Page 56 - BCHNews-122023-Web

56 WC DAIRY NEWS  CHRISTMAS 2023
Prolonged Cow-Calf Contact: An opportunity for action and collaboration in the evolution of dairying
The American Dairy Science Association held their annual conference in Ottawa this summer, and we are pleased to present three summaries of some of the many interesting presentations. See other summaries on pages 58 and 59.
Joey Krahn, Master’s student,
Animal Welfare Program UBC
Joey ’s research involves the social behaviour of dairy cattle, focussing on competition for resources, social dominance, and the effect of group size on competitive behaviour.
Dr. Nina von Keyserlingk presented her findings on the sensitive topic of prolonged cow-calf-contact at the American Dairy Science Association meetings in Ottawa this summer.
By the time Professor Marina “Nina” von Keyserlingk was invited to the stage, the seats were full, and the walls were lined with spectators eager for one of the first presentations of the annual American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) conference, this year in Ottawa. Dr. von Keyserlingk was to present on a challenging and emerging topic: public perceptions and scientific evidence around cow-calf separation.
It has long been standard practice on most dairy farms throughout North America to remove calves within 24 hours of birth. Prolonged cow-calf contact (CCC) - keeping the calf with the cow for an extended period of time - is an area of growing interest among some farmers, researchers, and the public.
Dr. von Keyserlingk began by presenting evidence that when the public imagines a dairy farm, they envision cows with their calves grazing on pasture. The question is, can the dairy industry start to make changes towards a system that keeps cows and calves together? Dr. von Keyserlingk declared that “the train has left the station,” suggesting that it is merely a matter of time before the rising use of (and demand for) CCC systems, already implemented on
hundreds of European farms, will spread to North America. We should be preparing for a potential shift in dairying.
Dr. von Keyserlingk walked the audience through some work from her research group at the University of British Columbia which reviewed the results of many studies comparing early separation with CCC. They found that studies investigating health and behavioural outcomes often yielded mixed results; however, many of the outcomes leaned in favour of CCC, including reduced mastitis, scours, and cross sucking. She qualified these findings by noting that in many areas, the research is sparse. For instance, more work is needed on the long- term effects of CCC on calf growth, cow health, and milk production. She made clear that further research on these topics will be essential to better understand the animal health, welfare and economic impacts of implementing CCC systems.
From a practical perspective, what are our options going forward if we want to keep cows with calves together? Dr. von Keyserlingk discussed research showing that proposed solutions can in some cases still fail to align with public values. For example, after expensive investments in research and development, “enriched” cages for egg-laying chickens were not viewed by the public as an adequate solution to the widely disliked battery cage system. The egg industry was instead forced to switch to cage-free systems to align with public perceptions. In the CCC context, quoting recent research from her group, Dr. von Keyserlingk mentioned that the public may not see the foster cow system (calves reared on a cow that is not
their mother) as a reasonable alternative to systems that keep the dam and calf together. According to Dr von Keyserlingk, this underpins the importance of ensuring research is guided by an understanding of public perceptions.
Although the task of rethinking how to manage cows and calves is daunting, Dr. von Keyserlingk reminded us that “the public doesn’t expect the dairy industry to change overnight but they do expect them to get better every day.” That said, the farmer shouldn’t be expected to bear these challenges alone. As we have seen in other areas, such as pair-housing of calves, the science needs to be 10 or more years ahead of on-farm practice change. This will allow researchers to make the mistakes, understand the challenges and seek solutions to overcome them, allowing systems to then be implemented on farms
with minimal negative impacts. More than anything, Dr. von Keyserlingk encouraged collaboration between researchers and farmers that are already implementing CCC systems, and collaboration between experts in different disciplines to design systems that are most appropriate for keeping cows and calves together.
What may have felt like a challenging, even potentially contentious topic before the talk no longer felt like one – it was merely another step for the continuously evolving dairy industry. Dr. von Keyserlingk ended her talk with a quote from a Canadian producer who she has had many conversations with who summarized the situation well: “If we want people to still be drinking real milk in 20 or 30 years, we need to give them a reason to drink milk—not just shoot down their reasons not to drink it.”
Young Ag-vocate Wins Big at Royal
As her father Peter says, “Public speaking is in her DNA.”
Sixteen year-old Janel van Dongen has our attention – and lots more is coming for this young Vancouver Island 4-Her. She placed first in the Senior (16-24 years) category of the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition, held on November 4 in Toronto at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair!
There were 12 presenters from six provinces, and one from Scotland, all sharing their views on Canadian agriculture. The prepared
speeches were to be between five and seven minutes and could cover a range of agricultural topics. Janel spoke about how agriculture can provide opportunities to mitigate climate change – through strategic grazing, supporting carbon sequestration and creating buffers that can lessen impacts of wildfires.
The CYSA competition has been running since 1985, presenting a national stage for exceptional 4-H youth to share their opinions while developing their confidence and communication skills. Janel had previously
won the BC Provincial Communications contest in July allowing her to advance to the CYSA competition at the Royal. Besides a cash prize, Janel has been invited to speak in Ottawa at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture AGM in February.
We have no doubt that public speaking is part of Janel’s genome, given what we know of her father Peter, grandfather John (former Minister of Agriculture and Solicitor General) and great grandfather QC! Congratulations Janel, may you find your career path leads you to Agriculture!
All of us at TerraLink wish you a very
Merry Christmas
and the very best for the New Year.
Rooted in your community® since 1973.