On 14 March 2023 (h. 15.00 – 16.50 Paris time) a webinar on “Large-scale recording of feed intake in dairy cattle on commercial farms” was organised by the ICAR Feed and Gas Working Group and the EAAP Commission on Animal Genetics.
Feed intake is an important trait with regard to environmental impact and efficiency and thereby an important driver of sustainability of the dairy cattle industry. Feed costs account for more than 50% of total costs in typical livestock production systems.
Large-scale recording of feed intake on individual cows is costly and hamper implementations of genetic evaluations for dry matter intake. For genetic evaluation of feed efficiency, feed intake ideally is recorded on commercial farms. Different recording techniques are available to measure feed intake.
Aim of the webinar
The aim of this webinar is to share experience about large-scale recording of feed intake on commercial dairy cattle farms for genetic evaluation and management using gold standard methods and new technologies.
To present the webinar, a specific brochure has been prepared and made available here
Presented slides
- Feed intake recording on commercial farms in Holland and Flanders for high reliable breeding values
(Pieter van Goor) - Cattle Feed InTake CFIT – a 3D camera system for individual measures of dairy cattle feed intake and body weight on commercial farms
(Jan Lassen) - Large-scale recording feed intake on commercial farms. A producers perspective
(J.P. Brouwer)
Programme
15:00 – Introduction
Birgit Gredler-Grandl (ICAR Feed and Gas WG, WUR, NL) and Filippo Miglior (EAAP Animal Genetic Commission, Lactanet, CA)
15:05 – Feed intake recording on commercial farms in Holland and Flanders for high reliable breeding values
Pieter van Goor, Project manager feed intake, CRV, NL
15.30 – Cattle Feed InTake CFIT – a 3D camera system for individual measures of dairy cattle feed intake and body weight on commercial farms
Jan Lassen, Senior Project manager, Viking Genetics, DK
15:55 – Large scale recording feed intake on commercial farms – a producer perspective
J.P. Brouwer, Sunalta Farms, Ponoka, CA
16:20 – Questions and Discussion
16:50 – Closing of the webinar
The Speakers
- Birgit Gredler-Grandl.
Chair of the ICAR Feed and Gas Working Group - Filippo Miglior.
- Pieter van Goor.
He is working at the innovation and genetics department of CRV. Pieter is responsible for the feed intake and methane project on commercial Dairy farms which CRV started in 2016. - Jan Lassen.
Senior Project manager at VikingGenetics and adjunct Associate professor at Aarhus University. Working with methane and feed intake measurements in dairy cattle for management and genetic evaluation for +10 years. Part of ICAR Feed and Gas section since the introduction - J.P. Brouwer.
From Sunalta Farms in Ponoka, Alberta, Canada, he has become partner within the Efficient Dairy Genome Project. Daily feed intake of over 200 Holstein cows at Sunalta Farms is recorded via newly installed Hokofarm feed bins, part of Lactanet-RDAR initiative and Resilient Dairy Genome Project