Dairy R&D in SA

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).

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.

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.

Frequent power outages in South Africa, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), disrupt critical dairy operations such as milking, cooling, feeding, and pasteurisation, thereby compromising the microbial, physical, and chemical quality of raw milk. This review evaluates the impact of load-shedding on milk quality in KZN, focusing on microbial growth dynamics, temperature fluctuations, and changes in milk composition.

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) encompass food safety as well as a broad range of best practices associated with animal welfare, social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and risk management.

Introduction: Methane produced by ruminants (also called enteric methane) is in the spotlight because of assumptions about its high global warming potential. This has resulted in perceptions and policies with profound effects on worldwide ruminant, especially cattle, keeping and production.

The bioactivity of fermented milk products has been attributed to bioactive metabolites, mainly short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and peptides generated during the fermentation process by starter and probiotic species.