Changing Times... The Wisconsin Dairy Industry. Herd A: The Organic Grazer. A Tale of Three Dairies

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1 The Dairyland Initiative: Animal Welfare Challenges Associated with Confinement Housing of Dairy Herds Nigel B. Cook MRCVS School of Veterinary Medicine University of Wisconsin-Madison Changing Times... Organized animal activism - HSUS, PETA Increasing Urban-Rural disconnect Industrialized food animal production systems Concern over food safety BSE/nvCJD, E.coli O157, Salmonella, Johnes/CD etc. Antibiotic resistance concerns Growth in disposable income niche markets and the marketing of speciality labels eg. Organic, BST free, locally produced, farmstead, etc Media influences - mainstream, social The Wisconsin Dairy Industry A Tale of Three Dairies Herd A: The Organic Grazer A B C 140 cow grazing herd, milked 2X averaging ~ 46 lb milk per cow per day predominantly from grass using cross-bred cattle Access to bedded pack for some of the winter during inclement weather Organic management and marketing

2 The Idealized Image of Dairying Herd B: The CAFO All year round confinement housed freestall herd, 2,540 cows, parlor milked 3X averaging ~ 83 lb milk per cow per day with Holstein genetics No access to pasture or lots Conventional management system with BST, GM corn, synch hormones, antibiotics Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation defined at dairy herds >700 cows The Factory Farm Herd C: The 30/30 Herd 550 cow, medium sized freestall dairy All year round confinement housed, parlor milked 3X, averaging ~ 98 lb milk per cow per day with Holstein genetics No access to pasture or lots Conventional management system with BST, GM corn, synch hormones, antibiotics Perception and Reality

3 Assumptions: Herd A Dairy cattle are managed in their natural state, eating grass and converting the nutrients consumed to milk Lower production helps prevent metabolic disease Lower prevalence of lameness No unnatural hormones or antimicrobials used Organic People expect cows to eat grass! Lying Time 12.3h/d So are organic dairy herds better for cow health and welfare? 10.9h/d Animal Welfare Assessment Benchmarking As a Tool for Health and Welfare Planning in Organic Dairy Herds Huxley et al., Vet Rec 155, Grazing cows may be exposed to heat stress and flies with limited access to water and shade... Measures of Welfare NF Conventional FF Conventional Organic Physical Condition % Dirty hindlimbs Dirty udders Claw overgrowth Hock hairloss Swollen hock Ulcerated hock Thin cows Behavior Observations % Lame Rising restriction

4 The transfer of cows to and from the milking center presents significant risks for lameness My cows just aren t keen on rain or sunshine A British Dairy Farmer, 2010 Main et al., 2010 JDS 93: ,776 cows in 67 UK herds (most graze in the summer) Perception and Reality Mean lameness prevalence of 39.1%!!!!!! Assumptions: Herd B The Factory Farm Dairy cattle are managed in an unnatural state, forced to live on concrete and milk around the clock Production enhancers push the cows to their metabolic limit leading to exhaustion, metabolic disease, lameness, mastitis and an early death The well-being of the individual is forgotten

5 The Grazing Cow Time Budget Freestall Cow Time Budget !"#"$%&'($)*+$,'-.$/0$12$%&33.#"44$5"&0.6$7'(38$"09$:'';6$)*1* Lying Time Variation Between Herds FAIL When we fail to provide the cow adequate rest, lameness is the primary outcome!

6 So, is it wrong to house dairy cows? Farmers don t deliberately spend money on building facilities in which cows fail to thrive Free Choice Between Pasture and Freestall Housing (Legrand et al., JDS 92: ) Cows preferred to be indoors during the day and outside during the night.. Perhaps we should provide late lactation cows access to pasture, especially at night?

7 We need to find a better way to house our dairy cattle! Most organic herds house their cattle in the winter... The Dairyland Initiative Animal Welfare meets Sustainability! The Dairyland Initiative Population Growth to 2050 Total population (billions) Annual increments (billions) Source: UN, World Population Assessment

8 Global Demand for Food By 2050, we will need to feed 9 billion people This will require 100% more feed 20% from new farm land 10% from increased cropping intensity 70% from continued use of safe, efficacious technology to increase productivity Carbon Footprint 1944 vs 2007 (Capper et al., 2009) How do we create a profitable dairy industry, provide enough food for everyone, and protect animal well-being? Diversity The 30/30 Club Herd Cows RHA Milk Turnover Rate TCI SCC Pregnancy Rate Avge Age 1st Calving Sire Net Merit Days Dry The 30/30 Herd Mean

9 Herd C: 10,000lbs in 10 years Move into 6-row mattress freestall from old stanchion Stall renovation (wider and neck rail) Improved heat abatement Improved cushion and lunge space Added new sand barn and purchased heifers You breed cows to produce more and more milk at the expense of well-being RHA 25,999lb TOR 48% 27% lame Increased hooftrimming frequency RHA 30,904lb TOR 38% 15% lame Adjusted bunk management RHA 32,276lb TOR 23% 5% lame Hyper-productivity RHA 21,998lb TOR 34%??% lame Current Genetic Indices around the World B8I1J.QI0# HI0KI8D/QI0# R5/967SG3605::# P/N/0# *$# &$# "# <J:68/93/# )(# "#!'# 45L#O5/9/01# ))# "#!%# -N/30# $(#!$# $(# &!# '+# -L36M589/01# $!# &%# &!# -IJ67#<K83./# $&# %$#!# H/0/1/# $'# &*# &&# G8/0.5# $"# '&#!+# ;F# %$# )# %(# C58D/0E# %$# '$# %"# %&# %&# "# $+# ;-<#=4>?#!$# '*# %+# /01:#!!# &&# %$# -./01/0/23/#!"# '!# $*# ",# '",# &",#!",# %",# $",# )",# *",# +",# (",# '"",# 1. Sand Bedding Sand vs Mattress: Resting Behavior!"#$%&'()"*+,%-.(/*012 1+=* 11=<?=+ <=> * 1)=? 11=+ J=K D$@A/0B$E'F#. E'F#$!F&"#/'0 1=< G"09 H"##&3.. 1=*!"#"$%&'($)*+$,'-.$/0$12$%&33.#"44$5"&0.6$7'(38$"09$:'';6$$I!G$)*1*

10 The Sand/Mattress Difference Data From 62 Wisconsin Dairy Herds Factor Mattress Herds Sand Herds Sand Benefit $/100 Cows Rolling Herd Average Milk (lb) 24,260 25,926 +1,666 20,000 Lameness Prevalence (%) ,650 SCC ( 000/ml) ,000 Turnover Rate (%) ,600 Cow Cases Mastitis % ,530 Total Benefit ($/100cows) 40, Stalls appropriately sized Production and Health High quality genetics, management and feeding Exceptional care-givers and workers Strategic careful use of production enhancers and pharmaceuticals Facilities designed for success! SWAGGER!

11 Does Cow Comfort Pay? Parameter Difference Benefit/100 cows ($) Benefit/cow ($) Milk (lb) 25,997 31,009 5,012 75, Avge SCC ( 000/ml) , Cow Cases Mastitis (%) , Lameness Rate (%) ,250 23!"#$% &#'($()#)*+),*+'"-.)/0'1"-+"2+-*3+4+/*5"6*$*6+6#(/7+ '#8$*+,"0.(-9+:7+:/(-9(-9+),*+;/"60'*/<+:0($6*/+#-6+ $*-6*/+)"9*),*/+3(),+"-*+'"55"-+;0/;".*% )"+(5;/"=*+6#(/7+'#8$*+3*$$>:*(-9+#-6+;*/2"/5#-'*? Turnover Rate (%) , Total Benefit 128,542 1,285!"#$%&'( )#&*+,-"( )#&)-"& B*.*#/',./)0(#1(*2/&3/"3(4+%53%&'('+%3-5%&-*( /33"-**%&'()#$()#,1#"2(/&3(6-"1#",/&)- B(.C+D..*..5*-). Funded by the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment 9:-;/%"<5/&3=&%>/>?-@?-2,-3@$%*)@-3+ A"+,"3+6"+F+0.*+()G &BHH+3*:+#''*..+),/"09, A*;)*5:*/+IJKI A%*)#&*%&(;/%"<(B/",-"* C;/%"<(D"#3+)-"(.%)-&*-(E#@F A%*)#&*%&(.-&3-"* A%*)#&*%&(GAHI(/&3 /'"%)+52+"-(-3+)/2#"* J#&*2"+)>#&()#,6/&%-* E"$$#:"/#1"- LKJJ+)3">7*#/+3*:+#''*..+.0:.'/(;1"- 78

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