Priority Area: Ensuring animal health and welfare
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Understanding and reducing pregnancy loss in lactating dairy cows
Early pregnancy loss is one of the biggest reproductive challenges in dairy farming, with about one‑third of pregnancies failing in the first month. These losses stem from either embryo death…
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Developing practical educational tools to advance dairy workforce training and improve milk quality and udder health
Mastitis remains the most common and costly health challenge in U.S. dairy herds, even as milk quality has steadily improved. Because mastitis prevention depends heavily on daily milking routines and…
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Measuring methane emissions in young bulls: the fast track to more sustainable dairy farming?
Reducing methane emissions from dairy cattle is essential for building a more sustainable future for the U.S. dairy industry. While most research has focused on lactating cows, young animals—especially growing…
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Förster-Technik CalfRail System
The Förster-Technik CalfRail System is an automated feeding system that helps farmers care for their calves more efficiently. It works by moving a milk feeder along a rail between pens,…
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Engineering beyond the brown midrib phenotype: Using tissue- and cell-type specific engineering to improve the agronomic traits of digestible brown midrib maize mutants
Brown midrib (bm) maize mutants are known for their improved forage digestibility, but they often suffer from poor plant growth, limiting their use on farms. This project aims to genetically…
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The antimicrobial dilemma: Exploring the effects of prophylactic antimicrobials on microbial colonization and immune development in dairy calves
The preweaning period is one of the most vulnerable stages in a dairy calf’s life, with high rates of illness and death still common across North America. While antibiotics have…
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Fluidized bed drying (FBD) vs. spray drying (SD) of liquid whey protein phospholipid concentrate (WPPC): oxidate self-life, in-vitro digestion, and therapeutic potential
Whey Protein Phospholipid Concentrate (WPPC) is prone to oxidation during processing and storage, which reduces its quality and value. This project explores a new fluidized bed drying (FBD) method that…
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Genomic solutions to reduce fetal loss in dairy cattle
Pregnancy loss after 42 days of gestation is a major barrier to reproductive efficiency in dairy herds, impacting animal welfare, milk production, and farm profitability. This graduate research project will…
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Leveraging blockchain for data security in the dairy farm – phase 2
This project at UW–Platteville’s Pioneer Farm aims to improve how data is managed and protected on modern dairy farms. Today’s farms generate a lot of digital information, but it’s often…
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Integrated data framework for Pioneer Farm: Enhancing analytics and security
Modern dairy farms use many digital tools and technologies to manage everything from feeding to milking. At UW-Platteville’s Pioneer Farm, these tools generate a lot of valuable data, but that…
