Characterization of the nongenetic causes of variation in the calcium content of bovine milk on French farms

Milk is an important source of Ca in Western diets. Milk Ca is important for the cheesemaking process and could be a useful biomarker of Ca regulation in cows. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify nongenetic factors affecting the variation of Ca content in bovine milk. During the PhénoFinLait program, a survey was performed in 3 major areas of milk production in France. This survey consisted of collecting milk samples, together with information about herd management and cow nutrition, from 924 commercial farms. More than 200,000 individual milk samples were collected, and Ca content was measured by mid-infrared spectroscopy. Each farm was surveyed several times during the year, and 3 to 6 milk samples were collected from each cow. An equation to predict milk Ca content from mid-infrared spectra was developed based on the Ca contents of 292 milk samples, and the milk Ca contents of the 200,000 samples were then predicted. Milk Ca content was lowest in Holstein cows, intermediate in Montbéliarde cows, and highest in Normande cows. For all 3 breeds, milk Ca decreased during the first month of lactation and increased after the fourth month of lactation, with the range between minimum and maximum values largest in Holsteins, intermediate in Montbéliardes, and smallest in Normandes. Milk Ca content also decreased with parity in all 3 breeds. By using multiple factorial analysis, 6 major feeding strategies employed on French dairy farms were characterized based on the data from the survey. Calendar month and cow feeding strategy affected milk Ca content, which dropped in the spring during grazing turnout and was lower when cows were fed fresh and conserved grass rather than corn silage. In conclusion, environmental factors induce variations in milk Ca content in addition to the genetics of the cows, which to date have been identified as a main factor of variation of milk Ca content in dairy cows. In several of the tested conditions, increases in milk production and in the amount of Ca daily secreted in milk were associated with a decrease in milk Ca content as though the mammary gland operated to limit the exportation of Ca when milk production rapidly increased. This result would suggest that milk Ca content could be a biomarker of Ca regulation in dairy cows.