Possible roles, positions, factors and components of dairying in organic farming – a rewiev, mapping, survey and comparison in the Czech Republic

The full-value experiment is questionable in evaluation organic dairying. It is problem to do a trial under comparable conditions for comparison of organic and conventional farming because of legislative reasons and necessity of long period of such event. Most of comparisons are carried out as practice descriptive observations and any of them has been carried out about milk production. That is main reason, why the aim of this work is to carry out a opening of monitoring of some production conditions and results of bio-dairying in the Czech Republic (CR). The quality aspects of sources, procedures and products are main topics of solution of projects about organic farming philosophy, in particular in solution of organic dairy foodstuff chain. There were choosen twelve organic dairy farms (survey II, 2006) for more detail research of production conditions according to results of exploratory questionnaire (2006, survey I, n = 85 pieces of questionnaire and 58 organic farms, which practicise dairying) in the CR. The climatology characteristics of selected organic dairy farms were as follows: (I) 562±149 m above sea level on the average (from 270 to 970 m a. s. l.); (II) 571.0±69.9 m above sea level, mean year temperature 6.0±1.1 ºC and average year rainfall sum 843.0±184.3 mm. It is clear according to previously mentioned figures that the organic (ecology) dairy farming is realized mostly in the mountain or sub-mountain areas (less favourable areas, LFAs) as compared to climatic conditions of CR mean profile. The results of investigation of organic farm (E) and breeder conditions and dairy cow health state, reproduction performance and milk quality in organic farms (I data file) as compared to conventional dairy cow herds (K) were: milk yield (E) was 14.2±3.4 kg of milk/cow/day on average and 5165±1112 kg/cow/year; E farms have 50 % free stables, some of them as different untraditional modifications (mostly in herds with low number of dairy cows); it is necessary to increase this amount for welfare improvement in the future; there are 52 % of binding stables in K herds; there (E) is high occurrence frequency of can milking equipments (46.4 %); there are 5.4 % cases of hand milking, 21.4 % of pipeline milking equipments and 26.8 % of milking parlours; there (K) are 3 % of can milking equipments, 50 % of pipeline milking equipments and 47 % of milking parlours; the average organic herd has 60±91 heads it means about 1/3 of K herd in the CR; geometrical average (xg) of organic herd size is 17 heads; daily milk deliveries were 1318±1475 kg in summer and 976±1368 kg in winter season (there is too high variability in the mentioned indicators); breed structure of E herds is 59.8 % of Bohemian Spotted cattle, 18.8 % of Holstein (H), 12.5 % of Jersey breed; H breed is dominating 47.5 % in K herds; average ratio of excluded milk (for secretion disorders or treatment) is 2.99 % in E herds and 4.6 % in K herds (P<0.01); also there (E) is lower occurrence of clinical mastitis 0.53±1.97 %; service period is 124.3 days in K and 98.7±46,1 days in E herds on average (P<0.01); there (E) is better insemination index 1.66±0.45 in comparison to K herds 2.07 (P<0.01); there is longer longevity as duration of production life of dairy cows in E herds (6.02 lactations, „about 141 % better”) in comparison to K herds (2.50 lactations, P<0.01); milk quality showed the average total mesophilic bacteria count (CPM) 36.0±26.8 ths. CFU/ml in organic farms (E), which is comparable to the conventional farms (K); somatic cell count (PSB) was 192±87 ths./ml in E herds and 256 ths./ml in K herds, which is in connection with the lower ratio of milk exclusion from delivery in E herds; an occurrence of residues of inhibitory substances (RIL) was not reported in E herds, which is more advantageous in comparison to the K herds (0.16 %) and it could be an impact of lowered antibiotica drug use; the average fat and lactose contents (T; 4.05±0.19 %) and (L; 4.83±0.15 %) are well comparable with K farms and the results show on higher energy deficiency in E herd nutrition. The water quality (II) is necessary in dairying as well. Drinking water is necessary for health of animals (their watering) and for milk quality (milking equipment sanitation) as well. Drinking water is asked in dairy farms by legislation. The E farm water quality: the nitrate level varied in the range from 1.63 to 28 mg/l with average 10.5 mg/l in ecological farms and standard limit 50 mg/l was not exceeded; the levels of nitrite and ammonia ions were mostly under detection limit of method; legislative limit <0.5 mg/l was not exceeded by nitrite and once by ammonia ions 0.81 mg/l. The microbiological indicators are more sensitive of course. In total the limits were exceeded 7× u in coliform bacteria, 3× in streptococci and Escherichia coli was confirmed 3× (in comparison to demand 0). Therefore it is necessary to take care of incidental water source sanitation. The effect of origin of water source (communal water pipes or own well in the organic farm area) which was used in the organic farming (II) was: the more marked result differences were not observed between own wells (S) and communal water supply (V) in E farms; an exception was stated in insignificantly better results of hygienic indicators of communal supply; therefore it is necessary to put the higher importance on sanitation of own water sources. There were identified eight own wells and four communal supply. E. g. nitrate levels were a little higher for wells 11.7 > 8.2 mg/l. The nitrites were not different. Chemical oxygen consumption was 0.45 and 0.52 mg/l. The more expressive differences were identified in chlorides, sulphates and Mg: 8.33 and 3.02 mg/l; 27.9 and 16.8 mg/l; 18.9 and 3.5 mg/l

A COMPARISON OF SELECTED MILK INDICATORS IN ORGANIC HERDS WITH CONVENTIONAL HERD AS REFERENCE

In a historical sense, current organic farming is an old-new alternative under changed world conditions. Organic dairying (O) is an alternative of friendly use of the environment in time of presupposed global climate changes. Potential impact of organic farming on raw cow-milk quality, composition and properties, as conpared to conventional milk production (C), were evaluatedin this paper on the basis of selectedm ilk indicators (MIs). Total solids, whey volume, pH of milk fermentation ability (FAM-pH), FAM streptococci, FAM noble lactic acid bacteria, I and Cu were higher in C milk (P0.05) were observed in pH, rennet coagulation time, curd quality, FAM lactobacilli and streptococci/lactobacilli, Na, Mn and Zn. In general, the differences were a little more advantageous for O milk from both technological and nutritional point of view, particularly because of AS (0.461 .81m m), FAM-T (27.3 4.6 ) , Ca (1172 < l257 mg.kg-1)P, ( 950 < l004 mg. kg-1) and Mg 107.4<ll2.0mg.kg{) results. Organic milk can also produce better environment for yoghurt fermentation. Nevertheless, the results obtained should not be overestimated as both sources produced milk of good quality. Additional results are needed to prove organic milk benefits

Influences of Different Milk Yields of Holstein Cows on Milk Quality Indicators in the Czech Republic

The milk yield (MY) is an important economic and health factor closely connected with the health status of dairy cows, their reproduction performance, longevity and milk composition and properties (MIs). The differences within MIs between high yielding herd (Group 1; 10 282 kg per lactation) and three herds with average MY (Group 2; 7 926 kg) were tested. The files with 96 and 290 milk samples were collected in summer and winter feeding seasons and well balanced in lactation factors. Group 1 had higher genetical value, better nutrition and was milked three times per day and its MY was higher by 30% (P P P > 0.05). The U was probably higher due to higher loading of the nitrogen nutrition (4.27 > 3.57 mmol l-1) in MY 1. Surprisingly, SCC was higher (112 > 81 103 ml-1) and AC lower ((0.0374) 0.0250 -1) in Group 1. Both the MIs did not indicate problems of the health status. An indicator of energy nutrition balance as fat/protein ratio was not influenced (1.15 ± 0.24 versus 1.16 ± 0.23; P > 0.05), despite the large difference between MY 1 and 2. URN was higher in MY 1 (46.5 > 39.1%) due to more efficient nutrition, like in U. The high MY had no negative impacts on MIs with well balanced nutrition of Holstein cattle

The impact of organic farming on mineral composition of cow milk

Milk mineral matters are important in human nutrition, especially Ca, Mg and I. Increase of milk Mg along decrease of NPK soil fertilization under the Czech Republic (CR) conditions was predicted. This hypothetical prediction is based on antagonistic relationships between K fertilization, Mg level in cow roughage feeding and transfer of Mg into milk. In difference testing the conventional (C) cow milk was reference versus organic (O) milk. Holstein bulk milk samples (BMS) from winter and summer season in 4 C (n = 32 BMSs) and in 4 O (n = 16) herds were investigated. 6 herds were and 2 C were not grazed, other nutrition was typical under the CR conditions. Average MY of C herds was 7016±1068 and MY of O herds was 7037±422 kg per lactation. Macro- and microelements were investigated: Ca, P, Na, Mg and K (in mg kg-1); I (in μg l-1), Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn (in mg kg-1). Somatic cell count (SCC) was lower (P>0.05) in O herds (geometric mean 216 0.05) in terms of trends confirm predicted hypothesis that Na, Ca and Mg will be higher after NPK fertilization decrease. Smaller investigated changes in mineral composition were better for human nutrition in O. Key words: organic farming, dairying, cow milk, mineral milk composition, inorganic fertilizer, calcium, magnesiu