Scientists from the departments of Animal Science, Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Food Science at Aarhus University are some of the recipients of grants that the Milk Levy Fund awards to research at Aarhus University for 2014.

Thirteen research projects have been awarded grants from the Milk Levy Fund. A number of the projects have already received support from the milk levy fund, but now receive additional funds to continue the activities in the projects. This is the case, for example, for the project "The importance of the metagenome for milk composition", which is headed by postdoc Nina Aagaard Poulsen from the Department of Food Science and postdoc Jan Lassen from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Read more about the project here.

One of the larger new projects to receive funding is the project "EVOP in large herds," which is headed by senior scientist Søren Østergaard from the Department of Animal Science. The project will next year receive 2,075,000 DKK.

Another large project starting in 2014 is the "Individually-designed concentrate strategies" which has senior scientist Martin Riis Weisbjerg as project manager. The project has been awarded funding of 1,983,000 DKK for 2014.

The 13 projects that have received funding from the Milk Levy Fund are:

Nordic Feed Efficiency

EVOP in large herds

A nutritious diet for the high-yielding and efficient dairy cow

Individually-designed concentrate strategies

The importance of the metagenome for milk composition

Improving the quality of by-products in animal feeds

The optimal cow

Phase-feeding of protein for dairy cows

Optimal milk production with grass and legumes

The use of in-line measurements

Sustainability in food supply

New milk condensing technology

Flux chamber method for emission measurements

Facts

The objective of the milk levy fund is to strengthen the development of dairy and cattle farming and the competitiveness of the dairy industry.

The income in the fund primarily originates from a statutory dairy production tax of 0.4 øre per kg milk supplied to the Danish dairies.

Further information: Head of department Klaus Lønne Ingvartsen, Department of Animal Science, telephone: +45 8715 7757, email: klausl.ingvartsen@agrsci.dk