Priority Area: Ensuring animal health and welfare

Carbohydrates like fiber and starch are known to influence intake patterns and therefore lactation performance by dairy cows. Because of this, there have been recent research efforts to identify new…

Wisconsin dairy cows and calves are susceptible to rising global temperatures which threatens animal welfare, health, and productivity. This project seeks to identify heat stress thresholds in Wisconsin dairy calves.…

Intense selection for productive traits has negatively affected dairy cow fertility in the last half century. Poor fertility is leading to significant economic losses. Dairy farmers in Wisconsin have been…

Culling decisions, a key component of successful dairy farm, are a frequently faced challenge for many dairy farmers. In addition to involuntary culling of cows due to illness, injury, or…

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) cause salmonellosis in dairy cows, resulting in diarrhea, abortion, endotoxemia, and decreased milk production. The emergence of multi-drug resistant Salmonella has contributed to morbidity and mortality in…

Fertility is an economically important trait in dairy cattle. Despite recent advances, there is room for improvement in reproductive performance for most herds, resulting in significant economic losses for dairy…

Bovine mastitis, an inflammatory disease caused by microbial infections, impacts milk production, milk quality, and the overall health of the herd. Mastitis is a main challenge for the dairy sector…