Nutrient Flows and Balances in Mixed Farming Systems in Madagascar

Mixed farming systems are still prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. In these systems, the recycling of nutrients through crop-livestock integration (CLI) practices is crucial for the sustainability of soil fertility and crop production. The objective of this study was to analyze nutrient (N, P, K) flows and balances of mixed farming systems to assess CLI contribution to the performance of those systems. We hypothesized that more intensive farms had a better nutrient balance at the farm level, and that improved biomass management methods improved their nutrient balance. Nine farms in the Madagascar highlands were selected, some corresponding to poor traditional farms with only draft cattle; some small or medium-sized, more intensive farms with a dairy herd; and some of the latter with some improvement to management methods of livestock effluents (manure composting, liquid manure collection). The nutrient balance of the farming systems was determined, and performance indicators were calculated at both farming, livestock, and CLI levels. Results showed that nutrient recycling through CLI is significant in the functioning of the systems studied, contributing primarily to circulating nutrient flows (up to 76%) and leading to greater efficiency and productivity. Nutrient flows resulting from these practices mainly concerned animal feeding (higher than 60% of nutrient flows), even if manure management was central for crop fertilization and that manure remained a desired animal product of these types of farms (up to 100% of animal products). Large negative balances of N and K (up to 80% of inputs) were observed in traditional livestock systems with draft cattle. They were smaller (39–68%) in more intensive dairy farms. Composting of manure did not decrease negative balances, whereas their magnitude was significantly reduced by the collection of liquid manure (19% for N; 42% for K). Better management of biomass at the farm level, in particular the collection of liquid manure, seemed to substantially reduce nutrient losses in MFS.

Sanitary practices associated with animal welfare in the control of mastitis in the dairy herd

Agricultural practices are a powerful tool with health management contributing to the improved performance of production of animal welfare. The study aimed to verify that farming practices are important tools in the control of bovine mastitis and the degree of knowledge of the producers with respect to the practices. Guided visits were carried out the rural properties, when they were distributed educational materials and tools, made from recyclable material, used in the management of sanitary practices related to animal welfare. To evaluate the physiological profile were collected biological samples such as: blood, feces and milk, and for assessing the sanity and animal welfare were used a questionnaire. Blind 20 cows were selected for a total of 79 rooms of which breast; 36 rooms were negative to the CMT, but 12 were of these were positive to Staphylococcus and microbiology microorganism of higher occurrence. Animal welfare was compromised by the incidence of Subclinical Mastitis, infestation of flies and the absence of prophylactic measures. It is concluded that the use of good agricultural practices is a suitable tool associated with the animal welfare and important in the identification of bovine mastitis, and a lack of information and knowledge regarding best practices, especially in relation to preventive management.

Evaluation of Calcarea carbonica derivative complex (M8) on milk parameters in the dairy cow

Background Any dairy herd that continually has a somatic cell count (SCC) above 200,000 cells/ml has an indication of mammary gland inflammation (mastitis). Routine use of antibiotics to prevent mastitis is prohibited by organic farming regulations. This limitation has lead researchers to focus on cows natural defense mechanisms [1]. Calcarea carbonica derivative complex (M8) is a complex high diluted medication comprised of comprised of Calcarea carbonica 16x, Aconitum napellus 20x, Arsenicum album 18x, Asa foetida 20x, Conium maculatum 17x, Ipecacuanha 13x, Phosphorus 20x, Rhus toxicodendron 17x, Silicea 20x, Sulphur 24x, and Thuya occidentalis 19x. Dilution procedures have followed standard methodology described at the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. This medication has enhanced immune system responses both in vitro and in vivo in a murine model [2]. Aims In the present study, we investigate the response of dairy cows after M8 treatment. Methodology The study was performed as a randomized, observer double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial, with a stratified design, using lactation number and SCC as stratification factors. The study sample consisted of 42 lactating dairy cows (Holstein) in one high producing dairy herd with 52 cows in milk in southern Brazil, divided into two experimental groups (n=21). Exclusion criteria were cows with clinical mastitis or receiving any other medical treatment. Pre- and post-milking teat disinfection was practiced in the herd. All cows were clinically examined, with udder and milk samples being appraised according to Rosenberger (1990) [3]. During 3 months one group received daily M8 treatment, the other placebo. Oral administration of 5 ml/day/cow was performed using an automatic dosage dispenser. Monthly, milk production, SCC, fat and total protein content were carefully recorded for each animal by an official milk recording program. SCC were log transformed for analysis. ANOVA and Tukey test were used to compare the averages. The Bartlett´s test was used for homogeneity of variance evaluation. Results There were no significant differences (P=0.435) among the groups in the initial evaluation (Values of SCC x103 : Placebo 67,37±80,48; Treatment 359,39±677,02). After 3 months, the M8 treated group showed a decrease (134,00±178,76 P= 0.047) in SCC when compared with control group (391,71±686,60). Fat and protein did not differ between groups and time analysed. Milk production decreased in the placebo group during time (Before: 34,97±6,69kg; After:28,69±4,33kg), whereas the treatment group did not change total amount (Before: 28,7±6,54kg; After: 26,39±5,73kg; P > 0.05). Conclusions These results indicate that the M8 influenced positively SCC and suggest that it may be considered as a possible tool to promote bovine mastitis prophylaxis. Keywords: Calcarea carbonica complex, mastitis, somatic cell count [1] McDougall S, Parker KI, Heuer C, Compton CWR. A review of prevention and control of heifer mastitis via non-antibiotic strategies. Vet Microbiol. 2009; 154:177–85. [2] Oliveira CC, Abud APR, Oliveira SM, Guimarães FSF, Andrade LF, Di Bernardi RP, Coletto ELO, Kuczera D, Da Lozzo EJ, Gonçalves JP, Trindade ES, Buchi DF. Developments on drug discovery and on new therapeutics: highly diluted tinctures act as biological response modifiers. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2011; 11(101): 2-11. [3]Rosenberger, G. Die klinische Untersuchung des Rindes, 3. Neubearbeitete Auflage, Paul Parey Verlag, Berlin, 1990.

Relative variability of phenotypic traits and indicators of milk productivity of cows

The research was conducted on cattle of Black-and-White breed (Holstein and Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy breed) at LLC “Veleten” Glukhiv district of Sumy region (n = 1956) and PJSC “Breeding Plant “Stepnoy” of Kamyansko-Dniprovsk district of Zaporizhzhia region (n = 1981). Based on retrospective data analysis (“Uniform-Agri” – program of dairy herd management) for the period from 2004 to 2017 it was studied the live weight of cows in growing period (newborns, 6, 12; 18 months, at first insemination and after the first calving), body measurements of heifers (height at shoulders, chest depth, chest width, chest girth behind the shoulder blades, oblique body length, width of hips, wrist girth) and traits of reproducibility (age at first insemination, age at first calving, duration of service period, insemination index, fertility index) and milk productivity of cows (milk yields for 305 days, fat and protein content in milk for the first, second and third lactation). Based on our previously obtained data by correlation analysis method it was studied the relative variability of phenotypic traits and indicators of dairy productivity of cows. It is established that the connections of live weight of cows during their rearing with traits of milk productivity were multidirectional and ranged from slightly improbable to moderately significant values. At the same time, in both farms, the most significant highly probable connection was noted between the live weight of animals at the age of 12 months and the milk yield of first-borns that indicates the possibility of selecting heifers at the specified age to provide them future high milk productivity. There was significant variability of the relationship between body measurements and the amount of milk yield of cows for the first, second and third lactation. However, cows of both farms, had direct connection, but a bit weaker in animals at PJSC “Breeding Plant “Stepnoy”. Positive correlation coefficients between indicators of exterior and milk yields of cows give reasons to claim the efficiency of indirect selection of heifers by body measurements. Rational management of dairy farming and high profits depend a lot on knowledge of regularities of correlative variability of productive traits of cows and indicators of reproductive capacity. It is established that the connections between the traits of milk productivity and reproductive capacity of animals were different and ranged from weak to medium and from reliable to improbable. The most significant highly reliable, however, with negative correlation coefficients were observed between milk yield of cows for all studied lactations and their age at the first insemination and the first calving

Bovine Brucellosis in Gauteng, South Africa: Seroprevalence amongst Cattle Handlers and Variables Associated with Seropositive Cattle Herds, 2014–2016

In South Africa, the prevalence of cattle handler exposure to Brucella on cattle farms is unknown and risk factors and cattle symptoms associated with infected cattle herds are unavailable. To address this gap, a case-control study of cattle herds was conducted in Gauteng province and farm workers and veterinary officials were tested for exposure to Brucella. Seroprevalence amongst farm workers exposed to case herds ranged from 4.0% (BrucellaCapt®) to 16.7% (IgG ELISA®), compared to those exposed to control herds, where seroprevalence ranged from 1.9% (BrucellaCapt®) to 5.7% (IgG ELISA®). Seroprevalence amongst veterinary officials was significantly greater compared to farm workers exposed to case herds for the outcome RBT+ IgM- IgG+ (OR = 11.1, 95% CI: 2.5–49.9, p = 0.002) and RBT- IgM- IgG+ (OR = 6.3, 95% CI: 2.3–17.3, p < 0.001). Risk factors associated with being an infected herd were: being a government-sponsored farm vs. private farm (OR 4.0; 95% CI: 1.4–11.3; p = 0.009), beef vs. dairy herd (OR 7.9; 95% CI: 1.4–44.9; p = 0.020), open vs. closed herd (OR 3.3; 95% CI: 1.1–10.4; p = 0.038) and the presence of antelope on the farm (OR 29.4; 95% CI: 4.0–218.2; p = 0.001). Abortions (OR = 5.1; 95% CI: 2.0–13.3; p < 0.001), weak calves in the herd (OR = 8.0; 95% CI: 2.6–24.4; p < 0.001), reduction in number of calves born (OR = 9.0; 95% CI: 2.1–43.6; p < 0.001), reduction in conception rate (OR = 3.9; 95% CI: 0.8–18.3; p = 0.046), hygromas in cattle (p = 0.011) and farmers reporting brucellosis-like symptoms in their farm workers or in him/herself (OR = 3.4; 95% CI: 1.3–8.7; p = 0.006) were more likely to be associated with Brucella infected herds than control herds. This evidence can be used in strategic planning to protect both human and herd health.

Time-Consuming, but Necessary: A Wide Range of Measures Should Be Included in Welfare Assessments for Dairy Herds

Animal welfare assessments that measure welfare outcomes, including behavior and health, can be highly valid. However, the time and skill required are major barriers to their use. We explored whether feasibility of welfare outcome assessment for dairy herds may be improved by rationalizing the number of measures included. We compared two approaches: analyzing whether strong pairwise associations between measures existed, enabling the subsequent exclusion of associated measures; and identifying possible summary measures—“iceberg indicators”—of dairy herd welfare that could predict herd welfare status. A cross-sectional study of dairy herd welfare was undertaken by a single assessor on 51 English farms, in which 96 welfare outcome measures were assessed. All measures showed at least one pairwise association; percentage of lame cows showed the most (33 correlations). However, most correlations were weak–moderate, suggesting limited scope for excluding measures from protocols based on pairwise relationships. A composite measure of the largest portion of herd welfare status was then identified via Principal Component Analysis (Principal Component 1, accounting for 16.9% of variance), and linear regression revealed that 22 measures correlated with this. Of these 22, agreement statistics indicated that percentage of lame cows and qualitative descriptors of “calmness” and “happiness” best predicted Principal Component 1. However, even these correctly classified only ~50% of farms according to which quartile of the Principal Component 1 they occupied. Further research is recommended, but results suggest that welfare assessments incorporating many diverse measures remain necessary to provide sufficient detail about dairy herd welfare.

The performance of smallholder dairy farms in West Java

Small farmers dominate dairy farming in Indonesia, and the average productivity is low. An understanding of the performance of farmers and dairy farming businesses is needed to formulate policies for developing small-scale dairy farms. This study aims to provide information about the performance of dairy farms and recommend policies or measures to develop smallholder dairy farms in West Java. The data used in this paper is taken from the IndoDairy Smallholder Household Survey (ISHS) database, covering 600 dairy farm households selected randomly in Bandung, Garut, Cianjur, and Bogor Districts. Data collection took place between August and September 2017. A purposive and proportional random sampling method was utilized to select the samples. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistical analysis. The results show that the main income activity of households (80%) was dairy farming. In addition to dairy farming, households received 10% of their income from off-farm activities, 8% from horticultural production, 2% from other livestock, and 1% from crop production. On average, dairy herd sizes were 5.6 cows per farm, of which the highest found in Bogor (7.7) and lowest in Garut (3.1). The results also show that milk production per cow ranged from 14.1 to 15.2 liters/day/lactating cows, with an average of 14.9 liters/day/lactating cows. Policies and efforts to increase milk production, productivity, and quality of fresh milk through improving feed technology and better dairy farming management are critically important to increasing smallholder dairy farmers’ income in Indonesia, especially in West Java.

Recovery Rates of Treated vs. Non-Treated Dairy Cows with Subclinical Mastitis

The term “spontaneous recovery” refers to a return to a previous condition without any external treatment. In cow mastitis, it refers to cases exhibiting visual symptoms (clinical) or an increase in somatic cell count (SCC) with no visual symptoms (subclinical), with or without identification of a pathogen, from which the animal recovers. A large retrospective analysis of data compiled from the Israeli Dairy Herd Book was performed to evaluate the occurrence of: (i) actual “spontaneous recovery” from the inflammation; (ii) recovery from the inflammation due to antibiotic treatment. In 2018, 123,958 cows from 650 herds with first elevation of SCC at monthly test-day milk yield were clustered into five SCC-cutoff levels (CL) (×103 cells/mL): CL1 (200–299), CL2 (300–399), CL3 (400–499), CL4 (500–999), CL5 (≥1000). Each cutoff level was analyzed separately, and each cow appeared only once in the same lactation and cutoff level, thus resulting in five independent analyses. Recovery was defined as decreased SCC on all three monthly test days, or on the second and third test days, set to: R1 (<100 × 103 cells/mL); R2 (<250 × 103 cells/mL). No difference was found among cutoff levels when the recovery was set to R1, with only 10–12% of the cows presenting spontaneous recovery. When the recovery was set to R2, percent spontaneous recovery was 25–27% at the three higher cutoff levels (CL3–CL5) and 35–41% at the lowest levels (CL1, CL2). Antibiotic treatment was administered to only ~10% of the cows, and in only the higher cutoff-level groups—CL4 and CL5. No difference was found between spontaneous recovery and recovery after antibiotic treatment. Moreover, percentage culled cows treated with antibiotics was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than that of non-treated culled cows (18 and 10.2, respectively), suggesting that the more severe mastitis cases were treated. We concluded that (i) actual spontaneous recovery from inflammation is low and does not depend on the number of cells in the milk at time of infection, and (ii) recovery from inflammation following antibiotic treatment is not higher.

502 Late-Breaking: Tongue Rolling Behavior in a Large U.S. Dairy Herd

Stereotypic behavior is repetitive, invariant behavior with no obvious goal or function and may indicate negative welfare. Non-nutritive oral behaviors are the most common form of stereotypic behavior in captive ungulates and these include tongue rolling where the cow’s tongue is extended, moving inside and outside of the mouth while the cow is not eating. We assessed the prevalence of tongue rolling in a large commercial dairy herd located in the United States by video recording cattle (n = 10,000) during three consecutive milkings on two rotary milking parlors. Associations between tongue rolling behavior, breed, age, days in milk, pregnancy status and milk production were assessed. In total, 29% percent (2,931) of cows were observed tongue rolling on the rotary parlor during at least one milking; 6% (613) were observed tongue rolling during two milkings; and 1.6% (164) were observed tongue rolling during all three sampling periods. Breed was the only variable associated with tongue rolling in the rotary parlor with nearly twice the proportion of Jersey (33%) vs Jersey X Holstein (17%) exhibiting tongue rolling behavior (P &lt; 0.0001). The higher incidence of tongue rolling among Jersey vs Jersey X Holstein cattle within a shared environment suggests a strong genetic component that warrants further investigation. Validated sampling strategies for assessing tongue rolling in dairy cattle are needed.

Heat synchronization and the effectiveness of insemination of cows of Holstein breed under the conditions of the dairy complex

The food security of country is largely determined by the development of animal husbandry branches. Dairy cattle breeding is of particular importance, which has been actively developing in recent years due to the modernization of farms and complexes, the introduction of innovative technologies and the formation of a highly productive breeding herd. The most important link in the development of dairy cattle breeding is the reproduction of the herd. Modern technologies make it possible to use hormonal drugs in order to optimize the reproductive traits of animals. The results of clinical and experimental studies have shown the important role of hormones in the regulation of physiological functions, as well as the possibility of their use for directed changes in metabolism, productivity and fertility of animals. The purpose of the research was to assess the influence of methods of synchronization of heat of cows on the pregnancy rate under the conditions of the dairy complex. The research data on the effectiveness of insemination when identifying animals in visually heat and using Heatime neck strips, as well as when using heat synchronization programs such as Presynch and Double Ovsynch have been presented in the article. The research has been carried out under the conditions of a modern dairy complex on a highly productive herd of cows of Holstein breed. Differences in the effectiveness of insemination by using the studied methods were revealed from 49,1 to 72,5 %. The highest conception rate has been observed in first-calf heifers (83,0 %) and cows (62,5 %) inseminated using the Double Ovsynch protocol. The dependence of the level of conception rate on the presence of diseases suffered by cows during the newcalving period and until the moment of insemination has been noted. In sick animals, the conception rate for groups of first-calf heifers and cows was significantly lower than in healthy animals. Thus, according to the Double Ovsynch insemination protocol, the conception rate in healthy animals was 83,7 %, and in those who were ill – 65,2 %. The research results confi rmed the validity of stopping the use of the Presynch protocol and completely transferring the dairy herd of cows to synchronization and insemination using the Double Ovsynch protocol.