Wisconsin Ag Connection - Grant Generates Increase Access to Dairyland Initiative

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Grant Generates Increase Access to Dairyland Initiative
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 07/24/2014

An outreach program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine that works with farmers to optimize cow comfort, health and milk production has received a renewal grant the Dean Foods Foundation. The Dairyland Initiative will use the $50,000 in funding to continue providing free access to its web-based resources for dairy farmers across the country and create a network of trained, certified consultants for planning and facilitating new welfare-friendly designs.

Dairy farmers can take advantage of the program's services through consultations, workshops and web-based tools. Previously, state farmers could freely access the website while those outside of the state paid a nominal fee. A 2013 grant from the Dean Foods Foundation helped make the website available at no cost to farmers and university extension programs nationwide. The increased accessibility resulted in almost 1,000 new users from 25 different states over a nine-month period.

"With the increase in users, we have seen a growth in demand for our services," says Nigel Cook, professor of medical sciences and food animal production medicine. "With this funding, we can expand our reach in the significant dairy states outside of Wisconsin by developing trained, certified consultants located throughout the U.S. The consultants will be able to further deliver advice and recommendations locally to producers who request assistance."

The Dairyland Initiative delivers building plan assessments and other valuable information based on the latest dairy animal research and years of collective field experience in dairy housing. Cook and colleague Ken Nordlund launched the Initiative in October 2010 with a seed grant from UW-Madison's Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. Since then, the program has directly assisted 300 dairy farms and trained 370 professionals in important aspects of facility design, including calf barn ventilation and transition cow barn planning.

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