首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献，搜索用时 31 毫秒
1.
Summary

A herd health and management program was carried out from May 1974 to May 1977 on thirty Dutch dairy farms which did not have specific herd or management problems. The number of cows per farm varied between 40 and 160. There was a control group of thirty‐one comparable farms. The farms were visited every six weeks by the veterinarian of the Animal Health Service Institute, the local agricultural adviser of the NAAS and the local veterinarian.

The aim of the program was a whole farm approach. The program had a mainly advisory character and it was up to the farmer to follow the advice given, which was based on the theoretically optimal solution but adjusted to the farm situation. The basis of the administration of herd health was the Herd Fertility Chart. Farm inspection was by detailed observation. The program was primarily practical, and could be carried out by a well‐trained local veterinarian.

The data of the first (preparatory) year were compared with the results of the following two years.

The improvement in income feedcosts margin on the program farms exceeded that on control farms by Dfl. 176 per cow (therefore Dfl. 460 per ha. and Dfl. 12,535 per man). Factor Analysis showed that the herd health and management program influenced especially data concerning fertility. However this did not affect the income feedcosts margin per cow. The program also had an important influence on culling due to health problems and on feedcosts per cow, both of which considerably affected the income feedcosts margin per man. The results obtained may be considered to be minimal and might be higher on farms with herd health and management problems. The expenses involved in a program similar to that described, would appear to be a good choice of investment for farmers.  相似文献   

2.
Fertility control was part of a herd health and management program on thirty dairy farms in the province of Overijssel. A comparable control group of thirty-one farms was available. After two years of application of the program the improvement in income feedcosts margin per cow on the program farms exceeded that on control farms by Dfl. 176. Within the large variation in income between the farms it was not possible to accurately distinguish the effects of the different aspects of the program, despite the use of detailed techniques such as Factor Analysis: thus another approach to determine the income effect of fertility control was necessary. The total loss per farm due to sub-optimal fertility was determined, using calving interval data, forced replacement data and norm-loss rates. From computation of this loss on program and control farms, the income effect of fertility control was deduced. Excluding the cost of the program, a significant (P less than 0.01) positive effect of fertility control on the total calculated loss due to sub-optimal fertility was determined (average Dfl. 25.50 per cow, or about Dfl. 1,700 per farm, after two years of program application). This income effect differed considerably between farms with an initial good or poor situation regarding fertility. The program contributed more to the improvement of insufficient or moderate fertility than to the prevention of a deterioration in herds with excellent fertility, although on the latter farms the total program had a considerable positive effect.  相似文献   

3.
Some years ago, systematic research was initiated to improve quantitative insight into the economic impact of diseases and disease control in livestock. This paper deals with the financial loss at farm level caused by reproductive failure in dairy cattle. Economic calculations concerning the calving interval of cows which differ in age, relative production level and persistence of milk production during lactation were made. On average, an optimal interval of 1 year or less was established, while the loss per day lengthening of the interval (norm-loss) amounted to 1–2 Dutch guilders (Dfl.). Also, 676 norm-losses due to forced replacement because of reproductive failure were determined, dependent on age and relative production level of the culled cow and average herd life of the farm. On average, this norm-loss was determined to be almost Dfl. 500 per culled cow. Based on 71 farms in an investigation in the province of Overijssel, total loss per farm was determined, using the calving interval data, forced replacement data and norm-loss rate described above. On average, the calculated loss amounted to Dfl. 63 per cow per year, of which Dfl. 35.50 resulted from sub-optimal calving interval and Dfl. 27.50 from forced replacement due to reproductive failure. Costs for veterinary treatment and drugs were not included in these elements. Total loss due to reproductive failure was estimated to average about Dfl. 80 per cow per year, which equals about 2% of the gross production value or 10% of an average farmer's income.Finally, considerable differences in loss between farms have been determined. The difference between the 20% of farms with the highest and the 20% of farms with the lowest calculated loss is even more than the average loss. Thus improvment may be achieved on many farms, e.g., with the help of a herd health programme.  相似文献   

4.
The ultimate objective of a herd health and management program must be optimal farm net profit. Maximal profit can be expected by carrying out a program based on a whole farm approach. A simple and well-ordered registration system is one of the most important aspects for the success of a program. Experiences with the different registration systems of the program are discussed. In the future it is desirable to process the registered data by computer. The farmer should know the possibilities of the program in advance and must be motivated to carry out advice. When giving advice veterinarians have to take into account the specific circumstances on each farm and the objectives of the farmer. The veterinarian also has to be well-informed about the factors which influence the farm net profit and to this end cooperation with other experts is necessary. In this trial close cooperation between the veterinarian and agricultural adviser were seen as a very positive feature of the program. The program must be carried out at regular times in a fixed sequence, which covers complete herd health and farm management. The frequency of farm visits depends on the problems, farm size and the season. On average one visit per month will be sufficient for farms up to 100 dairy cows. Cooperation between farmer and veterinarian is one of the essential aspects. Frequent evaluation is very stimulating. The benefits of a herd health and management program were found to be substantial in this trial. Therefore the costs of the program can be considered by the farmer to be a sound investment.  相似文献   

5.
SUMMERY: This paper reports the major results of a 4-year controlled study of the impact of a dairy herd health and management program on dairy farms. The aim of the project was to conduct a practical preventive medicine program which could be operated by practising field veterinarians to assess the economic value of the program. The analysis of performance involved 59 program farms which received the program and 47 surveillance farms which did not receive the program. Each group commenced with 80 farms. A comparison of indices reflecting the efficiency of production showed relative gains for program herds when compared to surveillance herds and these differences were significant for the indices of butterfat per hectare (P=.001) and butter fat per man (P=.005) but not for butterfat per cow (P=.455). The indices of financial efficiency showed significant improvements in program farms when compared with surveillance farms in the standardised change in gross margin per hectare (P=.001), per man (P=.003) and per cow (P=.007). On a mean whole-farm basis, the program gave an improvement in gross margin of 23.58, 65.56 and 90.30 per hectare in the second to fourth years respectively of the project when compared with performance in the first year. Mean intercalving intervals were significantly shorter in program than surveillance herds throughout the project (P=.013). The proportion of cows calving within 8 weeks of the start of the calving season increased from 68.5% to 74% in program herds and from 72% to 73% in surveillance herds, but there was no significant difference (P=.101) between groups in this change. The standardised change in bulk milk cell count was greater in program herds than surveillance herds, but the quarter infection prevalence of surveillance herds. which was only measured in the final year of the project, was significantly lower than the prevalence measured at the same time in program herds. It was concluded from this study that the dairy health and management program tested in this study represents a highly profitable investment for dairy farmers.  相似文献   

6.
The Herd Health and Production Service program for use in veterinary dairy practice is comprised of a basic and a flexible system. The basic system is a uniform system of data recording, standard veterinary activities and problem detection. In problem detection 4 index lists play a key role. The 4 comprise of the parameters or index figures that are relevant in monitoring the efficiency of milk production, calf rearing and cow replacement. Data on milk production, health status and reproduction of both individual animals and the herd are collected by the farmer and the veterinarian and transformed into index figures.This paper introduces index list “3”, with index figures for the monitoring of calf rearing and cow culling as parts of a herd health program. The development, implementation and significance of the index figures are presented. The index figures serve to detect unsatisfactory farm situations or problems in calf rearing and in cow culling. They trigger further investigation and aid the solution to and prevention of problems. Relationships with farm parameters mentioned in other index lists are also considered. Objectives and reference values where applicable are provided.  相似文献   

7.
Because of lower margins and market liberalisation veterinarians and farmers are increasingly negotiating rates. Therefore, the margins of veterinarians are under pressure. In addition, the sales if drugs, performance of operations or giving of advice are more and more separated. These developments give veterinarians uncertainty about the profitability of their activities for dairy farmers. Not much is known about margins on veterinary activities on dairy farms. Moreover, it is interesting to see how much margins of the bovine practitioner differ between veterinary practises and dairy farms. In this study, invoices for bovine activities of 14 veterinary practises were combined with milk production registration data of the dairy farms of these practices. This way, the gross margin per bovine practitioner could be studied for the different veterinary practise. Moreover the relation between gross margin and specification of the veterinary practise could be studied. Finally, the gross margin per dairy farm and the factors that influenced this gross margin were studied. The most important result was the observation that the gross margin per bovine practitioner was dependent on the number of dairy farms per practitioner, the margin on drugs and the region of the veterinary practise. The size of the veterinary practise, the share of the dairy farming within the practise and the source of the gross margin (drugs, time or operations) did not influence the gross margin. Variables that explained the gross margin per dairy farm were, amongst others, the number of dairy cows, the milk production level of the farms and participation in PIR-DAP (a system to support the veterinarians herd health and management program). There is no relation of gross margin per dairy farm and the veterinary practise or region.  相似文献   

8.
Since 2003, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) is realizing a herd health management programme ("pro-Q" project) focussing on udder health. The objectives of the project are: (1) to reduce antibiotic mastitis treatments, (2) to optimise udder health and (3) to improve longevity, measured as averaged number of herd lactations. The farms get expert advice in prevention and treatment on herd- and animal-level. After 2 years, treatment recordings of the 65 investigated farms showed that antibiotic mastitis therapies were reduced from 38 to 26 treatments per 100 cows and year (equals a reduction of 32%). Lactation numbers of the herds increased significantly by 0.2 lactations from 3.3 to 3.5 lactations per cow. Udder health remained constant over all farms during 2 years: theoretical bulk milk cell counts averaged constantly at around 180000 cells/ml. Improvement of udder health on farm level was significantly influenced by higher somatic cell count when the project started and enhanced by farmer's motivation and farm-veterinarians' commitment to the project.  相似文献   

9.
Cows are culled at a relatively low age, which causes considerable economic loss. The annual culling rate in the Netherlands has increased from 18.8 per cent in 1951 to 25-30 per cent of the average number of cows in more recent years. The productive life is now about 3.5 years. On the thirty farms of the program group and thirty-one farms of the control group, the main reasons for culling were reproductive failure followed by mastitis and teat injuries. About 60 per cent of culling was due to health problems, the other 40 per cent to low productive capacity, old age, poor workability etc. The annual culling rate varied per farm per year but also per month. The moment of culling in the current lactation, the slaughter value and the age differed per reason. The calculated loss of forced replacement consists of reduction in both production prior to culling and slaughter value. Additionally, there is an idle production period due to lack of an immediate replacement. The biggest loss is caused by lost future income. There was a considerable difference per farm in the loss caused by culling for health problems. A low culling rate due to health problems was associated with longer longevity and a relatively lower loss. Tangible effects due to changes in the farm culling policy may not be evident for some years. The reduction in loss of culling in the program farms compared with the controls was small because the duration (2 1/2 years) of the herd health and management program was too short.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)  相似文献   

10.
In a previous paper an introduction was presented to a veterinary herd health and production control program. This program consists of a basic system and a flexible system. The basic system is built up from a standard on-farm and program registration system and from farm visit activities. In the registration system four index lists play a key role. These index lists comprise all relevant farm aspects with regard to the efficiency of milk production, calf production and cow replacement. Problem analysis is performed by means of the flexible system which indicates to what extent action for problem solving is needed.This paper presents index list 1 on milk production performance and udder health. Both aspects are of crucial importance to the economic results achieved on the farm. The index figures in list 1 serve to signalize unwanted situations or problems in relation to the aspects mentioned on the other lists. Index figures are built up from data collected on the farm by both the farmer and the veterinarian, and they serve as the basis for further analysis, solving and prevention of problems.The development, significance and implementation of the index figures in list 1 are presented. Reference values are given where applicable.  相似文献   

11.
The objective was to compare farm veterinary surgeons' and dairy farmers' opinions on herd health plans and herd health and production management with the aim of discovering and better understanding the differences. Two comparable questionnaires, one for farm veterinarians and one for dairy farmers, were distributed throughout the UK. While listing the 'major roles' of the veterinarian on the farm, veterinarians considered 'optimising milk production', 'decreasing overall cost' and 'being an independent adviser' as important roles, but these were not seem to be perceived as such by the farmers. In addition, when presenting themselves to clients, veterinarians seemed to favour the 'friend of the farmer' approach; a much smaller proportion of farmers seemed to prefer this approach. The majority of farm respondents (98 of 121; 81 per cent) valued the discussions with their veterinarian, and it was apparent from the relatively small proportion of veterinarians instigating a discussion on farm (33 of 125; 26 per cent) that there is the opportunity for a more proactive approach from veterinarians. The study underlines that 'demonstrating cost-effectiveness' is still a main concern for veterinarians and farmers and identifies areas that can be improved by more training and effective communication.  相似文献   

12.
The health and housing of the stock on 26 organic dairy herds in four counties in eastern Sweden were studied for one year. The herds ranged in size from 12 to 64 cows, and their milk production from 3772 to 10,334 kg per cow per year. A large-animal practitioner visited the farms three times during the year, and a random sample of a third of the cows in each herd were examined. The calves and young stock and their housing were also studied. The calves were in good condition in all but four herds; their serum immunoglobulins varied from almost none to high levels. The young stock were in good condition and in good housing in 20 herds. No cows with clinical signs of metabolic disorders were found. Body condition scores were adequate or good except in two herds. Acetone was analysed in milk samples from individual cows three to six weeks postpartum, and only sporadic cases with high levels were found. The incidence of diseases treated by a veterinarian was lower in the organic herds than the average for the conventional herds in the local dairy association. The findings at the farm visits supported these data, and it is evident that a good standard of health and welfare can be achieved in organic dairy herds.  相似文献   

13.
The objectives of this study were to observe procedures and protocols used on large dairies during routine activities, such as herd health events, and to collect preliminary information that could be used to design a research project to define the annualized cost of different animal handling systems currently being used on modern dairy farms. Ten Wisconsin commercial dairy farms were observed when their veterinarian conducted routine herd health and reproductive examinations. On-farm veterinary time, times of actual veterinarian examinations, and perceived advantages and disadvantages of systems were recorded. Six different systems to select and restrain animals were identified: sort gate to pen with self-locking (SL) manger stalls (sort-to-SL pen), sort gate to palpation rail (PR) (sort-to-PR), all animals restrained in PR retuning from parlor (all-in-PR), all animals restrained in return lane from parlor (all-in-return-lane), all animals restrained in SL manger stalls in home pen (home-pen-with-SL), and selected animals cornered in home pen (home-pen-corner-in-FS). Average veterinarian on-farm time results were 1.86 min per cow (home-pen-with-SL), 2.07 min per cow (all-in-PR), 2.43 min per cow (home-pen-corner-in-FS), 2.73 min per cow (sort-to-PR), 3.38 min per cow (all-in-return-lane), and 3.43 min per cow (sort-to-SL pen). Veterinarian exam time results were 1.19 min per cow (all-in-return-lane), 1.31 min per cow (sort-to-PR), 1.49 min per cow (all-in-PR), 1.63 min per cow (home-pen-with-SL), 2.26 min per cow (home-pen-corner-in-FS), and 2.43 min per cow (sort-to-SL pen). The time associated with handling animals, according to different animal handling systems, varied by farm and was caused by system and operator differences. Selecting, consolidating, and treating animals in a separate place reduced work time per animal, but increased on-farm time per animal. The home-pen-with-SL system had the least average veterinarian on-farm time.  相似文献   

14.
Knowledge of the efficacy of an intervention for disease control on an individual farm is essential to make good decisions on preventive healthcare, but the uncertainty in outcome associated with undertaking a specific control strategy has rarely been considered in veterinary medicine. The purpose of this research was to explore the uncertainty in change in disease incidence and financial benefit that could occur on different farms, when two effective farm management interventions are undertaken. Bovine mastitis was used as an example disease and the research was conducted using data from an intervention study as prior information within an integrated Bayesian simulation model. Predictions were made of the reduction in clinical mastitis within 30 days of calving on 52 farms, attributable to the application of two herd interventions previously reported as effective; rotation of dry cow pasture and differential dry cow therapy. Results indicated that there were important degrees of uncertainty in the predicted reduction in clinical mastitis for individual farms when either intervention was undertaken; the magnitude of the 95% credible intervals for reduced clinical mastitis incidence were substantial and of clinical relevance. The large uncertainty associated with the predicted reduction in clinical mastitis attributable to the interventions resulted in important variability in possible financial outcomes for each farm. The uncertainty in outcome associated with farm control measures illustrates the difficulty facing a veterinary clinician when making an on-farm decision and highlights the importance of iterative herd health procedures (continual evaluation, reassessment and adjusted interventions) to optimise health in an individual herd.  相似文献   

15.
A survey of 73 dairy farms in south-western Victoria was conducted to assess the cost and mean herd incidence of foot lameness for the period from calving to the end of November, 1985, and to identify the herd, management and environmental factors associated with foot lameness. The mean herd size was 125 cows (range 82 to 220). Lameness occurred in 64 (88%) herds, and the mean herd incidence was 7.0% (range 0.0 to 30.9%). The main clinical signs associated with lameness were the presence of overworn and/or bruised soles, or stones lodged in the interdigital cleft. Factors associated with lameness were: property and herd size, age of cow, bail feeding, voluntary entry into the bails, and features of the farm track including its length, the presence of steep slopes, the type of surface material, presence and treatment of broken sections and maintenance including rolling history. The association of these factors with specific clinical signs was examined. The mean cost was estimated to be $42.90 per lame cow due to loss of production, treatment, the culling or death of lame cows, and extra man hours spent managing lame cows. It was concluded that the site, construction, maintenance and use of the farm track were of major importance to the incidence of lameness in herds in this area and recommendations for reducing lameness are made.  相似文献   

16.
The veterinary herd health and production control program for year-round calving herds, presented in this paper, comprises a basic system and a flexible system. The basic system is a uniform system of data recording, standard veterinary activities and problem detection for all farms. Record keeping by the farmer includes the updating of a farm diary and a fertility—health chart and the preparation of an examination list before each veterinary farm visit. Record keeping by the veterinarian comprises the updating of a general inventory and four index lists at each monthly visit. The index lists contain all relevant parameters or index figures needed to monitor the various aspects of the farm. These lists serve to detect unwanted situations or problems and to initiate problem analysis. The farm checklist, with time-related veterinary and agricultural attention points, is consulted at each farm visit. In this way, no aspect is omitted in the control program. Problem analysis is performed in the flexible system. This comprises subsystems adaptable to the specific demands on the farm at a given moment and with a given problem. It indicates to what extent action is needed to solve the problem. Agricultural activities must be coupled to veterinary activities in order to provide the farmer with optimal advice. The farm checklist can be considered as a link between the two disciplines: the veterinarian can enlist the agricultural officer at the right moment.The frame-work of the basic system is introduced with emphasis on record keeping by the farmer, veterinary farm visits and the farm checklist.  相似文献   

17.
In a previous paper an introduction was presented to a veterinary herd health and production control program consists of a coupled basic system and a flexible system. The basic system is built up from farm visit activities and a standard registration system. In the latter, four index lists play a key role. These index lists cover all relevant farm aspects with regard to the efficiency of milk production, calf production and cow replacement. Index figures are built up or calculated from data collected by both the farmer and the veterinarian. Their function is to signalize unwanted situations or problems at an early stage and to serve as basic information for analysis, solving and prevention of problems. Problem analysis is performed by means of the flexible system, which indicates to what extent actions are needed.After a previous paper concerning index list 1 on milk production and udder health, this paper presents index list 2 on reproduction and lamenes. Both farm aspects are related to the economic results achieved on the farm. The development, significance and implementation of the index figures in list 2 are presented. Relationships with figures in other index lists are discussed. Reference values are given where applicable.  相似文献   

18.
Data from 59 farms with complaints of udder health problems and insufficient quality of delivered milk that had been assessed by the Swiss Bovine Health Service (BHS) between 1999 and 2004 were retrospectively analysed. Data evaluated included farm characteristics such as farm size, herd size, average milk yield, milking system and housing system, deficits of the milking equipment and the milking practices, and bacteriological results of milk samples from all cows in lactation. The average size of the farms assessed by the BHS was larger than the size of the were evaluated, 42 showed obvious failures which the farm managers could have noticed. Only 5 of the 57 milkers carried out their work according to the generally valid guidelines of the National Mastitis Council. More than 2 basic mistakes were observed in the milking practices of 36 milkers. In 51 farms, mixed infections with several problem bacteria (those present in at least 20 % of the tested cows on a farm) were found. Staphylococcus aureus proved to be the most common problem germ. As the bacteria responsible for the herd problem (the sole problem bacteria detectable on a particular farm) Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 4 farms. The current study revealed that education in the area of milking techniques and milking practices of farmers should be improved in order to reduce the incidence of udder health problems on herd level. Staphylococcus aureus is the most important problem bacteria involved in herds with udder health problems in Switzerland. Staphylococcus aureus might be used in practice as the indicator germ for early recognition of management problems in dairy farms.  相似文献   

19.
Recording of fertility and health data on dairy farms is an important function involving the farmer, stockman and veterinarian. The farmer and stockman must be given simple incentives to maximise farm output. The role of the DAISY computer recording system as used in the United Kingdom is discussed and the graphical display of data retrieved from both DAISY and Excel spreadsheets is demonstrated in relation to herd fertility, health and body condition score, and evaluated.  相似文献   

20.
This study aimed to compare the prevalence of lameness on organic and non-organic dairy farms in the United Kingdom (UK) and to assess which cow and farm factors influenced lameness levels. Forty organic and 40 non-organic dairy farms across the UK were repeatedly visited over a 2.5 year period. On each visit all milking cows were locomotion scored, and information about farm housing, management and husbandry practices was recorded on-farm. Over the whole study, the mean herd lameness prevalence was 16.2%, 16.3% and 19.3% in the autumn, winter and spring observation periods, respectively. Lameness prevalence was lower (P=0.012) on organic farms compared to non-organic farms. Numerous specific factors were found to significantly influence the prevalence of lameness. This study provided evidence that organic management reduced herd lameness. It supported previous research which suggested that lameness is a serious problem on many farms in the UK and further emphasised the multi-factorial aetiology of lameness problems.  相似文献   

设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号