Managing and Feeding Lactating Dairy †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Managing and Feeding Lactating Dairy. Answer: Introduction: The study examines the UKCIP adaptation wizard Dairy Crest to establish the impacts of climate change on the sector. Dairy Crest is one of UKs leading companies that deal with the production, manufacturing and supply of milk products. The organization is listed amongst the most performing firms in the dairy products industry due to the number of brands, employees and annual net profits. Climate is an important factor when it comes to the progress of the field and changes might greatly influence Dairy Crest either in the positive or negative way. The present temperature factors influencing the sector should therefore be controlled to reduce any negative impacts that might result in the future (Christensen et.al 2013). The companys activities including the site developments and care for the animals, extraction and processing of the products, employee activities and the marketing and supply of the outputs greatly depend on climate. Getting Started How does Climate change affect the system? Cows purposefully kept for the production of milk are sensitive to the environmental temperatures which affects their yields in the long run. The animals are comfortable in cool areas with temperatures of below 70 degrees. The UK dairy industry is at risk due to the increased climatic changes that occur due to heavy industrial activities. Most manufacturing and processing companies are responsible for the increased emission of greenhouse gases. As (Capper, Cady Bauman 2009) explains, once these gases get to the atmosphere, they destroy the ozone layer which leads to sudden weather alterations. Unfavorable weather changes influence the growth of animal pastures and the existence of the dairy cows as well. Dairy Crest deals with the grooming of the livestock, processing and selling of the resulting products. All their activities can therefore be inconvenienced due to climate change as all these activities require specific temperatures for quality outcomes (Ethical Consumer 2015). Extremely hot temperatures will lead to stress and discomfort of the livestock which in turn reduces their milk production. That explains the reason for the construction of their structures which minimizes the amount of heat getting inside. The pasture growth will also be disadvantaged because of too much heat which might lead to poor quality of grass and legumes. Dairy Crest will alternatively spent a lot of resources on irrigation. Severe cold weather is also dangerous for the growth of dairy animals as they need direct sunrays at times during developments. This kind of weather leads to dump conditions around the animal breeding areas which is a contributing factor to diseases. The organization also has many employees both in the fields and offices to ensure all operations run as desired. In the cases of extreme weather changes, the staff members may not be able to effectively perform their duties which is a disadvantage to achieving the goals and objectives of the company. What are the desired achievements for the assessment? The main issue that requires attention for the study is climate change in the agricultural sector, specifically dairy farming. The increased industrialization affects livestock keeping in such a way that it might lead to the collapse of companies dealing with these products. Dairy Crest as the company in question covers a great part of the UK milk market. The main reason as to why the firm is doing well is because of favorable weather conditions which is turning to be a threat. The analysis seeks to address all the factors influencing climate and their impact on dairy activities. The situation is experiencing variations on a daily basis which is also a factor to consider. The illustration therefore aims at studying the possible future of climate change and the extremes to which it will influence agriculture. Dairy Crest might be doing so well at the moment but that situation might not be similar in the next few years. The report therefore illustrates the position of the company and the likely hood of change in any direction. Studying these issues related to natural environment requires time of investigation and observation which determines the kind of results at the end of the research. The report has therefore looked at the dairy sector in the UK ten years ago and the new advancements or problems that have emerged since then. The same analysis also focuses on predicting the future for the industry five years in the future and comparing the results. Climate change is the main focus of comparison as it keeps on changing depending on the kind of industrial activities occurring in the neighboring environment. What are difficulties faced and methods to overcome them? Dairy Crest as a leading company in the agricultural supply market does not always have it easy as many might think. They face a lot of challenges especially those connected to climatic changes and the natural environment in general. Their daily activities require favorable weather conditions to achieve their set goals and market expectations. Since they deal with both growing of pastures and keeping of the livestock, their risks are higher. The firm might end up losing in both fields which are interconnected and hence leading to reduce sales and animal count. The companys operations face the danger of reduced milk and fat production from the animals due to extreme weather conditions (Dunn et.al 2014). Technological advancements for cooling warming buildings play a great role in maintaining the appropriate room temperature that is required for proper breeding. When it comes to the outdoor environment, Dairy Crest risks the factors of soil erosion and damaging of pasture crops due to excess rains. The vice versa is also dangerous as hot climates might dry up the plants leading to future shortages. They apply conservation methods and irrigation to resolve these cases. Is my System Vulnerable to the Climate Change-680 2.1 How have previous weather changes affected my sector? Whether has greatly affected the operations of Dairy Crest and the whole milk production industry in the UK in the past. Reports show that sudden rainfalls, extreme hot temperatures and strong winds have reduced income received from the sector in an annual basis. Heavy rains destroy the animal feeds which are the major source of nutrients facilitating to the livestock production. The vast fields in Dairy crest were flooded making it difficult for the animals to walk around and feed on their own. They also damaged some of the weak animal structures which led to the deaths of a few and additional costs of repairs. Hot temperatures on the other hand are not effective for comfortable survival of the dairy cattle. The heat inside the structures and in the outdoor environment leads to stress for the animals which in turn leads to reduced milk outputs (Prathap et.al 2016). The animal feed growing suffered the most as lack of rains for long period led to poor quality pasture and dying up in some areas that could not be irrigated. Finally heavy winds that occurred in 2015 around the Dairy Crest fields led to a lot of damages both for the animals and the crops. Starting from the destruction of buildings, to plants, the situation forced the company to take steps against climate change. 2.2 How did my system deal with past weather events? Although the company was not able to fully protect their property, strong structures and technology inside the cattle houses were advanced to ensure for the continued production despite the weather. The animal houses were reconstructed using durable materials like concrete, graphite and steel replacing the previous bricks and wood. The offices occupied by different workers were also renovated to ensure for the safety of the employees in cases of heavy rains or strong winds. The field staff built contours and ditches top get rid of excess water that earlier on led to soil erosion. Heavy rains were therefore not that much damaging as the water did not flood the lands occupied by grass and animals as well (Patterson 2015). They also conserved the rain water which is now used during the droughts for drinking by the animals and also irrigating the crops. The sector also encouraged all the organizations and small scale farmers to adopt safe operations methods to take care of their livestock. The ministry of agriculture made power accessible to all farms and companies which in turn ensured that they can provide warming and cooling systems for their livestock. 2.3 What are the critical thresholds for my sector? Dairy farming is a critical sector when it comes to weather requirements and variations might lead to failure. Dairy Crest deals with livestock keeping as well as growing of the feeding grass which considered an advantage to their activities. It is however challenging as each of the two products require different climatic conditions and sudden changes might affect either of these. Cattle keeping require cool temperatures between the hot and cold climates to ensure for maximum milk outputs. It should not go below 20 degrees or above 70 which might not be case in a country like UK (Warner 2013). Their structures should be maintained at room temperature as it the place where the cattle spend most of their time. The pasture growing is however not as demanding in terms of climate as they can survive rainfall of up to 10,000ml (Oregon State University 2017). They can also thrive in considerably hot climates since most of these feeds maintain water for a long period including Napier grass. 2.4 Are there any unknowns that will influence the sector Once the company has considered the issues of weather and their influences to operations, they can expect to attain the highest returns. These are however factors that might threaten the industry like occurrences of diseases which are not influenced by climate (Nardone et.al 2010). These diseases might be because of the breed type of the cattle and spread quickly due to the numbers. The company should therefore make their veterinary services more often and improve their livestock grades. How will my system be affected by future climate change-680 3.1 How is Climate expected to change? There is continued increase of industrial activities all around the world, making greenhouse gas emissions a great threat to agriculture. In the UK and Australia, the situation is expected to remain the same as industrialization has spread in all the regions. There is the possibility of sudden weather shifts caused by the damaged ozone layer (Schlenker, Hanemann Fisher 2006). It might even get to a time where the extents of global warming lead to abnormal temperature escalations which completely hinders the possibility dairy farming (McMichael et.al 2007). The firm should also make arrangements to deal with such situations by first reducing the types of pollutants they release to the natural environment. 3.3 Are there indirect climate impacts that need to be considered? Climate does not always have to directly affect the animals and pasture to make an impact in the sector. The adverse variations in rainfall, sunshine and wind might be inappropriate for the workers especially those working in the fields (Barnes Toma 2012). They will end up performing poorly in their daily duties which in turn affects the companys outputs. Human resource is an important department which enables for the progress of other activities because all activities require human labor. 3.4 What risks do these climate impacts present? The greatest risk of climate change is that it can damage the progress of any agricultrual acitities. It comes hand in hand with global warming which is an issue that threatens all human, animal and plant existence. For example, life is thretened during heavy rainfalls or extremely hot weathers as survival of all living organisms require balanced temperatures. Dairy Crest involves takinmg care of the animals, crops and humans around the enviroenemnt (Uga Extension 2017). The three operate similary in their ways of adaptiong to change of the weather and any irregulatieies will have a negative impact to them. 3.5 Will climate risks be more or less important than others for my systems? There are many factors that might influence the dairy farming industry in both the positive and negative ways. However, climate has the biggest effect as nature and agriculture are interdependent. The best way to ensure that there is a successful experience in the sector is by controlling the temperatures by constructing the appropriate structures for the animals and plants as well (Lesschen et.al 2011) The climatic variation over time influences type of activities that can take place in the company and determine the success or failure in these activities. 3.6 What are the priority risks that need and adaptation response Some of the major risks in need of a quick fix may include unfavorable and uncomfortable weather conditions that make it difficult for the survival of living creatures. The threat to the damage of the ozone layer and increased global warming are also common in the heavy industrial society (Gill, Smith Wilkinson 2010). With more of these, then there are no activities that can progress successfully especially in the area under focus. Identify, Assess and Implement your adaptation options-680 4.1 Identify a range of adaptation options With every problem, there must be ways to adapt to the situation and survive even in the worst conditions ever. The agricultural sector can make changes in their operations to keep on making progress in the changing climate environments (Yano, Shimadzu Endo 2014). Some of these options include reducing the pollutants that they release to the environment as it affects their activities. During the keeping of animals or crops, it might be beneficial to reduce the amount of chemicals used in treating diseases and many others. The sector can also adopt the much improved breeds that ensure for the comfortable adaptation of tough climatic variations (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2014). 4.2 Identify your adaptation options Dairy Crest deals with sensitive animals that require specific temperatures to effectively develop and produce as well. The company can therefore purchase animal genes that are adaptive to all weather conditions with much comforts. Most of these breeds can be found in Netherlands whereby dairy farming is the core of the economy (Paerl Paul 2012). These livestock are easier to maintain and can deal with diseases and temperature changes without having to reduce their milk outputs. Finally the company should consider trying out forestry in their fields as it seems to have less trees. Forests help reduce soil erosion by holding soil particles together which will be of a benefit to the growing of pasture. They also reduce the strength of winds which have a damaging impact on the crops, animal structures and the comfort of the livestock as well (Rojas et.al 2017). From the picture shown above, more trees are needed to provide shelter, act as windbreakers and also attract rainfall. 4.3 Factors to consider while evaluating options These options should consider the factors of cost and space since there might a limitation of both. Aquiring higher quality breeds of cattle require resources to ensure that you get the best animals and achieve the desired results (Dairy Guy 2016). Such like a move might leave the company deprived of funds and unable to conduct other crucial activities. It is therefore good to ensure that the firm has the ability to improve their breeds with less impacts on its internal and external operations. Planting trees requires space as the activity should not block the animal structures from accessing direct sunrays. The company should also consider having a vast land for the animals to feed outdoor with protection from the forest (Bindi Olesen 2011). It is therefore important to ensure that the company plans its landscapes to incorporate trees and still balance with the keeping of the animals. 4.5 When should this assessment be reviewed The assessment should be reviewed every time there is need to find out more about climate change and its influence to dairy farming. The analysis describes in details the different weather conditions and their impacts to the sector and options that can be used to adapt these situations (Stocker 2014). It is however a guide for future reference to establish the position of Dairy Crest in the past and the changes they have made since then. Therefore, the document is a crucial piece of information in the present and the future. References Barnes, A.P. and Toma, L., 2012. A typology of dairy farmer perceptions towards climate change. Climatic Change, 112(2), pp.507-522. Bindi, M., Olesen, J. E., 2011. The responses of agriculture in Europe to climate change. 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Climate change: links to global expansion of harmful cyanobacteria. Water research, 46(5), 1349-1363. Patterson B., 2015. Australias Farmers challenged by Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/australia-s-farmers-challenged-by-climate-change/ Prathap P., Archana P.R., Aleena J., Sejian V., 2016 Heat Stress and Dairy Cow: Impact on Both Milk Yield and Composition Rojas-Downing, M. M., Nejadhashemi, A. P., Harrigan, T., Woznicki, S. A., 2017. Climate change and livestock: impacts, adaptation, and mitigation. Climate Risk Management. Schlenker, W., Hanemann, W. M., Fisher, A. C., 2006. The impact of global warming on US agriculture: an econometric analysis of optimal growing conditions. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 88(1), 113-125. Stocker, T. (Ed.), 2014. Climate change 2013: the physical science basis: Working Group I contribution to the Fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press. Uga Extension, 2017. Managing and Feeding Lactating Dairy Cows in Hot Weather. Retrieved from https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B956 Warner D., 2013. Keeping cows cool critical to dairy industry as climate warms. Retrieved on Nov 12th 2017 from https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/04/keeping_cows_cool_critical_to.html Yano, M., Shimadzu, H., Endo, T., 2014. Modelling temperature effects on milk production: a study on Holstein cows at a Japanese farm. SpringerPlus, 3(1), 129.