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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #294571

Title: Challenges and opportunities for farmer-recorded data in health and welfare selection

Author
item MALTECCA, CHRISTIAN - North Carolina State University
item PARKER GADDIS, KRISTEN - North Carolina State University
item CLAY, JOHN - Dairy Records Management Systems(DRMS)
item Cole, John

Submitted to: International Committee on Animal Recording(ICAR)
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2013
Publication Date: 5/29/2013
Citation: Maltecca, C., Parker Gaddis, K.L., Clay, J., Cole, J.B. 2013. Challenges and opportunities for farmer-recorded data in health and welfare selection. International Committee on Animal Recording(ICAR). Technical Series 17:87–96. 2013.

Interpretive Summary: The health and fitness of dairy cows has decreased over the last 50 years while production has dramatically increased. Reduced cow health impacts herd profitability by increasing rates of involuntary culling and decreasing revenues from the sale of milk. Genetic improvement of health traits is appealing because those gains are cumulative, but there is no central recording system for health data in the US. Producer-recorded health information stored in on-farm computer systems represents a wealth of information for improvement of dairy cow health, but several challenges remain. Health traits represent many different biological processes, and the measurement of those disease states can be complex. Because of this complexity it is important to identify a few important traits for which consistent and demonstrable improvement can be achieved. Opportunities exist to improve disease prediction and overall herd disease management by making use of patterns observed at the individual cow and whole-herd levels.

Technical Abstract: With an emphasis on increasing profit through increased dairy cow production, a negative relationship with fitness traits such as health has become apparent. Decreased cow health impacts herd profitability because it increases rates of involuntary culling and decreases milk revenues. Improvement of health traits through genetic selection is an appealing tool; however, there is no mandated recording system for health data in the US. Producer-recorded health information provides a wealth of information for improvement of dairy cow health, thus improving the profitability of a farm, yet several challenges remain. The broad definition of ‘direct health’ does not truly reflect the heterogeneity and complexity of these traits. While there is a virtually endless pool of phenotypes potentially considered for selection, it is paramount to identify a few key parameters for which a consistent and demonstrable improvement can be achieved. We have demonstrated how farmers’ recorded events represent a credible source of information with reported incidences matching most of the epidemiological evidence in literature, with calculated incidence rates ranging from 1.37% for respiratory problems to 12.32% for mastitis. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that relationships among common health events constructed from on-farm data provide supporting evidence of plausible interconnection between diseases and overall data quality. The results of our analyses provide evidence for the feasibility of on-farm recorded health base breeding programs. Nevertheless, there is an intrinsic heterogeneity of players, and a complex infrastructure in the collection and flow of information connected to health traits, and among the reasons for the slow implementation of health selection programs, data privacy concerns are at the top of the list in the US.