Dairy Farms In England Research Articles

Survey of the incidence and aetiology of mastitis on dairy farms in England and Wales

A survey of clinical and subclinical mastitis was carried out on 97 dairy farms in England and Wales, selected at random from members of a national milk recording scheme. The farmers were asked to collect aseptic milk samples from five consecutive cases of clinical mastitis and from five quarters with high somatic cell counts using a defined protocol, and they completed a questionnaire that included information on the cows sampled, the herd and the history of mastitis in the herd. The samples were collected throughout the year. The mean incidence of clinical mastitis was 47 cases per 100 cows per year (estimated from historic farm records) and 71 cases per 100 cows per year (estimated from the samples collected). Streptococcus uberis and Escherichia coli were isolated in pure culture from 23.5 per cent and 19.8 per cent, respectively, of the clinical samples; 26.5 per cent of the clinical samples produced no growth. The most common isolates from the samples with high cell counts were coagulase-negative staphylococci (15 per cent), S uberis (14 per cent) and Corynebacterium species (10 per cent). Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-positive staphylococci together accounted for 10 per cent of the samples with high somatic cell counts; 39 per cent produced no bacterial growth.

Risk factors associated with the salmonella status of dairy farms in England and Wales

Between October 1999 and February 2001 the salmonella status of 449 dairy farms in England and Wales was determined by environmental sampling on up to four occasions. Data were collected...

Prevalence, incidence and geographical distribution of serovars of Salmonella on dairy farms in England and Wales

A study of randomly selected dairy farms in England and Wales was made between October 1999 and February 2001 to estimate the prevalence and incidence of Salmonella serovars. The farms...

Assessment of the welfare of dairy caftle using animal-based measurements: direct observations and investigation of farm records

A protocol was developed by consultation with experts on the welfare of cattle to use direct observations of cattle and an examination of farm records to assess welfare. Fifty-three dairy...

Anaemia and mortality in calves infested with the long-nosed sucking louse (Linognathus vituli)

Young calves which died on three dairy farms in England and Wales had generalised pallor and heavy infestations of the long-nosed sucking louse, Linognathus vituli. Surviving calves had packed-cell volumes,...

Prevalence of lice on dairy cattle in England and the bordering counties of Wales

A postal questionnaire was used to collect information on the prevalence of lice on cattle on a random sample of dairy farms in England and the bordering counties of Wales....

Dirty water from dairy farms, II: treatment and disposal options

The key parameters describing the production and disposal of dirty water on 20 dairy farms in England and Wales were investigated. Farms were selected where existing pumped dirty irrigation systems allowed for appropriate sampling and monitoring. Each farm was visited to identify sources of dirty water, quantities and types of dairy chemicals used, details of storage and settlement tanks and current field irrigation techniques. Dirty water arose from five main sources: bulk milk tank rooms, milking parlour pits, milking parlour cow standing areas, outdoor fouled yards and silage clamps. On 14 farms, slurry or drainage from farmyard manure stores also entered the dirty water system. The volumes of dirty water produced varied greatly with no simple correlation with the number of cows, suggesting that factors such as rainfall and outdoor yard areas had a major influence. The average annual application rates to land varied from 29 to 817 m 3ha −1, with the heaviest applications on undrained light soils. These findings, together with biochemical characteristics, indicated that effective biological treatment for dirty water was feasible but the data describing dairy chemical usage showed that significant concentrations of potential bactericidal materials were likely to arise. This could seriously impair such treatment. The effects of volumetric buffering were estimated, showing how this could improve the potential reliability of treatment. It was concluded that pilot-scale development would be an essential first step in designing a practical treatment system.

Dirty water from dairy farms, I: biochemical characteristics

The quality of dirty water arising on 20 dairy farms in England and Wales was investigated. Farms were selected where existing pumped dirty irrigation systems allowed for appropriate sampling. Each farm was visited on three occasions during the year, in March, June and September, to sample dirty water. Considerable variations were found in total solids (TS) with concentrations ranging from 0.08% to 4.64%. Marked seasonal variations were observed with the highest concentrations in June and the lowest in March. The biochemical characteristics of dirty water showed fairly good correlations between the following parameters and TS: 5-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD 5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Kjeldahl nitrogen, potassium and phosphate. No corresponding correlation was found for ammoniacal nitrogen concentrations. These findings indicated that effective biological treatment for dirty water was feasible.

The impact of rBST on the structure of the England and Wales dairy sector

A farm level, econometric, cost function is estimated for dairy farms in England and Wales, which is then used as a basis for estimating changes in the size structure and regional distribution of milk production. rBST is introduced as a yield-enhancing factor, and the effect of this innovation on costs generates alternative scenarios for milk production. The results indicate that the adoption of rBST causes some structural change, but essentially this would be limited to a minor reinforement of the underlying pressures for structural change that exist already.

Lameness in dairy cows and farmers' knowledge, training and awareness.

Lameness in dairy cattle is important from welfare and economic points of view. In 15 dairy farms in England, the prevalence of lameness was correlated highly significantly and inversely with the knowledge, level of training and awareness of the farmers.

Financial performance of New England dairy farms

This article uses a procedure developed by Melichar to classify 124 New England dairy farms according to their financial performance. Logit regression is then used to estimate a model that seeks to explain the variation in observed financial performance. It was found that 80% of the farms in the sample were in good financial position in 1984. The results of the logit regression suggest that production per cow, farm operating expense per cow, milk price, non-milk sources of farm income, farm size, farm location, and land purchases in the last five-year period are statistically significant determinants of financial performance. Surprisingly, operator education is not statistically significant. It is well known that many agricultural producers experienced financial dificulties in the mid-1980s. According to Melichar,] 17% of the nation’s farmers were showing signs of financial stress in 1985; and, although this has been a national problem, producers of some commodities have been more vulnerable than others. For instance, Gabriel2 found that, except for poultry production, dairy farmers have experienced more financial difficulty than producers of other agricultural commodities. The size and importance of the nation’s dairy industry underscore the seriousness of the financial stress problem in this sector. For example, in The authors gratefully acknowledge helpful comments received from R. Leonard, S. Seaver, E. Pagoulatos, and anonymous referees on earlier drafts of this paper, the secretarial assistance of

Dairy Farm Efficiency Measurement Using Stochastic Frontiers and Neoclassical Duality

AbstractThis paper presents a stochastic efficiency decomposition model based on Kopp and Diewert's deterministic methodology. The stochastic model is used to analyze technical, economic, and allocative efficiency for a sample of New England dairy farms. The results suggest that mean economic efficiency for the farmers in the sample is about 70% and that, on average, there is little difference between technical (83.0%) and allocative (84.6%) efficiency. Analyses of the relationship between efficiency and four socioeconomic variables—farm size, education, extension, and experience—reveal that, despite some statistically significant associations, efficiency levels are not markedly affected by these variables.

The Post-quota performance of dairy farms in england and wales

Dairy quotas were introduced in April 1984. Since then, producers have been adjusting their production systems to cope with a constraint on milk output. In this paper, stochastic production functions are used to examine both allocative efficiency of input use and technical efficiency in the industry during the post-quota period. The results indicate that producers have successfully adjusted the use of the variable input, feed, to optimal levels but are finding it more difficult to adjust quasi-fixed inputs such as labour, land, machinery and the herd size. Technical efficiency has remained relatively constant.

The effect of stocking rate and fertilizer usage on income variability for dairy farms in England and Wales

AbstractA mathematical model of grass production and utilization on a dairy farm is described. Using the model an assessment has been made of the extent to which financial uncertainty arising from year‐to‐year variability in grass yields, coupled with a preference among farmers for minimizing risks, may explain the relatively low stocking rates and observed nitrogen usages on many dairy farms in England and Wales. The degree of risk has been equated with the probability of profits in a particular year being less than those required to cover the consumption needs and short‐term borrowing requirements of the farmer. The results of the analysis indicate that a strategy of minimizing risks may lead to a significantly lower stocking rate than one of maximizing profits. Thus, considerations of risk may lead to stocking rates which are suboptimal from the viewpoint of economic and biological efficiency. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the comparatively low average usage of nitrogen on dairy farms in the UK is determined by risk considerations. On the contrary, increasing nitrogen usage lowers the apparent financial risk at a given stocking rate.

Footbaths on dairy farms in England and Wales.

Footbaths on dairy farms in England and Wales.

Modelling the determinants of grassland stocking rates on dairy farms in England and Wales

An attempt has been made to provide a quantitative model of grassland management on a dairy farm which could be used for predictive purposes to establish appropriate stocking rates in relation to the resources available and the consequences of changing the level of resources used. The model takes into account the effect of rainfall, the available water capacity of the soil, soil drainage and fertiliser usage on grass production and the calving pattern, milk yield and availability of other feeds in determining grass requirements. Allowance is made for the fact that the response to unpredictable variation in grass production may be to under-stock. There was reasonably good agreement between predicted and actual stocking rates for a group of 33 dairy farms, but the predictions were too variable for acceptance of the model as a reliable aid in management planning on individual farms. Nonetheless, the model showed sufficient promise to suggest that it may be feasible to make predictions for individual farms in the future if a clearer understanding of a number of aspects of grassland management can be obtained: most notably, how farmers respond to risk, how managerial ability and financial constraints affect stocking intensity and how farmers integrate, in practice, grazing and conservation.

Kale Anaemia. III. A Survey of Kale Feeding Practices and Anaemia in Cattle on Dairy Farms in England and Scotland

Summary On each of 83 dairy farms growing kale in 1969 (49 in southern England and34 in southwest Scotland) blood samples were taken from 10 cows about 4 weeks after the start of kale feeding. Samples were also taken from 70 cows in other herds, not given kale. The mean haemoglobin (Hb) concentration for the kale-fed cows was 10·00 g./ml., and for the control cows, 10·51 g./ml. Of the kale-fed cows 6·4% were classified as anaemic (Hb ≤ 8 g./ml), the respective proportions for England and Scotland being 5·1 and 8·1%. A much higher proportion of the cows (36·4%) showed evidence of disordered blood metabolism in having Heinz-Ehrlich bodies in more than 5% of their red cells. The blood composition of individual cows was not related to their age, milk yield or stage of lactation. The average area of kale grown per cow was 0·10 ha.; most of the kale was marrowstem. Average dry matter intake as kale was estimated to be 3·3 kg./cow per day, or 32% of total dry matter intake. Plant nutrients applied as inorganic fertilizer were 117 kg. N, 29 kg. P and 45 kg. K per ha. Less than 10% of the farmers had observed haemoglobinuria or high heart rates in cows given kale in the year of the survey or in previous years but, in Scotland, diarrhoea was commonly associated with kale feeding. There were no clear relationships between herd mean values for blood composition and cow characteristics (e.g. milk yield), the circumstances in which the kale was grown (e.g. fertilizer application) or the quantity of kale eaten. However, there was a fall in blood Hb between October and December. Ten herds were re-sampled during kale feeding in 1970. Mean blood composition was similar to that found in 1969, except that 2 herds which had had a low Hb concentration in 1969 had values about 2 g./100 m1/. higher in 1970.

Farm Size, Farming Intensity, and the Input-Output Relationship of Some Welsh and West of England Dairy Farms

Farm Size, Farming Intensity, and the Input-Output Relationship of Some Welsh and West of England Dairy Farms

STUDY OF A GAS HEATER FOR PRODUCING HOT WATER AND STEAM IN THE DAIRY FARM MILKHOUSE

Dairy farmers have a real problem in providing hot water at not too great a cost. A gas heater producing hot water and steam for dairy farm use was studied to determine (1) the time to produce hot water and steam, (2) the uniformity of temperature within the steam chest, (3) the efficiency in killing E. coli in 10-gallon milk cans, (4) the fuel efficiency of the heater, and (5) the cost of operation. The authors believe that a gas water heater of the type investigated could lend itself satisfactorily to New England dairy farms.