“We have this issue where producers are not recording the data because nobody’s looking at it and then nobody’s looking at the data because the producers aren’t recording it,” says Dr. Kristen Edwards, assistant professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph.
That contradiction, the topic of a recent webinar hosted by VetLogix, captures a challenge facing dairy calf health management. Producers need accurate records to identify patterns in illness and treatment, while veterinarians need those records to evaluate herd health and recommend management changes. When either part of the process breaks down, the value of the data declines.
Two surveys led by Edwards and colleagues, one examining recordkeeping on Ontario dairy farms and another exploring veterinary involvement in calf health management in Canada and the United States, point to opportunities on both sides of the relationship.
Incomplete Calf Health Records Limit Herd-Level Insight
In a 2022 survey of 88 Ontario dairy farms, Edwards and her team found that few producers recorded every calf illness or treatment. Only 19% reported recording all calf illness events. The proportions recording every antimicrobial treatment, anti-inflammatory treatment and supportive therapy were 43%, 38% and 13%, respectively.
These gaps can make it difficult to establish accurate illness and treatment rates, evaluate protocols or determine whether management changes are improving calf health. Missing supportive therapy records, for example, can leave an incomplete picture of how sick calves are being managed.
The survey also identified practical barriers to consistent recordkeeping. Three-quarters of respondents kept calf health records somewhere other than near the calves, and more than half used paper booklets. Producers who used computer software had 3.5 times greater odds of recording all antimicrobial treatments than those using other methods. Producers who kept records in the calf barn had 3.1 times greater odds of recording all anti-inflammatory treatments than those keeping records elsewhere.
The findings highlight that recordkeeping systems need to fit the daily workflow. Keeping records close to the calves can reduce the chance that an illness or treatment will go undocumented. Digital systems can also make information easier to organize and analyze.
The study identified another important barrier: whether anyone uses the information. Almost half of the producers reported seldom or never receiving actionable recommendations from their veterinarians based on calf health records.
Veterinarians Need Complete Data
A separate survey of 128 bovine veterinarians in Canada and the United States found a similar gap in the use of calf health records. Only 28% of respondents frequently reviewed the records, and 60% of veterinarians who did not frequently review them cited incomplete records as a reason.
Edwards believes veterinarians need to play a more active role in establishing recordkeeping practices and using the resulting information.
“I think that we as veterinarians are the missing piece of this puzzle. In order to have these complete and accurate calf health records, we have to be part of that solution and we have to analyze and provide feedback,” she says.
The veterinarian survey found that frequent record review was associated with a greater likelihood of providing actionable recommendations. Yet without consistent information, identifying patterns and evaluating whether a management change is working becomes more difficult.
The studies were conducted with separate convenience samples, rather than matched producer-veterinarian pairs, so they do not establish that the same farms and veterinarians were experiencing both sides of the problem. Together, however, the findings highlight a shared challenge: collecting data and using it to guide decisions are connected parts of calf health management.
Turn Calf Health Data Into Action
Improving recordkeeping starts with a conversation about what information is being collected, where it is kept and how it is used. Veterinarians can ask clients to walk them through their current system, identify gaps and agree on a manageable plan for improvement.
Edwards recommends several steps veterinarians and producers can take to make calf health records more complete and useful.
- Start with the farm’s most important concern. Identify the missing information that would help address the farm’s main calf health challenge. Rather than trying to overhaul every recordkeeping practice at once, the producer and veterinarian can select one priority, decide what to record and assign responsibility.
- Make records easy to access and maintain. Records should be accessible to the people responsible for entering and reviewing them. Keeping records close to the calves can make it easier to document illnesses and treatments as they occur. Digital spreadsheets or mobile-compatible software may also help producers record events near the calves and organize information for analysis. The best system is one that fits the farm’s workflow and is used consistently.
- Record essential calf health information. The type of information collected will depend on the farm’s goals, but essential calf health records should include calf identification and birth date, illness events, treatments and deaths. Additional information, such as serum total protein results and colostrum management data, can help veterinarians evaluate passive transfer and connect management practices with calf outcomes.
- Review the data and provide actionable feedback. Collecting information is only part of the process. Veterinarians need to analyze the records, discuss the results with producers and recommend changes when appropriate. As Edwards explains: “That analysis and feedback of those records is really important because it facilitates and helps motivate these farmers and it creates some ownership and responsibility on their side.”
- Set a date to follow up. The producer and veterinarian should establish a concrete date to revisit the records, evaluate progress, look for emerging patterns and determine whether protocols need to change.
Build on Progress to Improve Calf Health
Record reviews should recognize what is working as well as where improvements are needed. A constructive discussion can help producers see progress and understand how the next change could improve calf management.
“Whenever I’m identifying areas for opportunity, I also like to talk about what that farm did well to show them that they are doing positive things, but here are ways that we can get to the next level,” Edwards explains.
Consistent calf health records can help producers and veterinarians evaluate illness patterns, treatment practices and management outcomes. Achieving that value requires more than asking producers to document every event. Veterinarians need to make the data part of their herd health work, providing feedback that helps producers understand why recording information is worth the effort.
Closing that feedback loop gives both parties a clearer basis for decisions and a more practical path toward improving calf health.
