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The Research Column

by Heinz Meissner

Click on any of the publications below to read more about the specific topic:

 

Title Date Discipline Extract Keywords
Potential for improving the carbon footprint of butter and blend products

Discipline: carbon footprint; Keywords: GHG emissions, vegetable oil, fat content, type of packaging. 
Heat stability of reconstituted, protein-standardized skim milk powders.

Discipline: milk powder; Keywords: heat-treatment, shelf life, pH , protein content, standardization material.
Composition, coagulation properties, and cheesemaking potential of milk from cows undergoing extended lactations in a pasture-based system.

Discipline: cheese; Keywords: conceive after birth, cheddar cheese, lactation length, cheese yield, organoleptic properties.
Influence of continuous selection for improved milk yields and other productivity measures

Discipline: breeding; Keywords: productivity measures, inbreeding, longevity, replacement costs, heritability, fitness traits.
Methane emissions of South African livestock

Discipline: carbon footprint; Keywords: climate change, rumen fermentation, manure, beef cattle, dairy cattle, smallstock, pigs, poultry, game.
Optimal replacement policies for dairy cows based on daily yield measurements

Discipline: lactation management; Keywords: reproduction, model, MDP, daily information, economic implications.
The effects of ring castration with local anaesthesia and analgesia in Holstein calves at 3 months of age on welfare indicators

Discipline: animal welfare; Keywords: pain levels, behaviour, stress levels, serum cholesterol, wound healing.
Calving interval genetic parameters and trends for dairy breeds in South Africa

Discipline: reproduction; Keywords: fertility traits, selection indices, breeding values.
Ruminal acidosis: A review with special emphasis on the controlling agent Megasphaera elsdenii NCIMB 41125

Discipline: acidosis; Keywords: lactic acid, rumen pH, level of production, feed energy, SARA.
Effects of twin pregnancy and dry period feeding strategy on milk production, energy balance, and metabolic profiles in dairy cows.

Discipline: lactation management; Keywords: metabolic diseases, correct feeding strategies, moderate energy, lactation length.

These questions were addressed in a study by Dr Silva-del-Rio and colleagues in a study published in 2010 in the Journal of Animal Science, Volume 88, pages 1048 to 1060. The title of the paper appropriately was Effects of twin pregnancy and dry period feeding strategy on milk production, energy balance, and metabolic profiles in dairy cows.