How can better calf care be realized on dairy farms? A qualitative interview study of veterinarians and farmers.

Autor:	Wilson DJ; Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1. Electronic address: devon@wilsondvm.com., Saraceni J; ACER Consulting Ltd., Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 5L3., Roche SM; Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1; ACER Consulting Ltd., Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 5L3., Pempek JA; Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210., Habing G; Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210., Proudfoot KL; Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada, C1A 4P3., Renaud DL; Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Journal of dairy science [J Dairy Sci] 2024 Mar; Vol. 107 (3), pp. 1694-1706. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Sep 26.
DOI:	10.3168/jds.2023-23703
Abstrakt:	Improving health and welfare outcomes for replacement and surplus dairy calves is important for the sustainability of the dairy industry. Dairy farmers and veterinarians hold expertise in calf management and have valuable perspectives on how to practically motivate improvements. The objective of this study was to determine strategies that could improve the care calves receive on dairy farms from the perspective of dairy farmers and their herd veterinarians. Two veterinary clinics specializing in dairy practice in British Columbia, Canada, and 21 of their client dairy farms participated in the project. Following a meeting in which calf colostrum management was discussed between farmers and their herd veterinarian, participant interviews were conducted. Separate interviews were conducted for the farmers (n = 27 farmers from 21 farms) and their herd veterinarians (n = 7, with 1 to 5 farms that each vet worked with enrolled in the study) using tailored semi-structured question guides. Interviews (n = 42) were transcribed and coded following inductive thematic analysis methodology. The themes identified included strategies for farmers, veterinarians, and calf buyers, as well as contexts that influenced the dairy farmers' internal motivation to provide good calf care. Results indicated that farmers could optimize their calf management through fostering engagement of calf care personnel or by enlisting technology. Veterinarians could provide support to farms by being actively involved in calf monitoring, assisting in developing operating protocols, and setting goals, and especially by using farm-specific data to guide their management recommendations. Calf buyers could communicate with and provide accountability to farmers and improve their purchasing strategies to encourage farms to raise more vigorous surplus calves. Farmers' personal values, social networks, and relationships with different dairy industry stakeholders influenced their concern about the standards of their calf care practices. These findings provide guidance on how dairy farmers could achieve or be prompted to achieve improvements in their calf care practices. (The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. and Fass Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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