Evaluation and optimal utilisation of the international linear type classification schemes

End of project reportThe authors would like to acknowledge the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation for access to their excellent database for use in this study and to the Irish Holstein-Friesian Association for financial support of this studyThe main objectives of this study were: 1) to evaluate the phenotypic associations between linear type traits and survival in New Zealand and identify potential new traits for inclusion in the type classification scheme in Ireland, and 2) to quantify the potential of linear type traits scored in Ireland as early predictors of genetic merit for fertility and survival in Ireland

Trends in cow numbers and culling rate in the Irish cattle population, 2003 to 2006

Cows are the main economic production units of Ireland's cattle industry. Therefore, demographic information, including overall numbers and survival rates, are relevant to the Irish agricultural industry. However, few data are available on the demographics of cows within a national population, either in Ireland or elsewhere, despite the recent development of comprehensive national cattle databases in many EU Member States. This study has sought: to determine the rate of cow culling from the national herd; to determine the rate of culling by type (dairy, beef), age, method of exit, date of exit and interval between last calving and exit; to calculate the national cow on-farm mortality rate; and to compare the Irish rates with published data from other countries. This work was conducted using data recorded in the national Cattle Movement Monitoring System (CMMS). Culling refers to the exit of cows from the national herd, as a result of death but regardless of reason, and cow-culling rate was calculated as the number of cow exits (as defined above) each year divided by the number of calf births in the same year. Culling rate was determined by type (dairy or beef), date of birth, method of exit (slaughter or on-farm death), month of exit and interval between last calving and exit. The average cow-culling rate during 2003 to 2006 was 19.6% (21.3% for dairy, 18% for beef). While comparisons must be treated with caution, it concluded that the overall rates of culling in Ireland fell within published internationally accepted norms. The on-farm mortality rate of 3.2-4.1% was similar to that reported in comparable studies

Prevalence, survival and subsequent fertility of dairy and beef cows with uterine prolapse

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of uterine prolapse in cows and assess its effects on survival and subsequent fertility. Of 33,450 calving cows considered retrospectively, 216 (0.6%) developed uterine prolapse. A higher prevalence was found in beef cows (n 5 57/5,700 cows, 1%) compared to dairy cows (n 5 157/27,750 cows, 0.6%). Treatment consisted of cleaning and replacing the uterus with local administration of antibiotics, and applying a harness for uterine containment. The recovery rate was 81.9% (n 5 177), similar in dairy (n 5 129; 81.1%) and beef (n 5 48; 84.2%) cows. Of the 216 cows with uterine prolapse, 18 (8.3%) died before or immediately after treatment; 21 cows (9.7%) were voluntarily culled for economic reasons (low milk yield, low fertility, insufficient weight gain). All recovered dairy cows were artificially inseminated with semen of proven fertility after a voluntary waiting period of 50 days; the beef cows were naturally mated. Among the 172 inseminated/mated cows, 84.7% (n 5 150) became pregnant (83.7% dairy cows, 87.5% beef cows), while 15.2% (n 5 27) did not conceive. Recurrence of uterine prolapse at subsequent calvings was recorded in one dairy cow. Based upon the data presented here, treated cows with uterine prolapse showed high chances of survival and conception, and a low risk of recurrence

Optimising cow traffic in automatic milking systems

This thesis comprises the results from three separate studies performed in the experimental automatic milking system at Kungsängen Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. In the first study, 30 high-yielding cows in early lactation were subjected to two different degrees of controlled cow traffic, and the effects on milk yield, dry matter intake, feeding patterns and voluntary visits to the milking unit and the control gates were measured. A model of mixed distributions for estimations of biologically relevant meal criteria from registrations in roughage stations was also evaluated. In the second study, the behaviour of 24 cows after they had been redirected in control gates was observed, and the cause of long redirection times from gates until they showed up in the milking unit was examined. In the third study, 9 cows were subjected to three different cow traffic systems in a carry-over design and the effects on cortisol concentrations in milk and ruminating patterns were studied. The studies showed that milking frequency and thereby milk production can be altered by different time settings in the control gates without limiting the daily feed intake of the cows. A high degree of guidance provokes social effects in the queue in front of the milking unit and in the feeding areas. It also makes it difficult for the cows to follow their natural feeding patterns. Judging from measurements of milk cortisol concentrations, controlled cow traffic was not stressful for the cows. Cows initiated meals with short intervals, which offered many opportunities to milk them. But the queue in front of the milking unit caused long redirection times, and the control gates failed to guide cows to high milking frequencies. Individual differences in feeding patterns and how cows respond to redirections in the control gates suggest that the control gates should be making decisions on an individual level

Committing to Cattle:exploring Variation in Neolithic Cattle Husbandry Practices through Zooarchaeological and Stable Isotopic Analyses

Neolithic cattle husbandry provided farming communities with vital products that brought about everlasting changes to our practices of food production, consumption, storage, transportation, and to concept of wealth. Neolithic cattle herders, similar to modern-day zootechnicians, developed many innovative husbandry practices to achieve desirable traits among livestock. These practices are deeply entangled with, and often driven by, the physiological and behavioural traits of cattle, ecological factors, technological, and sociocultural preferences of the human communities involved. There is little known about the early forms of cattle husbandry due to the incompatibility of the methodologies used in zooarchaeological datasets, and the scarcity of stable isotopic and palaeopathological data on cattle remains from early Neolithic contexts. As a response to these challenges, this study combines an integrated approach of standard zooarchaeological, pathological, and novel multi-stable isotopic (δ18O, δ13C, δ15N) analyses to provide a multi-scalar perspective on the dynamics of cattle farming practices. This revealed patterns linked to the human control exercised over cattle strength, demography, size, grazing environments, mobility, and the reproduction cycle at three pivotal early Neolithic sites in Turkey, Bulgaria, and the Netherlands between 7th and 4th millennium BCE.From a broader perspective, this study confirms a pattern in which the diversity of early cattle husbandry practices is caused by an interplay of biological, environmental, and cultural factors. In return, this has shaped cattle and human biology, socioeconomic behaviours, and the natural environment in different ways

Living off the land : Terrestrial-based diet and dairying in the farming communities of the Neolithic Balkans

The application of biomolecular techniques to archaeological materials from the Balkans is providing valuable new information on the prehistory of the region. This is especially relevant for the study of the neolithisation process in SE Europe, which gradually affected the rest of the continent. Here, to answer questions regarding diet and subsistence practices in early farming societies in the central Balkans, we combine organic residue analyses of archaeological pottery, taxonomic and isotopic study of domestic animal remains and biomolecular analyses of human dental calculus. The results from the analyses of the lipid residues from pottery suggest that milk was processed in ceramic vessels. Dairy products were shown to be part of the subsistence strategies of the earliest Neolithic communities in the region but were of varying importance in different areas of the Balkan. Conversely, milk proteins were not detected within the dental calculus. The molecular and isotopic identification of meat, dairy, plants and beeswax in the pottery lipids also provided insights into the diversity of diet in these early Neolithic communities, mainly based on terrestrial resources. We also present the first compound-specific radiocarbon dates for the region, obtained directly from absorbed organic residues extracted from pottery, identified as dairy lipids

Dairy Sector: Opportunities and Sustainability Challenges

Achieving success along the entire production and supply chain of a dairy sector depends explicitly on adopting a sustainable 'state of the art' approach. In this regard, understanding key sustainability indicators and challenges with a holistic approach is vital. Appropriate design, application of novel technologies, implementation of life cycle analysis, upgradation and optimization of the entire production line are some of the key factors to be measured. In addition, it is vital that due consideration is given to demands of the producers, consumers, and dependent industries. Nevertheless, concern for the environment, social security and economy of the region should not be ignored. Precise planning ('on-farm' and 'off-farm') assumes importance especially when circular economy strategies needs to be considered. With these as background, this book is focused towards identifying present opportunities and overcoming future sustainability challenges in the global dairy sector