Dairy R&D in SA

Background: Sporidesmin toxicity or Facial eczema is a liver disease of cattle caused by a fungus that lives in pasture moribund material of mainly ryegrass.

Cow fertility is vital on every dairy farm, as reduced fertility results in extended calving intervals, fewer lifetime lactations per cow, and higher replacement rates, with dire consequences to both biological and economic sustainability. Optimising fertility traits, such as calving interval, age at first calving, conception rates and days open must therefore be priority in cow management.

The relationship between farm and retail prices provides insights into marketing efficiency, consumer and farmer welfare. In light of this, much focus has been given to price transmission studies. Thus, price transmission studies have become increasingly important in Sub Saharan Africa because of its nature of providing clear insights information into our markets.

Sporidesmin toxicity (i.e. facial eczema) is poorly understood and difficult to recognise clinically until significant liver damage has occurred, but subclinical liver damage may already have caused a drop in milk production and specifically in milk solids.

To sustainably increase net farm income dairy farmers must ensure resources are utilized optimally while also improving the environmental impact of the farming system.

The author recently posed the question to Google, what is the relationship between soil carbon (SOC), photosynthesis, water vapour and the atmospheric hydroxyl (OH) radical.

Atmospheric oxygen (O₂) is the most crucial element for life on earth, being essential in respiration and releasing energy from carbon-based macromolecules, primarily through photosynthesis.

The DESTiny model measures greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and biogenic carbon flows across the animal, feed, external input, soil and economic components of a dairy farm, breaking these down into a net GHG balance expressed per farm, per kg fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM), per livestock unit (LSU) and per hectare. Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions are expressed as CO2-equivalent using IPCC (2023).

Introduction: Methane of all greenhouse gases (GHG) has probably received the most attention in global environmental policy, and by some scientists, activists and the general public.

Neospora caninum is a cyst-forming coccidian protozoan with a broad host range, but a preference for cattle and dogs. It is maintained through a complex life cycle involving mainly dog hosts and a number of intermediate hosts.