Summer Pasture in Mountainous Area Affects Milk Fatty Acid Profile of Dual-Purpose Cows

The change in feeding regime of dairy herds using summer grazing in mountainous areas has several implications on cows’ productivity and milk composition. The present study quantified the effect of summer grazing on the milk fatty acids (FA) profile of Simmental and crossbred cows in an alpine holding. A total of 616 milk samples of 71 cows were collected 3 days before the onset of the grazing season until 91 days of grazing. Individual and groups of FA were quantified through mid-infrared spectroscopy. Data were analysed using a linear mixed model including the fixed effects of breed, stage of lactation, parity, sampling period, and the random effects of cows nested within breed and the residual. The stage of lactation and the sampling period were the most significant factors associated with milk FA. The variance explained by the random cow effect ranged from 15.10% (C18:1) to 25.31% (medium-chain FA). The concentration of C14:0, C16:0, and short- and medium-chain FA decreased across the summer season. Long-chain FA and polyunsaturated FA concentrations were greater in milk obtained at pasture compared with milk obtained indoors. Given these outcomes, the present study demonstrated the positive effect of grazing on milk FA composition from a nutraceutical point of view.

Vegetation degradation assessment in the agricultural zone of Northern Mongolia

We conducted research to assess vegetation degradation in Selenge province described as the agricultural zone.Our research results based on the vegetation community map showed that 46.7 % of the total area is light, 3.3 % is moderate,13.9 % is strong, and 30.4 % is very strong degraded. Vegetation degradation was mostly observed in river valleys, lowerplains, hills and small mountains and mountain slopes due to the intensity of summer grazing. The moderately degraded areawas often winter places using as rotate or properly managed grazing land and light degradation has occurred in the forest area.Very strong degradation was revealed mainly in Saikhan, Orkhon, Javkhlant sub-provinces and strongly degraded in Sant,Orkhontuul, Baruunburen. Light degradation of vegetation were observed in sub-provinces adequately covered by forestincluding Eruu, Tushig, Shaamar, Khuder, but there are still problems related to mining and deforestation.

​A Study on the Housing and Feeding Management Practices Followed by Rural Milk Producers of Telangana State

An investigation was carried out to study the housing and feeding management practices followed by the dairy farmers in five districts of Telangana state. From each district one mandal and from each mandal five villages were selected. The data was collected from 150 farmers through personal interview utilizing a schedule developed for the purpose. It was observed that most of the dairy farmers (59.33%) had medium herd size and 59.33% of farmers housed their animals beside their houses while 14.67% and 26% of the farmers housed the animals in a separate shed and below the shade of tree, respectively. Most of the animal sheds (66%) in the study area had mud flooring. Majority of farmers (52%) were not taking any measures to protect animals from extreme heat in summer. Grazing and group feeding were most commonly practised except in Rangareddy district where most of farmers (56.67%) followed individual feeding. Majority of the farmers from Medak (50%) and Mahaboobnagar (60%) districts were following one time feeding of their animals, whereas, most farmers from Vikarabad (66.67%) fed two times in a day. In Rangareddy and Nalgonda, majority (66.67% and 63.33%) of the farmers were offering feed three times. Most of the farmers were producing fodder by themselves in Vikarabad, Medak, Nalgonda and Mahaboobnagar districts and their percentages were 66.67%, 63.33% 93.33% and 86.67%, respectively. Most of the farmers of Rangareddy district were procuring fodder from outside.

Dairy Cows’ Health during Alpine Summer Grazing as Assessed by Milk Traits, Including Differential Somatic Cell Count: A Case Study from Italy

Extensive summer grazing is a dairy herd management practice frequently adopted in mountainous areas. Nowadays, this activity is threatened by its high labour demand, but it is fundamental for environmental, touristic and economic implications, as well as for the preservation of social and cultural traditions. Scarce information on the effects of such low-input farming systems on cattle health is available. Therefore, the present case study aimed at investigating how grazing may affect the health status of dairy cows by using milk traits routinely available from the national milk recording scheme. The research involved a dairy herd of 52 Simmental and 19 Holstein × Simmental crossbred cows. The herd had access to the pasture according to a rotational grazing scheme from late spring up to the end of summer. A total of 616 test day records collected immediately before and during the grazing season were used. Individual milk yield was registered during the milking procedure. Milk samples were analysed for composition (fat, protein, casein and lactose contents) and health-related milk indicators (electrical conductivity, urea and β-hydroxybutyrate) using mid-infrared spectroscopy. Somatic cell count (SCC) and differential SCC were also determined. Data were analysed with a linear mixed model, which included the fixed effects of the period of sampling, cow breed, stage of lactation and parity, and the random effects of cow nested within breed and the residual. The transition from barn farming to pasture had a negative effect on milk yield, together with a small deterioration of fat and protein percentages. Health-related milk indicators showed a minor deterioration of the fat to protein ratio, differential SCC and electrical conductivity, particularly towards the end of the grazing season, whereas the somatic cell score and β-hydroxybutyrate were relatively constant. Overall, the study showed that, when properly managed, pasture grazing does not have detrimental effects on dairy cows in terms of udder health and efficiency. Therefore, the proper management of cows on pasture can be a valuable solution to preserve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of small dairy farms in the alpine regions, without impairing cows’ health.

ANALYSIS OF EFFICIENCY OF THE USE OF MOBILE MILKING PARLORS DURING THE SUMMER GRAZING SEASON IN AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS OF THE VITEBSK REGION

The use of mobile milking parlors is connected with the collection of milk in a bucket or pipeline, which possesses a different effect on the stable operation of the milking machine. In the article, the impact of milking results in different conditions on parameters of quality milking is assessed.

108 Influence of Cow Body Weight Changes on Calf Growth during the Summer Grazing Period

In spring calving beef herds, the summer grazing period allows the mature cow to recuperate prior to the next calving season. Cow body weight changes during the summer can vary from minimal to extreme, which may also alter calf growth rates. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of cow body weight changes on calf growth during the summer grazing season. Cows and calves were weighed at the beginning, mid-point and end of the summer grazing season with the end-point being weaning. Based on these weights, cows were categorized into one of four groups: low (LO), medium (MED), high (HI), and extreme (EXT). Groups were determined based on the percent body weight gained across the season with LO being less than 4.99%; 5–9.99% as MED; 10–14.99% as HI, and above 15% as EXT. Data were collected over a 3-yr period utilizing a total of 52 mature Angus cows and 102 Angus calves. Cows were rotationally grazed on mixed grass pastures containing tall fescue and supplemented with corn silage for part of the grazing season. Cows were managed in two groups, but all pastures were grazed by all cows during the season. Calves were provided ad libitum access to creep feed for the entire grazing season. All calves were treated similarly and bulls were left intact until weaning. Data were analyzed in the MIXED procedure of SAS with year and group effects with age of dam as a covariate. Calves had the lowest early ADG in LO cows compared to all other groups (P = 0.01). Overall calf ADG tended to be different between groups as LO cows had slower growing calves compared to EXT or HI dams (P = 0.09). Generally, cows that gained the least amount of weight over the grazing season had slower growing calves.

Effect of Feeding Adaptation of Italian Simmental Cows before Summer Grazing on Animal Behavior and Milk Characteristics

According to the alpine transhumance system, dairy cows are moved from indoor feeding with conserved forage to fresh herbage feeding on pasture. The aim of this study was to assess, as a feeding adaptation technique, the effect of a gradual inclusion of fresh herbage in the diet of Italian Simmental dairy cows before their transfer to alpine pasture on performance, behavior, and milk characteristics. Eighteen cows were assigned to three groups: animals transferred to alpine pasture with a 10-d feeding adaptation period consisting in gradual access to a pasture close to the valley farm (GT), animals transferred to alpine pasture without a feeding adaptation period (AT), and animals kept in the valley farm (IND). During the first two weeks of summer grazing, GT and AT showed higher rumination time and different concentrations of ketones, hydrocarbons, organic acids, toluene, alcohols, phenols, and dimethyl sulfone in milk as compared to IND, whereas no differences were found in milk yield, composition, or coagulation properties. No differences between GT and AT were evident for the studied variables. The feeding adaptation technique used in this study did not influence the performance and milk characteristics of Italian Simmental dairy cows grazing on alpine pasture.