Priority Area: Ensuring animal health and welfare
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Exploring factors that contribute to nutrient use for feed efficiency
White and her postdoc Arshad are exploring the factors that contribute to the nutrient use for feed efficiency. The ultimate goal is to understand nutrient use efficiency at cellular and…
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Testing the efficacy of plant essential oils in the management of Aphanomyces root rot of alfalfa
This project will utilize a fluorescent stereomicroscope (Leica M165FC Fluorescent Stereomicroscope) to assess internal colonization of oomycete pathogen in the infected roots of alfalfa seedlings to estimate disease severity scores.…
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Exploiting the food-grade organism Aspergillus oryzae as a biocontrol agent against Listeria monocytogenes in dairy products and cattle
Listeria monocytogenes is a prominent foodborne pathogen of particular concern in the dairy industry. Listeria frequently infects dairy cattle and contaminates the dairy food production chain and is highly resilient…
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Capacity of flies to acquire and transmit pathogenic bacteria to dairy cows
Mastitis and enteritis are two of the most common and costly diseases affecting dairy cattle in the United States and worldwide. However, very little is known about how dairy cows…
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A novel approach to understanding the impact of dry-off on dairy cow welfare in automatic milking systems
The abrupt cessation of milking is a well-established dairy management practice used to begin the dry period, but few studies have investigated the impact of abruptly ending milking on dairy…
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Mooving Cows: An innovative tool for diverse audiences to learn dairy cow handling practices
Inappropriate handling of dairy cows adversely affects animal welfare, milk production, and public trust in dairy farming. This project is developing an innovative, digital educational game, akin to a flight…
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Deciphering ecological interactions in the ruminant gastrointestinal tract microbiota that affect methane formation and the efficacy of mitigation strategies
This project aims to investigate a pressing question regarding the mechanisms by which methane inhibitors affect individual populations of methane producing bacterium and the overall ruminal fermentation. Mantovani’s lab hypothesizes…
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Intramammary infusion of tannin-chitosan hydrogels for prevention or treatment of bovine mastitis
Bovine mastitis is the leading cause of infections in Wisconsin dairy herds and worldwide. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus uberis are pathogens associated with increased incidence of clinical mastitis in Wisconsin dairy cows.…
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Building capacity for dairy nutrition – Equipment to measure in-vitro digestibility and rumen gas production
Lammer’s project will utilize an ANKOM Daisy Incubator System, an ANKOM RF Gas Production System, and a small-scale feed grinder to increase animal nutrition research capacity at UW–Platteville. These pieces…
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Beyond immunoglobulin concentrations: Exploring the potential of fresh colostrum on immune development and health in dairy calves
Calves are born immunologically naïve and depend exclusively on colostrum for transfer of immunity to confer antibody, and cell-mediated protection against environmental pathogens during the first weeks of life and…










