Dairy R&D in SA

During the transition period (three weeks prior to three weeks after calving), dairy cows experience a period of considerable increase in energy demand coupled with a dramatic reduction in dry matter intake, leading to an unavoidable negative energy balance (NEB), which might cause metabolic and health problems, reduction in milk production as well as in reproductive performance. The site of starch digestion can modulate the negative effects associated with increased rumen starch fermentation such as feed intake, and the occurrence of problems encountered by transition cows.

An elicitation exercise was conducted to collect and identify pressing questions concerning the study of helminths in livestock, to help guide research priorities. The authors cited below are the primary global experts who compiled the report. Whereas this presentation does not cover research results as usual, I consider it important to share their ideas with the reader as a main focus of our R & D is in control of parasites and because prominent researchers in the group are South African or South African of origin.

The preservation of the teat canal is crucial for udder health, as the main route for bacterial infection is via the teat canal. Milking machines differ in layout and settings and continue to be a challenge to the primary immune system of the bovine udder namely the teat canal. Different levels of teat end vacuum during machine milking may influence milking performance and teat condition. When there is little or no milk flow the vacuum at the teat end increases to that in the milking machine system.

The Dairy Industry loses millions of Rand per annum due to age gelation of milk that reduces its shelf life. Age gelation can be induced by anything that has an impact on the suspension of the negative charge on the casein micelle during storage of long life (UHT) milk. This includes the enzymatic or chemical processes that occur during storage. The enzymatic processes involve the action of plasmin (native enzyme) or heat stable microbial proteases.

The 2018 Progress Report of a study by Dr Inge-Marie Petzer of the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria.

Dairy farmers increasingly are employing precision farming practices and computer software that enables them to manage large herds at the individual animal level. In South Africa, dairy farmers have been adopting similar strategies with a trend towards larger production units and the incorporation of automatic milking systems (AMSs). The software used in automatic systems can record production, reproduction and health parameters daily.

Discipline: reproduction; Key words:concentrate level, crossbreeding, days open, energy source, interval traits, genetic parameters, management-induced infertility. 

Some interesting results have been reported by Dr Jan van Wyk, who is responsible for the Milk SA project: Fasciola hepatica: Impact on Dairy Production and Sustainable Management on Selected Farms in South Africa. The report is from the fourth quarter of 2018.

Members of the Enterobacteriaceae family have been associated with food safety and spoilage problems. Enterobacteriaceae can enter an inadequately cleaned dairy chain and cause enzymatic breakdown of proteins or lipids, instigating spoilage which contributes to substantial economic losses and wastage. Some Enterobacteriaceae have also emerged as potential opportunistic pathogens due to acquisition of virulence and antibiotic resistance and some, including E.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has the ability to inhibit growth in a number of human cancer cell lines. It is also immune-modulating and growth-promoting and was shown to decrease fat mass without significantly affecting body weight. In terms of prevention of heart disease, CLA depressed total cholesterol and lowered the ratio of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL).