The composition and properties of the milk fat of mares’ milk is interesting from a nutritional standpoint. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional value of Lipizzaner mare’s milk for possible human consumption and identity the influence of the parity and stage of lactation on its fatty acid (FA) composition. This study was conducted on 17 Lipizzaner mares from a state stud farm in the Slavonian region (eastern Croatia). Mares were hand-milked twice during lactation in the fourth and sixth months. Significantly higher contents of MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) and PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and lower ratios of n-6/n-3 were found in the fourth month of lactation. This parity significantly affected the PUFA/SFA ratio (polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids), with lower values found in older mares. The fatty acid composition of mare’s milk that is especially high in UFAs (unsaturated fatty acids) is considered to be beneficial for consumers.

The aim of this paper was to highlight the most recent findings from research that utilized infrared thermography in diagnosing hoof disease and lameness in dairy cows. Scientific references were selected from databases based on their application of infrared thermography in detecting and preventing diseases in cattle. Studies have established that measuring view, leg position, and the presence of disease or different levels of lameness significantly affect the temperature values of cow’s feet. Additionally, the timing of measurements is also important, while factors such as lactation stage, animal activity, and ambient temperature substantially impact the infrared readings. The potential of using infrared thermography has been recognized. However, further research is needed to develop optimal combinations of different diagnostic methods to improve the accuracy and efficiency of detecting hoof disease and lameness.

Milk production in the Republic of Croatia is facing a great challenge. Over the years, there has been a decline in the number of farms, cattle and the amount of milk production. Data for 2019 show a decrease in the number of cows for milk production of 4.4% compared to the previous year, or 14.4% over the last 5 years. Consequently, during the mentioned period, there was a drop in milk production by 15.5%. There are several reasons for this situation: high fragmentation of parcelled land, rural population moving to cities and other richer EU countries, negative population demographics, strong pressure of cheap milk imported by retail chains from western and northern EU member states, insufficiently modernized farms. All this makes it difficult for the survival of the Croatian farmer. Self-sufficiency in milk production in 2019 in Croatia was only 48.4%. In order to somewhat stop these negative trends, the Government of the Republic of Croatia is trying to encourage farmers to modernize dairy farms. One way of modernization is the introduction of milking robots. Farmers increasingly accept the proposed idea. Currently, 40 robots were installed in Croatia, distributed on 27 farms. Preliminary production results show that on robotic farms there has been an increase in milk production at the lactation level of about 528 kg. In addition to the production effect, the robotization of farms also leads to a financial effect on the entire Croatian economy.

Cattle have a constant body temperature, which held up to a certain limit. Due to changing ambient climatic parameters (temperature, humidity, THI index), can lead to certain consequences which have a deleterious effect on the health of the animals, and even can cause death of the animal. The assumption of this research was that the environmental climatic parameters have an impact on cows in milk production.The study involved 50 Holstein cows, which were divided in the same building and in the two groups: the first (n = 25) = 30 kg milk and 2 (n = 25) = 30 and more kg of milk. The results showed that the surface temperature of the body was measured on the left side of the body cows (area rumen) increased no matter what was the level of milk production. However, the surface temperature of the udder measured from the back of the cows showed a different trend. The temperature of the udder of the cow in the first (with a milk production of less than 30 kg) was constant (average of 34.95 ° C), in contrast to the other groups of cows (with a milk production of 30 kg or more), where the surface temperature is increased as the udder increased and THI index in the barn.The increase in metabolic activity in animals (such as dairy cows) and leads to an increase in surface heat in certain parts of the body, and what is even more pronounced when the animals are in inadequate surroundings or barn that is not adapted to cows with high milk production.

The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of and differences in the temperature values for the cows’ hooves depending on the lameness score and health status. The research was conducted on a free-stall housing dairy farm with Holstein cows (n = 180). The maximum (IR MAX), average (IR MEAN) and minimum (IR MIN) infrared temperature values were recorded at the coronary band (CB). The four-point manual locomotion scoring system was used to assess four levels of lameness score (LS0–LS3). The average values of IR MEAN, IR MIN and IR MIN of unhealthy hooves were significantly higher than the mean values of healthy hooves. Under lower ambient recording conditions, significant differences in CB temperature were observed between cows with different lameness scores, while under higher ambient conditions these differences were not statistically significant. The IR MEAN values for cows with LS0 (16.28 °C) were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those for cows with LS1 (17.59 °C), LS2 (17.71 °C) and high significantly (p < 0.01) lower compared to cows with LS3 (18.04 °C). The distribution of the coronary band temperatures indicates that hoof temperature is associated with the health status of the cow, ambient recording conditions, and the level of the lameness score.

Na razini ukupne svjetske proizvodnje, mljekarski sektor prolazi kroz vrlo izazovno razdoblje. Ovi su izazovi različiti, od zakonodavnih i javno-društvenih (zbog pritisaka javnosti da intenzivno govedarstvo narušava životni okoliš, etološke obrasce i dobrobit životinja), pa do izazova u samoj primarnoj proizvodnji mlijeka zbog visokih ulaznih troškova i niske otkupne cijene mlijeka. Bitno je napomenuti kako dolazi i do pada zanimanja proizvođača za ovu zahtjevnu proizvodnju te do sve skuplje cijene radne snage. Odgovarajući na ovakve trendove, mljekarski je sektor započeo sa značajnom transformacijom naročito u razvijenim zemlja svijeta, pokušavajući se prilagoditi novim izazovima te pokušavajući postati ekonomski isplativ. U zemljama europskoga kontinenta najčešće se pristupa specijalizaciji, odnosno intenzifikaciji proizvodnje mlijeka, koja je vidljiva u postupnome podizanju proizvodnje mlijeka po kravi te u rastu broja krava po farmi. Pritom se koriste suvremene tehnologije uzgoja, hranidbe i reprodukcije, ali se također sve više uvode standardi brige za okoliš, etologiju i dobrobit životinja. Kako je sve navedeno teško uravnotežiti, pri upravljanju ovakvim farmama treba se koristiti, preciznom digitalnom tehnologijom te znanstvenim i stručnim tehnološkim rješenjima. Cilj ovoga rada bio je prikazati smjerove transformacije mljekarskoga sektora intenzifikacijom proizvodnje mlijeka, s naglaskom na dobrobit životinja i okoliš. Smatramo kako ove smjernice mogu poslužiti i hrvatskim farmerima koji budu išli u pravcu intenzivne proizvodnje mlijeka.