This study aimed to investigate the effects of slaughter age (young vs. old), muscle type (Longissimus dorsi (LD), Gluteus medius (GM)) and fat deposits (kidney knob and channel fat, subcutaneous fat, intramuscular fat) on chemical, organoleptic, textural characteristics and fatty acid composition of Holstein Friesian bull meat. For this purpose, the carcasses of 26 Holstein Friesian bulls that had been fattened on the same private farm were assigned to two experimental groups based on their age at slaughter: a young group (YG) (average age: 17.0 ± 1.0 months old) and an old group (OG) (average age: 22.0 ± 1.0 months old). The percentage of crude protein, panel tenderness score, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and saturated fatty acid (SFA) content, the PUFA/SFA ratio and the hypocholesterolemic fatty acid (DFA)/hypercholesterolemic fatty acid (OFA) ratio of the bull carcasses decreased significantly with increasing slaughter age. By contrast, the OFA content of the carcasses significantly increased (p < 0.05) with increasing slaughter age. Advanced slaughter age resulted in lower panel tenderness scores. Additionally, the meat of the bulls in the OG was considered to be less healthy because of the less desirable fatty acid composition and nutritional indices, such as the PUFA/SFA and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratios, compared to the meat from the bulls in the YG. Furthermore, the intramuscular fat and internal fat contained high percentages of PUFA and SFA and high PUFA/SFA and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratios. Interestingly, the percentage of OFA content in the internal and intramuscular fat tissues decreased with increasing slaughter age. In conclusion, this study provided evidence that slaughter age and muscle and fat type are essential sources of variations in the textural characteristics, sensory panel attributes and fatty acid profile of meat from Holstein Friesian bulls.

This study was carried out to reveal the current situation regarding the socio-economic characteristics of cattle enterprises in İspir county of Erzurum province. For this purpose, a face-to-face survey was conducted with 394 cattle farm owners determined using the random sampling method. The data obtained were interpreted using frequency analysis. The enterprises were mostly small-scale family types that had less than 20 (69.3%) animals. The number of cattle in the enterprises was classified as less than 11, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, and more than 40 heads. Additionally, educational status of the owner of the enterprises were grouped as illiterate, literate, Primary School graduate, Secondary School graduate and High School graduate. The average age of the breeders was determined to be 55.2 years, with the majority between 50-70 years. The level of education of the breeders was low and the majority of them were primary school graduates (68.8%). More than half of the enterprise owners (58.4%) had more than 30 years of experience in cattle breeding. Apart from the owner, the number of people who cared for the animals was usually 2 people (43.7%) or 3 people (33.5%), and the person who cared for the animals was generally a family member. Only 27.9% of the enterprises were members of a union and 49.3% of the member enterprises preferred the Agricultural Credit Cooperative. As a result; the high average age of the population engaged in animal husbandry in the county makes it necessary to clear the way for young entrepreneurs with various supports and to prevent migration to the cities. In addition, carrying out various training and incentive activities to eliminate the disadvantages such as the low level of education of the breeders and membership of a union will make important contributions to the development of the Country’s livestock sector.

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the current situation of milking management practices of the dairy cattle enterprises in the central county of Ağrı province and to propose some solutions in consideration of the revealed problems.Material and Method: Survey data obtained from 400 dairy cattle enterprises in the central county of Ağrı province constituted the material of the study. Results:It was determined that in 25.2% of the surveyed enterprises udder cleaning is not performed, and in 93.5% of them the milking is done by hand. The average milk yield of 85.0% of dairy cattle enterprises was between 6-10 liters per animal and only 17.5% of the produced milk was sold. A significant proportion of this milk (95.7%) was marketed as raw milk, and milk in 4.3% of the enterprises was sold after processing into different products such as cheese, yogurt and butter. It was also found out that milk produced in 1.8% of the dairy cattle farms was stored in the cooling tank after milking. 13.6% of the farm owners fed their animals after milking, while 86.3% of them fed them prior to milking. It was also revealed that the calving occurs usually in the winter season and the lactation period of the cows varies between 5-6 months in 57.5% of the enterprises. Conclusion:In order to produce high quality and clean milk in the dairy cattle farms in the central county of Ağrı province, udder cleaning has to be performed properly as well as machine milking should be made widespread. It is necessary to increase the genetic capacity of cows and improve the milking practices of the dairy farms located in the central county of Ağrı province. ÖZAmaç: Bu çalışmada, Ağrı ili merkez ilçede bulunan süt sığırcılığı işletmelerin de sağım yönetimi uygulamaları bakımından mevcut durumun belirlenmesi ve ortaya konulan sorunlara yönelik çözüm önerileri sunulması amaçlanmıştır. Materyal ve Metot:Araştırmanın materyalini Ağrı ili merkez ilçede bulunan 400 süt sığırcılığı işletmesinden elde edilen anket verileri oluşturmuştur.Bulgular: Araştırma konusu işletmelerin % 25.2'sinin meme temizliği yapmadığı, % 93.5'lik kısmın sağımı elle yaptığı belirlenmiştir. İşletmelerin % 85.0'inin ortalama süt verimlerinin 6-10 litre arasında olduğu ve üretilen sütün sadece % 17.5'inin satıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu sütün önemli bir kısmı (% 95.7) çiğ süt olarak satılmakta, işletmelerin % 4.3'ünde ise süt; peynir, yoğurt ve tereyağı gibi ürünlere işlendikten sonra pazarlanmaktadır. Yetiştiricilerin % 1.8 lik kısmının sütü sağım sonrası soğutma tankında depoladıkları belirlenmiştir. Ağrı ilindeki işletmecilerin % 13.6'sı sağım sonrasında hayvanlara yem verirken, % 86.3'ü ise sağım öncesinde yem verdiklerini ifade etmişlerdir. İl genelinde ineklerin genel olarak kış mevsiminde yoğun olarak buzağıladığı ve işletmelerin % 57.5'inde ineklerin laktasyon sürelerinin 5-6 ay arasında değiştiği tespit edilmiştir.Sonuç: Ağrı ili merkez ve ilçelerindeki süt sığırcılığı işletmelerinde kaliteli ve temiz süt üretmek için meme temizliğinin uygun şekilde yapılması, ma...

This study was carried out in the central county of Ağrı Province in order to reveal the cattle feeding habits of cattle breeders. For this purpose, data were obtained by conducting a face-to-face survey with 400 dairy cattle owners of the enterprises in the county. According to the results obtained from this study, it was determined that 91.5% of the breeders produced their forage crops. It was also found out that barley, alfalfa, and sainfoin were the most produced plants in these enterprises. However, the production of the corn silage, which is an important source of roughage for dairy cattle, was performed at a very low level (1.2%). Dry hay (93.5%) took first place among the roughage sources used in these enterprises, and it was followed by alfalfa hay (61.5%) and wheat-barley straw (28.0%). Corn silage was used at a low level (7.8%) in the cattle enterprises. It was determined that cattle breeders in the central county of Ağrı province were deficient in terms of some information about cattle feeding practices. It was also demonstrated that it was necessary to increase the usage and production of corn silage as forage crops and to implement rational animal feeding practices in place of the old traditional animal feeding habits. Therefore, cattle breeders in the central county of Ağrı province should be involved in technical training programs about the cattle feeding and forage planting. As result of the courses given to the cattle breeders, their technical information about cattle nutrition and preparation of ration would be updated. For this purpose, it is also recommended that agricultural extension service should be boosted to increase the education level and awareness of the cattle breeders in the rural areas.

Aims: This study was carried out in order to determine the current situation and problems in the cattle breeding practices related to shelter characteristics in İspir district of Erzurum province and to provide solutions.Methods and Results: In this research, a face-to-face survey was conducted with 394 business owners selected by a random sampling method among cattle farms in İspir district of Erzurum province. Chi-square and frequency analyzes were performed in the statistical evaluation of the obtained data. It was determined that 97.2% of the surveyed enterprises did not have separate maternity wards in their barns. While the majority of the enterprises housed heifers, young cattle and dry cows together (90.4%), only 9.6% of them housed them separately. It was also determined that the percentages of enterprises providing bedding for cattle in the district were considerably low (12.4%). Grain straw (6.6%) and sawdust (3.3%) were the most popular bedding materials. The enterprises watered their animals through village fountains (90.1%), troughs (70.6%) or carrying the water by the bucket (33.5%). Of all the surveyed enterprises, 54.8% performed general cleaning once a year, while 33.0% twice and 12.2% three times. In 62.9% of the enterprises, manure was used as fertilizer in the fields, and a significant part of the enterprises preferred to utilize manure as fuel (34%). Most of the participants stated that they believed that the cattle would be uncomfortable and that their productivity would decrease at 10-15 °C, which is the optimal temperature for the cattle.Conclusions: The findings of the study demonstrated that there were some improper and deficient practices in the district in terms of breeding practices related to barn characteristics and a large educational campaign on this subject was required for cattle breeders.Significance and Impact of the Study: There are some structural and nonstructural elements in the barn that help the cattle to perform their natural behaviours indirectly increase productivity and ease the work in the enterprises. With this study, the status of cattle enterprises in İspir district in terms of breeding practices related to barn characteristics was determined and some suggestions were made regarding current problems.