Although the number of dairy farms is decreasing, that of large farms is increasing in Japan. Milk production in Japanese dairy cows has increased from 62 kg/year to 88 kg/year over the last 2 decades. However, Japanese dairy cows are experiencing a sustained decline in reproductive performance, calving intervals, and days open; further, the number of inseminations required for conception have ...

In this paper we use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to estimate technical efficiency for a sample of 1742 Australian dairy farms. Bearing in mind data limitations we find that average technical efficiency is 59 per cent, but there are significant regional differences. These results reflect differences in State level milk marketing arrangements in place before dairy deregulation in July 2000 pr...

The objective of the paper was to analyse the influence of dairy cow management technology, milking method, predipping and summer grazing on the contamination of cow’s raw milk by mesophilic (TBC), psychrotrophic (PBC), lipolytic (PLiBC) and proteolytic (PPrBC) bacteria. The values of TBC, PBC, PLiBC and PPrBC in bulk milk samples were determined by the culture method according to IDF standards...

The competition among dairy producers is sharp nowadays. In this challenging situation the dairies are able to survive by the continuous increase in the efficiency and thereby the profitability of their production. The level of animal health is a basic influential factor of the profitableness on dairy farms, thus, it is very helpful to reveal the herd diseases resulting in the largest economic ...

On-farm processing of value-added dairy products can be a way for small dairy farms to diversify production and increase revenue. This article examines characteristics of three groups of Vermont farmers who have grass-based dairy farms—those producing value-added dairy products, those interested in such products, and those not interested in such products—and their needs for information and assi...

Dairy Farming is a class of agricultural, or more properly, an animal husbandry enterprise, raising female cattle, goats, or certain other lactating livestock for long term production of Milk, which may be either processed on site or transported to a dairy for processing and eventual retail sale. Most dairy farms sell the male calves borne by their cows/buffaloes usually for real production, ra...

The primary objective was to compare reported antimicrobial usage between conventional and organic dairy farms. A secondary objective was to contrast selected management characteristics of conventional and organic dairy herds. A questionnaire was administered on site to selected dairy farmers located in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. Organic herds (n = 32) were smaller and produc...

The efficiency of feed utilization on dairy farms can be influenced by a variety of practices that are beyond the scope of this paper, including many aspects of the harvesting, storage, mixing, and delivery of feed components, as well as the grouping of animals according to nutritional needs. Two practices that will be addressed are: 1) improvement of the biological efficiency of lactating cows...

Salmonella is one of the most serious foodborne pathogenic bacteria in the United States, causing an estimated 1.3 million human illnesses each year. Dairy cows can be reservoirs of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella spp.; it is estimated that from 27 to 31% of dairy herds across the United States are colonized by Salmonella. The present study was designed to examine the occurr...

Variations in milk and feed prices directly affect dairy farm risk management decisions. This research used data from the 2010 US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Resource Management Surveys phase III dairy survey to examine how risk management tools affected revenues and expenses across US dairy farms. The survey was sent to 26 states and collected information on costs and returns to ind...