It is broadly understood that foot disorders resulting in lameness become a considerable expense for dairy producers. These expenses include the direct cost of treatment and indirect expenses from nonsalable milk, reduced production, impaired reproductive performance and sub-optimal welfare. Total costs of sole ulcer, white-line disease or digital dermatitis can range from $232 to $622 per case.
This motivated the Council on Daily Cattle Breeding (CDCB) to explore how genetics can help decrease the incidence of lameness. First, we consider heritability, or the proportion of variability within a population that can be attributed to inherited genetic factors. Heritability estimates for hoof disorders vary widely depending on how the trait is defined. For example, heritability of non-infectious hoof lesions was found to be 0.12 compared to infectious lesions equal to 0.14. For specific hoof lesions, heritabilities range from 0.01 to 0.3 for sole ulcer and from 0.017 to 0.26 for white-line disease. Despite the wide ranges, these heritability estimates indicate a significant genetic component. It is possible to make a difference through genetics and to select against dairy cattle that are genetically predisposed to hoof problems.
To identify a relevant trait and calculate genetic evaluations, it is necessary to have a consistent data pipeline that captures phenotypic information (or actual observations) and genomic data, along with general production and management information. In the case of hoof health, the phenotypic data can be collected by hoof trimmers and emerging digital technologies. The U.S. has high-quality data pipelines for the flow of production, fertility and health records, but there is not currently a pipeline of hoof health information.
As an essential first step, CDCB, the University of Minnesota (UMN) and several collaborators are working to consistently identify and record hoof health traits. This will establish a system for consistent flow of quality data into the national cooperator database that drives U.S dairy genetic evaluations (Figure 1). At the same time, that data pipeline can help provide practical tools for on-farm use to improve prevention, diagnosis and management of hoof health issues.
The main partner institution with CDCB in this work is the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, led by Dr. Gerard Cramer. Additionally, two dairy farms in Minnesota and Iowa with a total of 4,600 cows are piloting a new system to observe mobility and collect lameness data. On the pilot farms, hoof health data are collected by trained hoof trimmers and farm managers, and locomotion data are captured using a Video Analytic Platform (VAP) supplied, installed and operated by the CattleEye company (Figure 2). Also, an information technology service provider is engaged to develop a data streaming framework and data pipeline architecture to integrate hoof trimmer software with herd management software commonly used on dairy farms.
Some activities of this project
- Several training and follow-up sessions have already been conducted with hoof trimmers on the pilot dairies. In the recruitment of other dairies, the provision of training by an expert, such as Cramer, is an incentive for farms to consider providing data for this project.
- Cramer’s team has received consent to collect historical data and future hoof lesion data from 10 farms, representing close to 20,000 cows.
- Automatic data streaming with the installation of PC agents on farm management computers is functional as of September 2022.
- The VAP system has been operational on the pilot project site since July 2021, and the system has proven ability to differentiate between cows with and without lesions.
- The VAP system has been installed on several other farms in Minnesota and California, with data collection and observation having begun in fall 2022.
Preliminary results of the CDCB-UMN project
- Locomotion scores collected by the VAP are associated with hoof lesions (as reported by trimmers and managers) and are significantly higher in cows reported as having a hoof lesion.
- There are challenges to collecting and combining data obtained from multiple different sources such as the VAP system, on-farm management software, genotypes and hoof trimming records.
- Further work is needed to understand the relationship between locomotion scores from the VAP and specific hoof lesion records.
- There is an increase in the number of hoof trimmers with enhanced knowledge regarding standard trimming procedures and hoof lesions.
- Dairy farmers, veterinarians and hoof trimmers are gaining awareness about the CDCB-UMN hoof health project.
Preliminary findings have been presented at several meetings across the U.S. to raise awareness and encourage participation. Most recently, two presentations and a poster were included in the 21st International Symposium on Lameness in Ruminants in Bloomington, Minnesota. Global researchers and lameness experts have reinforced that the CDCB-UMN approach – having the farm as the focus for data collection – was indicated as the most appropriate route to ensure the sustainability of the hoof health project.
The UMN and CDCB encourage dairy producers, veterinarians and hoof trimmers who would like to participate in the project or gain more information to contact the principal investigator Dr. Gerard Cramer by email or the co-investigator Dr. Kristen Parker Gaddis by email.
