By Scout Nelson
Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine is advancing agricultural animal welfare with a novel approach—developing a Bovine Rate of Consumption Index (BROCI). Led by interim vice president Hans Coetzee and assistant professor Eduarda Bortoluzzi, the project aims to validate BROCI as a precise measure of pain and thermal stress in cattle.
Funded by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), this initiative is part of a broader effort investing $17.6 million into agricultural research. Specifically, $4.8 million supports projects like Coetzee’s under NIFA's "Welfare of Agricultural Animals" program, emphasizing the importance of livestock health in sustainable food systems.
The K-State team utilizes a rancher-developed feed intake system to validate BROCI, enhancing its utility in on-farm animal welfare assessments. Preliminary findings highlight BROCI’s potential to correlate feeding behaviors with painful and heat stress events, aiding in the development of mitigation strategies and pain management protocols.
Partnering with Irvine Ranch, known for their innovative Bovabytes system, K-State aims to optimize BROCI across three key objectives. Firstly, to validate BROCI for pain assessment post-surgical procedures; secondly, to compare different pain relief methods; and thirdly, to assess BROCI’s efficacy in heat stress scenarios for beef calves.
This project addresses the critical need for automated, non-invasive methods to monitor cattle health, particularly in managing pain and thermal stress effectively. Through BROCI, K-State pioneers a promising tool for advancing cattle welfare and sustainable livestock practices.
Photo Credits:kansas-state-university
Categories: Kansas, Livestock