Dairy Science Commons^™

Feasibility, Safety, Economic And Environmental Implications Of Whey-Recovered Water For Cleaning-In Place Systems: A Case Study On Water Conservation For The Dairy Industry, Yulie E. Meneses-GonzáLez

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Several countries around the world are facing the challenge of producing food with limited water resources for a growing population. This reality is forcing all sectors involved in the food supply chain to look for water conservation strategies that contribute to assure global food security. Besides water consumption, the food industry has to deal with wastewater generation; therefore, water reconditioning and reuse is an attractive solution to address both issues. The goal of this research was to demonstrate that high quality water can be recovered from whey, a by-product of the cheese making process, and reused in cleaning-in place (CIP) …

Efficiency Of Energy Utilization And Fecal Mineral Excretion In Holstein And Jersey Dairy Cows, Gabriel Garcia Gomez

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Eight multiparous Holstein and 8 Jersey dairy cows were used to complete energy balance trials designed to determine the effect of breed on the production and energy efficiency of milk, and energy partitioning. A repeated switchback design was used to compare the effect of cow breed. Diets consisted of 24.5% corn silage, 18.4% alfalfa hay, 6.9% grass hay, with either 22.9% rolled corn and 14.8% soybean meal (CON) or 8.95% rolled corn and 28.8% reduced fat distillers grains (RFDDGS) DM-basis. Diets were offered ad libitum for a 28 d adaptation period and 95% ad libitum for a 4 d collection …

The Effects Of Hmtba (2-Hydroxy-4-Methylthio-Butanoic Acid) Supplementation On Ruminal Microbial Crude Protein Synthesis And Community Structure In Dairy Cattle, Chad James Robert Jenkins

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Metabolizable protein (MP) is protein that reaches the small intestine and is available for absorption and utilization by the cow. Dairy rations may be limited in the supply of MP essential to meeting the demands of milk synthesis, however as much as half of the MP flowing to the small intestine may be attributed to microbial origins and is referred to as microbial CP (MCP). Experiment 1 utilized a technique in which DNA was used as a microbial marker to estimate the concentration of bacterial CP (BCP) in the solid and liquid portions of rumen digesta. Rumen digesta was sampled …

Choline And Choline Metabolite Patterns And Associations In Blood And Milk During Lactation In Dairy Cows, Virginia M. Artegoitia, Jesse L. Foote, Federico M. Harte, Shawn R. Campagna, Michael J. De Veth

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Milk and dairy products are an important source of choline, a nutrient essential for human health. Infant formula derived from bovine milk contains a number of metabolic forms of choline, all contribute to the growth and development of the newborn. At present, little is known about the factors that influence the concentrations of choline metabolites in milk. The objectives of this study were to characterize and then evaluate associations for choline and its metabolites in blood and milk through the first 37 weeks of lactation in the dairy cow. Milk and blood samples from twelve Holstein cows were collected in …

Energy Content Of Reduced-Fat Dried Distillers’ Grains And Solubles For Lactating Dairy Cows And Effects On Energy And Nitrogen Balance, Alison J. Foth

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Eight Holstein and 8 Jersey multiparous, lactating cows were used to complete 56 energy balances to determine the energy content of reduced-fat distillers grains and solubles (RFDDGS). A repeated switchback design was used to compare treatments with and without RFDDGS. Diets consisted of 24.2 % corn silage, 18.4 % alfalfa hay, 6.94 % brome hay with either 22.9 % rolled corn and 14.8 % soybean meal (Control), or 8.95 % rolled corn, 28.8 % RFDDGS, and 0 % soybean meal (Co-P; DM basis). The inclusion of RFDDGS did not affect (P = 0.86) DMI averaging 21.4 ± 0.53 kg …

Tracking Heat-Resistant, Sporeforming Bacteria In The Milk Chain: A Farm To Table Approach, Maricarmen Estrada Anzueto

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sporeforming bacteria (such as Bacillus and Paenibacillus spp.) can survive pasteurization conditions (Collins, 1981) and grow in pasteurized fluid milk during refrigerated storage (Huck et al., 2008; Ivy et al., 2012), causing fluid milk spoilage and limiting the further extension of fluid milk’s shelf life (Fromm and Boor, 2004; Durak et al., 2006). Moreover, Bacillus and related genera have been found in raw milk, pasteurized milk and environmental samples from dairy farms, indicating that these organisms are ubiquitous in nature and can enter the milk chain from different sources (Huck et al., 2007b; Huck et al., 2008; Ranieri and Boor, …

Nebraska Bqa: Antibiotic Use Guidelines, Rob Eirich

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Cattlemen have demonstrated a commitment to animal health through vaccination programs developed carefully in cooperation with their veterinarian. When animals must be treated with an antibiotic after disease diagnosis, producers need to follow important antibiotic use guidelines established through the National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program.

Nebraska Bqa: Effective Cattle Handling, Rob Eirich

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Cattlemen know the importance of proper cattle handling and its effect on animal health and performance. Beef Quality Assurance has been implementing effective cattle handling (low-stress) into educational programs since its establishment in the 1980s.

Nebraska Bqa: Handling Compromised Animals, Rob Eirich

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Cattle producers have long recognized the need of proper husbandry and stewardship for the animals entrusted into their care. Best livestock production practices, based on research and sound science, help ensure the well-being, animal health and productivity of cattle.

Calf Branding/Processing Time And Beef Quality Assurance, Rob Eirich

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

It is spring and that means branding time across cattle country. As producers are finishing calving season and preparing for branding/processing, it is important to review Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) guidelines. Let's take a minute to look at the key BQA principles:

Audits And Assessments In Beef Cattle Production, Rob Eirich

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Assessments and audits are becoming a part of doing business in beef cattle production, as we are seeing beef processors implementing third-party audits. Since beginning as the Nebraska Director of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) in July, I have been studying and gathering information on the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Assessment Guides and third-party audits in the beef industry.

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance: Focused On The Safety, Wholesomeness And Quality Of Beef

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Across the nation, beef producers face the challenge of making a living from the land, while producing safe, wholesome beef. Beef that will provide a great eating experience each and every time for American and International consumers.

Handling Cattle Through High Heat Humidity Indexes, Rob Eirich

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

As cattlemen enter the summer months, they need to understand and deal with heat and humidity. Consider incorporating the following practices into management plans to help reduce additional stress.

Nebraska Bqa: Herd Health Plan/Protocol, Rob Eirich

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Nebraska cattlemen have demonstrated a commitment to the integrity of today's beef products by implementing sound cattle management practices. Consumers are looking for beef raised in a healthy and safe environment. An appropriate Herd Health Plan/Protocol ensures that all cattle are raised in the best health.

Nebraska Bqa: Veterinarian Client Patient Relationship, Rob Eirich

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Beef producers are committed producing a high quality, safe and wholesome beef product. A commitment to herd health and veterinary input is critical to achieving this goal. To this end, developing a veterinarian client-patient relationship (VCPR) is important and will benefit all aspects of cattle performance. Veterinarians' working understanding of cattle disease and parasites can help cattle raisers develop targeted vaccination and treatment programs.

Intsormil- Centa’S New Bmr Sorghum Varieties Create A Surge In Dairy Production, René Clará Valencia

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Scientists from the INTSORMIL-CENTA project based at the National Center for Agricultural Technology and Forestry (CENTA) of El Salvador have worked for five years to develop varieties of sorghum for grain and forage that are highly nutritious to cattle. Using the gene bmr-12, received from Dr. Gebisa Ejeta of Purdue University, they combined commercial varieties CENTA S-2, S-3 CENTA, CENTA RCV and VG 146 and were able to form new varieties containing this same gene. The first generation created 76 new varieties.

Returns To The Introduction Of New Sorghum Cultivars Into The Dairy Industry Of El Salvador, Alexis Homero Villacís Aveiga

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

The returns to the introduction of new photo-insensitive sorghum varieties into the dairy industry were analyzed to determine changes in the welfare of consumers, processors, producers and the society. The economic surplus method was used along with a survey data of a stratified sample of 150 farms conducted in 2011 in El Salvador. Results indicate that there are large returns per dollar spent and substantial benefits to consumers, processors and producers. Results also show that the adoption of these new technologies represents advantages in production costs of milk in each farm size. These cost savings per bottle are very small …

Economic Impact Of Stable Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) On Dairy And Beef Cattle Production, David B. Taylor, Roger D. Moon, Darrell R. Mark

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), are among the most damaging arthropod pests of cattle worldwide. The last estimate of their economic impact on United States cattle production was published 20 yr ago and placed losses at $608 million. Subsequently, several studies of effects of stable flies on beef cattle weight gain and feed efficiency have been published, and stable flies have become increasingly recognized as pests of cattle on pasture and range. We analyzed published studies and developed yield-loss functions to relate stable fly infestation levels to cattle productivity, and then estimated the economic impact of stable flies on cattle …

Returns To The Introduction Of New Sorghum Cultivars Into The Dairy Industry Of El Salvador, Alexis H. Villacís, John H. Sanders

INTSORMIL Presentations

The driver of agricultural development is the introduction of new technology. Sensitive sorghums have long been a critical component of hillside Central American agriculture providing a reserve or insurance policy when the principal staple of maize falters. The insensitive sorghums have been more recently introduced since the ‘70s for planting in the valleys in the second season. In the last thirty years the introduction of new insensitive cultivars has accelerated initially for poultry and in the previous two decades for dairy production. This growth has been facilitated by strategic investments in research by CENTA and the Ministry of Agriculture.

As …

Rentibilidad De La Introducción De Nuevas Variedades De Sorgo Del Centa En La Industria Lechera De El Salvador: Ponencia Presentada En La Conferencia Del Centa: "Cambio Climático E Impacto De Los Sorgos Forrajeros" Diciembre 7, 2011, San Salvador, El Salvador, Alexis H. Villacís, John H. Sanders

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

El propulsor del desarrollo agrlcola es la introducción de nuevas tecnologlas. Sorgos fotosensitivos' han sido un componente crítico en la agricultura de las laderas centroamericanas, ofreciendo una reserva o póliza de seguro cuando el alimento básico principal de maiz tambalea. Los sorgos foto-insensitivos han sido introducidos recientemente desde los anos 70 para la siembra en postrera en los valles. En los últimos treinta anos, la introducción de nuevas variedades insensitivas se ha acelerado, en un inicio para las aves de corral y en las dos décadas anteriores para la producción lechera. Este crecimiento ha sido posible gracias a las inversiones …

Study Of The Innovative Self-Powered Sensor Based Smart Wireless Identification And Tracking Tag For Production Agriculture Application, Kumud Dhakal

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A prototype smart animal ear tag has been developed to meet the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) animal disease traceability requirement. This novel ‘Smart Tag’ is a self–powered device capable of complete animal identification and tracking. Information on animal health, breeding and vaccination records can also be locally stored and retrieved from these small, economical and securely accessible wireless tags. These smart tags are capable of self-organizing into wireless ad-hoc networks for data reporting and retrieval. This work presents study of the distance coverage of a ‘Smart Tag’ and a cost-benefit analysis of ‘Smart Tag’ implementation. The mean distance …

Effect Of Brown Midrib Corn Silage And Dried Distillers Grains Plus Solubles On Lactational Performance And Nitrogen Utilization By Dairy Cows, Hugo A. Ramirez

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Thirty six Holstein cows, four ruminally cannulated, (mean ± SD, 111 ± 35 DIM; 664 ± 76.5 kg BW) were used in replicated 4×4 Latin squares to investigate the effects of brown midrib (bm3) and conventional (DP) corn silages, and the inclusion of dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) on milk production and N utilization. In each 28 d period cows were assigned to one of four treatments: DP plus 0% DDGS (CON); bm3 plus 0% DDGS (BMR); DP corn silage plus 30% DDGS (DP+DG); and bm3 plus 30% DDGS (BMR+DG). Dry matter intake was greater (P < 0.01) for cows consuming bm3 (25.8 VS 24.4 ± 0.47 kg), likewise for DDGS (24.3 and 25.9 ± 0.47 kg/d for 0 and 30%). Compared to DP hybrid, NDFD was higher (P < 0.01) for bm3 (32.5 VS 38.1 ± 1.79%). There was a hybrid × DDGS interaction (P < 0.01) for total concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and rumen pH as the highly digestible treatment BMR+DG resulted in the highest VFA and the lowest pH. Milk yield was not affected by treatment and averaged 30.6 ± 1.09 kg/d. Milk protein yield (MPY) was greater (P < 0.01) for bm3 and DDGS treatments. There was a hybrid by DDGS interaction (P = 0.02) for milk fat yield (MFY) resulting in 1.03, 1.08, 0.84 and 0.78 ± 0.045 kg/d for DP, BMR, DP+DG and BMR+DG. Fat corrected milk (FCM) was affected by DDGS (P < 0.01) and averaged 30.0 and 26.4 ± 1.0kg/d (0% and 30% inclusions). Urinary N excretion was similar among treatments; however fecal N was lower (P = 0.03) for diets containing bm3 corn silage which caused lower (P = 0.02) manure N. These results indicate that bm3 corn silage and DDGS increase DMI, NDFD and MPY; however high inclusion of corn silage with 30% DDGS reduces FCM. Nitrogen excretion was reduced when cows consumed bm3.

Caring For Compromised Cattle: Assessing Animals At Risk

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Cattlemen have long recognized the need to properly care for their livestock. Sound animal husbandry practices – based on research and decades of practical experience – are known to impact the well-being of cattle, individual animal health and herd productivity. There is no doubt that producers work hard to ensure that their cattle are properly cared for throughout all stages of production. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of raising cattle that some animals will become injured to the extent that they are unable to stand or walk without assistance.

Assessor’S Guide To A Beef Quality Assurance Cow-Calf Assessment

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

The BQA Cow-Calf Assessment is an on-site educational tool that allows for assessing and benchmarking key indicators of animal care and well-being as well as operational conditions. The Cow-Calf Assessment focuses on three main areas – Animals, Records and Best Management Practices (BMP), and Facilities and Equipment.

Distillers' Grains With Solubles For Feedlot Cattle: Finishing Performance, Lipid Metabolism, And Ethanol Greenhouse Gas Balance, Virgil R. Bremer

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Previous University of Nebraska feedlot research trials have characterized the feed value of wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS). These trials were summarized with meta-analysis methodology and indicated the feed value of WDGS interacts with corn processing type, cattle age (calf-fed or yearling), and inclusion level. Two steer finishing studies and a metabolism study were conducted to understand the impact of different lipid sources in WDGS on WDGS feed value. A biphasic lipid extraction procedure was developed to analyze feed samples from these trials that was more effective than Goldfisch ether extraction at lipid analysis of byproduct feds. These trials …

Dairy Animal Care: Quality Assurance

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Dairy producers are encouraged to participate in the voluntary Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (DACQA) Certification program. The purpose of this program is to enhance and demonstrate quality animal care practices, which assure food safety, quality and value as well as enhance consumer confidence in the milk and beef products that are harvested from cattle on America’s dairy farms.

Feedyard Assessment: Assessor's Guide

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

The BQA Feedyard Assessment is an on-site educational tool that allows for assessing and benchmarking key indicators of animal care and well-being as well as feedyard conditions. The Feedyard Assessment focuses on three main areas – Animals, Records and Best Management Practices (BMP), and Facilities and Equipment.

Stocker And Backgrounding Self Assessment

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Cattlemen in stocker operations have long recognized the need to properly care for livestock. Sound animal husbandry practices, based on decades of practical experience and research, are known to impact the well-being of stocker cattle, individual animal health and herd productivity. Stocker cattle operations are located in many diverse environments and geographic locations in the United States. A universal set of production practices can not be recommended for all stocker cattle producers in light of the divergent climate and geographic variations of the stocker and backgrounding segment. Personal experience, training and professional judgment can serve as a valuable resource for …

The Cattle Industry's Guidelines For The Care And Handling Of Cattle

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Cattlemen have long recognized the need to properly care for livestock. Sound animal husbandry practices, based on decades of practical experience and research, are known to impact the wellbeing of cattle, individual animal health and herd productivity. Cattle are produced in very diverse environments and geographic locations in the United States. There is not one specific set of production practices that can be recommended for all cattle producers. Personal experience, training and professional judgment can serve as a valuable resource for providing proper animal care.

Composting Of Feedlot And Dairy Manure: Compost Characteristics And Impact On Crop Yields, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Walker Luedtke, Mark Schroeder, Charles A. Francis, Gary Lesoing

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Since 1993, approximately 17,600 tons of beef feedlot and dairy compost have been spread on 1,100 acres. Crop yields were measured to determine the impact of a one-time compost application by using no-compost check strips in large-scale production fields. Adding compost to irrigated corn, irrigated soybeans, and dryland corn acres significantly increased yields, with four-year average increases of 2.3, 1.5, and 2.7%, respectively. For all crops measured, the response to compost was greatest the first year following application and declined linearly in subsequent years. The increased yield from compost application offsets spreading costs using average prices for crops.