advanced feeding technology to improve dairy cow efficiency and sustainability
Researchers at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station (MARS) need more detailed information about how individual dairy cows eat, not just how much they consume. The current feeding system measures feed intake but cannot capture feeding behaviors such as feeding frequency, duration, and activity patterns that are critical for studying feed efficiency, animal health, and sustainability.
SystemD and CalanIQ equipment provides automated, high-resolution data on both feed intake and feeding behavior for individual animals. This will expand UW–Madison’s research capacity, support studies aimed at improving feed efficiency and reducing environmental impacts, and strengthen the Dairy Innovation Hub’s efforts to advance sustainable dairy production and animal health.
Principal Investigator: Nancy Esser
Nancy Esser serves as superintendent of UW-Madison’s Marshfield Agricultural Research Station (MARS), which is home to the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences’ replacement heifer program as well as the USDA’s Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit. Esser is responsible for management of the 650 dairy animal and agronomic research facility, overseeing a staff of over 24 employees.
Esser coordinates animal research trials and conducts station outreach and tours. She manages employee training and compliance with all federal, state, and university protocols, laws, and regulations. Esser manages station certification with UW Occupational Health Program, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee standards and protocols, Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) certification, and state and federal dairy inspections.
nancy.esser@wisc.edu
(715) 650-7457
https://marshfield.ars.wisc.edu/