Journal of Dairy Science最新文献

Well-developed clinical communication is crucial for dairy practitioners in providing effective herd health and production management (HHPM) advisory services, as they have potential to enhance farmer satisfaction and adherence to veterinary advice. However, there is limited knowledge regarding specific communication skills (CS) veterinarians use during HHPM visits. Understanding veterinarians' communication is essential for developing targeted educational interventions to enhance veterinarian-farmer interactions during HHPM visits. The objective of the study was, therefore, to investigate veterinarians' communication during HHPM visits on Flemish dairy farms. Dairy veterinarians audio-recorded HHPM visits on dairy farms in Flanders, Belgium. Composite communication processes (CP) were assessed using the Calgary-Cambridge Guide (CCG) and global scores and specific behavior counts were assessed with a modified Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity code (MITI). Twenty-seven participating veterinarians recorded 127 visits with 120 unique dairy farmers. CCG communication processes 'History taking,' 'Presenting information' and 'Safety net and follow-up' were most prevalent. Veterinarians with ≤ 10 years practice experience provided the farmer with a 'Safety net and a follow-up' more often than veterinarians with > 10 years of experience. Other CCG processes such as 'Agenda setting' and 'Needs determination' were often lacking. However, veterinarians who had previously participated in communication skills training determined the needs of the farmer more often than participants who had not. Veterinarians who conducted ≥ 15 HHPM visits per month more fully performed 'History taking' and 'Creating a plan' than veterinarians with <15 HHPM visits per month. Participants displayed inconsistent efforts to incorporate 'Partnership' and 'Empathy.' In modified MITI coded audio segments of 20 min, on average, veterinarians gave information 12 times, made a persuasive statement 3 times, asked 3 open questions, and 6 closed questions. This study indicated areas for improvement in dairy veterinarians' communication and highlighted the need for ongoing education and research in this area to enhance veterinary practice and animal health.

Whey is a liquid byproduct from the dairy industry that is not fully utilized and can be problematic to dispose of. Based on its composition, there is potential to upcycle whey into fermented beverages for human consumption. Most focus to date has been upon alcoholic fermentation to generate alcohol for distillation, or use of kefir grains to make acidic beverages. Kombucha fermentation is analogous to kefir, with a solid-state inoculum that is backslopped from one batch to the next, but yields a different profile of organic acids when applied to its typical substrate of tea sweetened with sucrose. Notably, some kombucha symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) harbor a lactose-fermenting yeast species, Brettanomyces anomalus, rendering it possible that a SCOBY system could be adapted to lactose-containing whey substrates. The objective of this research was to apply a B. anomalus-containing kombucha SCOBY to the fermentation of sweet and acid whey. Sequential batch fermentations were performed to determine changes in microbial community structure and fermentation outcomes during adaptation to whey substrates. Metabarcoding targeting the fungal ITS2 region and the bacterial 16S V4-V5 domain was used to assess fungal and bacterial communities, respectively. We used ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance to determine the chemical composition of fermentations. The B. anomalus-containing kombucha SCOBY was able to perform repeat backslop-inoculated whey fermentation, with the major fermentation products being those characteristic to kombucha fermentation (acetic acid and ethanol). The whey-adapted SCOBY was characterized by replacement of the original main fungal taxa, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, by the lactose-fermenting B. anomalus, whereas the bacterial community remained more diverse.

Our objective was to determine the effects of storage temperature and storage time on the chemical, physical, and sensory properties of ultra-high-temperature-direct steam injection aseptic milk. Milk was collected on 2 different processing dates (2 replicates) at a commercial aseptic milk processing facility immediately as containers came off the processing line. Milk was heat treated by direct steam injection (142°C for 3 s) with a flash vacuum cooling step following the holding tube and packaged aseptically in 946-mL aseptic packages. Packages were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups (storage temperature of 4°C or 21°C). Half of the packages of 1% aseptic milk were cooled immediately off the processing line in ice and held at 4°C, and the other half were cooled to 21°C and held at 21°C for 12 mo. An unopened package of 1% aseptic milk that had been stored at 4°C or 21°C was opened and analyzed each month (for 12 mo) by chemical and descriptive sensory analyses. Chemical analyses included volatile compounds, viscosity, furosine, and dissolved oxygen. At 2 wk, 6 mo, and 12 mo, milk samples stored at each temperature were evaluated by consumers along with commercial 1% high-temperature, short-time (HTST) milk. By descriptive sensory analysis, sulfur-eggy flavor decreased faster and caramelized flavor increased faster in aseptic milk stored at 21°C than in that stored at 4°C. Similarly, relative abundance of sulfur volatiles was lower initially in milk stored at 21°C than in that cooled and stored at 4°C. Furosine concentration was higher in milk stored at 21°C than in milk stored at 4°C. There were differences in consumer liking between the aseptic milk samples stored at the 2 storage temperatures, but they did not translate to an advantage in flavor liking for aseptic milk. Consumers indicated higher liking scores for fresh, refrigerated HTST milk than aseptic milk stored at either temperature at all 3 storage time points. Fluid milk processors need to focus on developing technology to increase the sensory liking scores of aseptic milk to maintain and increase fluid milk consumption as consumer lifestyles increase the demand for shelf-stable beverages.

In 2022, New York (NY) had over 620 000 dairy cows producing more than 7 million Mg (15 billion lb) of milk, ranking fifth in dairy producing states in the United States. The objectives of this work were to (1) estimate total farm-gate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and GHG emission intensity (GHG_ei) of 36 medium to large (>300 mature cows) commercial NY dairies, (2) determine the contribution of main GHGs (on-farm methane [CH₄], nitrous oxide [N₂O], and carbon dioxide [CO₂], plus embedded emissions [CO₂ equivalents; CO₂eq]) and sources (enteric fermentation, feed production, manure management, grazing, fuel and energy) to farm-gate GHG_ei, and (3) identify key performance indicators (KPIs) driving farm-gate GHG_ei. Assessments were done for 2022 using The Cool Farm Tool. Farm size ranged from 345 to 6 350 head of predominantly Holstein cows with animal densities between 1.76 and 4.85 animal units ha^-1 (0.71 to 1.96 AU ac^-1) and heifer to cow ratios between 0.02 and 0.49. Herds produced an average fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) yield of 12.7 Mg (29 000 lb) FPCM cow^-1 per year using 64% homegrown feed. Total FPCM production was 873 000 Mg (1.92 billion lb), representing approximately 12% of total NY milk production in 2022. The GHG_ei ranged from 0.63 to 1.06 kg CO₂eq kg FPCM^-1 (mean GHG_ei = 0.86kg CO₂eq kg FPCM^-1). Methane was the biggest contributor, accounting for 60% of total GHG emissions on average, with enteric CH₄ as the largest contributor (45% of total farm emissions). Among farms, feed production emissions accounted for about 25%, with approximately 7% from homegrown feed production. Manure management practices accounted for about 20% of emissions and explained the largest amount of variation in GHG_ei among farms. Potential KPIs for GHG_ei included manure management system, heifer to cow ratio, herd feed consumption intensity, percentage of homegrown feed, and crop nutrient source (fertilizer versus manure). Emission intensity reflected the high proportion of good quality homegrown feed, careful nutrient management and use of manure treatment systems (covered liquid slurry storages, anaerobic digesters) on several dairies. The influence of replacement rate and heifer to cow ratio on animal density, herd feed consumption intensity, and subsequent GHG_ei requires more detailed analysis. The farms in this study represent a considerable proportion of NY's 2022 FPCM production. Greater participation by smaller farms is necessary to draw conclusions for NY's dairy industry as a whole.

Fertility programs were implemented for the first postpartum timed-AI (TAI) in 800 (primiparous and multiparous) lactating dairy cows, evaluating 2 presynchronization (presynch) strategies and 2 TAI protocols, in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Weekly, cows were enrolled into 1 of 4 groups (Ovs+Ovs [Double-Ovsynch], Ovs+OvsP4/E2, PreP4/E2+Ovs and PreP4/E2+OvsP4/E2 [Double E-Synch). On d -17 (34 ± 3 d in milk), the Ovs presynch was initiated with 10 µg of buserelin acetate (GnRH), and cows received 0.5 mg of cloprostenol sodium (PGF) on d -10, and 10 µg of GnRH on d -7. The PreP4/E2 presynch was initiated on d -17 with a used 2 g P4 insert, which was removed on d -10, together with 0.5 mg of PGF and 1 mg of E2 cypionate (EC). For TAI protocols, Ovs group received on d 0: 20 µg of GnRH (double dose), d 7: PGF, d 8: PGF, d 9.5: 10 µg of GnRH, and d 10: TAI (16 h after GnRH). Cows submitted to OvsP4/E2 received on d 0: 20 µg of GnRH (double dose) and a new 2 g P4 insert, d 7: PGF, d 8: P4 insert removal, PGF and EC, and d 10: TAI (48 h after P4 insert removal). The GLIMMIX procedure of SAS 9.4 was used for statistical analyses (P ≤ 0.05). The presence of CL on d -17 (average = 68.8% [550/800]) was similar among treatments. The presence of CL on d 0 of TAI protocols was high, and Ovs as a presynch increased percentage of cows with CL (95.5 [382/400] vs. 90.8% [363/400]). However, at the first PGF of the breeding (TAI) protocols (d 7), there was no effect of presynchronization program and 98.5% (788/800) of the cows had at least 1 CL. Ovulation after d 0 was greater in cows submitted to PreP4/E2 than Ovs (72.0 [288/400] vs. 64.3% [257/400]), and those ovulating had greater P/AI (51.0 [278/545] vs. 41.6% [106/255]). Overall, multiple ovulations after TAI were low and similar between TAI protocols and presynch strategies (7.2% [54/753]). Expression of estrus in OvsP4/E2 protocols was greater than Ovs (69.4 [274/395] vs. 41.5% [168/405]), and an interaction was detected, in which cows not expressing estrus ovulated more after TAI in Ovs compared with OvsP4/E2 protocol (93.3 [221/237] vs. 77.7% [94/121]). Cows expressing estrus had greater P/AI in both Ovs (58.3 [98/168] vs. 42.2% [100/237]) and OvsP4/E2 (57.3 [157/274] vs. 24.0% [29/121]). There was no interaction between presynch and TAI protocol on P/AI on d 32 of cows that ovulated after TAI (48.4, 49.7, 53.3, and 52.5% for Ovs+Ovs [Double-Ovsynch], Ovs+OvsP4/E2, PreP4/E2+Ovs and PreP4/E2+OvsP4/E2 [Double E-Synch], respectively), and no differences in pregnancy loss between d 32 and 90 (average = 24.0% [92/384]). In conclusion, the study validated 2 presynchronization strategies and 2 TAI protocols, establishing 4 possible fertility programs, all of them producing well-controlled ovarian dynamics, excellent synchronization, and high fertility. Moreover, Double-Ovsynch and Double E-Synch both produced similar results, despite differences in pharmacological bases.

Twinning is undesirable in dairy cattle since it is associated with higher risk of abortion, calving difficulty, and metabolic and reproductive issues. Moreover, twin calves are lighter at birth and generally have lower survival rate. As a result, twinning leads to significant economic losses for the farmer. In the current study, genetic variance and h² of twinning rate (TR) were estimated as the first step to investigate the feasibility of reducing or at least curb its increase in the Italian Holstein population through genetic strategies. Calving records (n = 1,625,859) registered between 1992 and 2022 in 1,830 Holstein herds were available. A binomial logistic regression model was used to investigate the odds of TR across parities and calving seasons. Heritability and repeatability of TR were estimated using single-trait models, namely linear animal, linear sire, linear direct-maternal, threshold animal, threshold sire, and threshold direct-maternal models. Moreover, a multiple-trait approach was adopted considering TR in different parities as different traits to estimate h² within parity, as well as genetic and phenotypic correlations between parities. Parity and calving season were included as fixed effects, and animal, permanent environmental, sire, and direct-maternal genetic effects were included as random, depending on the model. The overall TR was 2.71% and 90% of the herds had TR from 0.00% to 4.49%. The greatest TR was observed in parity 3 and ≥ 4 (odds ratio ∼5.20) compared with parity 1, and in summer (odds ratio = 1.32) compared with winter. Overall, the h² increased with parity, ranging from 0.005 (parity 1) to 0.029 (parity ≥ 4) with linear models, and 0.061 (parity 1) to 0.142 (parity 3) with threshold models. Regardless of the model used, the genetic correlations between parities ranged from moderate to strong (0.66 to 0.99). Also, genetic correlations were stronger between multiparous than between primiparous and multiparous cows. Pearson correlations between sires EBV for TR obtained from single-trait linear and threshold models were close to unity, hinting at a limited re-ranking of bulls. This result suggests that there is room to carry out genetic evaluation for TR with the linear animal model, which is easier to be implemented in routine genetic evaluation than the threshold model, and manipulate the occurrence of twins through genetic strategies in the Italian Holstein population to stabilize or reduce TR.

This study was aimed to explore the mechanism of casein phosphopeptide SIER1P affecting intestinal mucosal barrier function based on CaSR/NF-κB signaling pathway. Porcine intestinal organoid - derived 2-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures were used and randomly assigned in this study. Casein phosphopeptide SIER1P obtained by hydrolysis of αs1-casein improved the damage of intestinal organoid 2D monolayer intestinal epithelial barrier by DSS. Five μg/mL SIER1P could significantly alleviate the increased expression levels of inflammatory factors, and the decreased expression levels of tight junction proteins occludin, claudin-1 and ZO-1 (P < 0.05) induced by DSS. Simultaneously, SIER1P significantly alleviated the DSS induced expression levels increasing of CaSR in organoid-derived 2D monolayer cultures. Spermine (CaSR activator) attenuated the roles of SIER1P on ameliorating the secretion level of inflammatory cytokines and the expression level of tight junction proteins. NPS2143 (CaSR inhibitor) showed a tendency to further promote the effects of SIER1P on ameliorating the expression levels of inflammatory factors and tight junction proteins. SIER1P also alleviated the DSS induced expression levels increasing of PI3K, PLC and pNF-κB. These results suggest that casein phosphopeptide SIER1P has a protective effect on DSS induced inflammatory injury in intestinal organoid-derived 2D monolayer cultures through 2 signaling pathways, CaSR/PI3K/NF-κB and CaSR/PLC/NF-κB.

The US Dairy Industry has pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2050, but reliance on corn (Zea mays L.) silage as a primary forage source undermines progress toward this goal. Soils managed for corn silage production are a significant source of carbon (C) emissions to the atmosphere, with the soil C losses ranging from 3.7 to 7.0 Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1 (13.5 to 25.6 Mg CO₂ ha^-1 yr^-1) reported in the literature. However, biogenic emissions from soil C loss are not typically represented within C-footprints or life cycle inventories. Using an example dairy farm, we demonstrate that including emissions associated with soil C losses under dairy forage production can increase the C-footprint of milk nearly 2-fold. We suggest that this approach represents a more accurate estimate of the emissions impact of milk production, and that gains in the GHG efficiency of milk have come, in part, at the expense of soil C where forage rotations are predominated by silage corn. The C balance of forage production systems can likely be improved with advanced manure management technologies and application strategies that return more manurial C to the soil while minimizing N and P loading. However, we argue that more extensive changes to forage cropping systems will also be required. Expanding the role of perennials and winter annual crops in forage rotations; breeding forages with greater yield, persistence, and deeper more extensive root systems; and additional creative solutions to retain more plant-derived C in soils are necessary to balance soil C budgets and achieve net-zero emissions targets.

Spore-forming bacteria pose significant challenges to the dairy industry, as they are present at high levels in the natural environment and can cause finished product spoilage. To improve organic raw milk quality and minimize spoilage caused by spore-forming bacteria, we used a farm-to-table approach, by assessing the levels and diversity of various spore types through longitudinal studies of United States (US) organic dairy supplies, including (i) raw milk from 100 organic dairy farms, (ii) raw milk intended for organic cheese production from 5 processing plants, (iii) pasteurized milk from 5 processing plants, and (iv) dairy powders from 2 processing plants. Based on a total of 4,194 isolates characterized by either rpoB or 16S rRNA gene sequencing, Bacillus spp. dominated the aerobic spore-formers isolated from farm raw milk, pasteurized milk, and powders. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling revealed that aerobic spore-former populations in organic farm raw milk differ significantly between climate zones at genus, species, and allelic type levels. The anaerobic/facultative anaerobic spore-formers isolated from farm and cheese raw milk samples represented the orders Clostridiales and Bacillales. Evaluation of the gas produced by anaerobic/facultative anaerobic spore-forming bacteria isolates showed that gas production varied significantly between Clostridiales clades, and 1 Bacillales clade produced gas amounts that were not significantly different from most Clostridiales clades. Overall, our data indicate (i) a substantial diversity of aerobic and anaerobic spore-formers in US organic dairy supplies with predominant genera and species similar between organic and conventional dairy supplies as previously described; (ii) both anaerobic and facultative anaerobic spore-formers found in organic raw milk produce gas; and (iii) climate may affect aerobic spore-former diversity in farm raw milk.