Over 30 dairy companies use the ADAS Milk Laboratory to provide them with individual farm bulk milk quality. The SCC information that this provides is representative of the industry and taken from a large range of dairy farms. Since 1994 (de-regulation) the ADAS Milk Laboratory results have shown a steady decline in SCC. From 2000 the SCC have unfortunately began to rise with an acceleration seen.

Best management practices (BMPs) are being implemented to reduce non-point sources pollution in China and worldwide. There are many types of agricultural BMPs, but their effectiveness differs from farm to farm, depending on where they are applied, how they are applied, and how they are impacted by weather. Two farms (village Nan Wayao, VNWY and village Liu Jianfang, VLJF) with differing farm sy...

Results from the USDA:APHIS:VS National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Dairy 2002 survey reported that approximately 5% of dairy cows die, on-farm, across the country each year. This is a very high death rate compared with that of beef cows or feedlot animals, where annual death rates were estimated at 1 to1.5%. In the NAHMS survey unknown reasons accounted for the largest percentage (...

The New Zealand dairy industry faces political and commercial pressure to improve its environmental performance while maintaining commercial competitiveness in a global marketplace. In response to such pressures, the industry has taken some steps to improve the environmental management practices of dairy farmers. Despite significant effort, however, the dairy sector remains highly influenced by...

This paper investigates how managerial capacity aspects influence efficiency of dairy farms in Sweden. Based on non-parametric methods, Tobit and logistic regressions, several managerial capacity aspects are found to influence long and short run input efficiency scores, but to influence output efficiency less. Examples of important aspects are: internal locus of control, positive profitability ...

Ovarian cysts reduce reproductive efficiency on almost every dairy farm in the World. Cystic ovarian disease in cows is usually seen in the first two months post calving. Ovarian cysts are characterized as structures greater than 2.5cm in diameter remaining on an ovary for more than 10 days. Cysts are simply filled with fluid enclosed by membranes like grapes. Since ovarian cysts reduce reprodu...

INTRODUCTION Conventional pipeline and parlor milking expose dairy farmers and workers to adverse health outcomes. In recent years, automatic milking systems (AMS) have gained much popularity in Finland, but the changes in working conditions when changing to AMS are not well known. The aim of this study was to investigate the occupational health and safety risks in using AMS, compared to conven...

Sustainability concept in agriculture is becoming widespread throughout industries in many fields even in crop production, livestock production and etc. Sustainable in agriculture is believed can give present and future good benefit to the farmers and society. However, in dairy sector in Malaysia, the sustainability concepts and practices seems not fully aware by the farmers which result in low...

The ultrasound technology has been used for various functions particularly as a tool in beef and dairy research for many years. It has become more available to the commercial livestock agriculture recently. Application of transrectal real-time ultrasonography in the study of bo‐ vine reproduction represents a technological breakthrough that has revolutionized the knowledge of reproductive biolo...

Milk and feed price volatility are the major source of dairy farm risk. Since August 2008 a new federally reinsured insurance program has been available to many US dairy farmers to help minimize the negative effects of adverse price movements. This insurance program is referred to as Livestock Gross Margin Insurance for Dairy Cattle. Given the flexibility in contract design, the dairy farmer ha...