Increased longevity in cows

Last changed: 04 November 2013

Why is longevity not increasing in Swedish dairy cows?

A good longevity of our cows is essential to reduce the environmental impact of the milk production, for the farmer's economy and the trust of the consumer. Much is already known about the biological factors that affect the longevity of an individual cow. The genetic evaluations for an increased longevity have also been effective in Sweden, but the productive life of our Swedish dairy cows has still not improved. It is therefore imperative to identify what the real bottlenecks are. In this project we will study factors at herd level that characterizes herds with long or short longevity, and study farmers' attitudes to culling and how they implement longevity- improving measures in their herds.

The data for the studies will be obtained from the cow-database at the Swedish Dairy Association, through a targeted survey and by conducting deep-interviews with farmers. Multivariable statistical methods and qualitative methods will be used to analyze the data.

Financier: Stiftelsen lantbruksforskning
Co-applicant: Sriskandarajah Nadarajah, Agenäs Sigrid
Collaborator: Institutionen för stad och land, SLU Institutionen för husdjurens utfodring och vård, SLU


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