EuroDairy – Animal care webinars

The focus of these animal care webinars has been on new inventions, methods and management practices implementable by farmers.

Profitable, consumer-friendly dairy farming is underpinned by good health and welfare. Join Jon Huxley to hear about new approaches to lameness control in dairy cattle.

Every year, thousands of cows are treated for claw horn lesions, such as sole ulcers and white line disease, but hard evidence on the most effective treatment is limited.

A five-year study on commercial farms in England highlighted the importance of early detection and treatment of claw horn lesions.

These new research findings are fed directly into programmes such as the AHDB Dairy Healthy Feet Programme, which helps farmers make changes to reduce lameness on their farm.

What innovations would enhance consumer perceptions of our dairy cow housed environments?

This "fast drawing" video provides a brief insight into consumer needs and perceptions and future research and development recommendations. 

EuroDairy held a webinar with US specialists focusing on the use of compost bedding in barns.

Henry Steverink invested in a foil-arched stable that’s spacious, open and light.

Animal welfare is the starting point of the architecture of this new stable. Cows love air, light and wind, but not too much. This new dairy stable embraces natural elements and flows with its direct environment. 

In April 2017, a group of British dairy farmers visited the Netherlands to learn more about alternative housing systems and their novelties.

Dutch farmers journal Nieuwe Oogst made a short video highlighting the key messages learned from this three-day farm visit.

Calf care is possibly the most challenging job on the dairy farm, in part, because the milk-fed calves are the most likely to become ill.

New ways of rearing calves are becoming available that can benefit both farmers and their calves, providing the potential for widespread improvements in calf care over the next decade.

Nina von Keyserlingk talks about these new approaches to calf management. Nina and her team have dedicated many years to researching this important area to provide farmers with new insights and solutions to enhance calf survival, growth and wellbeing.

This short video introduces a practical method to assess the welfare of dairy cows. This "welfare monitor" will be implemented in the Netherlands.

Håkan Landin and Jessica Ekström discuss the use of antibiotics on Swedish dairy farms, including management challenges during the dry period. 

At the time of calving, changes occur within the cow causing the ligaments within her hoof to relax.

In early lactation, as she loses condition, she is at risk of losing fat from the fat pads (called the digital cushion) located in her hoof. Both of these events mean that the pedal bone within the hoof is less supported, making it easier for outside factors to cause tissue damage and bruising.

In this webinar, Neil Chesterton, New Zealand’s leading lameness expert, focuses on 12 cow behaviours and how to best help cows through this vulnerable time in their lactation.

For five years, Gordie managed the 3,500-cow herd on a 72-point rotary with 300+ calvings per month.

Gordie has over 25 years’ experience in veterinary dairy practice and nutrition consulting, as well as designing and managing Fair Oaks Dairy, Indiana, of 65,000 cows.

This webinar focuses on achieving excellence in fresh and dry cow management through key aspects of feeding, environment and stockmanship.

Professor Albert De Vries from the University of Florida discusses both the short and long-term strategies for managing heat stress in dairy cattle.

He discusses tips around short-term management that can be easily implemented, such as through nutrition.

Longer-term strategies, such as implementing cooling mechanisms, are also discussed during this webinar.

On dairy farms in Europe, manure is increasingly being separated, with the aim to use the solid fraction as bedding material for the cows.

This material, often called "green bedding", is comfortable for the cows and financially attractive for many dairy farmers. However, there are potential risks associated with its use; therefore, in countries where its use is permitted, for example, England and the Netherlands, regulations and conditions have been set around its use.

This webinar presents the advantages and risks of using the solid fraction of slurry as bedding material, as well as guidelines on its use.

Natural Resources Institute Finland tested how recycled manure solids (RMS) can be used as a bedding material in a free-stall barn and the effect on the welfare of dairy cows. The testing was carried out through the Lantalogistiikka project. 

In this webinar, Lisa and Graham discuss a farmer-led approach to responsible antimicrobial use on UK dairy farms.

They explain what a farmer-led approach is, how the Farmer Action Group project worked and what the farmers achieved.

Ylva Persson talks about how Sweden has the lowest use of antibiotics in EU and how other countries can reach the same level.

A video showing water beds for cows.

A webinar (in French) about limiting the use of antibiotics.

This project has received funding from the European Union`s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 696364.