This study investigated early postnatal weight dynamics in 19 Brown Swiss calves (11 male, 8 female) during their first week of life. It was hypothesized that high-frequency weight monitoring during the first week of life in neonatal calves could reveal patterns of postprandial weight loss and early growth dynamics, which may be used to estimate metabolic activity. Calves were housed individually in hutches on calibrated scales that recorded BW every 10 s, enabling high-resolution monitoring of growth and postprandial weight changes.

Preservation and storage of colostrum on farm is challenging, since cold temperature storage facilities (refrigerators and freezers) often cannot accommodate the volume of colostrum required to feed calves. Potassium sorbate preservative (PSP) is a readily available food grade preservative used in wine and cheese production; shown to be very effective at preserving colostrum at both refrigeration and ambient temperatures. Aims of the current work were to determine the optimal concentration and inclusion volume rate (IVR) of PSP to preserve bovine colostrum for feeding to neonatal calves.

Yogurt, one of the most consumed fermented dairy products, is produced with Lactobacillus and Streptococcus thermophilus as classical starter cultures. The enumeration of their viable bacterial cells is extremely important for yogurt production and supervision. This study developed 2 novel oligonucleotide probes (NOP), along with flow cytometry (FC) method for rapid and simultaneous quantification of the 2 probiotics. The NOP exhibited excellent specificity, as validated by 5 Streptococcus thermophilus strains, 11 Lactobacillus strains, and 32 other bacterial strains, and the FC method could accurately identify viable cells.

Dairy cows are highly susceptible to heat stress, which has a detrimental effect on milk production, fertility performance, and animal welfare. These adverse effects will increase as dairy-producing regions continue to be affected by climate change. To address this, Australia implemented a genetic evaluation for heat tolerance in 2017, which was updated in 2024. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between heat tolerance solutions from the official genetic evaluation and other important traits in Australian Holsteins and Jerseys.

The objective of this randomized controlled experiment was to evaluate the effect on first-service reproductive outcomes for lactating Holstein cows of a targeted reproductive management program including insemination in estrus (AIE) after a modified Double-Ovsynch protocol and re-enrollment of nonestrus cows in a synchronization of ovulation protocol. Lactating dairy cows (n = 2,101) from a commercial dairy farm fitted with neck-attached sensors for automated detection of estrus were synchronized with a Double-Ovsynch protocol up to the first PGF2α (PGF-L) of the Breeding-Ovsynch portion of the protocol (GnRH, 7 d later PGF2α, 3 d later GnRH, 7 d later GnRH, 7 d later PGF2α, 1 d later PGF2α).

Consumer preferences for food products serve as a fundamental factor that influences purchasing and utilization decisions. Consumer preferences for infant formula (IF) are predominantly determined by its aroma characteristics. This study examined the volatile flavor compounds (VOC), aroma characteristics of IF detected via GC–ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), quantitative descriptive analysis, and consumer testing, respectively, hoping to provide a novel perspective for enterprise quality control.

The objective of this study was to characterize the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of iodoform in dairy cows through 3 complementary experiments. In study I, biological fluids (ruminal, duodenal, serum, milk, and urine) were collected from Danish Holstein dairy cows during a dose–response experiment conducted as a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The samples were used to determine the fate of iodoform and its metabolite, diiodomethane, by quantifying the amount of iodoform and diiodomethane in these samples.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation with Bacillus licheniformis 809 and Bacillus subtilis 810 on DMI, colostrum quality, milk yield and composition, nutrient digestibility, feeding behavior, metabolic, and health parameters of dairy cows during the transition period. Sixty multiparous Holstein cows were divided into 2 groups: a control group (CG) receiving no additives and a Bacillus group (BG) receiving 3 g of a direct-fed microbial (DFM; 3.2 × 109 cfu/g of DFM).

Sorghum, a drought-tolerant crop, may serve as a promising forage alternative to corn in water-scarce regions. The study objective was to assess the effect of replacing conventional (nonbrown midrib) corn silage (CCS) with brown midrib male-sterile sorghum silage (BMR-MS-SS) at replacement rates of 0% (control), 25% (25%-BMR-MS-SS), and 50% (50%-BMR-MS-SS) on apparent total-tract nutrient digestibility (TTD), DMI, and ECM production. Compared with the control, protein concentrates and grass hay were decreased and dry ground corn increased in 25%-BMR-MS-SS and 50%-BMR-MS-SS to maintain similar nutrient composition among diets.

The objective of this observational study was to investigate the association between the duration of labor, calving assistance, and uterine diseases, as well as estimate a reference time to be used as a guideline for providing calving assistance based on the health outcome of metritis. Holstein cows (n = 496) were enrolled approximately 3 wk before their expected calving date. Cameras were used to record calving behavior of a subset of cows (n = 286), where the occurrence of calving assistance (forced extraction lasting a minimum of 5 s), calving location, and pen movement during labor were recorded.

This study examined national patterns in Taiwan's frozen dairy cattle semen imports from 2020 to 2024 using official import clearance records issued by the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine. A total of 643 individual Holstein sires were identified across all shipments during the 5-yr period. Annual import volumes, semen type distributions, and sire-specific usage patterns were analyzed to characterize changes in breeding strategies. Genetic indices for imported sires were obtained from the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding August 2025 evaluation and linked with import data to assess how sire characteristics corresponded to importer preferences.

Dairy cow grazing is widely appreciated by society due to its perceived benefits for animal welfare and health. However, concerns about dairy cow health are also cited as reasons for adopting year-round confinement systems. Comprehensive assessments on the relation of grazing intensity and duration (GID) with dairy cow production and health under practical conditions are lacking. This exploratory, longitudinal observational field study assessed the association between grazing parameters and production and health indicators in 70 commercial Dutch dairy herds during the 2023 and 2024 grazing seasons.

This study evaluated the production performance, milk fatty acid profile, nutrient digestibility, and enteric methane (CH4) emissions of high-producing dairy cows fed high-forage (HF; 52% forage) or low-forage (LF; 37% forage) diets containing triticale silages harvested at either the boot (BT) or soft-dough (SFT) stage. The BT stage silage contained 16.7% CP, 51.1% NDF, 35.0% ADF, 3.7% ADL, and 2.2% starch, whereas the SFT stage silage contained 8.7% CP, 62.6% NDF, 46.1% ADF, 6.4% ADL, and 4.6% starch.

With increasing consumer demand for goat milk, accelerating the breeding of elite dairy goats through livestock embryo engineering has become imperative. Elucidating estrogen's molecular mechanism in primordial follicle activation is crucial for improving in vitro embryo production to enhance breeding efficiency. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which estrogen regulates the activation of primordial follicles in goats. By supplementing the ovarian cortical fragment culture system with estrogen and small molecular reagents, and utilizing experimental techniques including hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining, immunofluorescence staining, RT quantitative PCR, Western blot analysis, and ELISA, we demonstrated that the protein levels of phosphorylated (p)-mTOR, p-rpS6, and KITL were significantly higher in granulosa cells of growing follicles than in those of primordial follicles in goat ovaries.

This study used a data fusion approach, combining rumen and milk metabolomic profiling, to investigate the biochemical effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP), an effective methanogenesis inhibitor. A controlled feeding trial was conducted in 2 phases (i.e., summer and fall) with Holstein dairy cows (n = 30/phase) fed a diet supplemented for 9 wk with 60 mg/kg DM of 3-NOP or a placebo. Rumen fluid and milk samples were collected at the end of the experimental phases and analyzed using ultra-HPLC coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

This study examined the effects of supplementation with increasing levels of RUP on performance, nitrogen metabolism, and mammary gland development in grazing dairy heifers. Twenty-eight 5/8 crossbred Holstein × Gyr dairy heifers (initial BW of 278 ± 50.4 kg) grazed on Megathyrsus maximus cv. BRS Quênia grass pastures for an experimental period of 84 d, divided into 4 subperiods of 21 d each. The experiment followed a completely randomized design in a 4 × 3 factorial arrangement, with 4 supplementation strategies (control [CON], or supplementation with 30% [RUP30], 48% [RUP48], or 66% [RUP66] RUP) and 3 initial BW classes (light, medium, and heavy).

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of published equations for estimating the BW of day-old beef × dairy (B × D) male calves based on morphological measures, and to develop, test, evaluate, cross-evaluate, and validate BW-predictive equations using body morphological measurements. Three hundred twenty B × D male calves were enrolled upon arrival at the calf-raising facility, and morphological measurements such as BW, heart girth (HG), hip height (HH), and hoof circumference (HC) were recorded from each calf within the first 24 h of life.

Understanding salt diffusion is essential for optimizing salt uptake during cheese production. Although multiple interacting factors complicate this process, the utilization of a model cheese system offers a controlled platform to evaluate their relative influence. This study developed a model using renneted gels prepared from micellar casein concentrate and investigated the use of salty whey, a secondary byproduct of Cheddar production, as an alternative salting medium. We assessed the effects of varying the pH, fat, and calcium contents of the model cheese and salting temperature on salt migration.

Female cattle with low-anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) have fewer antral follicles and reduced in vitro embryo production (IVEP) potential than high-AMH females. In addition, granulosa cells of low-AMH females have a diminished responsiveness to FSH, despite elevated circulating FSH concentrations. However, AMH phenotype is generally not considered when establishing FSH dosage for ovarian superstimulation. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effect of FSH dosage on IVEP outcomes in high- and low-AMH female cattle.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen problematic for the dairy industry, prompting dairy manufacturers to seek antilisterial additives to reduce the risk in dairy products that support the survival and growth. Bacillus spp. have been explored as being potential producers of antilisterial metabolites to inhibit Listeria spp. Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus were cultured in a food-grade medium mimicking tryptic soy broth supplemented with yeast extract (FG-TSBYE) and processed into foamed cell-free supernatant (CFS-F) to produce a cultured ingredient.