W173: Stress Factors of Farm Animals and Their Effects on Performance
Statement of Issues and Justification
Environmental and management stressors erode efficiency and cost livestock production enterprises billions of dollars annually in lost potential profitability. For example, summer heat stress results in annual losses to the dairy industry that total $5-6 billion, due to reduced milk production and reproductive potential (Ray et al., 1992). Additionally, stressor-associated neonatal mortality in the swine industry adds to a staggering sum annually. Under average market conditions, improving survival by one piglet per litter would be worth approximately $400 million annually to the U.S. swine industry. In 1995, economic losses to Iowa cattle feeders that could be associated specifically with severe heat stress were estimated to be $28 million (Dorr, 1995). Additionally, animal well-being research is needed to provide information about how animals interact with the production environment and respond to animal management practices. Animal well-being is a significant societal concern which is difficult to evaluate monetarily. However, research ensuring animal well-being throughout the food production cycle should help decrease animal health-care costs and provide the public with greater assurance related to animal well-being concerns.Livestock stress and well-being are complex biological phenomena, cutting across both intensively and extensively managed production sectors, covering all species of livestock. The W-173 regional research project has enjoyed a long and productive history and the group has made measurable progress since the last project revision (detailed in section 5.1 below). Although progress has been made toward understanding and dealing with environmental and management stressors, and in continuing to improve farm animal well-being, much remains to be accomplished. The multidisciplinary, collaborative team approach to investigating objectives set forth in this proposal is the most efficient for investigating, addressing, and solving these broad issues. To this end, the current regional research project draws on the strengths of interactions of scientists trained in a variety of relevant disciplines (endocrinology, behavior, immunology, nutrition, livestock management, engineering, statistics, veterinary medicine, etc.) and having expertise in a broad range of livestock species.
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