Production and composition of milk per Holstein and Jersey cow from two farms in northwest Rio Grande do Sul

Júlia Laize Bandeira Calgaro,Júnior Fioresi,Ione Maria Pereira Haygert-Velho,Fernanda Hammes Stroeher,Carol Thaís Weber,João Pedro Velho,Marcos André Piuco,Dileta Regina Moro Alessio

doi:10.1590/s1519-99402121212020

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to monitor cow milk quality and composition in two farms in the Noroeste Rio-grandense mesoregion, located in the municipalities of Palmeira das Missões and Pinhal - RS. Both herds were mixed, with animals of the Holstein (70%) and Jersey (30%) breeds. The following overall parameters were evaluated: body condition score (BCS), udder dirtiness, and calving order, and the following milk composition factors were measured: total dry extract (TDE), defatted dry extract (DDE), milk lactose, fat, and protein contents, casein, milk urea nitrogen (MUN), and somatic cell count (SCC). Multivariate statistical analysis was performed, and four factors were identified representing combinations of the measured variables. The first factor comprised negative relationships between milk production and cow breed, milk fat content, and milk protein content. The second factor comprised the positive relationships between lactation days and body condition score and milk protein content. The third factor represented the negative relationships between milk lactose content and SCC score, calving order, and BCS. The fourth factor was composed of the positive relationship between delivery order and udder dirtiness. Cluster analysis revealed that individual cows could be categorized into three groups. Monitoring the breed, calving order, body condition score, lactation days, milk production, fat, protein, and lactose contents, somatic cell counts, and udder dirtiness in cows allows greater control of the herd, allowing potential shortcomings to be rectified quickly and economic losses to production to be minimized.

Highlights

In the last 100 years, dairy cattle farming has evolved considerably in relation to fluid milk production (Barbano, 2017), rearing systems (Bewley et al, 2017), and temperate pasture management (Roche et al, 2017)
The need to evaluate milk composition is partly due to the fact that metabolism during pregnancy and lactation involves two types of regulation in cows: homeostasis and homeorhesis
The combination of homeostasis and homeorhesis impacts voluntary food intake, the biochemical profile of the animal, production, and milk composition, and part of this metabolism can be monitored through evaluating milk and blood constituents (Campos et al, 2008; Wheelock et al, 2010)

Summary

Introduction

In the last 100 years, dairy cattle farming has evolved considerably in relation to fluid milk production (Barbano, 2017), rearing systems (Bewley et al, 2017), and temperate pasture management (Roche et al, 2017). Animal welfare (Von Keyserlingk & Weary, 2017) has been greatly enhanced, with the improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mastitis (Ruegg, 2017). Despite this evolution in dairy cattle farming, not all novel technologies are available or are viable for rural producers in countries like Brazil. The need to evaluate milk composition is partly due to the fact that metabolism during pregnancy and lactation involves two types of regulation in cows: homeostasis and homeorhesis. The combination of homeostasis and homeorhesis impacts voluntary food intake, the biochemical profile of the animal, production, and milk composition, and part of this metabolism can be monitored through evaluating milk and blood constituents (Campos et al, 2008; Wheelock et al, 2010).

Objectives

Methods

Results