The Effect of Rumination Time on Milk Performance and Methane Emission of Dairy Cows Fed Partial Mixed Ration Based on Maize Silage

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the rumination time on milk yield and composition as well as methane emission during lactation in high-yielding dairy cows fed a partial mixed ration based on maize silage without pasture access. A total of 365 high-yielding Polish Holstein-Friesian multiparous dairy cows were included in the study covering 24 to 304 days of lactation. Methane emission, rumination time, and milk production traits were observed for the period of 12 months. Next, the data from the cows were assigned to three groups based on daily rumination time: low rumination up to 412 min/day (up to 25th rumination percentile), medium rumination from 412 to 527 min/day (between the 25th and 75th percentile), and high rumination above 527 min/day (from the 75th percentile). Rumination time had no effect on milk yield, energy-corrected milk yield, or fat and protein-corrected milk yield. High rumination time had an effect on lower fat concentration in milk compared with the medium and low rumination groups. The highest daily CH4 production was noted in low rumination cows, which emitted 1.8% more CH4 than medium rumination cows and 4.2% more than high rumination cows. Rumination time affected daily methane production per kg of milk. Cows from the high rumination group produced 2.9% less CH4 per milk unit compared to medium rumination cows and 4.6% in comparison to low rumination cows. Similar observations were noted for daily CH4 production per ECM unit. In conclusion, a longer rumination time is connected with lower methane emission as well as lower methane production per milk unit in high-yielding dairy cows fed a maize silage-based partial mixed ration without pasture access.

Tratamiento de metritis en bovinos productores de leche utilizando una nanoparticula de titanio con extractos adsorbidos de cítricos (NANOCIT) / The treatment of metritis in dairy milk cows by using citric extracts adsorbed to a titanium nanoparticle (NANOCIT)

La metritis en ganado lechero es el resultado de muchos factores tanto ambientales como de manejo, pero lo más importante es la presencia de bacterias causantes de metritis que se vuelven resistentes a los antibióticos que hasta la fecha se utilizan para restaurar el ambiente uterino a un estado de normalidad. En este trabajo se usó un extracto cítrico adsorbido a una nano partícula de Titanio (NANOCIT). En dos instalaciones ganaderas de producción de leche se medicaron vía intrauterina con CITNAN vacas lecheras con diagnóstico de metritis. Se observó que el uso de NANOCIT fue efectivo para el control de metritis con solo una o dos infusiones de NANOCIT. Al comparar con tratamientos utilizando antibióticos, y con los cuales la metritis fue controlada después de dos a tres días de aplicación del fármaco, el resultado fue altamente significativo en favor del uso de NANOCIT para el control de este padecimiento. Este avance tecnológico presenta una alternativa eco sustentable para el tratamiento de la metritis en ganado lechero. Avance tecnológico que presenta una alternativa eco sustentable para el tratamiento de la metritis en ganado lechero

MILK PRODUCTIVITY AND TRUENESS TO TYPE OF BROWN SWISS COWS OF THE SMOLENSK REGION

Изучена молочная продуктивность коров бурой швицкой породы и определена ее производственная типичность в условиях Смоленской области. Исследования показали, что в породе преобладают животные молочного (36%) и низкомолочного (31%) типов, при этом высокомолочные коровы составляют 26% от всего поголовья. Рассчитанные усредненные значения коэффициента производственной типичности (КПТ) и индекса производственной типичности (ИПТ) находятся в пределах 3,00—3,99 ед., то есть изучаемых животных возможно отнести к классу молочных. Отмечено снижение значений результатов типичности от 1-ой к 3-ей лактации на 0,04—0,03 ед. (Р≤0,001).Экстерьер коров в зависимости от производственного типа имеет, в основном, недостоверную разницу между значениями промеров, но позволяет определить их соответствие типу. Следует отметить значительную разницу у коров всех лактаций глубины груди — 8,4—10,0 см (Р≤0,001), косой длины туловища — 5,6—8,2 см (P≤0,001). Интенсивность удоя в первую и вторую фазы лактации в зависимости от производственного типа увеличивается от 1-й к 3-й лактации. У коров всех производственных типов происходит снижение коэффициента устойчивости от 1-й к 3-й лактации и составляет 0,9—13,3%. Результаты коэффициента молочности постепенно увеличиваются от 1-й лактации к 3-й, кроме группы высокомолочных коров. Полученные данные обеспечат достоверность отбора лучших животных для дальнейшей селекции, повысят точность определения производственного типа, ускорят проведение оценки, поскольку для установления направления продуктивности животных целесообразно ее проводить по окончании 1-й лактации путем расчета КПТ и ИПТ. Итог — получение стад соответствующего направления продуктивности в зависимости от пожеланий собственника. The milk productivity of Brown Swiss cattle was studied and its trueness to type assessment was carried in the Smolensk region. The survey of the breed was showed that it is dominated by animals of the milk (36%) and low-milk (31%) types, while high-milk ones make up 26%. The observed average values of the trueness to type coefficient (TTC) and the index trueness to type of (ITT) are in the range of 3.00—3.99 points, that is, the studied animals may be classified as milk. There was a decrease the results to type from 1 to 3 lactation by 0.04—0.03 points (P≤0.001). The exterior of cows, depending on the production type, has mainly an unreliable difference between the values of body measurements, but what it allows to determine their compliance with the trueness to type. It should be noted a significant difference in the chest depth in all lactation 8.4—10.0 cm (P≤0.001), the oblique body length 5.6—8.2 cm (P≤0.001). The rate of production in the first and second phases of lactation, depending of the trueness to type, increases from 1 to 3 lactation. In all cow’s trueness to types, the coefficient of lactation stability decreases from the first to the third lactation and is 0.9 - 13.3%. The results of the milk yield coefficient gradually increase from 1 lactation to 3, except for the group of high-milk cows. The obtained results will ensure the reliability of the selection of the best animals for further breeding, increase the accuracy of determining the trueness to type, step up the assessment, since it is advisable to conduct it after the end of the first lactation by calculating the TTC and ITT to determine the direction of animal productivity. The result is the receipt of herds of the appropriate direction of productivity, depending on the wishes of the owner.

Desert Geopolitics

In 2014 the largest dairy company in the Middle East, Almarai, purchased a farm near Vicksburg, Arizona, to grow alfalfa as feed for cattle in Saudi Arabia. Almarai is headquartered at Al Kharj farms, just outside of Riyadh, where it has a herd of more than 93,000 milk cows. Given that dairy and alfalfa farms both require an immense amount of water to maintain, what explains these developments in the deserts of Arizona and Arabia? The answers are historical and contemporary, demanding an approach to “desert geopolitics” that explains how environmental and political narratives bind experts across space and time. As a study in political geography and environmental history, this article uncovers a geopolitics of connection that has long linked the US Southwest and the Middle East, as well as the interlocking imperial visions advanced in their deserts. To understand these arid entanglements, I show how Almarai's purchase of the Vicksburg farm is part of a genealogy of exchanges between Saudi Arabia and Arizona that dates to the early 1940s. The history of Al Kharj and the decades-long agricultural connections between Arizona and Saudi Arabia sheds light on how specific actors imagine the “desert” as a naturalized site of scarcity, but also of opportunity to build politically and economically useful bridges between the two regions.

Dairy productivity and quality of milk of Simmental × Ayrshire × Holstein crossbreds

The purpose of the research was to study the milk productivity and quality of milk crossbreds of Simmental × Ayrshire × Holstein cows different genotypes. The results of crossbreeding cows of Simmental breed with sires of Ayrshire and Red-and-White Holstein breeds have been presented in the article. In terms of milk yield cows of the genotype 1/16S×1/16A×7 / 8HRW surpassed their herdmates with the genotype 1/8S×1/8A×3/4HRW by 300 kg of milk, and cows with the genotype 1/4S×1/4A×1/2HRW by 703 kg (P ≥ 0,95). In animals with high-blood of Holstein breed a significant decrease in the protein content in milk has been observed by 0,1 abs.% (P ≥ 0,999), but in terms of milk protein yield they exceeded their herdmates by 3,9–13,6 kg. In terms of fat content in milk the advantage of cows of the genotype 1/4S×1/4A×1/2HRW has not been so significant and was 0,04–0,05 abs.%, and in terms of milk fat yield on the contrary crossbred cows with the genotype 1/16S×1/16A×7/8HRW exceeded their herdmates by 11,5–25,0 kg (P ≥ 0,95). According to the casein content milk cows with genotype 1/4S×1/4A×1/2HRW exceeded their herdmates by 0,05–0,08 abs.% (P ≥ 0,95), there were practically no differences in the concentration of serum proteins between the groups. Cows of genotype 1/16S×1/16A×7/8HRW were inferior to cows of genotype 1/4S×1/4A×1/2HRW in dry matter by 0,10–0,26 abs.% (P ≥ 0,05), SOMO by 0,06–0,21 abs.% (P ≥ 0,999). In the milk of cows the content of calcium ranged from 127,0 to 128,1 mg/%, phosphorus from 97,4 to 99,1 mg/%. Rennet clotting time is one of the technological indicators of milk quality was shorter in cows with the genotype 1/4S×1/4A×1/2HRW by 2,5–10,2 %. Thus, with the increase of part od blood of Holstein breed from 50,0 to 87,5 % the milk productivity and live weight of cows also increase, but at the same time the quality indicators of milk decrease. However, due to the high milk yield for lactation crossbreds with high-blood of Holstein breed produce more nutrients.

Does the ‘Mountain Pasture Product’ Claim Affect Local Cheese Acceptability?

This paper aims to explore the impact of “mountain pasture product” information on the acceptability of local protected designation of origin (PDO) cheese produced from the raw milk of cows grazing in mountain pastures (P) or reared in valley floor stalls (S). A total of 156 consumers (55% males, mean age 41 years) were asked to evaluate their overall liking on a 9-point hedonic scale of four samples: Cheeses P and S were presented twice with different information about the origin of the milk (cows grazing on mountain pasture or reared in a valley floor stall). Demographics, consumer habits, and opinions on mountain pasture practice (MPP), attitudes towards sustainability, and food-related behaviours (i.e., diet, food waste production, organic food, and zero food miles products purchase) were recorded and used to segment consumers. The cheeses were all considered more than acceptable, even though they were found to be significantly different in colour and texture by instrumental analyses. In the whole consumer panel, the cheese P was preferred, while in consumer segments less attentive to product characteristics, this effect was not significant. External information had a strong effect: Overall liking was significantly higher in cheeses presented as “mountain pasture product”, both in the whole panel and in consumer segments with different attitudes (except for those with a low opinion of MPP).

COST EFFECTIVENESS ON FARMS IN POLAND COMPARED TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

The aim of the study was to assess the cost effectiveness of farms in Poland compared to the European Union, depending on the type of farming. The value and cost structure of the studied farms were determined and the cost-production relation was assessed. The research covered farms participating in the FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) European system for collecting accountancy data from farms. As a part of the main objective, an analysis of the structure and dynamics of costs of the researched farms and the cost-production relationship were assessed. The research period covered the years 2013-2018. On the basis of the conducted research, a high cost burden on production was found both in Poland and the entire EU. In the cost structure, direct costs had the largest share, which were particularly important in farms focused on animal production. There was a differentiation in both the cost structure and cost effectiveness depending on the type of farming. The highest production costs were characteristic for farms of the agricultural type – other grazing livestock, and the lowest for farms specialized in horticultural crops and breeding milk cows. In 2018, compared to 2013, there was an increase in the cost effectiveness of Polish farm production, while a slight decrease in the EU average. The increase in costs and the increase in the cost effectiveness of Polish farm production testifies to a general increase in the prices of production factors used in agricultural production and a decrease in cost competitiveness on the European market.

Biotechnological aspects of transformation of heavy metal salts and their detoxication in milk of milk cows

Based on the results of previous studies on pigs and poultry, in which encouraging results of a significant decrease in the concentration of heavy metals in the body were obtained, respectively, in pork, poultry and eggs, the study provided for the use of the bentonite clay of the Zamankul deposit (RNO-Alania) as an enterosorbent in relation to heavy metals and detoxification of the organism of dairy cows. In order to study the feasibility of using bentonite as an enterosorbent, studies were performed on dairy cows of the Simmental breed in the Kaloyev farm located in st. Zmeyskaya, Kirovsky district of North Ossetia-Alania. To conduct research on the principle of analog pairs, two experimental groups of cows (control and experimental, five cows in each group) of the 3rd and 4th lactation were formed. The experiment lasted for 305 days of lactation from March 2018 to January 2019. Herewith, the control group of cows was fed with a basic diet balanced in all nutritional elements, the experimental livestock, together with the main diet, daily in the composition of the concentrates was injected with crushed bentonite with a particle diameter of 4-6 mm based on the dry matter of the feed (137 g/animal). The study of the concentration of heavy metals (cadmium, lead and zinc) in soil, feed, blood and milk was performed in two periods of lactation (on the 250th and 300th days of lactation). Herewith, an increased content of heavy metals in the soil was established, relative to the MPL: cadmium - 10.1; lead - 7.4; zinc - 9.7 times more, in drinking water: cadmium - 2.5 times; lead - 9.0 times and zinc - 9.7 times more, in feed: cadmium - from 1.7 to 5.3 times; lead - from 1.1 to 1.7; zinc - from 1.0 to 2.5 times the MPL. The inclusion of bentonite to the ration of the animals of the experimental group, in comparison with the control group, in both study periods (250 and 300 days of lactation) contributed to a significant decrease in the concentration of the studied heavy metals in the blood from 17 to 20%, in milk - from 16 to 18 %. The transformation ration values of heavy metals from feed into the body, respectively, into milk, were also lower in the animals of the experimental group, relative to the control.

Productive longevity of Holstein cows of the Leningrad population with different systems of housing

To identify the advantages of a tethering system (TS) or loose-housing system (LHS), a comparative analysis of the level of milk productivity and the duration of productive longevity of cows in the Leningrad Region was carried out for a livestock of 4,272 cows that left in 2015–2019. The following indicators were calculated: period of productive use (PPU) – age in days from the first calving to the retirement of the cow, lifetime milk yield (LTMY); milk yield (kg) for 1 milking day, for 1 day of PPU and 1 day of life (Efficiency of Milk Production – EMP) – calculated by dividing lifetime milk yield by the number of milk days, PPU or life. With TS the LTMY is higher by 10,634 kg, which is obtained for 107 additional days of their productive use, milk production for 1 day of milking, the day of use, EMP is higher by 8,2 kg, 6,7 kg and 4,6 kg, respectively, the majority of cows have an EMP level in the ranges of 10,01–15,00 kg of milk (32,0%) and 15,01–20,00 kg (38,2%), and 11,0% of animals have reached an EMP level of more than 20,00 kg of milk. With LHS mainly cows are concentrated in the ranges of 5,01–10,00 kg of milk (43,6%) and 10,01–15,00 kg of milk (46,6%). Desirable cows with LTMY over 30 thousand kg, and in this range, the EMP is almost 10 times higher with TS (43,9 instead of 4,5%). The results obtained cannot be attributed to the advantages of TS. This is confirmed by the great influence of the father on the EMP (factor «Sire» – 0,679) or the inherent genetic potential of productivity, and only by 0,268 system (factor «System of housing») and by 0,296 (factor «Farm») housing conditions on the farm. The «System of housing» influences more on milk yield per 1 day of PPU than on EMP and LTMY (0,342 instead of 0,268 and 0,110, respectively). The effectiveness of LHS is evidenced by the fact that when comparing animals with the same level of EMP under this system, they are used for a longer time and, accordingly, produce more milk per life. So, with a level of 5,01–10,00 kg of milk, cows have a LTMY of 18,1% more with LHS, which were used for 0,54 lactation with PPU for 211 days longer than analogs with TS. A similar trend is observed at the level of 10,01–15,00 kg (+20,8%, +1,17 lact., +461 days) and at the level of 15,01–20,00 kg (+11,3%, +1,18 lact., +499 days). Therefore, for profitable dairy production with a LTMY of more than 30 thousand kg of milk during the PPU of Holstein cows with a LHS, attention should be paid to the level of the inherent genetic potential of productivity (according to the analyzed sample, at least 8000 kg of milk), that is, to select bulls with high breeding qualities.