Are My Dry Cows Heat-Stressed? A Novel Approach to Assess Heat Stress of Dry Cows in Commercial Dairy Herds

Heat stress during the dry period causes major economic losses to the dairy industry. However, limited research exists regarding responses of dry cows exposed to various temperature and relative humidity gradients. In addition, no validated methods are currently available to assess heat stress in dry cows. The goals of this study were to describe core body temperature (CBT) responses of dry cows according to a variety of temperature-humidity index (THI) values, and develop and validate a practical method to assess heat stress in dry cows in commercial dairy herds. This study was comprised of 2 parts. In the first part of the study, vaginal temperature of dry cows (n = 346) with 250 to 260 days of gestation from 5 herds was assessed for 4 to 7 consecutive days in 5-minute intervals. Within dairy and parity group, cows were classified as having high (HT) or low CBT (LT). By design, CBT was greater for HT compared with LT cows (102.3 ± 0.01 vs. 101.8 ± 0.01°F). Cows classified as having HT had shorter gestation length compared with their LT counterparts (272.5 ± 0.2 vs. 275.1 ± 0.2 days). The second part of the study consisted of evaluating and validating a practical assessment method of heat stress and investigating CBT threshold values. Vaginal temperature of 1,540 dry cows with 236 to 250 days of gestation from 3 commercial dairy herds was assessed a single time using a digital thermometer. Average CBT of HT cows at each THI (data from the first part of the study) was used as a threshold value to classify cows as heat-susceptible or heat-tolerant. Cows with higher or lower CBT than the threshold defined for a given THI were classified as heat-susceptible or tolerant, respectively. Cows classified as heat-susceptible had shorter gestation length (272.5 ± 0.2 vs. 275.0 ± 0.2 days) and were more likely to have twins (11.0 vs. 3.8%) than heat-tolerant cows. In conclusion, assessment of heat stress in dry cows based on defined CBT thresholds is a useful method to identify cows expected to have shorter gestation length and more likely to have twins

Effects of Two Commercial Supplemental Fat Products on Body Condition Score and Cow- and Herd-Level Milk Yield and Composition in a Commercial Dairy Herd in Kansas

Feeding fat supplements to lactating dairy cows is an effective strategy to increase energy density of rations and increase milk yield. However, it is not clear whether supplementing a specific fat supplement for the entire lactating herd provides better results than others in commercial dairy herds. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of fat supplementation with two commercial products on changes in body condition score (BCS) and cow- and herd-level milk production and composition in a large commercial dairy herd. The study was conducted in a herd milking approximately 1,500 Holstein cows. One of two treatments was assigned to the herd in a singlesubject crossover design with 4 periods. Treatments were inclusion of 0.24 lb/cow per day of a supplement rich in saturated fats (Propel; Propel Energy Plus) or 0.22 lb/cow per day of a supplement containing calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids (Control). Treatments were applied to all lactating cows during four consecutive weeks. Milk yield recorded during the last week of each period was used for statistical analyses. In addition, milk samples were collected in the last week of each period to determine test-day milk protein, fat, somatic cell count, and urea nitrogen concentrations. At the beginning and at the end of each experimental period, BCS was assessed from a subset of cows to evaluate BCS change. Herd-level milk fat, protein, and somatic cell count were recorded daily by the milk cooperative. Bulk tank milk fat and protein contents on the fourth week of fat supplementation were similar between Control and Propel treatments. Average milk yield during the fourth week of fat supplementation (yield recorded daily in the last week of the experimental period) was greater for Control than Propel supplementation (83.4 vs. 82.1 ± 1.7 lb/day). In the analyses that used test-day data, milk yield did not differ between Control and Propel treatments. Supplementation with Propel resulted in greater milk fat (4.50 vs. 4.29 ± 0.12%) and reduced milk protein content (3.12 vs. 3.14 ± 0.03%) compared with Control. In addition, milk urea nitrogen was reduced for Control vs. Propel cows (12.5 vs. 13.1 ± 0.04 mg/dL). Supplementation with Propel increased energy-corrected milk (93.9 vs. 91.7 ± 3.1 lb/ day) and fat-corrected milk (96.3 vs. 93.5 ± 3.3 lb/day) yields compared with Control supplementation. Proportion of cows that lost BCS during the fat supplementation periods did not differ between treatments; however, BCS change tended to be more pronounced during supplementation with Propel than Control treatment (-0.03 vs. 0.02 ± 0.04). In conclusion, fat supplementation using the Propel treatment resulted in greater milk fat content, energy-corrected milk, and fat-corrected milk compared with fat supplementation with Control. Our findings suggest that the type of market to which milk is sold should be considered in the choice of fat supplements

Extraction of bixin from annatto seeds using supercritical carbon dioxide

The solubility of 93% pure bixin in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) and of the bixin present in annatto seeds (Bixa orellana L.) was measured. For the seeds, the measurements were made in a temperature range from 30 to 50ºC and pressure between 10 and 35 MPa and for the pure bixin, at 40ºC from 10 to 35 MPa. The main pigments of annatto seeds are bixin and norbixin, but the extracts only showed the presence of cis and trans-bixin, indicating that norbixin is not soluble in SC-CO2. The annatto seeds used in the experiments contained about 2.7% bixin and 3.1% oil. In the seeds, the crossover point of solubility was at about 28 MPa and values for solubility were about ten times higher than those of the pure bixin, giving evidence that the oil acted as a co-solvent with the CO2.FAPES

Nuove applicazioni per le unità abitative in emergenza: tecnologie e tecniche della tradizione costruttiva andina amazonica

This work reports the result of a research activity conducted in Bolivia in the year 2020, in synergy between Bolivian Polytechnic University School "Josè Maria Nunez del Prado", University of Naples Federico II and Pegaso Telematic University. In particular, the research had as its object the study of a housing unit suitable for coping with the floods that frequently afflict some Bolivian peasant populations. During the research, much attention was initially paid to the historical, political, socio-economic aspects and to the cultural and traditional characteristics of the ethnic groups that make up the population of Bolivia; subsequently, the morphology and hydrography of the Bolivian territory were examined, as well as the climate, the trend of rainfall and the El Niño and La Niña phenomena that often cause floods with serious risks for the populations, especially rural ones. Having completed these first two phases of the research, the authors moved on to the study of the traditional construction characteristics of rural architecture, paying particular attention to the basic construction materials used in the peasant areas of Bolivia, in particular to raw earth and bamboo, as well as the principles and rules that regulate the construction of rural housing in Bolivia. For rural architecture, the traditional Pawichi house and the traditional dwellings of the indigenous Chiquitana population were examined in detail. Only after having acquired all these important aspects, the research became interested in the design of a new rural house which, respecting Bolivian cultural traditions, would be able to cope with floods and reduce the risks associated with them. In the design of this new emergency housing unit, the authors focused their attention not only on the compositional and functional aspects of the housing unit, but also on the constructive aspects by designing new structural elements such as the pillars made with five bamboo canes suitably linked together. with knots of the Andean construction tradition. The composition of the housing unit proposed by the authors is governed by a basic 4x4 module that can be full, or delimited by infill and window frames, or empty, or without surrounding infill elements to allow the creation of the traditional place for socialization, the Punilla. Never as in this case have, I been particularly happy with the invitation formulated by the authors, and in particular by the young researchers, Francesca Volpe and Emanuele La Mantia, to present their work. In fact, I was able to see the procedural quality of the research and the intelligent design procedure that led to the definition of a housing prototype of great interest for the Andean populations

Relationship Between Body Condition Score Change During the Prepartum Period and Week Four Milk Yield of Dairy Cows

The objectives of the study were to (1) evaluate the association between body condition score (BCS) change in the prepartum period and week four milk yield and (2) explore whether average week four milk yield can be used as an indicator of the percentage of cows having BCS loss before calving at the herd level. Cows that had excessive BCS loss had decreased milk yield in early lactation relative to cows that did not change BCS or had moderate BCS loss in the dry period. Nonetheless, monitoring average week four milk yield does not appear to be a reliable indicator of the percentage of cows that underwent excessive BCS loss in the prepartum period. In conclusion, despite its association with BCS change during the dry period, week four milk yield cannot be used as a reliable parameter to monitor whether cows experience excessive BCS loss before calving

Beef cattle production in established integrated systems.

The aim of the current study is to assess three integrated systems presenting different eucalyptus tree densities due to animal and forage production. The following integrated systems were assessed: croplivestock- forest with 357 eucalyptus trees ha-1 (ICLF1); crop-livestock-forest with 227 eucalyptus trees ha-1 (ICLF2); and crop-livestock with 5 remnant native trees ha-1 (ICL). The randomized block experimental design was applied in a split-plot scheme with four replicates. The Average Daily Gain (ADG, g animal-1day-1) and the live-weight gain per area (LWG, kg ha-1) were applied to analyze animal performance, which was set by weighing the animals every 28 days (the animals previously fasted for 16h). Forage yield was higher in ICL during fall and winter; in summer, it did not differ from ICLF2. There was no forage yield difference between the ICL and ICLF2 systems in any of the assessed seasons; summer was more productive in ILPF1 than other seasons. The highest leaf crude protein contents (CP) in summer was recorded in systems ICLF1 and ICLF2, and the highest value recorded in fall was found in ILPF1; the lowest was found in ILP. On the other hand, the highest leaf NDF contents in summer were found in ILP. The highest ADG were found in summer. The highest LWG values recorded for the ICL and ICLF2 systems were collected in summer and fall; there was no difference in any of the three systems in winter. The LWG was higher in all system in summer. The ICLF2 emerged as the system (with trees) most appropriate for beef cattle production. Despite the shading interference on forage production, such condition is compensated by the best nutritional contents such as CP. The ICLF2 system allowing an annual LWG of 83% in relation to the ICL system during the fifth year of establishment of the systems.Título em português: Produção de bovinos de corte em sistemas de integração estabelecidos

EVALUACIÓN DE LA FERTILIDAD in vitro DEL SEMEN DE TOROS JÓ- VENES NACIONALES EN OVOCITOS PROVENIENTES DE OVARIOS DE ANIMALES BENEFICIADOS

This study was carried out in the Center of Research and Instruction in Embryo Transfer (CIETE), sponsored by a partnership between the National Agrarian University of La Molina (UNALM) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG), located at the UNALM campus. The objective was to evaluate the fertility and in vitro production of embryos of four bulls from the National Semen Bank. This study used 1031 oocytes of quality A and B obtained from ovaries of the local slaughterhouse. The oocytes were matured in the TCM-199 medium. The Percoll gradient centrifuge method was used for spermatic separation; sperm capacitation and fertilization was done in the TALP-IVF + PHE medium; and embryos were cultured with the Sofaa medium containing 5% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS). Embryos were evaluated on days 7, 8, and 9 after fertilization. There were no statistical differences among the four bulls, and the fertilization rate was 63.3, 56.8, 68.8 and 72.9% for each bull. There was no statistical difference in the production of embryos between bulls. It is concluded that the bulls tested were in the normal range for in vitro embryo production.El presente trabajo se desarrolló en el Centro de Investigación y Enseñanza en Transferencia de Embriones (CIETE), convenio Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM) - Ministerio de Agricultura (MINAG); ubicado en el campus de la Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. El objetivo fue evaluar la fertilidad y la producción de embriones in vitro de cuatro toros provenientes del Banco Nacional de Semen. Se utilizaron 1031 ovocitos de calidad A y B aspirados de ovarios de vacas beneficiadas en el camal. Los ovocitos se maduraron en medio TCM-199. En la separación espermática se usó el método de centrifugación con gradientes de Percoll; la capacitación y fertilización se realizó en el medio TALP-IVF + PHE; y el cultivo de embriones se hizo con medio Sofaa + 5% de Suero Fetal Bovino (SFB). Los embriones fueron evaluados los días 7, 8 y 9 después de la fertilización. No se encontraron diferencias estadísticas entre los cuatro toros evaluados, siendo el porcentaje de fertilización de 63.3, 56.8, 68.8 y 72.9% para cada toro. Tampoco se encontró diferencias estadísticas en la producción de embriones entre toros. Se concluye que los toros evaluados se encuentran en el rango normal de producción de embriones in vitro