Every year, Canadian dairy farmers turn over about one-third of the cows in their milking herd. Dr. Todd Duffield’s interest in cull cows – or “market” cows as he calls them – was sparked several years ago while working as a provincial veterinary inspector and visiting local auction marts in Ontario.
Dr. Todd Duffield, chair of the Department of Population Medicine at U of G, has spent 20 years researching how to manage pain in young dairy calves, thanks in part to long-term funding from the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance (Alliance), a collaboration between the Ontario government and the University of Guelph. Much of his work has focused on the practice of disbudding, or the removal of horn buds on young calves.
Duffield and researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) are studying metabolic disease in dairy cattle to explore potential solutions for farmers across the country. Duffield’s research is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs through the Ontario Innovation Agri-Food Alliance with in-kind support from Elanco and Lactanet. Read the story on the OVC website >