AGRI100461 Dairy farming

Type
course with continuous assessment
Semester hours
2
Lecturer (assistant)
Terler, Georg , Gierus, Martin
Organisation
Animal Nutrition, Livestock Products and Nutrition Physiology
Offered in
Sommersemester 2026
Languages of instruction
Deutsch
Content

The course covers the fundamentals of dairy farming along the value chain, from milk production to marketing. Topics include the economic importance of dairy farming, the morphology and physiology of milk production, and aspects of milk production.
Other topics include udder health (especially mastitis), the composition of milk (main and minor components, cells, residues, and contaminants), and its physical and chemical properties.
The course also focuses on milk hygiene, including cleaning and disinfection, the evaluation of raw milk quality, and the basics of marketing milk and dairy products. An introduction to the basic technological steps involved in processing milk into drinking milk and cheese, as well as the utilization of dairy by-products, is provided at an overview level.
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

After successfully completing the course, students will be able to:

1) explain and compare the morphological and physiological basis of milk production in selected livestock species;

2) explain and evaluate the influence of feeding and feed selection on milk synthesis and the composition of milk constituents;

3) schematically represent and functionally explain the processes of milk storage and milk extraction;

4) describe the basic biochemical processes involved in the formation of essential milk constituents and deduce their significance for raw milk quality;

5) analyze and assess raw milk quality on the basis of desirable and undesirable constituents as well as hygienic parameters;

6) Name and explain preventive measures for ensuring udder health and hygiene in milk production and evaluate their effect on raw milk quality;

7) Describe basic requirements for raw milk for further processing and classify simple dairy processing steps at an overview level.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.