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P2: Unlocking the Potential of the Cow

This project is developing management practices to enable cows to achieve their genetic potential under NSW conditions. The focus is on profitable increases in both productivity and wellbeing in commercial settings.

Dairy UP’s P2 project aims to unlock the potential of dairy cows to achieve their genetic potential under NSW conditions. P2 is a suite of seven projects that collectively explore ways to profitably increase both productivity and wellbeing in commercial settings. Specific projects are investigating cow longevity/survival, new tools for early detection and management of diseases caused by viruses and bacteria; and the use of milk as ‘diagnostic fluid’. advanced use of improved nutrition, environmental, and health management.

There are seven P2 projects:

P2 project primary activities

A series of orchestrated programs and data-driven interventions to allow dairy cattle to be productive, healthy and reproductively successful by:

1. Predicting and preventing disease in dairy herds, reducing the wastage of older cows while enhancing the potential to improve production and reproduction.
2. Quantifying risk factors that influence the removal of cows using large data sets from Australian, Canadian, and USA herds with detailed production and health data.
3. Accurately detecting diseases including arbovirus and bacterial disease in real time.
4. Identifying behavioural and physiological characteristics of healthy and productive cows on farms. This will include monitoring related to facility design including environmental monitoring that can be linked to cow comfort and production. Time series statistical methods can be used in a multivariable context to identify the key drivers of cow comfort and production.
5. Developing innovative extension models engaging farmers, farm-to-farm dissemination; consultants, service providers including engineering companies and researchers.