The age at first consumption of forage in calves and its effect on growth and rumination in the short‑and long‑term

Background Previous investigations into the effect of dietary forage on calf performance have been inconsistent,and there is a paucity of information exploring the effect of age on the growth performance and rumination of calves.Eighty-four female Holstein calves(41.5±4.2 kg)were enrolled at birth,a subset of the calves were fed calf starter only(CON,n=21)while the rest(n=63)were classified into three treatment groups:the early(EHAY,n=26,5.1±0.8 d),the middle(MHAY,n=21,7.9±0.8 d)and the late(LHAY,n=16,12.1±1.4 d)hay consumers.The short-term effect of the age at first forage consump-tion(AFF)on calves’feed intake was monitored until d 84.In addition,the long-term effects of AFF on body weight,structural growth and rumination behavior were recorded until d 196.Rumen samples were collected on d 1,7,35,84 and 196 to ana-lyze the rumen fermentation,while fecal samples were collected from d 78 to 84 to estimate digestibility parameters.Results Treatment had no effect on feed intake.While,the EHAY calves tended to have lower BW and ADG compared to LHAY and CON calves.Several total-tract apparent digestibility parameters and digestible nutrients intake were significantly lower in EHAY calves compared with CON and LHAY calves.Calves in the EHAY group tended to begin ruminating ealier,while CON calves were the latest(12.3 vs.15.5 days of age).A treatment and time interaction was present for rumination time due to greater rumination in calves consuming hay compared to CON calves in week 10 to 12,the differences in rumination disappeared afterwards,no long-lasting significant differences in the rumina-tion and rumen fermentation parameters were found between treatments.Conclusions In conclusion,this study showed that hay consumption earlier in life(in the first week,around 5 days of life)could negatively affect the growth of the calf in the short and long term.Compared to consuming hay from the second week(around 12 days of life)or feeding concentrate only without hay,starting to consume hay from the first week could compromise nutrient digestibility and digestible nutrient intake independent of developing rumination behaviour and rumen fermentation.

Analysis and Evaluation of the Chocolate Market in Poland Between 2005-2012 With a Particular Emphasis on Consumers Aged 60 and over

The aim of this paper was to analyze and evaluate the chocolate market in Poland in years 2005-2012 with particular emphasis on older consumer purchasing and consumption behavior. In the study a secondary and primary data were used. Secondary data source was the literature, trade press, Internet publications, and the results of household budget. Primary data were obtained through a survey conducted among the participants of the University of the Third Age. The work turned out to increase the production of chocolate in Poland and increased competition in the sector as a result of changes in ownership. These changes were accompanied by increased consumption of chocolate. It was found that older consumers in their purchasing decisions are guided chiefly by the taste of chocolate, then a habit, brand/manufacturer, and price. Most of them prefer dark chocolate. Nearly half of respondents describe themselves as a reasonable consumer. Having this in mind the traditional assortment of chocolate next to innovative should be on market.

The Dutch, The World Tallest Are Shrinking in the Latest Decade or So: The Lessons from the Case of South Korea and Japan in North-East Asia

The Dutch have been the world tallest since the 1980s but plateaued in height for the past few decades. A century and a half ago, young men at 20 in the Netherlands were 165 cm in mean height, as tall as men in France and Portugal. They grew to 178 cm, as tall as Norwegian in 1960, and 183 cm in mean height in the 1990s and levelled off. It is most likely that the Dutch may have nearly attained genetic potential as a human being. The statue is a net measure that captures the supply of inputs to health. Based on the changes in per capita supply of protein from animal products, FAOSTAT, the Dutch seem to have reached the highest level in per capita supply of animal protein. Increases in the supply of protein, however, do not result in increasing human height, if consumption of other “essential nutrients” is insufficient (Blum, 2013;Mori, 2018)[1][2]. With the close case studies of Japan and South Korea in respect of food consumption specifically by children in growing ages, the author suspects that children in the Netherlands may have been insufficient in the supply of vegetables, “essential nutrients” on the top of animal products.