Research projects - ruminants

Our research and teaching in ruminant nutrition and management includes nutrient metabolism, feeding, lactation, growth, behavior and housing issues. We focus on animal production and welfare and on quality of the products. The impact ruminant production has on the global environment has become an important part of our research. We have a large international network, within EU as well as worldwide.

Performance index - a method for calculation of present value for each cow Why does a dairy cow stay in her herd for such a short time? There is evidence that we place too much value on heifers. This project will develop an objective method for comparing cows and heifers.
Carbon, co- and cow-benefits and/or trade-offs from livestock grazing in the Miombo How do livestock farming and grazing in the Miombo forests affect the soil's carbon storage, species composition and production?
Widening the harvest window of ley by increasing stubble height Could impaired nutritional quality from delayed harvest of ley be counteracted by increasing the stubble height drastically and how would the total annual yield and quality then be affected?
Rangeland and livestock management practices for improved livelihood in miombo woodlands in Tanzania The general objective of this project is to enhance food security in Tanzania through improved rangeland and livestock management practices in miombo woodlands.
Can the red algae Asparagopsis taxiformis reduce methane production in dairy cows? In this project, the effect of red algae on methane production and on the feed digestibility for Swedish dairy cows is tested.
The organic dairy farm as a carbon sink Added value from biochar
Precision livestock breeding – improving both health and production in dairy cattle Agricultural systems need to improve in order to meet future challenges of an increasing human population and at the same time ensure good animal welfare and a minimal ecological footprint. This project focuses on how to improve animal welfare and health in dairy cattle production using sensor technology, with the potential to minimize antibiotic use by improving tools for disease control and management.
Management for improved efficiency by increased cow longevity in dairy herds It is only when the cow has calved and starts producing milk that she gives an income to the milk producer and it is after the second lactation the income covers the cow's rearing costs.
Cow and calf together Is it possible to keep dairy cows and their calves together in automatic milking systems? What are the effects on milk yield, calf growth, health and fertility? In this research project, we study how calves can be integrated into such systems.
Indilact II The aim of this project is to develop and test decision support tools to identify multiparous cows that benefit from an extended lactation length.
New mower technology for fractionation into two qualities at ley harvest The project investigates the biological conditions for separating a ley crop into two vertical strata fractions with different nutritional quality at mowing.
Managing forage shortage crises with forest by-products The aim of the project is to provide solutions for using unprocessed or nutritionally upgraded forest by-products as ruminant feed during forage shortage crises.
Forage efficient cows - good for the cows and the environment The overall objective of this project is to minimize the need for human-edible feed in dairy production and at the same time reduce enteric methane emission, with maintained good animal health and performance.
Find the forage-efficient cows and increase profitability Is it possible to identify dairy cows with high forage intake capacity?
Milk production with extensively processed silage for increased forage intake The aim of the project is to investigate how much extensive mechanical processing of silage can increase the forage intake in dairy cows and hereby reduce the requirement for concentrates.
Milking technique The aim is to improve milking technology and milking routines to ensure that the udder is emptied as well as possible with good udder health and animal welfare.
On the same wavelength - the effect of LED light on activity and production in dairy cows The aim of the project is to study effects of LED-light on milk production and activity in dairy cows.
INDILACT - Individually adapted lactations lengths The aim of the project is to develop tools which can be used for individually adapted lactation lengths based on the biological conditions of the cow.
Is it possible to combine high forage consumption with low methane emissions from milk cows? The purpose of the project is to investigate whether cows who have the capacity to consume large amounts of roughage have different microflora in the rumen than low-capacity cows, and if the composition of the microorganisms and methane formation is associated with the passage rate.
Improved utilization of regionally grown protein feeds for Swedish dairy cows The goal with this project was to make it possible for Swedish dairy farms to replace imported, soy based protein feed with on farm processed concentrate based on home-grown or regionally grown Swedish protein sources as field beans, peas and rapeseed.
FreeWalk – an innovative way to keep dairy cows In this European project we will study animal health and welfare, milk quality, environmental impacts etc in farms that use compost pack bedding and “cow gardens” in their barns for dairy cows.
Improved detection of mastitis in dairy cows The main objective of the project is to develop improved prediction methods of mastitis in dairy cows. This will be achieved by combining state-of-the-art mathematical / statistical methods with access to large amounts of online data.
Compact total mixed ration Does it improve animal welfare in organic dairy herds?
Beijer Laboratory for Animal Science (BLAS) The research at the Beijer Laboratory for Animal Science (BLAS) aims to make better use of data automatically collected at high-tech farms so that management and breeding of future generations of dairy cows may be as efficient as possible.

SLU and the greenhouse gas inventory