Performing Department
Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Pennsylvania livestock producers face great challenges as they strive to produce high-quality, safe, food products from healthy, comfortable animals, within a market where even the most efficient production can yield little to no profit. To maximize animal health and well-being, food safety, and farm profitability, livestock producers and the veterinarians who care for those animals need up to date, science-based recommendations for animal management. The Veterinary Extension and Research Team proposes to improve animal health and well-being through research to improve management of the health of cows in the time around calving and to better diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases like mastitis, lameness, and common calfhood illnesses.With the concern about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in both human and veterinary medicine, research will be conducted to better understand animal physiology and management to identify ways to reduce the development and maintenance of AMR on livestock operations in an effort to improve animal health, worker health, and food safety.As improved management methods are found, it is vital that proper training accompany implementation of these methods. Adequate and regular training not only increases personnel knowledge and skills, but also improves the work environment and the attitude of personnel, all of which have a direct impact on farm profitability and animal well-being. Thus, the team also plans to conduct research to improve on-farm employee training through the development of new and innovative teaching strategies that target the varied livestock personnel population, both Spanish- and English-speaking. Furthermore, the team will assess the short- and long-term impact of the training programs by evaluating participants' gain in knowledge, change in behavior and change in condition, which will allow assessment of the efficacy of specific training techniques utilized, and modification thereof, if necessary.Through implementation of this comprehensive research plan, the Veterinary Extension and Research Team hopes to improve animal health, welfare, and food safety throughout Pennsylvania and beyond.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
80%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
1. Conduct and evaluate applied research and extension programs to improve livestock health and performance, including, but not limited to, calf health, transition cow health, and udder health. (Barragan, Hovingh, Springer)2. Develop applied research programs, to include extension/outreach efforts, aimed at improving antimicrobial stewardship and reducing the presence of antimicrobial-resistant elements. (Barragan, Hovingh, Springer)3. Evaluate factors affecting employee performance, satisfaction, retention, and the workplace environment, including how these relate to animal health and well-being. (Barragan, Hovingh, Springer)
Project Methods
Objective 1.We will develop applied research projects, with integrated extension components, to address common and emerging diseases which affect the health, well-being, and performance of dairy cattle and other livestock.a) In years 1-3 we will address transition diseases of dairy cattle, including metritis (Barragan) metabolic disease (Barragan, Springer, Hovingh), and mastitis (Hovingh). We will conduct on-farm projects, both observational and interventional in nature, to help develop recommendations for farmers and veterinarians to improve the health and well-being of cattle, as well as the profitability of the farm. Cattle on participating farms will be enrolled at the end of the prior lactation, or 2-3 weeks prior to the current lactation, and tracked to observe the prevalence and/or incidence of metritis, metabolic disease, and mastitis. Information concerning animal, environment, and personnel/management factors that may increase or decrease the risk of disease will be captured and analyzed to determine the relative risk (or odds) of disease in the exposed and unexposed populations. Information concerning the cost of these diseases, and their impact on animal well-being, will be simultaneously collected to determine the costs to the farm and to the animal (Hovingh, Barragan, Springer).b) As appropriate to the topic (mastitis, metabolic disease, metritis) being addressed, we will use the following efforts to cause a change in knowledge, attitudes, behavior and conditions among dairy farm owners and employees, as well as veterinarians and other consultants. We (Hovingh, Barragan, Springer) will develop, disseminate and evaluate programs and resources, including synchronous and asynchronous on-line learning opportunities, face-to-face didactic and hands-on programs, and mobile applications based on the results of our applied research project. We will evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts by means of pre- and post-event testing to assess the increase in knowledge and changes in attitude. We will also conduct longer term follow-up with participants to assess changes in behavior, as well as the economic and animal health and well-being condition.c) During years 1 to 3 we (Hovingh, Springer, Barragan) will also gather stakeholder input to determine which additional disease(s) and/ or conditions to address in the mid-term (years 2-3) and over the longer term (years 4-5) of this project.Objective 2.a) We (Springer, Hovingh) will conduct applied research to better understand the association of management practices and other factors on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in dairy animals and their environments on farms. In years 1-2 we will collect samples from animals and from their environments to determine how AMR emerges and wanes, in order to develop methods to potentially reduce the incidence and prevalence of AMR.b) We (Springer, Hovingh) will evaluate the effectiveness of online materials and extension programs that we develop (in years 1-2) to educate livestock producers and employees on the risks of antimicrobial resistance, how it develops on farms, and key concepts of antimicrobial stewardship. In years 2-3 we will develop and evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts by means of pre- and post-event testing to assess the increase in knowledge and change in attitude. In years 2-4 we will develop a veterinary continuing education program addressing the development and implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs on farms to minimize antimicrobial resistance, while maintaining or improving animal production and well-being. We will conduct longer term follow-up with veterinarians to assess implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs in years 2-4.Objective 3.We will develop applied research projects, with integrated extension components, to address dairy farm employee performance, satisfaction, retention, and the workplace environment, including how these relate to animal health and well-being.a) In years 1-5 we (Barragan, Hovingh) will develop and conduct didactic and hands-on trainings, and develop resources for Spanish- and English-speaking dairy farm personnel involved in key management areas affecting animal health, productivity and well-being, such as obstetrics, milking routine, calf care, and hoof health. We will deliver approximately 6 trainings per year in face-to-face, on-farm settings whenever possible, since this significantly increases the learning experience and acquisition of practical, hands-on skills. We will evaluate the effectiveness and impact of these efforts by means of pre- and post-event testing (primarily using iClickers®), to assess increase in knowledge and change in attitude. We will conduct longer term follow-up with the participants and the farms at which they are employed, to assess changes in employee performance and behavior, as well as the economic, animal health, and animal well-being impacts. Prior to, and after the training sessions we will collect relevant animal health information (eg. daily milk production, pre-weaning treatment rates, prevalence of stillborn calves, etc.) to determine changes in the condition of the animals which can be associated with changes in knowledge and attitude, and behavior in the employees.