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The levels of production diseases (PD) and the cow replacement rate are high in dairy farming. They indicate excessive production demands on the cow and a poor state of animal welfare. This is the subject of increasing public debate. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of production diseases on the economic sustainability of dairy farms. The contributions of individual culled cows to the farm’s economic performance were calculated, based on milk recording and accounting data from 32 farms in Germany. Cows were identified as ‘profit cows’ when they reached their individual ‘break-even point’. Data from milk recordings (yield and indicators for PD) were used to cluster farms by means of a principal component and a cluster analysis. The analysis revealed five clusters of farms. The average proportion of profit cows was 57.5%, 55.6%, 44.1%, 29.4% and 19.5%. Clusters characterized by a high proportion of cows with metabolic problems and high culling and mortality rates had lower proportions of profit cows, somewhat irrespective of the average milk-yield per cow. Changing the perception of PD from considering it as collateral damage to a threat to the farms’ economic viability might foster change processes to reduce production diseases.
Susanne Hoischen-Taubner; Jonas Habel; Verena Uhlig; Eva-Marie Schwabenbauer; Theresa Rumphorst; Lara Ebert; Detlev Möller; Albert Sundrum. The Whole and the Parts—A New Perspective on Production Diseases and Economic Sustainability in Dairy Farming. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9044 .
AMA StyleSusanne Hoischen-Taubner, Jonas Habel, Verena Uhlig, Eva-Marie Schwabenbauer, Theresa Rumphorst, Lara Ebert, Detlev Möller, Albert Sundrum. The Whole and the Parts—A New Perspective on Production Diseases and Economic Sustainability in Dairy Farming. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):9044.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSusanne Hoischen-Taubner; Jonas Habel; Verena Uhlig; Eva-Marie Schwabenbauer; Theresa Rumphorst; Lara Ebert; Detlev Möller; Albert Sundrum. 2021. "The Whole and the Parts—A New Perspective on Production Diseases and Economic Sustainability in Dairy Farming." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 9044.
Immune cell functions such as phagocytosis and synthesis of immunometabolites, as well as immune cell survival, proliferation and differentiation, largely depend on an adequate availability of glucose by immune cells. During inflammation, the glucose demands of the immune system may increase to amounts similar to those required for high milk yields. Similar metabolic pathways are involved in the adaptation to both lactation and inflammation, including changes in the somatotropic axis and glucocorticoid response, as well as adipokine and cytokine release. They affect (i) cell growth, proliferation and activation, which determines the metabolic activity and thus the glucose demand of the respective cells; (ii) the overall availability of glucose through intake, mobilization and gluconeogenesis; and (iii) glucose uptake and utilization by different tissues. Metabolic adaptation to inflammation and milk synthesis is interconnected. An increased demand of one life function has an impact on the supply and utilization of glucose by competing life functions, including glucose receptor expression, blood flow and oxidation characteristics. In cows with high genetic merits for milk production, changes in the somatotropic axis affecting carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as well as immune functions are profound. The ability to cut down milk synthesis during periods when whole-body demand exceeds the supply is limited. Excessive mobilization and allocation of glucose to the mammary gland are likely to contribute considerably to peripartal immune dysfunction.
Jonas Habel; Albert Sundrum. Mismatch of Glucose Allocation between Different Life Functions in the Transition Period of Dairy Cows. Animals 2020, 10, 1 .
AMA StyleJonas Habel, Albert Sundrum. Mismatch of Glucose Allocation between Different Life Functions in the Transition Period of Dairy Cows. Animals. 2020; 10 (6):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJonas Habel; Albert Sundrum. 2020. "Mismatch of Glucose Allocation between Different Life Functions in the Transition Period of Dairy Cows." Animals 10, no. 6: 1.