For a producer, determining whether to introduce a new solution into their operation is an important decision. So it is critical to develop innovations with the herd in mind. As dairy management varies around the world, carrying out validation research on Canadian dairy farms is a critical step in solution development. The primary benefit of conducting validation research is to confirm that tools developed across different countries, production systems, management styles and dairy breeds will perform as expected under local conditions. The results of this research will provide support for bringing innovations to the Canadian market that meet the needs of the producer.
Animal nutrition companies make considerable investments into validation research to provide their customers with the greatest advances in the field, which can contribute to greater animal performance, improved animal welfare and sustainability, and higher return on investment for the producer.
What is validation research?
Validation research is one of the critical steps in the process of bringing a new solution to market. When an opportunity is identified within the industry, experts in the field first conduct fundamental research into the topic at a university or other scientific research institution. Based on the findings of this research, an innovation may be developed. Validation research implements this newly developed innovation in a controlled setting on commercial farms, referred to as validation farms. The study carried out on-farm will be designed by experienced Ph.D. researchers, nutritionists and technical staff, with data collection carried out by technicians or the farm’s own employees.
Most validation research studies will involve monitoring animals in both treatment and control groups. This allows for simultaneous comparison of the impact of the tested innovation against that of normal management practices. Some examples of typical data collection on-farm could be measuring bodyweights, recording feed intakes, collecting feed samples and scoring health characteristics. Throughout the study, there will be regular communication between the researchers and producer to set up the study design, monitor the data collection and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
Unlike a demonstration on-farm, the study design and data collection process in a validation study are held to the same high scientific standards as fundamental research studies. The results of these studies will be utilized to confirm whether the findings of the fundamental research hold true under everyday farm conditions.
What happens to data generated by research?
The data generated on-farm will be analysed to look for differences and trends. The results will be used to either confirm the effectiveness of an innovation or lead to further study and improvement. Reports will be created that summarize the findings, which are then presented to the technical teams and ultimately communicated to producers so they can make informed decisions about their herd management. The work from these validation studies may also go on to be published in scientific journals to communicate the results to a wider audience.
What type of research is performed on validation farms?
A main driver behind validation research is to help producers achieve their own goals for their herds by addressing common issues and bringing value-added products and services to the market. Any new product or program that requires real-world testing in the field to meet this aim could be incorporated into a validation study. This could include new formulations of calf starter rations that improve intakes, new feed additives that improve growth performance or milk yield, or new software that assists with data management and on-farm decision-making. For example, we work with a validation farm in Ontario for calf studies, a farm in Quebec for lactating and dry cow studies, and we are always seeking opportunities to expand our network farms to conduct validation research.
How are validation farms selected?
Even within Canada, there is a wide range of management styles, forage types and growing conditions, so it is important to have a variety of farm representative of the typical conditions in different regions. The goal is to always deliver proven services, tools and products to customers, and therefore validation farms are separate from customer businesses. To maintain high standards for data collection, it is also important selected farms are equipped with sufficient facilities and staff to collect the required data. This may mean working with producers to update their standard operating procedures, upgrade existing infrastructure or occasionally investing in additional equipment and technology.
Participating as a validation farm gives producers an exciting opportunity to be a leader in research that could impact the day-to-day operations on their farm and others in the future. Producers can become early adopters of new innovations and benefit from any associated outcomes, such as improved feed efficiency, feed intakes, milk yields, calf growth and many more. Contributing to validation research helps bring global innovations to the local level to solve costly problems for producers, improve efficiency on-farm and provide new tools and knowledge that will guide decision-making on Canadian dairy farms.
