Source: COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
SOLUTIONS FOR CONTROLLING MASTITIS AND IMPROVING MILK QUALITY IN ORGANIC DAIRY FARMS: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1028981
Grant No.
2022-51300-37880
Cumulative Award Amt.
$2,999,946.00
Proposal No.
2022-04034
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2022
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2026
Grant Year
2022
Program Code
[113.A]- Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative
Project Director
Pinedo, P.
Recipient Organization
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
FORT COLLINS,CO 80523
Performing Department
Animal Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Mastitis is the most common and costly disease affecting organic dairy cows, ranking within the top two reasons for early removal of cows within US organic herds. Effective mastitis control is of utmost importance, but options for prevention and treatment are limited in organic herds. The long-term goal of this integrated proposal is to identify and develop cost-effective management solutions that will control mastitis, improve milk quality, promote welfare, and enhance the sustainability of the organic dairy community. The overall goal is to develop and assess an integrated systems approach for mastitis control and welfare. The central hypothesis is that combining environmental and animal-level solutions will be effective to control mastitis and improve milk quality and cow welfare. We propose the following specific objectives: 1) Developing and delivering a comprehensive mastitis and milk quality Extension program with emphasis on prevention and control practices. 2) Assessing the effect of management practices during the dry period on early lactation mastitis and testing the efficacy of novel interventions at dry-off to develop mastitis control solutions; 3) Developing a mastitis index as financial and welfare measures of the mastitis and milk quality burden to identify top areas for improvement; 4) Evaluating the impact of cow comfort on mastitis and milk quality by using precision technologies; and 5) Identifying leading risk factors associated with mastitis and milk quality in organic dairies. Developing and delivering an integrated approach with best solutions will reduce mastitis, improve milk quality, and enhance the long-term sustainability of organic dairy herds.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
100%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
31134101170100%
Knowledge Area
311 - Animal Diseases;

Subject Of Investigation
3410 - Dairy cattle, live animal;

Field Of Science
1170 - Epidemiology;
Goals / Objectives
Thelong-term goal of this integrated proposal is to identify and develop cost-effective managementsolutions that will control mastitis, improve milk quality, promote welfare, and enhance thesustainability of the organic dairy community. The overall goal is to develop and assess anintegrated systems approach for mastitis control and welfare. The central hypothesis is thatcombining environmental and animal-level solutions will be effective to control mastitis, improvemilk quality, and cow welfare. We propose the following specific objectives: 1) Developing anddelivering a comprehensive mastitis and milk quality Extension program with emphasis onprevention and control practices. 2) Assessing the effect of management practices during the dryperiod on early lactation mastitis and testing the efficacy of novel interventions at dry-off todevelop mastitis control solutions; 3) Developing a mastitis index as financial and welfaremeasures of the mastitis and milk quality burden to identify top areas for improvement; 4)Evaluating the impact of cow comfort on mastitis and milk quality by using precisiontechnologies; and 5) Identifying leading risk factors associated with mastitis and milk quality inorganic dairies. Developing and delivering an integrated approach with best solutions will reducemastitis, improve milk quality, and enhance the long-term sustainability of organic dairy herds.
Project Methods
Objective 1 (Extension)Sub-objective 1A and 1B: With the continuous assistance of the advisory panel and considering the diverse organic dairy farm community, educational needs will be identified for the workshops and webinars starting in year 1 through year 4. Findings from the research Objectives will also be integrated and used during the educational training. Workshops will consist of 1-day training modules. All training workshops and webinars will be offered at no cost and open to all stakeholders. Each identified educational topic or area will be developed around common themes with several interconnected topics delivered using short webinar to support the overall theme. The webinar series will be recorded and available online. The content of the modules will be captured digitally and loaded to electronically assessable formats. We will promote participants' interaction through short oral presentations followed by discussion and hands-on demonstrations. For Sub-objective 1C, we will focus on changes in attendees' satisfaction, knowledge gain, and willingness to adopt best management practices evaluated by 1) pre- and post-tests of knowledge and questionnaire surveys that will be developed to set a baseline on performance of herds and to measure willingness to adopt best management practices. Participants will have the opportunity to evaluate the program and instructors and provide feedback using predesigned evaluation instruments and the Evaluation of Effective Extension Teaching (The Ohio State University). Objective 2 (Dry-off methods)Sub-objective 2.A.: We will perform a controlled experiment to evaluate the effect of two separated strategies at dry-off: i) Gradual cessation of milking before dry-off; and ii) Intramammary application of a natural product based on carvacrol administered at dry-off. Based on records indicating the future dates for dry-off, 1,764 cows will be randomly assigned to be submitted to either abrupt or gradual dry-off (1x/day final week of lactation. Fifty percent of the cows in each group will be administered a natural product based on essential oils containing carvacrol after the final milking at dry-off. Milk samples will be collected at the last milking and within the first 3 days of lactation for culture and for somatic cell count (SCC). A third sample will be collected at 15 days in milk for SCC. Culture data and SCC will be compared among the four groups. Occurrence of clinical mastitis within 30 days in milk is another relevant outcome of interest. Milk analyses will be completed at the Quality Milk Production Services, Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University.Objective 3 (Mastitis index)Sub-objective 3.A.: We will rely on the Co-PDs contacts and the assistance of the Advisory Committee members (especially Dr. Guy Jodarski, Organic Valley Veterinarian) to reach our target farms for surveying. Co-PDs and graduate students will perform field visits using a survey instrument that will be pre-tested in a focus group. The surveys will collect data about specific risk factors associated with on-farm management aspects related to mastitis and milk quality, including housing, milking, and dry period management. Study personnel will score cows for udder hygiene and teat condition. Information regarding pasture and crop management and nutritional quality will be made available to us (Organic Valley databases).Sub-objective 3.B.: We will calculate failure costs of mastitis in organic dairy cows using methodology in the literature, including milk loss, reduced reproductive performance, increased culling, loss of organic status, and lower milk quality. We will use the dynamic programming approach of De Vries (2004, 2006) and new extensions for cow specific modeling currently in development (USDA NIFA FACT 2019-67021-28823) and from Cha et al. (2011) and other published mastitis models. This modeling approach is needed because failure cost depends on the best decision made and the opportunityand their costs that directly or indirectly help prevent mastitis on organic dairy farms using data from our sub-objective 3A surveys and the approach of Van Soest et al. (2016). The financial mastitis index will be expressed in dollars per cow per year).Our methodology of the financial mastitis index allows to be approximated by organic dairy farms by entering their data in a user-friendly tool. Sub-objective 3.C.: We will identify on-farm practices that lead to low mastitis index values using analysis of variance. These practices are top management opportunities for reducing the mastitis burden.Objective 4 (Cow behavior)Sub-objective 4.A. and 4B: Methods to collect precision dairy behavior data and other cow event data include backups from on-farm software and access to cloud-storage of dairy data.We will use SAS to organize the data due to our long-term experience with that data management and statistical software. We will analyze the collected database with classical regression as well as random forest machine learning methods. For the association analyses, data from affected cows will be matched with healthy controls and analyzed to determine relationships between behavioral traits indicative of cow comfort and the risk of developing mastitis. Objective 5 (Risk factors)Sub-objective 5.A. Farm data provided by Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) and Organic Valley will be edited and organized in lactation records, differentiating organic and conventional farms. Data from individual cows will be the base for herd level calculations. Files will be prepared in a format that is adequate for the subsequent analyses to be completed with SAS (SAS institute Inc., Cary, NC).Sub-objective 5.B. Statistical analyses will depend on the nature of the variables under analysis (continuous/categorical). Briefly, ANOVA, logistic regression, and time to event analysis will be considered for the analyses. The focus will be placed on characterizing mastitis and milk quality at the individual and at the herd level, comparing variables related to the cow and the herd, as well as considering the organic and conventional status of farms.Sub-objective 5.C. Association analysis will help identify important risk factors for mastitis and suboptimal milk quality. Of special interest for organic dairies are breed, longevity, milk yield, dry-off and dry period characteristics, among others. Herd level variables include herd size, type of housing, location, seasonality, etc. Univariate calculations of incidence risk for mastitis will be used to describe overall disease frequency. Additionally, univariate survival analysis will be used to determine the Kaplan-Meier median DIM to the first occurrence of mastitis event per lactation. Associations between risk factors and udder health outcomes will be assessed through multivariable logistic regression.Sub-objective 5.D.: Datasets from 8 large organic herds in CO and TX, including 95,000 lactations will be organized into records with the data collection starting at the dry-off date from the previous lactation in multiparous cows or at calving in primiparous cows. Milk yield and SCC are also available. Incidence risk for mastitis will be calculated considering stratification by multiple variables, such as parity number, 305 d ME milk yield during the previous lactation, last milk yield recorded before dry-off, season of dry-off, access to grazing at dry-off, length of the dry period, length of the close-up period, gestation length, season of calving, access to grazing at calving, and concurrent health conditions.

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached during the reported period included dairy veterinarians and consultants, the scientific community [including academia (faculty and students)], and dairy farmers, in organic and conventional systems. This audience was reached through abstract presentations (2024 American Dairy Science Association Annual Meeting, University of Florida, Animal Sciences Graduate Student Symposium), short extension articles,and a series of webinars and workshops. Specifically, the extension component led by Dr. Gustavo M. Schuenemann has delivered a total of 5 webinars, 3 in-person workshops, 11 extension presentations, and developed 3 short extension articles reaching multiple audiences that include dairy producers, personnel, students, veterinarians, consultants, allied companies, extension professionals, and academia. Changes/Problems:The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak in dairy cattle that was confirmed by USDA in March 2024 significantly impacted the beginning of the farm visits (survey on mastitis risk factors and milking parlor and facilities assessment) planned for 100 dairies in multiple states (CO, MN, WI, OH, NY, among others). Our team developed biosecurity protocols to be followed when the visits could be started. As the potential role of milk in the transmission of the virus has gained support, more restrictions for farm visits developed, as a milking parlor assessment is a key component of the assessment of the farm. After these actions, we have been able to start with the farm visits (including milking parlor equipment assessment) and a total of dairies have been surveyed in OH, NY, and CO). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduatestudents have been involved in the development of the survey instrument (Colorado State University, University of Wisconsin, The Ohio State University, University of Minnesota). These students have participated in farm visits to complete the surveys and milking parlor/farm facilities assessment (~38 organic dairies in OH, CO, TX, MN, and NY). Graduate students have also been involved in developing and coordinating field studies conducted in CO (coordinating farm visits, IACUC updates, compliance with organic regulations, enrolling cows, administering treatments, completing follow-up of mastitis cases, etc.). Finally, these students have received intense training in managing large databases and completing data analysis using statistical software (R). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Study results have been mostly disseminated to the scientific community through presentations at scientific conferences (2024 American Dairy Science Annual Meeting, Palm Beach FL). The extension materials have been disseminated by a series of webinars (n=5), in-person workshops (n=3), extension presentations (11), and short extension articles (3). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our goals during the next reporting period are to complete the survey by visiting 100 dairiesand finalize the data organization originating from these assessments (Objective 3). We are expanding our efforts to multiple states, including OH, NY, MN, GA, CA, and OR. Second, the field study on dry-off preventive therapy should be completed and the data analyzed to be presented in scientific conferences and subsequently published (Objective 2). Related to Objective 4, we will continue the analyses on the associations between behaviors indicative of individual cow comfort and welfare and the likelihood of developing mastitis by using precision technologies. We will expand the extension activities (Objective 1) presenting our results from this project. Finally, we will continue organizing and analyzing the following databases: Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA): Herd and cow information, including lactation records from both organic-certified herds and conventional herds in multiple regions from across the US to exploreleading risk factors associated with mastitis and suboptimal milk quality in organic dairies (Objective 5). Organic-certified grass feed herd in TX: Cow comfort and mastitis risk (manuscript in progress) Robotic dairy farm in Colorado: Cow behavior and mastitis by mastitis-causing pathogen(manuscript inprogress) Organic-certified herds in TX-CO: Retrospective analysis to investigate associations between dray-off and dray period and risk of mastitis.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have developed a survey that we are applying through visits to dairies (Objective 3). Visits are occurring in both cool and warm seasons for each dairy, until completing a total of 100 farms. The instrument is available both on paper and as an electronic instrument (Qualtrics) that can connect online with the general database. The survey consists of three main sections: i) a questionnaire to be responded by the farmer in a in personal interview; ii) an assessment of the milking parlor and udder health during the milking; and iii) an assessment of facilities for the analysis of risk factors for mastitis and suboptimal milk quality. The information that has been collected at the farms is crucial for the completion of Objective 3, which is focused on developing a mastitis index as a comprehensive financial and non-financial measure of the mastitis and low milk quality burden. The goal is to quantify mastitis levels in individual organic dairies and determine the best opportunities for prevention and control through the use of field data. During this period, we have developed a working relationship with the technical team at Organic Valley to identify and reach organic dairy farms that could be included in the survey activity. Supporting Objective 2, our field study testing a natural product for dry-off therapy in an organic dairy in CO is close to completion. This experiment aims to test the efficacy of a natural product based on essential oils containing carvacrol. The product is applied after the last milking at dry-off (UterFlush), which is the most efficient time for treating and controlling mastitis. This is a commercial natural product that can be used in organic-certified cows. We assessed the efficacy of the treatment by performing milk bacteriological cultures before product application (baseline at the time of dry-off) and in the subsequent lactation (3 and 15 days post-calving). We have also completed a careful examination of the udders, where signs of inflammation were assessed. A total of 203 cows were enrolled in the experiment and about 80% of the animals have completed the follow-up sampling and clinical examination. The extension component (Objective 1, led by Dr. Gustavo M. Schuenemann) has completed the following activities: Programs and Workshops: 2024 Transition cow management program. The 5-day program was held in Columbus, OH on April 1-5, 2024 with a total of 52 participants from 7 US states. Audience: veterinarians, nutritionists, Extension personnel, dairy producers, and students). 2024 dairy scouting tour: 1-day visit to different dairy farms in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin to see housing facilities (for cows and calves) and precision technology. A total of 43 participants attended the tour from 4 US states. Audience: veterinarians, nutritionists, Extension personnel, and students). On-farm education: At least 1-day visit to 28 certified organic dairy farms located in OH and NY to assess their milking equipment/routine, housing facilities for animals and management/protocols. The overall emphasis was on improving milk quality and animal health. A total of 60 participants from 2 US states. Audience: Dairy producers, veterinarians, Extension personnel, and students). Webinars: Atotal of 5 webinars with 7692 participants who attended or watched the webinars afterward. A total of 10 CE certificates were provided to veterinarians. Cultivating sustainable solutions to nourish generations by Dr. Ron Shuller (400 registered) Molds and mycotoxins in dairy cattle: Effects, diagnosis, and control by Gustavo Schuenemann (3070 registered) Udderly Important: Solutions to mastitis challenges by Dr. Luciana da Costa (460 registered) The DairyPrint model: Helping dairy farmers towards higher sustainability by Dr. Victor Cabrera (471 registered) Maternity and newborn dairy calf care management Gustavo Schuenemann (1300 registered) Presentations: Gustavo Schuenemann. Parlor management and milking routine. Celina, OH. January 31, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Calm animal handling for best performance. Celina, OH. February 01, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Managing health alerts with precision algorithm. Celina, OH. February 01, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Solutions to optimize dry matter intake. 2024 Dairy Herd Manager Retreat. Wisconsin Wells, WI. February 10, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Solutions to optimize dry matter intake. 2024 Dairy Herd Manager Retreat. Frankenmuth, MI. February 17, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Transition cow management: Solutions to optimize dry matter intake. 2024 High Plains Dairy Conference. Amarillo, Texas. March 5-6, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Back to basics in transition cow management. 2024 Dairy Herd Manager Retreat. Arnolds Park, IA. March 9, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Interaction of mycotoxins and gestation length with health and survival of dairy cows and calves. Global Ruminant Days 2024. June 6, 2024. Vienna, Austria. Gustavo Schuenemann. Maternity, colostrum and newborn dairy calf care. Appleton, Wisconsin. June 26, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Leadership and communication: Five principles of teamwork. July 13, 2024. Paulding, OH. Gustavo Schuenemann. Maternity, colostrum and newborn care. Custar, OH. September 24, 2024. Short articles: Gustavo Schuenemann. First colostrum meal is vital for calf survival and health. Farm and Dairy. February 22, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann. Avoiding dairy calf mortality. Country Falks. February 22, 2024. Gustavo Schuenemann, Shaun Wellert, Justin Kieffer, Armando Hoet, Greg Habing, and Owen Mickley. Avian Influenza Detected in Dairy Cattle. Buckeye Dairy News. July 11, 2024. We have received a massive database from Dairy Records Management Systems (DRMS, North Carolina State University) that includesdetailed information from organic dairies across the US. This information will be used to complete Objective 5: Develop a mastitis database with data originating from the Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) including lactation records from both organic-certified herds and conventional herds in multiple regions from across the US. Associated with Objective 4, we obtained and edited a large database that compiles information from organic-certified cows (Holstein, Jersey, and Holstein x Jerseycrosses)maintained in an organic-certified grass-fed herd in Central TX, USA. These cows are milked in a robotic system, which provides massive detailed information on milking behavior and performance. Heath data (mastitis and other diseases) is also available for this research. In specific, studies in progress are centered on three areas: i) milking behavior and performance of primiparous and multiparouscows, ii) milking behavior dynamics before clinical mastitis diagnosis by pathogen category, and iii) effect of pre-milking waiting time on milking behavior and performance. As we continue with this analysis we expect to gain a better understanding of the impact of cow comfort and subsequent behavior on the occurrence of mastitis. Finally, we built a second database from a large robotic dairy in CO where similar behavioral parameters are recorded in every milking,providing an opportunity for the analysis of behavioral patterns associated withclinical mastitis caused by different categories of pathogens.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Use of the VaDia vacuum recorder for detection of factors related to mastitis and somatic cell count in organic dairy herds. 2024 B. J. Heins, K. T. Sharpe, P. J. Pinedo , A. DeVries, E. Miller-Cushon, V. E. Cabrera, E. M. Silva, R. A. Lynch, and G. M. Schuenemann. J. Dairy Sci. 107 (Suppl.1) ADSA 2024 Annual Meeting June 2024, West Pam Beach FL.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Description of milking procedures in organic dairy herds UF Animal Sciences Graduate Student Symposium C. NinodeGuzman, L. Prada, S. Bellinzoni2, P. Mu�oz, C. Hernandez, C. Ibarguren, R. Weng, G. M. Schuenemann, P. Pinedo, R. Lynch, V. E. Cabrera, B. J. Heins, A. De Vries.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Short extension article: Gustavo Schuenemann. First colostrum meal is vital for calf survival and health. Farm and Dairy. February 22, 2024.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Short extension article: Gustavo Schuenemann. Avoiding dairy calf mortality. Country Falks. February 22, 2024.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Short extension article: c. Gustavo Schuenemann, Shaun Wellert, Justin Kieffer, Armando Hoet, Greg Habing, and Owen Mickley. Avian Influenza Detected in Dairy Cattle. Buckeye Dairy News. July 11, 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Pathogen-specific clinical mastitis and its association with daily body condition score in dairy cows. 2024. P. Munoz-Boettcher, C. Hernandez-Gotelli, and P. Pinedo. J. Dairy Sci. 107 (Suppl.1). ADSA 2024 Annual Meeting June 2024, West Pam Beach FL
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Associations of pre-milking waiting time with milking behavior and performance of cows in an automated batch milking system. 2024.R. Weng Zheng, J. Velez, N. Rodriguez, and P. Pinedo. J. Dairy Sci. 107 (Suppl.1) ADSA 2024 Annual Meeting June 2024, West Pam Beach FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Milking behavior dynamics within the first 4 weeks of lactation in primiparous and multiparous cows in an automated batch milking system. 2024. P. Munoz-Boettcher, J. Velez, N. Rodriguez, and P. Pinedo. J. Dairy Sci. 107 (Suppl.1) ADSA 2024 Annual Meeting June 2024, West Pam Beach FL.


Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached during the reported period includeddairy veterinarians and consultants,the scientific community (including academia [facultyand students), and dairy farmers, in organic and conventional systems.This audience was reached through abstract presentations (2023 American Dairy Science Association Annual Meeting) and a series ofwebinars. In specific, the extension component led by Dr.Gustavo M. Schuenemannhas delivered atotal of 10 webinars (6 in 2022 and 4 in 2023) centered on multiple areas of best dairying practices,reaching an estimated of 3,083 participants (dairy producers, personnel, students, veterinarians, consultants, allied companies, Extension professionals, and academia) from 20 US states with ~3895 page views so far after presentations. Three additional webinars are scheduled for December 2023.In addition,a total of 28 in-person workshops were delivered from September 2022 to November 2023 reaching an estimated of 917 participants (Amish youth, dairy producers, personnel, veterinarians, consultants, students, allied companies, and Extension professionals) serving an estimated of 550,000 dairy cows from 10 US states (OH, IN, MI, MD, PA, TX, CO, SD, MN, VA, and WI). Several workshops are planned for 2024.Although the presentedtopics are not restricted to mastitis in organic dairies, all of them have an impact on health, welfare, and performance of the dairy cow. Changes/Problems:We have not faced specific challenges in developing the proposed objectives. However, checking compliance with the organic dairy certification in the therapeutics included in the field studies has taken some extra time and effort. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduated students have been involved in the development of the survey instrument (Colorado State University, University of Wisconsin, The Ohio State University). Grad students have also been involved in developingand coordinating the field studiesto be completed in CO (coordinating farm visits, IACUC updates, compliance with organic regulations, etc.). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Study results have been mostly disseminated to the scientific community through presentations at scientific conferences (2023 American Dairy Science Annual Meeting). The extension materials have been disseminated by a series of webinars (n=10) and in-person workshops (n=28). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our first goal during the next reporting period is to complete the survey (100 dairies) and finalize the data organization originating from these visits (Objective 3). Second, the first field study on clinical mastitis therapy should be completed. Concurrently, a second study on dry-off preventive therapy should be initiated (Objective 2). Related to Objective 4, we will initiate the analyses on the associations between behavior indicative of individual cow comfort and the likelihood of developing mastitis by using precision technologies. We will expand the extension activities (Objective 1) focusing more specifically on mastitis and presenting our results from this project. In addition, as part of the efforts to disseminate best practices for milk production the following workshops are planned for 2024: 2024 Transition cow management. This 2-day event will cover nutrition-related information to optimize dry matter intake, health, and productivity of dairy cattle. The target audience are dairy producers, veterinarians, consultants, Extension personnel and students. Registration will open in December 2023. The workshop will be held in Columbus OH in Spring 2024 (Date TBD). 2024 Dairy heifer replacement program. This 2-day event will cover housing, nutrition, and management information to optimize health, growth, and productivity of replacement heifers. The target audience are dairy producers, veterinarians, consultants, Extension personnel and students. Registration will open in December 2023. The workshop will be held in Columbus OH in Fall 2024 (Date TBD). 2024 Scouting dairy tour. This is an educational multi-state tour with various educational workshops delivered at selected locations (TBD) across US addressing dairy cattle health, nutrition, reproduction, replacement heifers, sustainability, and precision technologies of dairy farming. The target audience are dairy producers, veterinarians, consultants, Extension personnel and students. Registration will open in 2024 (Date TBD). Finally, adatabase with data originating from the Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) including lactation records from both organic-certified herds and conventional herds in multiple regions from across the US will be constructed to allow for the identification of leading risk factors associated with mastitis and suboptimal milk quality in organic dairies (Objective 5).

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Significant research efforts during the reported period have been focused on developing the survey instrument that will be applied through visits to 100 dairies in two seasons (cool and warm seasons). The information that will be collected at the farms is crucial for the completion of objective 3, which is focused on developing a mastitis index as a comprehensive financial and non-financial measure of the mastitis and low milk quality burden. The goal is toquantify mastitis levels in individual organic dairies and determinethe best opportunities for prevention and control through the use of field data.During this period, wehave developed a working relationship with the technical team at Organic Valley to identify and reach the organic dairy farms that will be included in the survey activity. Supporting objective 2, our first field study is organized in an organic dairy in CO to test a natural therapy for clinical and toxic mastitis. The objective is to test the efficacy of a treatment for clinical mastitis in organic-certified dairy cows, consisting of intra-oral bolus application of a natural product based on electrolytes and sugars (treatment). This is a commercial natural product that can be used in organic-certified cows. We will assess the efficacy of the treatment by performing milk bacteriological cultures post-therapy and completing a careful examination of the udder, where signs of inflammation will be assessed. Treated cows will be compared with affected control cows receiving the standard therapy, which consists of an increased number of milkings to maintain the mammary gland empty of milk. Depending on the results of this trial, we will test the efficacy of this treatment as a dry-offtherapy. The extension component (Objective 1, led by Dr.Gustavo M. Schuenemann) has established a series of webinars (6 in 2022 and 4 in 2023) centered on multiple areas of best dairying practices,reaching an estimated of 3,083 participants from 20 US states with ~3895 page views so far after presentations. A total of 28 in-person workshops were delivered from September 2022 to November 2023 reaching an estimated of 917 participants (Amish youth, dairy producers, personnel, veterinarians, consultants, students, allied companies, and Extension professionals) serving an estimated of 550,000 dairy cows from 10 US states (OH, IN, MI, MD, PA, TX, CO, SD, MN, VA, and WI).Although the presentedtopics are not restricted to mastitis in organic dairies, all of the contentshave an impact on the health, welfare, and performance of the dairy cow.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Association between clinical mastitis and body condition score pattern and pregnancy at first artificial insemination. P. Munoz Boettcher*1, A. De Vries2, D. Manr�quez1,3, and P. Pinedo1, 1Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 2University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 3School of Veterinary Medicine of Toulouse, Toulouse, France. 2023 American Dairy Science Association Annual Meeting, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Benchmarking first-lactation organic Holstein, Jersey, and crossbred cows for production, somatic cell score, and days open in the United States. B. J. Heins*1, K. T. Sharpe1, P. J. Pinedo2, A. DeVries3, E. K. Miller-Cushon3, V. E. Cabrera4, E. M. Silva4, R. A. Lynch5, and G. M. Schuenemann6, 1University of Minnesota, Morris, MN, 2Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 3University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 4University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 5Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 6The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. 2023 American Dairy Science Association Annual Meeting, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: D Kness, T Grandin, J Velez, J Godoy, D Manr�quez, F Garry, P Pinedo. 2023. Patterns of milking unit kick-off as a proxy for habituation to milking in primiparous cows. JDS Communications 4(5):385-389. doi: 10.3168/jdsc.2023-0384.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Risk factors associated with clinical mastitis in certified organic dairy herds. P. Munoz Boettcher*1, A. De Vries2, E. Miller-Cushon2, B. J. Heins3, V. Cabrera4, E. Silva4, R. A. Lynch5, G. M. Schuenemann6,D. Manr�quez1,7, J. Velez8, and P. Pinedo1, 1Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 2University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 3University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 4University of WisconsinMadison, Madison WI, 5Cornell University, Ithaca NY, 6The Ohio State University, Columbus OH, 7National School of Veterinary Medicine of Toulouse, Toulouse, France, 8Aurora Organic Dairy, Platteville, CO. 2023 American Dairy Science Association Annual Meeting, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.