!! Dr Trevor DeVries Campus Kemptville, University of Guelph
Collaborators! Dr. Herman Barkema, University of Calgary! Dr. Ken Leslie, University of Guelph! Dr. Marina von Keyserlingk, University of British Columbia Students! Mary Ellen (Alex) Watters, University of Guelph! Margreet Aarnoudse, HAS den Bosch, The Netherlands! Karin Meijer, Wageningen University, The Netherlands! Alexa Main, University of Guelph
" Determine how standing and lying behaviour patterns of dairy cows and barn cleanliness affect cow hygiene, and how these, in turn, affect the risk of intramammary infection " Determine how standing time after milking relates to the incidence of intramammary infection in lactating dairy cows housed in free-stall barns
" Study 1: We hypothesize that the longer that cows stand in manure-laden alleys, the greater risk they have of becoming dirtier before they lay down, particularly when alleys are not cleaned frequently
" Studies 2 and 3: We hypothesize that those free-stall housed cows that lie down very quickly after milking, particularly those that are lame and socially subordinate, are at higher risk for intramammary infection
" This research demonstrated that increasing the frequency of barn alley cleaning (a herd-level modifiable management practice) may be implemented to improve cow hygiene and, thus, potentially reduce the risk of intramammary infection
" This research could have a profound impact on dairy producers in Canada through the reduction of udder infection " Reduced infection rates would be achieved through identification of behavioural patterns associated with the incidence of infection, and identification of manageable cow-level and herd-level factors that affect these behavioural patterns and the risk of infection
" Two more studies are being conducted to address the second objective, one is ongoing the other will be conducted next year
!! Dr Greg Keefe University of Prince Edward Island
Collaborators! Elizabeth Gauthier, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada! Steven Hendrick, University of Saskatchewan! David Kelton, University of Guelph! Jean-Philippe Roy, Université de Montréal! Javier Sanchez, University of Prince Edward Island! Gale West, Laval University Student! Kim Macdonald, Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Prince Edward Island
" To understand the sources of variability in bulk tank milk (BTM) iodine concentration! Assessment of the geographical distribution of BTM iodine levels across Canada! Assessment of current Best Management Practices for milk quality and iodine transfer to milk on high and low iodine farms
" To formulate effective extension programs to moderate this variability on commercial dairy farms in Canada! Assessment of dairy producer preferred channels for extension information and barriers to adoption of both: # Milk quality BMPs # Iodine reduction BMPs
" BTM iodine levels were determined from all dairy herds in Canada! Data available for 6130 herds in 9 provinces (BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, PE, NB, NS, ML)! More than 90% of herds are below the 500 ppb threshold recommended by Health Canada Percentiles 1% 5% 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% 95% 99% Mean Obs. Canada 72 107 133 182 258 366 509 679 1216 309 6130 Summary statistics for BTM iodine levels (ppb) based on the first round of testing
" From May to August 2011, 160 farms in AB, SK, ON, NB, NS, PE were visited for on-farm data collection! Collection of milk and feed samples! Observation of milking practices! Conduct on-farm questionnaire on herd management and nutrition! Data entry of questionnaire and observation record data is underway
" From June to August 2011, 15 farms in AB, ON, PE were interviewed about preferred channels for extension information. They were chosen accordingly to their milk iodine level! Results showed that respondents expect to receive information from their provincial federations - mainly through tools targeting all producers. Urgent communications can be made by telephone or, in some cases, by e-mail
" Provide essential information for surveillance and mitigation of BMT iodine " Refine and/or determine the Best Management Practices for BMT iodine control " Identification of the best communication channels within the dairy industry on this emerging issue
" Use GIS location data received for each dairy herd to map potential focus regions or localities for additional extension and research support " Determine the variability of iodine values to appropriately design monitoring programs " Prepare a questionnaire to assess the observations obtained from the preliminary investigation of information channels