scholarly journals Effects of nutrients supply on milk yield, composition, and enteric methane gas emissions from smallholder dairy farms in Rwanda

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-104
Author(s):  
Jean de Dieu Ayabagabo ◽  
◽  
Paul Anthans Onjoro ◽  
Perminus Karubiu Migwi ◽  
Marie Christine Dusingize ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Methane Gas ◽  
Rain Season ◽  
Enteric Methane ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms

This study investigated the effects of feed on milk yield and quality through feed monitoring and quality assessment, and the consequent enteric methane gas emissions from smallholder dairy farms in drier areas of Rwanda, using the Tier II approach for four seasons in three zones namely; Mayaga and peripheral Bugesera (MPB), Eastern Savanna and Central Bugesera (ESCB), and Eastern plateau (EP). The study was carried out using 186 dairy cows with a mean live weight of 292 Kg in three communal cowsheds. The milk quality analysis was carried out on 418 samples. Data collected were subjected to ANOVA.The dry matter intake was lower (p<0.05) in the long dry season (7.24 Kg) with the ESCB zone having the highest value of 9.10 Kg. The Dry matter digestibility varied between seasons and zones ranging from 52.5 to 56.4% for seasons and from 51.9 to 57.5% for zones. The daily protein supply was higher (p<0.05) in the long rain season with 969 g. The mean daily milk production of lactating cows was 5.6 L with a lower value (p<0.05) during the long dry season (4.76 L) and MPB zone having the lowest value of 4.65 L. The yearly milk production per cow was 1179 L. The milk fat varied from 3.79 to 5.49% with a seasonal and zone variation. No variation was observed with milk protein. The seasonal daily methane emission varied from 150 g for the long dry season to 174 g for the long rain season (p<0.05). The mean emission factor was 59.4 Kg of methane/year. The methane emission per unit of milk production was lower in EP zone (46.8 g/L). Farmers should use high-quality feeds to increase the milk yield and reduce the methane gas produced per unit of milk

scholarly journals Practices to Reduce Milk Carbon Footprint on Grazing Dairy Farms in Southern Uruguay: Case Studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Lizarralde ◽  
Valentin Picasso ◽  
C. Alan Rotz ◽  
Monica Cadenazzi ◽  
Laura Astigarraga
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Feeding Management ◽  
The Impact

<p>Carbon footprint (CF) is an increasingly important indicator of the impact of a product on climate change. This study followed international guidelines to quantify the CF of milk produced on 24 grazing-based dairy farms in southern Uruguay. Cows grazed all year-round and were supplemented with concentrate feeds. Dairy farms varied in annual milk yield per cow (5672 ± 1245 kg fat and protein corrected milk [FPCM]), milk production per ha (4075 ± 1360 kg FPCM/ha), cow stocking rate (0.71 ± 0.12 cows/ha), feed intake (13.3 ± 2.2 kg dry matter [DM]/cow/day) and percentage of concentrate in the diet (36 ± 12% DM) giving an average CF of 0.99 ± 0.10 kg CO<sub>2</sub> (equivalent [eq]/kg FPCM) over all farms. Total milk production per ha, milk yield per cow and dry matter intake explained most of the variation in CF. Strategies that provide the highest milk production per ha using high yielding cows and a high portion of lactating cows in the herd were identified as the best management practices for reducing CF. Low forage intake in Uruguay is often a consequence of low yielding pastures and high stocking rates. Overall, this study concluded that a reduction in CF is not achieved through increased concentrate intake unless forage consumption is also unconstrained. Improved pasture and feeding management can be used to reduce the CF of milk produced in Uruguay.</p>

scholarly journals Evaluation of Dairy Cattle Productivity in Smallholder Farms in Nyeri County, Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Aweer Duot Ajak ◽  
Charles K. Gachuiri ◽  
Margaret M. M. Wanyoike
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Breeding Systems ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Feed Resources ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Smallholder Dairy ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms

Dairy cattle production contributes approximately 4.5% of the Kenyan National Gross Domestic Product, creates jobs along the value chain and plays a key role in food security. However, average milk yield per cow is still low under smallholder dairy production system despite concerted efforts to improve productivity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the productivity of smallholder dairy farms in 2 sub-counties of Nyeri County. A semi structured questionnaire was administered to collect data on feed resources and feeding systems, breeds and breeding systems, calf management, age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), calving interval (CI), milk yield (MY) and lactation length (LL) in smallholder dairy farms. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The dominant feed resources and feeding system were roughages (mostly Napier grass), concentrates and mineral supplements (87.2%) and stall feeding (74.2%). Majority of the farmers kept Friesians (82.2%) with (94.5%) using artificial insemination. Most of the farmers (83.5%) fed 2-4 litres of colostrum to the calves and the method of feeding was majorly bucket feeding (93.0%). High proportion of farmers (97.7%) fed the colostrum from 0-6 hours after calving and (59.6%) weaned calves at 3 months. The AFS was mainly 18-20 months and above, while the mean AFC, CI, and LL were 28.7±2.84, 15.2±5.11 and 10.0±4.90 months, respectively. The mean milk yield was 10.7±5.85 litres/cow/day. The main challenges to dairy cattle production were feed shortages (30.6%), low farmgate milk prices (28.3%) and high cost of concentrate feeds (17.8%). It was concluded that performance of dairy cattle in the study area was poor attributed mostly to feed shortages and low milk prices. To improve productivity, feed availability and cost together with farmgate price of milk should be addressed.

scholarly journals Understanding variability in greenhouse gas emission estimates of smallholder dairy farms in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Titis Apdini ◽  
Windi Al Zahra ◽  
Simon J. Oosting ◽  
Imke J. M. de Boer ◽  
Marion de Vries ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Population Mean ◽  
Smallholder Dairy ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms

Abstract Purpose Life cycle assessment studies on smallholder farms in tropical regions generally use data that is collected at one moment in time, which could hamper assessment of the exact situation. We assessed seasonal differences in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) from Indonesian dairy farms by means of longitudinal observations and evaluated the implications of number of farm visits on the variance of the estimated GHGE per kg milk (GHGEI) for a single farm, and the population mean. Methods An LCA study was done on 32 smallholder dairy farms in the Lembang district area, West Java, Indonesia. Farm visits (FVs) were performed every 2 months throughout 1 year: FV1–FV3 (rainy season) and FV4–FV6 (dry season). GHGEs were assessed for all processes up to the farm-gate, including upstream processes (production and transportation of feed, fertiliser, fuel and electricity) and on-farm processes (keeping animals, manure management and forage cultivation). We compared means of GHGE per unit of fat-and-protein-corrected milk (FPCM) produced in the rainy and the dry season. We evaluated the implication of number of farm visits on the variance of the estimated GHGEI, and on the variance of GHGE from different processes. Results and discussion GHGEI was higher in the rainy (1.32 kg CO2-eq kg−1 FPCM) than in the dry (0.91 kg CO2-eq kg−1 FPCM) season (P < 0.05). The between farm variance was 0.025 kg CO2-eq kg−1 FPCM in both seasons. The within farm variance in the estimate for the single farm mean decreased from 0.69 (1 visit) to 0.027 (26 visits) kg CO2-eq kg−1 FPCM (rainy season), and from 0.32 to 0.012 kg CO2-eq kg−1 FPCM (dry season). The within farm variance in the estimate for the population mean was 0.02 (rainy) and 0.01 (dry) kg CO2-eq kg−1 FPCM (1 visit), and decreased with an increase in farm visits. Forage cultivation was the main source of between farm variance, enteric fermentation the main source of within farm variance. Conclusions The estimated GHGEI was significantly higher in the rainy than in the dry season. The main contribution to variability in GHGEI is due to variation between observations from visits to the same farm. This source of variability can be reduced by increasing the number of visits per farm. Estimates for variation within and between farms enable a more informed decision about the data collection procedure.

Forage availability and its quality in the dry season on smallholder dairy farms in Tanzania

2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 196-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Mtengeti ◽  
E. C. J. H. Phiri ◽  
N. A. Urio ◽  
D. G. Mhando ◽  
Z. Mvena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Forage Availability ◽  
Smallholder Dairy ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms

scholarly journals Impact Of Genotypes And Parity On Reproductive And Productive Attributes In Dairy Cattle Of Natore District, Bangladesh

1970 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 91-96
Author(s):  
M Saiful Islam ◽  
Susanta Kumar Kundu
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Daily Milk Yield ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Daily Milk ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms

Impact of genotypes and parity on some vital reproductive and productive attributes in the local (L×L, n = 100) and four crossbred cows (L×F, L×SL, L×JR and L×S; n = 318) raised in randomly selected smallholder dairy farms scattered all over Natore District and adjacent areas have been assessed during a period from September 2007 to June 2010. With regard to reproductive attributes, significant differences existed among the cattle genotypes (P<0.05) except for gestation length (GL) and age at weaning (AW). The lowest age at puberty (AP) was found for L×F (21.42±0.37 months), while the highest for L×L (31.67±0.74 months). In terms of productivity, L×F cows produced the highest daily milk yield (DMY; 6.22±0.13 L), coupled with the highest total lactation yield (TLY; 2163.43±47.77 L), while L×L produced the lowest values (1.49±0.04 L and 416.40±12.3 L, respectively) for the traits. The effect of parity on both reproductive and productive attributes showed that the middle-aged dairy cows of the 3rd and 4th parities performed better than the younger (1st and 2nd parities) or the older (5th and beyond) ones. Considering the overall performance, the L×F cows could be ranked as the best genotype followed by their L×SL, L×JR, L×S and L×L counterparts in the study area. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jles.v6i0.9727 JLES 2011 6: 91-96

Effect of feeding oat and vetch forages on milk production and quality in smallholder dairy farms in Central Kenya

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 1051-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon W. Mwendia ◽  
Chris M. Mwungu ◽  
Stanley Karanja Ng’ang’a ◽  
David Njenga ◽  
An Notenbaert
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Smallholder Dairy ◽  
Effect Of Feeding ◽  
Central Kenya ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms

scholarly journals Variation in the carbon footprint of milk production on smallholder dairy farms in central Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 265 ◽  
pp. 121780
Author(s):  
Andreas Wilkes ◽  
Shimels Wassie ◽  
Charles Odhong’ ◽  
Simon Fraval ◽  
Suzanne van Dijk
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Smallholder Dairy ◽  
Central Kenya ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms

scholarly journals Effects of Calliandra and Sesbania on Daily Milk Production in Dairy Cows on Commercial Smallholder Farms in Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
D. N. Makau ◽  
J. A. VanLeeuwen ◽  
G. K. Gitau ◽  
S. L. McKenna ◽  
C. Walton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Protein Supplementation ◽  
Smallholder Farms ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Final Model ◽  
Smallholder Dairy ◽  
Daily Milk Production ◽  
Daily Milk ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms

There is a growing interest in protein supplementation of dairy-cow diets using leguminous shrubs. The study objective was to ascertain the association between diet supplementation with Calliandra calothyrsus and Sesbania sesban and milk production in dairy cattle on commercial smallholder farms. This trial involved 235 cows from 80 smallholder dairy farms in Kenya randomly allocated to 4 intervention groups: (1) receiving Calliandra and Sesbania and nutritional advice; (2) receiving reproductive medicines and advice; (3) receiving both group 1 and 2 interventions; and (4) receiving neither intervention. Farm nutritional practices and management data were collected in a questionnaire, and subsequent physical examinations, mastitis tests, and milk production of cows on the farm were monitored approximately monthly for 16 months. Descriptive and univariable statistical analyses were conducted, and multivariable mixed-model regression was used for identification of factors associated (P<0.05) with daily milk production. The mean milk production was 6.39 liters/cow/day (SD = 3.5). Feeding Calliandra/Sesbania to cows was associated (P<0.0005) with an increase in milk produced by at least 1 liter/cow/day with each kg fed. Other variables positively associated with ln daily milk production in the final model included feeding of Napier grass, amount of silage and dairy meal fed, body condition score, and appetite of the cow. Other variables negatively associated with ln daily milk production in the final model included amount of maize germ fed, days in milk, sudden feed changes, pregnancy, and subclinical mastitis. In conclusion, our field trial data suggest that use of Calliandra/Sesbania through agroforestry can improve milk production in commercial smallholder dairy farms in Kenya. Agroforestry land use systems can be adopted as a way for dairy farmers to cope with feed shortages and low crude protein in farm-available feeds for their cows.

Genetic relationships of fertility traits with test-day milk yield and fat-to-protein ratio in tropical smallholder dairy farms

2015 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 627-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayan Buaban ◽  
Monchai Duangjinda ◽  
Mitsuyoshi Suzuki ◽  
Yutaka Masuda ◽  
Jureeratn Sanpote ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Milk Yield ◽  
Genetic Relationships ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Protein Ratio ◽  
Smallholder Dairy ◽  
Fertility Traits ◽  
Smallholder Dairy Farms
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