The topic of animal welfare is broad, complex and multifaceted, encompassing scientific, ethical, economic, cultural, social, religious and political dimensions. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo, Ph.D., with Elanco Animal Health, addressed this ever-evolving topic at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference held in February in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

In an era where consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from, it is more important than ever for the agriculture community to maintain strong connections across the supply chain. The Animal Agriculture Alliance continues to lead the charge in fostering these relationships by hosting virtual events such as webinars. Due to popular demand, the Alliance also hosted a restaurant and retail farm tour last fall for the first time in several years.

Most dairy cows have potentially disease-causing bacteria in their reproductive tract in low abundance. Cows develop uterine infection and disease when the pathogens overgrow and become dominant. Cows need to have a rapid, robust and well-regulated inflammatory response in the uterus during and immediately after calving to detach the placenta, keep bacterial pathogens in check and start uterine repair.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent global health threats and development challenges scientists face today. And dairy is responding with stewardship and materials that advance our industry’s interests in combating the threat.

As we enter the final stretch of 2024, there has been a notable increase by animal rights activists against agriculture, especially focusing on farms, food production systems and consumer perceptions. For dairy farmers and those working within the dairy community, understanding the strategies being employed by activists is essential to staying ahead of potential threats and challenges.

A less-studied strategy to help calves cope with cold stress could be through having a companion. Pair or group housing of calves has become a popular topic of discussion over the past few decades. We conducted a study to measure if pair-housing calves in a dual hutch system could help reduce the effects of cold stress during winter. Read about the study's results.