Optimal environment to rear calves

Opposition to food animal production agriculture has grown, with increasing pressure placed upon the livestock industries to provide assurance that animals under their care live a reasonably good life. Dairy cattle production, including calf care, is not exempt from these discussions. In this lecture I will discuss some of the key animal welfare issues facing dairy production practices associated with calf care. Although individual housing of dairy calves is still common in many parts of the world, there is a large body of evidence showing that social housing of calves can improve animal welfare; efforts must focus on identifying barriers to adoption of social housing on farms. However, whether social housing of calves is socially acceptable in the long term is questionable. Public views on cow calf separation at birth indicate that this practice is viewed as a breach in the duty to care and thus may not be acceptable in the long terms. Despite industry advocates arguing that this practice benefits the health and welfare of cow and calf, results of our two systematic reviews on this topic have failed to find evidence for these claims. The dairy industry must show courage to engage in these discussions.

Bio Prof. Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk

University of British Columbia

Dr Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk is a Professor at The University of British Columbia where she co-directs the Animal Welfare Program. Together with her colleagues and students her research focuses on assessing animal welfare and developing practical methods of improving the welfare of animals. Her interdisciplinary approach has focused on identifying measures and ways of improving the lives of farm animals under our care. She is also among the first in her field to combine experimental and qualitative methods when addressing farm animal welfare issues and is one of the most highly cited animal welfare scientists in the world, having published over 300 peer reviewed publications. She is recognized as a global leader in Animal Welfare and has received numerous awards, including the 2018 Hans Sigrist International Research Prize (Bern, Switzerland), for her outstanding achievements as an international leader working in the field of sustainable food animal production. In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr Marina von Keyserlingk is a passionate and gifted speaker who is in high demand around the world to speak on farm animal welfare.

Precision technology applied to calf rearing

Calf management is changing and there are a lot of developments. In this talk, Dr. Costa will delve into the transformative power of data-driven approaches in calf management, offering a glimpse into the future of calf rearing. Dr. Costa will discuss the relationship between nutrition and calf development. Using data-driven insights, he will discuss the paradigm shift in calf nutrition - from one-size-fits-all approaches to personalized diets tailored to each calf's unique requirements. By leveraging data on growth trajectories, genetic predispositions, and nutrient absorption rates, farmers can optimize feed formulations, ensuring optimal growth and minimizing wastage. Also, on another side of calf rearing, Dr. Costa explores how data-driven strategies are revolutionizing disease management. With the aid of predictive modelling and AI-powered algorithms, farmers can anticipate disease outbreaks, enabling swift interventions that reduce reliance on antibiotics, and more importantly understand trends and sensitive periods. Dr. Costa will highlight the performance, but also the ethical importance of proactive health and nutrition monitoring.

Bio Dr. João Costa

University of Vermont

João Costa is an Associate Professor at the University of Vermont. Dr Costa is an expert in calf management and nutrition, animal welfare science, and the use of precision dairy technology on-farm. His research group investigates animal welfare in cattle, the effects of preweaning nutrition and environment on dairy calves’ early development, the feeding behavior of dairy cattle, and the use of precision technologies. Dr Costa leads a research group interested on the use of precision dairy technologies for the management of dairy calves, especially in the development and use of algorithms and decision-making on farm. Joao has authored over 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers and graduated more than a dozen graduate students. Recognizing the importance of bridging the gap between scientific research and the industry, Dr. Costa has become an influential science communicator nationally and internationally with more than a hundred invited talks in 16 countries.

Practical calf housing and management – the latest research

A rundown of the latest calf health research from the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, this talk aims to translate research findings into practical outcomes for vets and farmers, from the analysis of national calf mortality datasets to the demonstration of practical online tools to get the best out of your calves.

Bio Dr. Bobby Hyde

University of Nottingham

Robert is an RCVS recognised specialist veterinarian, with a PhD in machine learning techniques to improve health and production in calves. He is an assistant professor in computational biology at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, where his primary objectives are to utilise both machine learning and machine vision to automatically identify key health and welfare outcomes in cattle, and to translate these research findings into practical tools for veterinarians and farmers.

Economic impact of calf nutrition and management

Calves are raised to be future dairy cows. In this presentation I will focus on calf nutrition and management aspects, and how they affect heifer fertility, survival, age at first calving and raising cost. I will also discuss how calf nutrition and management early in life affect her performance as a dairy cow in terms of milk production, fertility, health, longevity, and profitability. Calf nutrition and management is strongly related to her economic success later in life.

Bio Prof. Albert De Vries

University of Florida

Albert De Vries is a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida, USA. He teaches undergraduate courses in dairy science, works with dairy farmers and the allied dairy industry in his Extension role, and conducts research related to dairy systems management. He also acts as associate department chair and undergraduate program coordinator. Albert’s interests are in culling and replacement strategies, economics of reproduction and genetics, and precision dairy farming. Albert grew up on a mixed dairy, poultry, and pig farm in the Netherlands. He graduated from Wageningen University with an M.S. degree in animal science with a minor in agricultural economics. He received a Ph.D. in animal sciences from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. He lives in Newberry, Florida, with wife Kim, their twin daughters, and five cats.

Practical application of LifeStart science on farm

Ensuring the latest science can be easily implemented on farm is key to elevating calf rearing to the next level. Each calf rearing system has unique factors to consider when improvements are being made. Whether it is increasing feed volume, changing feeding method or revamping weaning protocols, learning how other farms do things can provide valuable insights – practical protocols are an important part of feeding management. This presentation will explore different feeding systems using farm examples from around the world to demonstrate the different ways in which success can be achieved.

Bio Mrs. Georgina Thomas

Trouw Nutrition

Georgina graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science before entering the feed industry to work as a ruminant nutritionist. Today Georgina is the Young Animal Feed Manager for the GB business as well as being a member of the Global Ruminant Innovation Team for Trouw Nutrition. Georgina has developed a passion for early life nutrition with a focus on the development and formulation of milk replacers for young calves as well as recommended feeding curves and practical feeding strategies.

Sustainability of ruminant livestock systems

In his presentation Javier will discuss how dairy fits into the food ecosystem and that dairy products play a critical role in meeting the energy and protein ness of a growing world population. Improvements in reducing gas emissions and the carbon footprint, point towards a role for dairy in meeting the world’s need for energy and protein.

Bio Javier Martín-Tereso

Trouw Nutrition

Javier Martín-Tereso (Madrid, 1974) studied Agricultural Engineering in Madrid, where he specialised in Animal Science. In 2010, he obtained a PhD degree from Wageningen University in the Netherlands with a thesis on dairy cattle nutrition. In his studies he included academic years in Ohio (USA) and in Ancona (Italy).

His professional career started in education, teaching science in Madrid and Spanish in Minnesota during college. In 2000 he moved to the Netherlands to join Nutreco Research & Development, where through the years he has held different functions. His research has mainly focused on ruminal health and efficiency in beef and dairy animals, and also on mineral nutrition across farm animal species, including modelling supply and requirements, trace element homeostasis, and milk fever prevention in dairy cattle. Beyond research, he held technical manager positions for feed additives, and also provided nutritional consulting for feed companies in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Since 2012, he leads the Ruminant Research Centre of Trouw Nutrition, a team dedicated to dairy, beef, and calf nutrition innovation.

His curriculum vitae includes scientific and technical publications, co-supervisions of Master and PhD students from various universities, participations in scientific and professional international conferences, and several products developed for the feed industry, including several patents.

Workshop 1: A practical on farm approach to BRD detection and prevention

This session will discuss different methods of detecting and monitoring BRD on farms, including hands on practical skills involving thoracic ultrasound, as well as evaluating housing and potential practical changes.

Dr. Ginny Sherwin will run this workshop together with Dr. Victoria Rhodes.

Workshop 2: Investigating heifer performance and its impact on longevity

This session will explore a data driven approach to investigating the impact of heifer performance on the economics, longevity and sustainability of the herd.

Bio Dr. Ginny Sherwin

University of Nottingham

Ginny qualified from the University of Cambridge in 2011 and subsequently completed a year-long rotating internship at the Royal Veterinary College, prior to spending some time in private practice. She became a European Specialist in Bovine Health Management after completing her residency at the University of Nottingham in 2017. She also undertook a masters investigating the impact of age of first calving on future health and production and a PhD investigating the environmental ecology of Streptococcus uberis. Ginny is currently a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham and her main interest is youngstock health and welfare.

Workshop: A practical on farm approach to BRD detection and prevention

This session will discuss different methods of detecting and monitoring BRD on farms, including hands on practical skills involving thoracic ultrasound, as well as evaluating housing and potential practical changes.

Dr. Victoria Rhodes will run this workshop together with Dr. Ginny Sherwin.

Bio Dr. Victoria Rhodes

University of Nottingham

Vicki qualified from the University of Liverpool in 2015 and completed a year-long internship at University College Dublin, prior to spending time in private practice. She undertook a residency at the University College Dublin in 2019, having completed her post graduate certificate in Dairy Herd Health in 2018. She also undertook a DVM investigating the use of thoracic ultrasound for respiratory disease in pre-weaned calves. Vicki is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham. 

Workshop: How to manage nutritional strategies for effective recovery of diarrhoea in calves?

The main objective of treatment of diarrhoea in calves is to mitigate the severity of dehydration and metabolic acidosis, which is achieved by administering oral rehydration solutions (ORS). Both the administration protocol and the ORS composition should be carefully considered to maximize the efficacy of oral fluid therapy. Recent research showed that current ORS recommendations for sodium concentration and osmolality may be too high for calves. In contrast, ORS with a low osmolality and a high strong ion difference are more effective in maintaining blood acid base balance. This workshop will provide guidelines on how to feed calves with diarrhoea and how to evaluate labels of ORS products.

Dr. Laura Tennant will run this session together with Ms. Juliette Wilms.

Bio Dr. Laura Tennant

Trouw Nutrition

Dr. Laura Tennant obtained her PhD in rumen function at the University of Nottingham in 2017, following which she took over as head of Youngstock at the University. In 2019 she joined Trouw nutrition GB as a technical advisor looking after technical development and innovation within calf feeding and hydration. Laura spends time visiting farms advising on youngstock health and nutrition protocols.