Entrepreneurial Proclivity and the Performance of Farms: The Cases of Dutch and Slovenian Farmers

Farms are advised to be entrepreneurial, but empirical research showing that an entrepreneurial proclivity (EP) of farmers results in better performance is scant. This research will test empirically whether an EP contributes to the performance of farms. We provide a model with hypotheses about the relationship between EP and performance, which is tested for a sample of Dutch and Slovenian farmers. We find that EP has a universal positive influence on performance and performance expectations of farmers in The Netherlands and in Slovenia. The influence of the underlying dimension of EP, i.e. innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking, on performance are mixed and context specific.Entrepreneurship, innovativeness, proactiveness, Productivity Analysis,

Information exchange and future plans of Slovenian cattle farmers under EU policies

After accession to EU, farmers in the new-member states have to adjust to the EU agricultural policies and market. In Slovenia an analysis is made of the farm development plans and information exchange under quota and CAP. Three research questions were addressed: what information is received and how; how does the farmer prefer to receive information and what kind; how to make decisions to react to the new EU policies concerning farm management and future plans. These questions were linked to the base variables, being the farm and farmers’ characteristics. As tool a questionnaire was distributed to dairy farmers. 1114 questionnaires, 22% of the distributed ones have been returned anonymously, implying that 11% of the dairy farmers’ population is part of the analysis. It appeared that the research sample of farmers used represents the more future oriented farmers. As main factors describing the farm and farmers’ characteristics were found farm size, age and number of other activities than dairy. Results show that nearly all farmers did receive information about some specific aspects of the quota system. Communication channels dealing with this administrative info and also with farm management advice are divers, but frequency of direct contact with advisors may be less than predicted. Results also indicate a very significant demand for info about strategic planning, farm management aspects and EU premium programs, especially about CAP general policies and milk premiums, and a considerable activity in farm planning. About 40% of farmers choose for keeping the farm business the same and 50% intend to develop the farm further.CAP, Slovenian cattle farmers, information, decisions, future plans, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Q18,

Technical note: a mathematical function to predict daily milk yield of dairy cows in relation to the interval between milkings

The milk production of a dairy cow is characterized by lactation production, which is calculated from daily milk yields (DMY) during lactation. The DMY is calculated from one or more milkings a day collected at the farm. Various milking systems are in use today, resulting in one or many recorded milk yields a day, from which different calculations are used to determine DMY. The primary objective of this study was to develop a mathematical function that described milk production of a dairy cow in relation to the interval between 2 milkings. The function was partly based on the biology of the milk production process. This function, called the 3K-function, was able to predict milk production over an interval of 12 h, so DMY was twice this estimate. No external information is needed to incorporate this function in methods to predict DMY. Application of the function on data from different milking systems showed a good fit. This function could be a universal tool to predict DMY for a variety of milking systems, and it seems especially useful for data from robotic milking systems. Further study is needed to evaluate the function under a wide range of circumstances, and to see how it can be incorporated in existing milk recording systems. A secondary objective of using the 3K-function was to compare how much DMY based on different milking systems differed from that based on a twice-a-day milking. Differences were consistent with findings in the literature

Animal Health in Compost-Bedded Pack and Cubicle Dairy Barns in Six European Countries

Simple Summary Dairy barns with compost-bedded pack housing systems are relatively new in Europe. They have housing systems that are vastly different from traditional tie-stall or cubicle housing and provide possibilities for improved animal welfare. However, it is important to investigate how actual cow health is influenced. We used readily available data from 32 dairy herds throughout Europe, half of which had compost-bedded pack housing and half cubicle housing, to investigate differences in dairy cow health. We found that herds with compost-bedded packs had poorer udder health than did herds with cubicles, while they seemed to have fewer problems with reproductive disorders. Our conclusion was that there were few, relatively minor differences between the systems. This knowledge is valuable for farmers interested in applying new housing systems for dairy cows and for consumers who want to stay informed about production conditions in dairy herds. The purpose of this study was to compare animal health in compost-bedded pack (CBP) and cubicle housing (CH) systems using data from dairy herd improvement associations. Thirty-two commercial dairy farms located in Austria, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Sweden were included in the study. A matching design (pairing CBP and CH within country) according to herd selection criteria was used. We explored the following health indicators: somatic cell counts (SCC), high SCC, new high SCC, ketosis risk, prolonged calving intervals, dystocia, and stillbirth. Traits for culling and culling-related issues, such as length of life and length of productive life, were also included. We used multivariable (mixed) linear and logistic regression models to evaluate differences between the systems. Udder health, as measured by SCC, was inferior in CBP, although the geometric means were low in both systems. The incidence of stillbirths was higher in CBP, while prolonged calving intervals were fewer, indicating that there were fewer reproductive disorders. There were no differences in longevity between the systems, although CBP had lower proportions of first calvers. Overall, we conclude that there were few and minor differences in health and longevity between the CBP and CH systems in the European context

Overview and assessment of support measures for endangered livestock breeds : Subsibreed : Final project report

Livestock production has contributed to food security and economic development for thousands of years. Adaptation to wide range of environmental conditions and artificial selection has led to the development of numerous indigenous breeds that are part of the wealth of diversity in agriculture. They are producing a wide range of products for local and domestic consumption as well as for international trade. Livestock are for many local communities, invaluable sources of food and other products and essential sources of income. Maintaining the diversity of breeds in various species of domestic animals enables farmers and breeders to respond to ever changing consumer demands as well as changing production conditions, especially in light of climate change. No one can predict future demands and production conditions, and thus, maintaining the greatest diversity of animal genetic resources provides an insurance policy to enable necessary adaptation. Lack of appreciation for the need to maintain genetic diversity or inadequate farmer and breeder support programmes has resulted in the rapid global erosion of local breeds. Greater effort is required to stem this erosion

Age of cows, as a factor shaping the level of immunostimulating properties of colostrum

A characteristic feature of the organic system of production is the lower productivity of cows. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of cow age and collecting number on the level of immunostimulating colostrum components in an organic farm. From the basic herd specializing in organic milk production, 40 cows of the Polish Holstein-Friesian Black and White breed were selected: 10 primiparous, 10 cows in 2nd lactation, 10 cows in 4th lactation and 10 cows in 5th lactation. The colostrum samples were collected according to the following scheme: the first one maximum of two hours after calving, the second on the same day and the third and fourth on the following day. For three consecutive days samples were taken once a day (7 colostrum samples from each cow). Statistically significant differences in the level of bioactive components of colostrum with immunostimulating properties has been shown due to the time of intake from calving and significant differences in the level of these components due to the age of cows. Multiparous cows synthetized colostrum with a higher content of total protein, casein and non-fat dry matter than the primiparous. Variability of the immunoglobulin content of colostrum obtained in 1st and in the 2nd collecting after calving was higher in multiparous cows than in primiparous cows. Furthermore, it has been shown that there was a clear correlation between the quality of colostrum and the age of cows. In conclusion, a high impact of the interaction of age of cows x collecting number on the development of colostrum stimulating ingredients in the organic production system has been demonstrated

Veel plannen bij Oost-Europese melkveehouders

De meeste melkveehouders willen het liefst veel melken als strategie naar de toekomst. De Oost-Europese melkveehouders zien daarbij de toekomstige EU-landbouwpolitiek en de markt als een grotere bedreiging dan onze veehouders, terwijl Nederlandse veehouders afschaffing van de quotering zelfs als een uitdaging zien. Onze veehouders lijken echter meer afwachtend met strategievorming

Consequences for enamel development and mineralization resulting from loss of function of ameloblastin or enamelin

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72194/1/j.1600-0722.2009.00666.x.pd