Efficiency of cleaning procedure of milking equipment and bacterial quality of milk

The cleaning and sanitation of milking equipment could be consider a critical point in the milking procedure because a cleaning failure could influence the level of bacteria contamination of bulk tank milk. Aim of the study is to monitor the cleaning procedures of milking systems in 7 dairy cows farms in Lombardy and to find a relation between efficacy of cleaning system and the bacterial quality of bulk tank milk, remaining washing water through milking equipment and teat cup surface. Cleaning procedures were monitored with Lactocorder, that measured: duration, water temperature, turbulence, percentage of water in pipes, water conductivity of pre- and post-rinse and detergent phases. Results showed that the monitored farms the most of the cleaning parameters were lower than recommendations, in particular maximum water temperature (42.1±9.9°C) and percentage of water during detergent phase (76.1±13.9 %). A maximum temperature of detergent phase <40°C determined a high Standard Plate Count (SPC), thermoduric bacteria and Coliform Count (CC) of bulk tank milk, SPC and CC of teat cup surface. The research indicated that monitoring the efficiency of cleaning milking equipment with proper tools provide useful information about possible sources of contamination of bulk tank milk. Improving cleaning milking efficiency allow to improve milk quality

Relationships among lying and standing behaviour, body condition score and milk production in primiparous cows

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Effect of a reduced amount of straw bedding on goats' comfort and hygienic characteristics of milk and straw

The present study aims to understand the influence of a reduced amount of straw litter on goats' lying comfort and hygienic characteristics of milk and straw. Lying behaviour (frequency, lying post..

Association between Udder and Quarter Level Indicators and Milk Somatic Cell Count in Automatic Milking Systems

Automatic Milking Systems (AMS) record a lot of information, at udder and quarter level, which can be useful for improving the early detection of altered udder health conditions. A total of 752,000 records from 1003 lactating cows milked with two types of AMS in four farms were processed with the aim of identifying new indicators, starting from the variables provided by the AMS, useful to predict the risk of high milk somatic cell count (SCC). Considering the temporal pattern, the quarter vs. udder percentage difference in milk electrical conductivity showed an increase in the fourteen days preceding an official milk control higher than 300,000 SCC/mL. Similarly, deviations over time in quarter vs. udder milk yield, average milk flow, and milking time emerged as potential indicators for high SCC. The Logistic Analysis showed that Milk Production Rate (kg/h) and the within-cow within-milking percentage variations of single quarter vs. udder milk electrical conductivity, milk yield, and average milk flow are all risk factors for high milk SCC. The result suggests that these variables, alone or in combination, and their progression over time could be used to improve the early prediction of risk situations for udder health in AMS milked herds

Air Quality, Management Practices and Calf Health in Italian Dairy Cattle Farms

Among factors that can affect calf health, microbial quality of the pen air is poorly studied. In 25 Italian dairy farms, data concerning air quality in the calf pens, hygiene of pens and equipment, microclimatic conditions, calf health and management were collected during the winter season (January-March 2020 and December-March 2021). The average air Standard Plate Count (SPC) of 85 pens was 4.51 (SD = 0.52) log10 cfu/m3 whereas the average air ammonia concentration was 0.66 (SD = 0.53) ppm. Positive correlations were found between average Temperature Humidity Index (THI) in the pen and air SPC, night maximum THI and air SPC and between SPC and yeast, mould and ammonia concentration in the pen air. The concentrations of E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae and yeasts in the pen air were higher and calf cough increased as the renewal interval of bedding material became longer. High bedding dry matter and low THI were associated with low air SPC, good calf health scores and low mortality. Maintaining low bedding humidity and controlling microclimatic conditions can contribute to enhancing air microbiological quality in the pen and reduce calf diseases and mortality

Parameters affecting the environmental impact of a range of dairy farming systems in Denmark, Germany and Italy

The environmental impact of 12 dairy farms in Denmark, Germany and Italy was evaluated using an LCA approach and the most important parameters influencing their environmental sustainability were identified. The farms represent different production methods (organic vs. conventional), summer feeding systems (confinement vs. pasture) and annual production levels (6275–10,964 kg ECM cow−1). There was large variability in stocking rates (1.1–11.0 LU ha−1) among farms, which has a major impact on the production per unit area of farmland, on feed self-sufficiency and on farm surplus of nitrogen. The proportion of grassland on farmland used for forage production or pasture varied from 0 to 100%. The lowest global warming potential (GWP), acidification, eutrophication and non-renewable energy use were achieved by the German pasture-based system, followed by the Danish organic dairy system and the very intensive Italian farming system with very similar environmental impact values. However, a sensitivity analysis showed that when emissions relating to direct land use change of soybean production were included in the assessment, the GWP changed considerably for the conventional farms due to the inclusion of conventional soymeal in the feed concentrate. There were strong and positive correlations between the four impact categories, and overall the results indicate that improving greenhouse gas emissions would improve the general environmental sustainability of the dairy farm. The land occupation was lowest in the farms with the highest stocking rate. The organic Danish farms had the lowest impact on biodiversity loss, which in general was positively influenced by the share of grassland in the system. A high proportion of grassland also had a significant positive effect on GWP, acidification and energy use. The other feature that mainly improved the environmental impact was the feed efficiency of the dairy cows, which was negatively correlated with GWP, acidification and eutrophication. We found no relation between the environmental impact and the milk production per cow or the stocking rate at the farm. However, due to the limited number of observations (only 12 farms were assessed), the results of the correlation analyses should be handled with care. There was also large variation in the relative contributions from on- and off-farm activities among farms and for the different impact categories, showing the importance of a holistic approach and the difficulties in evaluating a farming system both in a product and area-based perspectiv

Rearing of <i>Hermetia Illucens</i> on Different Organic By-Products: Influence on Growth, Waste Reduction, and Environmental Impact

The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of three by-products as growing substrates for Hermetia illucens (Black Soldier Fly (BSF)) larvae: okara, maize distiller, brewer&#8217;s grains, and a control hen diet. The study focused on larval growth and bioconversion performance, production of methane by larvae and environmental burden of larvae production, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on a lab scale. Chemical composition of substrates differed: okara had the highest crude protein and ether extract contents, while brewer&#8217;s grains showed the highest fiber content. Larvae fed on a hen diet and maize distiller exhibited the highest final weights (2.29 and 1.97 g, respectively). Larvae grown on okara showed the highest indexes for waste reduction and efficiency of conversion of the ingested feed. The BSF larvae did not produce any detectable traces of CH4. LCA evaluation showed that larvae production on a hen diet resulted in the most impact for most of environmental categories, for the inclusion of soybean meal in the diet (for climate change, 5.79 kg CO2 eq/kg dry larvae). Feed production activities resulted in the main contributions to environmental impact. In order to compare the larvae production obtained on all substrates, an environmental impact was attributed to okara and brewer&#8217;s grain through a substitution method, and, by this approach, the best sustainable product resulted from the larvae grown on the maize distiller