Research on Market Risk Assessment of Dairy Farms: Taking 75 Dairy Farms in Heilongjiang Province as Examples

Based on the investigation and research on 75 dairy farms in Heilongjiang Province, evaluation index system of dairy farm market risk was set up, and dairy farm market risks were divided into pairing risk, price risk, production risk, contract risk and policy risk, five aspects of a total of 12 assessment indicators. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was used to evaluate the market risk. The evaluation results showed that the market risk of dairy farms in Heilongjiang Province was at low risk; however, the policy risk was high. Finally, according to the results of the assessment, the suggestions was made as the followings： the government should expand the scope of policy insurance for dairy farming, vigorously promote the development of cooperative organizations and intermediary organizations in dairy farms by purchasing services through government, increase their functional roles and establish strict supervision mechanisms, including the establishment of official advice hotline and consultation channel online and improving third-party testing mechanism; government and the department of management industry would improve their abilities of management and do a good job of training and guiding.

Blue and Grey Water Footprints of Dairy Farms in Kuwait

In Kuwait, dairy farming faces challenges due to its significant water demands. The current study assessed seasonal patterns of water use to estimate the blue water footprint (WF) and grey WF per kg of fat protein corrected milk (FPCM) for confined dairy farming systems in Kuwait. Blue and grey WFs were evaluated using data from three operational farms. The average blue WF (L·kg-1 FPCM) was estimated to be 54.5 ± 4.0 L·kg-1 in summer and 19.2 ± 0.8 L·kg-1 in winter. The average grey WF (generated from milk house wastewater) was assessed on bimonthly basis and determined based on its phosphate (PO4) concentration (82.2 ± 14.3 mg·L-1) which is the most limiting factor to be 23.0 ± 9.0 L·kg-1 FPCM d-1. The outcomes indicate that enhancing the performance of dairy cows and adopting alternative water management strategies can play a role in minimizing the impacts of confined dairy farming systems in Kuwait on water quality and quantity.

Work Organization Model Applied on Smallholder Dairy Farms in Brazil

This research identified difficulties faced by dairy farmers in family farming, describing this diagnosis through ergonomic demand items （EDIs）. The objective was to elaborate an organization model of work related to dairy farming （WRDF）. As a methodology, a descriptive exploratory study was carried out in 14 family dairy farms that were visited and had their activities monitored. As main results, 11 EDIs were identified. The ones grouped in the infrastructure factor showed the highest resolution priority. The WRDF model was composed of three categories： management, public policies management and infrastructure, which were further subdivided into technical and social aspects. From this perspective, it is believed that the implementation of the model can bring organizational improvement, once adjustments are made in the procedures and working conditions. This study sheds light on the conditions that need to be resolved with higher priority so that the farmers will remain in the dairy business.

HARNESSING BIODIVERSITY FOR HEALTHY DAIRY FARMS

Producing sufficient high-quality forage to meet the increasing domestic demand for safe and nutritious milk products is one of the critical challenges that Chinese dairy farms are facing.The increased forage biomass production,mainly contributed by agrochemicals inputs in China,is accompanied by tremendous impacts on the ecology of dairy farms and soil quality.This paper presents a framework for healthy dairy farms in which targeted management practices are applied for quality milk products with minimal adverse environmental impacts.The paper also summarizes biodiversity management practices at the field and landscape scales toward lessening inputs of water,fertilizers,pesticides and mitigating soil compaction.Dairy farming with biodiversity-driven technologies and solutions will be more productive in producing quality milk and minimizing environmental damage.

New Technology Usage for Sustaniable Dairy Cow Reproductive Perfomances

Technology gives many oppurtunites for cattle farmers for easier and effective herd management possibilities. New era provides many realistic applications using smart applications for farmers. Especially milking is very popular for engineering applications. Reproductive technologies can be seen as frontier applications. Reproductive performances of the dairy farms can be defined as number of calves for cows in a year. It means new material for meat and milk production. Because new female calf means new cow for her while male calf means new material for beef. If meat and milk production are to be increased, cow productivity, i.e. the number of calves produced lifetime must be improved and increased. Although varying among herds, annual average herd incidences of reproductive disorders and reproductive performance were similar to those reported. Managerial practices influenced incidences of retained placenta and uterine infection, days open of cows not bred and of all cows, services per conception and percentages of herd open more than 100 days and culled for low production. Good heat detection programs can have a major impact on overall herd reproductive performance. The best heat detection programs start with careful timing, good observation and the effective use of detection aids. Being able to distinguish and interpret cow behaviour and other signs is critical, so are good record keeping and training for the people responsible for heat detection. Generaly, farmers with the best heat detection results use a combination of observation and heat detection aids. Several options are available to aid heat detection and increase heat detection rates. Although a rich variety of methods have been introduced for the detection of oestrus, a more accurate and practical method is still required.

Study of Digital Management System of Milking Process on Large-Sized Dairy Farm

This study was to supply the systemic and full milking process data to support the implementation of both dairy herd improvement （DHI） and digital feeding of dairy cattle. This study designed the relational structured database and developed a set of digital management information system on milking process of intensive dairy farm using Visual Basic 6.0, Access databases, and Crystal report combining the milking characteristics of a grown cow, such as quality and sanitation testing indexes of raw milk. The system supplies a series of convenient, intelligent input interfaces of crude datum, and can count, analyze, and graphically show milking datum based on different types and different parities of cows or herds in a specific duration, and can dynamically produce some important derived data, such as days of grown cow, daily average of milk production of grown cow, days of cow milk production, and daily average of milking cow production; and can carry out all-pervasive data mining. With the help of system analysis and software design techniques, it is possible to realize precision farming for a dairy cattle herd based on whole digital management of milking process and realtime prediction on nutrient requirements and ration of dairy cattle, as well as dairy herd improvement.

Conceptual Analysis of Contractual Relationship in Dairy Supply Chain

Dairy industry is the pillar of Heilongjiang Province. The contractual relationship of the dairy supply chain played a vital role in the dairy industry for development. The contractual relationship between the main dairy farming body and the dairy processing enterprise, as well as the impact of this contractual relationship on their cooperation in dairy supply chain were studied. Taking 366 dairy farming bodies in Heilongjiang Province as the main research objects, Likert scale was used to measure the factors affecting the contractual relationship and applied these factors to the correlation construction of dairy farming body and processing enterprise. Then, confirmatory factor analysis was used to collect data and made the conclusion that once dairy farming body perceived the opportunistic behavior and lacking of cooperation, the trust of dairy processing enterprise would be lost. Additionally, the satisfaction of dairy farming body on partnership also had a positive effect on the level of trust and commitment, the relative dependence and the perception of the partnerships, which made it possible to analyze how to strengthen the contractual relationship and provide theoretical basis for dairy industry development in Heilongjiang Province.

Prevention and Control Measures of Environmental Pollution Problem Caused by Dairy Farming in Inner Mongolia

Environmental pollution problem generated in dairy farming process is the bottleneck restricting development of animal husbandry. By using the investigation data from dairy farmers of Inner Mongolia,environmental pollution problem generated by dairy farming in Inner Mongolia and its cause were analyzed,and prevention and control measures were put forward. The research result showed that weak technology support of environmental treatment and environmental-protection awareness of dairy farmer and bad application effect of pollution control technology caused by lower education degree of dairy farmer were main reasons for environmental pollution problem. We should develop dairy circular economy,advocate a moderate scale,scientifically breed,and enhance training of pollution control technology and propaganda to protect environment.

The mechanism and heterogeneity of environmental regulations'impact on the technological progress of dairy farming

The study analyses the theoretical mechanism through which environmental regulation affects the dairy industry’s technological progress,with a particular focus on how the effect is conditional on farm size.Using the input–output data of dairy farms of different sizes from 2009 to 2019 in 10 Chinese provinces/autonomous regions in China and the quantitative measurement index of environmental regulation,the study estimates environmental regulation’s heterogeneous influences on the dairy industry’s technological progress by dynamic panel data models.The empirical results suggest that,first,environmental regulation has a U-type influence on the technological progress of dairy farming.The U-type influence means moving from pollution control’s high cost and low technology progress to the high profit and high innovation input generated by optimizing the breeding structure.Second,the promotion of dairy farming technology depends on farm size.The effect of environmental regulation on technological progress in moderately large-farms showed a U-type relationship.In contrast,the effect in free-range and large-size dairy farms showed a linear and positive relationship.The government should further strengthen environmental regulation based on advancing moderately large-farms in compliance with market mechanisms in the long run.Particular attention should be paid to the forms of environmental regulation so that dairy cattle breeding technology can break through the inflection point of the“U”curve as soon as possible and ensure the significance of the rising stage.Along the way,technical support should be provided for realizing environmental protection and economic growth.

Assessing the microbiota of recycled bedding sand on a Wisconsin dairy farm

Background:Sand is often considered the preferred bedding material for dairy cows as it is thought to have lower bacterial counts than organic bedding materials and cows bedded on sand experience fewer cases of lameness and disease.Sand can also be efficiently recycled and reused,making it cost-effective.However,some studies have suggested that the residual organic material present in recycled sand can serve as a reservoir for commensal and pathogenic bacteria,although no studies have yet characterized the total bacterial community composition.Here we sought to characterize the bacterial community composition of a Wisconsin dairy farm bedding sand recycling system and its dynamics across several stages of the recycling process during both summer and winter using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.Results:Bacterial community compositions of the sand recycling system differed by both seasons and stage.Summer samples had higher richness and distinct community compositions,relative to winter samples.In both summer and winter samples,the diversity of recycled sand decreased with time drying in the recycling room.Compositionally,summer sand 14 d post-recycling was enriched in operational taxonomic units(OTUs)belonging to the genera Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas,relative to freshly washed sand and sand from cow pens.In contrast,no OTUs were found to be enriched in winter sand.The sand recycling system contained an overall core microbiota of 141 OTUs representing 68.45%±10.33%SD of the total bacterial relative abundance at each sampled stage.The 4 most abundant genera in this core microbiota included Acinetobacter,Psychrobacter,Corynebacterium,and Pseudomonas.Acinetobacter was present in greater abundance in summer samples,whereas Psychrobacter and Corynebacterium had higher relative abundances in winter samples.Pseudomonas had consistent relative abundances across both seasons.Conclusions:These findings highlight the potential of recycled bedding sand as a bacterial reservoir that warrants further study.

Performance of Smallholder Dairy Farming in Nakuru County, Kenya

The Kenya dairy sub-sector has been undergoing developments since the 1980s in the areas of adoption of intensive dairy farming, especially zero grazing. There have been concerted efforts by the government and other development partners to commercialize the sub-sector so as to make it more profitable to farmers, especially smallholder farmers, but the profitability in the sector continues to be variable with some smallholder farmers making losses. The causes of the varying profits have not been empirically established, with the influence of institutional arrangements and financial factors contributing to this inconsistency not fully established. This study dwelt on establishing the critical institutional arrangements and financial factors that constrain the profitability of smallholder dairy farmers in Nakuru County. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select respondents. Data were collected by structured interviews at the farm level. Data Envelopment Analysis （DEA） was used to come up with profit efficiency rankings among the farmers, and the Frontier Model was used to establish the factors that constrain profit efficiency. The mean efficiency according to the results was 86%. The farm and farmer characteristics that were significant in explaining profitability efficiency according to the frontier results were： feeding system, breed type, and gender. The financial characteristics included debt amount and debt asset ratio. Additionally, issues of trust were also found to have an effect on profitability, and they included trust in local buyer price, trust in unit of measurement of institutional buyer, and trust in unit of measurement of middlemen.

Effect of Season and Lactation Number on Milk Production of Holstein Friesian Cows in Kabul Bini-Hesar Dairy Farm

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of season and lactation number on milk yields in Holstein dairy cows at Kabul Bini Hesar Dairy Farm. For this purpose, data were collected from the dairy farm herd book records during 1392-1393 (2013-2014). Considering the milk yield stages of the cows, the total milk production was highest during the spring season 18,454.95 ± 33 L followed by summer 17,060.85 ± 34.5 L while the lowest milk production obtained in winter 16,398.45 ± 31.5 L. Moreover, the average daily milk production of the cows was significantly different (p < 0.05) between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd lactations and the amounts were 12.04 ± 0.7, 13.24 ± 0.8 and 14.10 ± 0.6 L/day respectively. Milk yields of individual cows were gradually increased from 1st to 3rd lactation. The highest milk yield was recorded in 3rd lactation and the lowest was in 1st. From this study it was found that season and lactation number had a significant effect on the milk quantity.

The Problem analysis of the dairy farming in our country

After the reform and opening up, especially in recent years. Dairy farming has a rapid development in our country, however, the dairy farming link in our country also is in a small scale, and dairy cows yield at lower levels, based on the present situation of dair farming in our country, This article mainly analysis the problems of dairy farming link, and puts torward the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions to solve these problems.

Cost Benefit Analysis to Select Clean Energy Solutions in Dairy Farm Milk Collection Posts in Azores

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of implementation of alternative renewable energy micro-generation installations in dairy farm milk collection posts, from the technical, economical and environmental perspectives. Work was performed through dairy farm milk collection post energy audits. Weather data was obtained from CLIMAAT and MacSIMAR projects and introduced in a renewable energy solutions calculator （HOMER）. Moreover, a system design from the available portfolio of micro-generation devices was defined and a cost benefit analysis of the selected alternatives was performed. From the analyzed solutions, the set of PV （20 kW） and Wind （3 kW） with no batteries revealed to be the best one. The sensitivity analysis indicated that wind micro-turbines should be installed except if the solar radiation is maximum and that in no case the use of batteries is an advantage. For systems requiring a certain degree of energy （in this case with an average of 350 kW/day）, the implementation of micro generation systems, like the ones evaluated, will never be economically feasible in terms of Total Economic Value, even with generous feed-in tariff schemes. It is preferable that grid operators make investments in renewable energy production.

Reducing dietary sodium of dairy cows fed a low-roughages diet affect intake and feed efficiency,but not yield

Wastewater from dairy farms has become a major environmental and economical concern.Sodium residue in treated and untreated wastewater from dairy farms used for irrigation can lead to soil and groundwater salinization,with the risk of soil degradation.We examined the effect of reducing sodium fed to mid to late lactating cows from 0.61%(high sodium[HS])to 0.45%(low sodium[LS])of dry matter on dry matter intake(DMI),milk and milk-component yields,eating behavior,apparent total track digestibility,feed efficiency,and sodium excretion into the environment.We randomly assigned 28 multiparous high-yielding(>35 kg milk/d)cows to 1 of 2 treatment groups(LS or HS)in a crossover design,with 7 d of adaptation and 28 d of data collection.Reducing sodium in the diet reduced sodium intake from 171 to 123 g/d while lowering sodium excreted in the manure by 22%.Energy corrected milk(ECM)yield(37.4 kg/d)and sodium excretion in the milk(33.7 g/d)were similar for both groups.The DMI of LS cows was lower than that of HS cows(27.3 vs.28 kg/d)and consequently,feed efficiency of the LS cows was higher(1.40 vs.1.35 ECM/DMI).Eating rate,meal and visit frequency,and eating time were similar for both treatments;meal and visit duration were longer for the HS cows,and meal and visit sizes tended to be larger.Digestibility of DM and amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber remained similar.Based on the results of this study,and discussed considerations,we recommend lowering the dietary sodium content for mid to late lactating cows in commercial herds to 0.52%of DM,in order to reduce sodium excretion to the environment via urine.

NEW ZEALAND DAIRY FARM SYSTEMS AND KEY ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

This paper provides an overview of the range of dairy pasture grazing systems used in New Zealand(NZ),the changes with increased inputs over time and associated key environmental effects including nitrogen(N)leaching and greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions.NZ dairy farming systems are based on year-round grazing and seasonal milk production on perennial ryegrass/clover pasture where cows are rotationally grazed in paddocks.There was an increase in stocking rate on NZ dairy farms from 2.62 cows ha−1 in 2000/2001 to 2.84 cows ha−1 in 2015/2016.During the same period annual milk solids production increased from 315 to 378 kg·yr−1 per cow.This performance has coincided with an increase in N fertilizer use(by~30%)and a twofold increase in externally-sourced feeds.Externally-sourced feeds with a low protein concentration(e.g.,maize silage)can increase the efficiency of N utilization and potentially reduce N losses per unit of production.Off-paddock facilities(such as standoff or feed pads)are often used to restrict grazing during very wet winter conditions.A systems analysis of contrasting dairy farms in Waikato(largest NZ dairying region)indicates that the increased input would result in an increase in per-cow milk production but little change in efficiency of milk production from a total land use perspective.This analysis also shows that the increased inputs caused an 11%decrease in N footprint(i.e.,N emissions per unit of milk production)and a 2%increase in C footprint(i.e.,greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions per unit of milk production).

Microtopography causes small-scale variation in harvest and forage quality of high-yielding silage grassland in northern Germany

Background:Local sward dieback,especially in grasslands on peat soil,in response to the extreme 2018/2019 drought demonstrates climate vulnerability of intensive grasslands in northern Central Europe.Methods:We explore the influence of microtopography,that is,the within-field mosaic of depressions and elevated patches,on soil volumetric moisture content,standing biomass and biomass crude protein(CP)andfibre content in intensively managed grassland on peat soil in a moist year(2021)and a dry year(2022)for quantifying small-scale spatial heterogeneity within afield.Results:We found high within-field variation in soil moisture,biomass and forage quality and a moisture dependence of productivity that was stronger in the dry year.CP ranged from 10%to 25%within afield,being lower in moist depressions than elevated patches in the wet(but not in the dry)summer.Conclusions:The moister depressions help to limit the overall productivity decline in dry summers,whereas,in moist summers,the higher dry patches produce more protein-rich forage than the depressions,where productivity is higher but quality is lower.We recommend adapting grassland management to this heterogeneity through spatially differentiated management regimes in order to better cope with an increasingly drier and more variable climate.

Improving milk safety at farm-level in an intensive dairy production system:relevance to smallholder dairy producers

Objective:This paper discusses methods for improving milk safety in smallholder dairying.Methodology:Analyzing best practices/experiences of selected countries and Ethiopian dairy farming as a case study(household survey and milk testing).Results:The coliform count was slightly higher than European standard.The value of total bacterial count found was higher than the standard of bacteriological quality of milk.Somatic Cell count is slightly higher than US standard,but it is in the range of the EU standard.Moreover,there were other associated challenges facing dairy farmers,including shortage of feed concentrate and water,milk marketing,health of dairy stock,and manure management.Some better practices were also observed including literacy and dairying experience of smallholder dairy producing-households.Despite this,increased availability of some dairy stakeholders and their efforts would also be an added advantage.The efforts of private veterinarians to engage in provision of drugs and on-call home-treatment for stall-fed cows were good,but this needs to be complemented with laboratory based-diagnostic/clinical and advisory services prevent diseases.Conclusion:Improvement of milk safety can be achieved through good management practices by dairy farmers,market incentives,and increased efforts of various stakeholders and the adoption of best practices.In this regard,a coordinated action involving all stakeholders is needed to implement preventative/control measures,quality management strategies,and appropriate regulation while supporting and building capacity of smallholder dairy producers to minimize risks associated with milk production.

Automatic body condition scoring system for dairy cows based on depth-image analysis

Body condition score(BCS)is an important management tool in the modern dairy industry,and one of the basic techniques for animal welfare and precision dairy farming.The objective of this study was to use a vision system to evaluate the fat cover on the back of cows and to automatically determine BCS.A 3D camera was used to capture the depth images of the back of cows twice a day as each cow passed beneath the camera.Through background subtraction,the back area of the cow was extracted from the depth image.The thurl,sacral ligament,hook bone,and pin bone were located via depth image analysis and evaluated by calculating their visibility and curvature,and those four anatomical features were used to measure fatness.A dataset containing 4820 depth images of cows with 7 BCS levels was built,among which 952 images were used as training data.Taking four anatomical features as input and BCS as output,decision tree learning,linear regression,and BP network were calibrated on the training dataset and tested on the entire dataset.On average,the BP network model scored each cow within 0.25 BCS points compared to their manual scores during the study period.The measured values of visibility and curvature used in this study have strong correlations with BCS and can be used to automatically assess BCS with high accuracy.This study demonstrates that the automatic body condition scoring system has the possibility of being more accurate than human scoring.

Manure nutrient application on a Chinese dairy farm with arable land:A case study based on Dutch experience of equilibrium fertilization

For a Chinese dairy farm with 2200 milking cows,the annual manure production and manure nutrients(nitrogen and phosphorus)were estimated.Gaseous nitrogen losses from cattle housing with scraped solid floors were based on on-farm measurements.Based on experiences from the Netherlands,nutrient levels in the solid and liquid fractions after slurry separation were estimated.On the basis of assumptions for nutrient losses during covered lagoon storage and land application of the liquid fraction,nitrogen and phosphorous fertilization rates were calculated for the 67 hm^(2)of agricultural land that receive the liquid fraction by gravity irrigation.The results show that the application rates of nitrogen and phosphorous significantly exceed the crop needs,which will probably result in losses to soil and water.In order to aim for a balance between nutrient application and crop needs and,as such,reduce environmental harm,the authors recommend to establish application standards for nitrogen and phosphorous on arable land in China and to formulate farm-specific Nutrient Management Plans.