Dairy R&D in SA

The forage herbs chicory (Cichorium intybus) and plantain (Plantago lanceolata) have become regular components of south-eastern seaboard dairy pastures. They are mostly planted in a mixture with grasses and often clover species are added as a minor component. How they do and what benefits they bring to the pasture mix and the cow have not been well researched in these areas. This was then the purpose of the trials cited below. 

The Dairy Sustainability framework (DSF) of the IDF proposed that the Baseline for the global dairy sector should be set at the FAO (2013) figure of 2.9 CO2 eq per kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM). It is accepted that different countries will vary substantially as GHG emissions are influenced by milk yield, feeding practices and efficiency of production. Thus, the figure for some developed country industries is as low as 1.6 CO2 eq per kg FPCM, whereas the figure of Sub-Saharan Africa is 9.0 CO2 eq per kg FPCM.

Discipline: grazing/pastures; Key words: cultivated pastures, fertilisation, nutrient cycling, phosphorus, soil fertility

Discipline: mastitis; Key words: bovine mastitis, ethnoveterinary medicine, antibacterial activity,  cytotoxicity. 

Discipline: development; Key words: entrepreneurship, dairy cattle, food security, indigenous knowledge systems.

The authors referenced below did a case study in the local municipality areas of Matatiele and Groblersdal to explore and identify the drivers of dairy smallholder farmer decisions. They found the following as determining factors:

• dairy farming is dominated by male farmers who were over 60 years old;

Discipline: development; Key words: entrepreneurship, dairy cattle, food security, indigenous knowledge systems.

The authors referenced below did a case study in the local municipality areas of Matatiele and Groblersdal to explore and identify the drivers of dairy smallholder farmer decisions. They found the following as determining factors:

• dairy farming is dominated by male farmers who were over 60 years old;

1. PROJECTS, CAPACITIES AND PUBLICATIONS BY PROGRAMME LEADER AT INSTITUTION.

    

1. Banga, Cuthbert and others - ARC-Irene.

   Projects:

Discipline: food safety; Key words: Bacillus cereus, spores, Extended Shelf Life milk, CIP, heat and chemicals, biofilms.

 Discipline: udder health; Key words: SCC, quarter milk samples, composite samples, threshold, udder infection. 

Discipline: contamination; Key words: identification, spoilage, Chryseobacterium, Empedobacter, dairy