The objective of this producer survey was to identify and estimate damage caused by bird-livestock interactions in commercial dairies. The interactions between birds and livestock have previously been implicated in causing economic damage while contributing to the environmental dissemination of microorganisms pathogenic to livestock and humans. Very little research exists to help producers understand what bird species use dairies, why they use dairies, or the scope and nature of damage created as a result of bird-livestock interactions. To better characterize these interactions, we surveyed dairy operators within Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin. Survey results suggest that the most common and destructive bird species found on commercial dairies are invasive to North America, and their use of dairies is associated with the loss of cattle feed, increased operating costs, and an increase in dairies self-reporting Salmonella spp. and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis. Cattle feed loss estimates generated from this survey were used to parameterize an input-output (IO) economic model using data from 10 counties in the state of Pennsylvania (Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Somerset). This IO model allowed us to estimate direct, indirect, and induced economic effects of feed loss from bird damage to dairies within these counties. The IO model output suggests that feed loss costs Pennsylvania between $4.11 and $12.08 million (mean $10.6 million) in total economic damage, with approximately 43 to 128 jobs (mean 112) forgone statewide in 2009. PMID:22981584

Extensive degradation of crude protein (CP) in ensiled legumes impairs N utilization when these silages are fed to dairy cattle. Previously, we reported that feeding birdsfoot trefoil (BFT; Lotus corniculatus) with elevated levels of condensed tannin (CT) reduced silage nonprotein N and was associat...

Sustainability of agriculture is a major concern in the Southern High Plains where demand for good quality forages by the beef cattle feeding and dairy industries and declining ground water resources are threatening the future of irrigated crop production. The greater water use efficiency of forage ...

A series of scoping calculations have been undertaken to evaluate The absolute and relative contribution of different exposure pathways to doses that may have been received by individuals living in the vicinity of the Hanford site. This scoping calculation (Calculation 001) examined the contributions of the various exposure pathways associated with environmental transport and accumulation of iodine-131 in the pasture-cow-milk pathway. Addressed in this calculation were the contributions to thyroid dose of infants and adult from (1) the ingestion by dairy cattle of various feedstuffs (pasturage, silage, alfalfa hay, and grass hay) in four different feeding regimes; (2) ingestion of soil by dairy cattle; (3) ingestion of stared feed on which airborne iodine-131 had been deposited; and (4) inhalation of airborne iodine-131 by dairy cows.

Twenty 5-month-old Holstein cattle (10 steers and 10 heifers) were selected from a dairy herd for a 28 day study of enteric methane emissions and energy utilization. The cattle were offered a completely mixed diet with grass silage and concentrates (0.45 and 0.55, DM basis, respectively). They were housed as a single group in cubicle accommodation for the first 20 d, transferred to metabolism units for 3 d, and subsequently housed in indirect open-circuit respiration calorimeter chambers for next 5 d with measurements of feed intake, feces and urine outputs and gaseous exchange. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of animal performance (feed intake, BW or BW gain), energy metabolism (energy intake, energy outputs or energy utilization efficiency), or methane emission rates (total methane emissions expressed on feed intake or energy intake basis). Thus, the data from the 2 groups were pooled to develop a range of relationships between inputs and outputs. The regression of energy balance or heat production against ME intake (r(2) = 0.85, P < 0.001) indicated a net energy requirement for maintenance of 0.57 MJ/kg BW(0.75), which is greater than reported for adult dairy cattle. The methane energy output was found to be 0.068 of GE intake when the intercept was omitted from the linear equation (r(2) = 0.73, P < 0.001), which is greater than the commonly accepted value (0.065) for adult cattle used for development of methane emission inventories for dairy and beef production systems. These data can add useful information to the scientific literature, as there is little information available on measurements of maintenance energy requirement or methane emissions in young stock (6 month old) of the current high yielding dairy cattle. The use of these data can potentially improve the accuracy of prediction of energy requirement and methane emissions for dairy and beef production systems in these dietary conditions. PMID:23048155

The objective was to evaluate if a standardized Johne's disease control program significantly reduced the prevalence of cattle infected with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in dairy herds with a moderate to high initial infection prevalence of >=10% ELISA-positive adult cattle. Nine Wisconsin dairy herds of diverse sizes and management styles completed the 6-yr study. The control program involved changes to heifer rearing practices in combination with a routine testing program. For heifers, the program specifically required 1) segregated maternity pens for ELISA-positive and ELISA-negative cattle; 2) removal of calves from the maternity pen in <2h; 3) use of colostrum only from individual ELISA-negative cows (no colostrum pooling); 4) hygienic collection of colostrum; 5) feeding ...

Dairy cows fed high-grain diets during early lactation have a high incidence of metabolic disorders. However, the precise mechanism(s) of how grain feeding causes disease is not clear. In an effort to understand how this diet transition alters the rumen environment and potentially leads to certain metabolic disorders in dairy cattle, we undertook a comprehensive, quantitative metabolomic analysis of rumen fluid samples from dairy cows fed 4 different diets. Using a combination of proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and direct flow injection tandem mass spectroscopy, we identified and quantified 93 metabolites in rumen samples taken from 8 dairy cows fed graded amounts of barley grain (i.e., 0, 15, 30, and 45% of diet dry matter). We also st...

Abstract in english Dairy cows identification and monitoring on small cattle farms are usually based on the utilization of barcode technology. This kind of identification technology is unsuitable for dairy cows milking and feeding process automation. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is a better solution in this case. This paper describes the research and implementation of the milking cycle´s automated monitoring with the use of RFID tags conducted on a small cattle farm in t (more) he Republic of Serbia. This solution is based on RFID system which consists of two parts. First part includes control box, two Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID readers operating at frequency of 915 MHz and RFID tags glued onto the dairy cow ear labels. Second part includes software modules for acquisition and collecting data from RFID tags to build up an archive due to supervision and analysis of the milking cycle. Reading accuracy of RFID system in the observed period was 99.8 % in average. A group of dairy cows having a settled milking cycle within an interval of 12h ± 5 % had a 1.5 % better yield and a 0.08 better quality in comparison with a group of dairy cows having a milking cycle variance higher than 20 %. RFID system implemented in described way can be easily integrated into a new or existing farm management system in order to have better production results which depend on several factors including settled milking cycles.

Some evidence exists that cow body condition score (BCS) is associated with risks to animal health, and that higher BCS in extensively kept animals provides a buffer against cold conditions or other adverse weather events. Not surprisingly, measures of BCS feature in dairy cattle welfare assessment protocols. However, the degree to which BCS predicts welfare state, particularly in relation to the level of ''hunger'' experienced, is not well researched. The aim of this study was to examine associations between naturally arising variations in BCS in dairy cattle and time spent engaged in activities used as proxy indicators of hunger. Holstein-Friesian cows (n=113) of either North American or New Zealand ancestry were allocated to 1 of 3 levels of concentrate-feed supplementation (0, 3, or 6k...

This survey determined the levels of eight phthalates - i.e. dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), benzylbutyl phthalate (BzBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) - in several Belgian milk and dairy products. Samples were obtained from various farms, a dairy factory and from different shops in order to investigate phthalate contamination "from farm to fork". At several stages in the milk chain, product contamination with phthalates - mostly DiBP, DnBP, BzBP and DEHP - was observed. At farm level, the mechanical milking process and the intake of phthalate containing feed by the cattle were found to be possible contamination sources. At industry and retail level, contact materials including packaging materials were additional contamination sources for phthalates in milk and dairy products. PMID:23138015

AVOTAN, avoparcin is a glycopeptide antibiotic manufactured by Cyanamid (UK) via the fermentation of a strain of Streptomyces candidus. The gross energy requirement of manufacturing avoparcin is calculated and compared with the gross energy savings of feed utilisation when used in animal feeding regimes for broiler chickens, pigs, beef cattle and dairy cows for milk production. Avoparcin improves farm animal production in terms of liveweight gains and feed conversion efficiency. So, by conserving animal feed it conserves the energy which would have been expended to produce that animal feed. The energy savings thus calculated range from one to two orders of magnitude on an energy ratio basis and so are very significant. The widespread use of avoparcin in world agriculture is therefore very beneficial in an energy conservation context. (Author)

It has been shown that several factors such as feed source and breed might influence milk fat-soluble antioxidants (AOs). This study investigated pasture feeding effects and dairy cattle breed on the content of ?-tocopherol and ?-carotene in cows' milk by monitoring two grazing seasons (spring and fall) as well as a summer no-pasture season. Four dairy farms located in Sicily were selected: two with both Holstein and Brown Swiss cows and two with only a Modicana (M) local breed cows. Bulk milk samples of each breed per farm were collected. Milk ?-tocopherol and ?-carotene were highest during spring (16.2 and 9.7??g.g?1 of fat, respectively), lowest during fall (11.2 and 0.8??g.g?1 of fat, respectively) and intermediate during summer (13.3 and 2.5??g.g?1 of fat, respectively). These results...

Electrical power production from the combustion of biogas from anaerobic digestion (AD) of manure is a means of recovering energy from animal waste. We evaluate the lowest cost method of moving material to and from centralized AD plants serving multiple confined feeding operations. Two areas are modeled, Lethbridge County, Alberta, Canada, an area of concentrated beef cattle feedlots, and Red Deer County, Alberta, a mixed-farming area with hog, dairy, chicken and beef cattle farms, and feedlots. We evaluate two types of AD plant: ones that return digestate to the source confined feeding operation for land spreading (current technology), and ones that process digestate to produce solid fertilizer and a dischargeable water stream (technology under development). We evaluate manure and digesta...

This paper provides an overview of the changes in the pasture-based dairy systems of New Zealand and Australia that may influence the health of cattle. There are relatively few available data that can be used to quantify the effects of increased intensification of milk production on the health of cattle. There is evidence that increased production increases the risk of mastitis and culling for udder health. Increased risks of mastitis with treatment with somatotropin support these findings; however, the risk of mastitis may decrease with increased milking frequency. Larger herds with greater stocking density should increase the risk for infectious disease, but evidence to support this contention is sparse. Very intensive grazing patterns associated with higher grass yields achieved using better cultivars and greater use of fertilisers favour nematode parasites. There is some evidence of anthelmintic resistance in both nematodes and liver fluke. Veterinarians will need to be aware of the potential for these to reduce the productivity of cattle. There have been benefits of improved nutrition on the efficiency of energy use for dairy production. Diseases such as bloat and ketosis appear to be of lower prevalence. It also appears that mineral nutrition of pasture-fed cattle is being better addressed, with gains in the control of milk fever, hypomagnesaemia and trace-element deficiencies. However, acidosis is a condition with a high point prevalence in pasture-based dairy systems where cows are fed supplements; one study in Australia found a point prevalence of approximately 11% of cows with acidosis. There is evidence from this study that the neutral detergent fibre (NDF) in pasture-based diets may need to be higher than 30% of the diet to maintain rumen stability. Laminitis and acidosis are different conditions with a similar pathogenesis, specifically highly fermentable diets. The prevalence of lameness was 28% in herds in Australia, suggesting that this condition must be a focus for preventive medical approaches, including the design of laneways, feed pads and dairies. PMID:19043462

...cattle, dairy cattle, and calves including prerumenative (veal) calves â(i) Amounts and indications...enteritis (scours) caused by Escherichia coli, wooden tongue caused...dosage where retreatment of calves and yearlings for...

Kelp is a common feed additive used on many dairy farms in the United States. However, few data are available supporting the efficacy of its addition to cattle feed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the taste preferences of calves provided with 0, 30, or 60g of kelp daily in a sequential elimination experiment. Calves in this study always ranked the control treatment first when given a choice and consumed 34.5% more dry matter from the control treatment in the first 3-d segment of the experiment. During the second feeding segment (d 4 and 5), when the control treatment was removed, daily dry matter consumption was reduced in 4 out of 6 calves compared with control calves when this treatment was available (first feeding segment). However, calves did not differentiate between the 2 ...

Four spirochete strains were isolated from papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD) lesions in Iowa dairy cattle and compared with two previously described spirochete strains isolated from dairy cattle in California. These six strains shared an identical 16S rDNA sequence that was 98% similar to Trep...

Three different types of compost, PM-5 (poultry manure compost), 338 (dairy cattle manure compost), and NVIRO-4 (alkaline-pH-stabilized dairy cattle manure compost), and irrigation water were inoculated with an avirulent strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium at 107 CFU g?1 and 105 CFU ml...

Aims: To estimate prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of enterococci in feces collected in 2007 from U.S. dairy cattle. Methods and Results: A total of 718 fecal samples from 122 dairy cattle operations from 17 U.S. states were collected and cultured for the presence of enterococci. One ...

In dairy cattle, many farming practices have been associated with occurrence of mastitis but it is often difficult to disentangle the causal threads. Structural equation models may reduce the complexity of such situations. Here, we applied the method to examine the links between mastitis (subclinical and clinical) and risk factors such as herd demographics, housing conditions, feeding procedures, milking practices, and strategies of mastitis prevention and treatment in 345 dairy herds from the Walloon region of Belgium. During the period January 2006 to October 2007, up to 110 different herd management variables were recorded by two surveyors using a questionnaire for the farm managers and during a farm visit. Monthly somatic cell counts of all lactating cows were collected by the local da...

Abstract BACKGROUND: Current feed evaluation systems for dairy cattle assume that nutritive values of feed components can be added, but do not take into account possible interactions among feed components. The main objective of this study was to investigate associative effects on in vitro gas production from total mixed ration (TMR), based on grass silage and cereal concentrate, and separate TMR components. TMR was incubated with inocula of free rumen liquid (FRL) and particle-associated rumen liquid (PAL) for 48 h and donor cows were fed TMRs with three different particle sizes to evaluate their influence on associative effects. RESULTS: Associative effects on gas production largely occurred at 2 and 4 h of incubation and dissipated with time of incubation. Incubation of TMR with PAL incr...

The objective of this study was to evaluate how behavioral and physiological parameters are affected based on a cow's level of success at displacing others at an overstocked feed bunk. Forty Holstein nonlactating, late-gestation dairy cattle were housed in an overstocked pen [5 stalls/10 cows and 0.34m of linear feed bunk (FB) space/cow] in groups of 10 (4 heifers and 6 multiparous cows) for 14d. Plasma nonesterified fatty acids, glucose, and fecal cortisol metabolites (11,17-dioxoandrostanes) were measured in blood and feces sampled every 2d. A glucose tolerance test and an ACTH challenge were conducted on all cows on d 13 and 14, respectively to further explore the effects of competitive success on energy metabolism and stress physiology. Feeding behavior and displacements at the FB were...

In order to determine the rate of transfer and the nature of the atrazine residues present in milk, lactating dairy cattle were treated with atrazine at three concentrations, 0.764 ppm, 0.0747 ppm and 0.0085 ppm (dry weight of food consumed). The concentrations were selected to bridge the gap between the concentration used for EPA metabolism studies (10 ppm) and the potential exposure level of dairy cattle to atrazine and its chlorotriazine metabolites through feed. The cattle were dosed following the morning milking for nine consecutive days with a single capsule bolus of {sup 14}C-atrazine. Milk was collected twice daily and aliquots of each milking and the individual cow`s daily pool of milk were analyzed by liquid scinitllation counting (LSC). The concentrations of {sup 14}C-residues in the milk plateaued on approximately day 3 and the mean {sup 14}C-atrazine levels in milk were 11.2 ppb, 1.13 ppb and 0.152 ppb for the high, middle and low dosed animals, respectively. The transfer of radioactive level of exposure to {sup 14}C-atrazine. The nature of the residues in milk were determined by extracting milk samples and analysis by HPLC, TLC or Aminex chromatography. Diaminchlorotriazine was the only chlorinated metabolite in the milk, constituting approximately 65% to 75% of the total radioactive residues (TRR).

ABSTRACT The Texas Panhandle is regarded as the â??Cattle Feeding Capital of the Worldâ?�, producing 42% of the fed beef cattle in the United States within a 200-mile radius of Amarillo generating more than 5 million tons of feedlot manure /year. Apart from feedlots, the Bosque River Region in Erath County, just north of Waco, Texas with about 110,000 dairy cattle in over 250 dairies, produces 1.8 million tons of manure biomass (excreted plus bedding) per year. While the feedlot manure has been used extensively for irrigated and dry land crop production, most dairies, as well as other concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOâ??s), the dairy farms utilize large lagoon areas to store wet animal biomass. Water runoff from these lagoons has been held responsible for the increased concentration of phosphorus and other contaminates in the Bosque River which drains into Lake Wacoâ??the primary source of potable water for Wacoâ??s 108,500 people. The concentrated animal feeding operations may lead to land, water, and air pollution if waste handling systems and storage and treatment structures are not properly managed. Manure-based biomass (MBB) has the potential to be a source of green energy at large coal-fired power plants and on smaller-scale combustion systems at or near confined animal feeding operations. Although MBB particularly cattle biomass (CB) is a low quality fuel with an inferior heat value compared to coal and other fossil fuels, the concentration of it at large animal feeding operations can make it a viable source of fuel. The overall objective of this interdisciplinary proposal is to develop environmentally benign technologies to convert low-value inventories of dairy and beef cattle biomass into renewable energy. Current research expands the suite of technologies by which cattle biomass (CB: manure, and premature mortalities) could serve as a renewable alternative to fossil fuel. The work falls into two broad categories of research and development. Category 1 â?? Renewable Energy Conversion. This category addressed mostly in volume I involves developing. Thermo-chemical conversion technologies including cofiring with coal, reburn to reduce nitrogen oxide (NO, N2O, NOx, etc.) and Hg emissions and gasification to produce low-BTU gas for on-site power production in order to extract energy from waste streams or renewable resources. Category 2 â?? Biomass Resource Technology. This category, addressed mostly in Volume II, deals with the efficient and cost-effective use of CB as a renewable energy source (e.g. through and via aqueous-phase, anaerobic digestion or biological gasification). The investigators formed an industrial advisory panel consisting fuel producers (feedlots and dairy farms) and fuel users (utilities), periodically met with them, and presented the research results; apart from serving as dissemination forum, the PIs used their critique to red-direct the research within the scope of the tasks. The final report for the 5 to 7 year project performed by an interdisciplinary team of 9 professors is arranged in three volumes: Vol. I (edited by Kalyan Annamalai) addressing thermo-chemical conversion and direct combustion under Category 1 and Vol. II and Vol. III ( edited by J M Sweeten) addressing biomass resource Technology under Category 2. Various tasks and sub-tasks addressed in Volume I were performed by the Department of Mechanical Engineering (a part of TEES; see Volume I), while other tasks and sub-tasks addressed in Volume II and IIII were conducted by Texas AgriLife Research at Amarillo; the TAMU Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department (BAEN) College Station; and West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) (Volumes II and III). The three volume report covers the following results: fuel properties of low ash and high ash CB (particularly DB) and MB (mortality biomass and coals, non-intrusive visible infrared (NVIR) spectroscopy techniques for ash determination, dairy energy use surveys at 14 dairies in Texas and California, cofiring of low quality CB with high quality coal, emission results and ash fouling behavior, using CB as reburn fuel for NOx and Hg reduction, gasification of fuels to produce low quality gases, modeling of reburn, pilot scale test results, synthesis of engineering characterization, geographical mapping, a transportation cost study to determine potential handling and transportation systems for co-firing with coal at regional coal-fired power plants, software analyses for the design of off-site manure, pre-processing and storage systems for a typical dairy farm or beef cattle feedlot, recursive production functions/systems models for both cattle feedlots , systems modeling, stocks and flows of energy involved in the CAFO system, feedback from an Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) to the investigators on project direction and task emphasis and economics of using CB as cofiring and reburn fuel.

Iron is an essential element to the life. It is an important hemoglobin component and it is involved in the transport of oxygen to cells. A deficiency of iron results in an unsuitable synthesis of hemoglobin and a delay in the growth. Iron contents above the tolerable level in animal feed can cause serious damages to the health and the death in extreme cases. The forages are the main source of feed to cattle in grazing. It is known from the literature, that the growth and the nutritious value of the forage are influenced by specie and physiologic age of the plant, soil fertility and environmental conditions. Therefore, an agronomical evaluations of the forages are necessary before to introduce in an intensive cattle production systems to program adequate grazing management. Neutron activation analysis was applied to evaluate the Fe concentration in the main tropical forage grasses used in intensive dairy cattle production systems in Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil. Iron concentrations were smaller in the rain season than in the dry one. Comparison of results obtained in the analyses of forages with daily requirements of iron in dry matter, showed that the Fe concentration in forages was adequate. (author)

The aim of this paper was to study the genetic parameters for feed intake, milk production, and energy balance in Nordic Red dairy cattle from an experimental data set. The data were collected at the MTT Agrifood Research Finland Rehtijarvi experimental farm in 4 feeding trials between 1998 and 2008, and included lactation wk 2 to 30 for 291 Nordic Red nucleus heifers descending from 72 different sires. The studied traits included weekly averages for energy-corrected milk yield (ECM, kg/d), dry matter intake (kg/d), body weight (BW, kg), body condition score (BCS, score 1 to 5), and energy balance (EB, MJ of metabolizable energy/d). The data were analyzed with both fixed and random regression models. The heritabilities of ECM and BCS were moderate to high and remained fairly constant over ...

The objective of this study was to determine if increasing the energy and protein intake of heifer calves would affect growth rates, age at puberty, age at calving, and first lactation milk yield. A second objective was to perform an economic analysis of this feeding program using feed costs, number of nonproductive days, and milk yield data. Holstein heifer calves born at the Michigan State Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 dietary treatments (n=40/treatment) that continued from 2 d of age until weaning at 42 d of age. The conventional diet consisted of a standard milk replacer [21.5% crude protein (CP), 21.5% fat] fed at 1.2% of body weight (BW) on a dry matter basis and starter grain (19.9% CP) to attain 0.45kg of daily gain. The intensive diet c...

The objective was to develop a linear programming model to formulate diets for dairy cattle when environmental policies are present and to examine effects of these policies on diet formulation and dairy cattle nitrogen and mineral excretions as well as methane emissions. The model was developed as a minimum cost diet model. Two types of environmental policies were examined: a tax and a constraint on methane emissions. A tax was incorporated to simulate a greenhouse gas emissions tax policy, and prices of carbon credits in the current carbon markets were attributed to the methane production variable. Three independent runs were made, using carbon dioxide equivalent prices of $5, $17, and $250/t. A constraint was incorporated into the model to simulate the second type of environmental policy, reducing methane emissions by predetermined amounts. The linear programming formulation of this second alternative enabled the calculation of marginal costs of reducing methane emissions. Methane emission and manure production by dairy cows were calculated according to published equations, and nitrogen and mineral excretions were calculated by mass conservation laws. Results were compared with respect to the values generated by a base least-cost model. Current prices of the carbon credit market did not appear onerous enough to have a substantive incentive effect in reducing methane emissions and altering diet costs of our hypothetical dairy herd. However, when emissions of methane were assumed to be reduced by 5, 10, and 13.5% from the base model, total diet costs increased by 5, 19.1, and 48.5%, respectively. Either these increased costs would be passed onto the consumer or dairy producers would go out of business. Nitrogen and potassium excretions were increased by 16.5 and 16.7% with a 13.5% reduction in methane emissions from the base model. Imposing methane restrictions would further increase the demand for grains and other human-edible crops, which is not a progressive solution for an industry trying to be sustainable. However, these results might depend on the constraints and inputs used in our model (e.g., feed prices), and more extensive analyses are required before they are used in policy development. The model structure was able to incorporate effects of environmental policies in diet formulation and it can assist dairy producers in meeting limits set by these policies. The model can also assist policy makers examining the effects of policies on the dairy production system. PMID:22365210

The objectives of this study were to reveal protein structures of feed tissues affected by heat processing at a cellular level, using the synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy as a novel approach, and quantify protein structure in relation to protein digestive kinetics and nutritive value in the rumen and intestine in dairy cattle. The parameters assessed included (1) protein structure a-helix to e-sheet ratio; (2) protein subfractions profiles; (3) protein degradation kinetics and effective degradability; (4) predicted nutrient supply using the intestinally absorbed protein supply (DVE)/degraded protein balance (OEB) system for dairy cattle. In this study, Vimy flaxseed protein was used as a model feed protein and was autoclave-heated at 120C for 20, 40, and 60 min in treatments T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The results showed that using the synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy revealed and identified the heat-induced protein structure changes. Heating at 120C for 40 and 60 min increased the protein structure a-helix to e-sheet ratio. There were linear effects of heating time on the ratio. The heating also changed chemical profiles, which showed soluble CP decreased upon heating with concomitant increases in nonprotein nitrogen, neutral, and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen. The protein subfractions with the greatest changes were PB1, which showed a dramatic reduction, and PB2, which showed a dramatic increase, demonstrating a decrease in overall protein degradability. In situ results showed a reduction in rumen-degradable protein and in rumen-degradable dry matter without differences between the treatments. Intestinal digestibility, determined using a 3-step in vitro procedure, showed no changes to rumen undegradable protein. Modeling results showed that heating increased total intestinally absorbable protein (feed DVE value) and decreased degraded protein balance (feed OEB value), but there were no differences between the treatments. There was a linear effect of heating time on the DVE and a cubic effect on the OEB value. Our results showed that heating changed chemical profiles, protein structure a-helix to e-sheet ratio, and protein subfractions; decreased rumen-degradable protein and rumen-degradable dry matter; and increased potential nutrient supply to dairy cattle. The protein structure a-helix to e-sheet ratio had a significant positive correlation with total intestinally absorbed protein supply and negative correlation with degraded protein balance.

The effects of level of fish oil inclusion in the diet on grass silage intake, and milk yield and composition of dairy cows offered either 5 or 10 kg concentrates/d were evaluated in a ten treatment, partly balanced, changeover design experiment involving 50 cows in early lactation. Concentrates were prepared to provide 0, 150, 300 or 450 g fish oil/cow per d or 300 g fish oil/cow per d from a premix when each animal was offered 5 kg/d. The fish oil was predominantly from herring and mackerel caught in the North Atlantic while the fish oil premix was obtained from a commercial source and used palm kernel expeller as a carrier. Increasing fish oil supplementation decreased silage dry matter intake and the concentrations of milk fat and protein, and increased milk yield and diet digestibility. There were significant interactions between concentrate feed level and level of fish oil for silage intake and milk yield. Other than for the concentrations of milk fat and protein, and 20:4n-6 fatty acids, the source of fish oil did not affect forage intake or animal performance. Fish oil supplementation also decreased the concentrations of milk protein by 0.9 g/kg for each 100 g increase in fish oil supplementation, the depression being similar at each level of concentrate feeding. Supplementing the feed of dairy cows with 450 g fish oil/cow per d decreased the concentration of milk fat by 15 g/kg. This study also showed that feeding dairy cattle with fish oil is an efficient method of increasing eicosapentaenoic acid in the human diet through transfer into milk. PMID:10840669

As any dirt farmer knows, cattle and poultry manure, sewage, and other animal waste products can be utilized directly in the producion of certain animal feeds (e.g. for piglets and chicks) without going through the agricultural cycle. In addition there are proven nutritional values in by-products from sugar factories, breweries, the dairy industry, and from the processing of wood, to which now can be added the utilization of municipal and certain industrial wastes. With these goals in mind the book attacks the twin problems of inadequate food supplies and waste disposal simultaneously. Of prime interest is the production of feedstuffs for ruminants. Highly nutritional additives, for instance, can be made from molasses, urea, and starch, and mixed with traditional fodder. Ruminants, such as cattle and sheep, utilize only about 35% of the food values of what they eat, and the grain which they consume normally, can feed many more people than does their meat. Many schemes for the utilization of solid wastes have been proposed. This book discusses one of the most potentially valuable, the use of wastes to provide food for animals, thus saving an impressive percentage of the millions of tons of grain which are now used for animal feed, and freeing acres of grazing land for other uses. Recent US patents and government-sponsored studies were the basis for this review.

...nonlactating dairy cattle, and calves including preruminating (veal) calves â(i) Amounts and indications...enteritis (scours) caused by Escherichia coli, wooden tongue caused...dosage where retreatment of calves and yearlings for...

...to use additional trace mineral supplementation with treated silage. (2)(i) The food additive anhydrous ammonia is applied...material containing 28 to 38 percent dry matter. (iv) The silage treated with aqueous ammonia is to be fed to dairy cattle...

The availability of dense single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes for dairy cattle has created exciting research opportunities and revolutionized practical breeding programs. Broader application of this technology will lead to situations in which genotypes from different low-, medium-, or hig...

The critical role of water quality for all animals, and especially dairy cattle, the dairy products of which are consumed by humans, raises the need for an index which represents well the quality of water consumed by dairy cattle. Noting the high subjectivity and inappropriate classifications that traditional methods apply to development an index, we aimed to develop a better index that measures the quality of drinking water supplied to dairy cattle (DCWQI) based on fuzzy logic. Using fuzzy logic enabled us to capture experts' knowledge and to simulate the human's way of thinking in the design of the index. Our approach avoided the shortcomings of the previous models. We selected 20 parameters that available literature determined were critical to assessing the quality of water for dairy ca...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the space between the withers and the compartment ceiling on freedom of movement. The investigation was based on physical, biochemical and behavioural measurements during commercial transports. In total 7 transports were performed with cattle (adult dairy cattle, pregnant heifers and rosé veal calves) using a double deck vehicle with natural or forced ventilation for transportation to a slaughter house or assembly place for further shipment. The ceiling was set at 10, 15 or 20cm for adult dairy cattle and rosé veal calves and 40cm for pregnant heifers, above the withers. Adult dairy cattle and rosé veal calves head-butted the ceiling and pregnant heifers did not. Adult cattle move less (P<0.001) than...

The objective of this study was to characterize the mRNA expression of genes involved in the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis in the rumen epithelium during grain-induced ruminal acidosis. Eight lactating dairy cattle were randomly assigned to a control (38% concentrate) or a high-grain (HG; 57% concentrate) diet in a randomized study. Dry matter intake, milk production, ruminal pH, and rumen papillae gene expression were measured before treatment allocation (d 0) and on the fourth day of treatment. On d 4, no differences were observed in total feed intake and milk production; however, the cattle fed the HG diet displayed lower ruminal pH (587±130min/d below 5.6; mean ± SE) compared with cattle receiving the control diet (169±145min/d below 5.6). No change in the relative mRNA expression of IGF-1, IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), and IGF-binding protein 6 (IGFBP6) was detected between treatments. However, the relative expression value of IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) decreased (0.73±0.07 fold, mean ± SE), whereas IGF-binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) expression increased (1.53±0.20 fold). These results indicate that the IGF axis may play a role in rumen epithelial adaptation to HG diets. PMID:22921628

The selenium content in milk of dairy cows from different countries varies between 2 and 60 ..mu..g/kg, because of differences in the selenium content in the feeds. With an increasing selenium content in the feed a decreasing part is secreted into the milk. A bigger part is utilized from natural selenium compounds in the feed than from selenite. In our investigations, milk from Swedish cows had significantly lower selenium content during summer and autumn than during winter and spring (p < 0,0001). The LS-means between different regions also differed significantly (p < 0,0001). From the autumn of 1980 the feed manufacturers have been allowed to add sodium-selenite to concentrates and mineral feeds in amounts permitting a selenium content of 0,1 mg/kg DM in the total ration of dairy cows. The year after the selenium fortification was allowed, the LS-means for the selenium content of milk were 1..mu..g/kg higher than the year before (p < 0,001). In the southern parts of Sweden the selenium content was 8-10 and in the central and northern parts 7-9 ..mu..g/kg. These means were substantially lower than the figure of 15..mu..g/kg which was reported from the central part of Sweden two decades ago. The low selenium content in the milk during summer in some parts of Sweden could possibly mean that there is still a risk of selenium deficiency among the cattle. Anyhow the milk will not always cover the selenium requirement of the sucking or milkfed calf.

Mastitis is a common illness of dairy cattle and is very costly, economically, to the dairy farmer. Thus, there is a need to develop broad-spectrum therapies that are effective while not leading to unacceptably long antibiotic withdrawal times. The effects of the CH4-inhibitors nitroethane (2 mg/m...

The gastrointestinal microbial population of dairy cattle is dense and diverse, and can be utilized to reduce pathogenic bacterial populations as well as improve animal productivity and environmental impacts. Because of the nature of the dairy industry, probiotic products have been widely used to e...

Corn silage is an important source of forage for dairy cattle in the USA because of its relatively consistent nutritive value, high yield, and high energy density compared to other forage crops. Low crude protein (CP) concentration in corn silage is its major limitation in dairy rations. Climbing ...

...Limitations . For growing turkeys only. Feed...reduction of incidence of liver abscesses caused by Fusobacterium...Indications for use . Growing cattle on pasture or...reduction of incidence of liver abscesses caused by Fusobacterium...Indications for use . Growing cattle on pasture...

Highly fermentable diets require the inclusion of adequate amounts of fiber to reduce the risk of subacute rumen acidosis (SARA). To assess the adequacy of dietary fiber in dairy cattle, the concept of physically effective neutral detergent fiber (peNDF) has received increasing attention because it amalgamates information on both chemical fiber content and particle size (PS) of the feedstuffs. The nutritional effects of dietary PS and peNDF are complex and involve feed intake behavior (absolute intake and sorting behavior), ruminal mat formation, rumination and salivation, and ruminal motility. Other effects include fermentation characteristics, digesta passage, and nutrient intake and absorption. Moreover, peNDF requirements depend on the fermentability of the starch source (i.e., starch ...

Feeding measures with a potential to improve N efficiency in dairy cattle husbandry were studied at two levels of undegradable protein balance (OEB). In each of the two experiments, two simultaneous Latin squares were conducted, each with three treatments and three lactating Holstein cows. Decreasing the OEB of the diet improved N efficiency and resulted in lower N excretion per kg milk. To avoid a negative effect of the decreased OEB on the production results, spreading the concentrate intake (as TMR or in five meals) seemed to be most promising, although only few significant effects were found. The use of protected protein sources or the addition of clinoptilolite were not successful in improving N-efficiency. The rather well balanced mixed basal diet and the large variation between anim...

The effects of grain, fructose, and histidine on ruminal pH and fermentation products were studied in dairy cattle during an induced subacute acidosis protocol. Thirty Holstein heifers were randomly allocated to 5 treatment groups: (1) control (no grain); (2) grain [fed at a crushed triticale dry matter intake (DMI) of 1.2% of body weight (BW)]; (3) grain (0.8% of BW DMI)+fructose (0.4% of BW DMI); (4) grain (1.2% of BW DMI)+histidine (6g/head); and (5) grain (0.8% of BW DMI)+fructose (0.4% of BW DMI)+histidine (6g/head) in a partial factorial arrangement. Heifers were fed 1kg of grain daily with ad libitum access to ryegrass silage and alfalfa hay for 10d. Feed was withheld for 14h before challenge day, on which heifers were fed 200g of alfalfa hay and then the treatment diets immediately...

Before being able to implement effective ruminal methane mitigation strategies via feed supplementation, the assessment of side effects on ruminal fermentation and rumen microbial populations is indispensable. In this respect we investigated the effects of monolaurin, a methane-mitigating lipid, on methanogens and important carbohydrate-degrading bacteria present in ruminal fluid of dairy cattle in continuous culture employing the rumen simulation technique. In six experimental runs, each lasting for 10 days, four diets with different carbohydrate composition, based on hay, maize, wheat and a maize-wheat mixture, either remained non-supplemented or were supplemented with monolaurin and incubated in a ruminal-fluid buffer mixture. Incubation liquid samples from days 6 to 10 of incubation we...

Lameness is considered one of the most common welfare and productive problems in dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to evaluate differences in lying behavior between moderately lame and nonlame lactating cows under commercial conditions. Data were collected from 10 free-stall commercial herds, which were feeding on exactly the same ration once daily. All lactating cows were scored for lameness according to a 1 to 5 locomotion scoring system. Only cows with a lameness score between 1 and 4 were considered in the study. In each herd, between 10 and 15 lame cows (scored as 3 or 4) were chosen, and for each lame cow, a nonlame cow (scored as 1) within the same parity and similar days in milk was also selected. Pendant data loggers were then placed on the right hind leg of each cow f...

A phosphorus (P) budget was estimated for the watershed of Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, to assess the effects of nutrient management on P accumulation in the watershed soils. We estimated how nutrient management programs and legislation have affected the budget by comparing the budget for 2007 to a budget calculated for 1995, prior to implementation of the programs. Since 1995, inputs decreased from 1,310,000 to 853,000 kg P/yr (35% reduction) and accumulation decreased from 575,000 to 279,000 kg P/yr (51% reduction). Changes in P input and accumulation were attributed primarily to enhanced agricultural nutrient management, reduction in dairy cattle feed supplements and an urban P fertilizer ban. Four scenarios were investigated to determine potential impacts of additional nutrient management ...

Background Cattle can be considered as an important source for herbicides through nutrition. Therefore, herbicide residue in animal products is a potential human exposure to herbicides causing public health problems in human life. Triazines are a group of herbicides primarily used to control broadleaf weeds in corn and other feed ingredients and are considered as possible human carcinogens. To evaluate trace residue of these pollutants molecular imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) method has been developed, using biological samples. Methods: Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein of 45 Holstein cows in 3 commercial dairy farms in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Urine samples were also taken from the cows. Results: The mean ± SD concentrations of atrazine in serum and urine samples of the study group (0.739 ± 0.567 ppm and 1.389 ± 0.633 ppm, respectively) were higher (P < 0.05) than the concentrations in serum and urine samples of the control group (0.002 ± 0.005 ppm and 0.012 ± 0.026 ppm, respectively). Conclusion: Atrazine in the feed ingredients ingested by cattle could be transferred into the biological samples and consequently can be considered as a potential hazard for the public health. PMID:6589736

Farm dogs closely associated with food animals such as dairy and beef cattle have the potential to serve as a source of infectious agents. In our previous studies cattle were found infected with Enterocytozoon bieneusi, a parasite that also infects humans. However, nothing is known of the prevalence...

Highly fermentable diets require the inclusion of adequate amounts of fiber to reduce the risk of subacute rumen acidosis (SARA). To assess the adequacy of dietary fiber in dairy cattle, the concept of physically effective neutral detergent fiber (peNDF) has received increasing attention because it amalgamates information on both chemical fiber content and particle size (PS) of the feedstuffs. The nutritional effects of dietary PS and peNDF are complex and involve feed intake behavior (absolute intake and sorting behavior), ruminal mat formation, rumination and salivation, and ruminal motility. Other effects include fermentation characteristics, digesta passage, and nutrient intake and absorption. Moreover, peNDF requirements depend on the fermentability of the starch source (i.e., starch type and endosperm structure). To date, the incomplete understanding of these complex interactions has prevented the establishment of peNDF as a routine method to determine dietary fiber adequacy so far. Therefore, this review is intended to analyze the quantitative effects of and interactions among forage PS, peNDF, and diet fermentability with regard to rumen metabolism and prevention of SARA, and aims to give an overview of the latest achievements in the estimation of dietary fiber adequacy in high-producing dairy cattle. Recently developed models that synthesize the effects of both peNDF and fermentable starch on rumen metabolism appear to provide an appropriate basis for estimation of dietary fiber adequacy in high-producing dairy cows. Data suggest that a period lasting more than 5 to 6h/d during which ruminal pH is 1.18mm (i.e., peNDF(>1.18)) or 18.5% peNDF inclusive particles >8mm (i.e., peNDF(>8)) in the diet (DM basis) are required. However, inclusion of a concentration of peNDF(>8) in the diet beyond 14.9% of diet DM may lower DM intake level. As such, more research is warranted to develop efficient feeding strategies that encourage inclusion of energy-dense diets without the need to increase their content in peNDF above the threshold that leads to lower DM intake. The latter would require strategies that modulate the fermentability characteristics of the diet and promote absorption and metabolic capacity of ruminal epithelia of dairy cows. PMID:22365188

Feeding more tannin and less crude protein (CP) to dairy cows may have compound positive impacts on reducing NH3 emissions from dairy barns. Mixtures of feces-urine from lactating Holstein dairy cows (Bos taurus) fed four levels (g kg-1) of dietary tannin extract: 0 (0T), 4.5 (low tannin, LT), 9.0 (...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a flaxseed-supplemented diet on archaeal abundance and gene expression of methanogens in the rumen of dairy cows. In all, 11 non-lactating dairy cows were randomly divided into two groups: group A (five cows) and B (six cows). The two diets fed were: (1) the control diet, a conventional dry cow ration; and (2) the flaxseed-supplemented diet, the conventional dry cow ration adjusted with 12.16% ground flaxseed incorporated into the total mixed ration. A cross-over experiment was performed with the two groups of cows fed the two different diets for five 21-day periods, which included the first adaptation period followed by two treatment and two wash out periods. At the end of each feeding period, rumen fluid samples were collected via rumenocentesis and DNA was extracted. Quantitative PCR was utilized to analyze the gene abundance of 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) targeting the ruminal archaea population and the mcrA gene coding for methyl coenzyme-M reductase subunit A, a terminal enzyme in the methanogenesis pathway. Results demonstrated a 49% reduction of 16S rRNA and 50% reduction of mcrA gene abundances in the rumen of dairy cows fed the flaxseed-supplemented diet in comparison with those fed the control diet. This shows flaxseed supplementation effectively decreases the methanogenic population in the rumen. Future studies will focus on the mechanisms for such reduction in the rumen of dairy cattle, as well as the relationship between methanogenic gene expression and methane production. PMID:22717375

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine individual cow seroprevalence of Babesia bovis in adult lactating dairy cattle of Puerto Rico (PR), to assess the associations of farm management factors on herd seroprevalence, and to document the species of ticks infesting cattle within these farms. Antibody activity against B. bovis was determined using an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Serum samples were obtained from 2,414 adult lactating dairy cattle from 76 randomly selected commercial dairy farms. Herd seroprevalence ranged from 0 to 51% with an overall individual cow seroprevalence for B. bovis of 26%. Ticks were collected from animals on 7 (9%) of the 76 participating commercial dairy farms. All collected ticks (n?=?87) were Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. Factor...

The purpose of this study was to define the structures of the digits and hoof in Holstein dairy cattle by using computed tomography scan (CT scan). Transverse, sagittal and dorsoplantar CT images of two isolated cattle cadaver digits were obtained using a Siemens ARTX2 Somatom. The CT images were compared to corresponding frozen cross-sections. Relevant anatomical structures were identified and labelled at each level. The CT images provided anatomical detail of the digits and hoof in Holstein dairy cattle. Transversal images provided excellent depiction of anatomical structures when compared to corresponding frozen cross-sections. The information presented in this paper would serve as an initial reference to the evaluation of CT images of the digits and hoof in Holstein dairy cattle. PMID:18162097

Abstract in portuguese O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido no Campo Experimental da Embrapa Gado de Leite, Coronel Pacheco, Minas Gerais, Brasil, tendo como objetivo a verificação da ocorrência de competição intra-específica durante a fase parasitária do carrapato bovino Boophilus microplus e a confirmação da correlação positiva entre o peso da fêmea ingurgitada e o peso da massa de ovos. Foram feitas observações em bovinos infestados naturalmente e experimentalmente, com cargas (more) parasitárias e intervalos diferenciados. Os animais infestados permaneceram em baias individuais durante todo o período de queda das fêmeas ingurgitadas, para que estas pudessem ser coletadas diariamente. As diferenças observadas entre as médias de peso das fêmeas ingurgitadas, no decorrer dos dias de queda, sugeriram a ocorrência de competição durante a fase de alimentação. Observou-se também que o potencial de oviposição está diretamente relacionado a sua capacidade de alimentação. Abstract in english This study was developed in the Experimental Station of Embrapa Dairy Cattle, Coronel Pacheco, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and had the aim of verifying the occurrence of intra-specific competition in the cattle tick Boophilus microplus during its parasite life and to confirm the relation between the weight of engorged females and the egg mass laid. Observations were done with cattle naturally and experimentally infested with different quantities of larvae during different inter (more) vals of time. The infested animals remained in individual stalls for the whole period of engorged females drop-off, in order to collect them daily. The observed differences among weight of engorged females during drop-off days suggested the competition occurrence during the feeding phase. It was also seen that the oviposition potential of an engorged female is directly related to its feeding capacity.

This study was conducted to assess the pattern of daily rhythms of acute phase proteins (APPs), including haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA), and the pattern of daily rhythms of fibrinogen (Fb), white blood cell counts (WBC) and packed cell volume (PCV) in Holstein Friesian and Modicana dairy cattle. Blood samples were collected every 3h over a 48h period from six Holstein Friesian and six Modicana dairy cattle during two different periods: January and July. Hp was higher in Modicana cattle than Holstein Friesian cattle in both periods, and it was lower in July than January in both breeds. All parameters, except PCV, showed daily rhythmicity in both breeds, during the two periods. In Holstein Friesian cattle, Hp and WBC acrophases were postponed by about 2h during July with respect...

Beef cattle backgrounding in US, function as an intermediate between cow-calf enterprises and feedlot finishing. Beef cattle backgrounding receives weaned calves of different growth stages from cow-calf operations and prepare them ready for feed lot finishing. Many beef cattle backgrounding operati...

Certified organic livestock production in Kenya nearly does not exist despite the fact that livestock production forms an integral part of many organic farms, because of its role in nutrient recycling on the farm. The purpose of the study was to indentify and document the challenges of conversion to organic livestock production. A total of 63 semi-structured interviews of smallholder farmers in Kiambu and Kajiado counties, whose crop enterprises are certified were conducted to determine the influence of production and socioeconomic factors to conversion of their livestock enterprises. Survey data were documented and analyzed using SPSS and the ground theory method. Dairy cattle, goats and chicken constituted the main livestock kept by the farmers. None of the farmers had converted their livestock enterprises to organic and the animals were mainly kept for subsistence purposes. 60% of the dairy cattle, goat and chicken owners were female and were more involved in routine livestock management, with farming as their major source of income. 40% of the farmers have practiced crop-livestock integration for more than 7 years and have considered managing their livestock organically. Results suggest that lack of approved livestock feeds and organically approved technologies to use against pest and diseases were the most important constraints to the farmers and the major hindrance to conversion of the livestock enterprises. Farmers reported using a number of organic innovations for prevention of mastitis, de-worming and reducing inflammation but found that the innovations were not sufficient remedies forcing them to seek alternative inorganic solutions. The prospects of organic livestock production are dependent on farmers’ socioeconomic status, support to organic livestock production, research, education and extension. These factors should therefore be considered when planning strategies to develop organic livestock production in smallholder farming systems.

Fatty liver syndrome is a metabolic disorder that is caused by negative energy balance in high-producing dairy cows during early lactation. The diagnosis of fatty infiltration of the liver in dairy cattle is presently based mostly on biochemical analysis, biopsy, and histological analysis of hepatic tissue. In this study, a total of 287 dairy cows in early lactation (1?4?weeks postpartum) were randomly selected from 14 commercial dairy herds in southeast Iran. Blood samples from all of the cases, midstream urine samples from 46 of 287 cattle, and liver samples from 94 of 287 cows that were slaughtered due to other postparturient disorders were collected. A spectrophotometer was used to measure the levels of aspartate aminotransferase and glucose concentrations in the serum samples. Ketone ...

Ruminant livestock systems emit CH4 and N2O to the atmosphere. Quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Spain is reported annually in the National Emission Inventory. The objective of this study was to update the annual CH4 and N2O emissions by dairy and beef cattle, and dairy ewes in the Basque Country of Northern Spain according to the recommendations of IPCC (2006) (Tier 2) using regional farm management data. A mathematical approach was used to assess uncertainties of estimated emission factors (EF). CH4 EF from enteric fermentation was 107kg CH4/hd/yr for dairy cattle with a milk yield of 7870kg milk/hd/yr. The corresponding values for beef cows and dairy ewes were 60 and 8.4kg CH4/hd/yr. Emission of CH4 from enteric fermentation accounted for 87% of total CH4 emissions in ...

Abstract in portuguese Descrevem-se três surtos de síndrome distérmica (hipertermia) associada à intoxicação por Claviceps purpurea, em bovinos de leite durante o verão de 1999-2000, em três estabelecimentos do Rio Grande do Sul. De um total de 66 bovinos que ingeriram a ração contaminada com o fungo, 37 (56%) adoeceram até 3 meses após a introdução da ração contaminada. Os principais sinais clínicos foram temperatura retal elevada, pêlos compridos, longos e sem brilho, saliva (more) ção intensa, respiração ofegante, com a boca aberta e, em alguns casos, com a língua para fora da cavidade oral. Os animais acometidos procuravam sombra ou permaneciam dentro d'água. Houve diminuição de 10 a 30% no consumo de alimentos e perda de peso. A redução na produção de leite foi de 30 a 50%. Os sinais clínicos se intensificavam durante o dia e eram diretamente proporcionais à elevação da temperatura ambiental. Os achados de necropsia em um bovino que foi eutanasiado, incluíram leve enfisema pulmonar, principalmente na região dorsal dos lobos pulmonares diafragmáticos. Histologicamente havia moderada hipertrofia da musculatura lisa dos bronquíolos e ruptura de septos alveolares formando cotos alveolares em clava. Nos três estabelecimentos onde ocorreram os surtos, escleródios de C. purpurea foram observados nas amostras de ração fornecida aos bovinos. Os animais afetados recuperaram-se após aproximadamente 60 dias da retirada da ração contaminada. O diagnóstico baseou-se em dados epidemiológicos, sinais clínicos, na presença de escleródios de C. purpurea na ração fornecida aos animais, nos achados de necropsia e na histopatologia. A patogenia e o quadro clínico-patológico observados são discutidos e comparados com outros relatos dessa enfermidade. Abstract in english Three outbreaks of dysthermic syndrome (hyperthermia) associated with poisoning by Claviceps purpurea are described in dairy cattle in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. During the summer of 1999/2000, 37 cattle out of 66 (56%) were affected up to 3 months after the introduction of a new batch of feed contaminated by this fungus. The main clinical signs included pyrexia, dull, rough and long hair coats, intense salivation, difficult respiration with open mouth and, i (more) n some cases, with the tongue protruding from the mouth. Affected cattle sought shade or remained within water ponds. There was a 10-30% reduction in feed intake and loss of weight. Reduction in milk yield was 30-50%. Clinical signs were more intense during daytime, and their intensity were directly proportional to the environmental temperature. Necropsy findings in one necropsied cow included mild pulmonary emphysema, mainly in dorsal aspect of the diaphragmatic lobes. Histollogically, there were moderate hypertrophy of the smooth muscle layer of bronchioles, rupture of alveolar septae with resulting club-shaped alveolar stumps. Sclerotia of C. purpurea were found in the ration fed to cattle in the three farms where the outbreaks occurred. Affected cattle recovered approximately 60 days after feeding the contaminated ration was discontinued. Diagnosis was based on epidemiological data, clinical signs, presence of sclerotia of C. purpurea in the feed of affected cattle, necropsy and histopathological findings. The pathogenesis, clinical signs and pathology of dysthermic syndrome are discussed and compared to other reports on this condition.

This report describes an evaluation of three possible means by which the production of waste milk could be reduced following a nuclear accident. The three options studied are the reduction of contaminated pasture in the diet, the drying off of lactating dairy cattle and the slaughter of dairy cattle. The practicability of each of these is considered using criteria such as technical feasibility, capacity, cost, impact and acceptability, where appropriate. In theory reductions in waste milk arisings can be achieved with each option, however, there are a number of limitations associated with their practical application.

Fate and occurrence of fourteen androgens, four estrogens, five glucocorticoids and five progestagens were investigated in three swine farms and three dairy cattle farms with different farming scales and wastes disposal systems in China. Twenty-one, 22, and 12 of total 28 steroids were detected in feces samples with concentrations ranging from below method limit of quantitation (steroids via swine farms and human sources were mainly originated from wastewater into the receiving environments while those steroids via cattle farms were mainly from cattle feces. The total contributions of steroids to the environment in China are estimated to be 139, 65.8 and 60.7 t/year from swine, dairy cattle and human sources, respectively. PMID:22835499

Neospora caninum is a heteroxenous cyst-forming coccidian closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and is considered one of the major causes of abortions in cattle worldwide. The present work aims to update the epidemiological trend of N. caninum of dairy cattle in Sardinia island, Western Mediterranean (Italy). For this reason, we used the newest enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) methodology that exploits immune-stimulating complexes (iscoms) principle and allows us to point out the infection in the tank bulk milk too, besides the individual cattle. A total of 624 herds were sampled and tank bulk milk was submitted to iscom ELISA test. The analysis of the tank bulk milk samples revealed a total farm prevalence of 55% for N. caninum in Sardinia. In the provinces of Oristano and Cagliari the prevalences (64 and 65%, respectively) were significantly higher (pbio-safety level in dairy cattle farms. PMID:16323023

The objective of this research was the evaluation of the economical efficiency, in relation to water and energy expenses, of two different evaporative cooling systems, misting and sprinkler, associated with forced ventilation. The study was carried out in a commercial dairy cattle farm located in a small city of Sao Paulo State. The experimental period was twenty-eight consecutive days of November 2003. For the economical analysis of each system of climatization the cost with electrical energy and water expended in each system was considered and also the feeding consumption. The sprinkling cooling system presented a greater consumption of water and energy than the misting system. Even those treatments promoting similar feed intake (the difference was 3.0 kg DM.animal{sup -1}.month{sup -1}), the sprinkling system associated to forced ventilation led to an increase (18.0 liters.animal{sup -1}.month{sup -1}) of 3% in milk production. As consequence, it was observed an increase of 5,8% in total month profit in relation to misting system. (author)

A survey of Theileria parasite infection in cattle in Cambodia and Vietnam was carried out by using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. A total of 137 blood samples from draught animals in Cambodia and 40 blood samples from dairy cattle in Vietnam were analyzed. In Cambodia, 69 out of 137(50.4%) samples were PCR-positive containing mainly the Thai and the C type parasites. In Vietnam, 11(27.5%) samples were positive and all were of the Thai type parasite.   

Although the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 on cattle farms has been examined extensively, the relationship between this pathogen and farm type has been established only rarely. A large-scale study was designed to determine the prevalence of E. coli O157 in the Flemish region of Belgium on farms of dairy cattle, beef cattle, mixed dairy and beef cattle, and veal calves. The effect of various factors on the occurrence at the pen level also was evaluated. In 2007, 180 farms were randomly selected based on region, farm size, and number of animals purchased and were examined using the overshoe sampling method. When possible, overshoes used in areas containing animals in three different age categories ( 30 months) were sampled on each farm. In total, 820 different pens were sampled and analyzed for the presence of E. coli O157 by enrichment, immunomagnetic separation, and plating on selective agar. Presumptive E. coli O157 colonies were identified using a multiplex PCR assay for the presence of the rfb(O157) and fliC(H7) genes. The statistical analysis was carried out with Stata SE/10.0 using a generalized linear regression model with a logit link function and a binomial error distribution. The overall farm prevalence of E. coli O157 was 37.8% (68 of 180 farms). The highest prevalence was found on dairy cattle farms (61.2%, 30 of 49 farms). The prevalences on beef, mixed dairy and beef, and veal calf farms were 22.7% (17 of 75 farms), 44.4% (20 of 45 farms), and 9.1% (1 of 11 farms), respectively. A significant positive correlation between age category and E. coli O157 prevalence was found only on mixed dairy and beef farms and dairy farms. No influence of farm size or introduction of new animals was demonstrated. PMID:19777885

Many dairy farms import excess N, primarily in feed and fertilizer. Surveys show that dairy farmers do not credit manure N fully when it is applied to nonlegumes. Legumes can utilize soil ammonium and nitrate, and symbioses between rhizobia and legumes typically are quite sensitive to uptake of comb...

AflatoxinM1 (AFM1) is an important mycotoxin frequently found in milk and in dairy products. It is aminor metabolic product of Aspergillus flavus and A parasiticus. However, it occurs in dairy products as a metabolite formed in cows from aflatoxin B1 contained in animal feeds. In cheese production, ...

Cattle in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem occasionally contract bovine brucellosis from free-ranging elk and bison. Cattle producers use a variety of brucellosis prevention activities to reduce their herds' risk of contracting brucellosis, such as: (1) having state agency personnel haze elk off private land, (2) fencing haystacks, (3) administering adult booster vaccination, (4) spaying heifers, (5) altering the winter-feeding schedule of cattle, (6) hiring riders to prevent cattle-elk commingling, and (7) delaying grazing on high-risk allotments. Their brucellosis prevention decisions are complicated, however, by several sources of uncertainty, including the following: a cattle herd's baseline risk of contracting brucellosis, the inherent randomness of brucellosis outbreaks, the cost of...

In this final report describes and documents research that was conducted by the Ecological Engineering Research Program (EERP) at the University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA) under subcontract to Fiscalini Farms LP for work under the Assistance Agreement DE-EE0001895 'Measurement and Evaluation of a Dairy Anaerobic Digestion/Power Generation System' from the United States Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory. Fiscalini Farms is operating a 710 kW biomass-energy power plant that uses bio-methane, generated from plant biomass, cheese whey, and cattle manure via mesophilic anaerobic digestion, to produce electricity using an internal combustion engine. The primary objectives of the project were to document baseline conditions for the anaerobic digester and the combined heat and power (CHP) system used for the dairy-based biomass-energy production. The baseline condition of the plant was evaluated in the context of regulatory and economic constraints. In this final report, the operation of the plant between start-up in 2009 and operation in 2010 are documented and an interpretation of the technical data is provided. An economic analysis of the biomass energy system was previously completed (Appendix A) and the results from that study are discussed briefly in this report. Results from the start-up and first year of operation indicate that mesophilic anaerobic digestion of agricultural biomass, combined with an internal combustion engine, is a reliable source of alternative electrical production. A major advantage of biomass energy facilities located on dairy farms appears to be their inherent stability and ability to produce a consistent, 24 hour supply of electricity. However, technical analysis indicated that the Fiscalini Farms system was operating below capacity and that economic sustainability would be improved by increasing loading of feedstocks to the digester. Additional operational modifications, such as increased utilization of waste heat and better documentation of potential of carbon credits, would also improve the economic outlook. Analysis of baseline operational conditions indicated that a reduction in methane emissions and other greenhouse gas savings resulted from implementation of the project. The project results indicate that using anaerobic digestion to produce bio-methane from agricultural biomass is a promising source of electricity, but that significant challenges need to be addressed before dairy-based biomass energy production can be fully integrated into an alternative energy economy. The biomass energy facility was found to be operating undercapacity. Economic analysis indicated a positive economic sustainability, even at the reduced power production levels demonstrated during the baseline period. However, increasing methane generation capacity (via the importation of biomass codigestate) will be critical for increasing electricity output and improving the long-term economic sustainability of the operation. Dairy-based biomass energy plants are operating under strict environmental regulations applicable to both power-production and confined animal facilities and novel approached are being applied to maintain minimal environmental impacts. The use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for nitrous oxide control and a biological hydrogen sulfide control system were tested at this facility. Results from this study suggest that biomass energy systems can be compliant with reasonable scientifically based air and water pollution control regulations. The most significant challenge for the development of biomass energy as a viable component of power production on a regional scale is likely to be the availability of energy-rich organic feedstocks. Additionally, there needs to be further development of regional expertise in digester and power plant operations. At the Fiscalini facility, power production was limited by the availability of biomass for methane generation, not the designed system capacity. During the baseline study period, feedstocks included manure, sudan grass silage, and refused-feed. The ability of the dairy to produce silage in excess of on-site feed requirements limited power production. The availability of biomass energy crops and alternative feedstocks, such as agricultural and food wastes, will be a major determinant to the economic and environmental sustainability of biomass based electricity production.

areas, including dairy feed lots and pastures, family-type barnyards, and range areas, on a total of 376 ..... that the herd is practically never in a static state. ...... dams to impound water for domestic, agricultural and commercial purposes and to ...

Feeding Your Teen Vegetarian by Mindy Hermann, MBA RD Ages: Teen Topics: Dairy , Grains , Proteins , Vegetables , Vitamins , Calcium , Iron , Meal Planning , ... fries, soft drinks, desserts and candy. Have Your Teen Help “A vegetarian meal can be a healthy ...

Fish oil is used as a ration additive to provide n-3 fatty acids to dairy cows. Fish do not synthesize n-3 fatty acids; they must consume microscopic algae or other algae-consuming fish. New technology allows for the production of algal biomass for use as a ration supplement for dairy cattle. Lipid encapsulation of the algal biomass protects n-3 fatty acids from biohydrogenation in the rumen and allows them to be available for absorption and utilization in the small intestine. Our objective was to examine the use of algal products as a source for n-3 fatty acids in milk. Four mid-lactation Holsteins were assigned to a 4×4 Latin square design. Their rations were supplemented with 1× or 0.5× rumen-protected (RP) algal biomass supplement, 1× RP algal oil supplement, or no supplement for 7 d. Supplements were lipid encapsulated (Balchem Corp., New Hampton, NY). The 1× supplements provided 29 g/d of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and 0.5× provided half of this amount. Treatments were analyzed by orthogonal contrasts. Supplementing dairy rations with rumen-protected algal products did not affect feed intake, milk yield, or milk component yield. Short- and medium-chain fatty acid yields in milk were not influenced by supplements. Both 0.5× and 1× RP algae supplements increased daily milk fat yield of DHA (0.5 and 0.6±0.10 g/d, respectively) compared with 1× RP oil (0.3±0.10 g/d), but all supplements resulted in milk fat yields greater than that of the control (0.1±0.10g/d). Yield of trans-18:1 fatty acids in milk fat was also increased by supplementation. Trans-11 18:1 yield (13, 20, 27, and 15±3.0 g/d for control, 0.5× RP algae, 1× RP algae, and 1× RP oil, respectively) was greater for supplements than for control. Concentration of DHA in the plasma lipid fraction on d 7 showed that the DHA concentration was greatest in plasma phospholipid. Rumen-protected algal biomass provided better DHA yield than algal oil. Feeding lipid-encapsulated algae supplements may increase n-3 content in milk fat without adversely affecting milk fat yield; however, preferential esterification of DHA into plasma phospholipid may limit its incorporation into milk fat. PMID:22916931

The genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis from dairy cattle and pigs in Denmark was determined in the present study. Faecal samples from 1237 pigs and 1150 cattle originating from 50 sow herds and 50 dairy herds, respectively, were analysed for the presence of the two parasites by immunofluorescence microscopy. A large proportion of the (oo)cyst containing samples were selected for molecular characterization. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 18S rDNA locus and/or the HSP70 gene of 183 pig and 154 cattle isolates of Cryptosporidium revealed the presence of C. suis, pig genotype II, C. parvum (cattle genotype), C. bovis, Cryptosporidium deer-like genotype and a novel C. suis-like genotype. For both cattle and pigs, a host age-related change in distribution of species/genotypes was observed. The zoonotic C. parvum (cattle genotype) was most prevalent in young calves. For Giardia, 82 and 145 isolates from pigs and cattle, respectively, were analysed at the 18S rDNA locus and/or the gdh gene. Giardia isolates belonging to the zoonotic Assemblage A was found in both young and older calves, as well as in weaners and piglets, whereas cows seemed to be infected purely by isolates of the livestock group, Assemblage E. PMID:17076923

To examine the dissemination of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) within cattle groups, dairy calves on two farms utilizing different calf-rearing practices were exposed to a traceable STEC strain. Test strain dissemination differed significantly between farms, with a higher prevalence being a...

Homing receptor expression on blood and milk polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from periparturient dairy cattle was studied. Both percentages of PMN and the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) on cells expressing adhesion molecules LFA-1 and CD44, the peripheral homing receptor CD62L, and the mucosa...

By quasi-continuous, three-stage mesophilic-thermophilic-mesophilic anaerobic treatment, a methane yield of 0.24 m³ per kg organic dry matter was achieved from the liquid manure of dairy cattle receiving a high-fiber diet. Given a minimum guaranteed retention time of 4 h at 55°C, the number of fecal...

Dairy cattle in two commercial Holstein herds were randomly selected to be vaccinated twice with J5, at approximately 60 days and 28 days before the expected calving date, or to be untreated controls. Based on whether milk production changed following clinical mastitis or whether cows were culled or...

Fertility data were collected every four weeks for 10 years from 40 herds of Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. The data collected during 925 lactations from cows with cystic ovarian disease which were treated with 500 ?g gonadorelin were compared with data from a control group of 13,869 normal lactati...

In Reunion Island, the dynamism of the livestock farming sector together with a policy of support for the “Outermost Regions” and the development of the “Hauts” (heights) led to the appearance and expansion of the dairy and suckler cattle industries structured over a time span of 20 to 30 years. Wit...

Allison, M. J. (Dairy Cattle Research Branch, USDA, Beltsville, Md.), M. P. Bryant, I. Katz, and M. Keeney. Metabolic function of branched-chain volatile fatty acids, growth factors for ruminococci. II. Biosynthesis of higher branched-chain fatty acids and aldehydes. J. Bacteriol. 83:1084–1093. 1962...

Neospora caninum is an important cause of abortion in dairy cattle worldwide. Dogs are important in the epidemiology of this parasite because they are the only hosts known to excrete N. caninum oocysts. Antibodies to N. caninum were assayed in serum samples from 157 dogs from Monte Negro, Rondônia...

Technical abstract: The continued popularity of organic and natural foods has generated interest in organic milk, and use of pasture for dairy cattle is a requirement for organic production. This process may improve the health benefits of fluid milk via increases in the unsaturated fatty acid cont...

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: 16th century Germany, region of Franconia. , SIZE: Large. , COLOUR: Light red. , PURPOSE: Beef/dairy. , ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Dual purpose cattle with smooth coated cover, strong hooves, good pigmentation, milk production, high dressing percentage, good average daily gain, marbling of meat ...

Current NRC recommended nutrient requirements of the young dairy calf may be inadequate to assure optimal growth and immune function. Using a BCG sensitization/PPD challenge model, we have shown that neonatal calves, relative to adult cattle, have vigorous antigen-specific cell-mediated immune resp...

In a large herd of dairy cattle and young stock the bacteriological examination of 109 cases of abortion which included a relatively thorough study of the fetus and a study of the membranes, or swabs from the uterus whenever obtainable, gave the following results. 62, or 57 per cent, were associate...

BTA6 harbors several QTL responsible for variation in milk production traits in dairy cattle. To fine-map these QTL we genotyped 3,147 bulls from 45 half-sib families for 38 markers. Across-family LK and LD analyses indicated the presence of from 3 to 5 QTL on BTA6 influencing milk production traits...

BTA6 harbors multiple QTL affecting milk production traits in dairy cattle. In order to fine-map these QTL, 3317 bulls comprising 45 half-sib families were genotyped for 38 markers. The data were analyzed using least squares regression (QTL Express), linkage disequilibrium (LDVCM) and full pedigre...

We analysed linkage disequilibrium (LD) in Australian Holstein-Friesian cattle by genotyping a sample of 45 bulls for 15 closely-spaced microsatellites on two regions of BTA6 reported to carry important QTL for dairy traits. The order and distance of markers were based on the USDA-MARC linkage map. ...

Although heat shock proteins (Hsps) are primarily considered as being intracellular, this study identified the presence of Hsp72 in plasma from female Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. Plasma samples were collected from the same animals at different ages and on different days after calving and accordi...

Sixty high-producing multiparous Holstein cows were used in a randomized complete block design experiment to determine the effect of a direct-fed microbial (DFM), Megasphaera elsdenii NCIMB 41125 (Me), on dairy cattle productivity and health. The cows received one of two experimental diets (total mi...

A previously developed dynamic model of digestion and absorption of nutrients in cattle fed sugarcane-based diets (Dijkstra et al., 1996a) was modified to evaluate the effect of various supplements on the supply of nutrients and milk production of dairy cows fed diets based on elephant grass (Pennis...

Welfare in dairy herds can be addressed using different concepts. The difficulty is to extract which measures are the most important to practically address welfare at the herd level and the methods to assess traits considered most important. Therefore, the preferences of 24 acknowledged European welfare experts were ranked regarding 70 measures suitable to assess dairy cattle welfare at herd level using the Adaptive Conjoint Analysis (ACA; Sawtooth Software, Inc., Sequim, WA) technique. The experts were selected on the basis of 3 criteria: at least 5 yr experience in animal welfare research; recent scientific publications in the field of animal welfare; and, at the most, 3 animal species including dairy cattle as their field of expertise. The 70 traits were ranked by using the median ACA q...

Streptococcus suis, a major global porcine pathogen, is an emerging zoonosis in Southeast Asia that triggered a 2005 outbreak in China. S. suis causes meningitis, sepsis, and endocarditis in both pigs and humans and involves significant mortality. We report the case of a previously healthy 50-year-old dairy farmer who developed S. suis type 2 endocarditis complicated by pulmonary embolism and spondylitis. He experienced a high fever, chills, fatigue, and worsening low back pain in the 6 weeks prior to admission. On physical examination, he had lumbar spine tenderness and weakness of the left leg. Blood culture identified penicillin-sensitive S. suis type 2. Echocardiography showed vegetation on the tricuspid valve, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed signs of spondylitis. The man reported sudden chest pain several days after admission, which computed tomography (CT) showed what was diagnosed as a septic pulmonary embolism. He was treated with penicillin G for 4 weeks and gentamicin for the first 2 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of oral amoxicillin, after which his symptoms gradually improved. The infection source was probably his dairy herd, since calves often bit his fingers while feeding and S. suis was found in their oral mucus. Over 400 cases of human S. suis infection have been reported globally, but this is, to our knowledge, the first known case of bovine transmission. All of Japan's 8 other cases involved occupational swine exposure, 5 of whom had injuries to their fingers. This emerging situation should be made known to all possibly involved in unprotected direct contact with swine and cattle, particularly when the skin could be compromised by cuts or abrasions. PMID:19860257

Considerable variability has been recorded in the radiocaesium activity concentration of muscle between individual sheep in the same flocks in upland areas that received fallout from the Chernobyl accident. In a previous paper we demonstrated that there is a propensity for certain sheep within a flock to be always amongst the most contaminated and others to be consistently the least contaminated. Here we report a study to determine the extent to which variation in the metabolism of radiocaesium by individual sheep may contribute to the observed variability within sheep flocks. The transfer coefficient and biological half-life of orally administered ionic radiocaesium in muscle were determined under controlled conditions in 22 ewes from an upland farm in an area of the UK which received comparatively high levels of Chernobyl fallout. There was considerable variation between individuals in both the transfer coefficient (0.19-0.56 day.kg{sup -1}; mean 0.34 day.kg{sup -1}) and biological half-life in muscle (5.2- 18.7 days; mean 9.8 days). Changes in liveweight during the study and feed intake together accounted for 72% of the variation in the derived transfer coefficients; liveweight change also accounted for 56% of the observed variation in biological half-life. In a subsequent study, the true absorption coefficient of radiocaesium was determined in 12 of the ewes. There was a positive correlation between transfer and true absorption coefficients (R=0.57). We conclude that differences in the metabolism of radiocaesium will contribute to the observed variability in radiocaesium activity concentrations within sheep flocks in areas which were contaminated by Chernobyl fallout. We also suggest that for growing animals, the influence of liveweight change and feed intake on radiocaesium transfer may be greater than observed here. Similarly, in dairy cattle, for which feed intake changes considerably during the course of a lactation, large temporal variation in radiocaesium transfer to milk could be expected. (orig.) With 1 fig., 1 tab., 17 refs.

Summary We reviewed the clinical signs of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) incidences in the Republic of Korea occurring from November 2010 to April 2011. Profuse salivation, vesiculation, lameness or ataxia, and ulceration were the most commonly observed clinical signs of FMD among the infected animals, irrespective of the species. The clinical signs of FMD manifested more clearly in the dairy cattle and pigs compared to the beef cattle, deer and goats on infected farms. About 54% of the infected dairy farms reported vesicles on the teats as the primary clinical sign, while vesiculation on the nose, including the snout and muzzle, was the major lesion observed in infected beef cattle and pig farms. The teat and feet were the second most frequently vesiculated body parts on infected pigs. ...

For each of three Danish dairy cattle breeds, Danish Holstein, Danish Red Dairy Cattle and Danish Jersey Cattle approximately 30 key ancestors were sequenced to a depth of about 10X. These key ancestors were chosen to maximize their contributions to present day populations. The three breeds are compared with respect to differences in amount of sequence variation observed. The observed patterns in and differences between breeds are interpreted in the light of known individual and population histories. Also, patterns of occurrence of short indels are compared. Particular attention is paid to variants that occur in several of the breeds. Regions occurring in multiple breeds and suspected of harboring lethal or sub lethal sequence variants are examined for similarities across breeds in occurrence of sequence variants.

The objectives of this study were to determine the relationships between feed efficiency (FE, gain/feed) and respiratory chain complex activity and mitochondrial protein expression in cattle. Feed efficiency was determined on 92 head of contemporary purebred Angus steers fed over a 130 d period. I...

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their potential effect on the environment has become an important national and international issue. Dairy production, along with all other types of animal agriculture, is a recognized source of GHG emissions, but little information exists on the net emissions from dairy farms. Component models for predicting all important sources and sinks of CH(4), N(2)O, and CO(2) from primary and secondary sources in dairy production were integrated in a software tool called the Dairy Greenhouse Gas model, or DairyGHG. This tool calculates the carbon footprint of a dairy production system as the net exchange of all GHG in CO(2) equivalent units per unit of energy-corrected milk produced. Primary emission sources include enteric fermentation, manure, cropland used in feed production, and the combustion of fuel in machinery used to produce feed and handle manure. Secondary emissions are those occurring during the production of resources used on the farm, which can include fuel, electricity, machinery, fertilizer, pesticides, plastic, and purchased replacement animals. A long-term C balance is assumed for the production system, which does not account for potential depletion or sequestration of soil carbon. An evaluation of dairy farms of various sizes and production strategies gave carbon footprints of 0.37 to 0.69kg of CO(2) equivalent units/kg of energy-corrected milk, depending upon milk production level and the feeding and manure handling strategies used. In a comparison with previous studies, DairyGHG predicted C footprints similar to those reported when similar assumptions were made for feeding strategy, milk production, allocation method between milk and animal coproducts, and sources of CO(2) and secondary emissions. DairyGHG provides a relatively simple tool for evaluating management effects on net GHG emissions and the overall carbon footprint of dairy production systems. PMID:20172247

The title estimation concerns gas turbines for the market sector [<=]8 tons of steam per hour. In the first part of the survey an estimation is made of the market potential in the segment to circa 5 MWth steam capacity, and a selection of sectors with the largest potential on the basis of the number of installed steam boilers to 5 MWth. In the second part of this survey the demands and the wishes, that users and energy utilities have when applying the gas turbines, are outlined, as well as the bottlenecks for the penetration of the market. Data were collected from interviews with producers, suppliers and packagers of installations, industrial users in five different sectors, representatives of energy utilities, consultants and cogeneration experts. In the appendices attention is paid to the market potential for five industries: meat industry and slaughterhouses, the dairy industry, food industry (bread, biscuit, pastry, cookies, etc.), cattle feed industry, and the synthetic resin industry.7 figs., 4 tabs., 6 appendices, 42 refs.

In 1973, inadvertent contamination occurred in a special farm feed supplement for lactating cows. Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) were used in place of magnesium oxide resulting in serious harm to farm animals, including cattle, chickens, geese, ducks. Farm families, accustomed to eating their own products, were most heavily exposed. To study the impact of PBBs, 336 adult Michigan farm residents, 117 general consumers for comparison, 75 dairy farm residents in Wisconsin, who had not eaten PBB-contaminated food, were examined, as were 79 healthy subjects in New York City. Abnormalities in the Michigan groups included hypergammaglobulinemia, exaggerated hypersensitive response to streptococci, significant decrease in absolute numbers and percentage of T and B-lymphocytes, and increased number of lymphocytes with no detectable surface markers (''null cells''). Significant reduction of in vitro immune function was noted in 20-25% of the Michigan farm residents who had eaten food containing PBB. The decreased immune function detected among the PBB-exposed farm residents tended to affect families as a unit and was independent of exposed individuals' age or sex, pointing against the possibility of genetic predisposition.

Anaerobic digestors were fed daily with dairy cattle manure (5% total solids) augmented with 0-20 mM glucose and were monitored daily for gas volume and composition and volatile acid content. Propionate accumulated in digestors that were fed glucose at initial digestor concentrations of 10 mM or more. Digestors that received 14-20 mM glucose failed, but identical digestors that received 20 mM glucose plus 10 mM acetate or HCO-3 did not fail. The sparing effect of HCO-3 was primarily buffering and the similar behavior of digestors that received acetate suggest that acetate metabolism perhaps provided additional HCO-3 for buffering. Analyses of H2 and volatile acid concentrations during a 6-8-h period following feeding in digestors fed glucose or glucose plus acetate showed that propionate and H2 accumulated simultaneously and that H2 concentrations were 3 microM or less. Monitoring 13C-labeled glucose metabolism via 13C nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that glucose was primarily converted to lactate and that the major product from lactate was propionate in both glucose and glucose plus acetate fermentations. PMID:6661702

Alberta is the second largest agricultural producer in Canada, ranking just behind Ontario. Approximately 62 per cent of the province's farm cash receipts are attributable to the livestock industry. Farmers today maintain large numbers of a single animal type. The drivers for more advanced manure management systems include: the trend towards confined feeding operations (CFO) is creating large, concentrated quantities of manure; public perception of CFO; implementation of provincial legislation regulating the expansion and construction of CFO; ratification of the Kyoto Protocol raised interest in the development of improved manure management systems capable of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; and rising energy costs. The highest methane emissions factors are found with liquid manure management systems. They contribute more than 80 per cent of the total methane emissions from livestock manure in Alberta. The author identified and analyzed three manure management techniques to mitigate GHG emissions. They were: bio-digesters, gasification systems, and composting. Three recommendations were made to establish a strategy to support emissions offsets and maximize the reduction of methane emissions from the livestock industry. The implementation of bio-digesters, especially for the swine industry, was recommended. It was suggested that a gasification pilot project for poultry manure should be pursued by Climate Change Central. Public outreach programs promoting composting of cattle manure for beef feedlots and older style dairy barns should also be established. 19 refs., 11 tabs., 3 figs.

The objective of this study was to compare milk production and nutrient utilization in dairy cattle fed silage made from alfalfa (AL) or red clover (RC) versus birdsfoot trefoil (BFT) selected for low, normal, and high levels of condensed tannins. Condensed tannin contents of the 3 BFT silages were 8, 12, and 16 g/kg of DM by butanol-HCl assay. Twenty-five multiparous Holstein cows (5 fitted with ruminal cannulas) were blocked by days in milk and randomly assigned within blocks to incomplete 5 × 5 Latin squares. Diets contained [dry matter (DM) basis] about 60% AL, 50% RC, or 60% of 1 of the 3 BFT; the balance of dietary DM was largely from high-moisture corn plus supplemental crude protein from soybean meal. Diets were balanced to approximately 17% crude protein and fed for four 3-wk periods; 2 wk were allowed for adaptation and production data were collected during the last week of each period. No differences existed in DM intake or milk composition due to silage source, except that milk protein content was lowest for RC. Yields of milk, energy-corrected milk, fat, protein, lactose, and solids-not-fat were greater for the 3 BFT diets than for diets containing AL or RC. Feeding BFT with the highest condensed tannin content increased yield of milk, protein, and solids-not-fat compared with BFT containing the lowest amount of condensed tannin. Moreover, milk-N/N-intake was higher, and milk urea nitrogen concentration and urinary urea-N excretion were lower for diets with normal levels of BFT than for AL or RC diets. Feeding RC resulted in the highest apparent digestibility of DM, organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and hemicellulose and lowest ruminal concentrations of ammonia and free amino acids. Ruminal branched-chain volatile fatty acid levels were lowest for RC diets and diets with high levels of BFT and highest for the AL diet. Overall, diets containing BFT silage supported greater production than diets containing silage from AL or RC. The results indicated that feeding BFT or other legume silages containing condensed tannins can enhance performance and N utilization in lactating dairy cows. PMID:23141831

Field tests of the use of TIDD solid waste and ashes from a GM plant for support of a slipping roadway, for a base in a cattle feed lot, and for reclamation work at an abandoned mine site are reported.

...B feed (cattle and sheep): Mix thoroughly with grain and...Limitations Sponsor (i) 68 (0.0075 pct) to 113 (0...sole ration 046573 (ii) 68 (0.0075 pct) to 113 (0...slaughter 046573 (iii) 68 (0.0075 pct)...

Abstract in portuguese O objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar a taxa de emissão de metano (CH4) pela técnica do gás traçador, hexafluoreto de enxofre (SF6), em bovinos leiteiros a pasto em condições tropicais brasileiras. As medições foram realizadas na estação das chuvas, com adequada oferta de forragem, em animais da raça Holandesa e Mestiça Leiteira Brasileira em pastagem de capim-tobiatã (Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tobiatã) adubada, com vacas em lactação, vacas secas e nov (more) ilhas, e em pastagem de capim-braquiária (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.) não adubada com novilhas. As concentrações de CH4 e SF6 foram determinadas por cromatografia gasosa. A emissão de CH4 pelas vacas em lactação foi de 13,8 a 16,8 g/hora, pelas vacas secas de 11,6 a 12,3 g/hora, pelas novilhas em pastagem adubada de 9,5 g/hora, e pelas novilhas em pastagem sem adubo de 7,6 a 8,3 g/hora ou 66 a 72 kg/animal/ano. A emissão de CH4 por matéria seca digestiva ingerida foi de 42 a 69 g/kg em vacas em lactação, de 46 a 56 g/kg em vacas secas, 45 a 58 g/kg em novilhas ingerindo pasto adubado e 58 a 62 g/kg em novilhas em pastagem sem adubo. A emissão de CH4 por bovinos leiteiros ingerindo gramíneas tropicais é superior à emissão por bovinos ingerindo gramíneas de clima temperado. Abstract in english The objective of this work was to quantify methane (CH4) emission using the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer technique, by dairy cattle on pasture in Brazilian tropical field conditions. Measurements were performed in the rainy season, with Holstein and Holstein x Zebu crossbred, from lactating and dry cows and heifers grazing fertilized Tobiatã grass, and heifers grazing unfertilized Brachiaria grass. Methane and SF6 concentrations were determined by gas chromatograph. (more) Methane emissions by lactating cows varied from 13.8 to 16.8 g/hour, by dry cows from 11.6 to 12.3 g/hour, by heifers grazing fertilized grass was 9.5 g/hour and by heifers grazing unfertilized grass varied from 7.6 to 8.3 g/hour or 66 to 72 kg/head/year. Methane emission per digestive dry matter intake (DMDI) varied from 42 to 69 g/kg DMDI for lactating cows, 46 to 56 g/kg for dry cows, 45 to 58 g/kg for heifers grazing fertilized grass and 58 to 62 g/kg for heifers in unfertilized grass pasture. The CH4 emission measured on dairy cattle feeding tropical grasses was higher than that observed for temperate climate conditions.

Contents In the dairy industry worldwide, reproductive disorders are a major cause of economic losses and a challenge to scientists and technicians. In recent decades, declining fertility and increasing milk production have been widely reported in dairy cattle. In this article, the relationships between milk production, ovarian disorders and fertility in high-producing dairy herds are briefly described. We carried out a retrospective study of 23 204 lactations included in a reproductive control programme in north-eastern Spain, a geographical area experiencing both warm and cool conditions. The data were collected between 1991 and 2007 and refer to cows first inseminated or examined 45-80 days postpartum in five well-managed, commercial, Holstein-Friesian high-producing dairy herds. Ovaria...

Indispensable both in the field of hydroecological and energy policies is the economical utilization of hot water. Hydroecological process analyses in specialized dairy cattle plants have shown that the specific mean annual abstraction of hot water (50/sup 0/C) may be reduced to 14 l per cow and per day. The proportionate contribution of different operational sectors and methods to arrive at the standards are pointed out. Economizing dairy cattly plants reducing hot water consumption as indicated and reaching average milking outputs of >= 1 l per cow and per day may thus bridge the summer season by heat recovery processes producing a sufficient quantity of hot water and allowing a shutdown of all heating units. At present the majority of dairy cattle plants cannot yet dispense with supplementary water during the remaining months. The hot water consumption rate is highest at the end of shifts. In double-shifted dairy cattle plants the estimated maximum hourly consumption amounts to 12 per cent of the average daily consumption. (orig.).

We reviewed the clinical signs of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) incidences in the Republic of Korea occurring from November 2010 to April 2011. Profuse salivation, vesiculation, lameness or ataxia, and ulceration were the most commonly observed clinical signs of FMD among the infected animals, irrespective of the species. The clinical signs of FMD manifested more clearly in the dairy cattle and pigs compared to the beef cattle, deer and goats on infected farms. About 54% of the infected dairy farms reported vesicles on the teats as the primary clinical sign, while vesiculation on the nose, including the snout and muzzle, was the major lesion observed in infected beef cattle and pig farms. The teat and feet were the second most frequently vesiculated body parts on infected pigs. Although the average age of the first-to-appear clinical lesion in the animals in the beef and dairy cattle farms subjected to vaccination was higher than that observed in the animals in the farms not subjected to vaccination, a reverse pattern was observed in the pig farms. In this study, the clinical signs of FMD were described on the basis of the subjective observations by the farm workers. The present results highlight the clinical signs expected on specific body parts of different types of susceptible animals, and therefore, they may be useful for generating public awareness, particularly among farm workers, as well as for early detection of future FMD outbreaks. PMID:22273469

SUMMARY Unprecedented high rates of anthrax outbreaks have been observed recently in cattle and humans in Bangladesh, with 607 human cases in 2010. By enrolling 15 case and 15 control cattle smallholdings in the spatial zone in July-September 2010, we conducted a case-control study, data of which were analysed by matched-pair analysis and multivariable conditional logistic regression. Feeding animals with uprooted and unwashed grass [odds ratio (OR) 41·2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3·7-458·8, P=0·003], and feeding water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) (OR 22·2, 95% CI 1·2-418·7, P=0·039) were independent risk factors for anthrax in cattle. PMID:22123521

such as feed lots, poultry farms, dairy farms, and pig farms, are classified as feeding operations ..... indicate either a weakness in the classification system or an error .... segment or leg to give the pilot a magnetic heading for guidance to the ...

Increased feed costs affect the livelihoods of dairy sheep farmers in the Middle East. Farmers endure high risks with large fluctuations in the price of grain used as animal feed, which is further affected by drought and declining range productivity. Using agricultural by-products and treated straw or vetch grazing for supplementing sheep diets would provide resource-poor dairy farmers with increased options to reduce feed costs, but the effects of such feeds on the quality of yogurt (the main product) need to be better understood. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate these effects. The first trial evaluated alternative diets using locally available feedstuffs, including agricultural by-products, compared with traditional diets used by dairy sheep farmers, and was conducted on-statio...

Summary Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) causes a chronic, granulomatous inflammatory condition of the intestines in ruminants and wild-type species. It causes significant economic losses to the dairy and beef industries owing to reduced productivity, premature culling and mortality. Bovine peptidoglycan recognition protein 1 is an important pattern recognition molecule that is capable of directly killing microorganisms. The goal of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene encoding bovine peptidoglycan recognition protein 1 and to assess their association with susceptibility to MAP infection in dairy cattle. Blood and milk samples were collected from Holsteins in Southwestern and Eastern Ontario and tested for MAP infection using blood an...

The dairy-processing industry generates various types of organic wastes, which are utilised as stock feed, for anaerobic digestion, spread on land or alternatively land-filled at high costs. Owing to the generation of renewable energy, anaerobic digestion is an attractive option for many factories. To enhance the biological degradation process, a mechanical disintegration of various waste dairy streams was undertaken. While the successful application of ultrasonic treatment has been reported for various municipal waste streams, limited information was available for dairy industry applications. The results of this study showed that ultrasonic treatment can improve the digestibility of the more problematic dairy waste streams, such as sludges, by breaking down micro-organisms' cell walls and releasing soluble cell compounds. For more soluble streams, such as dairy factory effluent, an increased gas production was observed and attributed to the reduced particle size of the fat globules. PMID:16784213

Within the KTBL conference (KTBL = Board of trustees for technology and construction science in the field of agriculture, Darmstadt, Federal Republic of Germany) from 6th to 8th December, 2011, in the monastery Banz, Bad Staffelstein (Federal Republic of Germany), the following lectures were held: (1) Development and environmental impacts of livestock production worldwide (Harald Menzl); (2) Methods to assess environmental aspects of livestock (Hayo van der Werf); (3) Methological aspects of environmental assessment of livestock production by Life Cycle Assessment (Lorie Hamelin); (4) Life Cycle Assessment of milk production systems (Gerard Gaillard); (5) Environmental impact assessment of beef production systems demonstrated for greenhouse gases (Monika Ziehetmeier); (6) Environmental impact assessment of pig production systems in Europe - From land use to feed efficiency (Ingrid Strid); (7) Envionmental impact assessment of egg production systems in Europe as seen from the United Kingdom (Adrian Willias); (8) Environmental impacts and improvement options of chicken meat production (Juha-Matti Katajajuuri); (9) Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming (Annette Freibauer); (10) Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock manure: The scientific basis (Soeren O. Petersen); (11) Strategic measures to influence methane emissions from livestock (Michael Kreuzer); (12) Enteric methane production - Results from respiration chambers (Michael Derno); (13) Greenhouse gas emissions from cattle housing systems (Inga Schiefler); (14) Towards reduced methane from grass-based Irish milk production systems (Eva Lewis); (15) Greenhouse gas emissions from pig housing (Knut-Haakan Jeppsson); (16) Greenhouse gas emissions from poultry housings and manure management: inventory and update of emission factors (Peter Groot Koerkamp); (17) Greenhouse gas emissions from the storage of liquid and solid manure and abatement strategies (Lena Rodhe); (18) Nitrous oxide emissions following the application of livestock manure - an integrated approach (Rachel E. Thorman); (19) Political and administrative instruments for the abatement of greenhouse gas emissions from EU agriculture (Thomas Fellmann); (20) Best available techniques (BAT) - State of the revision of the BAT reference document (Ewald Grimm); (21) Emission abatement measures in pig farming (Wilhelm Pflanz); (22) Cost of ammonia emission abatement (Sebastian Wulf); (23) Measures to reduce emissions and immissions from livestock farming - implementation and inspection (Stefan Neser); (24) Emissions from animal husbandry in Austria: assessment and reporting (Barbara Amon); (25) Ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from a straw flow system for fattening pigs: housing and manure storage (Barbara Amon); (26) Ascertainment and assessment of energy use in livestock farming - the example of dairy farming (Werner Berg); (27) Ammonia emissions from a broiler farm: Influence of emitted concentrations on adjacent woodland (Kristina von Bobrutzki); (28) Exhaust air treatment in animal housings - How efficient are certified systems in practice? (Lars Broer); (29) Revision of methods and data for the assessment of greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from German pig production (Ulrich Daemmgen); (30) The effect of diet composition and feeding strategies on excretion rates in German pig production (Ulrich Daemmgen); (31) Strategies for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in organic dairy farming (Andreas Gattinger); (32) Calculation of emissions of greenhouse gases, ammonia and particulate matter from animal husbandry within the German agricultural emission inventory (Hans-Dieter Haenel); (33) Modelling fluxes of matter and energy for mammals in the agricultural emission inventory by taking the example dairy cow (Hans-Dieter Haenel); (34) Requirements for measures to reduce ammonia emissions from cattle husbandry (Margret Keck); (35) Sustainable nutrient management in intensive livestock areas: Nitrogen and phosphorus flows in pig production (Dennis Otten); (36) Seasonal effect on emissions of ammonia and greenhouse gases in fattening pigs (Zuzana Palkovicova); (37) Greenhouse gas emissions and evaluation of sustainability aspects in dairy farming - data collection on farms, modelling, life cycle assessment (Hans Marten Paulsen); (38) Methodology of a systematic cost-benefit analysis of mitigation strategies for emissions from livestock farming (Regina Roessler); (39) Measuring concept for the quantification of emissions from naturally ventilated housings for dairy cattle (Sabine Schrade); (40) Reduction of ammonia concentration in growing-finishing pigs with FRESTA {sup registered} F Plus (Martin Veit); (41) Measurements in and around intensive livestock farms: Dust, ammonia, greenhouse gases and bioaerosols (Heinz Riedel).

Hourly pedometer counts and irregularly measured concentration of the hormone progesterone were available for a large number of dairy cattle. A hidden semi-Markov was applied to this bivariate time-series data for the purposes of monitoring the reproductive status of cattle. In particular, the ability to identify oestrus is investigated as this is of great importance to farm management. Progesterone concentration is a more accurate but more expensive method than pedometer counts, and we evaluate the added benefits of a model that includes this variable. The resulting model is biologically sensible, but validation is difficult. We utilize some auxiliary data to demonstrate the model's performance Udgivelsesdato: First online

This work presents serological evidence of cattle ostertagiosis in the Lower Silesia Region (Poland), based on the measurement of antibodies in bulk tank milk (BTM) samples. It represents the first evidence of this parasite examined with the use of the ELISA test and milk samples in Poland. The prevalence of Ostertagia ostertagii antibodies was determined in BTM from 32 dairy cattle herds. Antibodies to O. ostertagii were demonstrated in all herds. The optical density ratio (ODR) varied from -0.088 to 1.024. The mean ODR value in the examined region was 0.53. PMID:21528723

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion (55 degrees C) was studied using screened dairy manure as feed substrate. The results indicated that satisfactory high-rate thermophilic digestions could be obtained at short hydraulic retention times for both one- and two-phase systems. There was no marked difference in performance between mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures in the acid-phase reactor. There was no indication that a two-phase system would be superior to one-phase thermophilic digestion of screened dairy manure. 6 references.

A seroprevalence study of bovine neosporosis was conducted among 1,927 dairy cattle and 341 water buffaloes from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states in plateau of southern peninsular India by employing competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Overall, 12.61 and 9.97 % sera samples were found positive for the presence of Neospora caninum antibody, respectively, among cattle and water buffaloes. Out of 1,927 sera samples from cattle, 912 and 1,015 samples were collected from unorganized and organized herds, respectively. The cattle screened were of upgraded Holstein-Friesian and water buffaloes were of graded Surti breed. Significantly (p?cattle in unorganized herds (16.66 %) in comparison to organized herds (8.96 %). The highest seroprevalence was recorded in the age group of 4 years and above in both type of cattle herds and water buffaloes. There was a significant variation of seroprevalence (p?cattle. The rate of seroprevalence increased with the increment in the age of the animals suggesting a possibility of horizontal mode of transmission of the infection from the environment. The percentage of abortion history was more in seropositive group (51.65 %) in comparison to the seronegative group (5.84 %) and the seropositive cattle were 8.84 times more likely to experience abortion than the seronegative cattle. The occurrence of abortion among different age groups varied significantly (p?cattle and water buffaloes and a strong association between the seroprevalence and abortion. PMID:22644733

Assessment of degradable nitrogen (N) needs in diets containing wet corn distiller's grains with solubles (WCDGS) is needed to aid the cattle feeding industry in managing feed costs and potential environmental issues. Yearling steers (n = 525; initial weight = 822 +/- 28 lb) were housed in 56 pens (...

Environmental samples were taken from ground, cattle water troughs, and feeders from a dairy farm with different STEC prevalence between animal categories (weaning calves, rearing calves, and dairy cows). Overall, 23?% of samples were positive for stx genes, stx 2 being the most prevalent type. Isolates were analyzed by PCR monoplex to confirm generic E. coli and by two multiplex PCR to investigate the presence of stx 1 , stx 2 , eae, saa, ehxA, and other putative virulence genes encoded in STEC plasmids: katP, espP, subA, and stcE. The toxin genes were subtyped and the strains were serotyped. The ground and the environment of the rearing calves were the sites with the highest number of STEC-positive samples; however, cattle water troughs and the environment of cows were the places with th...

It is extremely important to investigate the presence of Brucella melitensis as a nonspecific and heterogeneous agent in dairy cows in Iran due to mixed populations of sheep, goats, and cattle. B. melitensis from infected sheep or goat herds may be introduced into the cattle population in this area. Hence, it is essential to obtain epidemiological data on the probable existence of B. melitensis as a different source of the infection or new exotic Brucella phenotypes development in dairy cow herds in Iran. The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of B. melitensis infection in cows, using both traditional bacteriological tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay. Traditional biotyping and PCR results of 42 Brucella spp. isolates from Tehran and Fars (northern and...

SUMMARYMaximum entropy ecological niche modelling and spatial scan statistic were utilized to predict the geographical range and to investigate clusters of infections for Neospora caninum and Coxiella burnetii in dairy cattle farms in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, using the Maxent and SaTScan programs, respectively. The geographical distribution of Neospora and Coxiella with the highest level of probability (P>0·60) covers central Catalonia and spreads towards northeastern Catalonia which contains a high concentration of dairy cattle farms. The most important environmental factor that contributed to the ecological niche modelling was precipitation of driest month followed by elevation. Significant clusters (P<0·001) were detected for Neospora and Coxiella infections in the western and eastern regions of Catalonia, respectively. PMID:22370223

Prevalence of antibody to Neospora caninum (NC) in Japanese dogs were examined. The antibody was positive in 15 of 48 dogs (31.3%) reared in the dairy farms that had case of the abortions due to NC infection or had the cattle seropositive to NC, whereas the prevalence was 7.1% (14 of 198 dogs) among the dogs kept in urban areas. In one dog breeder, all 17 Shetland sheepdogs older than 7 months were seropositive, and one pup was diagnosed as neosporosis 2 months before the first serological examination. The antibody titers of the dogs kept at this breeder were almost unchanged for 1.5 years. Serological evidence of the dogs in the dairy farms and urban areas indicates the transmission of NC between dogs and cattle. Also serological results of the dogs in one breeder may suggest the potential horizontal transmission among dogs.   

Respiratory diseases in calves are responsible for major economic losses in both beef and dairy production. Several viruses, such as bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine herpes virus-1 (BoHV-1), bovine parainfluenza virus-3 (BPI-3V), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), and bovine adenoviruses (BAV), are detected in most clinical cases with respiratory signs. The aim of this study is to define seroprevalences of five major viral causes of bovine respiratory infections in cattle in central region of Iran (Esfahan province). The population targeted was 642 dairy cows (Holstein?Friesian) from 25 farms. Samples of blood serum from female cattle were examined. Sera were tested by commercial ELISA kits to detect antibody against BRSV, BoHV-1, BPI-3V, BVDV, and BAV-3. The results were...

In large cowsheds milk is mostly cooled by a flow cooling system. By installing heat pumps it is possible to use the secondary energy obtained in the cooling process as waste heat to produce hot water by coupling the refrigeration and heating systems. Such a heat recovery plant was built in the dairy cattle plant of Luessow in co-operation with the publicly owned refrigeration engineering works of Potsdam. The working principle is depicted in a circuit diagram and a description is given. At a daily milk production of 14,000 l the heat pump system produced a daily average of 15.5 m (exp 3) of fresh water of a temperature of 50 Cel. The energetic yield is currently equivalent to 210 tons of brown coal briquettes per year. Various developed and tested systems can be used in dairy cattle plants with 400 to 2,000 milk cows.

A large-scale investigation on Coxiella burnetii was carried out in dairy cattle herds from a Q fever-endemic region to evaluate the degree of exposure to C. burnetii and to estimate prevalences. This study included all of the dairy cattle herds from the province of Bizkaia, Northern Spain (n=178). Herds were visited between September 2009 and February 2010, and 100mL of bulk-tank milk (BTM) per farm was collected to be analyzed by ELISA and PCR. Blood samples were also taken from about 15 animals randomly selected from each herd. One hundred nineteen of the 178 studied herds (66.9+/-6.9%) were positive for the presence of anti-C. burnetii antibodies in BTM. Serum samples from 1,306 cows, 654 heifers, and 502 calves were analyzed by ELISA, and cows showed a statistically significantly high...

The objective was to develop a linear programming model to formulate diets for dairy cattle when environmental policies are present and to examine effects of these policies on diet formulation and dairy cattle nitrogen and mineral excretions as well as methane emissions. The model was developed as a minimum cost diet model. Two types of environmental policies were examined: a tax and a constraint on methane emissions. A tax was incorporated to simulate a greenhouse gas emissions tax policy, and prices of carbon credits in the current carbon markets were attributed to the methane production variable. Three independent runs were made, using carbon dioxide equivalent prices of $5, $17, and $250/t. A constraint was incorporated into the model to simulate the second type of environmental policy...

This study investigated the accuracies of imputation from 50K genotypes to high-density genotypes for animals from the Danish, Swedish, or Finnish Red dairy cattle populations, using either a national, combined Red, or combined Red and Holstein reference population. Combining the Red populations increased the imputation accuracy for all 3 populations compared with using single-nationality references. Including Holstein animals in the reference further increased the imputation accuracy for Danish Red.

This study investigated the accuracies of imputation from 50K genotypes to high-density genotypes for animals from the Danish, Swedish, or Finnish Red dairy cattle populations, using either a national, combined Red, or combined Red and Holstein reference population. Combining the Red populations increased the imputation accuracy for all 3 populations compared with using single-nationality references. Including Holstein animals in the reference further increased the imputation accuracy for Danish Red.

The present report describes outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in neonatal cross bred cattle calves ageing 1?2?months in an organized dairy farm. The protozoan infection was confirmed by identifying bright red oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. in the faecal samples after staining with modified acid Fast Zeihl?Neelsen stain. Metronidazole and furazolidone combination was able to induce clinically and parasitological recovery. This is believed to be the first report on the successful use of this drug combination against cryptosporidiosis.

On four experimental dairy cattle farms in The Netherlands heat pumps are used for cooling milk. The generated heat is utilized for providing the farms with hot water for cleaning purposes and domestic hot water. In the period 1984/1985 the farms, producing 1660, 2080, 1530, and 1890 kg milk per day, saved 3720, 6162, 3035, and 3547 HFL per year energy costs respectively. 1 tab.

Bovine mastitis is a very complex and common disease of dairy cattle and a major source of economic losses to the dairy industry worldwide. In this study, the bovine breast cancer 1, early onset gene (BRCA1) was taken as a candidate gene for mastitis resistance. The main object of this study was to investigate whether the BRCA1 gene was associated with mastitis in cattle. Through DNA sequencing, Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and Created Restriction Site PCR (CRS-PCR) methods, three SNPs (G22231T, T25025A, and C28300A) were detected and twenty-four combinations of these SNPs were observed. The single SNP and their genetic effects on somatic cell score (SCS) were evaluated and a significant association with SCS was found in C28300A. The mean of genotype EE was significantly lower than those of genotypes EF and FF. The results of combined genotypes analysis of three SNPs showed that BBDDFF genotype with the highest SCS were easily for the mastitis susceptibility, whereas AACCEE genotype with the lowest SCS were favorable for the mastitis resistance. The information provided in the present study will be very useful for improving mastitis resistance in dairy cattle by marker-assisted selection. PMID:22327776

The current review aims to establish insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) as the factor that signals nutritional status to the reproductive axis, and show that assessment of IGF-I in blood early postpartum during the negative energy balance (NEB) period could be used to predict both nutritional and reproductive status in dairy cattle. The review also explores the effect of nutritional status on circulating IGF-I concentrations and the endocrine role of IGF-I on the reproductive axis. IGF-I plays an important role in gonadotropin-induced folliculogenesis, ovarian steroidogenesis and corpus luteum (CL) function. It also modulates pituitary and hypothalamus function. IGF-I clearly has an endocrine role on the reproductive axis. Severe under nutrition significantly reduces plasma IGF-I concentrations. During the critical period of NEB in high yielding dairy cattle early postpartum, IGF-I concentrations are low in blood and its levels are positively correlated to energy status and reproductive function during this period. Changes in circulating IGF-I immediately postpartum may help predict both nutritional and reproductive status in dairy cattle. IGF-I is therefore one of the long sought factors that signal nutritional status to the reproductive axis.   

The objective of this field study was to determine the therapeutic efficacy of mammary irrigation for the treatment of dairy cattle diagnosed with acute coliform mastitis caused by gram-negative bacteria. Additionally, the effects of different mammary irrigation regimen fluids such as ozone water and normal saline were compared. Dairy cattle clinically diagnosed with acute coliform mastitis (n=57) were enrolled in the study, randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups, and received the following treatments: systemic antibiotic administration (SAA group; n=40), mammary irrigation regimen (MIR group; n=10), and both treatments (MIX group; n=7). Significant antipyretic effects, as assessed by rectal temperature measurement, were observed in the MIX and MIR groups. Although 2 irrigating fluids were used, namely, ozone water and normal saline, no significant difference was observed between the 2 groups. Fourteen days after the onset of the treatments, the milk yield recovery rate in MIR group tended to be higher (p=0.06) than that in the SAA group. Additionally, after 30 days of treatment, the MIR group cows demonstrated significantly higher successful recovery rates (p<0.05) than the SAA group cows. These results indicate that mammary irrigation with normal saline is an effective treatment for acute coliform mastitis in dairy cattle.   

Contents The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of clinical endometritis and its impact on reproductive performance in grazing dairy cattle in Argentina to compare data with previous reports from herds kept in confinement housing systems. A total of 243 Holstein dairy cows from three commercial dairy farms in Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) were examined for the signs of clinical endometritis 18-38-days postpartum (dpp) by external inspection and manual vaginal examination. Vaginal discharge was scored into the categories VDS 0 (transparent, clear mucus), VDS 1 (mucupurulent discharge), VDS 2 (purulent discharge) and VDS 3 (purulent discharge with fetid odour). Cows diagnosed with VDS 1 to VDS 3 were regarded as affected with clinical endometritis and cows with VDS 0 ...

A national surveillance programme for Salmonella Dublin, based on regular bulk-tank milk antibody screening and movements of cattle, was initiated in Denmark in 2002. From 2002 to end of 2009 the prevalence of test-positive dairy herds was reduced from 26% to 10%. However, new infections and spread of S. Dublin between herds continued to occur. The objective of this study was to investigate factors affecting incidence risk of S. Dublin infection in Danish dairy herds between 2003 and 2009. Herds were considered at risk when they had been test-negative for at least four consecutive year-quarters (YQs), either at the start of the study period or after recovery from infection. Survival analysis was performed on a dataset including 6931 dairy herds with 118,969 YQs at risk, in which 1523 failu...

When contaminated water is used to wash the udders of dairy cattle and milking utensils, raw milk may become contaminated with pathogens. Washing with high quality water is essential to reduce the microbial contamination of milk. Furthermore, the wastewater generated in dairy herds also contains high populations of pathogens, antibiotics and nutrients that more often are thrown into the water bodies without any treatment. In this work, both supply water and wastewater from 20 dairy farms from Antioquia, Colombia was monitored for 10months to determine the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Both Cryptosporidium and Fasciola were determined by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique in real time. The results showed that the supply water used for drinking and activities involving th...

When weaned at the ages typical of commercial dairy production, dairy calves usually show reduced growth rates, lowered energy intake, and increased behavioral signs of hunger, reflecting their difficulty in switching from a milk diet to solid feed. However, large differences exist between calves in their ability to adapt to solid feed, and automated feeders allow the age of weaning to be adjusted to an individual calf's intake of solid feed. We examined the effects of weaning according to solid feed intake on age at weaning, feed intake, and behavioral signs of hunger. In a 2x2 factorial design, 60 female Holstein calves in groups of 8 and fed milk, grain starter, and hay from automated feeders began to be weaned when their voluntary intake of grain starter was either 400g/d (high start) ...

Abstract The Bahima ethnic group have been crossbreeding autochthonous Ankole with Holstein-Friesian cattle. Separate herds (pure Ankole and crossbreds) are common. A survey was conducted to characterize pasture utilization and management in the Ankole region to gain a better understanding of current and emerging practices. Herds are largely grazed by continuous stocking although there are efforts to establish paddocks. Factors considered for pasture allocation to cattle genotypes were high-quality feed, limited shrubs/weeds and close proximity to homestead for 80, 80 and 30% of farmers, respectively. Cross-bred cattle were kept on medium/high-quality, and Ankole cattle on medium/low-quality pastures. Pastures for cross-bred cattle yielded 017-t-ha-1 more dry matter than pastures allocated...

Abstract in portuguese Considerando os efeitos tóxicos, agudos e crônicos, para a saúde humana e animal, causados por resíduos de praguicidas em alimentos, este trabalho teve como objetivo a identificação e quantificação por cromatografia gasosa (CG) de resíduos de praguicidas organofosforados (OF) e carbamatos (CB) no leite cru, nos componentes da alimentação e água dos animais. Foram coletadas 30 amostras de leite cru da região agreste de Pernambuco e ao mesmo tempo eram coletada (more) s amostras de alimentação e água ofertada aos animais em lactação de cada propriedade, totalizando 109 amostras de alimentação e 38 amostras de água. Das 30 amostras de leite analisadas, seis (20%) estavam contaminadas por resíduos de OF, cinco (16,7%) por resíduos de CB e uma amostra por ambos os praguicidas. Das 109 amostras de alimentação ofertada aos animais coletadas, 48 foram analisadas, com 15 amostras (31,25%) apresentando resíduos de OF, seis amostras (12,50%) contaminadas por resíduos de CB e uma amostra positiva para ambos os praguicidas. Das 16 amostras de água analizadas, seis (37,50%) estavam contaminadas por resíduos de OF e nenhuma apresentou resíduos de CB. Em quatro propriedades leiteiras os praguicidas detectados no leite foram compatíveis com o princípio ativo detectado na alimentação e/ou na água ofertada aos animais, sugerindo uma possível fonte de contaminação, mas não a única. Abstract in english Considering acute and chronic toxicity effects on human and animal health caused by pesticide residues in food, this study aimed to analyze organophosphorate (OP) and carbamate (CB) in feedstuff and water destined for dairy cattle, as well as in the milk produced by these animals, through gas chromatography (GC). In the Agreste region of Pernambuco, Brazil, 30 raw milk samples and all components of the animals' diet were collected from several farms. Out of the 30 milk of (more) milk analyzed, six (20%) were contaminated with OP, five (16.7%) with CB, and one sample with both pesticides. From 48 analyzed feed samples, 15 (31.25%) were contaminated with residues of OP, six (12.50%) with CB, and one sample was contaminated with both pesticides. Out of 16 water samples analyzed, six (37.50%) were contaminated with OP residues, but non with CB. In four dairy farms the pesticides detected in milk were compatible with the active principles found in water and/or foodstuff, suggesting them to be the source of contamination.

Bluetongue (BT) is an important viral disease of ruminants that is transmitted by hematophagous Culicoides midges. We examined the seasonal patterns of abundance and infection of Culicoides sonorensis at four dairy farms in the northern Central Valley of California to develop estimates of risk for bluetongue virus (BTV) transmission to cattle at each farm. These four farms were selected because of their similar meteorological conditions but varying levels of vector abundance and BTV infection of cattle. C. sonorensis midges were collected weekly at each farm during the seasonal transmission period, using three different trapping methods: traps baited with either carbon dioxide (CO2) alone or traps with CO2 and UV light, and by direct aspiration of midges from sentinel cattle. Analysis of B...

A cross-sectional study was performed in Southern and Lusaka provinces of Zambia between March and September 2008 to estimate Brucella seroprevalence in cattle kept by smallholder dairy farmers (n?=?185). Rose Bengal test (RBT) was used as a screening test followed by confirmation with competitive ELISA (c-ELISA). We investigated 1,323 cattle, of which 383 had a history of receiving vaccination against brucellosis and 36 had a history of abortion. Overall seroprevalence was 6.0% with areas where vaccination was practiced having low seroprevalence. Age was associated with Brucella seropositivity (P?=?0.03) unlike cattle breed (P?=?0.21) and sex (P?=?0.32). At area level, there was a negative correlation (Corr. coeff?=??0.74) between percentage of animals with brucellosis vaccination history...

Arcobacter is getting more attention due to its detection from wide host-range and foods of animal origin. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Arcobacter spp. in various sources at farm level and beef retailed in markets in Malaysia and to assess the genetic relatedness among them. A total of 273 samples from dairy cattle including cattle (n=120), floor (n=30), water (n=18) and milk (n=105) as well as 148 beef samples collected from retail markets were studied. The overall prevalence of Arcobacter in various sources was 15% (63/421). However, source-wise detection rate of Arcobacter spp. was recorded as 26.66% (8/30) in floor, 26.3% (39/148) in beef, 11.11% (2/18) in water, 7.6% (8/105) in milk and 6.66% (8/120) in cattle. Arcobacter butzleri was the frequently i...

Abstract Q fever is an important zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii. There are few reliable data about C. burnetii infection available. The aim of this study was to assess the importance and potential infectious sources of Q fever in Hungary. A total of 215 milk samples (10 individual samples from each herd and 1 bulk tank milk sample from each cattle herd), and 400 serum samples (20 from each herd) were tested from 15 dairy cattle herds and 5 sheep flocks located in different parts of Hungary. The study found 19.3% (58/300) and 38.0% (57/150) seropositivity in cattle, and 0% (0/100) and 6.0% (3/50) seropositivity in sheep, by complement fixation test (CFT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. C. burnetii DNA was detected by IS1111 element-based TaqMan rea...

Abstract Leptospirosis is an important bacterial zoonotic disease globally and one of the notifiable diseases in Sri Lanka. Other than human leptospirosis, little information is available on leptospirosis in domestic and feral animals in Sri Lanka. Thus, this study attempted to determine the prevalence and carrier status of leptospirosis in smallholder dairy cattle and peridomestic rodents to understand the impact of the disease on public health in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Cattle and rodent samples were collected from the Yatinuwara and Udunuwara divisional secretaries in Kandy. Serum samples were analyzed for the presence of antileptospiral antibodies using microscopic agglutination test. DNA was extracted from cattle urine and rodent kidney tissue samples, in which polymerase chain reaction was...

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) is an exogenous C-type oncovirus in the Retroviridae family. It causes significant economic losses associated with the costs of control and eradication programs due to carcass condemnation at slaughter and restrictions of export of cattle and semen to importing countries. The main objective of this research was to determine the seroprevalence of BLV infection in cattle herds in central region of Iran (Isfahan province) using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect serum antibodies against BLV. Samples of blood serum were collected from 403 female dairy cattle (Holstein?Friesian) from 21 livestock farms and 303 animals (81.9%) were BLV seropositive. A significant association was found...

China's economic boom in recent decades has stimulated consumer demand for animal products and consequently, a vast expansion in animal production. From 1978 to 2006, the number of animals increased by 322% for pigs, 209% for poultry, and 2770% for dairy cattle. The objective of the present study was to quantify nitrogen mass flow in China's animal production system at the national scale and to elucidate potential environmental implications. A comprehensive analysis was performed combining statistical records with data from the scientific literature and supplemental survey information. Results indicate that approximately 18 Mt of N flowed through the Chinese animal production system in 2006. Nitrogen input to the system was from various feed materials, including 6.8 Mt (38% of total) from roughage, 4.4 Mt (24%) from byproducts, 2.3 Mt (13%) from cereal grains, and 1.6 Mt (9%) each from crop residues and oilseed cakes, with the remaining N (16%) obtained from other feedstuffs. Nitrogen outputs from the system included edible animal products (2.4 t, 13% of total), nonedible animal parts (e.g., bones, skins) (3.8 Mt, 21%), and excreta (12 Mt, 66%). At the national level, the excreta would average 28 Mg (as excreted) and 90 kg N ha(-1) of cropland. However, at the provincial level, it varied from 1 Mg ha(-1) (5 kg N ha(-1)) in Qinghai to 97 Mg ha(-1) (243 kg N ha(-1)) in Sichuan. In regions with excreta in the intermediate rate (e.g., Hebei Province, 115 kg N ha(-1)) or high rare (e.g., Sichuan Province, 243 kg N ha(-1)), animal manure contributes significantly to nutrients polluting groundwater and/or surface waters. It is crucial for China to develop and implement proper management practices to maximum the beneficial use of the 12 Mt excreta N while minimizing its environmental footprint. PMID:21043259

The spacer regions between the 16S and 23S rRNA genes (spacer regions 1) of Bacillus sporothermodurans were PCR-amplified, cloned and sequenced. Six unique spacer sequences in four size classes were recovered from two strains, rrnA (about 190 bp), rrnB (about 303 bp), rrnC (355 bp) and rrnD (554 bp). rrnD contained two tRNA genes which were deciphered as tRNA(ala) and tRNA(ile) separated from each other by 13 nucleotides. The primary structures of the tRNA molecules clearly resembled those found in Bacillus subtilis; the tRNA(ala) genes were identical and the tRNA(ile) genes were 95% similar. The mixed rrnA and rrnB spacers when PCR-amplified from chromosomal DNA were effective as a hybridization probe for identification of B. sporothermodurans strains. However, high background signals with DNA from some other bacilli were encountered. A more discriminating probe was prepared from the cloned rrnB spacer region. Of eight aerobic, endospore-forming bacteria isolated from silage following heat enrichment, one was identified as B. sporothermodurans using the probe and its identity was confirmed from partial 16S rDNA analysis (phylotyping). This indicated that contamination in milk and dairies by B. sporothermodurans could originate from cattle feeds such as silage. Of the other seven silage strains, only two were identified conclusively by phylotyping and three represented probable new species. The latter three strains were subjected to phylogenetic analysis using almost complete 16S rDNA sequences. Branch lengths, bootstrap percentage values, and 16S rDNA similarity to other Bacillus species suggested that these isolates are likely to constitute new species within the genus Bacillus. PMID:9779606

Methane is a greenhouse gas with a significant anthropogenic contribution from cattle production. A demand exists for techniques that facilitate evaluation of mitigation strategies for dairy cows. Therefore, a low-cost system facilitating the highest possible animal welfare was constructed and validated. The system uses the same principles as systems for open-circuit indirect calorimetry, but to lower the costs, the chamber construction and air-conditioning system were simpler than described for other open-circuit systems. To secure the highest possible animal welfare, the system is located in the cow's daily environment. The system consists of 4 transparent polycarbonate chambers placed in a square so that the cows are facing each other. The chamber dimensions are 183 (width), 382 (length), and 245cm (height) with a volume of 17 m(3). Flow and concentrations of O(2), CO(2), CH(4), and H(2) are measured continuously in the outlet. Flow is measured with a mass flow meter, O(2) with a paramagnetic sensor, CO(2) and CH(4) with infrared sensors, and H(2) with an electrochemical sensor. Chamber inlet is placed in the barn and background concentrations may differ between chambers, but delta values between background and outlet concentrations for all chambers were within instrument tolerance. Average recovery rates of CO(2) and CH(4) were (mean ± SD) 101±4 and 99±7%, respectively. This is within the expected tolerance of the whole system (gas sensors and flow meters). Feed dry matter intakes were not affected by confining the animals in chambers, as dry matter intake before and during chamber stay were similar. It was concluded that the system delivers reliable values, and the transparent construction in combination with the location in the barn environment prevent negative impact on animal welfare and, thereby, data quality. PMID:22901487

To implement precision feeding for dairy cow, an intelligent multi-concentrates feeding system was developed. The system consists of two parts, one is precision ingredients control subsystem, the other is multi-concentrates discharge subsystem. The former controls the latter with 4 stepper motors. The precision ingredients control subsystem was designed based on Samsung S3C2440 ARM9 microprocessor and WinCE5.0 embedded operating system. The feeding system identifies the dairy cow with passive transponder using RFID (Radio frequency identification) reader. According to the differences of based diet intake and individual dairy cow milk yield, the system can automatically and quantificationally discharge 4 kinds of different concentrates on the basis of the cow identification ID. The intelligent multi-concentrates feeding system for dairy cow has been designed and implemented. According to the experiment results, the concentrate feeding error is less than 5%, the cow inditification delay time is less than 0.5s and the cow inditification error rate is less than 0.01%.

Abstract in portuguese A suplementação de bovinos leiteiros com selênio é feita tanto em sua forma orgânica como inorgânica. Nas plantas, o Se é incorporado aleatoriamente na sua forma orgânica e encontra-se como análogo de aminoácidos sulfurados, ou seja, selenometionina e selenocisteína. As formas inorgânicas, por sua vez, correspondem aos sais selenato (SeO4-2) e selenito (SeO3-2). Contudo, enquanto a forma orgânica é metabolizada inicialmente como o aminoácido sulfurado anál (more) ogo, as formas inorgânicas são metabolizadas diretamente via seleneto (HSe-) para serem incorporadas em selenoproteínas funcionais, como a glutationa peroxidase. Assim, a selenometionina é metabolizada como a metionina, sendo incorporada ao acaso em proteínas do organismo. Somente após o turnover protéico, a selenometionina é então liberada, podendo servir como fonte de Se. Além disso, em animais de alta produção, a incorporação de selenometionina a proteínas do leite pode torná-la indisponível às selenoproteínas funcionais. Em função disso, análises da concentração de Se no solo, nos alimentos dos animais e no leite, são somente complementares à análise da atividade da glutationa peroxidase, pois não indicam o grau com que o Se vai ser metabolizado pelo animal. O Se no leite, por sua vez, reflete a concentração de fontes orgânicas de Se no sangue. Em torno de 70% do Se no leite está incorporado à caseína. A suplementação de Se para bovinos leiteiros é necessária em qualquer fase de crescimento ou estado fisiológico dos animais, mas o metabolismo das diferentes fontes de Se precisa ser considerado. Enquanto que, em deficiências agudas, fontes inorgânicas parecem ser mais apropriadas, as fontes orgânicas podem ser eficientes em casos de deficiência crônica ou em períodos de suplementação ineficiente de Se. Abstract in english Selenium is supplemented for dairy cattle using organic or inorganic selenium sources. In plants, Se is randomly incorporated also in proteins and its organic form is found as an analogue of sulphur amino acids, i.e. selenomethionine (SeMet) or selenocystein (SeCis). Inorganic forms are mostly found as selenite (SeO3-2) or selenate (SeO4-2). However, it is important to distinguish between the metabolism of the different Se sources. Whereas the organic form (SeMet and SeCi (more) s) can be metabolized as amino acid, the inorganic forms are readily incorporated through selenide (HSe-) into functional selenoproteins, like glutathione peroxidase. Thus, selenoamino acids are incorporated randomly to any body protein and are available as potential Se sources only after protein turnover. In addition, there is a risk for high yielding dairy cows to loose Se for functional selenoproteins when selenoamino acids, especially SeMet, are incorporated into milk proteins, considering that about 70% of Se in milk is incorporated to casein. Measurements of Se content in soil and feed samples have therefore only a complementary value, because the metabolism in dairy cows is difficult to be foreseen with only the Se content in soil and feeds. Se supplementation is important for all animals, but metabolism of the different Se sources needs to be taken into consideration. Whereas acute deficiencies are corrected with inorganic Se sources, organic sources seem to be more efficient to overcome temporarily deficiencies.

In geographic regions where selenium (Se) soil concentrations are naturally low, the addition of Se to animal feed is necessary. Even though it is known that Se in grass and forage crops is primarily present in organic forms (especially as L-selenomethionine, L-selenocystine, and L-selenocystathionine), the feeding of Se in the naturally occurring organic selenium (OSe) compounds produces higher blood and tissue Se levels than the inorganic Se (ISe) salts, and that animal metabolism of OSe and ISe is fundamentally different. Se is commonly added in inorganic form as sodium selenite to cattle feeds because it is a less expensive source of supplemental Se then are OSe forms. A trial was conducted with growing cattle to determine if the addition of OSe versus ISe forms of Se in beef cattle fe...

Bovine abortion is a limiting factor for dairy business, as it decreases milk production and the potential, number of herd replacements, increases feeding and medical treatment costs, increases the number of artificial inseminations to obtain a calf as well as culling rates of cows. An estimation of the economic impact of abortion in dairy farms in Chile is not available yet. The aim of this study was to estimate the economic consequences of bovine abortion syndrome (BAS) in dairy cows from Chile. A stochastic model was proposed to evaluate the cost of an abortion on a yearly basis to include variability in cost and income by dairy and by year. The marginal total net revenue (DTNR) for a typical, lactation was obtained by the calculating the difference between total revenues (retail milk a...

When investing in new or remodelling existing facilities for dairy cows, the functionality of the facilities and the labour input required must be considered in addition to the initial building costs. The aim of this study was to investigate the labour input required for dairy work in different herd sizes, layouts and mechanisation levels in small dairy cubicle barns. Layouts from 201 cubicle-stalled dairy herds with a mean herd size of 38.0 +/- 14.5 (range 17.6-80.2) cows located all over Norway were obtained. The data were merged with data for the daily labour input required for the indoor feeding season. Using General Linear Model (GLM) in SPSS, we created both simple statistical models including the different explanatory variables one by one together with herd size, and a final model i...

Abstract in portuguese Objetivou-se, com este trabalho, avaliar os efeitos da adição de diferentes níveis de enzima mais levedura na dieta de bovinos sobre a digestibilidade aparente dos nutrientes e o desempenho em confinamento, utilizando-se 18 animais machos, mestiços, de origem leiteira, com peso vivo (PV) médio de 190±10 kg e 12 meses de idade, e 27 animais da raça Guzerá com PV médio de 325 kg e idade média de 27 meses. Os níveis de enzima mais levedura foram zero (controle), 5 (more) g de enzima (E) mais 5 g de levedura (L) e 10 g de E mais 5 g de L por animal por dia. Todos os animais receberam a mesma dieta, constituída de 65% de silagem (50% de milho:50% de sorgo) e 35% de concentrado composto de milho (24,6%), farelo de algodão (7,4%), uréia (1,2%), sal mineralizado (0,54%) e calcário (0,86%). Esta dieta apresentava 12,4% de PB; 10,1 MJEM/kg MS e 41,1% de FDN. A adição de enzima mais levedura não alterou o consumo de MS (3,31% do PV ou 126,6 g/kg PV0,75), e CDA da MS (63,0%), PB (68,2%), EE (83,3%), CHOT (61,3%), FDN (47,2%), FDA (43,8%) e valor de NDT (62,8%). O GMD e o CMS diminuíram de forma quadrática e a CA alimentar piorou linearmente, em função dos dias de confinamento. O fornecimento de enzima mais levedura para bovinos de corte não traz benefícios nutricionais ou de desempenho. Abstract in english The objetive of this work was to evaluate the effect of the addition of different enzyme levels plus yeast in the cattle diet on apparent nutrient digestibility and cattle performance in feedlot. Is was used 18 crossbred bulls (Taurino x Zebuino) of milk dairy origin with average LW of 190±10 kg and age of 12 months and 27 steer of the Guzerá breed with LW and age of 325 kg and 27 months. The levels of enzyme plus yeast were zero (control), 5 g of enzyme (E) plus 5 g of (more) yeast (Y) and 10 g E plus 5 g Y for animal day. All animals received the identical diet with 65% silage (50% corn:50% sorghum) and 35% of concentrate composed of corn (24.6%), cottonseed meal (7.4%), urea (1.2%), mineralized salt (.54%) and limestone (.86%). This diet showed 12.4% CP, 10.1 MJ ME/kg DM and 41.1% NDF. The enzyme plus yeast did not affected DM intake (3.3% LW or 126.6 g/kg LW.75) and ACD of DM (63.3%), CP (68.2%), EE (83.3%), TCHO (61.3%), NDF (47.2%), ADF (43.8%), and TDN value (62.8%). The ADG and DMI decreased of quadratic form and feed:gain ratio worsed linearly, in function of feedlot days. The feeding of enzyme plus yeast for beef cattle did not bring nutritional and performance benefits.

Nutrients in animal manure are valuable inputs in agronomic crop production. Timely and reliable information on animal manure nutrient content will facilitate the utilization of manure as organic fertilizer and reduce any associated potential environmental problems. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using multiple linear regression (MLR), polynomial regression, and artificial neural network (ANN) models to determine nutrient content in dairy manure. Fresh manure samples (n = 86) from Holstein dairy cattle were collected from 34 dairy farms located in Beijing city, China. All samples were analyzed for nutrient content (ammonium nitrogen, total potassium, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus) by standard laboratory methods. The physicochemical properties (specific gravity, electrical conductivity, and pH) of dairy manure samples were measured. Relationships between nutrient content and physicochemical properties were explored by MLR, polynomial regression, and ANN models. Several parameters (R(2), modeling efficiency statistic, mean squared error of prediction, mean bias, linear bias, and maximum bias) were calculated to evaluate model performance. The residual analysis results indicated that all MLR models for the testing data set had significant mean and linear bias. When compared with MLR and polynomial regression models, the ANN model for all nutrient contents had better performance with higher R(2) and modeling efficiency statistics and lower mean squared error of prediction, mean bias, linear bias, and maximum bias. These findings demonstrated that the ANN model may be an appropriate tool to predict dairy manure nutrient content. PMID:19038957

Greenhouse gas (GHG; methane and nitrous oxide) emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management of Indian livestock were estimated from the last two Indian livestock census datasets (2003 and 2007) using IPCC Tier 2 (2006) guidelines. The total annual GHG emissions from Indian livestock increased in 2007 compared to the year 2003 with an annual growth rate of 1.52% over this period. The contributions of GHG by dairy cattle, non-dairy cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep and other animals (yak, mithun, horse, donkeys, pigs and poultry) were 30.52, 24.0, 37.7, 4.34, 2.09 and 3.52%, respectively, in 2007. Enteric fermentation was the major source of methane, accounting for 89.2% of the total GHG emissions, followed by manure methane (9.49%). Nitrous oxide emissions accounted for 1.34%. GHG emissions (CO(2)-eq. per kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM)) by female animals were considerably lower for crossbred cows (1161 g), followed by buffaloes (1332 g) and goats (2699 g), and were the highest for indigenous cattle (3261 g) in 2007. There was a decreasing trend in GHG emissions (-1.82% annual growth rate) in relation to milk production from 2003 to 2007 (1818 g and 1689 g CO(2)-eq. per kg FPCM in 2003 and 2007, respectively). This study revealed that GHG emissions (total as well as per unit of products) from dairy and other categories of livestock populations could be reduced substantially through proper dairy herd management without compromising animal production. In conclusion, although the total GHG emissions from Indian livestock increased in 2007, there was a decreasing trend in GHG production per kg of milk production or animal products. PMID:22898933

The objective of this study was to characterize the mRNA expression of metabolic and proliferative genes in the rumen epithelium during ruminal acidosis. To meet our objectives, 16 rumen-fistulated, lactating Holstein dairy cattle (618±35 kg of body weight, 221±32 d in milk) were used in a randomized complete block design. All cattle were fed a high-forage diet (HF; 88.9% of dry matter) for 5 wk before the experiment. After the baseline week (wk 0), half of the cattle were randomly assigned and transitioned to a high-concentrate diet (HC; 62.2% of dry matter) which was fed for 3 wk (wk 1, 2, and 3). For the last 48 h of each week, continuous ruminal pH, short-chain fatty acids, and plasma ?-hydroxybutyrate were assessed, followed by a rumen papillae biopsy. Milk production was higher in HC cattle compared with HF during wk 1, 2, and 3 (17.4±0.5 vs. 23.4±0.9 kg/d, respectively); however, the mean ruminal pH was decreased (5.75±0.03 vs. 6.30±0.02). The HC cattle spent more time below pH 5.6 (594±54 vs. 3±3 min/d) and displayed greater concentrations of ruminal butyrate (15.8±0.9 vs. 10.2±0.4 mmol) and plasma ?-hydroxybutyrate (1,036±63 vs. 778±20 ?M) compared with the HF cattle. The mRNA expression of genes involved in ketogenesis (HMGCS2 and PPARA) and short-chain fatty acid transport (MCT1) was unchanged by treatment. However, a downregulation in HMGCS1 (0.72±0.09), one of the cholesterol biosynthesis genes, was observed in HC cattle during wk 1 of the grain challenge. In addition, the relative mRNA expression value of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 was lower (0.78±0.06), whereas insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5 was higher (1.79±0.15) in HC compared with HF cattle. These results suggest that grain-induced ruminal acidosis alters the mRNA expression of IGF-binding proteins and a cholesterolgenic enzyme in the rumen epithelium of lactating dairy cattle. PMID:22192211

Farmstead runoff poses significant environmental impacts to ground and surface waters. Three vegetated filter strips were assessed for the treatment of dairy farmstead runoff at the soil surface and subsurface at 0.3- or 0. 46-m and 0. 76-m depths for numerous storm events. A medium-sized Michigan dairy was retrofitted with two filter strips on sandy loam soil and a third filter strip was implemented on a small Michigan dairy with sandy soil to collect and treat runoff from feed storage, manure storage, and other impervious farmstead areas. All filter strips were able to eliminate surface runoff via infiltration for all storm events over the duration of the study, eliminating pollutant contributions to surface water. Subsurface effluent was monitored to determine the contributing groundwater concentrations of numerous pollutants including chemical oxygen demand (COD), metals, and nitrates. Subsurface samples have an average reduction of COD concentrations of 20, 11, and 85% for the medium dairy Filter Strip 1 (FS1), medium dairy Filter Strip 2 (FS2), and the small Michigan dairy respectively, resulting in average subsurface concentrations of 355, 3960, and 718 mg L COD. Similar reductions were noted for ammonia and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) in the subsurface effluent. The small Michigan dairy was able to reduce the pollutant leachate concentrations of COD, TKN, and ammonia over a range of influent concentrations. Increased influent concentrations in the medium Michigan dairy filter strips resulted in an increase in COD, TKN, and ammonia concentrations in the leachate. Manganese was leached from the native soils at all filter strips as evidenced by the increase in manganese concentrations in the leachate. Nitrate concentrations were above standard drinking water limits (10 mg L), averaging subsurface concentrations of 11, 45, and 25 mg L NO-N for FS1, FS2, and the small Michigan dairy, respectively. PMID:22370421

Forage is a valuable commodity stored on dairy farms. Bunker and pile silos have increased in use due to increasing herd size. Losses in feed value in bunker and pile silos are frequently higher than they should be because producers are not packing them sufficiently to exclude oxygen during the stor...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of feeding bacterial direct fed microbial (DFM) products containing Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) and Propionibacteria freudenreichii (PF) on the performance, nutrient digestibility, and rumen fermentation of Holstein dairy cows in mid-lactati...

The OptiMIR project aims to improve the sustainability of the dairy sector by providing milk producers with new tools enabling them to manage the cow’s fertility, feeding, health, pollutants, and milk quality. Data provided by milk recording organizations and recorded in different environments will ...

Pasture is rich in soluble nitrogen (N) which is rapidly converted to ammonia in the rumen reducing N utilization in lactating dairy cows. Sucrose is more quickly degraded in the rumen than starch, suggesting that feeding molasses (MOL) to balance the supplies of energy and rumen degradable protein...

Start-up of two acidogenic reactors under mesophilic (37°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions was carried out with methanogenic granular sludge as an inoculum and dairy wastewater as feed. During these 71 days of the start-up period, microbial community dynamics in these two acidogenic reactors, as...

The chemokine (C-X-C) receptor 1 (CXCR1) expressed on the neutrophil surfaces interacts primarily with interleukin-8 (IL-8) and has an important role in immune response. Two interesting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), SNP CXCR1+777G>C and SNP CXCR1-1768T>A, that exhibit an association with subclinical mastitis and milk quality in dairy cattle, respectively, have been reported in the bovine CXCR1 gene. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the presence of the two SNPs in the CXCR1 gene of Japanese Black cattle and examine the association between the SNPs and clinical diseases including intestinal and respiratory diseases in calves. Genotyping of the SNPs in healthy Japanese Black cattle showed that the SNPs were also present in Japanese Black cattle with gene frequencies of 0.37 and 0.15 for the C-type allele in SNP CXCR1+777 and for the A-type allele in SNP CXCR1-1768, respectively. Statistical analysis of the genotype distribution of the SNPs in the bovine CXCR1 gene in healthy and clinical intestinal or respiratory diseased Japanese Black cattle indicated no significant association of the SNPs with clinical diseases in the calves. However, a significant correlation of the number of A alleles in SNP CXCR1-1768 with white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts was found in the disease group. It is possible that the SNP in the bovine CXCR1 gene plays a role in modulating the hematological profile of WBC and platelet counts.   

The prenatal period is of critical importance in defining how individuals respond to their environment throughout life. Stress experienced by pregnant females has been shown to have detrimental effects on offspring biology in humans and a variety of other species. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that prenatal events can have important consequences for the behaviour, health and productivity of offspring in farmed species. The implications of prenatal stress for offspring welfare in cattle are reviewed. Pregnant cattle may experience many potentially important stressors, for instance, relating to their social environment, housing system and physical environment, interactions with humans and husbandry procedures, and their state of health. We examined the available literature to provide the review of this topic. The long-term impacts of dystocia on cattle offspring are also reviewed. To ensure a transparent and repeatable selection process a systematic review approach was adopted. The research literature clearly demonstrates that prenatal stress and difficult births in beef and dairy cattle both have implications for offspring welfare and performance. Common husbandry practices, such as transport, were shown to influence offspring biology and the importance of environmental variables, including thermal stress and drought, were also highlighted. Maternal disease during pregnancy was shown to negatively impact offspring welfare. Moreover, dystocia-affected calves suffer increased mortality and morbidity, reduced transfer of passive immunity, and important physiological and behavioral changes. This review also identified considerable gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the effects of prenatal stress in cattle. PMID:22952359