Search

This research is important because milk production is considered as an activity of nutritional, social and economic importance in Kosovo. Cow's milk dominates the production of raw milk in Kosovo. Dairy cows (about 132,500 heads) produce 277,599 tons of milk. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of Covid-19 on the performance of cow milk producers in Kosovo. It was used descriptive and quantitative survey. The random sampling technique was used to select respondents from a 242 dairy farms in the seven regions of Kosovo (Gjilan, Prishtina, Ferizaj, Peja, Gjakova, Prizren, and Mitrovica). Interviews have included the farms with the capacity of 5 - 120 dairy cows. Data on milk production, sales and farm incomes for each farm were recorded during the period of January - April 2021 and the comparison was made for a calendar year with that of 2019/2020. The average milk produced by farmers per year was 73052.94 liters in 2019, and it decreased to 71255.27 liters in 2020. In 2020, 93.1% of farmers said they have not been able to sell all the milk they produced, on average the surveyed farms could not sell milk at all in the amount of 12503.43 liters per year in 2020, and this represents an increase of 275 times compared to the amount of the previous year where there was only 45.38 liters per year of unsold milk destined for the market. The average farm revenues from milk were € 13892.37 in 2020, while in 2019 it was considerably higher, with an average of 19881.49 € per farm. Farmers reported that the restrictive measures taken as a result of Covid-19 have affected milk production negatively in terms of sales, revenues and returns. Advisory services should sensitize farmers to farm diversification so that losses from such situations as pandemics are kept to a minimum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is no standardized rearing method or production guidelines for non-replacement male dairy calves that maximizes their economic viability. Producers have highlighted the need to match consumer expectations, but even with broadscale welfare improvement across the dairy industry, challenges remain at providing reliable and valuable pathways for non-replacement male dairy calves for beef production. A key consumer concern has been the use of on-farm euthanasia. Euthanasia has been a catalyst for change in the industry from a human and animal welfare perspective. The practice of euthanasia can lead to a decline in personnel wellbeing. To investigate the relationship between on-farm management practices of non-replacement male dairy calves and producer perceptions of their value proposition, an online questionnaire was provided to Australian dairy producers between June and October 2021. The aim was to identify supply-chain profitability of non-replacement male calves and investigate the attitudes and effects of euthanasia on producer wellbeing as part of managing these calves. A total of 127 useable responses were obtained, and a Bayesian network (BN) was utilized to model the interdependencies between management practices and wellbeing among participants. The results indicated that in general, dairy producers desired high welfare standards in their enterprises with regard to non-replacement male calves as well as expressed a desire to meet industry and consumers' expectations. In line with anecdotal reports of a reduction in practice, euthanasia was not identified as common practice in this group; however, producers were still accessing early-life markets for non-replacement male calves with operational requirements and environmental factors influencing their decisions. Producers expressed dissatisfaction with market access for their calves, as well as the lack of suitability of Australian beef grading standards for dairy-bred carcasses. Australian dairy managers and owners identified that euthanasia influenced employee wellbeing; however, they did not acknowledge euthanasia had an effect on their own wellbeing. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that all non-replacement male calf breeds had the potential to access profitable markets, and avoidance of euthanasia is a strong driver of change among dairy beef production systems in Australia.

Copyright of Veterinarska Stanica is the property of Croatian Veterinary Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As part of broader actions to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), health authorities have promoted the reduction of antimicrobial use (AMU) in food animals. Farmers' attitudes and receptivity to reduction of AMU appear to be variable and context specific. Our research objectives were to gain insight into Canadian dairy farmers' attitudes toward AMU, AMR, and AMU-reduction in the dairy industry, and to explore drivers and barriers to change AMU, including the influence of social referents. We conducted seven focus groups with 42 farmers in two provinces of Canada (New Brunswick and Ontario) and used thematic analysis to identify, analyze, and report patterns in the data. Our results indicate that farmers usually rely on their previous experience and judgement of individual cases of disease when making decisions related to AMU. External referents included other farmers, family members, and veterinarians. However, veterinarians were generally only consulted for unusual cases. Participants in this study expressed that maintaining cattle welfare is their responsibility, and that they were not willing to jeopardize animal welfare in order to reduce AMU. In addition, farmers regarded the cost of investment in improved facilities to prevent disease as an important barrier to reduce AMU. Finally, the majority of participants considered themselves to be low users of antimicrobials and perceived a small role of AMU on dairy farms in AMR. In conclusion, farmers from this study showed self-reliance to decide about AMU on their farms and considered animal-related and economic factors in these decisions. There was a general lack of knowledge of how to reduce AMU without investing in facilities, and there is an opportunity to motivate increased involvement of the veterinarian in AMU-related decisions. These results should be considered to design and refine antimicrobial stewardship programs for dairy farms.

Dairy farms that had participated in previous and ongoing projects with the National Farm Medicine Center (NFMC), Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN), and Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) were asked to participate in a 17-question survey by phone or email to investigate biosecurity principles on Minnesota and Wisconsin dairy farms in response to COVID-19 and the effects of the pandemic on the dairy industry. Three additional farms were recruited via a press release published in agricultural newsletters. Of 76 farms contacted, 37 chose to participate in this study from June to July 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, dairies have implemented or increased biosecurity measures and COVID-19 precautions. Dairies reported adequate personal protective equipment for their workers, though face masks were not required on most dairies (n = 32, 86%). Producers were concerned about the safety of their families, maintaining a healthy workforce, and keeping their farms profitable. Access to healthcare was not perceived to be an issue for their workers. One-quarter of dairies reported COVID-19 infections on their farms. Even though the majority had an isolation protocol in place if someone on the farm were to become ill, less than half of respondents felt their farm was protected against COVID-19. Two-thirds of producers have not had to decrease production, and a majority of operations have not furloughed or terminated employees due to COVID-19. Our data suggest that dairy farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin have implemented biosecurity and safety measures in response to COVID-19. These measures can be improved. Farms would benefit from additional guidance and education on implementation of personal protective measures and disease prevention strategies to keep workers employed and safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was undertaken in Western, Eastern and Southern Shoa Ethiopia with the aim to assess the handling and storage practices of feeds and risks related to livestock water along the feed production, marketing and utilization chain. A total of 180 individuals (feed processors=33, feed retailers=51, smallholder dairy producers=96) participated in the study. Because of improper harvesting and stacking, 91% of farmers encountered mold in roughage feeds. Most of the farmers provide light-moldy feeds to livestock by mixing with uncontaminated ones. About 67% and 33% of the interviewed farmers utilized extreme moldy feeds for firewood and damping respectively. Farmers perceived industrial effluent and leech to be as a safety risk to livestock water. All the interviewed farmers from Eastern Shoa are aware of industrial effluents as a problem for dairy production; and 66% and 34% of the respondents from Eastern and Western Shoa respectively identified leech to be a safety problem to livestock water. About 69% of the farmers used bucket for scooping from water bodies to exclude leech from being consumed by animals; and 50% of them treated animals with chopped tobacco and onion as indigenous knowledge. Feed processors=64%, feed retailers=82% and dairy producers=56% did not store their feed on raised floor indicating that there is probability of mold formation in stored feeds. About 67% of the feed processors, 73% feed retailers and 58% of the dairy producers stored concentrate feeds for shorter period of time (1 month).

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the level of education and experience in animal husbandry in terms of waste management on dairy farms in Kosovo during the Covid-19, the case of Gjilan region. It is a descriptive and quantitative study. Random samples were taken in 71 dairy farms in three municipalities of the Gjilan region. Surveys include farms where 5-78 dairy cows are raised. Data on milk production, waste management from detergents, organic manure, cleaning rags, farm certification and water analysis are included. Datas for each farm were recorded during the period of February-April 2020. During these period farmers’ reported that the restrictive measures taken as a result of Covid-19 did not have any negative impact on milk production, however, 26.8% of farmers interviewed reported that milk production was reduced. Further, it was observed a major mismanagement of farm waste that was the main focus of the research: 80.3% of farmers stated that compost waste comes out of the farm and is distributed freely in the environment around the farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was undertaken in Western, Eastern and Southern Shoa Ethiopia with the aim of assessing the handling and storage practices of feeds and risks related to livestock water along the feed production, marketing and utilization chain. A total of 180 individuals (feed processors=33, feed retailers=51, smallholder dairy producers=96) participated in the study. Because of improper harvesting and stacking, 91% of farmers encountered mold in roughage feeds. Most of the farmers provide light-moldy feeds to livestock by mixing with uncontaminated ones. About 67% and 33% of the interviewed farmers utilized extreme moldy feeds for firewood and damping respectively. Farmers perceived industrial effluent and leech to be as a safety risk to livestock water. All the interviewed farmers from Eastern Shoa were aware of industrial effluents as a problem for dairy production; and 66% and 34% of the respondents from Eastern and Western Shoa respectively identified leech to be a safety problem to livestock water. About 69% of the farmers used bucket for scooping from water bodies to exclude leech from being consumed by animals; and 50% of them treated animals with chopped tobacco and onion as indigenous knowledge. Feed processors=64%, feed retailers=82% and dairy producers=56% did not store their feed on raised floor indicating that there is probability of mold formation in stored feeds. About 67% of the feed processors, 73% feed retailers and 58% of the dairy producers stored concentrate feeds for shorter period of time (1 month). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the socio-economic and farm variables and cognitive and social factors influencing the use of cultivated pastures by small-scale dairy farmers. A field survey was conducted. The sample was divided in two groups defined as: users (Group 1, n= 55) and non-users of the innovation (Group 2, n= 51). Data were analysed through the Mann Whitney test and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Socioeconomic and farm variables influenced the use of cultivated grassland, as observed in Group 1. This group showed a bigger proportion of farmers (60%) who indicated a positive intention to use cultivated grasslands, in comparison with 36% of farmers from Group 2. Farmers from both groups perceived similarly the utility and importance of the use of cultivated grassland; however, farmers' intention of Group 1 showed a significant correlation (P<0.05) with utility and importance. Other factors influencing the use of cultivated grasslands were the positive beliefs, social referents and difficulties perceived of the innovation. It concludes that different factors influenced the use of cultivated grassland in each group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted at Institute of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during the year 2012 to determine the factors effecting the technical efficiency of milk production in Punjab, considering various types of dairy farms, Pakistan. Primary data were collected from two tehsils of district Layyah, and 120 respondents were selected randomly from different villages. Stochastic production frontier approach was applied to determine technical efficiency of dairy farms. The findings reveal that coefficients of green fodder fed (0.25), concentrate cost (0.28) and labour hours (0.21) per animal were positive and statistically significant. The present study also reveal that institution factor such as veterinary services (-0.135) availed and the infrastructure factors namely the road condition (-0.117) from farm to market had significant impact on the technical efficiency of dairy farmers. The mean technical efficiency was around 86 percent, indicating that farm productivity can be increased by 14 percent without changing the input mix. On the basis of types of dairy farms, the commercial farms were more efficient (93.7 percent) than market oriented (85.7 percent) and subsistence (81.9 percent) farms. It is suggested that veterinary facilities such as appointment of full time veterinary officers, diseases monitoring and reporting, diseases diagnosis, quality control of vaccines and veterinary drugs, training and awareness of stakeholders and up-gradation of existing legal framework should be strengthened. Rural infrastructure should be linked to the urban markets for making easy and smooth transfer of inputs and outputs from both sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the impact of cooperative membership among dairy producers in Selale, Ethiopia. We selected ten impact indicators: proportion of dairy income to total household income, total dairy income, proportion of crossbreed cows to the total number of cows in the herd (indicator of technological innovation), amount of feed bought (another indicator of technological innovation), milk production, milk productivity, commercialization, price per liter of milk, price per kg of butter and the share of milk production that is processed at the household level. In order to minimize the biases that may arise by simply comparing members and non-members, we employed a propensity score matching technique. The empirical analysis shows that cooperatives are strong in facilitating technological transformations and commercialization but weak in offering better prices. These findings suggest structural trade-offs between different domains of cooperatives’ action. Overall, our study concludes that cooperatives can be efficient business institutions to foster rural development and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Washington state dairy producers were surveyed to determine pest and parasite prevalence and range of current pest management strategies. Nearly all respondents reported treating their cattle or premises for flies, while 62% reported treating their animals for external parasites. Use of pyrethroid and pyrethrins insecticides was common throughout the state. Results indicated that use of non-chemical options to control flies are commonly used by Washington dairy producers and may have become more widespread since the late 1990s. Extension professionals could improve outreach education to dairies by partnering with farm supply stores, veterinarians, and feed distributors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]