Alberta dairy farms are being sought to take part in a study on dairy cow longevity conducted by the University of Calgary, faculty of veterinary medicine.
In a news release issued April 22, Alberta Milk said the study is designed to investigate which cow factors, such as production, reproduction and health, are key to determining a cow’s longevity in the milking herd.
Producers who have had DHI and DairyComp for the past 10 years, and used one of the systems to record most abortions, ketosis, lameness, mastitis, pneumonia, scours and other conditions, are needed for the study. Participants must also be willing to grant the UCVM access to that information.
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“Participation is simple and only requires signing a consent form and filling out a data release form. The information provided would be made anonymous. In no way would anyone be able to identify the farm the data came from,” Alberta Milk said in its release.
It said the information will be used to measure longevity in ways that may help dairy producers make better management decisions.
More information is available from Jesse Schuster at 403-220-7490 or by email at jcschust.@ucalgary.ca.
