The first-ever Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium was hosted last month by the University of Guelph and The Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare in Guelph, Ontario. The event attracted 300 participants from around the world and served as a forum between dairy producers, researchers and allied industry.

Today’s dairy industry faces a number of challenges, a few of which can be addressed through animal welfare.

Jeffrey Rushen of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said in his keynote address that by acknowledging animal welfare standards, dairy producers will likely see continued acceptance by consumers and the public of dairy farming, as well as increased profitability as a result of reducing economic losses due to poor animal welfare.

Having dairy producers spearhead the development of animal welfare standards is good, he added; however, it does risk the potential of eliminating consumer concerns.

As the weather gets cooler, often with large temperature swings between night and day, calf feeding programs need to be adjusted.

Maintenance requirements must be met for growth and development; however, ensuring strong growth has been linked to improved performance (earlier breeding and increased milk yield).

We dairy farmers are excellent at producing milk. We take pride in what we do. We have the drive to get up every morning, pull on the coveralls and milk cows.

We know who is next on the list to calve and that, by Bessie’s sideways glance, she needs to be bred. Although many us excel in the production side of the farm, many of us need help on the business side.