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The article is devoted to the development of traditional cattle breeding of the Kalmyks at the beginning of the XIX century. Based on the instructions of commanders on the Caucasian line and civil governors to provide information on the state of cattle breeding among nomadic peoples. Information is given on the state of Kalmyk cattle breeding (on the dynamics of prices for cattle and cattle products in the ulus, etc.). It should be noted that the increase in the number of sheep in comparison with other types of livestock indirectly indicates the transition to semi-sedentary cattle breeding due to the fact that small cattle, unlike large ones, are incapable of long transitions. In addition, depending on the natural and climatic conditions, Kalmyk cattle breeding acquired subethnic specificity when the economy of Derbet and Torgut ulus began to differ in the predominance of horses among some and sheep among others. At the same time, judging by the figures, some Aimags maintained a nomadic lifestyle, and some led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, which is clearly seen by the number of camels belonging to those clans that still roamed. A striking indicator of the departure from a nomadic lifestyle to semi-sedentary and sedentary is the increase in the goat population in the personal household of Major Tyumen Jirgalan. The article also discusses the issues of the species composition of Kalmyk cattle on the example of the Torgut ulus in the early 19th century. The Russian government was interested not only in the number of Kalmyk cattle, but also in their loss (death) due to the harsh conditions of the nomads’ natural habitat, despite the fact that local livestock breeds were maximally adapted to the difficult natural and climatic conditions of the arid territory. The Russian government was also interested in this information, so that it would be clear how much the number of Kalmyk cattle could decrease in the event of a particularly unfavorable winter or epizootic.

The study’s relevance stems from the increase in demand for livestock products, particularly meat, juxtaposed with the growing challenges in their production on an intensive scale. These challenges include environmental degradation, climate change, and an upswing in diseases linked to imbalanced nutrition. Also, there are ongoing discussions revolving around the merit of beef and milk with normalized fat content. This study aimed to analyze the current state of dairy and beef cattle breeding in the North and formulate growth strategies aligned with the principles of sustainable development. Innovative approaches to cattle breeding have been explored, focusing on enhancing environmental, social, and economic efficiency in the industry. The “less and better” concept, centered on producing livestock products that cause minimal environmental harm, improve animal welfare, and benefit human health, has been thoroughly examined. The study also discusses the challenges confronting cattle breeding in the Komi Republic. A shift towards intensive farming has been found to boost dairy cattle productivity while also resulting in increased cattle losses and a decline in fertility and overall health. Unresolved issues related to creating an optimal feed supply system and the uniform adoption of concentrate, hay, and silage feed mixtures also contribute to industry instability. Moreover, it has been found that concerns surrounding Holsteinization and the preservation of the Kholmogorsky breed of dairy cattle are particularly acute in the region. The study’s scientific novelty lies in introducing an integrated approach to cattle breeding in the Komi Republic, aiming to improve the quality of livestock products, enhance industry profitability, and boost farmland fertility. The practical significance of the study lies in proposing measures such as establishing cultivated pastures, reintroducing cattle grazing to improve the feed supply system, and safeguarding the Kholmogorsky breed. These proposals are valuable for governing bodies involved in shaping regional strategies and programs for agricultural production development.

The review aimed to explore and document the underestimated; but pertinent challenges of cattle breeding in order to get due attention from the scientific communities, policy makers, and farmers. Ethiopian cattle genetic improvement is significantly confronted with many under-considered constraints. The under-considered constraints are lack of record keeping, inbreeding, lack of breeding animals, lack of awareness on efficient cattle reproductive management, lack of awareness on causes of unsuccessful artificial insemination, and lack of breeding cooperatives. Inbreeding can be reduced by keeping good pedigree records and bull rotation. Cows in mixed farming systems cannot reproduce timely due to a lack of breeding bulls. Unskilled AI Technicians, inability to heat detection and time of insemination, internal problems of the cows and bulls, and lack of pregnancy tests are the potential causes of unsuccessful artificial insemination. The practices, experiences, and knowledge of cattle producers for keeping records, disadvantages of inbreeding, efficient cattle reproduction, determinants of successful insemination, and use of breeding cooperatives have been observed to be low. The cattle producers, therefore, should be well-trained with sustainable, efficient, and profitable cattle production and management. The concerned professionals and policymakers ought to give more due attention to addressing the underestimated problems of cattle breeding.

The dairy cattle breeding role in the economy of the Non-Chernozem zone is historically great, therefore, the development analysis of this industry with the intensive technologies use is an urgent task. The study purpose is to identify the causes of stagnation in beef production with positive dynamics in the dairy industry. The paper examines the dynamics of increasing the cows’ productivity by region; the concentration process of milk and cattle meat production. The intensity assessment of production in the young dairy breeds’ fattening is given. Research methods include economic and statistical analyses, as well as comparison. The change in the placement of dairy cattle breeding has been revealed: new large-scale projects are being built in the Chernozem zone and in the regions of the Non-Chernozem zone with high grain yields. Approaches to stimulating beef production in the current conditions at the regional level are considered. The state regulation expediency of the dairy and beef cattle breeding placement has been substantiated.

The experiment was conducted during 2023 (January--October), at Embryo transfer and in-vitro fertilization project, Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science, Korutla, Jagitial district, Telangana, India. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Follicle Stimulating Hormone stimulation on In-Vitro Fertilization rates with sexed semen in-vitro matured oocytes collected from Sahiwal cows via Ovum Pick-Up procedure. Irrespective of the estrus cycle, 20 non-lactating cows were divided into two equal groups. Animals in group 1 (non-stimulated, n=10) were subjected to ovum pick-up once at the random stage of the estrous cycle. Animals in group 2 (FSH Stimulated, n=10) were put under CIDR+FSH super stimulation protocol and subjected to OPU after 36 hours of coasting period. Viable oocytes were in-vitro fertilized using sexed-sorted semen after 24 hours of in-vitro maturation. Follicle stimulating hormone stimulation increased the secondary polar body extrusion rate (non-stimulated, 69.10±2.00% vs FSH stimulated, 79.84±1.55%), cleavage rate on day 1(non-stimulated, 60.69±3.04% vs FSH stimulated, 69.10±2.26%), cleavage rate on day 3 (non-stimulated, 35.62±3.32 vs FSH stimulated, 43.59±1.90), mean number of in-vitro produced blastocysts animal-1 (non-stimulated, 1.50±0.16 vs. FSH-treated, 4.10±0.23%) and blastocyst conversion rate (non-stimulated, 23.98±2.39% vs FSH-treated, 34.35±3.42%). We concluded that FSH stimulation was effective in improving In-vitro oocyte competence for embryo production in nonlactating Sahiwal cows with sexed semen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress is one of the most important problems that cause loss of productivity in farm animals worldwide. The most widely used parameter to determine temperature stress is the temperature-humidity index value. This study was conducted to determine the suitability of temperature humidity index (THI) values of Bozdoğan district of Aydın province for dairy cattle breeding. The average temperature and humidity data from the Meteorological Directorate between 2013 and 2021 were used as material. Using this data, Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) values were calculated. In the study, it was found that the temperature humidity index values exceeded the threshold value in June, July, August and September. Suggestions have been tried to put forward for these months for care, feeding and other conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lameness is one of the most significant problems in cattle breeding. It is a major factor that causes discomfort and significantly reduces the welfare of affected animals. Lameness can result in a decrease in milk production or, if not detected early enough, may require the animal to be culled, leading to severe direct and indirect economic consequences for the business. The delayed recognition of lameness is often due to the methods used for detection, which mainly rely on the observation of animal mobility by the breeder. These methods almost exclude the early detection of the problem. This work aims to establish a new detection system that will be able to identify on time, reliably, and at an early stage the lameness symptoms based on the movement parameters of the animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the term reproductive biotechnology essentially covers reproductive medicine procedures, including instrumental insemination (AI), oestrus synchronization, superovulation, in vitro production of embryos, embryo transfer, cryopreservation of gametes and embryos and somatic nuclear transfer, sometimes followed by molecular biological investigations, for example in the context of genomic selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of creating environmentally friendly products has become particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic from the standpoint of ensuring the health of the nation as well as from the point of view of increasing the competitiveness and efficiency of agricultural enterprises. Special attention should be paid to the issues of regulation and justification of the principles of building “green” and organic production that currently remain unsolved. The purpose of this study is to justify the priority of technological development in the agricultural sector of the economy by comparing development trends in the global and domestic market of organic products considering the analysis of the formation of the legislative framework in this area of activity as well as identifying industry principles of the typical for dairy cattle breeding production. The methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, and generalization were used in the article. The results of the study can serve as a basis for the sustainable development of “green” and organic production, both in dairy cattle breeding and other sectors of agriculture as well as basis for the development of federal and regional programs for the organic market growth in the Russian Federation.

ABSTRACT: Small breeding programs are limited in achieving competitive genetic gain and prone to high rates of inbreeding. Thus, they often import genetic material to increase genetic gain and to limit the loss of genetic variability. However, the benefit of import depends on the strength of genotype-by-environment interaction. Import also diminishes the relevance of domestic selection and the use of domestic breeding animals. Introduction of genomic selection has potentially exacerbated this issue, but is also opening the potential for smaller breeding programs. The aim of this paper was to determine when and to what extent small breeding programs benefit from importing genetic material by quantifying the genetic gain as well as the sources of genetic gain. We simulated 2 cattle breeding programs of the same breed that represented a large foreign and a small domestic breeding program. The programs differed in selection parameters of sire selection, and in the initial genetic mean and annual genetic gain. We evaluated a control scenario without the use of foreign sires in the domestic breeding program and 24 scenarios that varied the percentage of domestic dams mated with foreign sires, the genetic correlation between the breeding programs (0.8 or 0.9), and the time of implementing genomic selection in the domestic compared with the foreign breeding program (concurrently or with a 10-yr delay). We compared the scenarios based on the genetic gain and genic standard deviation. Finally, we partitioned breeding values and genetic trends of the scenarios to quantify the contribution of domestic selection and import to the domestic genetic gain. The simulation revealed that when both breeding programs implemented genomic selection simultaneously, the use of foreign sires increased domestic genetic gain only when genetic correlation was 0.9 (10%–18% increase). In contrast, when the domestic breeding program implemented genomic selection with a 10-yr delay, import increased genetic gain at both tested correlations, 0.8 (5%–23% increase) and 0.9 (15%–53% increase). The increase was significant when we mated at least 10% or 25% domestic females with foreign sires and increased with the increasing use of foreign sires, but with a diminishing return. The partitioning analysis revealed that the contribution of import expectedly increased with the increased use of foreign sires. However, the increase did not depend on the genetic correlation and was not proportional to the increase in domestic genetic gain. This represents a peril for small breeding programs because they could be overly relying on import with diminishing returns for the genetic gain, marginal benefit for the genetic variability, and large loss of the domestic germplasm. The benefit and peril of import depends on an interplay of genetic correlation, extent of using foreign sires, and a breeding scheme. It is therefore crucial that small breeding programs assess the possible benefits of import beyond domestic selection. The benefit of import should be weighed against the perils of decreased use of domestic sires and decreased contribution and value of domestic selection.

Dairy farming, as one of the components of agriculture in Kazakhstan, plays a crucial role for the effective development of the industry and the country, which makes its constant study relevant. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine different models for predicting the performance of dairy farming enterprises and their financial stability. The methods that were applied within the study were analysis, forecasting, and abstraction. Within the framework of this study, the authors considered various models of ensuring financial stability for the enterprises of this sphere in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Furthermore, the state of the dairy industry in Kazakhstan was assessed, emphasising its significant potential to contribute to the agricultural sector. Some difficulties that arise within the framework of the development of this sphere in the country were described, such as dependence on imports of certain types of products and insufficient production of certain types of goods of the industry. Shortcomings also exist in terms of milk quality and its export, specifically to China. The study also proposed crisis prediction models. One of them was a model based on the logit regression approach, which included seven coefficients that helped to identify organisations experiencing financial difficulties, assess the boundary values of financial stability, rank organisations, and accurately predict the risk of financial crisis. It was shown that its use can allow for increased efficiency in the functioning of agriculture. The study brought new knowledge for the research of the agricultural sphere of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The findings provide a better understanding of the foreign features of forecast model construction and allow enterprises and government representatives to improve the construction of such models

Microbial fermented feed has the advantages of high nutritional value, palatability, high utilization rate and less anti-nutrient factor, which provides a feasible technical scheme for the end 'antibiotic replacement' of animal husbandry feed. In recent years, the development and application of microbial fermented feed has gradually become a research hotspot in the new era of 'no antibiotics'. Microbial fermented feed can improve the immunity and antioxidant properties of animal body, improve intestinal health and promote growth and development. In the paper, the types, advantages and application status of microbial fermented feed in cattle breeding were reviewed in order to provide reference for the research and development of microbial fermented feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beef cattle breeding in Ukraine is considered to be a promising and socially important livestock sector, which is experiencing a systemic decline in production. The purpose of the study was to find the most effective options for organizing production in beef cattle breeding. The analysis was based on the production data of an agricultural enterprise with more than 4.5 thousand heads of meat cattle, including more than 1.7 thousand cows. Taking into account the company's development strategy, which provided for the expanded reproduction and sale of bull-calves and culled breeding stock, the production indicators of the farm's operation under the cow-calf system and the complete cycle with the rearing of young animals to slaughter conditions were analysed. The analysis of these production options was carried out for the conditions of using year-round and seasonal (from February to April) calving on the farm. It was found that when calving throughout the year, the number of cattle places in the premises and pens will be relatively constant. In the case of seasonal calving, the structure of the herd changes significantly during the year. Sales of finished products during seasonal calving should take place in relatively short periods of time and in large groups. In particular, the monthly sales of bull-calves for fattening in the cow-calf system during seasonal calving will be on average 11 times higher than during year-round reproduction in the herd. With a full breeding cycle, the batches of bull-calves for slaughter will differ less, but will occur only in the spring months. Seasonal calving during the complete production cycle resulted in a 1% reduction in silage and 3% reduction in hay consumption and a 10% increase in pasture grass consumption. The full cycle of raising bull-calves for meat makes it possible to increase the total live weight of cattle sold by 59%, increase sales revenue by 54% and reduce total feed costs per 1 tonne of live weight by 20%. The practical significance of this study is to obtain results that can be used in the Ukrainian beef cattle industry to plan efficient production organization

Small breeding programs are limited in achieving competitive genetic gain and prone to high rates of inbreeding. Thus, they often import genetic material to increase genetic gain and to limit the loss of genetic variability. However, the benefit of import depends on the strength of genotype-by-environment interaction. Import also diminishes the relevance of domestic selection and the use of domestic breeding animals. Introduction of genomic selection has potentially exacerbated this issue, but is also opening the potential for smaller breeding programs. The aim of this paper was to determine when and to what extent small breeding programs benefit from importing genetic material by quantifying the genetic gain as well as the sources of genetic gain. We simulated 2 cattle breeding programs of the same breed that represented a large foreign and a small domestic breeding program. The programs differed in selection parameters of sire selection, and in the initial genetic mean and annual genetic gain. We evaluated a control scenario without the use of foreign sires in the domestic breeding program and 24 scenarios that varied the percentage of domestic dams mated with foreign sires, the genetic correlation between the breeding programs (0.8 or 0.9), and the time of implementing genomic selection in the domestic compared with the foreign breeding program (concurrently or with a 10-yr delay). We compared the scenarios based on the genetic gain and genic standard deviation. Finally, we partitioned breeding values and genetic trends of the scenarios to quantify the contribution of domestic selection and import to the domestic genetic gain. The simulation revealed that when both breeding programs implemented genomic selection simultaneously, the use of foreign sires increased domestic genetic gain only when genetic correlation was 0.9 (10%–18% increase). In contrast, when the domestic breeding program implemented genomic selection with a 10-yr delay, import increased genetic gain at both tested correlations, 0.8 (5%–23% increase) and 0.9 (15%–53% increase). The increase was significant when we mated at least 10% or 25% domestic females with foreign sires and increased with the increasing use of foreign sires, but with a diminishing return. The partitioning analysis revealed that the contribution of import expectedly increased with the increased use of foreign sires. However, the increase did not depend on the genetic correlation and was not proportional to the increase in domestic genetic gain. This represents a peril for small breeding programs because they could be overly relying on import with diminishing returns for the genetic gain, marginal benefit for the genetic variability, and large loss of the domestic germplasm. The benefit and peril of import depends on an interplay of genetic correlation, extent of using foreign sires, and a breeding scheme. It is therefore crucial that small breeding programs assess the possible benefits of import beyond domestic selection. The benefit of import should be weighed against the perils of decreased use of domestic sires and decreased contribution and value of domestic selection. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beef cattle breeding in Ukraine is considered to be a promising and socially important livestock sector, which is experiencing a systemic decline in production. The purpose of the study was to find the most effective options for organizing production in beef cattle breeding. The analysis was based on the production data of an agricultural enterprise with more than 4.5 thousand heads of meat cattle, including more than 1.7 thousand cows. Taking into account the company's development strategy, which provided for the expanded reproduction and sale of bull-calves and culled breeding stock, the production indicators of the farm's operation under the cow-calf system and the complete cycle with the rearing of young animals to slaughter conditions were analysed. The analysis of these production options was carried out for the conditions of using year-round and seasonal (from February to April) calving on the farm. It was found that when calving throughout the year, the number of cattle places in the premises and pens will be relatively constant. In the case of seasonal calving, the structure of the herd changes significantly during the year. Sales of finished products during seasonal calving should take place in relatively short periods of time and in large groups. In particular, the monthly sales of bull-calves for fattening in the cow-calf system during seasonal calving will be on average 11 times higher than during year-round reproduction in the herd. With a full breeding cycle, the batches of bull-calves for slaughter will differ less, but will occur only in the spring months. Seasonal calving during the complete production cycle resulted in a 1% reduction in silage and 3% reduction in hay consumption and a 10% increase in pasture grass consumption. The full cycle of raising bull-calves for meat makes it possible to increase the total live weight of cattle sold by 59%, increase sales revenue by 54% and reduce total feed costs per 1 tonne of live weight by 20%. The practical significance of this study is to obtain results that can be used in the Ukrainian beef cattle industry to plan efficient production organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the genomic evaluation of retained placenta (RP), metritis/endometritis (MET), and cystic ovarian disease (CYS) and their involvement in the selection programme of Holstein cattle. A procedure for the estimation of genetic parameters and genomic breeding values was proposed. The dataset included farmers' records of 127 000 lactations from 109 farms for RP, 185 000 lactations from 131 farms for MET and 115 000 lactations from 87 farms for CYS. The lactational incidence was 6.9% (RP), 12.8% (MET) and 9.2% (CYS). The single-trait animal model equation included fixed effects of herd-year-season of calving and parity of the cow, random direct additive genetic effect, random permanent environmental effect and residual effect. The single-step genomic prediction (ssGBLUP) was based on more than 50 000 SNP-genotyped individuals. Heritability for all traits did not exceed 2%. Favourable correlations were found between reproductive disorders resistance, fertility and longevity traits. The correlation between CYS and milk protein yield indicated a genetic predisposition to cystic ovarian disease in high-producing cows. All significant correlations between health traits (clinical mastitis, claw and feet disorders, reproductive disorders) were positive, indicating that the selection for improvement of one health trait would induce a favourable selection response in the others.

It is important for beef cattle breeding to ensure responsible animal husbandry and food production, which entails economic, social and environmental implications. Furthermore, it is essential to guarantee a genetic resource prepared for the different challenges of our times. This study includes information about beef cattle breeding in Bulgaria, and describes the characteristics of the Galloway breed. The numerical data presented in the study are based on the available information included in various references in the Agrostatistics database of the Ministry of Agriculture and Foods, agrarian reports of the same ministry and the Executive Agency for Selection and Reproduction in Animal Breeding (EASRAB). The Galloway breed is one of the oldest and purest of local cattle breeds. They are known for their resilience and can subsist on the scarcest of lands, which is important under the conditions of current climatic and other challenges. Regarding the Genetic Reserve and the Gen Bank, registered by the EASRAB, the available information shows that there is no registered reserve and genetic bank for the Galloway breed in Bulgaria. This requires further studies and proposals for the inclusion of the Galloway breed in the selection and reproduction aimed at the development of sustainable beef cattle farming.

The widespread presence of Fusarium mycotoxins in animal feed is a global issue, not only for the health of livestock but also for ensure the safety of food as an end product. High concentrations of zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON) have been detected in the diets of Japanese Black (JB) and Holstein Friesian (HF) breeding herds. Consequently, we monitored serum biochemical parameters over a long time in both herds, focusing on anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and acute-phase inflammation. Additionally, urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and progesterone levels were measured in the HF herd. The JB herd, a ZEN-dominant model with low DON contamination, demonstrated ZEN levels that exceeded the Japanese limit in the purchased total mixed rations (TMR). Conversely, the HF herd, which primary consumes DON-dominant feed with low ZEN contamination, had high DON levels in the dent corn silage. Specifically, the JB herd's TMR contained 1.79 mg/kg ZEN and 0.58 mg/kg DON, whereas the HF herd's silage had 15.3 mg/kg DON (dried sample) and 0.1 mg/kg ZEN. Enzyme-linked immunoassay were used to measure urinary ZEN-DON levels following confirmation through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urinary ZEN-DON levels measured were significantly correlated ( p < 0.05, r > 0.6) in both herds. In the HF herd, AMH levels increased ( p = 0.01) and serum amyloid A (SAA) levels decreased ( p = 0.02) when contaminated and at the end of the monitoring period. Additionally, urinary ZEN and DON levels were significantly correlated with SAA levels (ZEN: p = 0.00, r = 0.46; DON: p = 0.03, r = 0.33), with an increase in ZEN and DON levels resulting in higher SAA levels. The JB herd showed no significant differences. Additionally, in the HF herd, 8-OHdG/Cre levels increased significantly during major contamination periods ( p < 0.05). Clinical data from the HF herd indicated an increase in mastitis cases and treatment rates during periods of major contamination. Abortion rates in the HF herd decreased from 22.9% (before monitoring) to 8.9% (during the high contamination period) and finally to 1% (at the end of the monitoring period), with corresponding increases in progesterone levels. ZEN-DON contamination adversely affects breeding cattle's productivity, reproductive performance, and health. Therefore, monitoring urinary ZEN-DON is valuable for detecting contaminants and ensuring the safety of food products.

The widespread presence of Fusarium mycotoxins in animal feed is a global issue, not only for the health of livestock but also for ensure the safety of food as an end product. High concentrations of zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON) have been detected in the diets of Japanese Black (JB) and Holstein Friesian (HF) breeding herds. Consequently, we monitored serum biochemical parameters over a long time in both herds, focusing on anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and acute-phase inflammation. Additionally, urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and progesterone levels were measured in the HF herd. The JB herd, a ZEN-dominant model with low DON contamination, demonstrated ZEN levels that exceeded the Japanese limit in the purchased total mixed rations (TMR). Conversely, the HF herd, which primary consumes DON-dominant feed with low ZEN contamination, had high DON levels in the dent corn silage. Specifically, the JB herd’s TMR contained 1.79 mg/kg ZEN and 0.58 mg/kg DON, whereas the HF herd’s silage had 15.3 mg/kg DON (dried sample) and 0.1 mg/kg ZEN. Enzyme-linked immunoassay were used to measure urinary ZEN-DON levels following confirmation through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urinary ZEN-DON levels measured were significantly correlated (p < 0.05, r > 0.6) in both herds. In the HF herd, AMH levels increased (p = 0.01) and serum amyloid A (SAA) levels decreased (p = 0.02) when contaminated and at the end of the monitoring period. Additionally, urinary ZEN and DON levels were significantly correlated with SAA levels (ZEN: p = 0.00, r = 0.46; DON: p = 0.03, r = 0.33), with an increase in ZEN and DON levels resulting in higher SAA levels. The JB herd showed no significant differences. Additionally, in the HF herd, 8-OHdG/Cre levels increased significantly during major contamination periods (p < 0.05). Clinical data from the HF herd indicated an increase in mastitis cases and treatment rates during periods of major contamination. Abortion rates in the HF herd decreased from 22.9% (before monitoring) to 8.9% (during the high contamination period) and finally to 1% (at the end of the monitoring period), with corresponding increases in progesterone levels. ZEN-DON contamination adversely affects breeding cattle’s productivity, reproductive performance, and health. Therefore, monitoring urinary ZEN-DON is valuable for detecting contaminants and ensuring the safety of food products.

As an important part of Chinese animal husbandry, the healthy development of beef cattle breeding has become a key way to promote the virtuous cycle of agricultural production system. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of livestock and poultry environmental protection policies on the efficiency of beef cattle breeding, which is conducive to the healthy and high-quality development of the breeding industry. Based on the panel data of four beef cattle breeding advantage areas from 2008 to 2021, the efficiency of beef cattle breeding was measured by stochastic frontier analysis, and the Logit model was used to calculate the propensity score before and after the promulgation of livestock and poultry environmental protection policies in 2014. On this basis, the propensity score matching method was used to test the effect of livestock and poultry environmental protection policies on beef cattle breeding efficiency. The results showed that compared with before the promulgation of the livestock and poultry environmental protection policy, the breeding efficiency of beef cattle increased by 18.2% after the promulgation of the livestock and poultry environmental protection policy, indicating that the livestock and poultry environmental protection policy can improve the efficiency of beef cattle breeding. This conclusion is still valid after four endogenous tests: caliper matching, one-to-one matching, nuclear matching and K-proximity matching. The results show that the livestock and poultry environmental protection policy can effectively alleviate the environmental problems caused by beef cattle breeding, promote the research and development and innovation of breeding technology, and improve the efficiency of beef cattle breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The effect of optimized mating methods for long-term selection has not been studied in cattle breeding. In this study, the linear programming and optimal contribution selection methods on the genetic gain and inbreeding level of beef cattle were explored and evaluated using a simulation strategy. Our results showed that the linear programming method can effectively improve the genetic gain in the population during long-term selection in the breeding process, and the optimal contribution selection method can maintain a balance between improving genetic gain and controlling inbreeding level. Our findings can provide theoretical guidance for the long-term and sustainable genetic gain in breeding populations in farm animals. The optimized selection method can maximize the genetic gain in offspring under the premise of controlling the inbreeding level of the population. At present, genetic gain has been largely improved by using genomic selection in multiple farm animals. However, the design of the optimal selection method and assessment of its effects during long-term selection in beef cattle breeding are yet to be fully explored. In this study, a simulated beef cattle population was constructed, and 15 generations of simulated breeding were carried out using the linear programming breeding strategy (LP) and optimal contribution selection strategy (OCS), respectively. The truncation selection strategy (TS−I and TS−II) was used as the control. During the breeding process, genetic parameters including genetic gain, average kinship coefficient, QTL effect variance, and average observed heterozygosity were calculated and compared across generations. Our results showed that the LP method can significantly improve the genetic gain in the population, especially the genetic performance of the traits with high heritability and the traits with high weight in the breeding process, but the inbreeding level of the population is higher under LP strategy. Although the genetic gain in the population under the OCS strategy is lower than the TS−II strategy, this method can effectively control the inbreeding level of the population. Our findings also suggest that the LP and OCS method can be used as an effective means to improve genetic gain, while the OCS method is a more ideal method to obtain sustainable genetic gain during long-term selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the middle of the twentieth century, the new technologies and techniques of artificial insemination (a.i.) transformed dairy cattle husbandry and breeding across dairy-producing countries. While there are nuanced and multi-faceted studies of early a.i., previous work has not engaged much with its material usage, meaning that we know little about how different techniques, practices, and animal reactions promoted or restricted a.i'.s use for particular purposes. Here, I address this aspect by studying early a.i. in Swedish cattle breeding as a concrete set of technical artefacts used by humans and animals, thus reframing a.i'.s early history as a problem of use and users. I focus specifically on the artificial vagina, the predominant instrument used to gather bull semen, and show how the modes of use and non-use of the artificial vagina not only helped shape a.i. itself but also veterinary expertise, the institutions of breeding, and parts of the Swedish agrarian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dairy cattle breeding programs have experienced dramatic changes during the last 20 years. Especially the introduction of genomic selection accelerated the breeding progress. Up to now there are no population-wide analysis available on how breeding traits in German Holstein developed over time. In this study, the phenotypic and genetic trends for the traits milk yield, longevity, calving ease and stillbirth were evaluated on the basis of the conventional breeding value estimation data using descriptive statistics. Positive trends were observed for all traits. Milk yield increased significantly over time and the increase was nearly parallel for the breeding value and the phenotype. On the other hand, the genetic and phenotypic trend differed for longevity, where a strongly increasing genetic trend was not in accordance with the phenotypic trend. The reason for this could be the common management with high replacement rates, which results in early culling of cows due to lack of space in the barn. The current longevity for the year 2021 was 1178 days (approx. 39 months). The stillbirth rate and calving difficulty rate showed an increased risk at first calving and especially at the birth of male calves. The stillbirth and calving difficulty rates are currently 9.9% and 3.3% for male calves of the first calving and 4.8% and 1.5% for female calves. Overall, in the last 20 years there has been a strongly positive, i.e. declining, development for both traits. In some cases, the stillbirth and calving difficulty rate have almost decreased by half. The interaction of breeding and optimisation of the environment has led to an improvement in the desired direction for all traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the transformative effect of the digital innovations in the agrarian sector (in particular ruminant breeding) by tracking both the opportunities, and the challenges, which they represent for the sustainable development of the modern agriculture. Integration of digital technologies in cattle-breeding becomes more and more common, offering potential solutions for increasing of the efficiency, productivity and ecological sustainability. The change towards digitalization brings different challenges, varying from problems related to accessibility to concerns, related to data security and ethical consequences. Based on the existing literature and empirical evidence, this research provides complete analysis of the current conjuncture of the digital innovations in livestock industry, assesses the potential benefits from them and explores the barriers preventing their broad acceptance. The conclusions contribute to nuanced understanding of the role, which the digital technologies play in shaping the future of the sustainable agriculture and the rural areas in Bulgaria. The implemented retrospective analysis shows that the problematic agricultural holdings can be encompassed by digitalization only if serious financial investments are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cattle breeding, a traditional sector of agricultural production, is currently recording a very intensive development caused by the effort of farmers to maximize production and especially their profit. Rapid implementation of new technologies, that help to achieve this goal, cannot be reliably carried out without the use of modern computer and transmission technology controlled by a quality control program. Absence of a similar system on our market led the company Agrosoft to develop a system sorting according to register designed for all types of farming, regardless of the amount of housed animals. The product was created in a Czech company, respects traditional local customs and his undisputable contribution is the subsequent connection to superior organizations operating in the Czech Republic. Complexity of this newly developed product is brought almost to perfection and allows producers to work with the files of needed information fundamentally anywhere and anytime. The new software improves and accelerates the managing work in breeding companies and consequently helps to improve the quality of final products to increase their profitability.

Summer pruning of fruit species as an alternative for feeding with vegetable waste in beef cattle breeding is observed. The experiment was conducted in 2020 in an experimental farm for beef cows (Hornless Hereford breed) of the Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture, Troyan (Bulgaria). The animals were fed in a controlled manner with standardized amounts of foliar fodder, obtained after summer pruning of fruit crops (plums, apples, pears). The main purpose of the study is to consider the potential and opportunity of using plant matter after summer pruning (green pruning) in various orchards, as a food reserve in beef cattle breeding. The highest appetite was shown by the leaves and twigs obtained during plum pruning (combined group of two cultivars) (46.6%), followed by those of the apple (31.2%) and the lowest value was registered for pear species (22.2%). The total amount of the three types of fodder is accepted as 100%. Compared to the other studied species, the foliar fodder from Prunus domestica had the highest content of crude protein (20.3%), minerals (11.7%), calcium (2.2%), phosphorus (0.6%) and nitrogen (3.2%).

Abstract Background Genomic selection has increased genetic gain in dairy cattle, but in some cases it has resulted in higher inbreeding rates. Therefore, there is need for research on efficient management of inbreeding in genomically-selected dairy cattle populations, especially for local breeds with a small population size. Optimum contribution selection (OCS) minimizes the increase in average kinship while it maximizes genetic gain. However, there is no consensus on how to construct the kinship matrix used for OCS and whether it should be based on pedigree or genomic information. VanRaden’s method 1 (VR1) is a genomic relationship matrix in which centered genotype scores are scaled with the sum of 2p(1-p) where p is the reference allele frequency at each locus, and VanRaden’s method 2 (VR2) scales each locus with 2p(1-p), thereby giving greater weight to loci with a low minor allele frequency. We compared the effects of nine kinship matrices on genetic gain, kinship, inbreeding, genetic diversity, and minor allele frequency when applying OCS in a simulated small dairy cattle population. We used VR1 and VR2, each using base animals, all genotyped animals, and the current generation of animals to compute reference allele frequencies. We also set the reference allele frequencies to 0.5 for VR1 and the pedigree-based relationship matrix. We constrained OCS to select a fixed number of sires per generation for all scenarios. Efficiency of the different matrices were compared by calculating the rate of genetic gain for a given rate of increase in average kinship. Results We found that: (i) genomic relationships were more efficient than pedigree-based relationships at managing inbreeding, (ii) reference allele frequencies computed from base animals were more efficient compared to reference allele frequencies computed from recent animals, and (iii) VR1 was slightly more efficient than VR2, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions Using genomic relationships for OCS realizes more genetic gain for a given amount of kinship and inbreeding than using pedigree relationships when the number of sires is fixed. For a small genomic dairy cattle breeding program, we recommend that the implementation of OCS uses VR1 with reference allele frequencies estimated either from base animals or old genotyped animals.

Diseases are responsible for losses in livestock production by increasing animal mortality and reducing productivity. The administration of antibiotics can help mitigate these negative effects. However, inappropriate use can lead to severe complications, such as raising antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of antibiotic use and disease frequency over four years, based on the size of dairy farms and the type of farm. The study covered a 4-year period and included medium dairy farms (20–50 cows, n = 13), large dairy farms (>250 cows, n = 8), and large beef farms (n = 8). The collected data involved antimicrobial use but also included farm demographics, animal health, disease frequency, and herd management practices. The criteria used to categorise antibiotics into groups A–D were based on the EMA guidelines. The carried-out study showed that the large dairy cattle farms had the highest antibiotic consumption (18.29 mg·PCU−1), due to the high frequency of diseases, and consequently, the treatment of calf (diarrhoea, lung inflammations) and cow diseases (general treatment and mastitis). Cattle on large beef farms suffer mainly from general diseases caused by maintenance and herd management conditions. The use of restrict antibiotics was, in some cases, unjustified (antibiotics for dry cow therapy). Future studies should consider a larger number of farms, taking into account the given direction of cattle production.

Based on the panel data of 30 provincial administrative regions from 2011 to 2021, this paper empirically tests the impact of the livestock and poultry forbidden zone policy on the cost efficiency of beef cattle breeding in China with the help of double difference model. The results showed that the policy of the livestock and poultry forbidden zone had an obvious promotion effect on the cost efficiency of the beef cattle breeding industry in China, and the influence degree was 0.074. Transportation infrastructure, farmers' investment level, beef cattle slaughter rate, and economic development level all had a significant positive impact on the cost efficiency of beef cattle breeding, and transportation infrastructure had the strongest positive promotion effect. There are obvious regional differences in the impact of livestock and poultry forbidden area policy on the cost efficiency of beef cattle breeding, which was manifested in the stronger promotion effect on ordinary beef cattle producing areas. Therefore, the paper puts forward some policy suggestions, such as rationally delineating livestock and poultry forbidden areas, accelerating the improvement of transportation infrastructure and developing beef cattle breeding industry according to local conditions, so as to provide a useful reference for accelerating the high-quality development of the beef cattle breeding industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permanent crises in the Ukrainian economy, the devaluation of the hryvnia, the decline in incomes of the population and its purchasing power, increased competition on the world market, and the constant increase in world prices for food and non-food products created new realities of functioning of enterprises of the dairy sub-complex of the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine and led to its transformation. Therefore, the study of the reasons for the existence of these trends is very relevant. The purpose of the study is to assess the current state of the sub-complex and the development of practical recommendations for improving the efficiency of its functioning. The performed study was based on the use of methods: qualitative analysis and synthesis, economicstatistical analysis, comparisons, analytical and logical generalisations, etc. At the beginning of 2021, the total number of cattle in Ukraine was 2.874 million heads and over the past 10 years decreased by 1.952 million heads, including cows by 0.958 million heads. Milk production remains small-scale. In 2020, 9.263 million tonnes of milk were produced (17.66% less than in 2010). A substantial reduction in the volume of milk supplies for processing led to a reduction in the number of processing enterprises in 2020 by 69.14% compared to 1990. The main factors of transformation of the dairy sub-complex in Ukraine include: reduction of the number of cows, insufficient quantity of high-quality dairy raw product and their non-compliance with the regulations and standards of the European Union, low technological level of milk production, insufficient control over the quality of raw product, lack of modern equipment, high capital and labour intensity of production processes, rising prices for energy and other resources, reduced consumption of dairy products due to low purchasing power, increased competition in the world and internal markets of dairy products, etc. The conducted research should help to solve and highlight the main functional problems of milk processing enterprises that operate in the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine, the results of the above-mentioned studies can be useful and relevant for the revival of dairy cattle breeding in the post-war period

Diseases are responsible for losses in livestock production by increasing animal mortality and reducing productivity. The administration of antibiotics can help mitigate these negative effects. However, inappropriate use can lead to severe complications, such as raising antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of antibiotic use and disease frequency over four years, based on the size of dairy farms and the type of farm. The study covered a 4-year period and included medium dairy farms (20-50 cows, n = 13), large dairy farms (>250 cows, n = 8), and large beef farms (n = 8). The collected data involved antimicrobial use but also included farm demographics, animal health, disease frequency, and herd management practices. The criteria used to categorise antibiotics into groups A-D were based on the EMA guidelines. The carried-out study showed that the large dairy cattle farms had the highest antibiotic consumption (18.29 mg·PCU -1 ), due to the high frequency of diseases, and consequently, the treatment of calf (diarrhoea, lung inflammations) and cow diseases (general treatment and mastitis). Cattle on large beef farms suffer mainly from general diseases caused by maintenance and herd management conditions. The use of restrict antibiotics was, in some cases, unjustified (antibiotics for dry cow therapy). Future studies should consider a larger number of farms, taking into account the given direction of cattle production.

The optimized selection method can maximize the genetic gain in offspring under the premise of controlling the inbreeding level of the population. At present, genetic gain has been largely improved by using genomic selection in multiple farm animals. However, the design of the optimal selection method and assessment of its effects during long-term selection in beef cattle breeding are yet to be fully explored. In this study, a simulated beef cattle population was constructed, and 15 generations of simulated breeding were carried out using the linear programming breeding strategy (LP) and optimal contribution selection strategy (OCS), respectively. The truncation selection strategy (TS−I and TS−II) was used as the control. During the breeding process, genetic parameters including genetic gain, average kinship coefficient, QTL effect variance, and average observed heterozygosity were calculated and compared across generations. Our results showed that the LP method can significantly improve the genetic gain in the population, especially the genetic performance of the traits with high heritability and the traits with high weight in the breeding process, but the inbreeding level of the population is higher under LP strategy. Although the genetic gain in the population under the OCS strategy is lower than the TS−II strategy, this method can effectively control the inbreeding level of the population. Our findings also suggest that the LP and OCS method can be used as an effective means to improve genetic gain, while the OCS method is a more ideal method to obtain sustainable genetic gain during long-term selection.

Beef cattle farming is an environmentally friendly food-producing animal husbandry sector that is based largely on pasture and arable by-product feedstuffs. It faces several problems that need to be addressed from a sustainability point of view. Population growth and growing food demand raise concerns about the environmental consequences of expanding beef production using current systems. Consequently, this condition underscores the importance of maintaining an equilibrium between these sustainability pillars and the necessity of adopting more sustainable models. This review article analyzes the most important, recent literary sources dealing with the sustainability of the sector. As a result of the literary synthesis, it has been established that most experts emphasize the two main pillars of sustainability, namely, economic and environmental aspects. The present work directs attention to the third and possible fourth point, the social as well as the cultural aspects of the sustainability of the beef cattle sector, which will be increasingly important to keep in mind in the future.

In this study, a herd of Japanese Black (JB) breeding cattle with sporadic reproductive disorders was continuously monitored for an additional year to assess the effects of the urinary zearalenone (ZEN) concentration and changes in parameters (AMH and SAA) with time-lag variables and herd fertility (reproductive performance). This herd had high (exceeded the Japanese dietary feed regulations) urinary ZEN and rice straw ZEN concentrations (1.34 mg/kg). Long-term data of the herd with positive ZEN exposure revealed a decreasing ZEN concentration in urine and a gradual decrease in the AMH level with age. The AMH level was significantly affected by the ZEN value 2 months earlier and the AMH level in the previous month. The changes in ZEN and SAA values were significantly affected by the ZEN and SAA values in the previous month. Additionally, calving interval data between pre-monitoring and post-monitoring showed a significantly different pattern. Furthermore, the calving interval became significantly shorter between the time of contamination (2019) and the end of the monitoring period (2022). In conclusion, the urinary ZEN monitoring system may be a valuable practical tool for screening and detecting herd contamination in the field, and acute and/or chronic ZEN contamination in dietary feeds may affect herd productivity and the fertility of breeding cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented scientific research is devoted to the problems of nomadic management in the traditional Kalmyk society. The article deals with the issues of cattle breeding in Kalmykia in the XIX century in the context of the decline of traditional livestock industries. The gradual increase in the role of cattle in the Kalmyk economy was directly related to administrative and natural and climatic factors. The Caspian steppe, with its sharply continental climate, periodically suffering from droughts and largely devoid of fresh, usable sources, from winds that force seriously reckoning with the problem ofblowing soils and crops, obliged the imperial authorities to pay attention to the problems of the region. To provide assistance, it was necessary, first of all, to find reliable reserves of fresh water to overcome the crisis of Kalmyk cattle breeding. In addition, any adverse phenomena of nature invariably led to the death of livestock, especially among steppe pastoralists, who keep cattle in the open air all year round. Entire generations of Kalmyk pastoralists tirelessly fought against the natural elements for the possession of fresh water sources and, thus, as a result, to a certain extent, managed to organize and adapt to the harsh natural and climatic conditions in the arid territory. Considering the traditional Kalmyk economy, it should be noted that, taking into account geographical conditions, by the end of the XIX century the main type of livestock in the Kalmyk economy was cattle. All animals in the Kalmyk farm, without damage to health, could relatively easily tolerate prolonged frosts, cold winds, heat, etc. Cattle were also distinguished by their endurance, unpretentiousness to fodder, and ability to travel long distances. The meat of the Kalmyk breed was highly valued. Cattle met the Kalmyks’ daily needs for food, materials for clothing and footwear, etc.

The relevance of the research problem is inspired by the strategic importance of dairy farming to the national economy, which is especially evident in the context of the EU economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and carrying out the import substitution policy. First and foremost, this policy applies to food commodities, including milk. The goal of the article is to study statistical productivity analysis of dairy cattle breeding as one of the major indicators to show its effectiveness (Privolzhsky Federal district in Russia is taken as the example). The main methods, used to study this problem are the index method, time series analysis, and correlation and regression analysis. As the study result there were identified the factors affecting the dairy cattle productivity, the prognosis and the conclusion about the positive aspects in solving problems of import substitution in the field of milk production. The article can be useful to regional governments in the development and adjustment programs for socio-economic development of subjects dealing with agriculture in the Volga Federal district of Russia.