Research Reports

Research Reports are designed to report applied aspects of research from the UBC’s Dairy Education and Research Centre recently published in refereed international scientific journals. Reports are two pages in length and are published three to five times per year.

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Cows are highly motivated to access a brush

Cows are highly motivated to access a brush

Grooming behavior is expressed by many animals, including cows, and helps them maintain a healthy coat and skin. Cows can groom themselves and herd mates by licking. When housed in naturalistic environments, they also use trees or other structures to scratch parts of their body that are otherwise difficult to reach.

Use and perceptions of on-farm emergency slaughter for dairy cows in British Columbia

Use and perceptions of on-farm emergency slaughter for dairy cows in British Columbia

When farm animals become injured, farmers must decide whether to treat, transport, euthanize, or use on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES). OFES is one end-of-life option for animals that cannot be transported humanely but are fit for human consumption.

Public Expectations of a Dairy Farm

Public Expectations of a Dairy Farm

To provide some insight into understanding the public’s views of animal agriculture, we conducted two studies, one asked participants how they would describe the ideal dairy farm and the second where participants were surveyed before and after touring a dairy farm.

Public expectations of a dairy farm (Vol 16-2)

The European community has placed some effort into understanding the public’s views of animal agriculture, including the dairy industry. However, little is known about the expectations of the dairy industry by North American citizens. To provide some insight on this issue we conducted two studies, one where we asked participants how they would describe the […]

Cow Comfort at Calving (Vol. 15-1)

Cow Comfort at Calving (Vol. 15-1)

Anyone who works in the dairy industry will be aware that there is tremendous variation in maternity pen design. Part of the reason for this variability is a lack of research on what types of environments are best for the cow while she is giving birth. Research at UBC has now recruited the cows’ help […]