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Clasen JB, Fikse WF, Ramin M, Lindberg M. Effects of herd management decisions on dairy cow longevity, farm profitability, and emissions of enteric methane - a simulation study of milk and beef production. Animal 2024; 18:101051. [PMID: 38199017 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.101051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Sustainable dairy and beef production provides environmental, economic, and social values that can potentially be maximized by optimizing herd management strategies. The length of a dairy cow's life is affected by, and affects, all three pillars of sustainability. Longevity in dairy cows is multifactorial and strongly dependent on herd management. Despite genetic improvements, the average time of culling for Swedish cows has barely changed and is currently at 2.6 lactations. This culling rate requires a high number of replacement heifers, generating high rearing costs for farmers. This study evaluated different herd management strategies to improve cow longevity and assessed the effects on enteric methane (CH4) emissions from the herd and the profitability of milk production and beef production from the dairy cows and their offspring. The base scenario, an average Swedish Holstein herd of 100 cows, was compared with seven scenarios simulated using a stochastic herd simulation model (SimHerd). Two of these scenarios involved improved health and survival of cows in the herd, three involved improved reproduction, one considered the consequences of keeping all surplus heifers in the herd, and one considered maximizing the use of X-sorted dairy semen and inseminating the rest of the herd with unsorted beef semen, to avoid surplus replacement heifers. Improved fertility had the greatest effect in increasing the productive life per cow, to 3.8 years compared with 2.8 in the base scenario, allowed for more use of beef semen, reduced the number of replacement heifers, and generated the highest herd profit (€98 per cow-year higher than base scenario). Keeping all surplus heifers instead of producing beef × dairy cross calves decreased the number of productive years by 0.8 and reduced profit by €22 per cow-year. The profit was highly associated with costs related to replacement heifers. The highest beef output (3 369 kg per year more than base scenario) was achieved by keeping all heifers and culling a high share of dairy cows, but this scenario also generated much higher enteric CH4 emissions (+1 257 kg per year). Improving health, survival, or fertility reduced enteric CH4 emissions by 90-255 kg per year, while total yearly beef production ranged from 59 kg less to 556 kg more than in the base scenario. Reducing the number of replacement heifers needed by improving cow reproductive performance is thus key to increasing cow longevity and profitability, while reducing enteric CH4 emissions from the herd without compromising milk and meat production.
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Affiliation(s)
- J B Clasen
- Dept. of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark; SimHerd A/S, Denmark.
| | | | - M Ramin
- Dept. of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
| | - M Lindberg
- Dept. of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
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Martínez-Marín G, Schiavon S, Tagliapietra F, Cecchinato A, Toledo-Alvarado H, Bittante G. Interactions among breed, farm intensiveness and cow productivity on predicted enteric methane emissions at the population level. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/1828051x.2022.2158953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Martínez-Marín
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova (Padua), Legnaro, Italy
| | - Stefano Schiavon
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova (Padua), Legnaro, Italy
| | - Franco Tagliapietra
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova (Padua), Legnaro, Italy
| | - Alessio Cecchinato
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova (Padua), Legnaro, Italy
| | - Hugo Toledo-Alvarado
- Department of Genetics and Biostatistics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, México
| | - Giovanni Bittante
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova (Padua), Legnaro, Italy
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Adamie BA, Owusu-Sekyere E, Lindberg M, Agenäs S, Nyman AK, Hansson H. Dairy cow longevity and farm economic performance: Evidence from Swedish dairy farms. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:8926-8941. [PMID: 37678793 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-23436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The longevity of dairy cows is mainly determined by farmers' subjective culling decisions and can be linked to the environmental impact of dairy production and to the social acceptance of the industry. Still, the economic impacts of dairy cow longevity are not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine how herd average dairy cow longevity is related to the farm economic outcome. We used 3 indicators of economic outcome: technical efficiency, profitability, and average milk yield per cow. We used 2 indicators of dairy cow longevity: average herd length of life and average herd length of productive life. The study was based on a unique and detailed dataset from Swedish dairy agriculture, where herd-management data from the national dairy herd recording scheme were combined with farm-level economic variables from the Swedish Farm Accountancy Survey, for a total of 1,959 observations from 2010 to 2018. The regression results highlight that both measures of average herd dairy cow longevity have an overall positive and significant association with farm-level economic performance. These associations had an inverted U-shape, which implies that the association is first positive and then declines. Descriptive statistics indicate that the point where the maximum economic performance is attained varied across the economic indicators. Our results are relevant for individual dairy farmers and their advisors, who are interested in understanding how herd average longevity relates to economic performance on the farms. Our results are also important from a greater sustainability perspective, because linking them to previous knowledge about the environmental and social sustainability benefits of keeping cows longer highlights longevity-associated trade-offs between those benefits and the farm economic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- B A Adamie
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - E Owusu-Sekyere
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa; Department of Agricultural Economics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
| | - M Lindberg
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - S Agenäs
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - H Hansson
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
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Leroy JLMR, Meulders B, Moorkens K, Xhonneux I, Slootmans J, De Keersmaeker L, Smits A, Bogado Pascottini O, Marei WFA. Maternal metabolic health and fertility: we should not only care about but also for the oocyte! Reprod Fertil Dev 2022; 35:1-18. [PMID: 36592978 DOI: 10.1071/rd22204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic disorders due to obesity and unhealthy lifestyle directly alter the oocyte's microenvironment and impact oocyte quality. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play key roles in the pathogenesis. Acute effects on the fully grown oocytes are evident, but early follicular stages are also sensitive to metabolic stress leading to a long-term impact on follicular cells and oocytes. Improving the preconception health is therefore of capital importance but research in animal models has demonstrated that oocyte quality is not fully recovered. In the in vitro fertilisation clinic, maternal metabolic disorders are linked with disappointing assisted reproductive technology results. Embryos derived from metabolically compromised oocytes exhibit persistently high intracellular stress levels due to weak cellular homeostatic mechanisms. The assisted reproductive technology procedures themselves form an extra burden for these defective embryos. Minimising cellular stress during culture using mitochondrial-targeted therapy could rescue compromised embryos in a bovine model. However, translating such applications to human in vitro fertilisation clinics is not simple. It is crucial to consider the sensitive epigenetic programming during early development. Research in humans and relevant animal models should result in preconception care interventions and in vitro strategies not only aiming at improving fertility but also safeguarding offspring health.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L M R Leroy
- Gamete Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - B Meulders
- Gamete Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - K Moorkens
- Gamete Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - I Xhonneux
- Gamete Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - J Slootmans
- Gamete Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - L De Keersmaeker
- Gamete Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - A Smits
- Gamete Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - O Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - W F A Marei
- Gamete Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Arndt C, Hristov AN, Price WJ, McClelland SC, Pelaez AM, Cueva SF, Oh J, Dijkstra J, Bannink A, Bayat AR, Crompton LA, Eugène MA, Enahoro D, Kebreab E, Kreuzer M, McGee M, Martin C, Newbold CJ, Reynolds CK, Schwarm A, Shingfield KJ, Veneman JB, Yáñez-Ruiz DR, Yu Z. Full adoption of the most effective strategies to mitigate methane emissions by ruminants can help meet the 1.5 °C target by 2030 but not 2050. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2111294119. [PMID: 35537050 PMCID: PMC9171756 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2111294119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
To meet the 1.5 °C target, methane (CH4) from ruminants must be reduced by 11 to 30% by 2030 and 24 to 47% by 2050 compared to 2010 levels. A meta-analysis identified strategies to decrease product-based (PB; CH4 per unit meat or milk) and absolute (ABS) enteric CH4 emissions while maintaining or increasing animal productivity (AP; weight gain or milk yield). Next, the potential of different adoption rates of one PB or one ABS strategy to contribute to the 1.5 °C target was estimated. The database included findings from 430 peer-reviewed studies, which reported 98 mitigation strategies that can be classified into three categories: animal and feed management, diet formulation, and rumen manipulation. A random-effects meta-analysis weighted by inverse variance was carried out. Three PB strategies—namely, increasing feeding level, decreasing grass maturity, and decreasing dietary forage-to-concentrate ratio—decreased CH4 per unit meat or milk by on average 12% and increased AP by a median of 17%. Five ABS strategies—namely CH4 inhibitors, tanniferous forages, electron sinks, oils and fats, and oilseeds—decreased daily methane by on average 21%. Globally, only 100% adoption of the most effective PB and ABS strategies can meet the 1.5 °C target by 2030 but not 2050, because mitigation effects are offset by projected increases in CH4 due to increasing milk and meat demand. Notably, by 2030 and 2050, low- and middle-income countries may not meet their contribution to the 1.5 °C target for this same reason, whereas high-income countries could meet their contributions due to only a minor projected increase in enteric CH4 emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Arndt
- Integrated Sciences Division, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Alexander N. Hristov
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - William J. Price
- College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844
| | - Shelby C. McClelland
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - Amalia M. Pelaez
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
- Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sergio F. Cueva
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Joonpyo Oh
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Jan Dijkstra
- Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - André Bannink
- Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ali R. Bayat
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Les A. Crompton
- School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6EU, United Kingdom
| | - Maguy A. Eugène
- Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (INRAE), VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
| | - Dolapo Enahoro
- Integrated Sciences Division, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ermias Kebreab
- College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Michael Kreuzer
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mark McGee
- Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre (AGRIC), Teagasc, Grange C15 PW93, Ireland
| | - Cécile Martin
- Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (INRAE), VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, 63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
| | | | - Christopher K. Reynolds
- School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6EU, United Kingdom
| | - Angela Schwarm
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Aas, Norway
| | | | | | - David R. Yáñez-Ruiz
- Estación Experimental del Zaidín (EEZ), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 18008 Granada, Spain
| | - Zhongtang Yu
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
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