Over the past 50 years, selection of cows with high milk production potential has increased, and with this increase has come decreases in reproductive performance. As a management option, superior-yielding cows that have failed to get into calf in a traditional 12-month calving system may be carried over and milked continuously for another 6 months (18–month calving system) instead of being culled. This review provides information and insight on what is currently known about extended lactation; examines the potential for genetic improvement; and details both genetic and non-genetic factors that need to be considered when selecting cows suitable for extended lactation, targeting especially Australian pastured systems. Such findings will help the dairy industry make better selection decisions when breeding for extended lactation and provide breeding tools to help achieve this.

This trial provides a fair comparison between Murrah crossbred water buffalo and Brahman-influenced cattle, raised under savannah conditions, in growth and slaughter traits at four age endpoints (7, 17, 19 and 24 months). Buffalo had lower dressing yield but consistently outperformed cattle in growth and carcass traits. Buffalo may offer advantages for meat production under extensive tropical conditions.

Individual cattle management systems rely on equations to predict an animal’s body composition and marketing individual animals at the best economical end-point. Such equations must be precise and accurate in a sense to optimise the power of prediction of those systems. Careful evaluation has shown that different types of animals require specific equations or calibration of what it is currently available. Poor forecasting of animals’ profitability could be associated with misconception of the prediction equations chosen in those systems.

Fescue toxicosis results in decreased growth in livestock and is a major economic problem for producers. This study indicates that despite subtle changes in metabolism occurring feed intake and not feed utilisation is the major cause of the decreased growth that occurs during toxicosis. Factors that contribute to the decreased intake must be overcome to alleviate this syndrome.

One of the proposed methods of dairy cattle udder inflammation control is the selection of animals less prone to infection by using genetic markers. The study’s aim was to investigate the feasibility of two single nucleotide polymorphisms, placed in the 5′-flanking region and 3′-untranslated region of the bovine lactoferrin gene, to serve as mastitis markers. It was shown that both polymorphisms significantly influence lactoferrin content in milk, and that one of them (LF+32) is associated with the cow’s estimated breeding value for somatic cell count and could potentially be used as a molecular marker for mastitis resistance in dairy cows.

Fatty liver is a significant metabolic disorder in the dairy industry and a major risk factor for decreased average lifetime of cows. We investigated how the measurement of serum fructosamine, as a non-invasive diagnostic tool, could aid the early diagnosis of hepatic lipidosis. Our results indicate that the measurement of fructosamine could facilitate the diagnosis of fatty liver in dairy cows.

Sheep managed on native pastures are exposed to heterogeneous species of grasses with different distribution and quality, which frequently render lambs unable to reproduce in their first year of age. This experiment evaluated differential nutrition at three different stages during female lambs’ first year of life. From the phases studied, growth rate after weaning and liveweight achieved at the onset of breeding better explained the successful pregnancy of ewe lambs.

Scrotal circumference in ram lambs and age at the onset of puberty in ewe lambs are valuable indicators of reproductive development in sheep production. Genomic regions underlying these traits were identified. Future studies targeting these regions may eventually lead to developing DNA tests to assist selection for early onset of puberty in sheep.

In the Basque Country, Spain, dairy sheep production is based on high pasture use. Scarce grass source in the region makes shepherds attempt to balance herbage and forage with concentrates high in protein level to maintain the nutritional requirements of lactating ewes. This study shows a reduction in the protein level of the supplementary concentrate contributed to a reduction in the ration cost and nitrogen waste without a measurable effect on ewe performance or milk yield.

The inclusion of oil seeds in the diet of ruminants can improve the health quality of their meat. This was verified when we supplemented fattening lambs with sunflower seeds and vitamin E; the lamb meat had a higher amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Considering the current demand for healthy food, inclusion of these ingredients in the lamb diet is advantageous.

The lipid fraction of meat is closely associated with consumer health. In this study the nutritional quality of the lipid fraction of meat from Suino Nero Lucano, an Italian autochthonous pig breed, was evaluated. The meat showed relatively low content of cholesterol and a higher proportion of unsaturated than saturated fatty acids. From our findings, regarding the muscle and the slaughter weight, meat production with specific nutritional characteristics can be hypothesised.

There is no simple, affordable method to determine the size of primal cuts of lean meat using linear measurements. The aim of this study was the development of equations to predict lean meat content, and masses of ham, loin, shoulder and belly. Equations were developed for estimating meat content with greater accuracy than most classification devices. Based on simple measurements, these equations may obtain valuable information for the meat industry.

In the goat industry, litter size is extremely important. Polymerisation effects of four microsatellites (OarAE101, BM1329, BM143 and LSCV043) significantly affected litter size of goats. The four microsatellites could serve as a genetic marker for litter size in goat breeding.

The data on the function and requirement of minerals is insufficient for egg-laying ducks despite the large-scale laying duck production in Asia. Selenium deficiency leads to low antioxidant enzyme activities in ducks and the selenium requirement for laying ducks was obtained based on the egg production and activities of antioxidant enzymes in this study. Required selenium intake is important for the functions of antioxidant enzyme in production birds and animals.

In farmed venison production systems in New Zealand, early summer calving often results in a misalignment between pasture availability and energy demand of the lactating hind. Attempts to achieve early calving by advancing conception date are partly mitigated by a negative association between conception date and gestation length. This study has demonstrated that gestation length is shortened in hinds that receive an ad libitum diet of high quality food during the third trimester of gestation.

In New Zealand, the speed at which an infectious disease could spread through the horse population would be economically devastating, particularly for participants of the racing industry. In an outbreak, prior knowledge about the potential pathways of spread enables control to be one step ahead of disease. This descriptive study highlights the potential importance of racehorses in disease spread as a result of the frequency and distance associated with the movement of horses to race meetings.