BHEARD Malawi Graduate Training in Dairy Management Systems

Bettie Kawonga, a Borlaug Higher Education Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) recipient will be working in the laboratory of Jeffrey Bewley. Our program in dairy systems management will provide Bettie with a skill set helpful for her to improve the management of Malawi dairy systems. In addition to the systems approach, our focus on improving dairy cow environments through improved housing and facilities will establish a mutually beneficial collaboration. We have established a Precision Dairy and Cow Environment Consortium toward this effect. Through this consortium, we have established a track record for conducting applied behavioral and physiological research in cow comfort. We have established the University of Kentucky as a center of excellence in this emerging area. The cow monitoring capabilities at the University of Kentucky Coldstream Dairy provide myriad novel ways for assessing the interaction of the cow and her physical environment. Moreover, we will be constructing a new barn at this property, which will provide new research opportunities in this area. This new facility is a compost bedded pack barn, an extensive housing system with applicability for small, resourceconstricted dairy farms, such as those in Malawi. The focus of Bettie’s research will be examining the relationship between cow heat stress, cow behavior, facility design, and heat abatement measures (i.e. fans, sprinklers, showers). Dr. Bewley will work closely with Bettie in the first year of her program to outline the specific goals and designs of projects to achieve these objectives.