Priority Area: Ensuring animal health and welfare
-
Calf barn expansion and related monitoring equipment for added research capacity
Zwald’s project will expand and renovate the calf barn facility at Mann Valley Farm at UW–River Falls to increase calf research capabilities. The new facility will be able to hold…
-
Individual calf pens for added treatment group capacity
Zwald’s project will purchase and install 42 calf pens to replace the current calf housing system at UW–River Falls. This is part of a larger project aiming to increase Mann…
-
Bale processor to improve feed efficiency and consistency at Pioneer Farm and provide teaching and outreach opportunities
Steiner’s project will use a new bale processor to improve feed efficiency and consistency of forage for dairy livestock and Pioneer Farm at UW–Platteville. Feed bales will be able to…
-
Refrigerated centrifuge for feed, manure and tissue sample processing and assays
Hampton’s project will use a new bench-top, refrigerated centrifuge for processing blood samples for analysis, feed and manure samples for nutrient analysis, and tissue samples for metabolite, DNA, and mRNA…
-
Leveraging automated milking systems to employ targeted saturated fatty acid supplementation strategies to early lactation dairy cows
Dairy cows often experience a negative energy balance during the transition to lactation period, where dietary energy intake is outpaced by the demands of lactation. This early lactation energy deficit…
-
Validating a novel serological panel for bovine fatty liver syndrome
Pralle’s project will determine the incidence, consequences, and financial impact of bovine fatty liver syndrome, a metabolic disorder than can develop in pre- or post-calving cows, with a newly-developed blood-based…
-
Individual feed intake monitoring system for cross-disciplinary dairy production research
Pralle’s project will install a RIC2Discover feed intake system, which is a fully automated technology that monitors individual cow feed intake and feeding behavior, at Pioneer Farm at UW–Platteville. The…
-
A centralized histology and microscopy software resource to disentangle gene-environmental interactions that drive fetal programming and nutrient partitioning in the dairy cow
Leone’s project will develop a centralized DIH Histology and Microscopy Resource to be used with histology and microscopy equipment, software modules, a live-cell CO2 imaging stage, and a cryostat, to…
-
Preliminary comparison of HolSim cattle vs. Angus x Holstein cattle
UW–River Falls and the Holstein Association USA are working to provide dairy and beef farmers with research into dairy-beef feedlot performance and carcass composition that provide premiums. This information will…
-
Evaluation of two caustic paste brands when disbudding calves
In the US, more than 94 percent of dairy calves require disbudding, a process that removes their horn tissue. Caustic paste is increasing in popularity; however, no research has been…
