An economic evaluation of sensor-assisted health monitoring in dairy farming using the example of a rumen bolus.

The study investigates the economics of sensor-assisted dairy health management and indicates a certain economic potential in the use of a commercial rumen bolus capable of tracking activity and core body temperature. The economic evaluation was performed applying a stochastic model with the net return (NR) of investment of the sensor system as the target variable. The calculated NR considers the gross margin (GM) for both sensor-assisted and visual health monitoring, time savings through sensor-assisted monitoring, additional time spent addressing false positive messages from the sensor system, labor costs, and all costs associated with the investment in the sensor system.

Application of a Bio-Economic Model to Demonstrate the Importance of Health Traits in Herd Management of Lithuanian Dairy Breeds.

Assessing the economic importance of traits is crucial for delivering appropriate breeding goals in dairy cattle breeding. The aim of the present study was to calculate economic values (EV) and assign the importance of health traits for three dairy cattle breeds: Lithuanian Black-and-White open population (LBW), Lithuanian Red open population (LR) and Lithuanian Red old genotype (LROG). The EV estimation was carried out using a stochastic bio-economic model SimHerd, which allows the simulation of the expected monetary gain of dairy herds.

Derivation of economic values for German dairy breeds by means of a bio-economic model-with special emphasis on functional traits.

To assess the economic importance of breeding traits, economic values (EV) were derived for 3 German dairy cattle breeds: German Holstein (HOL), Angler (ANG), and Red and White Dual-Purpose (RDN). For that purpose, the stochastic bio-economic model SimHerd (SimHerd A/S, Viborg, Denmark) was used, which simulates the expected monetary gain in dairy herds. The EV was calculated as the alteration in average net return of the herd responding to a marginal change in the trait of interest.

Economic value of information from an alert system on physiological imbalance in fresh cows.

Physiological imbalance is an abnormal physiological condition that cannot be directly observed but is assumed to precede subclinical and clinical diseases in the beginning of lactation. Alert systems to detect the physiological imbalance in a cow using Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy in milk have been developed. The objective of this study was to estimate the value of information provided from such system with different indicator accuracies, herd prevalence and prices.

Evaluation of activity meters for estrus detection: A stochastic bioeconomic modeling approach.

Although estrus detection makes a relevant contribution to the reproductive performance of dairy cattle, studies on the economic evaluation of automatic estrus detection systems are rare. The objective of the present study is to provide an economic evaluation of activity meters used for estrus detection. The effect of different estrus detection rates on gross margins was modeled with SimHerd (SimHerd A/S, Viborg, Denmark).

Economic opportunities for using sexed semen and semen of beef bulls in dairy herds.

Dairy farmers can increase the number of dairy heifer calves born in their herd by using sexed semen. They can reduce the number of both dairy bull and heifer calves by using beef semen. Long before sexed semen became commercially available, it was believed that it would provide opportunities for increasing genetic level in both herds and populations.

Economic figures in herd health programmes as motivation factors for farmers.

Veterinarians often express frustrations when farmers do not implement their advice, and farmers sometimes shake their heads when they receive veterinary advice which is practically unfeasible. This is the background for the development of a focused 3 page economic report created in cooperation between veterinarians, farmers, advisers and researchers. Based on herd specific key-figures for management, the report presents the short- and long-term economic effects of changes in 15 management areas.

Short communication: economics of sex-biased milk production.

In a recent data study using 2.4 million lactations of 1.5 million cows, it was reported that gestation of a female calf in the first parity increases cumulative milk production by approximately 445kg over the first 2 lactations.

Genomic testing interacts with reproductive surplus in reducing genetic lag and increasing economic net return.

Until now, genomic information has mainly been used to improve the accuracy of genomic breeding values for breeding animals at a population level. However, we hypothesize that the use of information from genotyped females also opens up the possibility of reducing genetic lag in a dairy herd, especially if genomic tests are used in combination with sexed semen or a high management level for reproductive performance, because both factors provide the opportunity for generating a reproductive surplus in the herd. In this study, sexed semen is used in combination with beef semen to produce high-value crossbred beef calves.

Effect of including genetic progress in milk yield on evaluating the use of sexed semen and other reproduction strategies in a dairy herd.

The objective of this study was to explore the importance of including genetic progress in milk yield when evaluating different reproductive strategies in a dairy herd by simulation modeling. The model used in this study was SimHerd V, a dynamic and mechanistic Monte Carlo simulation model of a dairy herd including young stock. A daily increasing trend describing genetic milk yield potential of the sire population was included in the model.

Modelling the economic impact of three lameness causing diseases using herd and cow level evidence.

Diseases to the cow's hoof, interdigital skin and legs are highly prevalent and of large economic impact in modern dairy farming. In order to support farmer's decisions on preventing and treating lameness and its underlying causes, decision support models can be used to predict the economic profitability of such actions. An existing approach of modelling lameness as one health disorder in a dynamic, stochastic and mechanistic simulation model has been improved in two ways.

Partitioning recent Greenland mass loss.

Mass budget calculations, validated with satellite gravity observations [from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites], enable us to quantify the individual components of recent Greenland mass loss. The total 2000-2008 mass loss of approximately 1500 gigatons, equivalent to 0.46 millimeters per year of global sea level rise, is equally split between surface processes (runoff and precipitation) and ice dynamics.

Estimation of probability for the presence of claw and digital skin diseases by combining cow- and herd-level information using a Bayesian network.

Cross sectional data on the prevalence of claw and (inter) digital skin diseases on 4854 Holstein Friesian cows in 50 Danish dairy herds was used in a Bayesian network to create herd specific probability distributions for the presence of lameness causing diseases. Parity and lactation stage are identified as risk factors on cow level, for the prevalence of the three lameness causing diseases digital dermatitits, other infectious diseases and claw horn diseases. Four herd level risk factors have been identified; herd size, the use of footbaths, a grazing strategy and total mixed ration.

The association of hoof lesions at claw trimming with test-day milk yield in Danish Holsteins.

In a cross-sectional study, performed between October 2002 and April 2003 on 55 Danish dairy herds with 6161 predominantly Holstein Friesian cows the prevalence of 9 hoof lesions was determined. All test-day yields (TDY) of kg energy corrected milk (ECM) in the lactation of diagnosis were recorded. For the purpose of including hoof lesions in a decision support model an attempt was made to aggregate the lesions into digital dermatitis (DD), other interdigital diseases (OID, infectious diseases other than DD) and hoof horn diseases (HHD, related to metabolic disorders and trauma).

Impact of age at calving on lactation, reproduction, health, and income in first-parity Holsteins on commercial farms.

The objective was to examine milk production, health, and economic performance among Holstein heifers during first lactation on 3 commercial dairy farms in California. Heifers (n = 1905) were moved to the breeding group between 360 and 390 d of age and grouped retrospectively according to age at first calving (AFC) as low (< or =700 d), medium (701 to 750 d), and high (> or =751 d). Within farm, growing heifers were managed similarly, as were lactating primiparous cows, for the first 310 d in lactation.

Non-auditory effects of noise in industry. VII. Evaluation, conclusions and recommendations.

The results of epidemiological studies on non-auditory effects of noise in industry are commented upon. The present state of the art does not permit any definite conclusion to be drawn about the risk of hypertension. Annoyance by noise is widespread; it has many different aspects and it has been studied in detail in this project.

Knowledge gap effects in a health information campaign.

The evaluation of a campaign to increase cardiovascular health knowledge indicates that within the treatment community, education was a significant predictor of knowledge before the campaign but was not a significant predictor after the campaign. Two variables related to motivation to acquire information about cardiovascular health (age and perceived threat of heart attack) were not significant predictors of knowledge before the campaign but were significant predictors afterwards. These results suggest that the infusion of information into a social system via the mass media can close as well as open knowledge gaps and that motivation to acquire information in a specific knowledge domain is a factor controlling gap effects.