CDCB, U of Minnesota Announce Hoof Health Project - Cowsmo

CDCB, U of Minnesota Announce Hoof Health Project

CDCB announces the new project, “Reducing lesion-related lameness using a combination of epidemiological, genomic and extension approaches,” in conjunction with University of Minnesota Extension and College of Veterinary Medicine. This project will be detailed this fall during CDCB meetings and materials.

It is estimated that about 50% of dairy cows will be affected by lameness during their productive life, resulting in economic losses, poor health, and suboptimal animal welfare. Hoof horn lesions are the second leading cause of lameness.  Led by Javier Burchard, CDCB and collaborators are working to create improvement understanding and a pipeline for hoof health data collection, to advance genetic evaluations and expand management tools.

Expectations of this new study, being led by Dr. Gerard Cramer at University of Minnesota, include:

  • Improved understanding of causal factors related to hoof horn disorders
  • Use of an integrated database as a novel welfare assessment tool for lameness
  • Application of the database in future research to aid in development of intervention treatments for hoof horn lesions

Planning for this initiative began with a comprehensive workshop in September 2020 facilitated by CDCB with representatives from USDA AGIL, Lactanet (Canada), Hoof Trimmers Association, University of Minnesota, University of Calgary, Dairy Management, Inc. and Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.

For more on the lesion-related lameness study at University of Minnesota, visit the Dairy Know website. 

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