Introduction: special issue themed section on milk production with cow and calf together

Agenäs, Sigrid

doi:10.1017/s0022029920000643

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…A set of 73 (46.2%) farms raise male calves for one year and later sell them to other farms, and at 46 farms (29.1%) any male calf is sold as soon as it is born. Cow-calf separation is a concern for consumers and the dairy production chain must consider this topic and identify better alternatives if possible (Busch et al ., 2017; Agenäs, 2020). However, considering our results, farmers are not worried about it.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of animal welfare and its certification system by Brazilian consumers and dairy farmers

Comin

Karsburg

Souza

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Research

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The practices adopted in dairy farms can positively or negatively affect the perception of consumers. To meet consumer expectations and improve the productivity of dairy farms, a welfare certification system has recently been initiated in Brazil. In this research communication we describe the perceptions of Brazilian consumers and farmers regarding the implementation of welfare certification systems and the most common practices that affect animal welfare on dairy farms. For this purpose, two semi-structured questionnaires were used: one applied to 409 consumers and the other to 158 dairy farmers. The results demonstrate that consumers are concerned with the adoption of welfare practices in animal husbandry at dairy farms, mainly on topics related to movement restriction and cow-calf separation. Thus, the majority of consumers state that they are willing to pay more for welfare-certified dairy products. In addition, most dairy farmers are interested in adopting a welfare certification system, especially if it could add value to the raw milk sold to industries. Veterinarians and animal scientists are important for disseminating animal welfare recommendations, and the consequences of its improper adoption need to be emphasized. Finally, dairy farms need improvements regarding environmental hygiene, thermal conditions, animal husbandry, health, and milking processes. In conclusion, consumers and farmers are interested in welfare systems and their certification, and there is a need for stakeholders to make welfare certification a reality in the Brazilian dairy supply chain.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of animal welfare and its certification system by Brazilian consumers and dairy farmers

Comin

Karsburg

Souza

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Research

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“…Working Groups were established to focus on biomarker-based welfare monitoring, activity-based monitoring and systems level monitoring. Cross-disciplinarity was strongly encouraged, reinforced by the creation of Incubator Groups with funding to pursue specific focus areas, of which small ruminant sensors, sensor validation and cow-calf management systems were examples (Agenäs, 2020). All of the major Conference outputs are now published as a collaboration with the Journal of Dairy Research (JDR Community, 2020) and other outcomes will be added.…”

Section: Dairycarementioning

confidence: 99%

DairyCare ‘blueprint for action’: husbandry for wellbeing

Knight¹

2020

Journal of Dairy Research

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‘Keep calm and carry on’ was a wartime message to the British public that has achieved renewed fame in the last few years. The strategy was simple: in times of extreme difficulty a cool head combined with stoicism is an appropriate response to ensure a successful outcome. The latest major challenge to society (COVID-19) met with a very different response, and only history will reveal whether ‘Stay home and worry’ will be equally effective. In devising blueprints or strategies it is extremely important to have a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve, whether it be maintaining world freedom or stopping a pandemic. In the case of livestock agriculture, it is helping to feed a rapidly growing global population in harmony with the needs of current and future generations. I hope that I have stated this clearly, and calmly. If so, I ask you to picture a scene. We are on a Calm Farm. Dairy animals go about their daily lives contented, unhurried and focused on the simple feeding and socialising activities that are so important to them. Unstressed, their productive capacities and abilities to avoid and, when necessary, cope with physiological and pathological challenges are maximised. They are not alone: the exact same characteristics also apply to the farmer and husbandry staff that we meet. How is this calm farming approach relevant to the aspirations we had when we established the EU COST Action DairyCare? Our objective was to harness the power of computing technologies to assist our management of dairy livestock. A simple rearrangement leads us to Computing Assisted Livestock Management, CALM. In this short Research Reflection I shall assess how far we have come towards the achievement of sensible goals related to technological assessment of dairy animal wellbeing, and speculate on what more things both can and need to be done to finish the job. It is a personal account. DairyCare was a major collaboration involving several hundred active researchers. To involve them all would be impossible, and I do not pretend to speak for them all. As will become evident, the wide skills base that was assembled was so successful in its primary objectives that different skills, chiefly in economics, are now needed to exploit all of the technological advance that has been achieved. DairyCare succeeded in a second direction. Whilst the focus was technology development, by assembling a large cohort of biologists with animal welfare interests, it soon became apparent that technology should run alongside and help to enable improved management practices. This Special Issue is, therefore, in two sections. The first is dedicated to technology development and the second to a novel management practice that has the potential to significantly improve the wellbeing of cows and calves: cow-calf contact rearing. That section is introduced by my DairyCare colleague, Sigrid Agenäs.

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“…Consumers, the industry, and many farmers [ 6 , 9 ] have shown increased interest in alternative management systems that allow for cow-calf contact (CCC) [ 2 ]. This topic has become an important focus of research for a sustainable dairy industry [ 10 , 11 ]. In such systems, cows and their calves can stay together for an extended period, enabling them to engage in natural behaviors such as allogrooming, suckling, play and care-taking [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the effects of contact duration on cow and calf performance beyond separation - a prospective cohort study

Sørby,

Holmøy,

Nødtvedt

et al. 2024

Acta Vet Scand

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Background Consumers, the industry, and many farmers have shown increased interest in alternative management systems that allow for cow-calf contact (CCC) and this topic has become an important focus of research for a sustainable dairy industry. Among the many knowledge gaps still existing in this novel research field, there is a need for further research to investigate effects of CCC beyond the nursing period (i.e., after cow-calf separation). Moreover, multi-herd observational studies are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the within-herd effect of CCC on machine milk yield and calf growth beyond separation. In this prospective cohort study, we studied all cows and their calves (Norwegian Red breed) born between September 1st 2021 and January 31th 2022 at three Norwegian dairy farms, investigating the impact of CCC on machine milk yield and calf average daily gain (ADG) after separation of the cow-calf pair. The follow-up period was 305 d for cows and six months for calves. Machine milk yield was automatically registered at each milking and calf heart girth was measured once a month. As various contact durations emerged, they were categorized into three groups: no contact (NC 0–3 d), short duration (4–30 d) and long duration (> 30 d). Data were analyzed with linear mixed models with the individual animal as the unit of interest. For cows, days in milk (DIM) from date of separation up to 305 DIM were included in the analysis as a continuous variable. For calves, age up to 195 d was used in the statistical analysis. Results We found no differences in machine milk yield after separation across the different contact groups: cows with no contact (n = 28), short duration (n = 51) and long duration (n = 27) of contact, all exhibited comparable milk yields from the time of separation until the end of lactation. Furthermore, in the case of calves, no disparities in average daily gain (ADG) were identified for any of the contact groups: calves with no contact (n = 39), short duration (n = 61) and long duration (n = 38) of contact, displayed comparable growth during the first six months of life. Conclusions Our findings indicate no negative effects of CCC on machine milk yield after separation, nor any sustained effects on calf growth under the conditions of this study. More multi-herd observational studies conducted on-farm is needed to expand the understanding of effects of CCC on cow and calf performance after separation.

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Introduction: special issue themed section on milk production with cow and calf together

Abstract: Introduction: special issue themed section on milk production with cow and calf together.

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Perception of animal welfare and its certification system by Brazilian consumers and dairy farmers

Perception of animal welfare and its certification system by Brazilian consumers and dairy farmers

DairyCare ‘blueprint for action’: husbandry for wellbeing

Comparing the effects of contact duration on cow and calf performance beyond separation - a prospective cohort study

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