Milk urea content as indicator feed protein utilization and environmental pollution in farms
2012
Ruska, D., Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia) | Jonkus, D., Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia)
Advances in milk production and the expansion of dairy herds have increased the need for improved manure management and whole farm nutrient balance. It is well known in dairy management that the balanced feeding and holding technology is an important level by which milk production and milk composition can be modified. The objective of this study was to evaluate urea content and urea yield in different farms with different holding technologies. Four farms represent three cow breeds (Holstein Black and White, Latvian Brown, and cross breed XP). Individual cow milk samples (n=2740) were collected monthly from September 2009 to November 2010. Milk samples were analyzed for total protein, casein, fat, lactose, and urea content with instrumental infrared spectroscopy method. The average milk yield per cows in farms was significantly different (from 27.9 to 17.0 kg per control day). The urea content in cow milk was between 20.3 to 46.6 mg dLE-1. The average urea content in farms A, B and D was up to standard (from 15.0 to 30.0 mg dLE-1). In the farm C, average urea content ranged between 17.4 and 79.9 mg dLE-1, which indicated problems in feeding or management in the farm. It was established that milk urea content and yield significantly (p is less than 0.05) varied in farms with different dairy cow holding and feeding technologies. Urea content can be used to evaluate feed protein utilization in farms and predict environmental pollution.
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