Randomized-controlled study assessing the effect of milking permission settings and concentrate supplementation on milking frequency and milk yield in a pasture-based automatic milking system.

This study aimed to verify the effect of milking permission (MPE) and concentrate supplementation (CS) on milking frequency (milkings per cow per day) and milk yield (kilograms per cow per day) in a farm using a pasture-based automatic milking system (AMS). Sixty-eight cows milked using this AMS unit were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups homogeneous for parity, DIM, and milk yield. Treatments used were frequent or restricted MPE, that granted cows permission to milk after 6 to 8 h or 9.

Chlorate Levels in Dairy Products Produced and Consumed in Ireland.

In recent years, chlorate has become a residue of concern internationally, due to the risk that it poses to thyroid gland function. However, little is known about its occurrence in dairy products of Irish origin. To address this, a study was conducted in which samples of milk ( = 317), cream ( = 199), butter ( = 178), cheese ( = 144) and yoghurt ( = 440) were collected from grocery stores in the Republic of Ireland.

Longitudinal measures of labour time-use on pasture-based dairy farms, incorporating the impact of specific facilities and technologies.

The seasonal workload on pasture-based dairy farms, combined with increased herd sizes, have led to an increased focus on farm labour time-use and techniques that can reduce farm labour demand. The objective of this study was to measure labour time-use over time on a sample of pasture-based dairy farms and examine the impact that specific facilities and technologies could have on labour demand in real farm situations. Fifty-seven farms completed two labour time-use studies in spring 2019 and 2021 (1st February to 30th April).

The impact of work organisation on the work life of people on pasture-based dairy farms.

The seasonal workload combined with increased dairy herd sizes and a declining workforce have created social sustainability challenges for pasture-based dairy farms. Effective work organisation can build productive capacity that may have a positive impact on this scenario. Our objective was to develop a framework to characterise and examine the effect of work organisation on the working situations of the people involved in a sample of 55 pasture-based dairy farms in Ireland.

Effect of Pre-Milking Teat Foam Disinfection on the Prevention of New Mastitis Rates in Early Lactation.

The objective of this study was to determine the benefit of pre-milking teat foam disinfection on the prevention of new infections by contagious and environmental bacteria in two spring calving herds managed outdoors (Herd 1 [H1]; 331 cows and Herd 2 [H2]; 142 cows). Four pre-milking teat preparation treatments were applied post calving; with each herd receiving two treatments; using a split udder design (for approx. 15 weeks).

The effect of disinfectant ingredients on teat skin bacteria associated with mastitis in Irish dairy herds.

Background: Teat disinfection is an important step in the control of mastitis within a dairy herd. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 96 commercially available teat disinfectant products in Ireland against bacterial isolates on teat skin. Teat disinfection products were applied to the teats of seventeen Holstein-Friesian cows.

Machine Learning Based Prediction of Insufficient Herbage Allowance with Automated Feeding Behaviour and Activity Data.

Sensor technologies that measure grazing and ruminating behaviour as well as physical activities of individual cows are intended to be included in precision pasture management. One of the advantages of sensor data is they can be analysed to support farmers in many decision-making processes. This article thus considers the performance of a set of RumiWatchSystem recorded variables in the prediction of insufficient herbage allowance for spring calving dairy cows.

Monitoring residue concentrations in milk from farm and throughout a milk powder manufacturing process.

The experiments reported in this research paper aimed to investigate differences in the levels of chlorate (CHLO), perchlorate (PCHLO), trichloromethane (TCM) and iodine residues in bulk tank (BT) milk produced at different milk production periods, and to monitor those levels throughout a skim milk powder (SMP) production chain (BTs, collection tankers [CTs], whole milk silo [WMS] and skim milk silo [SMS]). Chlorate, PCHLO and iodine were measured in SMP, while TCM was measured in the milk cream. The CHLO, TCM and iodine levels in the mid-lactation milk stored in the WMS were lower than legislative and industrial specifications (0.

Screening commercial teat disinfectants against bacteria isolated from bovine milk using disk diffusion.

Background And Aim: Teat disinfection is an important tool in reducing the incidence of bovine mastitis. Identifying the potential mastitis-causing bacterial species in milk can be the first step in choosing the correct teat disinfectant product. The objective of this study was to screen commercial teat disinfectants for inhibition against mastitis-associated bacteria isolated from various types of milk samples.

Microbiological quality of milk from farms to milk powder manufacture: an industrial case study.

The experiments reported in this research paper aimed to track the microbiological load of milk throughout a low-heat skim milk powder (SMP) manufacturing process, from farm bulk tanks to final powder, during mid- and late-lactation (spring and winter, respectively). In the milk powder processing plant studied, low-heat SMP was produced using only the milk supplied by the farms involved in this study. Samples of milk were collected from farm bulk tanks (mid-lactation: 67 farms; late-lactation: 150 farms), collection tankers (CTs), whole milk silo (WMS), skim milk silo (SMS), cream silo (CS) and final SMP.

Effect of pre-milking teat disinfection on new mastitis infection rates of dairy cows.

Background: The practise of teat disinfection prior to cluster attachment for milking is being adopted by farmers in Ireland, particularly where there are herd issues with new infection rates. Pre-milking teat disinfection has been shown to reduce bacterial numbers on teat skin and to be most effective against environmental bacteria such as and A split udder design experiment was undertaken on two research herds (A = 96 cows: B = 168 cows) to test the benefit of pre-milking teat disinfection on new mastitis infection levels. The disinfectant was applied to the left front and right hind teats of all cows in each herd and the right front and left hind teats received no disinfectant treatment prior to milking over a complete lactation.

The effect of different precooling rates and cold storage on milk microbiological quality and composition.

The objective of this study was to measure the effect of different milk cooling rates, before entering the bulk tank, on the microbiological load and composition of the milk, as well as on energy usage. Three milk precooling treatments were applied before milk entered 3 identical bulk milk tanks: no plate cooler (NP), single-stage plate cooler (SP), and double-stage plate cooler (DP). These precooling treatments cooled the milk to 32.

Estimating the impact of somatic cell count on the value of milk utilising parameters obtained from the published literature.

The impact of mastitis on milk value per litre independent of the effect of mastitis on milk volume, was quantified for Ireland using a meta-analysis and a processing sector model. Changes in raw milk composition, cheese processing and composition associated with increased bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) were incorporated into the model. Processing costs and market values were representative of current industry values.

Milking efficiency of swingover herringbone parlours in pasture-based dairy systems.

The objective of this study was to collect and analyse milking data from a sample of commercial farms with swingover herringbone parlours to evaluate milking efficiency over a range of parlour sizes (12-32 milking units). Data were collected from 19 farms around the Republic of Ireland equipped with electronic milk metres and herd management software that recorded data at individual milking sessions. The herd management software on each farm was programmed to record similar data for each milking plant type.

Investigation of the persistence of closantel residues in bovine milk following lactating-cow and dry-cow treatments and its migration into dairy products.

Closantel is a veterinary drug used to treat liver fluke in cattle and sheep. A provisional maximum residue limit (MRL) of 45 μg/kg in milk has been set by the European Union. The purpose of this study was to investigate the persistence of closantel residues in milk and the migration of residues into milk products.

Overmilking causes deterioration in teat-end condition of dairy cows in late lactation.

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of varying degrees of overmilking on teat-end hyperkeratosis, milk production variables and indicators of udder health during late lactation. This was examined by assessing the effect of four end-of-milking criteria on 181 spring-calving, mixed-age Holstein-Friesian cows, at an average 217±24 d in milk, over a six-week period. The four treatments were: remove cluster once milk flow rate fell to 0·2 kg/min plus 5 s (Ovr0), plus 120 s (Ovr2), plus 300 s (Ovr5), and plus 540 s (Ovr9).

Strategy for the reduction of Trichloromethane residue levels in farm bulk milk.

High fat dairy products, such as butter and margarine can be contaminated during the milk production process with a residue called Trichloromethane (TCM), which results from the use of chlorine based detergent solutions. Although, TCM concentrations in Irish products are not at levels that are a public health issue, such contamination can cause marketing difficulties in countries to which Irish products are being exported. In an attempt to reduce such milk residues, a template procedure was developed, tried and tested on 43 farms (from 3 processing companies).

Effect of milk feed source, frequency of feeding and age at turnout on calf performance, live-weight at mating and 1st lactation milk production.

Female calves (n = 108) were assigned to 6 cold milk feeding treatments in two experiments for a 70-day period. Live-weight (LW) was measured weekly, with an additional LW taken at day 410 and post-calving for animals in experiment 1. In Experiment 1, the effect of feeding frequency and age of turnout to pasture on calf performance and 1st lactation milk yields were evaluated.

Milking parlour size, pre-milking routine and stage of lactation affect efficiency of milking in single-operator herringbone parlours.

Efficient milking systems, in terms of labour demand, capital investment and cow udder health are critical to successful dairy herd expansion. The objective of this study was to establish the effect of two primary influencing factors on efficient milking performance, i.e.

Proteomic study of proteolysis during ripening of Cheddar cheese made from milk over a lactation cycle.

Milk for cheese production in Ireland is predominantly produced by pasture-fed spring-calving herds. Consequently, there are marked seasonal changes in milk composition, which arise from the interactive lactational, dietary and environmental factors. In this study, Cheddar cheese was manufactured on a laboratory scale from milk taken from a spring calving herd, over a 9-month lactation cycle between early April and early December.

Effect of restricting silage feeding prepartum on time of calving, dystocia and stillbirth in Holstein-Friesian cows.

A study was carried out to investigate the effect of restricting silage feeding on time of calving and calving performance in Holstein-Friesian cows. In the treatment group (n = 1,248 cows, 12 herds) silage feeding commenced in the evening (17:00 to 20:00 h), after a period of restricted access (2 to 10 h) while in the control group ad-libitum access to silage was provided over the 24 h period (n = 1,193 cows, 12 herds). Daytime and nighttime calvings were defined as calvings occurring between the hours of 06:30 and 00:29 and between 00:30 and 06:29, respectively.

Heterogeneity of proteolytic enzyme activities in milk samples of different somatic cell count.

Milk contains the alkaline proteinase plasmin and lysosomal proteinases; the significance of the latter is ill-defined. The objective of this study was to investigate composition and activities of several different proteolytic enzymes in milk samples of varying somatic cell count (SCC). Increasing milk SCC was correlated with increased plasmin, cathepsin D and cysteine protease activities, with concomitant increases in proteolysis in milk.

Effect of frequency of milking on yield, composition and processing quality of milk.

The objective was to determine the effect of once-daily milking (ODM) and omitting one evening milking each week (13TWM), in late lactation on milk production, composition and processability. Seventy-two cows were assigned to three treatments (ODM, 13TWM and twice-daily milking [TDM]) from 4 October to 12 December. Cows were on average 218 d into lactation at the start of the trial, and all cows were managed similarly throughout the trial.