Dairy cow fertility: can the downward spiral be stopped?Reproductive performance is a key component in dairy farm profitability, yet has seen a steady decline within the UK over the last 30 years. These articles summarise some of the key findings from a recent meeting held at Liverpool University to attempt to address the major issues. Topics covered include strategic fat supplementation to improve herd fertility, quantifying the effects of uterine infection on fertility and means to improve embryo survival. The effect of calving age on lifetime performance and financial implications of extended lactations are also addressed. - Reducing stress is key to AI success
- Infection impacts on uterine function
- Extended lactations could work for EU herds
- Calving age determines lifetime performance
- Strategic fat supplementation can improve herd fertility
- PRID insertion increased embryo survival rate
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Biofuels: fuel vs. feed vs. food?Biofuels, their impact on the animal feed industry and implications for climate change is a topical and increasingly contentious subject area. These series of articles were presented at the BSAS annual conference in Scarborough, 2008 and address a range of issues ranging from the effect of biofuel production on animal feed supply, the production of new and novel feed sources as a replacement for cereals through to the impact of climate change on current animal production systems. The summaries also address the reliability of current data on the contribution of animal production to climate change and means of reducing methane output from ruminant production systems. - Food: fuel production conflict will cost: US food industry $100 million by 2010
- Eliminating nutritional variability is key to utilising co-products
- 'Novel' products will change industry view of ruminant feeding
- Reducing methane emissions presents challenges and opportunities
- Climate change – how should UK livestock producers adapt?
- Animal scientists must play key role in providing accurate climate-change data
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