Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The nature of surplus calf management remains a multifaceted and complex issue for the dairy industry. Despite global concern regarding the fate of surplus calves, research on surplus calf management has been neglected. Prior research by our team has documented that calves arrive to calf-raising facilities in poor condition. Still, a substantial knowledge gap exists regarding calf welfare outcomes and risk factors throughout the production cycle in veal and dairy-beef production systems. At the same time, animal welfare at slaughter has become an area of increasing public concern, prompting research on its assessment to improve animal welfare, meat quality, and value. Thus, our goal is to integrate animal welfare science with epidemiology, meat science, and social science to deliver to deliver benchmarks and risk factors for surplus calf welfare, while accounting impacts on meat quality. First, we will assess animal-based measures and risk factors for calf welfare in veal and dairy-beef production systems. Then, we will use an antemortem/postmortem assessment to characterize animal-based measures of calf welfare and risk factors for reduced value at slaughter. Finally, we will evaluate the impact of benchmarking animal-based measures on producer attitudes, behavior change, and calf outcomes. Results from this research will contribute science-based guidelines and standards to advance current calf care programs; serve as a framework for surplus calf industries to monitor continuous improvement and increase the value and marketability of veal and dairy-beef calves across the U.S.; and provide foundational knowledge for future research.
Animal Health Component
75%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
Approximately half of the dairy calf population is unsuitable (e.g., males) or not needed as replacements for the milking herd. These calves, referred to as "surplus" calves, are generally sold from the dairy farm soon after birth for veal or dairy-beef production. Surplus calves face significant challenges early in life, such as suboptimal neonatal care on the dairy farm (Creutzinger et al., 2021); fasting, dehydration, muscle damage, and injury during transit (Roadknight et al., 2021); and high risk of morbidity and mortality following arrival to calf-raisers. (Pempek et al., 2017; Renaud et al., 2018b). This complex set of challenges has been described as a "wicked problem" (i.e., a problem that is seemingly impossible to resolve due to its technical and socially complex nature) for the dairy industry (Bolton and von Keyserlingk, 2021).Scientific knowledge regarding animal welfare has increased significantly for sectors of the dairy industry, including dairy cows and heifer calves (von Keyserlingk and Weary, 2017); however, substantially less information is available relative to surplus calf welfare. Animal care guidelines were recently established for young calves (Calf Care Quality Assurance; CCQA), yet the recommendations set forth by CCQA are largely based on dairy heifer calf literature and are not founded in research specific to surplus calf production. To our knowledge, no research has described animal-based measures of welfare for surplus calf populations in the United States, nor is it well understood how management and housing practices influence these measures. Thus, our first objective is to benchmark animal-based measures of surplus calf welfare and determine their associated management-based risk factors.Animal welfare at slaughter has become an area of increasing public scrutiny, prompting research on its assessment and improvement (Wigham et al., 2018). For example, post-mortem (carcass) animal-based measures, such as lung consolidation, liver and rumen abscesses, and bruising can indicate respiratory disease, inappropriate diet, and injury, respectively (NCBA, 2013; 2016). Postmortem indicators also have important economic implications and influence product quality, quantity, and value. In 1991, the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) was initiated by the National Cattleman's Beef Association to monitor quality conformance across the U.S. fed-beef industry. An antemortem/postmortem calf welfare assessment could establish a framework for continuous animal welfare improvement, yet the surplus calf industries are currently void of programs like the NBQA. Our second objective will characterize antemortem and postmortem animal-based measures and risk factors for surplus calf welfare and reduced value at slaughter.The assessment of animal-based measures and determination of risk factors is an important step toward improving surplus calf welfare; however, it is also critical that calf producers are engaged in welfare improvement efforts, as they are ultimately the decision-makers for on-farm practices (Driessen, 2012). One approach to producer engagement that has improved animal outcomes on-farm is "benchmarking." Benchmarking can be used to report a range of animal-based measures across farms, then provide producers detailed feedback regarding their farm's outcomes relative to their peers (Chapinal et al., 2014; Atkinson et al., 2017). Therefore, our third objective is to conduct a farm-level field trial to determine if producer consultation and benchmarking reports result in attitudinal and behavioral changes and improvements in surplus calf welfare. The investigators will partner with key industry stakeholders to integrate animal welfare, epidemiology, meat science, and social science to deliver benchmarks and risk factors for surplus calf welfare, while accounting for impacts on meat quality.Specific ObjectivesObjective 1: Assess animal-based measures of surplus calf welfare and risk factors for morbidity and mortality during the production periodObjective 1.1. Estimate the prevalence of poor health outcomes, painful conditions, and main dimensions of emotional states in surplus calves on arrival and 1, 5, 10 and 20 weeks after arrival. We anticipate a moderate to high disease prevalence; variable cleanliness; moderate to low prevalence of lameness and injury; and neutral emotional state, influenced by housing.Objective 1.2. Identify management-based risk factors for suboptimal welfare outcomes described in Objective 1.1. We anticipate insufficient milk allowance and poor air quality will increase the risk of thin body condition and disease, respectively; and low space allowance and lack of bedding will increase lameness, injury, and poor hygiene.Objective 2: Characterize antemortem/postmortem animal-based measures of surplus calf welfare and risk factors for reduced value at slaughterObjective 2.1. Estimate the prevalence of antemortem animal-based measures and risk factors for surplus calf welfare and value on arrival at slaughter. We anticipate a low disease, lameness, and emaciation prevalence; moderate swollen joint prevalence; and variable cleanliness. We anticipate that increased disease, lameness, emaciation, and swollen joints, along with reduced cleanliness will be significant risk factors for impaired surplus calf value.Objective 2.2. Estimate the prevalence of postmortem animal-based measures and risk factors for surplus calf welfare and reduced value. We anticipate a moderate prevalence of liver abscesses; lung consolidation; bruising; and hair present in the abomasum. We anticipate that increased liver abscesses, lung consolidation,bruising, and hair present in the abomasum will be identified as significant risk factors for impaired surplus calf value.Objective 3: Determine if benchmarking animal-based measures influences producer attitudes, management practices, and calf welfare outcomesObjective 3.1. Evaluate the impact of producer consultation and individualized reports ("benchmarking") on changes in animal welfare outcomes and on-farm management for formula-fed veal and dairy-beef calves. We predict that providing producers with 1) benchmarked data generated from Objective 1 about their farm relative to other farms, and 2) data generated at slaughter from Objective 2 will change on-farm management in ways that reduce the prevalence of disease, injury, and mortality.Objective 3.2. Evaluate the impact of benchmarking on producer attitudes and motivations relative to changes in surplus calf management practices. We predict that providing producer consultation and benchmarking reports will shift producer attitudes toward calf welfare in ways that motivate management changes. We also expect a lack of direct economic incentives and insufficient time and labor will be barriers to the adoption of new practices.
Project Methods
Approach to Reach Objective 1A multi-level, observational study design will be used to estimate the prevalence of poor health outcomes and painful conditions in formula-fed veal and dairy-beef calves on arrival and 1, 5, 10, and 20 weeks after arrival to raising facilities. Assuming a 30% prevalence of a given outcome and substantial clustering at the farm level (ICC = 0.20), assessing 1,820 calves (65 calves/farm) across 28 farms will provide sufficient power (1-β = 0.20) to estimate the prevalence at a 95% confidence level, with an error less than 8%.Calves will be clinically evaluated for signs of respiratory disease, diarrea, depression, dehydration using a skin tent test, and navel inflammation. The examinations will also include evaluation of body condition, hygiene, and any hair loss on calf body regions. To evaluate if calves are experiencing painful conditions, hock lesions will be assessed using a 3-point scale; knee injuries will be recorded as present or absent; and lameness will be scored using a 3-point scale. Visible wounds from painful procedures (e.g., castration, disbudding) will also be assessed, particularly in dairy-beef calves that undergo these procedures. Wounds caused by castration will be scored using a 5-point scale, and disbudding or dehorning wounds will be scored using a 7-point scale. Qualitative Behavioral Assessment (QBA) will be used for the on-farm assessments of emotional state; the QBA is a component of the Welfare Quality® project, and has been used previously with dairy heifer calves. The proposed QBA consists of a list of 20 descriptors, including "Active, Relaxed, Uncomfortable, Calm, Content, Tense, Enjoying, Indifferent, Frustrated, Friendly, Bored, Positively Occupied, Inquisitive, Irritable, Nervous, Boisterous, Uneasy, Sociable, Happy, and Distressed", which will be used to score calves' behavior at the cohort level after a 20 min observation period. Each term will be scored on a 125 mm continuous Visual Analog Scale.To identify management-based measures that are risk factors for the animal-based measures described in Objective 1.1, facility, housing, and management measures will be taken during each visit.Approach to Reach Objective 2We will conduct a cross-sectional observational study and leverage established relationships with 5-7 slaughter establishments to survey antemortem and postmortem animal-based measures of calf welfare in Year 2. Assuming a 30% prevalence of a given outcome and clustering at the farm level (ICC = 0.20), assessing 1,820 calves (65 calves/farm) will provide sufficient power (1-β = 0.20) to estimate the prevalence at a 95% confidence level, with an error less than 8%.We will perform visual assessments on formula-fed veal and dairy-beef animals on arrival at slaughter establishments. Hide color and apparent breed type will be recorded. We will also record the presence/absence of horns, castration status, and identification type (ear tag, brand, other) for each animal. All other animal-based measures will be consistent with the assessments performed in Objective 1, with some scoring systems adapted for fed cattle in a lairage setting. Specifically, assessments will include evaluation of body condition, hygiene, and hair loss on calf body regions, including belly, sides, and rump. Mobility will be scored using a 4-point mobility scoring system for cattle. Calves will also be observed for signs of respiratory disease. The number of non-ambulatory animals will be recorded, and any antemortem condemnations and reasons for condemnations will be recorded.Liver abscesses, often associated with acidosis, will be visually evaluated at the offal table, according to Elanco's Liver Check Service classification system. Liver abscess severity will be assessed on a 3-point scale, from O (no abscesses) to A+ (one or more large abscesses are present). The rumens and abomasa will be collected from formula-fed veal and dairy-beef calves to assess gastrointestinal health disorders. The presence of trichobezoars and abomasal lesions (e.g., ulcers, erosions, scars) in the pyloric area will be recorded. Pairs of lungs will also be collected to assess signs of respiratory disorders; both lungs will be visually and manually examined for mild to moderate or severe signs of pneumonia on at least one side of the lungs.The total number and location of bruises on the round, loin, rib, and chuck will be evaluated on formula-fed veal and dairy-beef calf carcasses. Bruise severity will be assessed using a 10-point scale: minimal (1, 2, 3); major (4, 5, 6); critical (7, 8, 9); and extreme (10). Injection-site lesions will also be noted. Broken tails will be recorded as present or absent. Any condemnations and reasons for condemnations will be recorded. We will determine carcass value by collecting in-house carcass weight and grading records from each group of enrolled calves. Carcasses that have received additional trimming to remove bruises, injection-site lesions, and other defects will be identified. Carcass values will be determined through calculation of carcass weight times a weighted average value for each class and quality grade of carcass from USDA Agricultural Marketing Service reports.Approach to Reach Objective 3To determine if benchmarking animal-based measures influences producer attitudes, management practices, and calf welfare outcomes, we will use a farm-level, randomized field trial study design. We will enroll all farms from Objective 1 and assess the same number of animals.Calf raisers will be block randomized by pre-intervention animal-based welfare indicators and herd size to receive (intervention) or not receive (control) the producer consultation and benchmarking reports. After Objectives 1 and 2 have been completed, the prevalence of animal-based welfare outcomes will be calculated per farm (Objective 1) to produce a series of benchmarking reports. Producers allocated to the intervention study group will receive individualized reports that summarize the prevalence of each animal-based measure on their farm and how they compare to the other farms enrolled in the study. Additionally, animal-based welfare outcomes and harvest-floor assessments that affect the quality and value of surplus calves, carcasses, and by-products (Objective 2) will be collated. One industry-level report will be provided to each producer, with aggregated data for their respective industries (veal or dairy-beef).The research team will then return to all farms enrolled in Objective 1 approximately 6 months following the delivery of the benchmarking reports to reassess the same animal- and management-based measures in Objective 1.1. Each farm will again be visited five times, at calf arrival and 1, 5, 10, and 20 weeks after calf arrival. Returning to all farms 6 months after the delivery of benchmarking reports will provide calf-raisers approximately 1 production period to implement management changes that can be observed during the second assessment period.After the completion of the second assessment period, the participating producers within the benchmarking study group will be asked to participate in a semi-structured interview. Structured, open-ended questions regarding perceptions of the producer consultation and benchmarking report, management changes after delivery of the benchmarking report, and perceived barriers to specific management changes will be directed to producers.