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Welcome to Field Notes; the newsletter aiming to bring you the latest news and updates in agriculture, agri-food science, and One Health research.

Team Member Spotlight: Erin Wynands

As a Consultant at ACER, Erin Wynands brings a passion for learning and applying knowledge to create positive change and a more informed world. Erin holds a PhD in veterinary epidemiology from the University of Minnesota. Her doctoral research explored developing advisory teams to improve dairy cattle lameness management and supporting farmers’ adoption of best management practices. Erin unites her interests in qualitative research, animal welfare, and sustainability for many of the projects she leads at ACER. A few recent highlights of Erin’s work include conducting focus groups with cow-calf producers across Canada about water quality for the Beef Cattle Research Council, developing resources for a learning hub on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for Dairy Management Inc., communicating research results related to environmental sustainability for Dairy Farmers of Canada, and training graduate students in knowledge translation and transfer. We value Erin’s technical skill, curiosity, and insightfulness as she completes work that appeals to a range of clients and audiences. For more of Erin’s work check out her research paper on dairy farmer, hoof trimmer, and veterinarian perceptions of roles in lameness management. Or, check out our series of dairy farmer case studies on improvements made to animal care.Make sure to keep an eye out for Erin at the upcoming American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida in June. She will be presenting abstracts on an evidence-based approach to knowledge mobilization and a review of qualitative research on actors in and around dairy farming. We are proud to have Erin as a Consultant on our team and we are excited to share a bit more about her here! We hope you stay tuned for other ACER team member highlights in the future!

June Article of the Month

Canadian National Dairy Study: Describing Canadian dairy producer practices and perceptions surrounding cull cow management

Published in the Journal of Dairy Science (April 2020)

Authorship: Steve Roche, Dave Renaud, Rachel Genore, Dan Shock (ACER Consulting), Cathy Bauman (University of Guelph), Stephanie Croyle (University of Guelph), Herman Barkema (University of Calgary), Jocelyn Dubuc (University of Montreal), Greg Keefe (University of PEI), Dave Kelton (University of Guelph)

Summary of the article

This study on Canadian dairy producers' culling decisions highlights significant impacts on cull cow health and welfare. Conducted via a nationwide survey in March-April 2015, the research gathered data from 1,076 respondents, focusing on farm practices and culling behaviors. Key findings reveal that 80% of farmers had shipped cows to auction, 51% to slaughter, and 38% to other farms within the last year. The primary considerations for culling were the cow's ability to remain standing (93%) and drug withdrawal times (92%). Notably, the time from culling decision to transport was longer for lame cows than sick cows. While nearly 70% of sick cows were shipped within a week, only 51% of lame cows met the same timeframe. Producers showed confidence in the condition of their cows at slaughter but were uncertain about their final destinations. These insights can guide policy and improve culling decisions and welfare standards for cull cows.

Read the open access article here →

Resource Round Up

Peer-Based Learning to Support Improvements in Animal Care: Lessons Learned from Ontario Dairy Farmers

We are excited to announce the launch of a new series of podcasts and case studies aimed at sharing dairy farmer success stories related to improving lameness and injuries in Ontario dairy herds. During this project, our team interviewed 15 farmers and advisors from across the province, developing a total of 11 case studies, 5 podcasts, and a technical note for advisors. You can learn more about this OMAFRA-funded initiative and access all of the resources on our website here!A special thank you to all of the farmers and advisors for sharing their stories and insights for this project!

Are there other topics or questions you are interested in?

Email us at [email protected]. We always welcome your questions and feedback!

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