An MSU AgBioResearch animal scientist will lead a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional effort to adapt mobile technology to help farmers prevent dairy cattle illness.
Lorraine Sordillo, Meadow Brook Chair of Farm Animal Health and Well-being in the College of Veterinary Medicine, has received a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the four-year project.
Researchers from MSU and North Dakota State University will study the factors that contribute to cow health risks during the most vulnerable period of their lives: the three weeks before and the first several weeks after giving birth. Data will be collected to develop an app for smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices that can detect early warning signs of disease susceptibility.
“Cows can get sick anytime, but they are especially vulnerable during the transition phase when they are switching from late pregnancy to producing milk after the calf is born,” Sordillo said. “The big problem is that if a cow gets sick during the early lactation period, she will never reach her peak milk-producing capacity.”
Dairy cattle are particularly susceptible at this time and can suffer from metabolic stress due to the tremendous energy requirements for birth of the calf and then milk production. This can result in a compromised immune system and the development of various diseases.
The factors that contribute to metabolic stress, called biomarkers, can be monitored and are well-documented as a result of years of research. Sordillo said she and her team plan to take advantage of modern mobile technology in an effort to compile that knowledge into a tool that farmers can use in the field.
Currently, most farms have to address the causes of metabolic stress after the animals are already sick. Sordillo and her team want to be able to provide farmers with proactive tools to prevent disease from occurring.
The team will develop the app to allow farmers to input a series of variables to calculate the risk of metabolic stress and then recommend adjustments to prevent it.
The researchers will also use the app to help train the next generation of food animal veterinarians and on-farm consultants.
Sordillo said the team will refine the list of biomarkers for metabolic stress that are most accurate in detecting increased risk of disease during early lactation, incorporate them into the app and test for effectiveness on dairy herds in Michigan.