Dairy R&D in SA

The genus Staphylococcus comprises various species and strains which are pathogenic. The most clinically relevant staphylococci are the coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus, members of the S. intermedius group, and the non-aureus staphylococci. A characteristic of staphylococci is their ability to develop resistance to antibiotics (for example by mutations). In South Africa, S.

The report on sustainability is structured according to the FAO-IDF Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam (DDoR) and the Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF), which endorse the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provides guidelines for sustainable development.

Maize is the most important non-forage carbohydrate source in high yielding dairy cow diets. Both ruminal and total tract starch digestibility of dairy and other ruminant animals are significantly impaired by high vitreous maize, compared to moderate floury or dent maize. The genetic make-up, environmental conditions of cultivation and stage of maturity collectively affect the hardness of maize.

The dairy industry is characterized by a dual production system, comprising of a high input commercial production system and low input smallholder and emerging systems. Performance data from both systems are included in the official national genetic evaluation database, with models which assume homogeneous variances. If variances are heterogeneous, above average animals in more variable herds will be favoured over high performing animals in the less variable herds. This may result in biased selection and inaccurate estimation of breeding values.

The report is structured according to the FAO-IDF Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam (DDoR) and the Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF), which endorses the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provides guidelines for sustainable development.

Stillbirth remains a problem in dairy herds in many countries and is increasingly included in national breeding objectives. In South Africa, however, we lack reliable information on the incidence of stillbirth that can be used to improve this trait genetically. Currently, there are no estimated breeding values (EBVs) for any measures of calving performance produced under the national genetic evaluation programmes.

Recent research shows that the contribution of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere by shale gas and other earth sources is much higher than accepted in IPCC calculations, which implies that much less is from ruminants (Howarth, 2019). Secondly, in carbon footprint calculations the CO2 capture by photosynthesis through the biogenic cycle in plant foods (say maize) (which apart from CO2 may also have resulted indirectly from atmospheric CH4) is not taken into account (Frankelius, 2020). This is actually a carbon sink.

Dairy has been targeted as a source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). However, research has shown that grazing livestock on pasture-based dairy farms restore carbon to the soil, enhancing its biodiversity and countering climate change. This poses the question: If farms can have a positive impact, but are also a source of negative impact, what is the net effect? This is an important consideration when assessing the negative contribution that dairy farming makes to climate change.

Priority 1: The literature shows that almost any factor which has an influence on phosphate metabolism will affect the stability of milk. In the cow heat stress can reduce the availability of phosphate in the udder by up to 50%. It is also well known that the addition of phosphate salts can improve the stability of milk. One of the questions which should be addressed is whether milk not passing the 72% alizarol test has less phosphate than milk passing the 80% alizarol test. If so, it can be expected that low availability of phosphate plays a role during milk synthesis.

In most calf rearing systems milk is fed twice a day to dairy calves. However, at Outeniqua Research Farm calves have been reared successfully by feeding milk once a day. The advantage is that by feeding once a day labour requirements are reduced and it may positively affect growth, health and rumen development of calves, e.g. more rapid development of the digestive system. Effective calf rearing will reduce calf mortalities and rearing costs in both commercial and small holder operations.