The study aimed to determine whether confinement with TMR during the first 21 DIM, followed by grazing supplemented with partial mixed ration (PMR), alleviates negative energy balance, enhancing productive performance and accelerating the resumption of ovarian cyclicity in primiparous and multiparous dairy cows, relative to a control group managed on grazing supplemented with PMR after calving. Following calving, 16 primiparous and 24 multiparous Holstein dairy cows were blocked and randomly distributed into 2 treatments: one included grazing plus supplementation with PMR after calving (T0), while the other one involved confinement with TMR ad libitum during the first 21 DIM and the same feeding management of T0 from d 22 onwards until 60 DIM (T21).

Subclinical ketosis (SCK) in periparturient cows is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis and energy metabolism disorders. Although in vitro studies show that free fatty acids (FFA) and BHB impair polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) functions—potentially causing secondary infections—limited in vivo evidence exists. Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) modulate metabolism, immunity, and gut microbiota, but their effects on PMN functions and gut microbiota in SCK cows remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate PMN dysfunction and gut microbiota dysbiosis in SCK cows, and clarify the protective effects of APS on these parameters.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) play crucial roles in establishing a healthy gut microbiota in breastfed infants. Many studies have been conducted using samples collected in different areas with varying lifestyles to examine the relationships between milk HMO, infant gut microbiota, and microbial HMO consumption in feces. The present study analyzed the tripartite relationship using samples obtained from Mongolian mothers and infants living in herder and urban environments, a population underrepresented in previous research.

This study investigated how different dietary roughages, Napier-Pakchong (NP), jumbo sorghum (JB), and rice straw (RS) fed to Holstein-Friesian (HF) crossbred cows affect the nutritional, techno-functional, and sensory properties of mozzarella cheese under tropical conditions in Bangladesh. Iso-nitrogenous (≈12.54% CP) and iso-energetic (ME ≈2.35 Mcal/kg of DM) diets were fed to cows in a 33-d long trial, and mozzarella cheese was produced from milk collected over the last 3 d. One-way ANOVA was performed using SAS (version 9.1) to assess the effects of roughage sources on different attributes of the mozzarella cheese.

Effectively evaluating and promoting pro-grazing practices necessitates the implementation of a verification system. To address this imperative, exploration of milk composition analysis as a means to assess grazing practices has garnered substantial attention. In this study, we used component predictions from milk Fourier-transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectra to construct an indicator to estimate the proportion of herbage consumed by dairy cows and another indicator to validate grazing. This approach was developed and validated using 75 estimated bulk milk analyses, each associated with 3 variables related to feeding from the same day ± 3 d, totaling 526 observations.

Intramammary infections are common in nonlactating dairy cattle and have been shown to disrupt mammary tissue architecture in nonpregnant heifers. However, their effect on mammary development during pregnancy remains unclear. This study assessed the effects of IMI on mammary gland development in pregnant dairy heifers during late gestation. The study used 21 pregnant Holstein heifers, divided across 3 gestational stages (∼5.75, 6.75, and 7.75 mo of gestation; corresponding to 180 ± 2, 208 ± 2, and 238 ± 2 d pregnant, respectively).

Fertility traits such as daughter pregnancy rate (DPR), cow conception rate, and heifer conception rate are key predictors of reproductive performance in dairy herds. However, their low heritability, likely due to their multifactorial nature and difficulty in measuring phenotypes, poses challenges for genetic improvement. Oocyte competence, encompassing nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation, is a critical factor influencing fertility. Errors in chromosome segregation during nuclear maturation can result in aneuploidy, which leads to embryonic mortality.

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of dietary starch concentration by replacing high-moisture corn with soy hulls and a direct-fed microbial (DFM) containing Bacillus subtilis 810 and Bacillus licheniformis 809 on the lactation performance, feeding behavior, total-tract nutrient digestibility, and enteric CH4 emissions of dairy cows. Sixty-four multiparous Holstein cows (67 ± 24 DIM and 729 ± 60 kg of BW at the beginning of the covariate period) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement for a 12-wk treatment period, after a 1-wk acclimation period and 2-wk covariate period.

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of feeding rumen-protected Met (RPM; KESSENT M, Kemin Industries Inc., Des Moines, IA) and rumen-protected Lys (RPL; LysiGEM, Kemin Industries Inc., Des Moines, IA) prepartum at the same AA-to-ME ratio (3.21 g/Mcal of Lys and 1.21 g/Mcal of Met) with different concentrations of NEL on the performance of dairy cows. Sixty-two multiparous Holstein cows were assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments in a randomized, complete block design. Prepartum (−21 d to expected calving), cows were fed a controlled-energy (CE) diet (wheat straw based diet, 1.45 NEL[2.33 ME] Mcal/kg of DM] with RPL and RPM (CEAA; 0.15% RPL and 0.09% RPM of dietary DMI), CE diet without RPL and RPM (control; CENAA), or high-energy (HE) diet (corn silage–based diet, 1.71 NEL[2.70 ME], Mcal/kg of DM] with RPL and RPM (HEAA; RPL 0.22% and RPM 0.12% of dietary DMI).

Clostridium tyrobutyricum is a spore-forming bacterium and is considered to be one of the main causative agents of late blowing defect (LBD) of hard and semi-hard cheeses. However, the spoilage potential of C. tyrobutyricum appears to be strain dependent. Because previous studies have been mostly limited to laboratory liquid media or experimental food models imitating cheese matrix, we (1) characterized 6 strains of C. tyrobutyricum for their ability to cause LBD in washed-curd cheese aged at 8°C and 15°C, and (2) probed the whole-genome data for the genetic markers linked to LBD.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the precision and accuracy of GreenFeed (GF) Emission Monitoring system in measuring O2, CO2, and CH4 exchanges, and heat production (HP) when compared with respiration chambers (RC). Thirty-two lactating Nordic Red cows (634 ± 60.4 kg BW, 145 ± 63.1 DIM, 28.9 ± 6.7 kg milk/d, and parity 1.6 ± 1.16) allocated to 8 blocks based on BW, milk yield, DIM, and parity were used to compare CO2, O2, and CH4 exchanges measured by GF units (n = 2) versus RC (n = 4) in a switch-back design.

This review article presents an overview of the structure-function characteristics and extensive applications of complexes formed between lactoferrin (Lf) and various bioactive compounds. Lactoferrin, a glycoprotein predominantly found in colostrum, possesses iron-binding capacity and exhibits a wide range of biological activities, including antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antitumor effects. Through complexation with proteins, phenolic compounds, polysaccharides, and other bioactive substances, the structural and functional properties of Lf are significantly improved, enhancing its potential applications in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and industrial sectors.

Ruminants rely on hepatic gluconeogenesis to support whole-body glucose metabolism and to supply glucose for lactose synthesis. Understanding the effect of plane of nutrition before parturition on the capacity for hepatic gluconeogenesis in dairy cows may provide a basis for improved cow health and productivity in the subsequent lactation. Our objectives were to determine the effects of far-off (FO) dry period diet, close-up (CU) period diet, and their interaction on adaptations in metabolism of gluconeogenic substrates (Ala and propionate) in liver slices.

Random regression models (RRM) combined with single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP) are widely used for genomic evaluations in dairy cattle. This study aimed to efficiently implement RRM with ssGBLUP for national dairy cattle evaluations. Data from the Czech Holstein population were used, including 30 million test-day records for milk yield across 3 lactations. The pedigree included 2.5 million animals, of which 54,000 were genotyped. To enhance model convergence, we used a reduced number of genetic groups by combining groups with few records, and treated them as random.

Buckwheat is a common straw crop that contains an abundance of flavonoids and could be used as an antioxidant additive in animal diets. In this study, the effects of a commercial buckwheat rhizome flavonoid extract (BRFE) on milk production, plasma pro-oxidant and antioxidant, the ruminal metagenome, and ruminal metabolites in dairy goats were evaluated. Forty healthy, multiparous, nonpregnant Guanzhong dairy goats were blocked by DIM (122 ± 5.1 d), milk yield (1,461 ± 91 g/d), parity (3.80 ± 0.76 lactations), and BW (44.18 ± 2.47 kg), and were assigned to 1 of 4 diets.

Selective breeding has been practiced since domestication, but early breeders commonly selected on appearance (e.g., coat color) rather than performance traits (e.g., milk yield). A breeding index converts information about several traits into a single number, typically representing total economic merit, that can be used for selection or to predict an animal's own performance. The first USDA selection index released in 1971 included only milk and fat yield, whereas the 2025 revision of the Lifetime Net Merit (NM$) index includes 17 traits and composites (weighted averages of other traits).

There was a numerical error in Table 5 of this article. The correction appears in boldface in the table below.

In this article, several instances of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus were inadvertently replaced with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. Additionally, 1 instance of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was set in roman text instead of italics, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NUC08 was missing a digit in Table 4.

In this article, xi was used in place of zeta in a number of instances. The corrected instances appear in boldface below.

The authors regret the error.