Dairy Farmers and Veterinarians' Agreement on Communication in Udder Health Consulting.

Udder health consulting is an essential aspect of mastitis control and is based on herd-specific intervention often provided by the herd veterinarian, focusing on managing the bulk tank somatic cell count. Effective communication and alignment of expectations between dairy farmers and herd veterinarians are more critical than ever due to the substantial increase in herd sizes, which amplifies both potential gains and losses. To facilitate future cooperation between dairy farmers and herd veterinarians, it is important to understand the current level of agreement in communication, and therefore, we conducted a study to describe the agreement in the perception of their communication during udder health consulting.

Employee Management in Dairy Farms Associated with Bulk Tank Somatic Cell Count and New Mastitis Infection Risk.

For decades, bovine mastitis and milk quality have been a focus area for research, agricultural extension, and dairy processors worldwide, yet employee management as a factor in udder health management has received limited attention. This is mainly because the focus has previously been on more classical areas covered by the National Mastitis Council Mastitis Control Program (NMC 10-point plan) in English-speaking countries. Therefore, we wanted more background information on employee management on dairy farms, to identify the human factor of udder health management.

Prudent use and antimicrobial prescription practices in Ethiopian veterinary clinics located in different agroecological areas.

Background: Understanding antimicrobial prescribing (AMP) practices and their prudent use in livestock can support the implementation of stewardship programs in veterinary medicine. Empiric therapy using antimicrobials is widely practiced in resource-poor settings, including Ethiopia. This could significantly contribute to the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the potential accumulation of residues in food.

One-size measures do not fit all areas: Evaluation of area-specific control of foot and mouth disease in Thailand using bioeconomic modelling.

Information on the epidemiological and economic consequences of control measures is fundamental to design effective foot and mouth disease (FMD) control measures. One approach to obtaining this information is through bioeconomic modelling. In this study, a bioeconomic model was used to evaluate FMD control in two different study areas in Thailand: a high farm density area predominantly consisting of dairy farms and a low farm density area with mixed farm types.

Economic impact of inclusion of black soldier fly products in broiler diets: A comparison between conventional and higher animal welfare production systems in the Netherlands.

The primary objectives of this study were to analyze economic feasibility of incorporating black soldier fly products in broiler feed and to compare the viability of alive (alive grown larvae (AGL)) or processed (defatted larvae meal (DLM) and insect oil) insect inclusion into the two Dutch broiler welfare systems: conventional and better life one star (BLS). An existing simulation model for insect production was adapted to build an economic model for the insect-fed broiler breast meat supply chain. Amounts, full costs, and breakeven prices of different production setups were compared and the impacts of specific input parameters were tested by sensitivity and breakeven analyses.

Behavioral Adaptations in Tropical Dairy Cows: Insights into Calving Day Predictions.

This study examined changes in the activity patterns of tropical dairy cows during the transition period to assess their potential for predicting calving days. This study used the AfiTag-II biosensor to monitor activity, rest time, rest per bout, and restlessness ratio in 298 prepartum and 347 postpartum Holstein Friesian cows across three lactation groups (1, 2, and ≥3). The data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models in SPSS, and five machine learning models, including random forest, decision tree, gradient boosting, Naïve Bayes, and neural networks, were used to predict the calving day, with their performance evaluated via ROC curves and AUC metrics.

Enhancing Raw Bovine Milk Quality using Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) Irradiation: A Microbial and Lipid Peroxidation Study.

This study investigated the efficacy of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation in enhancing the quality of raw bovine milk by targeting microbial populations and lipid peroxidation, both of which are key factors in milk spoilage. We categorized the raw milk samples into three groups based on initial bacterial load: low (<3 Log 10 CFU/mL), medium (3-4 Log 10 CFU/mL), and high (>4 Log 10 CFU/mL). Using a 144 W thin-film UV-C reactor, we treated the milk with a flow rate of 3 L/min.

Effects of extending dairy cow longevity by adjusted reproduction management decisions on partial net return and greenhouse gas emissions: A dynamic stochastic herd simulation study.

Prolonging dairy cattle longevity is regarded as one of the options to contribute to more sustainable milk production. Because failure to conceive is one of the main reasons for culling, this study investigates how adjustments in reproduction management affect partial net return at herd level and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of milk, using a dynamic stochastic simulation model. The effects of reproduction decisions that extend cattle longevity on milk yield, calving interval and pregnancy rate were derived from actual performance of Dutch commercial dairy cows over multiple lactations.

Economic impact of subclinical mastitis treatment in early lactation using intramammary nisin.

Treatment of subclinical mastitis (SCM) during lactation is rarely recommended due to concerns related to both antimicrobial usage and the costs associated with milk discard. Nisin is a naturally produced antimicrobial peptide with a gram-positive spectrum that, when given to dairy cows, does not require milk discard. We evaluated the economic impact of the treatment of SCM during early lactation using a nisin-based intramammary treatment under different scenarios that included various treatment costs, milk prices, and cure rates.

Evaluation of factors associated with bulk milk somatic cell count and total plate count in Indonesian smallholder dairy farms.

Increasing milk quality in smallholder dairy farms will result in a greater quantity of milk being delivered to milk collection centers, an increased milk price for farmers and consequently an improved farmers' livelihood. However, little research on milk quality has been performed on smallholder farms in Southeast Asia. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated with somatic cell count (SCC) and total plate count (TPC) in Indonesian smallholder dairy farms.

Smallholder milk-quality awareness in Indonesian dairy farms.

In most low- and middle-income countries, milk is produced by smallholders, thereby contributing to the livelihood of their households. With the increasing importance of milk production in these countries, it is essential that milk quality is of a high level to ensure a safe product for consumers. It is, however, unclear whether smallholder dairy farmers are aware of the quality of their milk.

Livestock producers' knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) regarding antimicrobial use in Ethiopia.

Introduction: Inappropriate antimicrobial use (AMU) in livestock production is an important aspect of the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Ethiopia, a low-income country with a large and increasing livestock population, AMU in food animals is not properly regulated. Hence, farmers are fully free to use antimicrobials to their (perceived) benefit.

Hormone use for reproductive diseases and heat induction in relation to herd-level reproductive performance in Dutch dairy farms.

This ecological study aimed to associate hormone use for reproductive diseases and heat induction with reproductive performance at herd level. Hormone use, herd characteristics, and test-day recording data were obtained from 754 representative Dutch dairy farms belonging to five large veterinary practices from 2017 to 2019 (1679 observations in total). Hormone use was classified into prostaglandin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and progesterone, and was expressed at herd level as the annual number of hormone doses per 100 adult dairy cows.

The association of herd performance indicators with dairy cow longevity: An empirical study.

The associations between reproductive performance, milk yield and health status with the risk of culling, and thus with a cow's longevity, have been well documented at the individual cow level. Associations at individual cow level may, however, not be valid at herd level due to interrelated herd management aspects and/or policy restrictions. The objective of this study was to explore the association of herd performance indicators with herd-level dairy cow longevity under Dutch production conditions.

The costs of chronic mastitis: A simulation study of an automatic milking system farm.

Mastitis is a production disease in dairy farming that causes economic losses. Especially chronic mastitis (i.e.

Epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in Thailand from 2011 to 2018.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most important animal diseases hindering livestock production in Thailand. In this study, a temporal and spatial analysis at the subdistrict level was performed on FMD outbreak reports in Thailand from 2011 to 2018. Risk factors associated with FMD outbreaks were furthermore investigated using generalized estimating equations.

The association of dairy cattle longevity with farm level technical inefficiency.

Prolonging dairy cattle longevity is regarded as one of the options to contribute to a more sustainable milk production. Cattle longevity is a direct result from culling decisions, which is primarily driven by economic considerations. As a consequence, at the herd level, cattle longevity can have effects on the efficiency of dairy production.

Disentangling the relationships between lameness, milking frequency and milk production in Dutch dairy herds using an automatic milking system.

Lameness in dairy cattle commonly results in milk production losses. Previous studies have quantified this effect in cows milked with conventional milking systems. The effect of lameness on milk production in herds with automatic milking systems (AMS) might differ because lame cows may visit the AMS less frequently, resulting in an additional milk production loss.

Estimating the Effect of a Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Control Program: An Empirical Study on the Performance of Dutch Dairy Herds.

More and more European countries have implemented a bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) control program. The economic effects of such programs have been evaluated in simulations, but empirical studies are lacking, especially in the final stage of the program. We investigated the economic (gross margin) and production effects (milk yield, somatic cell count, and calving interval) of the herds obtaining BVDV-free certification based on longitudinal annual accounting and herd performance data from Dutch dairy herds between 2014 and 2019, the final stages of the Dutch national BVDV-free program.

Analysis of Epidemiological and Economic Impact of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks in Four District Areas in Thailand.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most important infectious animal diseases impacting livestock production in Thailand. Despite a national vaccination program, FMD outbreaks are reported every year. We studied the epidemiological impacts of FMD outbreaks in four districts of Thailand between 2015 and 2016.

Development of resilience indicator traits based on daily step count data for dairy cattle breeding.

Background: Resilient animals are minimally affected by disturbances, such as diseases and heat stress, and quickly recover. Daily activity data can potentially indicate resilience, because resilient animals likely keep variations due to disturbances that threat animal homeostasis at a low magnitude. We used daily step count of cows to define resilience indicators based on theory, exploratory analysis and literature, and then investigated if they can be used to genetically improve resilience by estimating heritability and repeatability, and genetic associations with other resilience-related traits, i.