US$2.5M funding boost slated to support Michigan animal agriculture research

19 Jun 2024 --- With more than US$2.5 million in funding, the Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture (M-AAA) is on track to invest in 23 new research and outreach projects led by Michigan State University researchers and Michigan State University (MSU) Extension educators.

“Animal agriculture faces many short- and long-term challenges, including managing infectious diseases, improving animal welfare and bolstering environmental sustainability,” says James Averill, associate director of MSU AgBioResearch and one of the leaders of M-AAA.

“We appreciate the continued support from the Michigan Legislature and our M-AAA partners as we work to help Michigan producers.”

Management, improvement & protection
This year, research and outreach will cover a wide range of topics, including managing dairy cattle diseases, improving dairy cattle fertility, controlling tar spot and vomitoxin in silage corn, and developing honey bee health protection tools.  

The funding is available through the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) budget. The M-AAA began in 2014 and is a partnership among MDARD, Michigan animal agriculture organizations and MSU to advance the Michigan animal agriculture economy.

The funding will be used to research dairy cattle diseases and improve dairy cattle fertility.“Investing in research to address key issues in animal agriculture like the current highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak or the impacts of regenerative agriculture practices is essential to the long-term viability of Michigan animal agriculture,” explains Tim Boring, MDARD Director. 

“MDARD is proud to be a partner with the Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture to address those challenges for future generations of Michigan farmers.” 

M-AAA projects are either one or two years in duration and are submitted in one of three categories: applied research, extension or seed funding. Project leads are required to submit annual progress reports and final summaries to M-AAA leaders.

Examples of 2024 projects
Adam Lock, a professor in the Department of Animal Science, will work to improve the utilization of high oleic acid soybeans in dairy cattle diets. 

Previous M-AAA research from Lock showed that a diet with high oleic acid soybeans increases milk fat and protein yields in milk without altering body weight. 

This makes them a very attractive feedstuff containing quality protein and fat that can be grown on farms in Michigan. Previous research focused on mid-lactation cows, but the new project will explore the transition and early lactation periods to determine how high oleic acid soybeans can be used most effectively to generate the desired milk fat and protein gains, while minimizing body weight loss during early lactation.

Meanwhile, Richard Pursley, a professor in the Department of Animal Science, seeks to boost dairy herd longevity by improving the fertility of multiparous cows — those on their second or more lactation. 

Pursley notes that more than 50% of cows leave the herd prior to their third lactation, and multiparous cows are more likely to lose their pregnancies. 

This project will evaluate the effect high-fertility bulls have on these cows. If pregnancy losses are reduced and multiparous cows stay in the herd, producers should see greater average milk production while saving on replacement costs and operational efficiency.

And Meghan Milbrath, an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology, is on track to develop honey bee protection tools for bacterial diseases. 

Honey bees are vital to Michigan agriculture. They produce more than 5 million pounds of honey each year and pollinate crops. 

Several widespread diseases threaten honey bees, particularly two bacterial diseases: American foulbrood and European foulbrood. 

The project’s objectives include developing and sharing beekeeper resources on bacterial diseases, developing a training protocol for dog detection of bacterial disease-infected hives, and educating beekeepers on how the detection services dogs provide can benefit their operations.