Total Milk Production Research Articles

Consumer Preference towards Milk Products in Tamil Nadu

Dairy industry is one among the important sector in India. India is the largest milk producer, accounting for more than 18.50 per cent of the world’s total milk production. In India 80 per cent of milk is marketed through the highly fragmented unorganized sector, which includes local milk vendors, wholesalers, retailers, and producers themselves. On the other hand, the organized dairy industry, accounted for about 20 per cent of total milk production, comprised of two sectors: government and co-operatives. Even though co-operatives provide a remunerative price to the producer, the unorganized sector plays a major role in milk marketing. The present study identifies the major factors influencing the consumers to prefer milk products and also to analyse the awareness level of the consumers in Tamil Nadu. Totally 120 sample respondents were selected. Garrett’s rank analysis was done to analyze the factors influencing the consumers buying behaviour of milk and its products. The results showed that quality, price and taste were the most influencing factors to buy the milk products and the least influencing factors were flavour/colour and packaging of the products. Ghee was the major product preferred by the consumers .Quantity of milk showed significant relationship between age, monthly income and family size.

Some economic indicators of production of cow's milk in the Republic of Serbia

The subject of this research is cattle breeding with a focus on the production of cow's milk in the Republic of Serbia. The main goal is to analyze the state and trends of cow's milk production in Serbia during the last ten years in relation to production in Europe, the European Union and the world. Data from the SORS, FAO databases, etc. were used. In Serbia, 908,102 head of cattle are raised on 177,552 family farms, ie, an average of 5.11 head of cattle per farm. The number of cattle has dropped by more than 200,000 head over the last decade. In the total milk production in Serbia, cow's milk accounts for 96.84%. The average milk yield of cows in Serbia is far below the European average. The highest average amount of milk is recorded in the Belgrade region, where 5,335 liters per milking head are produced in one year. The quality of cow's milk in Serbia is far below EU standards, which is a key restriction on exports.

Challenges in the Indian livestock sector and suggested interventions: An overview

Livestock is an integral part of agriculture, and it plays a significant role in the nutritional security of the people. The sector provides livelihood to more than two-thirds of the rural population. India has the largest animal husbandry sector and contributes 18.6 percent to the total milk production of the world. There are many challenges the sector will come across, during the process of achieving any set target in the future, like disease outbreaks, antimicrobial resistance, greenhouse gas emission, inadequate human resources and infrastructure for veterinary services, low productivity of animals, non-remunerative milk prices, the unorganized markets for livestock products, poor livestock extension, and scarcity of feed and fodder. The adoption of sex-sorted semen technology, by-product utilization, use of feed supplements, replacement of low producing animals with the high producers, judicious use of antibiotics, promotion to organized market, livestock-based integrated farming system, and public-private partnership in the livestock sector are some of the suggested interventions to mitigate these challenges. The livestock sector has more equitable distribution than agriculture, so each scheme or policy of the government directly affects the individual household. Each sub-sector of the livestock has an annual growth rate of more than 5 percent, validating the enormous potential for a rainbow revolution in the sector. Hence, it can be truly said that livestock is the new growth dynamo of the agriculture sector.

The Effect of Using Sunflower Meal as A Protein Source Replacing Soybean Meal on Milk Production, Its Components and Some Blood Traits in Awassi Ewes: تأثير استخدام كسبة زهرة الشمس كمصدر بروتيني محل كسبة فول الصويا على إنتاج الحليب ومكوناته وبعض صفات الدم في النعاج العواسية

The research was conducted to study the effect of the use of sunflower meal (SFM) as a protein source in Awassi ewe feeding diets on milk production, milk components, and biochemical blood characteristics. In the study, 18 Awassi ewes were used, ranging in age from (3-4) years, with an average weight of (49) kg. The ewes were randomly divided into three equal groups in their weight and milk production rates. The first group ewes were fed on a standard diet consisting of soybean meal, yellow corn, barley, wheat bran, wheat flour, salt, and limestone. The sunflower fraction replaced the soybean meal in the diets of the second and third groups by 7 And 14 %, respectively. The feeding period lasted for (90) days. The results showed that the ewes of the second group were the highly significant difference at a level (p ≤ 0.05) in daily and total body weight and final weight. The daily milk production rate in the second treatment was significantly different at a level (p ≤ 0.05), as it reached 0.601 kg/day from the third treatment, which reached 0.513 kg/day and mathematically from the first treatment in which the daily milk production reached 0.541 kg/day, the same significant difference was found in the second group of treatment in total milk production rates compared to other treatments was (48.69, 54.09 and 46.17) kg/ewes for the three treatments, respectively. The study also showed that the differences between the first (standard) treatment and the treatments in which sunflower was used were not in the rates of ratios of (fat, protein, lactose and total solids) of milk, while a significant increase at a level (p≤0.05) was observed in the produced quantities of the protein (33.29 g / day) and the fat (43.09 g / day) of ewe milk of the second treatment compared to the quantities produced of the protein (27.44 g / day) and the fat (38.42 g / day) of the ewe milk that consumed the third diet. The analysis of biochemical blood samples did not differ significantly between the three treatments. The study recommends conducting research using a percentage higher than 14% for sunflower meal and knowing its effect on production, and conducting other studies to find out the effect of sunflower meal on the concentration and quality of fats in the tissues of carcasses and milk produced, in addition to conducting digestion experiments and knowing the rumen environment in Awassi sheep.

تأثير استخدام كسبة زهرة الشمس كمصدر بروتيني محل كسبة فول الصويا على إنتاج الحليب ومكوناته وبعض صفات الدم في النعاج العواسية

هدف البحث إلى دراسة تأثير استخدام كسبة زهرة الشمس كمصدر بروتيني في علائق تغذية النعاج العواسي على إنتاج الحليب ومكوناته وصفات الدم الكيموحيوية. استخدم في الدراسة (18) نعجة عواسية تراوحت أعمارها بين (3-4) سنوات وبمعدل وزن (49) كغم. قسمت النعاج عشوائيا إلى ثلاث مجاميع متساوية في معدلات أوزانها وإنتاج الحليب، غذيت نعاج المجموعة الأولى على عليقة قياسية تكونت من كسبة فول الصويا، الذرة الصفراء، الشعير، نخالة وطحين الحنطة، الملح وحجر الكلس، واستبدلت كسبة زهرة الشمس محل كسبة فول الصويا في علائق المجموعتين الثانية والثالثة وبنسبة 7 و14 % على التوالي. استمرت فترة التغذية لمدة (90) يوما. أوضحت النتائج تفوق نعاج المجموعة الثانية معنويا (أ≤0.05) في معدلات أوزان الجسم الحي اليومية والكلية والوزن النهائي. كما تميز معدل إنتاج الحليب اليومي في المعاملة الثانية معنويا (أ≤0.05) حيث بلغ 0.601 كغم/يوم عن المعاملة الثالثة اذ بلغ 0.513 كغم/يوم وحسابيا عن المعاملة الأولى والتي بلغ فيها إنتاج الحليب اليومي 0.541 كغم/يوم، التفوق المعنوي ذاته وجد لصالح المعاملة الثانية في معدلات إنتاج الحليب الكلي مقارنة مع المعاملات الاخرى حيث بلغت (48.69، 54.09 و46.17) كغم/نعجة للمعاملات الثلاث على التوالي. كما بينت الدراسة بعدم وجود فرق احصائي معنوي بمستوى أ≤0.05 ما بين المعاملة الأولى (القياسية) والمعاملات التي استخدم فيها كسبة زهرة الشمس في معدلات نسب كل من (دهن، بروتين، لاكتوز والمواد الصلبة الكلية) للحليب، في حين لوحظ وجود فرق احصائي معنوي بمستوى أ≤0.05 في الكميات المنتجة من البروتين (33.29 غم/يوم) والدهن (43.09 غم/يوم) من حليب نعاج المعاملة الثانية مقارنة بالكميات المنتجة من البروتين(27.44 غم/يوم) والدهن(38.42 غم/يوم) من حليب النعاج التي تناولت العليقة الثالثة. تحليل عينات الدم الكيموحيوية لم تختلف معنويا ما بين معاملات التجربة الثلاث. توصي الدراسة إلى اجراء بحوث باستخدام نسبة اعلى من 14% لكسبة زهرة الشمس ومعرفة تأثيرها على الإنتاج، واجراء دراسات اخرى لمعرفة تأثير كسبة زهرة الشمس على تركيز ونوعية الدهون في انسجة الذبائح والحليب المنتج، إضافة إلى اجراء تجارب الهضم ومعرفة بيئة الكرش في الأغنام العواسية.

Progressive inclusion of pearl millet herbage as a supplement for dairy cows fed mixed rations: Effects on methane emissions, dry matter intake, and milk production

The inclusion of grazing in dairy feeding systems can improve animal welfare and reduce feed costs and labor for animal care and manure management. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of including pearl millet herbage (Pennisetum glaucum 'Campeiro') as a supplement for dairy cows fed total mixed rations (TMR). The treatments included 100% TMR offered ad libitum (control, TMR100), 75% TMR ad libitum intake + access to grazing of a pearl millet pasture between the morning and afternoon milkings (7 h/d; pTMR75), and 50% TMR ad libitum intake + access to grazing of a pearl millet pasture between the morning and afternoon milkings (7 h/d; pTMR50). Nine multiparous Holstein and F1 Jersey × Holstein cows were distributed in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with 3 periods of 21 d (a 16-d adaptation period and a 5-d measurement period). Cows in the TMR75 and TMR50 groups strip-grazed a pearl millet pasture with pre- and postgrazing sward height targets of 60 and 30 cm, respectively. The herbage dry matter intake (DMI) increased with decreasing mixed ration supplies, and the total DMI decreased linearly from 19.0 kg/d in the TMR100 group to 18.0 kg/d in the pTMR50 group. Milk production decreased linearly from 24.0 kg/d in the TMR100 group to 22.4 kg/d in the pTMR50 group, and energy-corrected milk (ECM) production decreased linearly from 26.0 kg/d to 23.6 kg/d. Enteric methane (CH4) emissions decreased linearly from 540 g/d in the TMR100 group to 436 g/d in the pTMR50 group, and CH4 yields (g/kg of DMI) tended to decrease linearly. The CH4 intensity was similar between treatments, averaging 20 g of CH4/kg of ECM. The inclusion of pearl millet herbage in the dairy cow diets decreased the total DMI and milk production to a small extent without affecting CH4 intensity (g/kg of ECM).

Influence of Body Condition Score on Milk Production Parameters of Murrah Buffaloes

The postpartum changes in Body Condition Score (BCS) studied from calving to four months of lactation in 40 Murrah buffaloes showed that BCS decreased from calving to two months of lactation and then gradually increased. Significant (P < 0.05) inverse relationship (r = -0.96) was observed between BCS and milk yield. The effect of BCS at calving (BCSc) on the milk production parameters were studied in 40 Murrah buffaloes divided into 4 groups of 10 buffaloes each based on BCSc (G1 – 2.5 to 2.99, G2- 3.0 to 3.49, G3- 3.5to 3.99 and G4- 4.0 to4.49). The total milk production (kg) upto 4 months of lactation, peak milk yield (kg), persistence, milk fat per cent, milk protein per cent and SNF per cent were 1030.93, 9.50, 1.65, 6.44, 3.39 and 8.99, respectively for G1 group, 1197.12, 11.60, 1.69, 7.54, 3.74 and 9.34 respectively for G2 group, 1658.67,16.50,1.77,8.62, 4.24 and 9.84, respectively for G3 and 1359.92, 13.75, 1.68, 9.37, 3.97 and 9.57, respectively for G4 group. Buffaloes of G3 group had significantly (p<0.01) more milk yield, peak milk yield, milk protein and SNF compared to the other groups where as buffaloes of G4 group had significantly (P<0.01) more milk fat.

DETERMINANTS OF CREDIT ACCESS AMONG SMALLHOLDER DAIRY FARMERS IN KINANGOP SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Dairy farming plays a major role in the Kenyan agricultural sector as it is dominated by smallholder farmers who contribute approximately 80 per cent of the total milk production. In Kinangop Sub County, there are many credit service providers however, not all smallholder dairy farmers have benefited from such services, instead smallholder dairy farmers have continued to experience challenges such as limited access to financial services. This study therefore analyzed the determinants of credit access among smallholder dairy farmers in Kinangop Sub-County using a binary logistic regression model. Following this, the marginal effects of the predictor variables on the likelihood of accessing credit were estimated. A total of 230 respondents were sampled from a population of 35,840 smallholder dairy farmers using both stratified and simple random sampling techniques and both structured and semi structured questionnaires were used to collect data. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Descriptive analysis revealed that majority: 59.57% of smallholder dairy farmers were males, 69.57% were married and had a mean age of 39.4 years. The average household size was 4 members per household. Formal schooling was also attained by the respondents, majority having an average of about 8 years of schooling. On average farmers had 2 dairy cattle per household, produced 341litres of milk per month and had 11 years of farming. The binary logistic regression analysis and the marginal effect calculation revealed marital status, years of schooling, savings frequency, dairy farming, primary occupation, financial education, association membership and number of dairy cattle as the significant determinants of credit access. The study therefore concluded that there were significant determinants of credit access in the study area and recommended that formulating policies geared towards enhancing educational attainment of farmers would be vital in enhancing credit accessibility to farmers in the study area. There is also need for the Government and other stakeholders to encourage dairy farmers to join farmer based associations and eliminate stringent collateral barriers and bureaucracies that tend to discourage smallholder dairy farmers from accessing and participating in different credit schemes. KEY WORDS: Credit access, Determinants, smallholder dairy farmers, Kinangop Sub-County.

Productive and reproductive performance of females F1 Holstein x Gir daughters of proven bulls.

Records of 234 lactations from F1 Holstein x Gyr daughters of proven bulls were used in this study for the evaluation of productive and reproductive characteristics of cows. Data were collected from a private farm located in the municipality of Santo Antônio do Monte, MG, Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Holstein bull's PTA milk (predicted transmitting ability) calving year, season, and parity on the productive and reproductive characteristics of F! cows. The productive characteristics analyzed were total milk production (TMP), average daily production (ADP), days in milk (DIM), and milk yield per day of calving interval (MYDCI). The studied reproductive characteristics were service interval (SI), calving interval (CI), and gestation length (GL). The results were subjected to statistical analysis and means for significant effects were compared using Duncan's test at a significance level of 5%. F1 animals efficiently expressed their genetic potential for milk production with an average total milk production of 7842.61kg and average daily production of 24.53kg. Means for days in milk, milk yield per day of calving interval, service interval, calving interval, and gestation length were 322.52days, 20.73kg, 106.0days, 383.23days, and 276.18days, respectively. Properly managed F1 Holstein x Gyr daughters of proven bulls fed a balanced diet efficiently expressed their genetic potential for milk production without adverse effects on reproduction. Moreover, Holstein x Gyr cows should be selected based on parents' PTA for milk traits and other factors such as environmental conditions and management.

Milk losses and dynamics during perturbations in dairy cows differ with parity and lactation stage

Milk yield dynamics during perturbations reflect how cows respond to challenges. This study investigated the characteristics of 62,406 perturbations from 16,604 lactation curves of dairy cows milked with an automated milking system at 50 Belgian, Dutch, and English farms. The unperturbed lactation curve representing the theoretical milk yield dynamics was estimated with an iterative procedure fitting a model on the daily milk yield data that was not part of a perturbation. Perturbations were defined as periods of at least 5 d of negative residuals having at least 1 day that the total daily milk production was below 80% of the estimated unperturbed lactation curve. Every perturbation was characterized and split in a development and a recovery phase. Based hereon, we calculated both the characteristics of the perturbation as a whole, and the duration, slopes, and milk losses in the phases separately. A 2-way ANOVA followed by a pairwise comparison of group means was carried out to detect differences between these characteristics in different lactation stages (early, mid-early, mid-late, and late) and parities (first, second, and third or higher). On average, 3.8 ± 1.9 (mean ± standard deviation) perturbations were detected per lactation in the first 305 d after calving, corresponding to an estimated 92.1 ± 135.8 kg of milk loss. Only 1% of the lactations had no perturbations. On average, 2.3 kg of milk was lost per day in the development phase, while the recovery phase corresponded to an average increase in milk production of 1.5 kg/d, and these phases lasted an average of 10.1 and 11.6 d, respectively. Perturbation characteristics were significantly different across parity and lactation stage groups, and early and mid-early perturbations in higher parities were found to be more severe with faster development rates, slower recovery rates, and higher milk losses. The method to characterize perturbations can be used for precision phenotyping purposes that look into the response of cows to challenges or that monitor applications (e.g., to evaluate the development and recovery of diseases and how these are affected by preventive actions or treatments).

Milk production variations between rear and fore udder-halves in Barela dromedary camel

A number of twenty Barela camels were selected from herds present in Thal desert to study the variations from fore and rear part of the udder. The she-camels of 35 parity numbers in early to mid-stage lactation (1–12 months) were selected. All animals were milked twice daily on equal time intervals. The animals were allowed grazing/browsing daily for 10 hr while supplemented with gram straw when back to home. Twice watering was done. The fore and rear half measurements of udder include teat length, width, distance between teats, udder depth and side-wise distance. Regarding results the depth of rear quarters (cm) was found to be 29.36 ± 2.85 (P < 0.05) deep than fore quarters (25.85 ± 2.98). Teat length, width and distance between fore and rear teats were found significantly different (P < 0.05) while side-wise distance between teats (right & left) was found non-significant. The rear teats were found to be longer and thicker than the fore teats. The data regarding milk production and composition showed that rear-half produced significantly as 56.5% of total milk production and the fore-half 43.5%. The rear quarters produced more milk (P < 0.05) as 4.22 ± 0.85 than 3.27 ± 0.73 kg in fore quarters. The rear quarter milk was richer in fats, proteins and total solids percentage as 2.44 ± 0.22, 2.16 ± 0.26 and 2.16 ± 0.26 than 1.92 ± 0.26, 1.53 ± 0.22 and 6.02 ± 0.24 respectively in fore quarters. The fore quarter scored higher (P < 0.05) in lactose percentage as 2.83 ± 0.42 than 2.13 ± 0.31% in rear quarter. The nutrients from rear quarter milk were greater than fore quarter milk. The results could be used for future recommendations about calf feeding programs of camel husbandry in Pakistan.

Carbon footprint, non-renewable energy and land use of dual-purpose cattle systems in Colombia using a life cycle assessment approach

Dual-purpose cattle systems (DPS) include more than 75% of all dairy cows in Latin America and produce 40% of total milk production. Colombia has the fourth largest cattle herd in Latin America, and DPS account for 39% of the cattle population, and 58% of national milk production. Therefore, focusing on reducing the carbon footprint (CF) of DPS can have a huge contribution on mitigating the environmental impacts of the cattle farming sector. The present study aimed to estimate, based on a farm gate life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, the environmental impact of 1313 dual-purpose farms in Colombia. The study also aimed at identifying the main hotspots of negative environmental impacts and proposing possible mitigation options and their cost-effectiveness. The impact categories such as CF, non-renewable energy use, and land use were estimated using the 2019 Refinement to 2006 IPCC, databases, and locally estimated emission factors. Three methods of allocating environmental burdens to meat and milk products were applied. A principal component multivariate analysis (PCA) and a Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components (HCPC) were performed. The largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) in dual-purpose cattle systems comes directly from enteric fermentation, and manure deposited on pasture. The proportion of environmental burdens allocated to meat differed, with the economic method assigning the greater burden (36%), followed by energy content (30%) and mass production (13%). Four farms clusters and two production strategies were identified, a more intensive strategy with high proportion of improved pastures and higher fertilizer application rates (Clusters 1 and 2), and a more extensive with low input of fertilizers and grazing on natural pastures (Clusters 3 and 4). The CF values ranged between 2.1 and 4.2 CO2-eq per kg fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) and between 9.0 and 18.3 CO2-eq per kg meat among clusters. CF, land use, and non-renewable energy use were lowest for clusters 1 and 3. Concerning cost-effectiveness, the adoption of improved pastures is a negative-cost measure and a promising climate change mitigation option. Overall, the CF could be reduced by around 25 to 48% for milk and meat. Therefore, our results suggest that it is possible to reduce GHG emissions by adopting improved pastures, better agricultural management practices, efficient fertilizer usage, and using the optimal stocking rate. It is expected that these reductions can be achieved with at negative costs.

Can Technology Compensate for a Labor Shortage? Effects of 287(g) Immigration Policies on the U.S. Dairy Industry

We leverage spatial and temporal variation in the implementation of county‐level 287(g) immigration enforcement policies as a quasi‐experiment to measure the effects of an inward shift in the local immigrant labor supply on U.S. dairy operations. Our findings show that 287(g) policies cause production and labor expenditures per farm to decrease and labor efficiency to increase. The primary dairy operator is more likely to have off‐farm income, and dairies are more likely to use select labor‐saving technologies after 287(g) is implemented. Nevertheless, the number of dairies in operation, total milk production, and average dairy size in the county decline. Our findings indicate that the dairy industry became more labor efficient and technologically advanced as a result of the 287(g) program. However, total production declined. We conclude that technological gains in the dairy industry were insufficient to entirely offset the negative shock to production resulting from an inward shift in labor supply, at least in the short run. These findings are of importance for labor‐intensive industries that could potentially experience an adverse labor supply shock.

Dairy herd production aspects of family farms in Western Amazon, Brazil

This study aimed to evaluate the production parameters of herds in 100 dairy family farms in the mesoregion of the Acre Valley, in Western Amazon, Brazil. To this end, the farms were divided into two levels of milk production. Data were collected from March to June 2016, using a 248-question semi-structured form and on-site observations. The information was recorded in SPSS® spreadsheets. Dairy farmers were divided into two clusters known as "high production cluster" (1,755.65 L ha-1 yr-1) and "low production cluster" (492.75 L ha-1 yr-1), using the K-means non-hierarchical method. Descriptive statistics was used and, with the aid of the multivariate cluster analysis, cattle ranchers were divided into the two clusters (high and low production). The results showed that the high-production cluster had larger total milk production (L milk cow-1 day-1) and family income within smaller areas and using less workforce. The farmers in this group also used more ear tags for cattle identification and more technologies such as electric fence and artificial insemination at a fixed time. We concluded that family farms should improve their management and receive technical assistance to strengthen their weaknesses in dairy-cow health and reproduction systems. Moreover, milk yield in these dairy farms should be improved to increase profitability of farmers.

Is it possible to accurately estimate lactation curve parameters in extensive beef production systems?

ABSTRACT Objective The objective was to characterize the lactation curve applying 3 different models using multiparous grazing beef cows. Materials and Methods Milk production data from 99 British crossbred multiparous cows grazing native pastures were analyzed. Lactation was assessed 15 d postpartum and then monthly until weaning (180 d postpartum) using a milking machine after an oxytocin injection. Total milk production and lactation curve were characterized using Wood (WD) and Wilmink (WIL) models, and both were compared with spline functions. Comparison was made applying adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adj) and MSE. Results and Discussion Cubic splines with 5 equally spaced knots (CS5) presented the best adjustment (lowest Akaike information criterion and Bayesian information criterion). The R2adj values were 0.55, 0.54, and 0.53 (the greater the better) and MSE values were 2.54, 2.59, and 2.47 (the lower the better) for WD, WIL, and CS5, respectively. Estimated milk production for the lactation period was 1,277, 1,255, and 1,195 kg for WD, WIL, and CS5, respectively. Milk peak was predicted to happen at 32, 25, and 36 d postpartum, with a production of 8.74, 8.21, and 8.40 kg for WD, WIL, and CS5, respectively. No differences were evident in the lactation curves (95% CI). Implications and Applications The proposed method and frequency used to assess grazing beef cattle milk production accurately estimate the lactation curve. The Wood model, used worldwide, was a precise estimator of the lactation curve, which in our case was verified applying splines. These results provide key information to calculate grazing beef cow requirements.

Rethinking local institutional development in India: Theoretical perspectives and analysis of dairy cooperatives

The quality of institutions indicates the level of economic development in the country. Institutions are a part of a system that is based on human interactions and that leads to the generation of incentives. These incentives can deal with uncertainties and foster economic, social, political growth, provided the human interactions are moderated well. This paper reflects on the strength of the interventionalist institutions like cooperatives in India and promotes institution building for a better future. The base of the paper focuses on the lessons learnt from dairy cooperatives in Gujarat state and discusses the current situation of the cooperatives and challenges faced by them. The cooperatives in India have been old institutions with a great history of success as also failures. Though there are various types of cooperatives in India, the dairy cooperatives have been able to gain more attention in the international market due to the Operation Floods I, II, and III. India has secured its position as one of the largest milk producers in the world. At present, India produces 20% of the total milk production in the world. This paper is a blend and analysis of theoretical perspectives and ground realities of the dairy cooperative sector in India. The paper follows theoretical perspectives from institutional theory to analyse the present scenario of dairy cooperatives in India. It addresses the gaps in the dairy cooperative development sector with an in‐depth analysis of ground realities and contributes to future policy formulation and interventions.

Physical and Financial Performance Analysis of Shivamogga Milk Union Limited (SHIMUL)

The rapid growth in milk supply of India and modernization of dairy is largely credited to the contribution of dairy co-operatives. Karnataka is the ninth largest milk producing state in the country and contribute for about 4.1 per cent of the total milk production in the country. Among the 30 districts of the state, Shivamogga ranks ninth in milk production with a contribution of 3.81 per cent to the total state milk production in the state. The study analysed the business performance of Shivamogga Milk Union Limited (SHIMUL) in Karnataka state in terms of physical and financial indicators using the data pertaining to the decade period ending 2017-18. Data were analysed using the standard descriptive statistics and financial ratios. The results of the study indicated positive annual compound growth rate (CAGR) for all the physical and financial performance indicators. The liquidity ratio of the Union revealed sufficient liquid assets to meet its current obligations as revealed by current ratio (&gt;2) and quick ratio (&gt;0.95). The inventory turnover ratio (39.93) and the gross profit ratio showed satisfactory turnover and profit on every rupee worth of its sales.

Factors affecting and estimates of repeatability for milk production and composition traits in several breeds of dairy cattle

Production records (323) were collected during two calving seasons of Bokane, Friesian and Simmental cows bred at three herds. Cows milked twice daily and milk samples collected at the peak of production to determine fat, protein, lactose, solid non-fat (SNF) %. Data was analyzed for diagnosing the significant effects of the available factors on the studied traits. Repeatability of total milk production (TMP), compositions and correlations among them were estimated. Overall mean of TMP, fat, protein, lactose, and SNF were 3,752.3 kg, 3.129%, 3.065%, 4.507% and 7.688%, respectively. TMP affected by breed, herd, parity and year of calving significantly. Regression of TMP on age at first calving was not significant (–19.597 kg/mo.), whereas regressions on body weight at calving (12.567 kg/kg) and on calf birth weight (157.63 kg/kg) were significant. Breed affects fat and protein significantly. Differences between herds in their fat, lactose and SNF% were significant. Effect of parity was significant on all milk composition except lactose %. Year of calving affects all milk compositions significantly (P&lt;0.01). Effect of sex of calf was significant only on SNF. Highest estimate of correlation (0.73) (P&lt;0.01) was between lactose % and SNF % while lowest estimate (–0.57) (P&lt;0.01) was between TMP and fat %. Estimated values of repeatability for TMP, fat %, protein %, lactose % and SNF % were 0.67, 0.48, 0.26, 0.33, and 0.30 respectively.

Assessment of Genotype by Environment Interaction Via Reaction Norms for Milk Yield in Holstein Cattle of Southern Brazil

Abstract The experiments reported in this research paper were aimed at assessing the genetic responses of a Holstein cow population, as a response to the variations in environmental temperature, through the analysis of the effects resulting from the genotype by environment interaction (GEI), based on reaction norms. Therefore, milk production data was collected from the database of the Paraná Holstein Breeders Association in Brazil for 67,360 primiparous cows born between 1990 and 2015, with the purpose of evaluating the temperature effect, considered as an environmental variable, distinguished under six gradients (17 ºC to 19.5 ºC) over the region. A random regression model was adopted, utilizing the fourth order under the Legendre polynomials, applying the mixed models of analysis by the REML method, and using the WOMBAT software. Additionally, the breeding value of the 15 most representative bulls was assessed, in response to the changes in the temperature gradient. The total milk production on average was estimated at 8,412.83 ± 2,012.08 kg. The heritabilities estimates were found in the low to moderate range, from 0.18 to 0.23, displaying a decline with a rise in the temperature, highlighting the influence it exerted on the heritabilities. Variations in the genetic expression of some bulls were noted to show differences of up to 289 kg of milk in response to the increase in the temperature from 17 ºC to 19.5 ºC. However, all the genetic correlations between the gradients for milk yield were above 0.80, in the range of 0.873 to 0.998, revealing no remarkable interaction between the genotype and environment. This result indicates that the application of the temperature variable in the models of genetic analysis in southern Brazil is not required.

Effects of some environmental factors on somatic cell count and milk chemical composition in cow bulk tank milk

The aim of our research was to determine the influences of some environmental factors on somatic cell count (SCC) and chemical composition of cow bulk tank milk. A total of 428 bulk tank milk samples of Brown Swiss cows were collected between January and October 2006 from family dairy farms located in Kırşehir province of Turkey. To evaluate the effect of farm scale, daily total bulk tank milk production was classified in three groups (small: &amp;lt;20 kg/d; medium: 20-40 kg/d and large: &amp;gt;40 kg/d). Also, three groups were designed according to average SCC values as low (&amp;lt;200x103 cells/ml), medium (200-500x103 cells/ml) and high SCC (&amp;gt;500x103 cells/ml). SCC was transformed according to the base of log10, because it did not show normal distribution.The results showed that sampling season was significantly affected fat content (P&amp;lt;0.05), logSCC, solids-not-fat (SNF), protein, lactose and pH (P&amp;lt;0.01). SCC was the highest in large-scale farms, while the highest fat content was determined in small-scale farms (P&amp;lt;0.01). Also, the lowest pH was found in large-scale farms compared to small and medium-scale farms (P&amp;lt;0.01). Of all bulk tank milk composition, SCC only affected fat content (P&amp;lt;0.05), and the lowest fat content was determined in bulk tank milk with high SCC (&amp;gt;500x103 cell/ml). As a result, It was concluded that season was primarily responsible among the most important environmental factor to increase bulk tank milk quality.