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Dairy Innovation Hub research leads to new calf product development

Ever since Wisconsin’s lawmakers budgeted nearly eight million dollars per year into the Dairy Innovation Hub a couple of years ago, new research projects have been underway at three University of Wisconsin campuses.

Dr. Sylvia Kehoe is a professor of dairy science at the University of Wisconsin River Falls.  She tells Brownfield they are developing an applicator to put a consistent amount of dehorning paste on calves. “It’s sticky and it’s got the stuff on the inside, and so you put the stuff that’s caustic on the horn bud tissue, and then the rest of it around it just sticks to the calf. And then, it falls off in four to six hours or so which is enough for the paste, or it will stay on sometimes for longer but the paste inactivates itself.”

Kehoe says the idea came from one of her undergraduate students assisting her with the calves. “It was hard to do. It was, between her and I doing it, it was inconsistent and so we thought why not make some kind of applicator for this?”

Kehoe says they are testing the two common paste brands to see what the ideal dosages should be and, “We’re hopefully at the point where we’ll have it on the market soon.”

Kehoe spoke to Brownfield during Ag Day on Campus at the University of Wisconsin River Falls on April 19th.