Advances in Organic Dairy Cattle Farming

Dr Mette Vaarst is a Senior Researcher in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Aarhus University, Denmark. She has published extensively on organic animal farming, coordinated several European research projects and co-edited Improving organic animal farming, published by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing in 2019.Dr Stephen Roderick is Research Manager in the Rural Business School at Duchy College in the UK. He has published widely on animal health and farm resource management, was formerly Associate Editor of Organic Agriculture and co-edited Improving organic animal farming.Dr Lindsay Whistance is Senior Livestock Researcher at the Organic Research Centre in the UK. She is internationally known for her research on farm animal behaviour, health, welfare and nutrition in organic agriculture.

“This 400-page book explores how organic dairy farming addresses challenges including environmental impact, animal welfare and antibiotic resistance. The book is aimed at academics, international policy professionals and organic farmers seeking research-based guidance, however it would also be a valuable addition to undergraduate reading lists in food science, biological sciences and agriculture. This is a timely and well-written resource.” (Book Review Published in the International Journal of Dairy Technology)“Advances in organic dairy cattle farming is in the familiar and appealing style of the rest of the Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science: physically robust, well organised, and well referenced. The book is coherently structured, and although stylistically the chapters differ from each other, all seem to be scientifically rigorous. The authors seem generally to have been open and honest about the challenges presented by the often quite restrictive requirements for organic farming, and the inevitable trade-offs among greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, animal welfare and profitability. The book provides a good overview of the state of organic production and is well worth reading.” (Book Review Published in the Journal of Dairy Research)

• 1. Organic dairy farming in Europe: building on the past to develop the future: Mette Vaarst, Aarhus University, Denmark; Lindsay K. Whistance, The Organic Research Centre, UK; and Steve Roderick, Duchy College, UK;Part 1 Improving breeding and nutrition2. Organic dairy cattle breeding: possibilities and challenges: Morten Kargo, Julie Brastrup Clasen and Margot Slagboom, Aarhus University, Denmark;3. Optimizing soils, pasture and grassland management for organic dairy farming: Stephen Roderick, Duchy College, UK and Hannah Jones, Farm Carbon Toolkit, UK;4. Assessing milk quality from organic production: Gillian Butler and Hannah Davis, Newcastle University, UK;Part 2 Improving health, welfare and life opportunities5. The value of One Health and One Welfare approaches in promoting the health and welfare of organic dairy cattle: Lindsay Whistance, The Organic Research Centre, UK;6. The lives of calves from organic dairy farms: Kerstin Barth, J. H. von Thünen Institute - Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Germany; Julie Føske Johnsen, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Norway; Marie Haskell, SRUC, UK; Silvia Ivemeyer, J. H. von Thünen Institute - Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Germany; and Mette Vaarst, Aarhus University, Denmark;7. Improving herd health management and disease prevention in organic dairy cattle farming: Dr Lisa Morgans, Royal Agricultural University/(formerly Innovation for Agriculture), UK; Catarina Svensson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden; Julie Duval, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), France; and Silvia Ivemeyer, Thünen Insititute - Institute of Organic Farming, Germany;8. The use of plant bio-active compounds and other alternative therapeutic strategies in organic dairy farming: Maria Groot, Wageningen University & Research. The Netherlands; Ariane Maeschli and Michael Walkenhorst, Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland;9. Improving the management of parasites in organic dairy farming: Stig M. Thamsborg, Andrew Williams, and Helena Mejer, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Nadine Ravinet, INRAE, France; Miguel Peña-Espinoza, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria; and Philip J. Skuce, Moredun Research Institute, UK;10. An ethical framework for the use of technology in organic dairy farming: David Christian Rose, Harper Adams University, UK; Juliette Schillings, University College Dublin, Ireland; and Eden Keily-Thurstain, formerly University of Cambridge, UK;Part 3 Improving sustainability11. Integration of organic dairy cows into a whole farm context: Stephen Roderick, Duchy College, UK and Lindsay Whistance, The Organic Research Centre, UK;12. How can organic dairy farming address and improve biodiversity and healthy ecosystems?: Will Simonson, The Organic Research Centre, UK;13. Market structures of organic dairy farming and consumer attitudes towards organic milk processing: Otto Schmid, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Switzerland; Hanna Stolz, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Switzerland; Karlotta Koch, University of Hohenheim, Germany; and Claudia Meier, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Switzerland;14. Organic dairy farming as part of sustainable ecological and social food systems: Mette Vaarst, Aarhus University, Denmark; Adrian Muller, Christian Schader, Florian Leiber and Bernadette Oehen, FiBL, Switzerland; Lindsay K. Whistance, The Organic Research Centre, UK; and Stephen Roderick, Duchy College Rural Business School, UK;