to non-dairy reactors, after controlling for bTB prevalence, herd size and SICCT test response, was 0.27 (95% CI 0.14-0.53; P <0.001). In surveillance data, adjusted animal level PMC risks were lower for dairy reactors than for beef reactors aged >2 years (P <0.001). Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applying the precautionary principle to nutrition and cancer.

PubMed

Gonzales, Joseph F; Barnard, Neal D; Jenkins, David J A; Lanou, Amy J; Davis, Brenda; Saxe, Gordon; Levin, Susan

2014-01-01

Research has identified certain foods and dietary patterns that are associated with reduced cancer risk and improved survival after cancer diagnosis. This research has formed the basis for dietary guidance issued by cancer organizations. Unfortunately, gaps within nutrition research have made it difficult to make recommendations in some areas. This review specifies suggested dietary guidance in which evidence of a dietary influence on cancer risk is substantial, even if not conclusive. Evidence summaries within the review are based on the 2007 report of the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. This review also describes advantages and disadvantages of following the suggested dietary guidance and includes putative mechanisms involved in cancer progression. Suggested dietary guidance where evidence is sufficiently compelling include (1) limiting or avoiding dairy products to reduce the risk of prostate cancer; (2) limiting or avoiding alcohol to reduce the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colon, rectum, and breast; (3) avoiding red and processed meat to reduce the risk of cancers of the colon and rectum; (4) avoiding grilled, fried, and broiled meats to reduce the risk of cancers of the colon, rectum, breast, prostate, kidney, and pancreas; (5) consumption of soy products during adolescence to reduce the risk of breast cancer in adulthood and to reduce the risk of recurrence and mortality for women previously treated for breast cancer; and (6) emphasizing fruits and vegetables to reduce risk of several common forms of cancer. By adopting the precautionary principle for nutrition research, this review aims to serve as a useful tool for practitioners and patients.

Early pregnancy diagnosis in bovines: current status and future directions.

PubMed

Balhara, Ashok K; Gupta, Meenakshi; Singh, Surender; Mohanty, Ashok K; Singh, Inderjeet

2013-01-01

An early and accurate diagnosis of reproductive dysfunctions or aberrations is crucial to better reproductive management in livestock. High reproductive efficiency is a prerequisite for high life-time production in dairy animals. Early pregnancy diagnosis is key to shorten the calving interval through early identification of open animals and their timely treatment and rebreeding so as to maintain a postpartum barren interval close to 60 days. A buffalo, the most important dairy animal in the Indian subcontinent, is known for problems related to high calving interval, late puberty, and high incidence of anestrus. Lack of reliable cow-side early pregnancy diagnosis methods further aggravates the situation. Several methods of pregnancy diagnosis are being practiced in bovine species, yet none qualifies as the ideal pregnancy diagnosis method due to the inherent limitations of sensitivity, accuracy, specificity, speed, and ease of performing the test. The advancement of molecular techniques like proteomics and their applications in animal research has given a new hope to look for pregnancy biomarker molecules in these animals. This review attempts to examine common pregnancy diagnosis methods available for dairy animals, while assessing the usefulness of the modern technologies in detecting novel pregnancy markers and designing future strategies for research in this area.

Prevalence and molecular characterization of bovine Cryptosporidium from dairy cows in Northern Thailand.

PubMed

Inpankaew, Tawin; Jiyipong, Tawisa; Sunanta, Chainirun; Kengradomkij, Chanya; Pinyopanuwat, Nongnuch; Jittapalapong, Sathaporn

2017-12-20

Cryptosporidiosis is a common protozoan infection in humans and domestic animals. It is the culprit for significant neonatal morbidity in cattle as well as weight loss and delayed growth, which leads to large economic losses in the farming industry. Furthermore, bovine Cryptosporidium is also a principal source of human Cryptosporidium infections. The purpose of this study is to determine prevalence and genotype of Cryptosporidium spp. from feces of dairy cows from the northern parts of Thailand (Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and Lumpang provinces). A total of 500 fecal samples were collected directly from the rectum and they were examined for potential presence of Cryptosporidium infection by using tests such as DMSO-modified acid fast stain, immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 5% by DMSO-modified acid fast stain, 7% by IFAT and 7.6% by PCR respectively. The main genotypes of Cryptosporidium spp. identified were Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium bovis. Therefore, as a result of this study, it can be said that, due to the potential cross-species transmission of Cryptosporidium parvum, infected dairy cows may pose a potential zoonotic risk to humans.

Short communication: Antimicrobial susceptibility profiling and genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from bovine mastitis in Poland.

PubMed

Jagielski, T; Puacz, E; Lisowski, A; Siedlecki, P; Dudziak, W; Międzobrodzki, J; Krukowski, H

2014-10-01

Staphylococcus aureus is the predominant causative agent of bovine mastitis, a disease that remains a major economic burden for the dairy industry worldwide. In this study, the antimicrobial resistance patterns and the genetic composition of 80 S. aureus mastitis isolates collected from 14 dairy farms in Eastern Poland were determined. Of the 10 antimicrobial agents evaluated, only testing for penicillin G produced drug resistance. As 41% of the S. aureus isolates were penicillin resistant, this drug along with other β-lactamase-sensitive β-lactams, should rather not be considered for the treatment of bovine mastitis caused by S. aureus. Upon genotyping, with a triplex PCR method, a total of 11 distinct PCR types were produced. The population structure of S. aureus isolates was highly clonal, with 1 predominant genotype circulating on each farm. The observed similarities in the genotype composition of S. aureus populations from geographically distant farms underscore the significance of interfarm transmission of S. aureus in Poland. This, in turn, argues for the establishment of a nationwide surveillance program for bovine mastitis due to this pathogen. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos': Transplacental transmission in dairy cows (Bos taurus).

PubMed

Girotto-Soares, Aline; Soares, João Fabio; Bogado, Alexey Leon Gomel; de Macedo, César Augusto Barbosa; Sandeski, Lígia Mara; Garcia, João Luis; Vidotto, Odilon

2016-11-15

'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos' is a haemotropic mycoplasma that can produce various clinical signs in cattle, but abortive potential of the parasite is unknown, as well as the frequency of transplacental transmission in cattle. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the frequency of detection of 'C. M. haemobos' in aborted fetuses and the blood of dairy cows. Blood samples of 22 dairy cows that aborted and pool tissues (brain, lung, heart and liver) of their respective aborted fetuses were tested by conventional PCR. The occurrence of 'C. M. haemobos' DNA in adult animals was 40.9% (9/22) and in the fetuses was 18.2% (4/22). Two fetuses that contained 'C. M. haemobos' DNA were derived from cows which were PCR negative. When stratifying by breed, it was observed that Jersey cows had a higher proportion of positive animals (8/11; 72.7%) as compared to Holstein (1/9; 11.1% P<0.01). The results of this study suggest that this parasite can be transferred via the placenta, but it is not certain if the abortions were due to 'C. M. haemobos'. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Escherichia coli mastitis strains: In vitro phenotypes and severity of infection in vivo.

PubMed

Roussel, Perrine; Porcherie, Adeline; Répérant-Ferter, Maryline; Cunha, Patricia; Gitton, Christophe; Rainard, Pascal; Germon, Pierre

2017-01-01

Mastitis remains a major infection of dairy cows and an important issue for dairy farmers and the dairy industry, in particular infections due to Escherichia coli strains. So far, properties specific to E. coli causing mastitis remain ill defined. In an attempt to better understand the properties required for E. coli to trigger mastitis, we used a range of in vitro assays to phenotypically characterize four E. coli strains, including the prototypical E. coli mastitis strain P4, possessing different relative abilities to cause mastitis in a mouse model. Our results indicate that a certain level of serum resistance might be required for colonization of the mammary gland. Resistance to neutrophil killing is also likely to contribute to a slower clearance of bacteria and higher chances to colonize the udder. In addition, we show that the four different strains do induce a pro-inflammatory response by mammary epithelial cells but with different intensities. Interestingly, the prototypical mastitis strain P4 actually induces the less intense response while it is responsible for the most severe infections in vivo. Altogether, our results suggest that different strategies can be used by E. coli strains to colonize the mammary gland and cause mastitis.

Lead excretion in milk of accidentally exposed dairy cattle.

PubMed

Bischoff, Karyn; Higgins, William; Thompson, Belinda; Ebel, Joseph G

2014-01-01

Lead (Pb) exposure in dairy cattle is associated with economic losses due to mortality and treatment costs, but with production animals there is also risk to the human food chain. The first objective of this study was to quantify the Pb concentration in milk from Pb-exposed cattle. The second objective was to correlate blood and milk Pb concentrations from individual cows. The third objective was long-term monitoring to determine the duration of milk contamination after exposure ceased. A dairy herd of more than 100 cows was accidentally exposed to Pb-contaminated feed. Milk and blood were collected for Pb analysis. Serial collection of milk samples continued for 2.5 years. The initial concentration of Pb in bulk tank milk was 0.0999 mg l⁻¹. The highest milk Pb concentration from an individual cow was 0.4657 mg l⁻¹ and the highest blood Pb concentration was 1.216 mg l⁻¹. One milk sample collected at the end of the study (day 922) contained 0.0117 mg Pb l⁻¹ of Pb. The calculated relationship between milk (y) and blood (x) Pb concentration was ln(y) = 3.4(x) - 2.21 (R² = 0.98).

7 CFR 1430.305 - Proof of production.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., including any dumped production and dairy cow purchases, for each month of the period July 2004 through... confirm the production history and losses incurred by the dairy operation. (d) Adequate proof of dairy cow... OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance...

7 CFR 1430.305 - Proof of production.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., including any dumped production and dairy cow purchases, for each month of the period July 2004 through... confirm the production history and losses incurred by the dairy operation. (d) Adequate proof of dairy cow... OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance...

7 CFR 1430.305 - Proof of production.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., including any dumped production and dairy cow purchases, for each month of the period July 2004 through... confirm the production history and losses incurred by the dairy operation. (d) Adequate proof of dairy cow... OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance...

7 CFR 1430.305 - Proof of production.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., including any dumped production and dairy cow purchases, for each month of the period July 2004 through... confirm the production history and losses incurred by the dairy operation. (d) Adequate proof of dairy cow... OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance...

76 FR 80214 - National Dairy Promotion and Research Program; Amendments to the Order

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-23

...-0007; DA-11-02] National Dairy Promotion and Research Program; Amendments to the Order AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule amends the Dairy Promotion and Research Order (Dairy Order). The amendment modifies the number of National Dairy Promotion and...

Automap User’s Guide 2013

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-03

dairyFarm.txt Ted runs a dairy farm. He milks the cows , runs the office, and cleans the barn. 136 dairyFarmDeleteList.txt There are some...applying the delete list, the text appears in the display like this: Ted runs dairy farm. He milks cows , runs office, cleans ...in the file. dairyFarmMeta.csv Ted,agent runs,task dairy,resource farm,location He,agent milks ,task cows ,resource office,location cleans

Metabolomics to Explore Impact of Dairy Intake

PubMed Central

Zheng, Hong; Clausen, Morten R.; Dalsgaard, Trine K.; Bertram, Hanne C.

2015-01-01

Dairy products are an important component in the Western diet and represent a valuable source of nutrients for humans. However, a reliable dairy intake assessment in nutrition research is crucial to correctly elucidate the link between dairy intake and human health. Metabolomics is considered a potential tool for assessment of dietary intake instead of traditional methods, such as food frequency questionnaires, food records, and 24-h recalls. Metabolomics has been successfully applied to discriminate between consumption of different dairy products under different experimental conditions. Moreover, potential metabolites related to dairy intake were identified, although these metabolites need to be further validated in other intervention studies before they can be used as valid biomarkers of dairy consumption. Therefore, this review provides an overview of metabolomics for assessment of dairy intake in order to better clarify the role of dairy products in human nutrition and health. PMID:26091233

Dairy farmers' use and non-use values in animal welfare: Determining the empirical content and structure with anchored best-worst scaling.

PubMed

Hansson, H; Lagerkvist, C J

2016-01-01

In this study, we sought to identify empirically the types of use and non-use values that motivate dairy farmers in their work relating to animal welfare of dairy cows. We also sought to identify how they prioritize between these use and non-use values. Use values are derived from productivity considerations; non-use values are derived from the wellbeing of the animals, independent of the present or future use the farmer may make of the animal. In particular, we examined the empirical content and structure of the economic value dairy farmers associate with animal welfare of dairy cows. Based on a best-worst scaling approach and data from 123 Swedish dairy farmers, we suggest that the economic value those farmers associate with animal welfare of dairy cows covers aspects of both use and non-use type, with non-use values appearing more important. Using principal component factor analysis, we were able to check unidimensionality of the economic value construct. These findings are useful for understanding why dairy farmers may be interested in considering dairy cow welfare. Such understanding is essential for improving agricultural policy and advice aimed at encouraging dairy farmers to improve animal welfare; communicating to consumers the values under which dairy products are produced; and providing a basis for more realistic assumptions when developing economic models about dairy farmers' behavior. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of low-fat or full-fat fermented and non-fermented dairy foods on selected cardiovascular biomarkers in overweight adults.

PubMed

Nestel, Paul J; Mellett, Natalie; Pally, Suzana; Wong, Gerard; Barlow, Chris K; Croft, Kevin; Mori, Trevor A; Meikle, Peter J

2013-12-01

The association between consumption of full-fat dairy foods and CVD may depend partly on the nature of products and may not apply to low-fat dairy foods. Increased circulating levels of inflammatory biomarkers after consumption of dairy product-rich meals suggest an association with CVD. In the present study, we tested the effects of low-fat and full-fat dairy diets on biomarkers associated with inflammation, oxidative stress or atherogenesis and on plasma lipid classes. Within full-fat dairy diets, we also compared fermented v. non-fermented products. In a randomised cross-over study, twelve overweight/obese subjects consumed during two 3-week periods two full-fat dairy diets containing either yogurt plus cheese (fermented) or butter, cream and ice cream (non-fermented) or a low-fat milk plus yogurt diet, with the latter being consumed between and at the end of the full-fat dairy dietary periods. The concentrations of six inflammatory and two atherogenic biomarkers known to be raised in CVD were measured as well as those of plasma F2-isoprostanes and lipid classes. The concentrations of six of the eight biomarkers tended to be higher on consumption of the low-fat dairy diet than on that of the fermented dairy diet and the concentrations of two plasmalogen lipid classes reported to be associated with increased oxidisability were also higher on consumption of the low-fat dairy diet than on that of the fermented dairy diet (P< 0.001), although plasma F2-isoprostane concentrations did not differ on consumption of any of the diets. On the other hand, the concentrations of plasma sphingomyelin and IL-6 were significantly higher on consumption of the non-fermented dairy diet than on that of the low-fat dairy diet (P< 0.02). In conclusion, short-term diets containing low-fat dairy products did not lead to a more favourable biomarker profile associated with CVD risk compared with the full-fat dairy products, suggesting that full-fat fermented dairy products may be the more favourable.

Farm-level risk factors for Fasciola hepatica infection in Danish dairy cattle as evaluated by two diagnostic methods.

PubMed

Takeuchi-Storm, Nao; Denwood, Matthew; Hansen, Tina Vicky Alstrup; Halasa, Tariq; Rattenborg, Erik; Boes, Jaap; Enemark, Heidi Larsen; Thamsborg, Stig Milan

2017-11-09

The prevalence of bovine fasciolosis in Denmark is increasing but appropriate guidelines for control are currently lacking. In order to help develop a control strategy for liver fluke, a risk factor study of farm management factors was conducted and the utility of bulk tank milk (BTM ELISA) as a tool for diagnosis in Danish dairy cattle farms was assessed. This case-control study aimed to identify farm-level risk factors for fasciolosis in Danish dairy farms (> 50 animals slaughtered in 2013) using two diagnostic methods: recordings of liver condemnation at slaughter, and farm-level Fasciola hepatica antibody levels in BTM. A case farm was defined as having a minimum of 3 incidents of liver condemnation due to liver fluke at slaughter (in any age group) during 2013, and control farms were located within 10 km of at least one case farm and had no history of liver condemnation due to liver fluke during 2011-2013. The selected farmers were interviewed over telephone about grazing and control practices, and BTM from these farms was collected and analysed by ELISA in 2014. The final complete dataset consisting of 131 case and 63 control farms was analysed using logistic regression. Heifers grazing on wet pastures, dry cows grazing on wet pastures, herd size, breed and concurrent beef cattle production were identified as risk factors associated with being classified as a case farm. With the categorised BTM ELISA result as the response variable, heifers grazing on wet pastures, dry cows grazing on wet pastures, and purchase of cows were identified as risk factors. Within the case and control groups, 74.8 and 12.7% of farms were positive for fasciolosis on BTM ELISA, respectively. The differences are likely to be related to the detection limit of the farm-level prevalence by the BTM ELISA test, time span between slaughter data and BTM, and the relatively low sensitivity of liver inspection at slaughter. Control of bovine fasciolosis in Denmark should target heifers and dry cows through grazing management and appropriate anthelmintic treatment, and BTM ELISA can be a useful diagnostic tool for fasciolosis in Danish dairy farms.

Urban Livestock Keeping in the City of Nairobi: Diversity of Production Systems, Supply Chains, and Their Disease Management and Risks.

PubMed

Alarcon, Pablo; Fèvre, Eric M; Muinde, Patrick; Murungi, Maurice K; Kiambi, Stella; Akoko, James; Rushton, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Urban livestock keeping in developing cities have an important role in food security and livelihoods but can also pose a significant threat to the environment and health of urban dwellers. The aim of this study was to identify the different livestock systems in Nairobi, their supply chains, and their management and food safety risks. Seven focus group discussions with livestock production officers in charge of each major Nairobi sub-county were conducted. Data were collected on the type of systems existing for each livestock species and their supply chains, disease management, food safety risks, and general husbandry and gender factors. Supply chain flow diagrams and thematic analysis of the data was done. Results of the study show a large variability of livestock keeping in Nairobi. The majority were small scale with: <5 dairy cows, 1-6 dairy goats, <10 small ruminants, <20 pigs, 200-500 broilers, 300-500 layers, <10 indigenous chickens, or <20 rabbits. Beef keeping was mainly described as a "by the way" system or done by traders to fatten animals for 3 month. Supply chain analysis indicated that most dairy farmers sold milk directly to consumers due to "lack of trust" of these in traders. Broiler and pig farmers sold mainly to traders but are dependent on few large dominating companies for their replacement or distribution of products. Selling directly to retailers or consumers (including own consumption), with backyard slaughtering, were important chains for small-scale pig, sheep and goat, and indigenous chicken keepers. Important disease risk practices identified were associated with consumption of dead and sick animals, with underground network of brokers operating for ruminant products. Qualified trained health managers were used mainly by dairy farmers, and large commercial poultry and pig farmers, while use of unqualified health managers or no treatment were common in small-scale farming. Control of urban livestock keepers was reported difficult due to their "feeling of being outlaws," "lack of trust" in government, "inaccessibility" in informal settlements, "lack of government funding," or "understaffing." Findings are useful for designing policies to help to control urban livestock production and minimize its associated health and environment risks.

Economic impact of nutritional grouping in dairy herds.

PubMed

Kalantari, A S; Armentano, L E; Shaver, R D; Cabrera, V E

2016-02-01

This article evaluates the estimated economic impact of nutritional grouping in commercial dairy herds using a stochastic Monte Carlo simulation model. The model was initialized by separate data sets obtained from 5 commercial dairy herds. These herds were selected to explore the effect of herd size, structure, and characteristics on the economics and efficiency of nutrient usage according to nutritional grouping strategies. Simulated status of each cow was updated daily together with the nutrient requirements of net energy for lactation (NEL) and metabolizable protein (MP). The amount of energy consumed directly affected body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) changes. Moreover, to control the range of observed BCS in the model, constraints on lower (2.0) and upper (4.5) bounds of BCS were set. Each month, the clustering method was used to homogeneously regroup the cows according to their nutrient concentration requirements. The average NEL concentration of the group and a level of MP (average MP, average MP+0.5SD, or average MP+1SD) were considered to formulate the group diet. The calculated income over feed costs gain (IOFC, $/cow per yr) of having >1 nutritional group among the herds ranged from $33 to $58, with an average of $39 for 2 groups and $46 for 3 groups, when group was fed at average NEL concentration and average MP+1SD concentration. The improved IOFC was explained by increased milk sales and lower feed costs. Higher milk sales were a result of fewer cows having a milk loss associated with low BCS in multi-group scenarios. Lower feed costs in multi-group scenarios were mainly due to less rumen-undegradable protein consumption. The percentage of total NEL consumed captured in milk for >1 nutritional group was slightly lower than that for 1 nutritional group due to better distribution of energy throughout the lactation and higher energy retained in body tissue, which resulted in better herd BCS distribution. The percentage of fed N captured in milk increased with >1 group and was the most important factor for improved economic efficiency of grouping strategies. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes of Serum Calcium Concentration, Frequency of Ruminal Contraction and Feed Intake Soon after Parturition of Dairy Cows Fed Difructose Anhydride III.

PubMed

Wynn, S; Teramura, M; Sato, T; Hanada, M

2015-01-01

Requirements to control the large decrease in serum calcium (Ca) due to parturition and to increase the feed intake soon after parturition have been well accepted in dairy cows. This study was aimed to investigate the feed intake affected by serum Ca concentration with difructose anhydride (DFA) III supplement in dairy cows soon after parturition. Fourteen transition Holstein cows were divided into DFA and control (CONT) groups within 1 to 5 parity variations in each group. Measurement schedule for an individual cow was from 14 d before parturition to 7 d following parturition. The cows in DFA group were supplied 0.2 kg/head/d of DFA III feed containing 40 g of pure DFA III while the cows in CONT group received no DFA III. Other feeding procedures were the same for all cows in both groups. At parturition (d 0), serum Ca concentration sharply declined in both groups (p<0.05). Time interval for recovery from decreased serum Ca to its normal range (>9.0 mg/dL) tended to be faster in DFA group (12 h) than in the CONT group (48 h), but the differences were not significant. Active ruminal contraction was observed in DFA group at following parturition of d 1 (p<0.05), d 3 (p<0.05), and d 5 (p<0.01). Dry matter (DM) intake did not differ between the groups. However, positive correlations were observed between serum Ca concentration and ruminal contraction (p<0.001), and between ruminal contraction and DM intake (p<0.001) during following parturition. According to multiple regression analysis (R(2) = 0.824, p<0.001), the DM intake was positively affected by serum Ca concentration and ruminal contraction. These results suggest that feed intake soon after parturition in dairy cows can be increased by improvement of serum Ca concentration and active ruminal contraction, but DFA III supplementation in this study did not improve the lower serum Ca concentration due to parturition.

Changes of Serum Calcium Concentration, Frequency of Ruminal Contraction and Feed Intake Soon after Parturition of Dairy Cows Fed Difructose Anhydride III

PubMed Central

Wynn, S.; Teramura, M.; Sato, T.; Hanada, M.

2015-01-01

Requirements to control the large decrease in serum calcium (Ca) due to parturition and to increase the feed intake soon after parturition have been well accepted in dairy cows. This study was aimed to investigate the feed intake affected by serum Ca concentration with difructose anhydride (DFA) III supplement in dairy cows soon after parturition. Fourteen transition Holstein cows were divided into DFA and control (CONT) groups within 1 to 5 parity variations in each group. Measurement schedule for an individual cow was from 14 d before parturition to 7 d following parturition. The cows in DFA group were supplied 0.2 kg/head/d of DFA III feed containing 40 g of pure DFA III while the cows in CONT group received no DFA III. Other feeding procedures were the same for all cows in both groups. At parturition (d 0), serum Ca concentration sharply declined in both groups (p<0.05). Time interval for recovery from decreased serum Ca to its normal range (>9.0 mg/dL) tended to be faster in DFA group (12 h) than in the CONT group (48 h), but the differences were not significant. Active ruminal contraction was observed in DFA group at following parturition of d 1 (p<0.05), d 3 (p<0.05), and d 5 (p<0.01). Dry matter (DM) intake did not differ between the groups. However, positive correlations were observed between serum Ca concentration and ruminal contraction (p<0.001), and between ruminal contraction and DM intake (p<0.001) during following parturition. According to multiple regression analysis (R2 = 0.824, p<0.001), the DM intake was positively affected by serum Ca concentration and ruminal contraction. These results suggest that feed intake soon after parturition in dairy cows can be increased by improvement of serum Ca concentration and active ruminal contraction, but DFA III supplementation in this study did not improve the lower serum Ca concentration due to parturition. PMID:25557676

Decline in Soluble Phosphorus Mobility from Land-Applied Dairy Manure - Modeling and Practical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Archibald, J. A.; Walter, M. T.; Peterson, M.; Richards, B. K.; Giri, S. K.

2014-12-01

Non-point source transport of soluble-reactive phosphorus (SRP) from agricultural systems to freshwater ecosystems is a significant water quality concern. Although farmers are encouraged to avoid manure or fertilizer application before runoff events, the implications of these management choices remain largely unquantified. We conducted soil box experiments to test how manure application timing and temperature or moisture conditions impact SRP concentration in runoff. We found that SRP concentrations dropped off exponentially over time, and that higher temperatures accelerated the decline in SRP in overland runoff over time. During the first runoff events after manure application, infiltration depth prior to runoff was not a primary driver of SRP concentrations. This research has implications for incorporating manure spreading timing into watershed models.

What does Islam say about dieting?

PubMed

Hossain, Mohammad Zakir

2014-08-01

Dieting is very important to maintain a healthy and peaceful life. Today, most of the health problems are related with dieting. Thus, the modern health science recommends a number of suggestions regarding dieting for better health such as learning the five basic food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meat); eating three times a day; decreasing the amount of fat; increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables and grains; including an adequate amount of iron; and avoiding excessive rich food, salt, sugar, and fat. Religion can also play a vital role for our good health and lifestyle. The main concern of this paper was to present an analytical justification regarding what Islam as a religion advocates about dieting along with the modern food and nutrition sciences.

Determination of Labeled Fatty Acids Content in Milk Products, Infant Formula, and Adult/Pediatric Nutritional Formula by Capillary Gas Chromatography: Collaborative Study, Final Action 2012.13.

PubMed

Golay, Pierre-Alain; Moulin, Julie

2016-01-01

A collaborative study was conducted on AOAC First Action Method 2012.13 "Determination of Labeled Fatty Acids Content in Milk Products and Infant Formula by Capillary Gas Chromatography," which is based on an initial International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-International Dairy Federation (IDF) New Work Item that has been moved forward to ISO 16958:2015|IDF 231:2015 in November 2015. It was decided to merge the two activities after the agreement signed between ISO and AOAC in June 2012 to develop common standards and to avoid duplicate work. The collaborative study was performed after having provided highly satisfactory single-laboratory validation results [Golay, P.A., & Dong, Y. (2015) J. AOAC Int. 98, 1679-1696] that exceeded the performance criteria defined in AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirement (SMPR(®)) 2012.011 (September 29, 2012) on 12 products selected by the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula (SPIFAN). After a qualification period of 1 month, 18 laboratories participated in the fatty acids analysis of 12 different samples in duplicate. Six samples were selected to meet AOAC SPIFAN requirements (i.e., infant formula and adult nutritionals in powder and liquid formats), and the other Six samples were selected to meet ISO-IDF requirements (i.e., dairy products such as milk powder, liquid milk, cream, butter, infant formula with milk, and cheese). The fatty acids were analyzed directly in all samples without preliminary fat extraction, except in one sample (cheese). Powdered samples were analyzed after dissolution (i.e., reconstitution) in water, whereas liquid samples (or extracted fat) were analyzed directly. After addition of the internal standards solution [C11:0 fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and C13:0 triacylglycerols (TAG)] to the samples, fatty acids attached to lipids were transformed into FAMEs by direct transesterification using methanolic sodium methoxide. FAMEs were separated using highly polar capillary GLC and were identified by comparison with the retention times of pure analytical standards. Quantification of fatty acids was done relative to C11:0 FAME as internal standard and to instrument response factors (determined separately using calibration standards mixture). The performance of the method (i.e., transesterification) was monitored in all samples using the second internal standard, C13:0 TAG. RSDR values were summarized separately for labeled fatty acids in SPIFAN materials and ISO-IDF materials due to different expression of results. This method was applied to representative dairy, infant formula, and adult/pediatric nutritional products and demonstrated global acceptable reproducibility precision for all fatty acids analyzed (i.e., 46 individuals and/or groups) for these categories of products.

Comprehensive Review of the Impact of Dairy Foods and Dairy Fat on Cardiometabolic Risk123

PubMed Central

Drouin-Chartier, Jean-Philippe; Côté, Julie Anne; Labonté, Marie-Ève; Brassard, Didier; Tessier-Grenier, Maude; Desroches, Sophie; Couture, Patrick; Lamarche, Benoît

2016-01-01

Because regular-fat dairy products are a major source of cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acids (SFAs), current US and Canadian dietary guidelines for cardiovascular health recommend the consumption of low-fat dairy products. Yet, numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported rather mixed effects of reduced- and regular-fat dairy consumption on blood lipid concentrations and on many other cardiometabolic disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and inflammation markers. Thus, the focus on low-fat dairy in current dietary guidelines is being challenged, creating confusion within health professional circles and the public. This narrative review provides perspective on the research pertaining to the impact of dairy consumption and dairy fat on traditional and emerging cardiometabolic disease risk factors. This comprehensive assessment of evidence from RCTs suggests that there is no apparent risk of potential harmful effects of dairy consumption, irrespective of the content of dairy fat, on a large array of cardiometabolic variables, including lipid-related risk factors, blood pressure, inflammation, insulin resistance, and vascular function. This suggests that the purported detrimental effects of SFAs on cardiometabolic health may in fact be nullified when they are consumed as part of complex food matrices such as those in cheese and other dairy foods. Thus, the focus on low-fat dairy products in current guidelines apparently is not entirely supported by the existing literature and may need to be revisited on the basis of this evidence. Future studies addressing key research gaps in this area will be extremely informative to better appreciate the impact of dairy food matrices, as well as dairy fat specifically, on cardiometabolic health. PMID:28140322

Invited review: Learning from the future-A vision for dairy farms and cows in 2067.

PubMed

Britt, J H; Cushman, R A; Dechow, C D; Dobson, H; Humblot, P; Hutjens, M F; Jones, G A; Ruegg, P S; Sheldon, I M; Stevenson, J S

2018-05-01

The world's population will reach 10.4 billion in 2067, with 81% residing in Africa or Asia. Arable land available for food production will decrease to 0.15 ha per person. Temperature will increase in tropical and temperate zones, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, and this will push growing seasons and dairy farming away from arid areas and into more northern latitudes. Dairy consumption will increase because it provides essential nutrients more efficiently than many other agricultural systems. Dairy farming will become modernized in developing countries and milk production per cow will increase, doubling in countries with advanced dairying systems. Profitability of dairy farms will be the key to their sustainability. Genetic improvements will include emphasis on the coding genome and associated noncoding epigenome of cattle, and on microbiomes of dairy cattle and farmsteads. Farm sizes will increase and there will be greater lateral integration of housing and management of dairy cattle of different ages and production stages. Integrated sensors, robotics, and automation will replace much of the manual labor on farms. Managing the epigenome and microbiome will become part of routine herd management. Innovations in dairy facilities will improve the health of cows and permit expression of natural behaviors. Herds will be viewed as superorganisms, and studies of herds as observational units will lead to improvements in productivity, health, and well-being of dairy cattle, and improve the agroecology and sustainability of dairy farms. Dairy farmers in 2067 will meet the world's needs for essential nutrients by adopting technologies and practices that provide improved cow health and longevity, profitable dairy farms, and sustainable agriculture. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Invited review: Helping dairy farmers to improve economic performance utilizing data-driving decision support tools.

PubMed

Cabrera, V E

2018-01-01

The objective of this review paper is to describe the development and application of a suite of more than 40 computerized dairy farm decision support tools contained at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) Dairy Management website http://DairyMGT.info. These data-driven decision support tools are aimed to help dairy farmers improve their decision-making, environmental stewardship and economic performance. Dairy farm systems are highly dynamic in which changing market conditions and prices, evolving policies and environmental restrictions together with every time more variable climate conditions determine performance. Dairy farm systems are also highly integrated with heavily interrelated components such as the dairy herd, soils, crops, weather and management. Under these premises, it is critical to evaluate a dairy farm following a dynamic integrated system approach. For this approach, it is crucial to use meaningful data records, which are every time more available. These data records should be used within decision support tools for optimal decision-making and economic performance. Decision support tools in the UW-Dairy Management website (http://DairyMGT.info) had been developed using combination and adaptation of multiple methods together with empirical techniques always with the primary goal for these tools to be: (1) highly user-friendly, (2) using the latest software and computer technologies, (3) farm and user specific, (4) grounded on the best scientific information available, (5) remaining relevant throughout time and (6) providing fast, concrete and simple answers to complex farmers' questions. DairyMGT.info is a translational innovative research website in various areas of dairy farm management that include nutrition, reproduction, calf and heifer management, replacement, price risk and environment. This paper discusses the development and application of 20 selected (http://DairyMGT.info) decision support tools.

Characterisation of adopters and non-adopters of dairy technologies in Ethiopia and Kenya.

PubMed

Kebebe, E G; Oosting, S J; Baltenweck, I; Duncan, A J

2017-04-01

While there is a general consensus that using dairy technologies, such as improved breeds of dairy cows, can substantially increase farm productivity and income, adoption of such technologies has been generally low in developing countries. The underlying reasons for non-adoption of beneficial technologies in the dairy sector are not fully understood. In this study, we characterised adopters and non-adopters of dairy technologies in Ethiopia and Kenya based on farmers' resources ownership in order to identify why many farmers in Ethiopia and Kenya have not adopted improved dairy technologies. As compared to non-adopters, farmers who adopt dairy technology own relatively more farm resources. The result signals that differences in resource endowments could lead to divergent technology adoption scenarios. Results show that a higher proportion of sample smallholders in Kenya have adopted dairy technologies than those in Ethiopia. Except for the use of veterinary services, fewer than 10% of sample farmers in Ethiopia have adopted dairy technologies-less than half the number of adopters in Kenya. The higher level of dairy technology adoption in Kenya can be ascribed partly to the long history of dairy development, including improvements in the value chain for the delivery of inputs, services and fluid milk marketing. Interventions that deal with the constraints related to access to farm resources and input and output markets could facilitate uptake of dairy technology in developing countries.

Carbon footprint of dairy goat milk production in New Zealand.

PubMed

Robertson, Kimberly; Symes, Wymond; Garnham, Malcolm

2015-07-01

The aim of this study was to assess the cradle-to-farm gate carbon footprint of indoor and outdoor dairy goat farming systems in New Zealand, identifying hotspots and discussing variability and methodology. Our study was based on the International Organization for Standardization standards for life cycle assessment, although only results for greenhouse gas emissions are presented. Two functional units were included: tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2e) per hectare (ha) and kilograms of CO2e per kilogram of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM). The study covered 5 farms, 2 farming systems, and 3yr. Two methods for the calculation of enteric methane emissions were assessed. The Lassey method, as used in the New Zealand greenhouse gas inventory, provided a more robust estimate of emissions from enteric fermentation and was used in the final calculations. The alternative dry matter intake method was shown to overestimate emissions due to use of anecdotal assumptions around actual consumption of feed. Economic allocation was applied to milk and co-products. Scenario analysis was performed on the allocation method, nitrogen content of manure, manure management, and supplementary feed choice. The average carbon footprint for the indoor farms (n=3) was 11.05 t of CO2e/ha and 0.81kg of CO2e/kg of FPCM. For the outdoor farms (n=2), the average was 5.38 t of CO2e/ha and 1.03kg of CO2e/kg of FPCM. The average for all 5 farms was 8.78 t of CO2e/ha and 0.90kg of CO2e/kg of FPCM. The results showed relatively high variability due to differences in management practices between farms. The 5 farms covered 10% of the total dairy goat farms but may not be representative of an average farm. Methane from enteric fermentation was a major emission source. The use of supplementary feed was highly variable but an important contributor to the carbon footprint. Nitrous oxide can contribute up to 18% of emissions. Indoor goat farming systems produced milk with a significantly higher carbon footprint per area of land farmed compared with outdoor farming systems, although the 2 systems were not significantly different when results were expressed per kilogram of FPCM, at 0.81kg CO2e and 1.03kg CO2e per kg of FPCM, respectively. Both systems had footprints less than other reported dairy goat carbon footprints and on par with those for New Zealand dairy cows. The methodology used to determine enteric methane is important for an accurate and meaningful assessment. The choice of manure management system and supplementary feed can substantially affect the carbon footprint. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecotoxicity of wastes in avoidance tests with Enchytraeus albidus, Enchytraeus crypticus and Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta).

PubMed

Kobeticová, Klára; Hofman, Jakub; Holoubek, Ivan

2010-04-01

Contact bioassays are important for testing the ecotoxicity of solid materials. However, survival and reproduction tests are often not practical due to their duration which may last for several weeks. Avoidance tests with soil invertebrates may offer an alternative or extension to the classic test batteries due to their short duration (days rather than weeks) and due to a sensitive sub-acute endpoint (behavior). (a) to evaluate the effects of three solid industrial wastes (incineration ash, contaminated wood chips and contaminated soil) on three Oligochaeta species (enchytraeids Enchytraeusalbidus, Enchytraeus crypticus and earthworm Eisenia fetida) in avoidance tests; (b) to compare the sensitivity among the species and to compare results of avoidance test to reproduction tests; (c) to elucidate if measuring the weight in the earthworm avoidance test could be reasonable additional endpoint. Avoidance mostly increased with the increasing percent of waste in the mixture showing a dose-response curve. E. fetida was the most sensitive species and E. crypticus the least one. An additional endpoint, (changes in weight after two-day exposure) was not found to be more sensitive than avoidance reaction, but it confirmed that earthworms staying in the highest concentrations of the waste mixture were affected showing apparent weight reduction. Our results indicate that avoidance tests with earthworms and enchytraeids are feasible for waste testing. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction to Dairy Production. Instructor Guide [and] Student Reference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Kevin

This packet contains an instructor guide and student reference for a course in introduction to dairy production. The curriculum contains the following six lessons: (1) introduction to the dairy industry; (2) breeds of dairy cattle; (3) principles of dairy cattle selection; (4) herd management; (5) herd health; and (6) industry issues. The…

21 CFR 163.145 - Mixed dairy product chocolates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Mixed dairy product chocolates. 163.145 Section... § 163.145 Mixed dairy product chocolates. (a) Description. Mixed dairy product chocolates are the foods...; or (iv) Malted milk; and (2) The finished mixed dairy product chocolates shall contain not less than...

21 CFR 163.145 - Mixed dairy product chocolates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Mixed dairy product chocolates. 163.145 Section... § 163.145 Mixed dairy product chocolates. (a) Description. Mixed dairy product chocolates are the foods...; or (iv) Malted milk; and (2) The finished mixed dairy product chocolates shall contain not less than...

21 CFR 163.145 - Mixed dairy product chocolates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Mixed dairy product chocolates. 163.145 Section... § 163.145 Mixed dairy product chocolates. (a) Description. Mixed dairy product chocolates are the foods...; or (iv) Malted milk; and (2) The finished mixed dairy product chocolates shall contain not less than...

Development of a Computer-based Benchmarking and Analytical Tool. Benchmarking and Energy & Water Savings Tool in Dairy Plants (BEST-Dairy)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Tengfang; Flapper, Joris; Ke, Jing

The overall goal of the project is to develop a computer-based benchmarking and energy and water savings tool (BEST-Dairy) for use in the California dairy industry – including four dairy processes – cheese, fluid milk, butter, and milk powder.

Advanced Dairy Unit for Advanced Livestock Production Curriculum. Selected Readings. AGDEX 410/00.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coday, Stan; Stewart, Bob R.

These selected readings are designed to supplement James Gillespie's "Modern Livestock and Poultry Production" (2nd edition) as the the student reference for the advanced dairy unit. Readings are provided for 18 lessons. Topics include profitability of the dairy enterprise; production costs for dairy; comparative advantages of dairy; milk…

Vitamin D status of dairy cattle: Outcomes of current practices in the dairy industry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The need for vitamin D supplementation of dairy cattle has been known for the better part of the last century and is well-appreciated by dairy producers and nutritionists. Whether current recommendations and practices for supplemental vitamin D are meeting the needs of dairy cattle, however, is not...

21 CFR 163.145 - Mixed dairy product chocolates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mixed dairy product chocolates. 163.145 Section... § 163.145 Mixed dairy product chocolates. (a) Description. Mixed dairy product chocolates are the foods...; or (iv) Malted milk; and (2) The finished mixed dairy product chocolates shall contain not less than...

Spatially explicit estimation of heat stress-related impacts of climate change on the milk production of dairy cows in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Topp, Cairistiona F. E.; Moorby, Jon M.; Pásztor, László; Foyer, Christine H.

2018-01-01

Dairy farming is one the most important sectors of United Kingdom (UK) agriculture. It faces major challenges due to climate change, which will have direct impacts on dairy cows as a result of heat stress. In the absence of adaptations, this could potentially lead to considerable milk loss. Using an 11-member climate projection ensemble, as well as an ensemble of 18 milk loss estimation methods, temporal changes in milk production of UK dairy cows were estimated for the 21st century at a 25 km resolution in a spatially-explicit way. While increases in UK temperatures are projected to lead to relatively low average annual milk losses, even for southern UK regions (<180 kg/cow), the ‘hottest’ 25×25 km grid cell in the hottest year in the 2090s, showed an annual milk loss exceeding 1300 kg/cow. This figure represents approximately 17% of the potential milk production of today’s average cow. Despite the potential considerable inter-annual variability of annual milk loss, as well as the large differences between the climate projections, the variety of calculation methods is likely to introduce even greater uncertainty into milk loss estimations. To address this issue, a novel, more biologically-appropriate mechanism of estimating milk loss is proposed that provides more realistic future projections. We conclude that South West England is the region most vulnerable to climate change economically, because it is characterised by a high dairy herd density and therefore potentially high heat stress-related milk loss. In the absence of mitigation measures, estimated heat stress-related annual income loss for this region by the end of this century may reach £13.4M in average years and £33.8M in extreme years. PMID:29738581

Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Emissions between Two Dairy Farm Systems (Conventional vs. Organic Management) in New Hampshire Using the Manure DNDC Biogeochemical Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorich, C.; Contosta, A.; Li, C.; Brito, A.; Varner, R. K.

2013-12-01

Agriculture contributes 20 to 25 % of the total anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. These agricultural emissions are primarily in the form of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) with these GHG accounting for roughly 40 and 80 % of the total anthropogenic emissions of CH4 and N2O, respectively. Due to varied management and the complexities of agricultural ecosystems, it is difficult to estimate these CH4 and N2O emissions. The IPCC emission factors can be used to yield rough estimates of CH4 and N2O emissions but they are often based on limited data. Accurate modeling validated by measurements is needed in order to identify potential mitigation areas, reduce GHG emissions from agriculture, and improve sustainability of farming practices. The biogeochemical model Manure DNDC was validated using measurements from two dairy farms in New Hampshire, USA in order to quantify GHG emissions under different management systems. One organic and one conventional dairy farm operated by the University of New Hampshire's Agriculture Experiment Station were utilized as the study sites for validation of Manure DNDC. Compilation of management records started in 2011 to provide model inputs. Model results were then compared to field collected samples of soil carbon and nitrogen, above-ground biomass, and GHG fluxes. Fluxes were measured in crop, animal, housing, and waste management sites on the farms in order to examine the entire farm ecosystem and test the validity of the model. Fluxes were measured by static flux chambers, with enteric fermentation measurements being conducted by the SF6 tracer test as well as a new method called Greenfeeder. Our preliminary GHG flux analysis suggests higher emissions than predicted by IPCC emission factors and equations. Results suggest that emissions from manure management is a key concern at the conventional dairy farm while bedded housing at the organic dairy produced large quantities of GHG.

Phosphorus and other soil components in a dairy effluent sprayfield within the central Florida Ridge.

PubMed

Woodard, Kenneth R; Sollenberger, Lynn E; Sweat, Lewin A; Graetz, Donald A; Nair, Vimala D; Rymph, Stuart J; Walker, Leighton; Joo, Yongsung

2007-01-01

There is concern that P from dairy effluent sprayfields will leach into groundwater beneath Suwannee River basins in northern Florida. Our purpose was to describe the effects of dairy effluent irrigation on the movement of soil P and other nutrients within the upper soil profile of a sprayfield over three 12-mo cycles (April 1998-March 2001). Effluent P rates of 70, 110, and 165 kg ha(-1) cycle(-1) were applied to forages that were grown year-round. The soil is a deep, excessively drained sand (thermic, uncoated Typic Quartzipsamment). Mean P concentration in soil water below the rooting zone (152-cm depth) was < or = 0.1 mg L(-1) during 11 3-mo periods. Mehlich-1-extractable (M1) P, Al, and Ca in the topsoil increased over time but did not change in subsoil depths of 25 to 51, 51 to 71, 71 to 97, and 97 to 122 cm. Topsoil Ca increased as effluent rate increased. High Ca levels were found in dairy effluent (avg.: 305 mg L(-1)) and supplemental irrigation water (avg.: 145 mg L(-1)) which likely played a role in retaining P in the topsoil. An effect of effluent rate on P and Al concentrations in the topsoil was not detected, probably due to large and variable quantities present at project initiation. The P retention capacity (i.e., Al plus Fe) increased in the topsoil because Al increased. Dairy effluent contained Al (avg.: 31 mg L(-1)). Phosphorus saturation ratio (PSR) increased over time in the topsoil but not in subsoil layers. Regardless of effluent rate, the P retention capacity and PSR of subsoil, which contained 119 to 229 mg kg(-1) of Al, should be taken into account when assessing the risk of P moving below the rooting zone of most forage crops.

Quantitative risk from fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella and Campylobacter due to treatment of dairy heifers with enrofloxacin for bovine respiratory disease.

PubMed

Hurd, H Scott; Vaughn, Michael B; Holtkamp, Derald; Dickson, James; Warnick, Lorin

2010-11-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the human health impact of using fluoroquinolones to treat bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in dairy heifers less than 20 months of age. Specifically, this study quantified the probability of persistent symptoms in humans treated with a fluoroquinolone, for a fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter, Salmonella, or multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella infection acquired following the consumption of ground beef. To comply with a Food and Drug Administration requirement for approval of enrofloxacin use in dairy heifers, a binomial event tree was constructed following Food and Drug Administration guidance 152. Release was estimated from the slaughter of dairy cattle carrying fluoroquinolone-resistant bacteria attributed to the proposed use in dairy heifers. For exposure, human foodborne exposure to Campylobacter, Salmonella, and MDR Salmonella after consumption of ground beef was estimated. The consequence assessment included illness, fluoroquinolone treatment, and persistent symptoms in patients treated with a fluoroquinolone. Using best available data to estimate the parameters and probabilities of each event, stochastic simulation was used to represent uncertainty and variability in many of the parameters. A scenario analysis was performed to evaluate the uncertainty of the following parameters: (1) probability of resistance development in treated animals, (2) portion of illnesses attributable to ground beef, and (3) probability of persistent symptoms in patients 18 years of age and over treated with a fluoroquinolone. The population at risk was restricted to people 18 years of age and over, as fluoroquinolones are not labeled for treatment of gastroenteritis in children. The mean annual increased risk of cases in the U.S. population (18 years of age and over) where compromised fluoroquinolone treatment resulted in persistent symptoms was estimated to be 1 in 61 billion (one case every 293 years) for Salmonella, 1 in 33 billion (one case every 158 years) for MDR Salmonella, and 1 in 2.8 billion (one case every 13 years) for Campylobacter.

Relationships between milk mid-IR predicted gastro-enteric methane production and the technical and financial performance of commercial dairy herds.

PubMed

Delhez, P; Wyzen, B; Dalcq, A-C; Colinet, F G; Reding, E; Vanlierde, A; Dehareng, F; Gengler, N; Soyeurt, H

2017-12-22

Considering economic and environmental issues is important in ensuring the sustainability of dairy farms. The objective of this study was to investigate univariate relationships between lactating dairy cow gastro-enteric methane (CH4) production predicted from milk mid-IR (MIR) spectra and technico-economic variables by the use of large scale and on-farm data. A total of 525 697 individual CH4 predictions from milk MIR spectra (MIR-CH4 (g/day)) of milk samples collected on 206 farms during the Walloon milk recording scheme were used to create a MIR-CH4 prediction for each herd and year (HYMIR-CH4). These predictions were merged with dairy herd accounting data. This allowed a simultaneous study of HYMIR-CH4 and 42 technical and economic variables for 1024 herd and year records from 2007 to 2014. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were used to assess significant relationships (P<0.05). Low HYMIR-CH4 was significantly associated with, amongst others, lower fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) yield (r=0.18), lower milk fat and protein content (r=0.38 and 0.33, respectively), lower quantity of milk produced from forages (r=0.12) and suboptimal reproduction and health performance (e.g. longer calving interval (r=-0.21) and higher culling rate (r=-0.15)). Concerning economic results, low HYMIR-CH4 was significantly associated with lower gross margin per cow (r=0.19) and per litre FPCM (r=0.09). To conclude, this study suggested that low lactating dairy cow gastro-enteric CH4 production tended to be associated with more extensive or suboptimal management practices, which could lead to lower profitability. The observed low correlations suggest complex interactions between variables due to the use of on-farm data with large variability in technical and management practices.

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment for Spray Irrigation of Dairy Manure Based on an Empirical Fate and Transport Model

PubMed Central

Burch, Tucker R.; Spencer, Susan K.; Stokdyk, Joel P.; Kieke, Burney A.; Larson, Rebecca A.; Firnstahl, Aaron D.; Rule, Ana M.

2017-01-01

Background: Spray irrigation for land-applying livestock manure is increasing in the United States as farms become larger and economies of scale make manure irrigation affordable. Human health risks from exposure to zoonotic pathogens aerosolized during manure irrigation are not well understood. Objectives: We aimed to a) estimate human health risks due to aerosolized zoonotic pathogens downwind of spray-irrigated dairy manure; and b) determine which factors (e.g., distance, weather conditions) have the greatest influence on risk estimates. Methods: We sampled downwind air concentrations of manure-borne fecal indicators and zoonotic pathogens during 21 full-scale dairy manure irrigation events at three farms. We fit these data to hierarchical empirical models and used model outputs in a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to estimate risk [probability of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI)] for individuals exposed to spray-irrigated dairy manure containing Campylobacter jejuni, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), or Salmonella spp. Results: Median risk estimates from Monte Carlo simulations ranged from 10−5 to 10−2 and decreased with distance from the source. Risk estimates for Salmonella or EHEC-related AGI were most sensitive to the assumed level of pathogen prevalence in dairy manure, while risk estimates for C. jejuni were not sensitive to any single variable. Airborne microbe concentrations were negatively associated with distance and positively associated with wind speed, both of which were retained in models as a significant predictor more often than relative humidity, solar irradiation, or temperature. Conclusions: Our model-based estimates suggest that reducing pathogen prevalence and concentration in source manure would reduce the risk of AGI from exposure to manure irrigation, and that increasing the distance from irrigated manure (i.e., setbacks) and limiting irrigation to times of low wind speed may also reduce risk. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP283 PMID:28885976

Quantitative microbial risk assessment for spray irrigation of dairy manure based on an empirical fate and transport model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burch, Tucker R; Spencer, Susan K.; Stokdyk, Joel; Kieke, Burney A; Larson, Rebecca A; Firnstahl, Aaron; Rule, Ana M; Borchardt, Mark A.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Spray irrigation for land-applying livestock manure is increasing in the United States as farms become larger and economies of scale make manure irrigation affordable. Human health risks from exposure to zoonotic pathogens aerosolized during manure irrigation are not well understood. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to a) estimate human health risks due to aerosolized zoonotic pathogens downwind of spray-irrigated dairy manure; and b) determine which factors (e.g., distance, weather conditions) have the greatest influence on risk estimates. METHODS: We sampled downwind air concentrations of manure-borne fecal indicators and zoonotic pathogens during 21 full-scale dairy manure irri- gation events at three farms. We fit these data to hierarchical empirical models and used model outputs in a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to estimate risk [probability of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI)] for individuals exposed to spray-irrigated dairy manure containing Campylobacter jejuni, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), or Salmonella spp. RESULTS: Median risk estimates from Monte Carlo simulations ranged from 10−5 to 10−2 and decreased with distance from the source. Risk estimates for Salmonella or EHEC-related AGI were most sensitive to the assumed level of pathogen prevalence in dairy manure, while risk estimates for C. jejuni were not sensitive to any single variable. Airborne microbe concentrations were negatively associated with distance and positively associated with wind speed, both of which were retained in models as a significant predictor more often than relative humidity, solar irradiation, or temperature. CONCLUSIONS: Our model-based estimates suggest that reducing pathogen prevalence and concentration in source manure would reduce the risk of AGI from exposure to manure irrigation, and that increasing the distance from irrigated manure (i.e., setbacks) and limiting irrigation to times of low wind speed may also reduce risk.

Differential Effects of Red Meat/Refined Grain Diet and Dairy/Chicken/Nuts/Whole Grain Diet on Glucose, Insulin and Triglyceride in a Randomized Crossover Study.

PubMed

Kim, Yoona; Keogh, Jennifer B; Clifton, Peter M

2016-10-30

Epidemiological studies suggest that a diet high in processed meat, with a high glycemic index is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. It is not clear if this is due to altered insulin sensitivity or an enhanced postprandial glucose. We aimed to compare the acute metabolic response of two different types of meals after ingestion of the matching diet for four weeks. The study was a randomized, crossover acute meal study. Volunteers consumed either a red meat/refined grain meal or a dairy/chicken/nuts/wholegrain meal after four weeks of the matching diet. After a three-week washout period and four weeks of the alternate diet, they consumed the matching meal. The diets differed with respect to both protein and carbohydrate sources. Blood samples were taken for 180 min for the measurement of glucose, insulin, C-peptide and triglyceride. Fifty-one participants (age: 35.1 ± 15.6 years; body mass index: 27.7 ± 6.9 kg/m², 17 with normal and 34 with impaired glucose tolerance) completed two meal tests. The area under the curve ( p < 0.001) and incremental area under the curve ( p = 0.001) for insulin was significantly higher after the red meat/refined grain diet than after the dairy/chicken/nuts/whole grain diet. There was an interaction between meal and glucose tolerance group ( p < 0.05) in the area under the curve (AUC) and the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) of glucose; the red meat/refined grain diet increased glucose relative to the dairy/chicken/nuts/whole grain diet only in the normal group (+2.5 mmol/L/3 h). The red meat/refined grain diet increased glucose and insulin responses compared with the dairy/chicken/nuts/whole grain diet. This meal pattern would increase pancreatic stress long term and may account for the increased risk of type 2 diabetes with this diet.

MicroRNA content in milk exosomes as a phenotypic indicator of Staphylococcus aureus infection in the bovine mammary gland

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous gene mapping research to understand the host genetic response to mammary infection based on somatic cell score has been unsuccessful due to the poor correlation of this confounding trait with mastitis, a disease costing the dairy industry an estimated $2 billion in annual costs. Recently, ...

Economic and environmental performance of traditional and grass-fed organic dairies using the Integrated Farm System Model

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Organic milk production is one of the fastest growing segments of US agriculture. There is an increasing number of US organic farmers who are transitioning to no grain supplementation due to additional premiums paid by some milk processors. However, there is limited information about the economic an...

Hepatic steroid inactivating enzymes, hepatic portal blood flow, and corpus luteum blood perfusion in lactating dairy cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In ruminants, a decrease in pregnancy rates may be due to decreased concentrations of progesterone (P4). It is important to note that both production from the corpus luteum and/or hepatic steroid inactivation impacts peripheral concentrations of P4. Cattle with an elevated dry matter intake have inc...

Bovine Immune Response to Papillomatous Digital Dermatitis (PDD)-associated Spirochetes is Skewed in Isolate Reactivity and Subclass Elicitation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD), also known as hairy heel wart, is a growing cause of lameness of cows in the U.S. dairy industry. Farms with PDD-afflicted cows experience economic loss due to treatment costs, decreased milk production, lower reproductive efficiency and premature culling. Cow...

Characterization of the bovine milk proteome in early-lactation Holstein and Jersey breeds of dairy cows.

PubMed

Tacoma, Rinske; Fields, Julia; Ebenstein, David B; Lam, Ying-Wai; Greenwood, Sabrina L

2016-01-01

Milk is a highly nutritious natural product that provides not only a rich source of amino acids to the consumer but also hundreds of bioactive peptides and proteins known to elicit health-benefitting activities. We investigated the milk protein profile produced by Holstein and Jersey dairy cows maintained under the same diet, management and environmental conditions using proteomic approaches that optimize protein extraction and characterization of the low abundance proteins within the skim milk fraction of bovine milk. In total, 935 low abundance proteins were identified. Gene ontology classified all proteins identified into various cellular localization and function categories. A total of 43 low abundance proteins were differentially expressed between the two dairy breeds. Bioactive proteins involved in host-defense, including lactotransferrin (P=0.0026) and complement C2 protein (P=0.0001), were differentially expressed by the two breeds, whereas others such as osteopontin (P=0.1788) and lactoperoxidase (P=0.2973) were not. This work is the first to outline the protein profile produced by two important breeds of dairy cattle maintained under the same diet, environment and management conditions in order to observe likely true breed differences. This research now allows us to better understand and contrast further research examining the bovine proteome that includes these different breeds. Within the last decade, the amount of research characterizing the bovine milk proteome has increased due to growing interest in the bioactive proteins that are present in milk. Proteomic analysis of low abundance whey proteins has mainly focused on human breast milk; however, previous research has highlighted the presence of bioactive proteins in bovine milk. Recent publications outlining the cross-reactivity of bovine bioactive proteins on human biological function highlight the need for further investigation into the bovine milk proteome. The rationale behind this study is to characterize and compare the low abundance protein profile in the skim milk fraction produced from Holstein and Jersey breeds of dairy cattle, which are two major dairy cattle breeds in the USA. A combination of fractionation strategies was used to efficiently enrich the low abundance proteins from bovine skim milk for proteomic profiling. A total of 935 low abundance proteins were identified and compared between the two bovine breeds. The results from this study provide insight into breed differences and similarities in the milk proteome profile produced by two breeds of dairy cattle. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Economic values of production and functional traits, including residual feed intake, in Finnish milk production.

PubMed

Hietala, P; Wolfová, M; Wolf, J; Kantanen, J; Juga, J

2014-02-01

Improving the feed efficiency of dairy cattle has a substantial effect on the economic efficiency and on the reduction of harmful environmental effects of dairy production through lower feeding costs and emissions from dairy farming. To assess the economic importance of feed efficiency in the breeding goal for dairy cattle, the economic values for the current breeding goal traits and the additional feed efficiency traits for Finnish Ayrshire cattle under production circumstances in 2011 were determined. The derivation of economic values was based on a bioeconomic model in which the profit of the production system was calculated, using the generated steady state herd structure. Considering beef production from dairy farms, 2 marketing strategies for surplus calves were investigated: (A) surplus calves were sold at a young age and (B) surplus calves were fattened on dairy farms. Both marketing strategies were unprofitable when subsidies were not included in the revenues. When subsidies were taken into account, a positive profitability was observed in both marketing strategies. The marginal economic values for residual feed intake (RFI) of breeding heifers and cows were -25.5 and -55.8 €/kg of dry matter per day per cow and year, respectively. The marginal economic value for RFI of animals in fattening was -29.5 €/kg of dry matter per day per cow and year. To compare the economic importance among traits, the standardized economic weight of each trait was calculated as the product of the marginal economic value and the genetic standard deviation; the standardized economic weight expressed as a percentage of the sum of all standardized economic weights was called relative economic weight. When not accounting for subsidies, the highest relative economic weight was found for 305-d milk yield (34% in strategy A and 29% in strategy B), which was followed by protein percentage (13% in strategy A and 11% in strategy B). The third most important traits were calving interval (9%) and mature weight of cows (11%) in strategy A and B, respectively. The sums of the relative economic weights over categories for RFI were 6 and 7% in strategy A and B, respectively. Under production conditions in 2011, the relative economic weights for the studied feed efficiency traits were low. However, it is possible that the relative importance of feed efficiency traits in the breeding goal will increase in the future due to increasing requirements to mitigate the environmental impact of milk production. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 41365 - Dairy Product Price Support Program and Dairy Indemnity Payment Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-16

...;Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each #0;week. #0; #0; #0; #0;#0... 0560-AH88 Dairy Product Price Support Program and Dairy Indemnity Payment Program AGENCY: Commodity... regulations for the Dairy Product Price Support Program (DPPSP), which has replaced the Price Support Program...

Liquid and atmospheric ammonia concentrations from a dairy lagoon during an aeration experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumburg, Brian; Neger, Manjit; Mount, George H.; Yonge, David; Filipy, Jenny; Swain, John; Kincaid, Ron; Johnson, Kristen

Ammonia emissions from agriculture are an environmental and human health concern, and there is increasing pressure to reduce emissions. Animal agriculture is the largest global source of ammonia emissions and on a per cow basis dairy operations are the largest emitters. The storage and disposal of the dairy waste is one area where emissions can be reduced, aerobic biological treatment of wastewater being a common and effective way of reducing ammonia emissions. An aeration experiment in a dairy lagoon with two commercial aerators was performed for 1 month. Liquid concentrations of ammonia, total nitrogen, nitrite and nitrate were monitored before, during and after the experiment and atmospheric ammonia was measured downwind of the lagoon using a short-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) instrument with 1 ppbv sensitivity. No changes in either liquid or atmospheric ammonia concentrations were detected throughout the experiment, and neither dissolved oxygen, nitrite nor nitrate could be detected in the lagoon at any time. The average ammonia concentration at 10 sampling sites in the lagoon at a depth of 0.15 m was 650 mg l -1 and at 0.90 m it was 700 mg l -1 NH 3-N. The average atmospheric ammonia concentration 50 m downwind was about 300 ppbv. The 0.90 m depth total nitrogen concentrations and total and volatile solids concentrations decreased during the experiment due to some mixing of the lagoon but the 0.15 m depth concentrations did not decrease indicating that the aerators were not strong enough to mix the sludge off the bottom into the whole water column.

Influence of Dairy Product and Milk Fat Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Review of the Evidence12

PubMed Central

Huth, Peter J.; Park, Keigan M.

2012-01-01

Although evidence has linked the consumption of saturated fat (SF) to increased LDL levels and an increased risk of the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), recent findings have indicated that the link between CVD and SF may be less straightforward than originally thought. This may be due to the fact that some food sources high in SF contain an array of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, each of which may differentially affect lipoprotein metabolism, as well as contribute significant amounts of other nutrients, which may alter CVD risk. The purpose of this review is to examine the published research on the relationship between milk fat containing dairy foods and cardiovascular health. The findings indicate that the majority of observational studies have failed to find an association between the intake of dairy products and increased risk of CVD, coronary heart disease, and stroke, regardless of milk fat levels. Results from short-term intervention studies on CVD biomarkers have indicated that a diet higher in SF from whole milk and butter increases LDL cholesterol when substituted for carbohydrates or unsaturated fatty acids; however, they may also increase HDL and therefore might not affect or even lower the total cholesterol:HDL cholesterol ratio. The results from the review also indicate that cheese intake lowers LDL cholesterol compared with butter of equal milk fat content. In addition, the review highlights some significant gaps in the research surrounding the effects of full-fat dairy on CVD outcomes, pointing to the need for long-term intervention studies. PMID:22585901

Food Group Intakes as Determinants of Iodine Status among US Adult Population.

PubMed

Lee, Kyung Won; Shin, Dayeon; Cho, Mi Sook; Song, Won O

2016-05-26

Adequate intake of iodine is essential for proper thyroid function. Although dietary reference intakes for iodine have been established, iodine intake cannot be estimated due to the lack of data on iodine contents in foods. We aimed to determine if food group intakes can predict iodine status assessed by urinary iodine concentration (UIC) from spot urine samples of 5967 US adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2012. From an in-person 24-h dietary recall, all foods consumed were aggregated into 12 main food groups using the individual food code of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA); dairy products, meat/poultry, fish/seaweed, eggs, legumes/nuts/seeds, breads, other grain products, fruits, vegetables, fats/oils, sugars/sweets, and beverages. Chi-square test, Spearman correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate the predictability of food group intakes in iodine status assessed by UIC. From the multiple linear regressions, the consumption of dairy products, eggs, and breads, and iodine-containing supplement use were positively associated with UIC, whereas beverage consumption was negatively associated with UIC. Among various food group intakes, dairy product intake was the most important determinant of iodine status in both US men and women. Subpopulation groups with a high risk of iodine deficiency may need nutritional education regarding the consumption of dairy products, eggs, and breads to maintain an adequate iodine status. Efforts toward a better understanding of iodine content in each food and a continued monitoring of iodine status within US adults are both warranted.

Performance in nondairy drinks of probiotic L. casei strains usually employed in dairy products.

PubMed

Céspedes, Mario; Cárdenas, Pamela; Staffolani, Martín; Ciappini, María C; Vinderola, Gabriel

2013-05-01

The increase in vegetarianism as dietary habit and the increased allergy episodes against dairy proteins fuel the demand for probiotics in nondairy products. Lactose intolerance and the cholesterol content of dairy products can also be considered two additional reasons why some consumers are looking for probiotics in other foods. We aimed at determining cell viability in nondairy drinks and resistance to simulated gastric digestion of commercial probiotic lactobacilli commonly used in dairy products. Lactobacillus casei LC-01 and L. casei BGP 93 were added to different commercial nondairy drinks and viability and resistance to simulated gastric digestion (pH 2.5, 90 min, 37 °C) were monitored along storage (5 and 20 °C). For both strains, at least one nondairy drink was found to offer cell counts around 7 log orders until the end of the storage period. Changes in resistance to simulated gastric digestion were observed as well. Commercial probiotic cultures of L. casei can be added to commercial fruit juices after a carefull selection of the product that warrants cell viability. The resistance to simulated gastric digestion is an easy-to-apply in vitro tool that may contribute to product characterization and may help in the choice of the food matrix when no changes in cell viability are observed along storage. Sensorial evaluation is mandatory before marketing since the product type and storage conditions might influence the sensorial properties of the product due to the possibility of growth and lactic acid production by probiotic bacteria. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

Yoghurt in the Spanish diet: nutritional implications and socio-cultural aspects of its consumption.

PubMed

Capdevila, Francesca; Martí-Henneberg, Carles; Closa, Ricardo; Subías, Joaquín Escribano; Fernández-Ballart, Joan

2003-06-01

This study aims to analyse the differences, with regard to socio-cultural characteristics and dietary habits, between low and high consumers of yoghurt and other fermented dairy product desserts, and the nutritional significance of these differences. We analysed the diet of a healthy population (4-65 years), using the 24-hour recall method, on three non-consecutive days. The participants were grouped by age and sex and were also divided into tertiles on the basis of yoghurt consumption. We compared energy and nutrient intakes, educational level and socio-economic status in the low consumption (LC) group and the high consumption (HC) group. In general there were no significant differences in energy intake or nutritional profile between LC and HC groups. The only significant difference was in the percentage of energy provided by lipids, which was significantly lower in HC women, possibly due to the high number of women in this group who consumed low-fat yoghurt. There were significant differences in the distribution of HC and LC subjects according to the three educational levels but not according to socio-economic status. The fact of being a high consumer of fermented dairy products took place in the framework of other dietary changes that compensated for this high consumption, resulting in the absence of significant differences in energy intake and nutritional profile between HC and LC subjects. The only exception was found in women who consumed low-fat dairy products. There was a relationship between high consumption of fermented dairy products and educational level.

The use of a geographic information system to identify a dairy goat farm as the most likely source of an urban Q-fever outbreak.

PubMed

Schimmer, Barbara; Ter Schegget, Ronald; Wegdam, Marjolijn; Züchner, Lothar; de Bruin, Arnout; Schneeberger, Peter M; Veenstra, Thijs; Vellema, Piet; van der Hoek, Wim

2010-03-16

A Q-fever outbreak occurred in an urban area in the south of the Netherlands in May 2008. The distribution and timing of cases suggested a common source. We studied the spatial relationship between the residence locations of human cases and nearby small ruminant farms, of which one dairy goat farm had experienced abortions due to Q-fever since mid April 2008. A generic geographic information system (GIS) was used to develop a method for source detection in the still evolving major epidemic of Q-fever in the Netherlands. All notified Q-fever cases in the area were interviewed. Postal codes of cases and of small ruminant farms (size >40 animals) located within 5 kilometres of the cluster area were geo-referenced as point locations in a GIS-model. For each farm, attack rates and relative risks were calculated for 5 concentric zones adding 1 kilometre at a time, using the 5-10 kilometres zone as reference. These data were linked to the results of veterinary investigations. Persons living within 2 kilometres of an affected dairy goat farm (>400 animals) had a much higher risk for Q-fever than those living more than 5 kilometres away (Relative risk 31.1 [95% CI 16.4-59.1]). The study supported the hypothesis that a single dairy goat farm was the source of the human outbreak. GIS-based attack rate analysis is a promising tool for source detection in outbreaks of human Q-fever.

Dairy shed effluent treatment and recycling: Effluent characteristics and performance.

PubMed

Fyfe, Julian; Hagare, Dharma; Sivakumar, Muttucumaru

2016-09-15

Dairy farm milking operations produce considerable amounts of carbon- and nutrient-rich effluent that can be a vital source of nutrients for pasture and crops. The study aim was to characterise dairy shed effluent from a commercial farm and examine the changes produced by treatment, storage and recycling of the effluent through a two-stage stabilisation pond system. The data and insights from the study are broadly applicable to passive pond systems servicing intensive dairy and other livestock operations. Raw effluent contained mostly poorly biodegradable particulate organic material and organically bound nutrients, as well as a large fraction of fixed solids due to effluent recycling. The anaerobic pond provided effective sedimentation and biological treatment, but hydrolysis of organic material occurred predominantly in the sludge and continually added to effluent soluble COD, nutrients and cations. Sludge digestion also suppressed pH in the pond and increased salt levels through formation of alkalinity. High sludge levels significantly impaired pond treatment performance. In the facultative pond, BOD5 concentrations were halved; however smaller reductions in COD showed the refractory nature of incoming organic material. Reductions in soluble N and P were proportional to reductions in respective particulate forms, suggesting that respective removal mechanisms were not independent. Conditions in the ponds were unlikely to support biological nutrient removal. Recycling caused conservative inert constituents to accumulate within the pond system. Material leaving the system was mostly soluble (86% TS) and inert (65% TS), but salt concentrations remained below thresholds for safe land application. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancing anaerobic digestibility and phosphorus recovery of dairy manure through microwave-based thermochemical pretreatment.

PubMed

Jin, Ying; Hu, Zhenhu; Wen, Zhiyou

2009-08-01

Anaerobic digestion and struvite precipitation are two effective ways of treating dairy manure for recovering biogas and phosphorus. Anaerobic digestion of dairy manure is commonly limited by slow fiber degradation, while struvite precipitation is limited by the availability of orthophosphate. The aim of this work is to study the possibility of using microwave-based thermochemical pretreatment to simultaneously enhance manure anaerobic digestibility (through fiber degradation) and struvite precipitation (through phosphorus solubilization). Microwave heating combined with different chemicals (NaOH, CaO, H(2)SO(4), or HCl) enhanced solubilization of manure and degradation of glucan/xylan in dairy manure. However, sulfuric acid-based pretreatment resulted in a low anaerobic digestibility, probably due to the sulfur inhibition and Maillard side reaction. The pretreatments released 20-40% soluble phosphorus and 9-14% ammonium. However, CaO-based pretreatment resulted in lower orthophosphate releases and struvite precipitation efficiency as calcium interferes with phosphate to form calcium phosphate. Collectively, microwave heating combined with NaOH or HCl led to a high anaerobic digestibility and phosphorus recovery. Using these two chemicals, the performance of microwave- and conventional-heating in thermochemical pretreatment was further compared. The microwave heating resulted in a better performance in terms of COD solubilization, glucan/xylan reduction, phosphorus solubilization and anaerobic digestibility. Lastly, temperature and heating time used in microwave treatment were optimized. The optimal values of temperature and heating time were 147 degrees C and 25.3 min for methane production, and 135 degrees C and 26 min for orthophosphate release, respectively.

Paratuberculosis on small ruminant dairy farms in Ontario, Canada: A survey of management practices.

PubMed

Bauman, Cathy A; Jones-Bitton, Andria; Menzies, Paula; Jansen, Jocelyn; Kelton, David

2016-05-01

A cross-sectional study was undertaken (October 2010 to August 2011) to determine the risk factors for dairy goat herds and dairy sheep flocks testing positive for paratuberculosis (PTB) in Ontario, Canada. A questionnaire was administered to 50 producers during a farm visit in which concurrently, 20 randomly selected, lactating animals over the age of 2 years underwent sampling for paratuberculosis testing. Only 1 of 50 farms (2.0%) was closed to animal movement, whereas 96.6% of dairy goat farms and 94.1% of sheep farms purchased livestock from other producers. Only 10.3% of dairy goat, and no dairy sheep farms used artificial insemination. Manure was spread on grazing pastures by 65.5% and 70.6% of dairy goat and dairy sheep farms, respectively. Because of the high true-prevalence of paratuberculosis infection detected, no risk factor analysis could be performed. This study demonstrates that biosecurity practices conducive to transmission of PTB are highly prevalent in Ontario small ruminant dairy farms.

Paratuberculosis on small ruminant dairy farms in Ontario, Canada: A survey of management practices

PubMed Central

Bauman, Cathy A.; Jones-Bitton, Andria; Menzies, Paula; Jansen, Jocelyn; Kelton, David

2016-01-01

A cross-sectional study was undertaken (October 2010 to August 2011) to determine the risk factors for dairy goat herds and dairy sheep flocks testing positive for paratuberculosis (PTB) in Ontario, Canada. A questionnaire was administered to 50 producers during a farm visit in which concurrently, 20 randomly selected, lactating animals over the age of 2 years underwent sampling for paratuberculosis testing. Only 1 of 50 farms (2.0%) was closed to animal movement, whereas 96.6% of dairy goat farms and 94.1% of sheep farms purchased livestock from other producers. Only 10.3% of dairy goat, and no dairy sheep farms used artificial insemination. Manure was spread on grazing pastures by 65.5% and 70.6% of dairy goat and dairy sheep farms, respectively. Because of the high true-prevalence of paratuberculosis infection detected, no risk factor analysis could be performed. This study demonstrates that biosecurity practices conducive to transmission of PTB are highly prevalent in Ontario small ruminant dairy farms. PMID:27152042

Therapeutic potential of dairy bioactive peptides: A contemporary perspective.

PubMed

Sultan, Saira; Huma, Nuzhat; Butt, Masood Sadiq; Aleem, Muhammad; Abbas, Munawar

2018-01-02

Dairy products are associated with numerous health benefits. These are a good source of nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein (bioactive peptides), lipids, minerals, and vitamins, which are essential for growth, development, and maintenance of the human body. Accordingly, dairy bioactive peptides are one of the targeted compounds present in different dairy products. Dairy bioactive compounds can be classified as antihypertensive, anti-oxidative, immmunomodulant, anti-mutagenic, antimicrobial, opoid, anti-thrombotic, anti-obesity, and mineral-binding agents, depending upon biological functions. These bioactive peptides can easily be produced by enzymatic hydrolysis, and during fermentation and gastrointestinal digestion. For this reason, fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, cheese, and sour milk, are gaining popularity worldwide, and are considered excellent source of dairy peptides. Furthermore, fermented and non-fermented dairy products are associated with lower risks of hypertension, coagulopathy, stroke, and cancer insurgences. The current review article is an attempt to disseminate general information about dairy peptides and their health claims to scientists, allied stakeholders, and, certainly, readers.

Influence of corn silage hybrid type on lactation performance by Holstein dairy cows.

PubMed

Akins, M S; Shaver, R D

2014-12-01

The primary objective of this study was to determine lactation performance by dairy cows fed nutridense (ND), dual-purpose (DP), or brown midrib (BM) corn silage hybrids at the same concentration in the diets. A secondary objective was to determine lactation performance by dairy cows fed NutriDense corn silage at a higher concentration in the diet. One hundred twenty-eight Holstein and Holstein × Jersey cows (105 ± 38 d in milk) were stratified by breed and parity and randomly assigned to 16 pens of 8 cows each. Pens were then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments. Three treatment total mixed rations (TMR; DP40, BM40, and ND40) contained 40% of dry matter (DM) from the respective corn silage hybrid and 20% of DM from alfalfa silage. The fourth treatment TMR had ND corn silage as the sole forage at 65% of DM (ND65). A 2-wk covariate adjustment period preceded the treatment period, with all pens receiving a TMR with equal proportions of DP40, BM40, and ND40. Following the covariate period, cows were fed their assigned treatment diets for 11 wk. nutridense corn silage had greater starch and lower neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content than DP or BM, resulting in ND40 having greater energy content (73.2% of total digestible nutrients, TDN) than DP40 or BM40 (71.9 and 71.4% TDN, respectively). Cows fed BM40 had greater milk yield than DP40, whereas ND40 tended to have greater milk yield and had greater protein and lactose yields compared with DP40. No differences in intake, component-corrected milk yields, or feed efficiency were detected between DP40, BM40, and ND40. Milk yield differences may be due to increased starch intake for ND40 and increased digestible NDF intake for BM40 compared with DP40. Intake and milk yield and composition were similar for ND40 compared with BM40, possibly due to counteracting effects of higher starch intake for ND40 and higher digestible NDF intake for BM40. Feeding ND65 reduced intake, and thus milk and component yields, compared with ND40 due to either increased ruminal starch digestibility or increased rumen fill for ND65. Nutridense corn silage was a viable alternative to both DP and BM at 40% of diet DM; however, lactation performance was reduced when nutridense corn silage was fed at 65% of DM. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dairy Dilemma: Are You Getting Enough Calcium?

MedlinePlus

... and choosing reduced-lactose or non-dairy foods rich in the nutrients found in dairy products. How ... recommendations about dietary intake, including dairy or calcium-rich foods. Related Stories When Food Consumes You Keeping ...

Comparison of the prevalence of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains O157 and O26 between beef and dairy cattle in Japan.

PubMed

Sasaki, Yoshimasa; Murakami, Mariko; Maruyama, Noriko; Yamamoto, Kenshu; Haruna, Mika; Ito, Kazuo; Yamada, Yukiko

2013-01-01

With the aim of comparing the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 and O26 between beef and dairy cattle, we collected rectal content samples from 250 beef cattle on 25 beef farms and 250 dairy cows on 25 dairy farms from July through September 2011. STEC O157 was isolated from 16 beef cattle on 7 beef farms, while no STEC O157 was isolated from any dairy farms. This result suggests that the prevalence of STEC O157 is higher in beef cattle than in dairy cattle. STEC O26 was isolated from 1 animal each from beef and dairy cattle herds, and therefore, it was not possible to compare statistically the prevalence of STEC O26 in beef and dairy cattle.

Technical note: Improving modeling of coagulation, curd firming, and syneresis of sheep milk.

PubMed

Cipolat-Gotet, Claudio; Pazzola, Michele; Ferragina, Alessandro; Cecchinato, Alessio; Dettori, Maria L; Vacca, Giuseppe M

2018-04-18

The importance of milk coagulation properties for milk processing, cheese yield, and quality is widely recognized. The use of traditional coagulation traits presents several limitations for testing bovine milk and even more for sheep milk, due to its rapid coagulation and curd firming, and early syneresis of coagulum. The aim of this technical note is to test and improve model fitting for assessing coagulation, curd firming, and syneresis of sheep milk. Using milk samples from 87 Sarda ewes, we performed in duplicate lactodynamographic testing. On each of the 174 analyzed milk aliquots, using 180 observations from each aliquot (one every 15 s for 45 min after rennet addition), we compared 4 different curd firming models as a function of time (CF t , mm) using a nonlinear procedure. The most accurate and informative results were observed using a modified 4-parameter model, structured as follows: [Formula: see text] , where t is time, RCT eq (min) is the gelation time, CF P (mm) is the potential asymptotical CF at an infinite time, k CF (%/min) is the curd firming rate constant, and k SR (%/min) is the curd syneresis rate constant. To avoid nonconvergence and computational problems due to interrelations among the equation parameters, CF P was preliminarily defined as a function of maximum observed curd firmness (CF max , mm) recorded during the analysis. For this model, all the modeling equations of individual sheep milk aliquots were converging, with a negligible standard error of the estimates (coefficient of determination >0.99 for all individual sample equations). Repeatability of the modeled parameters was acceptable, also in the presence of curd syneresis during the lactodynamographic analysis. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Examining the occurrence of residues of flunixin meglumine in cull dairy cows by use of the flunixin cull cow survey.

PubMed

Deyrup, Cynthia L; Southern, Kristal J; Cornett, Julie A; Shultz, Craig E; Cera, Deborah A

2012-07-15

To determine whether cull dairy cows with signs of certain clinical conditions, termed suspect, are more likely than healthy-appearing cull dairy cows to have violative concentrations of flunixin meglumine in their tissues at slaughter. Cross-sectional study. 961 cull dairy cows. Suspect cull dairy cows were selected from 21 beef slaughter establishments with a high production volume of dairy cows, and kidney and liver tissues were collected for screening. Kidney tissues were screened for antibiotics and sulfonamides with the fast antimicrobial screening test (FAST). Liver tissues were screened for flunixin meglumine with an ELISA, and quantitative analysis of ELISA-positive samples was performed with high-performance liquid chromatography. During the same time period, liver tissues from 251 healthy-appearing cull dairy cows were collected for the Food Safety and Inspection Service National Residue Program Scheduled Sampling Plan, but were screened only for flunixin meglumine. Of 710 suspect cull dairy cows, 50 (7.04%) had liver tissue flunixin concentrations higher than the flunixin tolerance concentration (0.125 ppm). Thirty-one of 168 (18.45%) FAST-positive and 19 of 542 (3.51%) FAST-negative suspect cull dairy cows had violative tissue flunixin concentrations. Two of the 251 (0.80%) healthy-appearing cull dairy cows had violative tissue flunixin concentrations. Suspect cull dairy cows, especially those that were also FAST positive, had a significantly higher incidence of violative tissue flunixin concentrations than healthy-appearing cull dairy cows at slaughter. Targeted sampling plans for flunixin meglumine in suspect dairy cows can help to support more efficient use of resources and further safeguard the nation's food supply.

Dairy intake and related self-regulation improved in college students using online nutrition education.

PubMed

Poddar, Kavita H; Hosig, Kathy W; Anderson-Bill, Eileen S; Nickols-Richardson, Sharon M; Duncan, Susan E

2012-12-01

Dairy intake by college students is markedly lower than recommendations. Interventions to improve dairy intake based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) have potential to successfully change behavior by improving mediators that influence dietary choices. We aimed to use SCT to improve social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, self-regulation, and behavior related to dairy intake in college students. We conducted a randomized nutrition education intervention. Participants included 211 college students (mean age 20.2 ± 0.1 years; 63% women and 37% men) recruited from a university campus. Participants in the intervention group (n=107) and comparison group (n=104) received an 8-week dairy intake or stress management intervention, respectively, via electronic mail. Data collection included dairy intake from 7-day food records and SCT variables from questionnaires administered during January 2008 and April 2008. Changes in dairy intake and SCT variables (ie, social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation). Multivariate analysis of covariance, with age and sex as covariates (P<0.05). Ninety-one percent of participants (n=97 intervention, n=94 comparison) provided data; complete data were analyzed for 85% of participants (n=90 intervention, n=89 comparison). Participants in the intervention group reported higher intake of total dairy foods (P=0.012) and improved use of self-regulation strategies for consuming three servings per day of total dairy (P=0.000) and low-fat dairy foods (P=0.002) following the intervention. Nutrition education via electronic mail based on an SCT model improved total dairy intake and self-regulation. Participants reported increased dairy intake and better use of self-regulation strategies. Future interventions should focus on benefits of consuming low-fat vs higher-fat dairy foods. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dairy product consumption and risk of colorectal cancer in an older mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk.

PubMed

Barrubés, Laura; Babio, Nancy; Mena-Sánchez, Guillermo; Toledo, Estefania; Ramírez-Sabio, Judith B; Estruch, Ramón; Ros, Emilio; Fitó, Montserrat; Arós, Fernando; Fiol, Miquel; Santos-Lozano, José Manuel; Serra-Majem, Lluís; Pintó, Xavier; Martínez-González, Miguel Ángel; Sorlí, José Vicente; Basora, Josep; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi

2018-04-16

Prospective studies have reported an inverse association between the consumption of total dairy products and milk and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Nonetheless, there is little and inconsistent evidence regarding subtypes of dairy product and CRC risk. We assessed the associations between the consumption of total dairy products, their different subtypes and CRC risk in older Mediterranean individuals at high cardiovascular risk. We analyzed data from 7,216 men and women (55-80 years) without CRC at baseline from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea study. Individuals were recruited between 2003 and 2009 and followed up until December 2012. At baseline and yearly thereafter, consumption of total and specific dairy products was assessed using a validated 137-item food-frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards ratios (HRs) of CRC incidence were estimated for tertiles of mean consumption of dairy products during the follow-up. During a median [interquartile range] follow-up of 6.0 [4.4-7.3] years, we documented 101 incident CRC cases. In the multivariable-adjusted models, HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of CRC for the comparison of extreme tertiles of total dairy product and low-fat milk consumption were 0.55 (95% CI: 0.31-0.99; p-trend = 0.037) and 0.54 (95% CI: 0.32-0.92; p-trend = 0.022), respectively. No significant associations with other dairy products (whole-fat and low-fat dairy products; total, low-fat and whole-fat yogurt; cheese; total, low-fat and whole-fat milk; concentrated full-fat dairy products, sugar-enriched dairy products and fermented dairy products) were found. A high consumption of total dairy products and low-fat milk was significantly associated with a reduced CRC risk. © 2018 UICC.

The effect of socio-demographic variables and dairy use on the intake of essential macro- and micronutrients in 0.5-12-year-old Indonesian children.

PubMed

Widodo, Yekti; Sandjaja, Sandjaja; Sumedi, Edith; Khouw, Ilse; Deurenberg, Paul

2016-01-01

To study the associations between nutrient intake, dairy intake and socioeconomic variables. Food consumption data using 24 h recall were collected in 3600 children, aged 0.5 to 12 years old in addition to frequency of dairy use and anthropometric and sociodemographic variables. Overall height for age Z-score (HAZ) and body mass index for age Z-score (BAZ) values (mean±SE) were -1.40±0.03 and -0.48±0.03 respectively, associated with a high prevalence of stunting and thinness in the population. The overall percentage of children not using any dairy products was 71%, and this percentage increased steadily with age. The overall energy intake from dairy was 99±3 kcal/capita/day and the overall energy intake from dairy in dairy users was 291±7 kcal/day. Dairy use did not differ between boys and girls, but was higher in urban areas, higher if the education of the mother was higher and higher if the mother had a permanent job and if the wealth status of the family was in the upper levels. Nutrient intake after the age of 3 years was inadequate for energy and all nutrients except for protein. The achievement of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for all nutrients was higher in dairy users compared to non-dairy users, also after correcting for the confounding effect of the higher energy intake (from dairy) and socio-demographic variables. The contribution increased with increasing frequency of dairy use. Adequate dairy intake can substantially add to the achievement of RDA in Indonesian children.

Capitalizing on fine milk composition for breeding and management of dairy cows.

PubMed

Gengler, N; Soyeurt, H; Dehareng, F; Bastin, C; Colinet, F; Hammami, H; Vanrobays, M-L; Lainé, A; Vanderick, S; Grelet, C; Vanlierde, A; Froidmont, E; Dardenne, P

2016-05-01

The challenge of managing and breeding dairy cows is permanently adapting to changing production circumstances under socio-economic constraints. If managing and breeding address different timeframes of action, both need relevant phenotypes that allow for precise monitoring of the status of the cows, and their health, behavior, and well-being as well as their environmental impact and the quality of their products (i.e., milk and subsequently dairy products). Milk composition has been identified as an important source of information because it could reflect, at least partially, all these elements. Major conventional milk components such as fat, protein, urea, and lactose contents are routinely predicted by mid-infrared (MIR) spectrometry and have been widely used for these purposes. But, milk composition is much more complex and other nonconventional milk components, potentially predicted by MIR, might be informative. Such new milk-based phenotypes should be considered given that they are cheap, rapidly obtained, usable on a large scale, robust, and reliable. In a first approach, new phenotypes can be predicted from MIR spectra using techniques based on classical prediction equations. This method was used successfully for many novel traits (e.g., fatty acids, lactoferrin, minerals, milk technological properties, citrate) that can be then useful for management and breeding purposes. An innovation was to consider the longitudinal nature of the relationship between the trait of interest and the MIR spectra (e.g., to predict methane from MIR). By avoiding intermediate steps, prediction errors can be minimized when traits of interest (e.g., methane, energy balance, ketosis) are predicted directly from MIR spectra. In a second approach, research is ongoing to detect and exploit patterns in an innovative manner, by comparing observed with expected MIR spectra directly (e.g., pregnancy). All of these traits can then be used to define best practices, adjust feeding and health management, improve animal welfare, improve milk quality, and mitigate environmental impact. Under the condition that MIR data are available on a large scale, phenotypes for these traits will allow genetic and genomic evaluations. Introduction of novel traits into the breeding objectives will need additional research to clarify socio-economic weights and genetic correlations with other traits of interest. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Economic effect of short (35-d) compared with conventional (60-d) dry period management in commercial Canadian Holstein herds.

PubMed

Santschi, D E; Lefebvre, D M; Cue, R I; Girard, C L; Pellerin, D

2011-09-01

The Canadian dairy industry operates under a supply management system with production quotas (expressed in kilograms of butterfat per day) owned by dairy producers. Any management strategy influencing production responses must, therefore, be evaluated to estimate its effects on quota needed to sell the milk produced. In the present study, half of the cows from 13 commercial herds (850 cows, average of 70 cows per herd) were assigned to be managed for a short dry period (SDP; 35 d dry) and the other half was managed for a conventional dry period (CDP; 60 d dry) to evaluate the economic impact of a steady state involving either CDP or SDP. Economic variables included in the partial budget were: variations in revenues from milk and components as well as animals sold; costs related to feeding, reproduction, replacement, housing, and treatments. All variables were first estimated on a cow basis for each herd individually, and average results were used to calculate the partial budget for an average herd. Yearly milk and component yields per cow increased, which implies that fewer cows are required to produce the same amount of quota. Accordingly, 2 scenarios were investigated: in the first one, available quota was kept constant, and herd size was adjusted to avoid over-quota production. Consequently, the partial budget was calculated considering that 5 fewer cows were present in the herd. In this situation, switching to an SDP management increased net annual income for the farm by $2,677 (Can$), which represents $41.38 per cow. In the second scenario, the number of cows was kept constant, but additional quota (5.5 kg/d, $25,000/kg) was bought to allow selling all of the milk produced. In this case, net farm income was increased by $17,132 annually with SDP, which represents $245.18 per cow. This budget includes interest on the purchase of quota. A comparison of partial budgets for individual herds involved in the study revealed considerable variation among herds. Switching from a CDP to a SDP management would be beneficial for average dairy herds in eastern Canada. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lactose Intolerance (LCT-13910C>T) Genotype Is Associated with Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in Caucasians: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

PubMed

Alharbi, Ohood; El-Sohemy, Ahmed

2017-06-01

Background: The LCT -13910C>T gene variant is associated with lactose intolerance (LI) in different ethnic groups. Individuals with LI often limit or avoid dairy consumption, a major dietary source of vitamin D in North America, which may lead to inadequate vitamin D intake. Objective: The objective was to determine the prevalence of genotypes predictive of LI in different ethnic groups living in Canada and to determine whether the LCT genotype is associated with plasma 25(OH)D concentrations. Methods: Blood samples were drawn from a total of 1495 men and women aged 20-29 y from the Toronto Nutrigenomics and Health Study for genotyping and plasma 25(OH)D analysis. Intakes of dairy were assessed by using a 196-item food frequency questionnaire. The prevalence of LCT -13910C>T genotypes was compared by using χ 2 analysis. Using a Mendelian randomization approach, we examined the association between LCT genotypes and 25(OH)D concentrations. Results: Approximately 32% of Caucasians, 99% of East Asians, 74% of South Asians, and 59% of those with other or mixed ethnicities had the CC genotype associated with LI. Compared with those with the TT genotype, those with the CC genotype had a lower mean ± SE total dairy intake (2.15 ± 0.09 compared with 2.67 ± 0.12 servings/d, P = 0.003), a lower skim-milk intake (0.20 ± 0.03 compared with 0.46 ± 0.06 servings/d, P = 0.0004), and a lower plasma 25(OH)D concentration (63 ± 1.9 compared with 75.8 ± 2.4 nmol/L, P < 0.0001). The CT and CC genotypes were associated with a 50% and a 2-fold increased risk, respectively, of a suboptimal plasma 25(OH)D concentration (<75 nmol/L). Conclusions: In Caucasians, the CC genotype that predicts LI is associated with a lower plasma 25(OH)D concentration, which is attributable at least in part to a lower intake of dairy, particularly skim milk. Increased risk of suboptimal concentrations of vitamin D was also observed among those with the CT genotype, suggesting an intermediate effect of the heterozygous genotype. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Exploring economically and environmentally viable northeastern US dairy farm strategies for coping with rising corn grain prices.

PubMed

Ghebremichael, L T; Veith, T L; Cerosaletti, P E; Dewing, D E; Rotz, C A

2009-08-01

In 2008, corn grain prices rose $115/t of DM above the 2005 average. Such an increase creates tight marginal profits for small (<100) and medium-sized (100 to 199) dairy farms in the northeastern United States importing corn grain as animal feed supplement. Particularly in New York State, dairy farmers are attempting to avoid or minimize profit losses by growing more corn silage and reducing corn grain purchases. This study applies the Integrated Farm Systems Model to 1 small and 1 medium-sized New York State dairy farm to predict 1) sediment and P loss impacts from expanding corn fields, 2) benefits of no-till or cover cropping on corn fields, and 3) alternatives to the economic challenge of the current farming system as the price ratio of milk to corn grain continues to decline. Based on the simulation results, expanding corn silage production by 3% of the cultivated farm area increased sediment and sediment-bound P losses by 41 and 18%, respectively. Implementing no-till controlled about 84% of the erosion and about 75% of the sediment-bound P that would have occurred from the conventionally tilled, expanded corn production scenario. Implementing a conventionally tilled cover crop with the conventionally tilled, expanded corn production scenario controlled both erosion and sediment-bound P, but to a lesser extent than no-till corn with no cover crop. However, annual farm net return using cover crops was slightly less than when using no-till. Increasing on-farm grass productivity while feeding cows a high-quality, high-forage diet and precise dietary P levels offered dual benefits: 1) improved farm profitability from reduced purchases of dietary protein and P supplements, and 2) decreased runoff P losses from reduced P-levels in applied manure. Moreover, alternatives such as growing additional small grains on marginal lands and increasing milk production levels demonstrated great potential in increasing farm profitability. Overall, it is crucial that conservation measures such as no-till and cover cropping be implemented on new or existing corn lands as these areas often pose the highest threat for P losses through runoff. Although alternatives that would likely provide the largest net profit were evaluated one at a time to better quantify their individual impacts, combinations of these strategies, such as no-till corn plus a minimum-till cover crop, are recommended whenever feasible.

Assessment of visceral pain associated with metritis in dairy cows.

PubMed

Stojkov, J; von Keyserlingk, M A G; Marchant-Forde, J N; Weary, D M

2015-08-01

Metritis is a common disease in dairy cattle, but to our knowledge, no work has assessed pain associated with this disease. Tissue palpation is commonly used to assess pain in human and veterinary medicine. The objective of this study was to evaluate visceral pain responses during rectal palpation, with and without uterine palpation, in healthy cows and in cows diagnosed with metritis. A total of 49 Holstein dairy cows (mean ± standard deviation parity of 2.8±1.8) were subjected to systematic health checks every 3 d after parturition for 21 d, scoring for vaginal discharge (0 to 4); 13 cows showed a discharge score ≥2 during at least 1 health check and were classified as metritic, whereas 29 cows were classified as healthy and showed no sign of this or any other disease (including mastitis and lameness). Back arch and heart rate variability before examination and during palpation were recorded using video and heart rate monitors. Back arch (cm(2)) on the day of diagnosis was greater in metritic versus healthy cows (1,034±72 vs. 612±48cm(2)), and greater during rectal palpation with uterine palpation versus rectal palpation without uterine palpation (869±45 vs. 777±45cm(2)). Heart rate frequency domain analysis showed that the low-frequency portion was higher in cows with metritis versus healthy cows (16.5±1.2 vs. 12.9±1.0). Time domain analysis showed that the standard deviation between normal to normal interbeat intervals and the root mean square of successive differences both decreased during rectal palpation with uterine palpation versus rectal palpation without uterine palpation (1.9±0.1 vs. 2.5±0.1 and 1.3±0.1 vs. 1.7±0.1, respectively). Together, these results indicate that the inflammation associated with metritis is painful, and that the pain response can be detected during rectal palpation with and without uterine palpation. Rectal palpation with uterine palpation appears to be more aversive than rectal palpation without uterine palpation, suggesting that the former should be avoided when possible. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of niacin supplementation on rumen fermentation characteristics and nutrient flow at the duodenum in lactating dairy cows fed a diet with a negative rumen nitrogen balance.

PubMed

Aschemann, Martina; Lebzien, Peter; Hüther, Liane; Südekum, Karl-Heinz; Dänicke, Sven

2012-08-01

The aim of the present experiment was to ascertain if a daily niacin supplementation of 6 g/cow to lactating dairy cow diets can compensate for the decrease in rumen microbial fermentation due to a negative rumen nitrogen balance (RNB). A total of nine ruminally and duodenally fistulated lactating multiparous German Holstein cows was used. The diets consisted of 10 kg dry matter (DM) maize silage and 7 kg DM concentrate and differed as follows: (i) Diet RNB- (n = 6) with energy and utilisable crude protein (CP) at the duodenum (uCP) according to the average requirement of the animals, but with a negative RNB (-0.41 g N/MJ metabolisable energy [ME]); (ii) Diet RNB0 (n = 7) with energy, uCP, and RNB (0.08 g N/MJ ME) according to the average requirement of the animals; and (iii) Diet NA (nicotinic acid; n = 5), which was the same diet as RNB-, but supplemented with 6 g niacin/d. The negative RNB affected the rumen fermentation pattern and reduced ammonia content in rumen fluid and the daily duodenal flows of microbial CP (MP) and uCP. Niacin supplementation increased the apparent ruminal digestibility of neutral detergent fibre. The efficiency of microbial protein synthesis per unit of rumen degradable CP was higher, whereby the amount of MP reaching the duodenum was unaffected by niacin supplementation. The number of protozoa in rumen fluid was higher in NA treatment. The results indicated a more efficient use of rumen degradable N due to changes in the microbial population in the rumen when niacin was supplemented to diets deficient in RNB for lactating dairy cows.

Greenhouse gas emissions from dairy manure management in a Mediterranean environment.

PubMed

Owen, Justine J; Silver, Whendee L

2017-03-01

Livestock agriculture is a major source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a substantial proportion of emissions derived from manure management. Accurate estimates of emissions related to management practices and climate are needed for identifying the best approaches to minimize, and potentially mitigate, GHG emissions. Current emissions models such as those of the IPCC, however, are based on emissions factors that have not been broadly tested against field-scale measurements, due to a lack of data. We used a diverse set of measurements over 22 months across a range of substrate conditions on a working dairy to determine patterns and controls on soil-based GHG fluxes. Although dairy soils and substrates differed by management unit, GHG fluxes were poorly predicted by these or climate variables. The manure pile had the greatest GHG emissions, and though temperature increased and O 2 concentration decreased following mixing, we detected almost no change in GHG fluxes due to mixing. Corral fluxes were characterized by hotspots and hot moments driven by patterns in deposition. Annual scraping kept the soil and accumulated manure pack thin, producing drier conditions, particularly in the warm dry season. Summed over area, corral fluxes had the greatest non-CO 2 global warming potential. The field had net CH 4 consumption, but CH 4 uptake was insufficient to offset N 2 O emissions on an area basis. All sites emitted N 2 O with a similar or greater climate impact than CH 4 . Our results highlight the importance of N 2 O emissions, a less commonly measured GHG, from manure management and present potential opportunities for GHG emissions reductions. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Economic costs of recorded reasons for cow mortality and culling in a pasture-based dairy industry.

PubMed

Kerslake, J I; Amer, P R; O'Neill, P L; Wong, S L; Roche, J R; Phyn, C V C

2018-02-01

The objective of this study was to determine the economic costs associated with different reasons for cow culling or on-farm mortality in a pasture-based seasonal system. A bioeconomic model was developed to quantify costs associated with the different farmer-recorded reasons and timing of cow wastage. The model accounted for the parity and stage of lactation at which the cows were removed as well as the consequent effect on the replacement rate and average age structure of the herd. The costs and benefits associated with the change were quantified, including animal replacement cost, cull salvage value, milk production loss, and the profitability of altered genetic merit based on industry genetic trends for each parity. The total cost of cow wastage was estimated to be NZ$23,628/100 cows per year (NZ$1 = US$0.69) in a pasture-based system. Of this total cost, NZ$14,300/100 cows worth of removals were for nonpregnancy and unknown reasons, and another NZ$3,631/100 cows was attributed to low milk production, mastitis, and udder problems. The total cost for cow removals due to farmer-recorded biological reasons (excluding unknown, production, and management-related causes) was estimated to be NZ$13,632/100 cows per year. Of this cost, an estimated NZ$10,286/100 cows was attributed to nonpregnancy, mastitis, udder problems, calving trouble, and injury or accident. There is a strong economic case for the pasture-based dairy industries to invest in genetic, herd health, and production management research focused on reducing animal wastage due to reproductive failure, mastitis, udder problems, injuries or accidents, and calving difficulties. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing heat load in drylot dairy cattle: Refining on-farm sampling methodology.

PubMed

Tresoldi, Grazyne; Schütz, Karin E; Tucker, Cassandra B

2016-11-01

Identifying dairy cattle experiencing heat stress and adopting appropriate mitigation strategies can improve welfare and profitability. However, little is known about how cattle use heat abatement resources (shade, sprayed water) on drylot dairies. It is also unclear how often we need to observe animals to measure high heat load, or the relevance of specific aspects of this response, particularly in terms of panting. Our objectives were to describe and determine sampling intervals to measure cattle use of heat abatement resources, respiration rate (RR) and panting characteristics (drooling, open mouth, protruding tongue), and to evaluate the relationship between the latter 2. High-producing cows were chosen from 4 drylots (8 cows/dairy, n=32) and observed for at least 5.9h (1000 to 1800h, excluding milking) when air temperature, humidity, and the combined index averaged 33°C, 30%, and 79, respectively. Use of heat abatement resources was recorded continuously; RR and the presence and absence of each panting characteristic were recorded every 5min. From the observed values, estimates using the specified sub-sampling intervals were calculated for heat abatement resource use (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, 90, and 120min), and for RR and panting (10, 15, 20, 30, 60, 90, and 120min). Estimates and observed values were compared using linear regression. Sampling intervals were considered accurate if they met 3 criteria: R 2 ≥0.9, intercept=0, and slope=1. The relationship between RR and each panting characteristic was analyzed using mixed models. Cows used shade (at corral or over feed bunk) and feed bunk area (where water was sprayed) for about 90 and 50% of the observed time, respectively, and used areas with no cooling for 2min at a time, on average. Cows exhibited drooling (34±4% of observations) more often than open mouth and protruding tongue (11±3 and 8±3% of observations, respectively). Respiration rate varied depending on the presence of panting (with vs. without drool present: 97±3 vs. 74±3 breaths/min; open vs. closed mouth: 104±4 vs. 85±4 breaths/min; protruding vs. non-protruding tongue: 105±5 vs. 91±5 breaths/min). Accurate estimates were obtained when using sampling intervals ≤90min for RR, ≤60min for corral shade and sprayed water use, and ≤30min for drooling. In a hot and dry climate, cows kept in drylots had higher RR when showing panting characteristics than when these were absent, and used shade extensively, avoiding areas with no cooling. In general, 30min intervals were most efficient for measuring heat load responses. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of short-term repeated exposure to different flooring surfaces on the behavior and physiology of dairy cattle.

PubMed

Schütz, K E; Cox, N R

2014-05-01

Dairy cattle managed in some pasture-based systems such as in New Zealand are predominantly kept outdoors all year around, but are often taken off pasture for periods of time in wet weather to avoid soil damage. It is common to keep cattle on concrete surfaces during such "stand-off" practices and we investigated whether the addition of rubber matting onto concrete areas improves the welfare of dairy cattle. Sixteen groups of 5 cows (4 groups/treatment, 5 cows/group) were allocated to 1 of 4 treatments (concrete, 12-mm-thick rubber mat, 24-mm-thick rubber mat, or deep-bedded wood chips) and kept on these surfaces for 18 h/24h for 4 consecutive days (6h on pasture/24h). Each 4-d stand-off period was repeated 4 times (with 7 d of recovery between periods) to study the accumulated effects of repeated stand-off. Lying behavior was recorded continuously during the experiment. Gait score, stride length, hygiene score, live weight, and blood samples for cortisol analysis were recorded immediately before and after each stand-off period. Cows on wood chips spent the most time lying, and cows on concrete spent the least time lying compared with those on other surfaces [wood chips: 10.8h, 24-mm rubber mat: 7.3h, 12-mm rubber mat: 6.0 h, and concrete: 2.8h/18 h, standard error of the difference (SED): 0.71 h]. Cows on concrete spent more time lying during the 6h on pasture, likely compensating for the reduced lying during the stand-off period. Similarly, cows on concrete spent more time lying on pasture between stand-off periods (concrete: 12.1h, 12-mm rubber mat: 11.1h, 24-mm rubber mat: 11.2h, and wood chips: 10.7h/24h, SED: 0.28 h). Cows on concrete had higher gait score and shorter stride length after the 4-d stand-off period compared with cows on the other surface types, suggesting a change in gait pattern caused by discomfort. Cows on rubber mats were almost 3 times dirtier than cows on concrete or wood chips. Cortisol and live weight decreased for all treatment groups during the stand-off period. We observed no major effect of the repeated stand-off exposure. In summary, adding rubber matting onto concrete surfaces for stand-off purposes is beneficial for animal welfare. A well-managed wood chip surface offered the best welfare for dairy cows removed from pasture, and the findings of this study confirm that a concrete surface decreases the welfare of cows removed from pasture. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Whole dairy matrix or single nutrients in assessment of health effects: current evidence and knowledge gaps.

PubMed

Thorning, Tanja Kongerslev; Bertram, Hanne Christine; Bonjour, Jean-Philippe; de Groot, Lisette; Dupont, Didier; Feeney, Emma; Ipsen, Richard; Lecerf, Jean Michel; Mackie, Alan; McKinley, Michelle C; Michalski, Marie-Caroline; Rémond, Didier; Risérus, Ulf; Soedamah-Muthu, Sabita S; Tholstrup, Tine; Weaver, Connie; Astrup, Arne; Givens, Ian

2017-05-01

Foods consist of a large number of different nutrients that are contained in a complex structure. The nature of the food structure and the nutrients therein (i.e., the food matrix) will determine the nutrient digestion and absorption, thereby altering the overall nutritional properties of the food. Thus, the food matrix may exhibit a different relation with health indicators compared to single nutrients studied in isolation. The evidence for a dairy matrix effect was presented and discussed by an expert panel at a closed workshop, and the following consensus was reached: 1 ) Current evidence does not support a positive association between intake of dairy products and risk of cardiovascular disease (i.e., stroke and coronary heart disease) and type 2 diabetes. In contrast, fermented dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, generally show inverse associations. 2 ) Intervention studies have indicated that the metabolic effects of whole dairy may be different than those of single dairy constituents when considering the effects on body weight, cardiometabolic disease risk, and bone health. 3 ) Different dairy products seem to be distinctly linked to health effects and disease risk markers. 4 ) Different dairy structures and common processing methods may enhance interactions between nutrients in the dairy matrix, which may modify the metabolic effects of dairy consumption. 5 ) In conclusion, the nutritional values of dairy products should not be considered equivalent to their nutrient contents but, rather, be considered on the basis of the biofunctionality of the nutrients within dairy food structures. 6 ) Further research on the health effects of whole dairy foods is warranted alongside the more traditional approach of studying the health effects of single nutrients. Future diet assessments and recommendations should carefully consider the evidence of the effects of whole foods alongside the evidence of the effects of individual nutrients. Current knowledge gaps and recommendations for priorities in future research on dairy were identified and presented. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Effect of a dairy- and calcium-rich diet on weight loss and appetite during energy restriction in overweight and obese adults: a randomized trial.

PubMed

Jones, K W; Eller, L K; Parnell, J A; Doyle-Baker, P K; Edwards, A L; Reimer, R A

2013-04-01

A diet rich in dairy and calcium (Ca) has been variably associated with improvements in body composition and decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Our objective was to determine if a dietary pattern high in dairy and Ca improves weight loss and subjective appetite to a greater extent than a low dairy/Ca diet during energy restriction in overweight and obese adults with metabolic syndrome. A total of 49 participants were randomized to one of two treatment groups: Control (low dairy, ≈ 700 mg/day Ca, -500 kcal/day) or Dairy/Ca (high dairy, ≈ 1400 mg/day Ca, -500 kcal/day) for 12 weeks. Body composition, subjective ratings of appetite, food intake, plasma satiety hormones, glycemic response and inflammatory cytokines were measured. Control (-2.2 ± 0.5 kg) and Dairy/Ca (-3.3 ± 0.6 kg) had similar weight loss. Based on self-reported energy intake, the percentage of expected weight loss achieved was higher with Dairy/Ca (82.1 ± 19.4%) than Control (32.2 ± 7.7%; P=0.03). Subjects in the Dairy/Ca group reported feeling more satisfied (P=0.01) and had lower dietary fat intake (P=0.02) over 12 weeks compared with Control. Compared with Control, Dairy/Ca had higher plasma levels of peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY, P=0.01) during the meal tolerance test at week 12. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was reduced at 30 min with Dairy/Ca compared with Control (P=0.04). In conclusion, a dairy- and Ca-rich diet was not associated with greater weight loss than control. Modest increases in plasma PYY concentrations with increased dairy/Ca intake, however, may contribute to enhanced sensations of satisfaction and reduced dietary fat intake during energy restriction.

Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis characterization of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from cheese manufacturing plants in São Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Barancelli, Giovana V; Camargo, Tarsila M; Gagliardi, Natália G; Porto, Ernani; Souza, Roberto A; Campioni, Fabio; Falcão, Juliana P; Hofer, Ernesto; Cruz, Adriano G; Oliveira, Carlos A F

2014-03-03

This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in cheese and in the environment of three small-scale dairy plants (A, B, C) located in the Northern region state of São Paulo, Brazil, and to characterize the isolates using conventional serotyping and PFGE. A total of 393 samples were collected and analyzed from October 2008 to September 2009. From these, 136 came from dairy plant A, where only L. seeligeri was isolated. In dairy plant B, 136 samples were analyzed, and L. innocua, L. seeligeri and L. welshimeri were isolated together with L. monocytogenes. In dairy plant C, 121 samples were analyzed, and L. monocytogenes and L. innocua were isolated. Cheese from dairy plants B and C were contaminated with Listeria spp, with L. innocua being found in Minas frescal cheese from both dairy plants, and L. innocua and L. monocytogenes in Prato cheese from dairy plant C. A total of 85 L. monocytogenes isolates were classified in 3 serotypes: 1/2b, 1/2c, and 4b, with predominance of serotype 4b in both dairy plants. The 85 isolates found in the dairy plants were characterized by genomic macrorestriction using ApaI and AscI with Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). Macrorestriction yielded 30 different pulsotypes. The presence of indistinguishable profiles repeatedly isolated during a 12-month period indicated the persistence of L. monocytogenes in dairy plants B and C, which were more than 100 km away from each other. Brine used in dairy plant C contained more than one L. monocytogenes lineage. The routes of contamination were identified in plants B and C, and highlighted the importance of using molecular techniques and serotyping to track L. monocytogenes sources of contamination, distribution, and routes of contamination in dairy plants, and to develop improved control strategies for L. monocytogenes in dairy plants and dairy products. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Training on Dairy Worker Knowledge and Welfare-Related Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Ashley E.; Ahola, Jason K.; Chahine, Mireille; Roman-Muniz, I. Noa

2016-01-01

A study was conducted to determine whether on-farm dairy beef quality assurance (BQA) training affected dairy worker knowledge of BQA and welfare-related practices. Dairy personnel who participated in the BQA training were administered an exam before and after the training to gauge the amount of knowledge gained. The average exam score was 21.0…

7 CFR 1430.302 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment... purposes of administering the 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program established by this subpart. Application means the 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program Application. Application period means the...

7 CFR 1430.302 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment... purposes of administering the 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program established by this subpart. Application means the 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program Application. Application period means the...

7 CFR 1430.302 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS DAIRY PRODUCTS 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment... purposes of administering the 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program established by this subpart. Application means the 2004 Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program Application. Application period means the...

Prevalence of paratuberculosis in the dairy goat and dairy sheep industries in Ontario, Canada.

PubMed

Bauman, Cathy A; Jones-Bitton, Andria; Menzies, Paula; Toft, Nils; Jansen, Jocelyn; Kelton, David

2016-02-01

A cross-sectional study was undertaken (October 2010 to August 2011) to estimate the prevalence of paratuberculosis in the small ruminant dairy industries in Ontario, Canada. Blood and feces were sampled from 580 goats and 397 sheep (lactating and 2 y of age or older) that were randomly selected from 29 randomly selected dairy goat herds and 21 convenience-selected dairy sheep flocks. Fecal samples were analyzed using bacterial culture (BD BACTEC MGIT 960) and polymerase chain reaction (Tetracore); serum samples were tested with the Prionics Parachek enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Using 3-test latent class Bayesian models, true farm-level prevalence was estimated to be 83.0% [95% probability interval (PI): 62.6% to 98.1%] for dairy goats and 66.8% (95% PI: 41.6% to 91.4%) for dairy sheep. The within-farm true prevalence for dairy goats was 35.2% (95% PI: 23.0% to 49.8%) and for dairy sheep was 48.3% (95% PI: 27.6% to 74.3%). These data indicate that a paratuberculosis control program for small ruminants is needed in Ontario.

[Nitrogen balance in dairy farm: research progress].

PubMed

Lü, Chao; Qin, Wen-Xiao; Gao, Teng-Yun; Wang, Xiao-Xiao; Han, Zhi-Guo; Li, Jia

2013-01-01

Large dairy farm with intensive management has high stocking density, but generally does not have enough space and normative feces disposal system, resulting in the discharged nitrogen surpassed the environmental carrying capacity of unit area land. Dairy farm is one of the major emission sources of nitrogen discharges in agriculture, where the nitrogen balance has being aroused attention by the experts abroad. The research on the nitrogen flow and nitrogen balance in dairy farm is the basis of the dairy farm nitrogen cycling and management study, as well as the basis for the construction of environmental laws, regulations and policies. The most reliable indicators to evaluate the nitrogen flow and nitrogen balance in dairy farm are nitrogen surplus and nitrogen use efficiency. This paper introduced the concept of nitrogen balance on farm-scale and the nitrogen flow within farm, compared the application scope of nitrogen surplus and nitrogen use efficiency, analyzed the factors affecting the nitrogen balance in dairy farm, and summarized the effective strategies to reduce the nitrogen discharges from dairy farm, aimed to provide references for the nitrogen management of dairy farm in China.

Utilization of industrial dairy waste as microalgae cultivation medium : a potential study for sustainable energy resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurmayani, S.; Sugiarti, Y.; Putra, R. H.

2016-04-01

Microalgae is one of biodiesel resources and call as third generation biofuel. Biodiesel is one alternative energy that being developed. So study about resource of biodiesel need a development, for the example is development the basic material such as microalgae. In this paper we explain the potential use of dairy waste from industry as a cultivation medium of microalgae for biodiesel production. Dairy waste from dairy industry contains 34.98% protein, 4.42% lactose, 9.77% fiber, 11.04% fat, 2.33% calcium, 1.05% phosfor, and 0.4 % magnesium, meaning that the dairy waste from dairy industry has a relatively high nutrient content and complete from a source of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus as macro nutrients. The method in this paper is literature review to resulting a new conclusion about the potency of waste water from dairy industry as microalgae cultivation medium. Based on the study, the dairy waste from dairy industry has potency to be used as cultivation medium of Botryococcus braunii in the production of biodiesel, replacing the conventional cultivation medium.

Prediction of water intake and excretion flows in Holstein dairy cows under thermoneutral conditions.

PubMed

Khelil-Arfa, H; Boudon, A; Maxin, G; Faverdin, P

2012-10-01

The increase in the worldwide demand for dairy products, associated with global warming, will emphasize the issue of water use efficiency in dairy systems. The evaluation of environmental issues related to the management of animal dejections will also require precise biotechnical models that can predict effluent management in farms. In this study, equations were developed and evaluated for predicting the main water flows at the dairy cow level, based on parameters related to cow productive performance and diet under thermoneutral conditions. Two datasets were gathered. The first one comprised 342 individual measurements of water balance in dairy cows obtained during 18 trials at the experimental farm of Méjussaume (INRA, France). Predictive equations of water intake, urine and fecal water excretion were developed by multiple regression using a stepwise selection of regressors from a list of seven candidate parameters, which were milk yield, dry matter intake (DMI), body weight, diet dry matter content (DM), proportion of concentrate (CONC) and content of crude protein (CP) ingested with forage and concentrate (CPf and CPc, g/kg DM). The second dataset was used for external validation of the developed equations and comprised 196 water flow measurements on experimental lots obtained from 43 published papers related to water balance or digestibility measurements in dairy cows. Although DMI was the first predictor of the total water intake (TWI), with a partial r(2) of 0.51, DM was the first predictive parameter of free water intake (FWI), with a partial r(2) of 0.57, likely due to the large variability of DM in the first dataset (from 11.5 to 91.4 g/100 g). This confirmed the compensation between water drunk and ingested with diet when DM changes. The variability of urine volume was explained mainly by the CPf associated with DMI (r.s.d. 5.4 kg/day for an average flow of 24.0 kg/day) and that of fecal water was explained by the proportion of CONC in the diet and DMI. External validation showed that predictive equations excluding DMI as predictive parameters could be used for FWI, urine and fecal water predictions if cows were fed a well-known total mixed ration. It also appeared that TWI and FWI were underestimated when ambient temperature increased above 25°C and possible means of including climatic parameters in future predictive equations were proposed.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the enteric fermentation and manure storage of dairy and beef cattle in China during 1961–2010

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Zhiling, E-mail: zhilinggao@hotmail.com; Lin, Zhi; Yang, Yuanyuan

Due to the expanding dairy and beef population in China and their contribution to global CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O budgets, a framework considering changes in feed, manure management and herd structure was established to indicate the trends of CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O emissions from the enteric formation and manure storage in China's beef and dairy production and the underlying driving forces during the period 1961–2010. From 1961 to 2010, annual CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O emissions from beef cattle in China increased from 2.18 Mt to 5.86 Mt and from 7.93 kt–29.56 kt, respectively, while those from dairymore » cattle increased from 0.023 to 1.09 Mt and 0.12 to 7.90 kt, respectively. These increases were attributed to the combined changes in cattle population and management practices in feeds and manure storage. Improvement in cattle genetics during the period increased the bodyweight, required dry matter intake and gross energy and thus resulted in increased enteric CH{sub 4} EFs for each category of beef and dairy cattle as well as the overall enteric EFs (i.e., Tier 1 in IPCC). However, for beef cattle, such an impact on the overall enteric EFs was largely offset by the herd structure transition from draft animal-oriented to meat animal-oriented during 1961–2010. Although the CO{sub 2}-eq of CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O from manure storage was less than the enteric emissions during 1961–2010 in China, it tended to increase both in beef and dairy cattle, which was mainly driven by the changes in manure management practices. - Highlights: • CH{sub 4} emissions dominated the CO{sub 2}-eq emissions from dairy and beef cattle in China. • Beef herd transition played an important role in CH{sub 4} emissions. • Changes of manure managements increased the manure EFs of CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O. • Manure contributed very less to the total CO{sub 2}-eq emissions but tended to grow.« less

Invited review: Mastitis in dairy heifers: nature of the disease, potential impact, prevention, and control.

PubMed

De Vliegher, S; Fox, L K; Piepers, S; McDougall, S; Barkema, H W

2012-03-01

Heifer mastitis is a disease that potentially threatens production and udder health in the first and subsequent lactations. In general, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are the predominant cause of intramammary infection and subclinical mastitis in heifers around parturition, whereas Staphylococcus aureus and environmental pathogens cause a minority of the cases. Clinical heifer mastitis is typically caused by the major pathogens. The variation in proportions of causative pathogens between studies, herds, and countries is considerable. The magnitude of the effect of heifer mastitis on an individual animal is influenced by the form of mastitis (clinical versus subclinical), the virulence of the causative pathogen(s) (major versus minor pathogens), the time of onset of infection relative to calving, cure or persistence of the infection when milk production has started, and the host's immunity. Intramammary infection in early lactation caused by CNS does not generally have a negative effect on subsequent productivity. At the herd level, the impact will depend on the prevalence and incidence of the disease, the nature of the problem (clinical, subclinical, nonfunctional quarters), the causative pathogens involved (major versus minor pathogens), the ability of the animals to cope with the disease, and the response of the dairy manager to control the disease through management changes. Specific recommendations to prevent and control mastitis in late gestation in periparturient heifers are not part of the current National Mastitis Council mastitis and prevention program. Control and prevention is currently based on avoidance of inter-sucking among young stock, fly control, optimal nutrition, and implementation of hygiene control and comfort measures, especially around calving. More risk factors for subclinical and clinical heifer mastitis have been identified (e.g., season, location of herd, stage of pregnancy) although they do not lend themselves to the development of specific intervention strategies designed to prevent the disease. Pathogen-specific risk factors and associated control measures need to be identified due to the pathogen-related variation in epidemiology and effect on future performance. Prepartum intramammary treatment with antibiotics has been proposed as a simple and effective way of controlling heifer mastitis but positive long-lasting effects on somatic cell count and milk yield do not always occur, ruling out universal recommendation of this practice. Moreover, use of antibiotics in this manner is off-label and results in an increased risk of antibiotic residues in milk. Prepartum treatment can be implemented only as a short-term measure to assist in the control of a significant heifer mastitis problem under supervision of the herd veterinarian. When CNS are the major cause of intramammary infection in heifers, productivity is not affected, making prepartum treatment redundant and even unwanted. In conclusion, heifer mastitis can affect the profitability of dairy farming because of a potential long-term negative effect on udder health and milk production and an associated culling risk, specifically when major pathogens are involved. Prevention and control is not easy but is possible through changes in young stock and heifer management. However, the pathogenesis and epidemiology of the disease remain largely unknown and more pathogen-specific risk factors should be identified to optimize current prevention programs. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diet and Anthropometrics of Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comparison With the General Population.

PubMed

Diederen, Kay; Krom, Hilde; Koole, Jeffrey C D; Benninga, Marc A; Kindermann, Angelika

2018-04-25

There is a lack of knowledge regarding the diet of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therefore, we investigated dietary intake in pediatric IBD compared to the general population and assessed anthropometrics and food avoidance. In this cross-sectional cohort study, patients younger than 18 years with IBD were included (2014-2017). Dietary intake (total energy, macro nutrients, food types) was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and compared with a matched reference population (n = 306). There were 102 patients included (55% male, median age 15.0 years). Median height Z-score was -0.39 (interquartile range [IQR]: -1.17 to 0.26). Growth failure (height Z-scores<-1.64) was present in 11% of patients. Median BMI Z-score was 0.36 (IQR: -0.70 to 0.96). Acute malnutrition (weight-for-height Z-score<-2) was present in 3% of patients. Energy intake was lower in pediatric IBD compared to the reference population (mean kilojoule/day: 8286 vs 9794, P < 0.001). Protein intake did not differ, while fat intake was higher in pediatric IBD (mean gram/day: 101 vs 91, P < 0.001), with higher intake of vegetable oils/fats. Carbohydrate intake was lower in pediatric IBD (mean gram/day: 267 vs 305, P < 0.001), with lower intake of food types high in sugar. Food avoidance was reported in 53% of patients, with frequent avoidance of spicy (46%), high-fat food (30%), and dairy (30%). The diet of children with IBD differs from the general pediatric population, with lower energy intake and high rates of food avoidance. Evaluation of the dietary intake alongside anthropometrics may be important to prevent nutrition deficiencies and promote health.

Identifying the major bacteria causing intramammary infections in individual milk samples of sheep and goats using traditional bacteria culturing and real-time polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Rovai, M; Caja, G; Salama, A A K; Jubert, A; Lázaro, B; Lázaro, M; Leitner, G

2014-09-01

Use of DNA-based methods, such as real-time PCR, has increased the sensitivity and shortened the time for bacterial identification, compared with traditional bacteriology; however, results should be interpreted carefully because a positive PCR result does not necessarily mean that an infection exists. One hundred eight lactating dairy ewes (56 Manchega and 52 Lacaune) and 24 Murciano-Granadina dairy goats were used for identifying the main bacteria causing intramammary infections (IMI) using traditional bacterial culturing and real-time PCR and their effects on milk performance. Udder-half milk samples were taken for bacterial culturing and somatic cell count (SCC) 3 times throughout lactation. Intramammary infections were assessed based on bacteria isolated in ≥2 samplings accompanied by increased SCC. Prevalence of subclinical IMI was 42.9% in Manchega and 50.0% in Lacaune ewes and 41.7% in goats, with the estimated milk yield loss being 13.1, 17.9, and 18.0%, respectively. According to bacteriology results, 87% of the identified single bacteria species (with more than 3 colonies/plate) or culture-negative growth were identical throughout samplings, which agreed 98.9% with the PCR results. Nevertheless, the study emphasized that 1 sampling may not be sufficient to determine IMI and, therefore, other inflammatory responses such as increased SCC should be monitored to identify true infections. Moreover, when PCR methodology is used, aseptic and precise milk sampling procedures are key for avoiding false-positive amplifications. In conclusion, both PCR and bacterial culture methods proved to have similar accuracy for identifying infective bacteria in sheep and goats. The final choice will depend on their response time and cost analysis, according to the requirements and farm management strategy. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dairy heifer manure management, dietary phosphorus, and soil test P effects on runoff phosphorus.

PubMed

Jokela, William E; Coblentz, Wayne K; Hoffman, Patrick C

2012-01-01

Manure application to cropland can contribute to runoff losses of P and eutrophication of surface waters. We conducted a series of three rainfall simulation experiments to assess the effects of dairy heifer dietary P, manure application method, application rate, and soil test P on runoff P losses from two successive simulated rainfall events. Bedded manure (18-21% solids) from dairy heifers fed diets with or without supplemental P was applied on a silt loam soil packed into 1- by 0.2-m sheet metal pans. Manure was either surface-applied or incorporated (Experiment 1) or surface-applied at two rates (Experiment 2) to supply 26 to 63 kg P ha. Experiment 3 evaluated runoff P from four similar nonmanured soils with average Bray P1-extractable P levels of 11, 29, 51, and 75 mg kg. We measured runoff quantity, total P (TP), dissolved reactive P (DRP), and total and volatile solids in runoff collected for 30 min after runoff initiation from two simulated rain events (70 mm h) 3 or 4 d apart. Manure incorporation reduced TP and DRP concentrations and load by 85 to 90% compared with surface application. Doubling the manure rate increased runoff DRP and TP concentrations an average of 36%. In the same experiment, P diet supplementation increased water-extractable P in manure by 100% and increased runoff DRP concentration threefold. Concentrations of solids, TP, and DRP in runoff from Rain 2 were 25 to 75% lower than from Rain 1 in Experiments 1 and 2. Runoff DRP from nonmanured soils increased quadratically with increasing soil test P. These results show that large reductions in P runoff losses can be achieved by incorporation of manure, avoiding unnecessary diet P supplementation, limiting manure application rate, and managing soils to prevent excessive soil test P levels. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Environmental impacts of alternative agricultural uses of poorly drained farm land in Ireland.

PubMed

Sharma, Pooja; Humphreys, James; Holden, Nicholas M

2018-05-07

Abolition of the milk quota in the European Union and favourable market conditions have stimulated the expansion of the dairy sector in Ireland, causing more milk to be produced from poorly drained land. This work evaluated the environmental impacts of alternative agricultural uses for poorly drained farm land in Ireland using life cycle assessment (LCA). The avoided burden of the displaced product was used to calculate the net environmental consequences in the context of regional or global markets. The impact categories evaluated were climate change, eutrophication and acidification, all expressed per hectare of land for the alternative land uses, which were pasture-based milk, suckler beef and lowland sheep production and coniferous forestry. Beef had the lowest net climate change impact with global marginal and average product substitution while sheep had the lowest net climate change impact with European displaced product. For net eutrophication and acidification, dairy had the lowest impacts with European and global average displaced product. With global marginal displaced product, forestry had the lowest net eutrophication impact and sheep had the lowest net acidification impact. From an Irish perspective, forestry would generate the lowest environmental impacts and would also increase soil carbon stock, but this was not the best land use option from global perspective. Overall it can be concluded that a pasture based dairy or sheep system would have the greatest net global impact reduction (i.e. greatest global benefit) as land use options for farms with poorly drained soils. Prioritizing climate change, suckler beef system would perhaps be more favourable. It is clear that the choice of the displaced regional or global co-product from the market has a great influence on the results and there is a need to consider more detailed consumption modelling to better understand the substitution process. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Food Code in the Yakut Culture: Semantics and Functions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabysheva, Luiza Lvovna

2016-01-01

The relevance of researching the issue of a specific cultural meaning for a word in a folklore text is based on its being insufficiently studied and due to the importance for solving the problem of the folklore language semantic features. Yakut nominations for dairy products, which are the key words in the language of the Sakha people's folklore,…

Survivability of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis in grass silage after fermentation and exposure to low pH and high organic acids

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (Map) is a pathogen of concern in dairy production due to its ability to withstand harsh conditions and cause new infections. Infection is a result of ingesting Map cells from contaminated feed, water, or manure. The goal of this research was to evaluate th...

Integrated Farm System Model Version 4.2 and Dairy Gas Emissions Model Version 3.2 Software development and distribution

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Emissions of ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) vary among animal facilities due to differences in housing structure and associated manure management. Bedded pack barns are structures with a roof and sidewalls resulting in a lower air velocity and evaporation potential inside the structure. But s...

Quantifying the impact of seasonal and short-term manure application decisions on phosphorus loss in surface runoff

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural phosphorus (P) management is a pressing research and policy issue due to concerns about P loss from fields and water quality degradation. Better information is especially needed on the risk of P loss from dairy manure applied to fields in winter. We used the SurPhos computer model to as...

76 FR 70108 - Notice of Intent To Request Approval To Revise and Extend an Information Collection

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-10

... will still be published for total number of dairy cows, the number of cows milked, and the total milk...) to request approval to revise and extend a currently approved information collection, the Milk and Milk Products Surveys. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target...

Case study: Differences in milk characteristics between a cow herd transitioning to organic versus milk from a conventional dairy herd

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Differences between organic and conventional milk were studied by comparing two adjacent farms over a 12-mo period starting at the beginning of the grazing season, thus eliminating variables due to geography and weather. Milk was collected from a farm where cows were fed a conventional total mixed ...

New Zealand Dairy Farming: Milking Our Environment for All Its Worth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foote, Kyleisha J.; Joy, Michael K.; Death, Russell G.

2015-09-01

Over the past two decades there have been major increases in dairy production in New Zealand. This increase in intensity has required increased use of external inputs, in particular fertilizer, feed, and water. Intensified dairy farming thus incurs considerable environmental externalities: impacts that are not paid for directly by the dairy farmer. These externalities are left for the wider New Zealand populace to deal with, both economically and environmentally. This is counter-intuitive given the dairy industry itself relies on a `clean green' image to maximize returns. This is the first nationwide assessment of some of the environmental costs of the recent increase of dairy intensification in New Zealand. Significant costs arise from nitrate contamination of drinking water, nutrient pollution to lakes, soil compaction, and greenhouse gas emissions. At the higher end, the estimated cost of some environmental externalities surpasses the 2012 dairy export revenue of NZ11.6 billion and almost reaches the combined export revenue and dairy's contribution to Gross Domestic Product in 2010 of NZ5 billion. For the dairy industry to accurately report on its profitability and maintain its sustainable marketing label, these external costs should be reported. This assessment is in fact extremely conservative as many impacts have not been valued, thus, the total negative external impact of intensified dairying is probably grossly underestimated.

DairyWise, a whole-farm dairy model.

PubMed

Schils, R L M; de Haan, M H A; Hemmer, J G A; van den Pol-van Dasselaar, A; de Boer, J A; Evers, A G; Holshof, G; van Middelkoop, J C; Zom, R L G

2007-11-01

A whole-farm dairy model was developed and evaluated. The DairyWise model is an empirical model that simulated technical, environmental, and financial processes on a dairy farm. The central component is the FeedSupply model that balanced the herd requirements, as generated by the DairyHerd model, and the supply of homegrown feeds, as generated by the crop models for grassland and corn silage. The output of the FeedSupply model was used as input for several technical, environmental, and economic submodels. The submodels simulated a range of farm aspects such as nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, nitrate leaching, ammonia emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and a financial farm budget. The final output was a farm plan describing all material and nutrient flows and the consequences on the environment and economy. Evaluation of DairyWise was performed with 2 data sets consisting of 29 dairy farms. The evaluation showed that DairyWise was able to simulate gross margin, concentrate intake, nitrogen surplus, nitrate concentration in ground water, and crop yields. The variance accounted for ranged from 37 to 84%, and the mean differences between modeled and observed values varied between -5 to +3% per set of farms. We conclude that DairyWise is a powerful tool for integrated scenario development and evaluation for scientists, policy makers, extension workers, teachers and farmers.

New Zealand Dairy Farming: Milking Our Environment for All Its Worth.

PubMed

Foote, Kyleisha J; Joy, Michael K; Death, Russell G

2015-09-01

Over the past two decades there have been major increases in dairy production in New Zealand. This increase in intensity has required increased use of external inputs, in particular fertilizer, feed, and water. Intensified dairy farming thus incurs considerable environmental externalities: impacts that are not paid for directly by the dairy farmer. These externalities are left for the wider New Zealand populace to deal with, both economically and environmentally. This is counter-intuitive given the dairy industry itself relies on a 'clean green' image to maximize returns. This is the first nationwide assessment of some of the environmental costs of the recent increase of dairy intensification in New Zealand. Significant costs arise from nitrate contamination of drinking water, nutrient pollution to lakes, soil compaction, and greenhouse gas emissions. At the higher end, the estimated cost of some environmental externalities surpasses the 2012 dairy export revenue of NZ$11.6 billion and almost reaches the combined export revenue and dairy's contribution to Gross Domestic Product in 2010 of NZ$5 billion. For the dairy industry to accurately report on its profitability and maintain its sustainable marketing label, these external costs should be reported. This assessment is in fact extremely conservative as many impacts have not been valued, thus, the total negative external impact of intensified dairying is probably grossly underestimated.

Economic and genetic performance of various combinations of in vitro-produced embryo transfers and artificial insemination in a dairy herd.

PubMed

Kaniyamattam, Karun; Block, Jeremy; Hansen, Peter J; De Vries, Albert

2018-02-01

The objective of this study was to find the optimal proportions of pregnancies from an in vitro-produced embryo transfer (IVP-ET) system and artificial insemination (AI) so that profitability is maximized over a range of prices for embryos and surplus dairy heifer calves. An existing stochastic, dynamic dairy model with genetic merits of 12 traits was adapted for scenarios where 0 to 100% of the eligible females in the herd were impregnated, in increments of 10%, using IVP-ET (ET0 to ET100, 11 scenarios). Oocytes were collected from the top donors selected for the trait lifetime net merit (NM$) and fertilized with sexed semen to produce IVP embryos. Due to their greater conception rates, first ranked were eligible heifer recipients based on lowest number of unsuccessful inseminations or embryo transfers, and then on age. Next, eligible cow recipients were ranked based on the greatest average estimated breeding values (EBV) of the traits cow conception rate and daughter pregnancy rate. Animals that were not recipients of IVP embryos received conventional semen through AI, except that the top 50% of heifers ranked for EBV of NM$ were inseminated with sexed semen for the first 2 AI. The economically optimal proportions of IVP-ET were determined using sensitivity analysis performed for 24 price sets involving 6 different selling prices of surplus dairy heifer calves at approximately 105 d of age and 4 different prices of IVP embryos. The model was run for 15 yr after the start of the IVP-ET program for each scenario. The mean ± standard error of true breeding values of NM$ of all cows in the herd in yr 15 was greater by $603 ± 2 per cow per year for ET100 when compared with ET0. The optimal proportion of IVP-ET ranged from ET100 (for surplus dairy heifer calves sold for ≥$300 along with an additional premium based on their EBV of NM$ and a ≤$100 embryo price) to as low as ET0 (surplus dairy heifer calves sold at $300 with a $200 embryo price). For the default assumptions, the profit/cow in yr 15 was greater by $337, $215, $116, and $69 compared with ET0 when embryo prices were $50, $100, $150, and $200. The optimal use of IVP-ET was 100, 100, 62, and 36% of all breedings for these embryo prices, respectively. At the input price of $165 for an IVP embryo, the difference in the net present value of yr 15 profit between ET40 (optimal scenario) and ET0 was $33 per cow. In conclusion, some use of IVP-ET was profitable for a wide range of IVP-ET prices and values of surplus dairy heifer calves. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The influence of dairy consumption and physical activity on ultrasound bone measurements in Flemish children.

PubMed

De Smet, Stephanie; Michels, Nathalie; Polfliet, Carolien; D'Haese, Sara; Roggen, Inge; De Henauw, Stefaan; Sioen, Isabelle

2015-03-01

The study's aim was to analyse whether children's bone status, assessed by calcaneal ultrasound measurements, is influenced by dairy consumption and objectively measured physical activity (PA). Moreover, the interaction between dairy consumption and PA on bone mass was studied. Participants of this cross-sectional study were 306 Flemish children (6-12 years). Body composition was measured with air displacement plethysmography (BodPod), dairy consumption with a Food Frequency Questionnaire, PA with an accelerometer (only in 234 of the 306 children) and bone mass with quantitative ultrasound, quantifying speed of sound (SOS), broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) and Stiffness Index (SI). Regression analyses were used to study the associations between dairy consumption, PA, SOS, BUA and SI. Total dairy consumption and non-cheese dairy consumption were positively associated with SOS and SI, but no significant association could be demonstrated with BUA. In contrast, milk consumption, disregarding other dairy products, had no significant effect on calcaneal bone measurements. PA [vigorous PA, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and counts per minute] was positively associated and sedentary time was negatively associated with BUA and SI, but no significant influence on SOS could be detected. Dairy consumption and PA (sedentary time and MVPA) did not show any interaction influencing bone measurements. In conclusion, even at young age, PA and dairy consumption positively influence bone mass. Promoting PA and dairy consumption in young children may, therefore, maximize peak bone mass, an important protective factor against osteoporosis later in life.

The environmental impact of dairy production: 1944 compared with 2007.

PubMed

Capper, J L; Cady, R A; Bauman, D E

2009-06-01

A common perception is that pasture-based, low-input dairy systems characteristic of the 1940s were more conducive to environmental stewardship than modern milk production systems. The objective of this study was to compare the environmental impact of modern (2007) US dairy production with historical production practices as exemplified by the US dairy system in 1944. A deterministic model based on the metabolism and nutrient requirements of the dairy herd was used to estimate resource inputs and waste outputs per billion kg of milk. Both the modern and historical production systems were modeled using characteristic management practices, herd population dynamics, and production data from US dairy farms. Modern dairy practices require considerably fewer resources than dairying in 1944 with 21% of animals, 23% of feedstuffs, 35% of the water, and only 10% of the land required to produce the same 1 billion kg of milk. Waste outputs were similarly reduced, with modern dairy systems producing 24% of the manure, 43% of CH(4), and 56% of N(2)O per billion kg of milk compared with equivalent milk from historical dairying. The carbon footprint per billion kilograms of milk produced in 2007 was 37% of equivalent milk production in 1944. To fulfill the increasing requirements of the US population for dairy products, it is essential to adopt management practices and technologies that improve productive efficiency, allowing milk production to be increased while reducing resource use and mitigating environmental impact.

Dairy farm strategy distribution in Pennsylvania and implications to nutrient management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The emergence of alternative dairy farm production strategies may have implications on the environmental impacts as well as profitability of dairy farms. This study characterized Pennsylvania dairy farm production of homegrown forages, herd management, purchased feeds, manure management and economic...

Early Pregnancy Diagnosis in Bovines: Current Status and Future Directions

PubMed Central

Gupta, Meenakshi; Singh, Surender; Mohanty, Ashok K.; Singh, Inderjeet

2013-01-01

An early and accurate diagnosis of reproductive dysfunctions or aberrations is crucial to better reproductive management in livestock. High reproductive efficiency is a prerequisite for high life-time production in dairy animals. Early pregnancy diagnosis is key to shorten the calving interval through early identification of open animals and their timely treatment and rebreeding so as to maintain a postpartum barren interval close to 60 days. A buffalo, the most important dairy animal in the Indian subcontinent, is known for problems related to high calving interval, late puberty, and high incidence of anestrus. Lack of reliable cow-side early pregnancy diagnosis methods further aggravates the situation. Several methods of pregnancy diagnosis are being practiced in bovine species, yet none qualifies as the ideal pregnancy diagnosis method due to the inherent limitations of sensitivity, accuracy, specificity, speed, and ease of performing the test. The advancement of molecular techniques like proteomics and their applications in animal research has given a new hope to look for pregnancy biomarker molecules in these animals. This review attempts to examine common pregnancy diagnosis methods available for dairy animals, while assessing the usefulness of the modern technologies in detecting novel pregnancy markers and designing future strategies for research in this area. PMID:24382949

Isolation and identification of bacterial pathogen from mastitis milk in Central Java Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harjanti, D. W.; Ciptaningtyas, R.; Wahyono, F.; Setiatin, ET

2018-01-01

Mastitis is a multi-etiologic disease of the mammary gland characterized mainly by reduction in milk production and milk quality due to intramammary infection by pathogenic bacteria. Nearly 83% of lactating dairy cows in Indonesia are infected with mastitis in various inflammation degrees. This study was conducted to isolate and identify the pathogen in milk collected from mastitis-infected dairy cows. The study was carried out in ten smallholder dairy farms in Central Java Indonesia based on animal examination, California mastitis test, isolation bacterial pathogens, Gram staining, Catalase and Coagulase test, and identification of bacteria species using Vitek. Bacteriological examination of milk samples revealed 15 isolates where Streptococcus was predominant species (73.3%) and the coagulase negative Staphylococcus species was identified at the least bacteria (26.7%). The Streptococcus bacteria found were Streptococcus uberis (2 isolates), Streptococcus sanguinis(6 isolates), Streptococcus dysgalactiaessp dysgalactiae(1 isolate) , Streptococcus mitis (1 isolate) and Streptococcus agalactiae (1 isolate). The Staphylococcus isolates comprising of Staphylococcus simulans (1 isolate) and Staphylococcus chromogens (3 isolates). Contamination of raw milkwith pathogenic bacteria can cause outbreaks of human disease (milk borne disease). Thus, proper milk processing method that couldinhibit the growth or kill these pathogenic bacteria is important to ensure the safety of milk and milk products.

Identification and antimicrobial suceptibility profile of bacteria causing bovine mastitis from dairy farms in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul.

PubMed

Freitas, C H; Mendes, J F; Villarreal, P V; Santos, P R; Gonçalves, C L; Gonzales, H L; Nascente, P S

2018-01-08

Mastitis is an inflammatory process of the udder tissue caused mainly by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics fosters conditions that favor the selection of resistant microorganisms, suppressing at the same time susceptible forms, causing a serious problem in dairy cattle. Given the importance in performing an antibiogram to select the most adequate antimicrobial therapy, the aim of this study was to identify bacteria isolated from cow's milk with mastitis, in dairy farms situated in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, and to determinate the susceptibility profile of these isolates against the antibiotics used to treat this illness. A total of 30 isolates of Staphylococcus spp., were selected from milk samples from the udder quarters with subclinical mastitis whose species were identified through the Vitek system. The susceptibility profile was performed by the disk diffusion assay, against: ampicillin, amoxicillin, bacitracin, cephalexin, ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, neomycin, norfloxacin, penicillin G, tetracycline and trimethoprim. In the antibiogram, 100.0% of the isolates were resistant to trimethoprim and 96.7% to tetracycline and neomycin, three strains of Staphylococcus spp., (10.0%) presented resistance to the 12 antibiotics tested and 24 (80.0%) to at least eight. These results showed the difficulty in treating mastitis, due to the pathogens' resistance.

Progress in nutritional and health profile of milk and dairy products: a novel drug target.

PubMed

Martemucci, Giovanni; D'Alessandro, Angela Gabriella

2013-09-01

There is an increasing focus on diet as a tool to maintain human health and prevent disease. Milk and milk products of ruminants are important source of fat and saturated fatty acids, which are not considered to be very favourable to human health, but are valuable sources of nutrients including bioactive fatty acids (FA), vitamins, and minerals, which can promote positive health effects. The nutritional characteristics of milk and dairy products are related to their composition, which depends on the source species, and varies due to numerous factors, among which the animal diet is the most important. An improvement in milk FA composition and other micronutrients can be reached through an animal feeding strategy. Natural pasture-based farming systems increase microconstituents that are beneficial to human health (CLA, PUFAs, n-3 FAs, antioxidants, vitamins A and E, and Se) and volatile compounds (flavour, and terpenes) in milk and cheese. There are still uncertainties about the health benefits of various milk FAs and other compounds; deep and extensive long-term clinical studies with humans are needed. The contamination of milk and dairy products by heavy metals or dioxins has dramatic negative consequences for human and livestock health and necessitates very urgent consideration and intervention.

The Prevalence and Control of Bacillus and Related Spore-Forming Bacteria in the Dairy Industry.

PubMed

Gopal, Nidhi; Hill, Colin; Ross, Paul R; Beresford, Tom P; Fenelon, Mark A; Cotter, Paul D

2015-01-01

Milk produced in udder cells is sterile but due to its high nutrient content, it can be a good growth substrate for contaminating bacteria. The quality of milk is monitored via somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts, with prescribed regulatory limits to ensure quality and safety. Bacterial contaminants can cause disease, or spoilage of milk and its secondary products. Aerobic spore-forming bacteria, such as those from the genera Sporosarcina, Paenisporosarcina, Brevibacillus, Paenibacillus, Geobacillus and Bacillus, are a particular concern in this regard as they are able to survive industrial pasteurization and form biofilms within pipes and stainless steel equipment. These single or multiple-species biofilms become a reservoir of spoilage microorganisms and a cycle of contamination can be initiated. Indeed, previous studies have highlighted that these microorganisms are highly prevalent in dead ends, corners, cracks, crevices, gaskets, valves and the joints of stainless steel equipment used in the dairy manufacturing plants. Hence, adequate monitoring and control measures are essential to prevent spoilage and ensure consumer safety. Common controlling approaches include specific cleaning-in-place processes, chemical and biological biocides and other novel methods. In this review, we highlight the problems caused by these microorganisms, and discuss issues relating to their prevalence, monitoring thereof and control with respect to the dairy industry.

Vegan Diet, Subnormal Vitamin B-12 Status and Cardiovascular Health

PubMed Central

Woo, Kam S.; Kwok, Timothy C.Y.; Celermajer, David S.

2014-01-01

Vegetarian diets have been associated with atherosclerosis protection, with healthier atherosclerosis risk profiles, as well as lower prevalence of, and mortality from, ischemic heart disease and stroke. However, there are few data concerning the possible cardiovascular effects of a vegan diet (with no meat, dairy or egg products). Vitamin B-12 deficiency is highly prevalent in vegetarians; this can be partially alleviated by taking dairy/egg products in lact-ovo-vegetarians. However, metabolic vitamin B-12 deficiency is highly prevalent in vegetarians in Australia, Germany, Italy and Austria, and in vegans (80%) in Hong Kong and India, where vegans rarely take vitamin B-12 fortified food or vitamin B-12 supplements. Similar deficiencies exist in northern Chinese rural communities consuming inadequate meat, egg or dairy products due to poverty or dietary habits. Vascular studies have demonstrated impaired arterial endothelial function and increased carotid intima-media thickness as atherosclerosis surrogates in such metabolic vitamin B-12 deficient populations, but not in lactovegetarians in China. Vitamin B-12 supplementation has a favourable impact on these vascular surrogates in Hong Kong vegans and in underprivileged communities in northern rural China. Regular monitoring of vitamin B-12 status is thus potentially beneficial for early detection and treatment of metabolic vitamin B-12 deficiency in vegans, and possibly for prevention of atherosclerosis-related diseases. PMID:25195560

Vegan diet, subnormal vitamin B-12 status and cardiovascular health.

PubMed

Woo, Kam S; Kwok, Timothy C Y; Celermajer, David S

2014-08-19

Vegetarian diets have been associated with atherosclerosis protection, with healthier atherosclerosis risk profiles, as well as lower prevalence of, and mortality from, ischemic heart disease and stroke. However, there are few data concerning the possible cardiovascular effects of a vegan diet (with no meat, dairy or egg products). Vitamin B-12 deficiency is highly prevalent in vegetarians; this can be partially alleviated by taking dairy/egg products in lact-ovo-vegetarians. However, metabolic vitamin B-12 deficiency is highly prevalent in vegetarians in Australia, Germany, Italy and Austria, and in vegans (80%) in Hong Kong and India, where vegans rarely take vitamin B-12 fortified food or vitamin B-12 supplements. Similar deficiencies exist in northern Chinese rural communities consuming inadequate meat, egg or dairy products due to poverty or dietary habits. Vascular studies have demonstrated impaired arterial endothelial function and increased carotid intima-media thickness as atherosclerosis surrogates in such metabolic vitamin B-12 deficient populations, but not in lactovegetarians in China. Vitamin B-12 supplementation has a favourable impact on these vascular surrogates in Hong Kong vegans and in underprivileged communities in northern rural China. Regular monitoring of vitamin B-12 status is thus potentially beneficial for early detection and treatment of metabolic vitamin B-12 deficiency in vegans, and possibly for prevention of atherosclerosis-related diseases.

The Prevalence and Control of Bacillus and Related Spore-Forming Bacteria in the Dairy Industry

PubMed Central

Gopal, Nidhi; Hill, Colin; Ross, Paul R.; Beresford, Tom P.; Fenelon, Mark A.; Cotter, Paul D.

2015-01-01

Milk produced in udder cells is sterile but due to its high nutrient content, it can be a good growth substrate for contaminating bacteria. The quality of milk is monitored via somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts, with prescribed regulatory limits to ensure quality and safety. Bacterial contaminants can cause disease, or spoilage of milk and its secondary products. Aerobic spore-forming bacteria, such as those from the genera Sporosarcina, Paenisporosarcina, Brevibacillus, Paenibacillus, Geobacillus and Bacillus, are a particular concern in this regard as they are able to survive industrial pasteurization and form biofilms within pipes and stainless steel equipment. These single or multiple-species biofilms become a reservoir of spoilage microorganisms and a cycle of contamination can be initiated. Indeed, previous studies have highlighted that these microorganisms are highly prevalent in dead ends, corners, cracks, crevices, gaskets, valves and the joints of stainless steel equipment used in the dairy manufacturing plants. Hence, adequate monitoring and control measures are essential to prevent spoilage and ensure consumer safety. Common controlling approaches include specific cleaning-in-place processes, chemical and biological biocides and other novel methods. In this review, we highlight the problems caused by these microorganisms, and discuss issues relating to their prevalence, monitoring thereof and control with respect to the dairy industry. PMID:26733963

Spore test parameters matter: Mesophilic and thermophilic spore counts detected in raw milk and dairy powders differ significantly by test method.

PubMed

Kent, D J; Chauhan, K; Boor, K J; Wiedmann, M; Martin, N H

2016-07-01

United States dairy industry exports have steadily risen in importance over the last 10yr, with dairy powders playing a particularly critical role. Currently, approximately half of US-produced nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder is exported. Reaching new and expanding existing export markets relies in part on the control of endospore-forming bacteria in dairy powders. This study reports baseline mesophilic and thermophilic spore counts and spore populations from 55 raw material samples (primarily raw milk) and 33 dairy powder samples from dairy powder processors across the United States. Samples were evaluated using various spore testing methodologies and included initial heat treatments of (1) 80°C for 12 min; (2) 100°C for 30 min; and (3) 106°C for 30 min. Results indicate that significant differences in both the level and population of spores were found for both raw milk and dairy powders with the various testing methods. Additionally, on average, spore counts were not found to increase significantly from the beginning to the end of dairy powder processing, most likely related to the absence of biofilm formation by processing plant-associated sporeformers (e.g., Anoxybacillus sp.) in the facilities sampled. Finally, in agreement with other studies, Bacillus licheniformis was found to be the most prevalent sporeformer in both raw materials and dairy powders, highlighting the importance of this organism in developing strategies for control and reduction of spore counts in dairy powders. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for standardization of spore enumeration methodologies in the dairy powder industry. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incorporating a prediction of postgrazing herbage mass into a whole-farm model for pasture-based dairy systems.

PubMed

Gregorini, P; Galli, J; Romera, A J; Levy, G; Macdonald, K A; Fernandez, H H; Beukes, P C

2014-07-01

The DairyNZ whole-farm model (WFM; DairyNZ, Hamilton, New Zealand) consists of a framework that links component models for animal, pastures, crops, and soils. The model was developed to assist with analysis and design of pasture-based farm systems. New (this work) and revised (e.g., cow, pasture, crops) component models can be added to the WFM, keeping the model flexible and up to date. Nevertheless, the WFM does not account for plant-animal relationships determining herbage-depletion dynamics. The user has to preset the maximum allowable level of herbage depletion [i.e., postgrazing herbage mass (residuals)] throughout the year. Because residuals have a direct effect on herbage regrowth, the WFM in its current form does not dynamically simulate the effect of grazing pressure on herbage depletion and consequent effect on herbage regrowth. The management of grazing pressure is a key component of pasture-based dairy systems. Thus, the main objective of the present work was to develop a new version of the WFM able to predict residuals, and thereby simulate related effects of grazing pressure dynamically at the farm scale. This objective was accomplished by incorporating a new component model into the WFM. This model represents plant-animal relationships, for example sward structure and herbage intake rate, and resulting level of herbage depletion. The sensitivity of the new version of the WFM was evaluated and then the new WFM was tested against an experimental data set previously used to evaluate the WFM and to illustrate the adequacy and improvement of the model development. Key outputs variables of the new version pertinent to this work (milk production, herbage dry matter intake, intake rate, harvesting efficiency, and residuals) responded acceptably to a range of input variables. The relative prediction errors for monthly and mean annual residual predictions were 20 and 5%, respectively. Monthly predictions of residuals had a line bias (1.5%), with a proportion of square root of mean square prediction error (RMSPE) due to random error of 97.5%. Predicted monthly herbage growth rates had a line bias of 2%, a proportion of RMSPE due to random error of 96%, and a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.87. Annual herbage production was predicted with an RMSPE of 531 (kg of herbage dry matter/ha per year), a line bias of 11%, a proportion of RMSPE due to random error of 80%, and relative prediction errors of 2%. Annual herbage dry matter intake per cow and hectare, both per year, were predicted with RMSPE, relative prediction error, and concordance correlation coefficient of 169 and 692kg of dry matter, 3 and 4%, and 0.91 and 0.87, respectively. These results indicate that predictions of the new WFM are relatively accurate and precise, with a conclusion that incorporating a plant-animal relationship model into the WFM allows for dynamic predictions of residuals and more realistic simulations of the effect of grazing pressure on herbage production and intake at the farm level without the intervention from the user. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Successful organic dairy systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Demand for organic dairy products has continually increased and at times outpaced supply for a number of years. This has created favorable milk pricing for certified organic dairy farmers, as the stability of organic milk prices has provided organic dairy farmers with a security not found in the con...

Vacuum Pump System Optimization Saves Energy at a Dairy Farm

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

In 1998, S&S Dairy optimized the vacuum pumping system at their dairy farm in Modesto, California. In an effort to reduce energy costs, S&S Dairy evaluated their vacuum pumping system to determine if efficiency gains and energy savings were possible.

7 CFR 58.146 - Cleaning and sanitizing treatment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... DAIRY PRODUCTS 1 General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading... for thorough cleaning. Dairy cleaners, detergents, wetting agents or sanitizing agents, or other... metal sponges shall not be used in the cleaning of any dairy equipment or utensils. (1) Product contact...

7 CFR 58.146 - Cleaning and sanitizing treatment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... DAIRY PRODUCTS 1 General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading... for thorough cleaning. Dairy cleaners, detergents, wetting agents or sanitizing agents, or other... metal sponges shall not be used in the cleaning of any dairy equipment or utensils. (1) Product contact...

7 CFR 58.146 - Cleaning and sanitizing treatment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... DAIRY PRODUCTS 1 General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading... for thorough cleaning. Dairy cleaners, detergents, wetting agents or sanitizing agents, or other... metal sponges shall not be used in the cleaning of any dairy equipment or utensils. (1) Product contact...

7 CFR 1150.112 - Dairy products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Dairy products. 1150.112 Section 1150.112 Agriculture... Order Definitions § 1150.112 Dairy products. Dairy products means products manufactured for human consumption which are derived from the processing of milk, and includes fluid milk products. ...

Impacts of the Doha Round framework agreements on dairy policies.

PubMed

Suzuki, N; Kaiser, H M

2005-05-01

Dairy is highly regulated in many countries for several reasons. Perishability, seasonal imbalances, and inelastic supply and demand for milk can cause inherent market instability. Milk buyers typically have had more market power than dairy farmers. Comparative production advantages in some countries have led to regulations and policies to protect local dairy farmers by maintaining domestic prices higher than world prices. A worldwide consensus on reduction of border measures for protecting dairy products is unlikely, and dairy will probably be an exception in ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. Under the Doha Round framework agreements, countries may name some products such as dairy as "sensitive," thereby excluding them from further reforms. However, new Doha Round framework agreements depart from the current WTO rule and call for product-specific spending caps. Such caps will greatly affect the dairy sector because dairy accounts for much of the aggregate measure of support (AMS) in several countries, including the United States and Canada. Also, the amounts of dairy AMS in several countries may be recalculated relative to an international reference price. In addition, all export subsidies are targeted for elimination in the Doha Round, including export credit programs and state trading enterprises, which will limit options for disposing of surplus dairy products in foreign markets. Currently, with higher domestic prices, measures for cutting or disposing of surpluses have been used in many countries. Supply control, which is not regulated by WTO rules, remains as an option. Although explicit export subsidies are restricted by WTO rules, many countries use esoteric measures to promote dairy exports. If countries agree to eliminate "consumer financed" export subsidies using a theoretical definition and measurements proposed herein as Export Subsidy Equivalents (ESE), dairy exports in many countries may be affected. Although domestic supports and export subsidies will be reduced in the Doha Round, possible exclusion of "sensitive" products from tariff reduction will help some countries' dairy sectors survive after those final agreements. A key concern for those countries will be the simultaneous restriction of surplus-disposing measures. With fewer marketing options for surpluses, countries that continue border protection and high internal prices will likely be forced to use domestic supply control programs in the future.

Food applications of natural antimicrobial compounds.

PubMed

Lucera, Annalisa; Costa, Cristina; Conte, Amalia; Del Nobile, Matteo A

2012-01-01

In agreement with the current trend of giving value to natural and renewable resources, the use of natural antimicrobial compounds, particularly in food and biomedical applications, becomes very frequent. The direct addition of natural compounds to food is the most common method of application, even if numerous efforts have been made to find alternative solutions to the aim of avoiding undesirable inactivation. Dipping, spraying, and coating treatment of food with active solutions are currently applied to product prior to packaging as valid options. The aim of the current work is to give an overview on the use of natural compounds in food sector. In particular, the review will gather numerous case-studies of meat, fish, dairy products, minimally processed fruit and vegetables, and cereal-based products where these compounds found application.

Food applications of natural antimicrobial compounds

PubMed Central

Lucera, Annalisa; Costa, Cristina; Conte, Amalia; Del Nobile, Matteo A.

2012-01-01

In agreement with the current trend of giving value to natural and renewable resources, the use of natural antimicrobial compounds, particularly in food and biomedical applications, becomes very frequent. The direct addition of natural compounds to food is the most common method of application, even if numerous efforts have been made to find alternative solutions to the aim of avoiding undesirable inactivation. Dipping, spraying, and coating treatment of food with active solutions are currently applied to product prior to packaging as valid options. The aim of the current work is to give an overview on the use of natural compounds in food sector. In particular, the review will gather numerous case-studies of meat, fish, dairy products, minimally processed fruit and vegetables, and cereal-based products where these compounds found application. PMID:23060862

Paleolithic diets as a model for prevention and treatment of Western disease.

PubMed

Lindeberg, Staffan

2012-01-01

To explore the possibility that a paleolithic-like diet can be used in the prevention of age-related degenerative Western disease. Literature review of African Paleolithic foods in relation to recent evidence of healthy nutrition. Available evidence lends weak support in favor and little against the notion that lean meat, fish, vegetables, tubers, and fruit can be effective in the prevention and treatment of common Western diseases. There are no obvious risks with avoiding dairy products, margarine, oils, refined sugar, and cereal grains, which provide 70% or more of the dietary intake in northern European populations. If stroke, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer are preventable by dietary changes, an ancestral-like diet may provide an appropriate template. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

From cold to hot: Climatic effects and productivity in Wisconsin dairy farms.

PubMed

Qi, L; Bravo-Ureta, B E; Cabrera, V E

2015-12-01

This study examined the effects of climatic conditions on dairy farm productivity using panel data for the state of Wisconsin along with alternative stochastic frontier models. A noteworthy feature of this analysis is that Wisconsin is a major dairy-producing area where winters are typically very cold and snowy and summers are hot and humid. Thus, it is an ideal geographical region for examining the effects of a range of climatic factors on dairy production. We identified the effects of temperature and precipitation, both jointly and separately, on milk output. The analysis showed that increasing temperature in summer or in autumn is harmful for dairy production, whereas warmer winters and warmer springs are beneficial. In contrast, more precipitation had a consistent adverse effect on dairy productivity. Overall, the analysis showed that over the past 17 yr, changes in climatic conditions have had a negative effect on Wisconsin dairy farms. Alternative scenarios predict that climate change would lead to a 5 to 11% reduction in dairy production per year between 2020 and 2039 after controlling for other factors. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Food safety issues in China: a case study of the dairy sector.

PubMed

Dong, Xiaoxia; Li, Zhemin

2016-01-15

Over the past 10 years, food safety incidents have occurred frequently in China. Food safety issues in the dairy sector have increasingly gained the attention of the Chinese government and the public. The objective of this research is to explore consumption changes of dairy products of different income groups after these dairy safety incidents. The research indicates that consumers' response to dairy safety risk is very intense. Dairy consumption has experienced a declining trend in recent years, and the impact of dairy safety incidents has lasted for at least 5 years. Until 2012, dairy consumption had not yet fully recovered from this influence. Using the random effects model, this study examined the relationship between food safety incident and consumption. Overall, the results show that consumers in the low-income group are more sensitive to safety risk than those in the high-income group. It can be seen from this paper that the decrease of urban residents' dairy consumption was mainly driven by changes in fresh milk consumption, while the decline of milk powder consumption, which was affected by the melamine incident, was relatively moderate, and milk powder consumption for the high-income group even increased. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Dairy Cows Productivity and Socio-Economic Profile of Dairy Smallholder’s Communities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widyobroto, B. P.; Rochijan; Noviandi, C. T.; Astuti, A.

2018-02-01

The objective of this field questionnaire survey was to describe the dairy cow productivity and socio-economic profile of dairy cattle farmers in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta smallholder farming communities which have been targeted dairy development policy. The study was conducted on 190 Friesian Holstein (FH) cows maintained under smallholder’s management system in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A total of 83 farmers were randomly selected and interviewed with structured questionnaire to assess the socio-economic dairy farmer and productivity performance of dairy cows. The number of dairy productivity performance within the normal. Shortages as well as high cost of feed, occurrence of disease, scarce information about feeding and high medicament cost were the main constraints which might have contributed considerably to delayed age at first service, late age at first calving, long calving interval, short lactation length and low milk production. Therefore, strategies designed to solve the existing problem should be important by involving all stakeholders in the formulation and implementation of improvement strategiesor dairy development policy was being implemented and necessary respect to environmental factors affecting agricultural activities such as a constraint on land use and access to water resources.

A survey of silage management practices on California dairies.

PubMed

Heguy, J M; Meyer, D; Silva-Del-Río, N

2016-02-01

The aim of the present study was to gather baseline information on corn silage-management practices to develop an outreach curriculum for dairy producers and growers. In spring 2013, dairy producers in the San Joaquin Valley (California) were surveyed on their silage-management practices. Response rate was 14.5% (n=160) and herd size averaged 1,512 milking cows. Harvest date was set solely by the dairy producer (53.4%) or with the assistance of the crop manager, custom chopper, or nutritionist (23.3%). On some dairies (23.3%), the dairy producer delegated the harvest date decision. Most dairies (75.0%) estimated crop dry matter before harvest, and the preferred method was milk line evaluation. Dairy producers were mostly unfamiliar with harvest rate but the number [1 (35.9%), 2 (50.3%), or 3 to 5 (13.8%)] and size [6-row (17.7%), 8-row (67.3%), or 10-row (15.0%)] of choppers working simultaneously was reported. Most dairies used a single packing tractor (68.8%) and weighed every load of fresh chopped corn delivered to the silage pit (62%). During harvest, dry matter (66.9%), particle length (80.4%), and kernel processing (92.5%) were monitored. Most dairies completed filling their largest silage structure in less than 3 d (48.5%) or in 4 to 7 d (30.9%). Silage covering was completed no later than 7 2h after structure completion in all dairies, and was often completed within 24 h (68.8%). Packed forage was covered as filled in 19.6% of dairies. Temporary covers were used on some dairies (51.0%), with filling durations of 1 to 60 d. When temporary covers were not used, structures were filled in no more than 15 d. After structure closure, silage feedout started in 1 to 3 wk (44.4%), 4 to 5 wk (31.4%), or 8 or more wk (24.2%). Future considerations included increasing the silage storage area (55.9%), increasing the number of packing tractors (37.0%), planting brown mid-rib varieties (34.4%), buying a defacer to remove silage (33.1%), and creating drive-over piles (32.6%). Survey results will serve to develop and disseminate targeted information on silage management practices at harvest, packing, covering, and feedout on California's San Joaquin Valley dairies. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 412.30 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS (CAFO) POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Dairy Cows and Cattle Other Than Veal... operations (CAFOs) under 40 CFR 122.23 and includes the following animals: mature dairy cows, either milking or dry; cattle other than mature dairy cows or veal calves. Cattle other than mature dairy cows...

40 CFR Table Jj-3 to Subpart Jj of... - State-Specific Volatile Solids (VS) and Nitrogen (N) Excretion Rates for Cattle

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... VS/day/1000 kg animal mass) Dairy cows Dairy heifers Feedlot steer Feedlot heifers Nitrogen excretion rate (kg VS/day/1000 kg animal mass) Dairy cows Dairy heifers Feedlot steer Feedlot heifers Alabama 8...

40 CFR 412.30 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS (CAFO) POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Dairy Cows and Cattle Other Than Veal... operations (CAFOs) under 40 CFR 122.23 and includes the following animals: mature dairy cows, either milking or dry; cattle other than mature dairy cows or veal calves. Cattle other than mature dairy cows...

40 CFR 412.30 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS (CAFO) POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Dairy Cows and Cattle Other Than Veal... operations (CAFOs) under 40 CFR 122.23 and includes the following animals: mature dairy cows, either milking or dry; cattle other than mature dairy cows or veal calves. Cattle other than mature dairy cows...

40 CFR Table Jj-3 to Subpart Jj of... - State-Specific Volatile Solids (VS) and Nitrogen (N) Excretion Rates for Cattle

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... VS/day/1000 kg animal mass) Dairy cows Dairy heifers Feedlot steer Feedlot heifers Nitrogen excretion rate (kg VS/day/1000 kg animal mass) Dairy cows Dairy heifers Feedlot steer Feedlot heifers Alabama 8...

40 CFR Table Jj-3 to Subpart Jj of... - State-Specific Volatile Solids (VS) and Nitrogen (N) Excretion Rates for Cattle

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... VS/day/1000 kg animal mass) Dairy cows Dairy heifers Feedlot steer Feedlot heifers Nitrogen excretion rate (kg VS/day/1000 kg animal mass) Dairy cows Dairy heifers Feedlot steer Feedlot heifers Alabama 8...

40 CFR 412.30 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS (CAFO) POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Dairy Cows and Cattle Other Than Veal... operations (CAFOs) under 40 CFR 122.23 and includes the following animals: mature dairy cows, either milking or dry; cattle other than mature dairy cows or veal calves. Cattle other than mature dairy cows...

A nitrogen index for improving nutrient management within commercial Mexican dairy operations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dairy farm operations in Mexico are contributing to large, negative environmental impacts across some regions. These regions are traditionally dominated by large concentrations of dairy animals and intensive operations. Some of these dairy forage systems receive extremely large manure inputs and add...

The Dairy Greenhouse Gas Emission Model: Reference Manual

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Dairy Greenhouse Gas Model (DairyGHG) is a software tool for estimating the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint of dairy production systems. A relatively simple process-based model is used to predict the primary greenhouse gas emissions, which include the net emission of carbon dioxide...