The effect of land fragmentation on agriculture has worried policymakers for a long time because it is expected to be a negative effect. Land consolidation policies are frequently implemented to soften the degree of land fragmentation. However, to the authors' knowledge, no study in the dairy sector has empirically analyzed the role of land fragmentation on farm productivity and profits. This s...

In many European countries, milk production per cow has more than doubled in the last 40 years. The increase in production has been accompanied by declining ability to reproduce, increasing incidence of health problems, and declining longevity in modern dairy cows. Genetic selection for increased milk yield increasingly is viewed as increasing profit at the expense of reducing animal welfare. T...

In pasture-based milk production systems, using available farm resources in order to reduce feeding costs, the composition and functional properties of dairy cows’ milk are of considerable importance to the dairy farmer, manufacturer and consumer. Basically, there are three options for altering the composition and/or functional properties of milk: 1) cow nutrition and grazing management, 2) cow...

Livestock farmers in Sweden usually grow feed grains for livestock but import protein feed from outside Sweden. Aside from the economic implications, some environmental issues are associated with this practice. We used life cycle assessment to evaluate the impact of local protein feed production on land use and greenhouse gas emissions, compared with the use of imported protein feed, for pig me...

Citation: Marton SMRR, Lüscher G, Corson MS, Kreuzer M and Gaillard G (2016) Collaboration between Mountain and Lowland Farms Decreases Environmental Impacts of Dairy Production: The Case of Swiss Contract Rearing. Front. Environ. Sci. 4:74. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2016.00074 Collaboration between Mountain and Lowland Farms Decreases Environmental Impacts of Dairy Production: The Case of Swiss Contr...

Successful dairy producers must have accurate and reliable records to make sound management decisions. The Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) program provides a comprehensive herd analysis and management report that includes information concerning production, reproduction, genetics, herd health, animal and feed inventory, and finances. The data can be used to improve efficiency of milk production by ...

The establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in lactating dairy cows is a complex biological event that is influenced by a multitude of factors, from the reproductive biology of the cow to managerial aspects of the dairy farm. It is often mentioned in the scientific literature that fertility in dairy cows has declined concurrent with major advances in milk production. Some of this decline is ...

BACKGROUND Urban/peri-urban dairy production and sales has evolved as an adjustment to cope with food security and economic needs for urban dwellers in low-income countries and created an opportunity to transform from subsistence rural lifestyles of dairy farming to commercial engagement in towns. However, urban/peri-urban dairy farms differ in challenges from rural dairy farms and reproduction...

The efficient dairy production depends greatly on proper decisions made at different production stages. Numerous genetic and environmental factors that influence animals performance could complicate decisions making, therefore, some toolkit for facilitation of breeding and management decisions on dairy farm is required. Lactation curves, that are mathematical formulas that describe flow of milk...