The objective of this study was to identify the differences in the transition period time budget of first-lactation cows that adapt quickly to a free-traffic automatic milking system (AMS) versus those that require more chronic fetching during the adaptation period following calving. A total of 22 primiparous Holstein cows were observed from ∼21 d before calving to 23 DIM, following their adaptation to an AMS. During the prepartum period, heifer time budgets were monitored for rumination, feeding activities, lying behavior, and standing behavior.

Despite the routine use of SCS and differential somatic cell count (DSCC) as indirect udder health indicators, few studies explored how these 2 traits and their interaction can affect milk quality, especially in terms of mineral elements. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of SCS, DSCC, and their interaction on the concentration and daily excretion of major minerals (Ca, Mg, K, S, P, Cl, and Na) in bovine milk. A total of 1,060 Brown Swiss cows from 53 commercial herds in northern Italy were individually sampled over a 14-mo period.

To enhance the performance of CN as a natural emulsifier in complex food systems, this study prepared CN-isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO) conjugates via Maillard reaction under wet-heat conditions, systematically investigating their structural and functional changes. With increasing CN-IMO ratio, the grafting degree first increased and then decreased, reaching a maximum of 36.39% in the CI53 sample. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy indicated covalent bonding between CN and IMO, accompanied by significant protein conformational rearrangement.

Commercial dairy farms face major challenges in safeguarding animal welfare and overall farm sustainability from environmental heat stressors. As climate change drives increased temperatures in many places, it is essential to predict the potential effects of heat stress on dairy cows to mitigate the adverse impact. This study aimed to develop an eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) machine learning model to predict the daily milk production of 3,369 lactating dairy cows under different climatic conditions across 10 different commercial dairy farms in Australia.

This study investigates the functionality of mesoscale whey protein particles (WPP) derived from fiber- and ribbon-shaped whey protein assemblies produced via a liquid antisolvent precipitation-based method. The air-water (A-W) interfacial characteristics, foaming properties, and heat stability of WPP were evaluated and compared with the original whey protein source, whey protein isolate (WPI). Adsorption dynamics and dilatational rheology at the A-W interface were characterized using pendant drop and oscillating drop methods, respectively.

Farmers play a key role in mastitis management, particularly in deciding whether and when to contact a veterinarian or initiate treatment. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate how herd udder health status (measured as average herd SCC), relates to farmers' health-seeking behavior, and how this behavior is influenced by farmers' herd-level udder health perception, perceived control, motivational values, and production system (organic vs. conventional). A survey was distributed to 697 Swedish dairy farmers using automatic milking systems, with 244 complete responses and 164 included in the final analysis.

Dairy cows undergo profound metabolic challenges as they transition from lactation cessation to lactation resumption. Adipose tissue (AT), serving as the primary energy reserve and an active endocrine organ, plays a crucial role in these adaptations. Thus, the objective of the current study was a comprehensive characterization of the metabolic changes in the AT metabolome of Holstein dairy cows as they transitioned from one lactation cycle to the next, providing key insights into the dynamic adaptations crucial for maintaining energy homeostasis and optimizing lactational performance.

The intake of sufficient milk in the postnatal age is crucial for the physical development of the calf. Farmers struggle to assess whether the calves have consumed sufficient colostrum or milk on farms with unobserved birth, in cow-bonded calf-rearing systems or early group housing with unobserved bucket feeding. The study aimed to find exterior traits that can be used to classify the body condition and nutritional status of suckling calves during wk 1 to 4 after birth. In a second dataset, threshold values for the percentage change in flank circumference in relation to the milk intake (% BW) were determined in calves aged 8 to 10 d after birth.

The objective of this cohort study was to determine if bovine leukemia virus (BLV) positivity, identified using quantitative PCR (qPCR), was associated with health and growth outcomes in nonreplacement dairy calves. A commercial calf-raising facility located in Southwestern Ontario was used, where a total of 768 male dairy calves (726 Holstein, 42 crossbred), estimated to be 3 to 10 d of age, had 3 blood samples taken at 1 d, 30, and 84 after arrival to the facility. Whole blood EDTA samples were taken and sent to the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine for qPCR analysis to determine positivity for BLV.

Hoof horn lesions (HHL) are a highly prevalent and recurrent causes of lameness in dairy cattle globally. The digital cushion is composed of 3 cylinders of adipose tissue embedded in a system of collagenous connective tissue, which are designed to reduce the risk of HHL onset. Previous research has identified that animals with a history of lameness and HHL are more likely to have a reduced digital cushion volume in their lateral digits, but the impact on the histological structure remains unknown.

The objective was to identify the physiological mechanisms underpinning differences in fertility in Holstein-Friesian and Jersey (J) cow populations with divergent genetic backgrounds. The study was conducted over 2 years using animals comprising 2 divergent genetic groups (GG) of Holstein-Friesian cows: elite and national average (NA). The elite cows were representative of the top 5% of cows in the Irish national herd for the Economic Breeding Index (EBI), and the NA cows were representative of the national average EBI cow in Ireland.

Bovine spastic syndrome, known as Crampy, is a neuromuscular disorder in cattle. Affected cattle, 2 yr or older, suffer from involuntary muscle spasms in their hind limbs, leading to discomfort and reduced mobility. This often results in early culling from the herd, causing substantial financial loss for producers. Given the welfare implications and economic burden associated with Crampy, it is crucial to identify effective strategies to mitigate its occurrence. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of genetic selection to reduce Crampy by estimating variance components, evaluating the effect of incorporating genomic information, investigating Crampy's relationship with other economically important traits, and identifying genomic regions associated with Crampy in Canadian Holstein dairy cattle.

This systematic review examines the past and present focus of welfare research in pastoral dairy production systems and uses these insights to suggest future research priorities. We included original research articles published between 2000 and 2024 that studied dairy cows, weaned youngstock or preweaning calves in pastoral dairy systems and reporting on animal welfare outcomes. Review articles were excluded. Three thousand peer-reviewed manuscripts written in English were screened for inclusion.

Enteric methane (CH4) emission from ruminant livestock results in a loss of digestible feed energy, which has significant implications for animal production and contributes to global warming. Digestible feed energy losses and GHG emissions are sufficient justifications for devising strategies that reduce enteric CH4 emissions from ruminants. Of the available and horizon GHG mitigation strategies for ruminants, there is currently considerable enthusiasm in the use of feed additive methanogenesis inhibitors.

The implementation of automatic milking systems (AMS) in modern dairy farming has significantly facilitated genetic evaluation of udder conformation traits in dairy cattle. As AMS-based udder conformation traits are highly heritable in Holstein cattle, this study aimed to identify genomic regions, QTL, and genes significantly associated with 3 udder conformation traits derived from Cartesian coordinates recorded by AMS in American Holstein cows. The traits evaluated included udder depth (UD), udder balance (UB), and distance front-rear (DFR).

As public concern over the potential health risks associated with high-fat diets intensifies, the market for low-fat dairy is experiencing a surge in demand. However, sensory characteristics, including flavor and mouthfeel, significantly influence consumer preferences, underscoring the importance of understanding how these attributes affect overall acceptance of milk. This study employs check-all-that-apply, quantitative descriptive analysis, rate-all-that-apply, and facial emotion intensity to dissect the sensory attributes of skimmed, low-fat, and whole milk and their influence on consumer satisfaction.

The objective of this retrospective descriptive study was to characterize housing and herd management practices of Quebec dairy farms. Pre-existent survey data (housing, husbandry, and herd health; 36 questions) collected in person by Lactanet technicians (n = 116; March 2020 to February 2021) from 1,965 herds were used. Results were segregated by facility type (freestall [FS] vs. tiestall herds [TS]) and summarized using descriptive statistics. The average herd size was 76 ± 56 cows, with 65 ± 47 milking cows, peaking at 40 ± 5 kg/d, with most herds housed their milking cows in TS facilities (80%).

Palmitic and stearic acid are commonly fed to dairy cows but limited data are available on their effects on thermal properties of milk fat, especially when fed at different levels. Recently, some consumers voiced concerns about butter being harder at room temperature and questioned if it was caused by palmitic acid supplementation of dairy cows. Our hypothesis was that increasing palmitic acid intake would linearly increase palmitic acid in milk fat and, therefore, increase the solid fat content (SFC) of milk fat at 20°C, whereas increasing stearic acid intake would increase both stearic and oleic acid in milk fat and not change the SFC of milk fat at 20°C.

Lung ultrasonography (LUS) has emerged as an on-farm tool that can rapidly characterize pulmonary abnormalities in young cattle. This tool is particularly useful for detecting the lung consolidation associated with bronchopneumonia following bacterial infection of the lower airway. The aim of this review is to discuss on-farm LUS techniques, the contributions of LUS to bovine respiratory disease research, and potential applications in cattle practice. Lung ultrasonography studies consistently demonstrate associations between lung consolidation and negative economic outcomes, including (among others): reduced growth, lower future carcass weights in veal calves, premature culling, and lower future milk production in dairy cattle.

Goat cheese is a nutritionally rich product, but it is often associated with a distinctive “goaty” flavor due to volatile compounds such as short-chain fatty acids. Traditional fermentation agents have limited efficacy in enhancing both texture and flavor. In this study, a mixed starter culture composed of the indigenous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SY6 and Latilactobacillus curvatus GC1, both with verified probiotic characteristics, was developed from fresh goat cheese to enhance overall quality.