THE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE SEASONAL PRICE DIFFERENTIALS ON MILK PRODUCTION IN NEW YORK

Uneven monthly milk production (seasonality) is a major problem in the New York dairy industry. This article estimates expected monthly milk production response to a set of hypothetical seasonal price differentials designed to reduce the degree of seasonality. The analysis is based on a random mail survey and farm record data. The results indicate that a seasonal price differential of $1.12 per cwt. (over three times the current differential) would be necessary to completely balance spring and fall production in New York, based on the perceptions of farmers surveyed. Also, producers with better managerial skills are shown to be able to reduce their seasonality at a significantly lower price differential than less skilled farm managers.Livestock Production/Industries,

Assessment of the Dairy Production Needs of Cattle Owners in Southeastern Sicily

This study was undertaken to investigate research and outreach priorities for Progetto Ibleo (Project Ibleo), a center created in 1990 with tripartite government funding to serve dairy producers in the Hyblean region of Sicily. Data comprised values for production and composition of milk from 1984 to 1989 from 35 herds of Modicana cows on a system based on pasture and that from 69 input-intensive herds of Holstein cows, associated lactation and reproduction measures, and yield and composition of forages from 4 of these farms in 1988. Season had a large effect on the neutral detergent fiber and crude protein composition of forages, production and composition of milk, and predicted yield of fresh Ragusano cheese manufactured from the milk of these cows. The poorest forage quality and the poorest cow performance were observed in summer and fall months (May to October). Lactation curves that were flat, without a discernible peak, or convex were observed for both systems, especially for cows calving in spring and in the dry summer seasons (March to July). These abnormalities, signifying substantial sacrifices in production potential, probably had a complex etiology that stemmed from low nutrient intake and high neutral detergent fiber and low crude protein composition of the grazed and preserved forages. Research and outreach priorities to support the Hyblean dairy industry should include chemical evaluation of forages and other feedstuffs, low moisture ensiling of high quality winter forages, better formulation of diets that are dense with nutrients, and the shifting of calving patterns to better exploit high quality winter forages

The effect of Brahman genes on body temperature plasticity of heifers on pasture under heat stress

Bos taurus indicus cattle have the superior ability for the regulation of body temperature during heat stress due to a number of physiological and cellular level adaptive traits. The objectives of this study were to quantify the change in body temperature in heifers with various proportions of Brahman genes per unit increase in heat stress as measured by temperature-humidity index (THI) and to assess how different breed groups responded to varying intensity and duration of heat stress. A total of 299 two-yr-old heifers from six breed groups ranging from 100% Angus to 100% Brahman were evaluated under hot and humid conditions during 2017 and 2018 summer days. Two strategies were used to estimate the plasticity in body temperature of breed groups in response to environmental challenges: 1) a random regression mixed model was used to estimate reaction norm parameters for each breed group in response to a specified environmental heat stress and 2) a repeated measures mixed model was used to evaluate the response to different environmental heat loads. The reaction norm model estimated an intercept and slope measuring the change in body temperature per unit increase in THI environmental heat stress for different breed groups of animals and allowed the identification of genotypes which are robust, with low slope values indicative of animals that are able to maintain normal body temperature across a range of environments. The repeated measures mixed model showed that Brahman cattle have an advantage under moderate or high heat stress conditions but both Angus and Brahman breed groups are greatly affected when heat stress is severe. A critical factor appears to be the opportunity to cool down during the night hours more than the number of hours with extreme THI. With heat stress conditions predicted to intensify and expand into currently temperate zones, developing effective strategies to ensure sustainable beef production systems are imperative. Effective strategies will require the identification of the genes conferring the superior thermotolerance in Brahman cattle.United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (017-67007-26143)Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Hatch (FLA-ANS-005548

Genetic parameters for hair characteristics and core body temperature in a multibreed Brahman-Angus herd

Thermal stress in hot humid conditions limits cattle production. The objectives for this study were to estimate genetic parameters for hair characteristics and core body temperature under low and high temperature humidity index (THI) conditions. Hair samples were collected and measured for length and diameter. Core body temperature was measured as vaginal temperature every 15 min over a 5-d period using an iButton temperature measuring device implanted in a blank CIDR in 336 heifers from the University of Florida multibreed herd (ranging from 100% Angus to 100% Brahman). Restricted maximum likelihood procedures were used to estimate heritabilities from multiple bivariate animal models using the WOMBAT program. Estimates of heritability for hair diameter, undercoat length, topcoat length, body temperature under low THI conditions, and body temperature under high THI conditions were 0.50, 0.67, 0.42, 0.32, and 0.26, respectively. The genetic parameters estimated in this study indicate a large, exploitable genetic variance which can be selected upon to improve tolerance in cattle. Breed effects for differing compositions of Brahman and Angus were also estimated. As Brahman breed composition increased by 25% undercoat length, topcoat length, body temperature under low THI conditions, and body temperature under high THI conditions decreased by 1.32 mm, 2.94 mm, 0.11 degrees C, and 0.14 degrees C, respectively. Under both low and high THI conditions, cattle with 25% Brahman breed composition or greater maintained a significantly lower body temperature than the 100% Angus breed group. The incorporation of Brahman germplasm is recommended for herds that often experience heat stress conditions in order to increase resilience to heat stress.United States Department of Agriculture (USDA

Returns to Dairy Producers Under Different Seasonal Production Patterns

A.E. Res. 87-2

THE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE SEASONAL PRICE DIFFERENTIALS ON MILK PRODUCTION IN NEW YORK

Uneven monthly milk production (seasonality) is a major problem in the New York dairy industry. This article estimates expected monthly milk production response to a set of hypothetical seasonal price differentials designed to reduce the degree of seasonality. The analysis is based on a random mail survey and farm record data. The results indicate that a seasonal price differential of $1.12 per cwt. (over three times the current differential) would be necessary to completely balance spring and fall production in New York, based on the perceptions of farmers surveyed. Also, producers with better managerial skills are shown to be able to reduce their seasonality at a significantly lower price differential than less skilled farm managers

Guidance on risk assessment for animal welfare

The document provides methodological guidance to assess risks for animal welfare, considering the various husbandry systems, management procedures and the different animal welfare issues. The terminology for the risk assessment of animal welfare is described. Risk assessment should not be carried out unless the relevant welfare problem is clearly specified and formulated. The major components of the problem formulation are the description of the exposure scenario, the target population and the conceptual model linking the relevant factors of animal welfare concern. The formal risk assessment consists of exposure assessment, consequence characterisation, and risk characterisation. The systematic evaluation of the various aspects and components of the assessment procedure aims at ensuring its consistency. All assumptions used in problem formulation and risk assessment need to be clear. This also applies to uncertainty and variability in the various steps of the risk assessment. The choice between qualitative, semi-qualitative or quantitative approaches should be made based on the purpose or the type of questions to be answered, data, and resource availability for a specific risk assessment. Quantitative data should be used whenever possible. Positive effects on welfare (benefit) could be handled within the framework of risk assessment if the analysis considers factors as having both positive and negative effects on animal welfare. The last section details the main components of risk assessment documentation

Impact of Brahman genetics on skin histology characteristics with implications for heat tolerance in cattle

Cattle lose heat predominantly through cutaneous evaporation at the skin-hair coat interface when experiencing heat stress. Sweating ability, sweat gland properties, and hair coat properties are a few of the many variables determining the efficacy of evaporative cooling. Sweating is a significant heat dissipation mechanism responsible for 85% of body heat loss when temperatures rise above 86⁰F. The purpose of this study was to characterize skin morphological parameters in Angus, Brahman, and their crossbred cattle. Skin samples were taken during the summer of 2017 and 2018 from a total of 319 heifers from six breed groups ranging from 100% Angus to 100% Brahman. Epidermis thickness decreased as the percentage of Brahman genetics increased where the 100% Angus group had a significantly thicker epidermis compared to the 100% Brahman animals. A more extended epidermis layer was identified in Brahman animals due to more pronounced undulations in this skin layer. Breed groups with 75% and 100% Brahman genes were similar and had the largest sweat gland area, indicative of superior resilience to heat stress, compared to breed groups with 50% or lower Brahman genetics. There was a significant linear breed group effect on sweat gland area indicating an increase of 862.0 µm2 for every 25% increase in Brahman genetics. Sweat gland length increased as the Brahman percentage increased, while the sweat gland depth showed an opposite trend, decreasing from 100% Angus to 100% Brahman. The number of sebaceous glands was highest in 100% Brahman animals which had about 1.77 more sebaceous glands (p < 0.05) per 4.6 mm2area. Conversely, the sebaceous gland area was greatest in the 100% Angus group. This study identified significant differences in skin properties related to heat exchange ability between Brahman and Angus cattle. Equally important, these differences are also accompanied by significant levels of variation within each breed, which is indicative that selection for these skin traits would improve the heat exchange ability in beef cattle. Further, selecting beef cattle for these skin traits would lead to increased resilience to heat stress without disrupting production traits