Brazilian scientists explore the dairy industry in Austria and Germany …

Brazilian scientists explore the dairy industry in Austria and Germany

As part of the Calvatis-ADA business partnership for the sustainable improvement of raw milk quality, quality assurance and capacity building in the Brazilian dairy industry, Brazilian scientists visited family-run dairy farms in Tyrol and Upper Austria as well as the Veitshof experimental station in Freising.
the Veitshof experimental station of the Technical University in Freising. The project is being implemented by Calvatis GmbH and its group and funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Austrian development cooperation agency.

Article TUM | 02.05.2024
On April 26, 2024, eight Brazilian scientists visited the TUM Experimental Station Veitshof to learn about milk production and milk quality in Germany. Brazilian tour group standing in front of the pasture at Veitshof The Brazilian tour group gained various insights into German milk production at Veitshof (Photo: Julia Steinhoff Wagner / TUM)

The delegation included:

• Prof. Guiomar Pedro Bergmann, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
• Prof. Julio Viegas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
• Prof. Fernanda Rezende, Universidade Federal de Pelotas
• Prof. Rodrigo Casquero Cunha, Universidade Federal de Pelotas
• Prof. Marcia Monks Jantzen, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

TUM Alumni and milking consultant Dr. Dirk Hömburg organized the visit. The visit was financially supported by Calvatis GmbH, represented by Michael Alles. In the morning, Rebecca Fritz, Head of the Animal Research Center (ARC), gave the delegation a tour of the Veitshof.

The researchers learned about the history and production at Veitshof. The calf husbandry was inspected and the feed ration was discussed.

An important topic was the future implementation of the Supply Chain Duty of Care Act and what options exist to reduce or replace Brazilian soy products in concentrated feed. In the free stall barn, TUM presented the ongoing project on cow-based calf rearing (KuKIndiTM) and reported on initial results. There was extensive discussion about the challenges from a scientific perspective in implementing consumer wishes in both countries. The group then inspected the modernized milking parlor.

Later in the morning, the guests were invited to a lecture in the seminar room above the Moosach in the historic waterworks. Julia Steinhoff-Wagner presented research findings and strategies for calf nutrition. The focus was on One Health topics, such as improving gut health, the quality of colostrum and milk feed, transferring resistance from cow to calf and programming the later dairy cow in the postnatal period. In the afternoon, Theresa Heim and Sabine Rudin from LKV Bayern presented the success factors for milk quality management in Germany - regular check-ups on an individual animal basis with the Lactocorder, the ProGesund program, the range of analyses offered by the animal health service and much more. At the end, everyone expressed their thanks for the interesting insights and invited TUM to make a return visit.

(Article: www.tum.de / Brazilian scientists explore the German dairy industry)