Research and Reviews : Journal of Dairy Science and Technology Review Article

Sustainable Feeding Practices for Dairy Development in the tropics: Exploring Cost Reduction through Resource Optimization

  1. Md. Emran Hossain Department of Animal Science and Nutrition, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Khulshi, Chattogram-4225
  2. Shilpi Islam Department of Animal Science and Nutrition, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Salna, Gazipur

Abstract

Sustainable feeding practices are crucial for enhancing the economic viability and environmental responsibility of dairy farming. This review explores innovative strategies for cost reduction through resource optimization, aiming to minimize feed expenses while maintaining animal health and productivity. A comprehensive examination of over 100 cost-saving measures reveals diverse approaches, including nutritional planning, pasture management, and the incorporation of alternative feed sources. The integration of precision feeding techniques, waste utilization, and community collaboration emerges as pivotal in achieving both economic and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the review highlights the importance of technology in monitoring feed quality and improving efficiency through data-driven decision-making. By emphasizing the role of cow comfort and health, the study underscores the necessity of a holistic approach that balances economic and animal welfare considerations. This exploration not only addresses immediate feed cost challenges but also contributes to the long-term sustainability of dairy operations. The findings indicate that effective implementation of these practices can lead to significant reductions in feed costs, thereby enhancing profitability and fostering sustainable agricultural practices. Ultimately, this review serves as a valuable resource for dairy producers seeking to navigate the complexities of modern feeding strategies while aligning with sustainability goals.

Keywords

References (47)

  1. Makkar HPS. Smart livestock feeding strategies for harvesting triple gain – the desired outcomes in planet, people and profit dimensions: a developing country perspective. Animal Production Science. 2016;56(3):519-534. doi:10.1071/an15557
  2. Phillip LE, Goldsmith P, Bergeron M, Peterson PR. Optimizing pasture management for cow-calf production: the roles of rotational frequency and stocking rate in the context of system efficiency. Canadian Journal of Animal Science. 2001;81(1):47-56. doi:10.4141/a00-044
  3. O. Alao, A. B. Falowo, A. Chulayo, and V. Muchenje, “The potential of animal by-products in food systems: Production, prospects and challenges,” Sustainability, vol. 9, no. 7, p. 1089, 2017.
  4. W. Manju Wadhwa, M. P. S. Bakshi, and H. P. S. Makkar, “Waste to worth: fruit wastes and by-products as animal feed.,” CABI Rev., no. 2015, pp. 1–26, 2015.
  5. Liang and T. Shah, “IoT in agriculture: The future of precision monitoring and data-driven farming,” Eig. Rev. Sci. Technol., vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 85–104, 2023.
  6. DeVries TJ. Feeding Behavior, Feed Space, and Bunk Design and Management for Adult Dairy Cattle. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice. 2019;35(1):61-76. doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2018.10.003
  7. Lucas, P. Gasselin, and J. D. Van Der Ploeg, “Local inter-farm cooperation: A hidden potential for the agroecological transition in northern agricultures,” Agroecol. Sustain. food Syst., vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 145–179, 2019.
  8. Luo F, Mi W, Liu W. Legume–grass mixtures improve biological nitrogen fixation and nitrogen transfer by promoting nodulation and altering root conformation in different ecological regions of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2024;15. doi:10.3389/fpls.2024.1375166
  9. H. Abdula, “Contribution of Hydroponic Feed for Livestock Production and Productivity,” Sci. Front, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1–7, 2022, doi:10.11648/j.sf.20220301.11.
  10. Hassen and I. Dawid, “Contribution of hydroponic feed for livestock production and productivity: a review,” Int. J. Gr. Sediment Water, vol. 15, pp. 899–916, 2022.
  11. Lovarelli, J. Bacenetti, and M. Guarino, “A review on dairy cattle farming: Is precision livestock farming the compromise for an environmental, economic and social sustainable production?,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 262, p. 121409, 2020.
  12. J. VandeHaar, L. E. Armentano, K. Weigel, D. M. Spurlock, R. J. Tempelman, and R. Veerkamp, “Harnessing the genetics of the modern dairy cow to continue improvements in feed efficiency,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 99, no. 6, pp. 4941–4954, 2016.
  13. J. van Empel, H. P. S. Makkar, J. Dijkstra, and P. Lund, “Nutritional, technological and managerial parameters for precision feeding to enhance feed nutrient utilization and productivity in different dairy cattle production systems.,” CABI Rev., no. 2016, pp. 1–27, 2016.
  14. Ogola PA, Ngesa F, Makanji DL. Influence of access to extension services on milk productivity among smallholder dairy farmers in Njoro Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya. Heliyon. 2023;9(9):e20210. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20210
  15. M. Pesti and B. R. Miller, Animal feed formulation: economic and computer applications. Springer Science & Business Media, 1993.
  16. E. Cabrera, J. A. Barrientos-Blanco, H. Delgado, and L. Fadul-Pacheco, “Symposium review: Real-time continuous decision making using big data on dairy farms,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 103, no. 4, pp. 3856–3866, 2020.
  17. Ventura G, Lorenzi V, Mazza F, Clemente GA, Iacomino C, Bertocchi L, et al. Best Farming Practices for the Welfare of Dairy Cows, Heifers and Calves. Animals. 2021;11(9):2645. doi:10.3390/ani11092645
  18. Ray and S. Majumder, “Water management in agriculture: Innovations for efficient irrigation,” Mod. Agron. Sil, P., Chhetri, P., Majumder, S., Santosh, DT, Eds, pp. 169–185, 2024.
  19. Zlaoui et al., “Can Small-Scale Dairy Farm Profitability Increase with the Use of Solar Energy Technology? An Experimental Study in Central Tunisia,” Energies, vol. 16, no. 13, p. 4925, 2023.
  20. Aquilani, A. Confessore, R. Bozzi, F. Sirtori, and C. Pugliese, “Precision Livestock Farming technologies in pasture-based livestock systems,” Animal, vol. 16, no. 1, p. 100429, 2022.
  21. Jalal et al., “Potential of fruits and vegetable by-products as an alternative feed source for sustainable ruminant nutrition and production: a review,” Agriculture, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 286, 2023.
  22. Agegnehu, A. K. Srivastava, and M. I. Bird, “The role of biochar and biochar-compost in improving soil quality and crop performance: A review,” Appl. soil Ecol., vol. 119, pp. 156–170, 2017.
  23. E. Sollenberger and D. J. R. Cherney, “Evaluating forage production and quality,” Forages Sci. Grassl. Agric., vol. 2, pp. 97–110, 1995.
  24. Barbosa MW. Government Support Mechanisms for Sustainable Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda. Sustainability. 2024;16(5):2185. doi:10.3390/su16052185
  25. Eaton and A. Shepherd, Contract farming: partnerships for growth, no. 145. Food & Agriculture Org., 2001.
  26. Akins MS. Dairy Heifer Development and Nutrition Management. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice. 2016;32(2):303-317. doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2016.01.004
  27. Grant and W. H. Miner, “Economic Benefits of Improved Cow Comfort,” Nov. Int. Inc., no. April, pp. 1–26, 2015.
  28. Wang et al., “Fermented total mixed ration enhances nutrient digestibility and modulates the milk components and fecal microbial community in lactating Holstein dairy cows,” Front. Vet. Sci., vol. 11, p. 1408348, 2024.
  29. Tylutki TP, Fox DG, Mcmahon M. Implementation of Nutrient Management Planning on a Dairy Farm. The Professional Animal Scientist. 2004;20(1):58-65. doi:10.15232/s1080-7446(15)31273-0
  30. J. Lao, “Scrutinizing the opportunities, challenges and sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grain as a feed source for dairy cattle,” Big Data Agric., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 56–64, 2021.
  31. Khan M, Peters K, Uddin M. Feeding Strategy For Improving Dairy Cattle Productivity In Small Holder Farm In Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science. 1970;38(1-2):67-85. doi:10.3329/bjas.v38i1-2.9914
  32. D. Klausner et al., “Improving dairy farm sustainability I: An approach to animal and crop nutrient management planning,” J. Prod. Agric., vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 225–233, 1998.
  33. Meza K, Vanek SJ, Sueldo Y, Olivera E, Ccanto R, Scurrah M, et al. Grass–Legume Mixtures Show Potential to Increase Above- and Belowground Biomass Production for Andean Forage-Based Fallows. Agronomy. 2022;12(1):142. doi:10.3390/agronomy12010142
  34. Mikuš T, Marzel R, Mikuš O. Early weaning: new insights on an ever-persistent problem in the dairy industry. Journal of Dairy Research. 2020;87(S1):88-92. doi:10.1017/s0022029920000503
  35. Zhong Z, Zhang C, Jia F, Bijman J. Vertical coordination and cooperative member benefits: Case studies of four dairy farmers’ cooperatives in China. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018;172:2266-2277. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.184
  36. F. W. Te Pas, T. Veldkamp, Y. de Haas, A. Bannink, and E. D. Ellen, “Adaptation of livestock to new diets using feed components without competition with human edible protein sources—a review of the possibilities and recommendations,” Animals, vol. 11, no. 8, p. 2293, 2021.
  37. M. Khan et al., “Alternative sources of proteins in farm animal feeding,” J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. Food Sci., 2024.
  38. Kilpatrick S. Education and training: Impacts on farm management practice. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension. 2000;7(2):105-116. doi:10.1080/13892240008438811
  39. Kilelu CW, Klerkx L, Leeuwis C. Unravelling the role of innovation platforms in supporting co-evolution of innovation: Contributions and tensions in a smallholder dairy development programme. Agricultural Systems. 2013;118:65-77. doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2013.03.003
  40. Karunathilake, A. T. Le, S. Heo, Y. S. Chung, and S. Mansoor, “The path to smart farming: Innovations and opportunities in precision agriculture,” Agriculture, vol. 13, no. 8, p. 1593, 2023.
  41. Dries, M. Gorton, V. Urutyan, and J. White, “Supply chain relationships, supplier support programmes and stimulating investment: evidence from the Armenian dairy sector,” Supply Chain Manag. An Int. J., vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 98–107, 2014.
  42. H. Van Horn, A. C. Wilkie, W. J. Powers, and R. A. Nordstedt, “Components of dairy manure management systems,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 77, no. 7, pp. 2008–2030, 1994.
  43. O. Petersen et al., “Recycling of livestock manure in a whole-farm perspective,” Livest. Sci., vol. 112, no. 3, pp. 180–191, 2007.
  44. Pomar C, van Milgen J, Remus A. 18: Precision livestock feeding, principle and practice. Poultry and pig nutrition. 2019:397-418. doi:10.3920/978-90-8686-884-1_18
  45. C. Souza et al., “Algorithm development for individualized precision feeding of supplemental top dresses to influence feed efficiency of dairy cattle,” J. Dairy Sci., vol. 105, no. 5, pp. 4048–4063, 2022.
  46. E. Hossain, M. A. Kabir, L. Zheng, D. L. Swain, S. McGrath, and J. Medway, “Near-infrared spectroscopy for analysing livestock diet quality: A systematic review,” Heliyon, 2024.
  47. Evangelista, L. Basiricò, and U. Bernabucci, “An overview on the use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) on farms for the management of dairy cows,” Agriculture, vol. 11, no. 4, p. 296, 2021.
Support