Effects of Supplementing Propionibacteria in Lactation Dairy Diets on Ruminal Fermentation in Continuous Cultures

The aim of the present study was to assess characteristics of in vitro ruminal fermentation when mixed cultures were offered lactation dairy diets supplemented with the direct-fed microorganism, Propionibacterium P63 in continuous cultures. The design of the experiment was a 2 × 2 factorial with 4 replications. Diets based on corn silage and alfalfa hay as the forage sources were formulated; high forage (HF) or low forage (LF) diet with a forage-to-concentrate ratio of 60:40 or 40:60 (DM basis), respectively, was combined without or with P63 to form 4 treatments: HF without P63, HF with P63, LF without P63, and LF with P63. Approximately 700 mL of the strained ruminal fluid obtained from 2 lactating dairy cows was inoculated into each of 4 fermentors with a continuous dual-flow system. The cultures were allowed 6 d of adaptation to the treatments followed by 3 d of sampling and data collection. Feed totaling 40.0 g of DM was added to each fermentor daily in equal portions delivered at 0800 and 2000 h. The P63 treatments received 7 × 108 cfu of P63/fermentor/feeding. Supplementing P63 decreased culture pH (P = 0.05) in the LF diet, but not in the HF diet. Feeding the LF diet increased total VFA concentration compared with the HF diet (P = 0.01), and supplementing P63 increased total VFA concentration regardless of level of forage in the diet (P \u3c 0.01). Molar concentrations and proportions of acetate and propionate did not differ in response to supplementing P63 in the HF and the LF diet. However, molar concentration and proportion of butyrate increased due to P63 supplementation (P \u3c 0.05) only in the LF diet, resulting in interactions between level of forage and P63 supplementation (P \u3c 0.08). Overall results in this in vitro study indicate that P63 supplementation enhanced ruminal fermentation by increasing VFA production, but its impacts on continuous culture fermentation differed between the HF and the LF diet

DAIRY CATTLE HOOF DISEASE COSTS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR PREVENTION

Lameness is considered one of the most important health and welfare issues in the dairy industry. Understanding the total cost per case of disease-specific lameness can help producers select better treatment, prevention, and control strategies for their herds. The first objective of our research was to calculate the costs associated with 3 lameness causing hoof diseases: digital dermatitis, sole ulcer, and white line disease. To accomplish this, a survey of hoof health professionals (hoof trimmers and veterinarians) was conducted to identify treatment related expenditures per case. Data from the hoof trimmer responses to the survey and previously published research were incorporated into a farm-level stochastic simulation model to determine the expected costs per case of each disease and the most influential factors associated with disease costs. The cost per case was calculated by disease type, severity (mild or severe), incidence timing (0 to 60 days in milk, 61 to 120 days in milk, 121 to 240 days in milk, or \u3e 240 days in milk), and parity group (primiparous or multiparous). The second objective of our research was to determine the economic value of investing in different lameness prevention strategies. Two prevention strategies were considered: 1) prevention of infectious hoof diseases and 2) prevention of non-infectious hoof diseases. The total expenditures (therapeutics, outside labor, on-farm labor, and prevention costs) and losses (discarded milk, reduced milk production, extended days open, increased risk of culling, increased risk of death, and recurrence losses) associated with each prevention strategy before and after prevention implementation were calculated and compared to find the breakeven investment cost

ASSESSMENT OF THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF AUTOMATED ESTRUS DETECTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR DAIRY CATTLE

Poor estrus detection can limit the reproductive performance of a dairy herd. One objective of this research was to evaluate an alternative method to traditional estrus detection in the form of automated monitoring technologies. To accomplish this, the first study considered the ability of automatically monitored parameters (activity, number of steps, lying bouts, lying time, feeding time, rumination time, and temperature) to detect estrus. A second study compared automated activity monitoring to timed artificial insemination as reproductive management strategies on commercial herds. The other objective of this research was to evaluate the economic potential of automated estrus detection technologies. This was accomplished by creating and evaluating a farm specific decision support tool to determine the net present value of adopting an automated estrus detection technology

Organizational System for the LEGO WeDo 2.0 Robotics System

In this article, we explain an organizational system for the new LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 Core Set used in 4-H robotics; in school enrichment, afterschool, and other youth robotics programs; and by hobbyists. The system presented is for organizing WeDo parts into a translucent parts tray that includes part names and numbers. The article provides step-by-step instructions for obtaining needed materials and constructing the parts inventory card. The system allows for personalization of the parts card to facilitate equipment management

Winterizing Your Horse\u27s Feet

This publication gives tips and instructions on winterizing horse\u27s feet in order to keep them safe and healthy

Analyses of body weight patterns in growing pigs: a new view on body weight in pigs for frequent monitoring

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Business ethics : practical proposals

While most people agree that the inculcation of ethical awareness is desirable, the means of stimulating this awareness vary among companies, industries and cultures. The fundamental question surrounding the difference between social responsibility and ethics is addressed. Guidelines for establishing ethical priorities from both the individual, group and organisational perspectives are provided. <br /

“Watashi to Nihongo”

I will talk about my experience in learning Japanese up to now, including: why I choose to study Japanese, the difficulties I have met, and it’s influence in my life. I will also talk about what my future plans are concerning Japanese, such as further education in the language, usage in real life situations, and sharing this knowledge with others