Construction and Environmental Protection of Large-scale Livestock and Poultry Farms

Large-scale breeding of livestock and poultry is the main way of modern animal husbandry development.This breeding method is widely used by the majority of owners because of its easy technical promotion,low breeding cost and good economic benefits.But with the development of large-scale livestock and poultry breeding,the pollution and damage to the environment caused by fecal pollution from large-scale livestock and poultry breeding has been criticized by many environmentalists.In this paper,through visit and investigation of large-scale livestock and poultry farms,the methods and measures of environmental protection in the construction of large-scale livestock and poultry farms are proposed.

Major Causes of Calf Morbidity and Mortality in Smallholder Dairy Farms in Shashemene Town,Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the major causes of calf morbidity and mortality in smallholder dairy farms and associated potential risk factors in Shashemene.A total of 187 calves from 46 farms were included in the present study.The overall crude morbidity and crude mortality rates were 27.8%and 6.4%,respectively.The most frequent by pneumonia 8(4.3%),Gastrointestinal tract(GIT)disorder 8(4.3%)and septicemia 5(2.7%).In addition skin lesion,navel ill and unidentified cases were encountered.The main causes of death were diarrhea 6(3.2%),Septicemia 2(1.1%),GIT disorder 2(1.1%),pneumonia 1(0.5%)and others 1(0.5%).The most important risk factors associated with morbidity and mortality were housing hygiene,floor condition and calf size in farm.Out of 187 calves examined for GIT parasites;63(33.3%)were positive for nematode eggs.Prevalence of helminthes parasite increased with increasing age,showing higher prevalence(P<0.05)in calves above 2 months than in calves below 2 months of age.Besides,majority of the calves,48(25.7%)were found positive for coccidian oocyst.In general;diarrhea,pneumonia and septicemia were the major causes of calf morbidity and mortality.Interms of risk factors housing hygiene,floor condition,calf size in the farms,age and breed were identified major role players.Therefore,identifying major causes and improving management practices and breed should be given to emphasis by advisory of smallholder dairy farms.

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.

Characteristics of Lactation Curves of the Kenya Alpine Dairy Goats in Smallholder Farms

Lactation curves are a graphical representation of the milk production profile of a doe from parturition to drying up. Their shape provides information about the productivity of the doe and offers a means of explaining features of the milk production patterns of each animal. A total of 2732 daily morning milk records from 610 does of the Kenyan Alpine dairy goats’ genetic groups (50% Alpine, 75% Alpine, 87.5% Alpine and > 87.5% Alpine) and local goats (0% Alpine) kept in small-holder farms were used to evaluate factors affecting milk yield and to examine the characteristics of their lactation curve. A nonlinear mixed model was used to fit the lactation curves to all does simultaneously. The Wood’s (1967) equation was fitted within each genetic group and parity to generate genetic group and parity lactation curves. The mean lactation period was 218 ± 46 days and the model accounted for 88% of the total variation. Significant differences (P 87.5% Alpine genetic groups respectively. Genetic group did not significantly affect rate of increase to peak yield (P > 0.05) and rate of decline from peak (P > 0.05) or persistency (P > 0.05). Parity significantly affected rate of increase to peak, rate of decrease from peak and persistency (P < 0.01). The month of kidding significantly affected the rate of increase to peak (P < 0.05) and persistency, but not rate of decrease from peak. The synchronization of breeding with season has a practical implication for the maximization of lactation yield when considered in combination with other biological and economic constraints. The superior production of the pedigree animals supports the development of composite breed types in Kenya to take advantage of the fitness of indigenous breeds, the productivity of imported dairy breeds, heterosis, and the potential for selection within the composite to improve productivity in later generations.

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.

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.

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.

Validating the Classification of Smallholder Dairy Farming Systems Based on Herd Genetic Structure and Access to Breeding Services

Smallholder dairy farming in Africa is classified into rural, peri-urban and urban systems. The major classification criterion is demographic. Dairy systems are extensively characterized, but not based on rigorous statistical analyses. We validated this classification based on herd genetic structure and identify determinants of within-system variations, taking Ethiopia as a case study. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 38% - 50.6% of the 360 sampled farms into the three systems. Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that rural and peri-urban farmers were 1.26 (P < 0.1) to 1.45 (P < 0.001) times more likely to keep local and low grade crossbreds and fewer high grade crosses (P < 0.05;odds ratio = 2.35) than the urban farmers. In the rural system, proportion of high grade crosses declined and low grades increased over generations, whereas in urban system the reverse was observed. Access to breeding services and land resources significantly determined the adoption of crossbred dairy herd within systems. In conclusion, considering farms within systems as a uniform unit to target development interventions may not be appropriate and thus farm topologies and system specific determinants of farmers’ breeding strategies need to be considered to design and introduce appropriate breeding interventions.

Reduction of Enteric Methane Emission in a Commercial Dairy Farm by a Novel Feed Supplement

Several in vitro fermentation studies had demonstrated the efficacy of Mootral, a patent-pending natural feed supplement, in reducing methane gas production. In order to test the supplement’s application in a commercial farm, Jersey (n = 121) and Holstein-Friesian (HF, n = 275) lactating cows received 500 g of pellets containing 3% Mootral powder for 12 weeks. Their enteric methane gas production was monitored using a hand-held laser methane detector. During 7 weeks of pre-Mootral supplementation period, dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield and milk quality (fat, protein, urea, pH, bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC)) were monitored for both herds and continued during 12 weeks of Mootral supplementation (Mootral period), and 4 weeks after withdrawal of Mootral (post-Mootral period). Feed samples were analysed during each period, and feed efficiencies (FE) for each herd were calculated. Compared to the baseline, the methane gas produced by the Jersey and HF cows during the Mootral period were lower by 38.3% and 20.7% (p < 0.05), respectively. DMI for Jerseys were greatest during the pre-Mootral period (p < 0.05), while no difference was recorded for the HF cows. Milk yield increased significantly (p < 0.05) for both herds during Mootral supplementation. FE increased significantly for the Jersey herd during the Mootral and post-Mootral periods (p < 0.05). Statistically significant changes were detected for urea in both herds, and BTSCC for HF cows, but these did not adversely affect milk quality. Results demonstrated Mootral reduces enteric methane production in lactating cows while increasing milk yield without affecting milk quality.

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.

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.

奶牛智慧养殖技术装备及其数字孪生系统构建

数字孪生被视为智慧农业新的发展阶段。通过建立农业生产的物理系统和数字空间,数字孪生技术实现了“连接-感知-决策-控制”一体化,可以通过更高水平的智能控制应对农业生产系统的复杂性。我国农业数字孪生系统发展相对较晚,相关研究与技术装备整体处于探索和起步阶段。本文基于奶牛养殖多维信息采集、数据分析和生产仿真模型的研究,面向饲喂管理、繁殖管理、健康管理和环境调控等关键生产场景,建立奶牛场在虚拟空间的数字化映像,构建了奶牛养殖数字孪生系统,实现了对养殖技术流程与生产装备的数据驱动、实时反馈、模拟推演和以虚控实的智能管控,并在江苏省某千头规模奶牛场进行了具体应用和初步验证。

我国奶业发展研究的现状、热点及趋势——基于中国知网数据库(CNKI)的CiteSpace可视化分析

[目的]围绕我国奶业发展进行文献计量和可视化分析,探讨我国奶业发展研究的现状、热点和趋势,为我国奶业发展提供数据支持。[方法]以中国知网数据库(CNKI)为数据来源,检索1992—2023年我国奶业发展研究领域的期刊文献,利用可视化分析工具CiteSpace绘制奶业发展研究领域的知识图谱,结合文献计量学方法分析该领域的研究现状、热点以及主题演变。[结果]根据设置的检索条件,共纳入739篇期刊文献,年度发文量以2002年最多,达到60篇;发文数量排名前三位的作者是刘玉满(17篇)、李胜利(15篇)、刘芳(15篇),排名前三位的机构是中国社会科学院农村发展研究所(19篇)、中国农业科学院农业信息研究所(18篇)、东北农业大学经济管理学院(17篇);奶业研究领域已经形成了相对严密、成熟的合作关系网络,中国农业科学院农业信息研究所、中国农业大学动物科技学院、中国社会科学院农村发展研究所、中国农业科学院北京畜牧兽医研究所的合作密度较高,相互之间的联系较多;奶业、奶业发展等是该领域的研究热点;“奶业发展”“奶源基地”“乳品厂”“奶牛业”“产奶量”等关键词出现时间较早,而最近则出现了“低碳发展”“规制理路”“智能养殖”等关键词。[结论]奶业发展这一主题的研究热点呈动态变化,研究作者及机构之间的合作密度较高,合作网络在分布上存在区域异质性,低碳发展、智能养殖等可能是未来研究的重点方向。