Dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada—A cross-sectional study
ABSTRACT: Each year ∼150,000 surplus calves are sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada. Surplus calves (male or female not kept in the herd of origin) are sold at a young age, but these animals are at risk of receiving lower quality neonatal care than replacement heifers. Knowledge of factors ass...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Dairy Science |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030224012153 |
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| author | Salvatore Ferraro Marianne Villettaz-Robichaud Anne-Sophie Perrault Julie Arsenault Younes Chorfi Marcio Costa Jocelyn Dubuc David Francoz Marjolaine Rousseau Gilles Fecteau Sébastien Buczinski |
| author_facet | Salvatore Ferraro Marianne Villettaz-Robichaud Anne-Sophie Perrault Julie Arsenault Younes Chorfi Marcio Costa Jocelyn Dubuc David Francoz Marjolaine Rousseau Gilles Fecteau Sébastien Buczinski |
| author_sort | Salvatore Ferraro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT: Each year ∼150,000 surplus calves are sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada. Surplus calves (male or female not kept in the herd of origin) are sold at a young age, but these animals are at risk of receiving lower quality neonatal care than replacement heifers. Knowledge of factors associated with a higher selling price could help convince farmers to spend more resources in the care surplus calves. Our objective was to explore the associations between farm management practices and the median percentile of surplus calf selling price per farm at auction markets. The price (Canadian dollars/kg of BW) and the individual identification number of surplus calves sold in 2 auction markets in Québec during 4 sale days in the summer 2019 and in the winter 2020 were recorded. The recorded price of each surplus calf was transformed as percentile for each breed and day of sale. Farmers managing the surplus calves were contacted and interviewed on farm management practices. The data from farmer's interviews were analyzed as potential variables associated with the median percentile of calves' selling price per farm (farm-level dependent variable) in a multivariable linear regression model. A total of 509 farmers were contacted, of which 433 farmers agreed to participate, and 409 interviews were retained for statistical analysis. The farms enrolled in the study had sold a median of 2 calves (range 1–19 calves) during the sale days considered. The main breed of surplus calves sold were Holstein (82%) and Angus crossbred calves (9%). The results from the multivariable model showed that median percentile of calves' selling price was positively associated with farms with an average milk production per cow superior to 11,000 L/yr (β 0.13, 95% CI: 0.045, 0.221) and farms with 3 or more workers available to take care of surplus calves (β 0.08, 95% CI: 0.005, 0.167). Those results indicate that farms having an average milk production per cow superior to 11,000 L/yr increase the calves' selling price by 13 percentiles (i.e., from 50th to 63rd) and that farms having at least 3 caretakers increase their median percentile calves' selling price by 8 percentiles (i.e., from 50th to 58th). Median percentile of calves' selling price was negatively associated with farms that vaccinated cows for neonatal calf diarrhea (β −0.06, 95% CI: −0.127, −0.011), that do not disinfect the navel of newborn calves (β −0.07, 95% CI: −0.133, −0.012), that allow transporters to enter the farm's building (β −0.07, 95% CI: −0.130, −0.015) and that used wood shaving as bedding for surplus calves (β −0.08, 95% CI: −0.156, −0.021). Sensitivity analyses performed on farms that have sold 2 or more surplus calves did not show significant changes in the associations found. Despite the fact that the study was based on self-reported questionnaire answers and a small number of calves per farm, it provides insight on farm management practices associated with median percentile of surplus calf selling price at the auction markets. Taking these results in consideration, farmers could potentially improve the market value of their animals. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b7b35027d3b84fdda6c35f01e75df475 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0022-0302 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Dairy Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-b7b35027d3b84fdda6c35f01e75df4752025-08-20T02:39:13ZengElsevierJournal of Dairy Science0022-03022025-01-01108191492710.3168/jds.2024-24890Dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada—A cross-sectional studySalvatore Ferraro0Marianne Villettaz-Robichaud1Anne-Sophie Perrault2Julie Arsenault3Younes Chorfi4Marcio Costa5Jocelyn Dubuc6David Francoz7Marjolaine Rousseau8Gilles Fecteau9Sébastien Buczinski10Département de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, Canada; Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden; Corresponding authorDépartement de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de biomédecine vétérinaire, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de biomédecine vétérinaire, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaDépartement de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2, CanadaABSTRACT: Each year ∼150,000 surplus calves are sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada. Surplus calves (male or female not kept in the herd of origin) are sold at a young age, but these animals are at risk of receiving lower quality neonatal care than replacement heifers. Knowledge of factors associated with a higher selling price could help convince farmers to spend more resources in the care surplus calves. Our objective was to explore the associations between farm management practices and the median percentile of surplus calf selling price per farm at auction markets. The price (Canadian dollars/kg of BW) and the individual identification number of surplus calves sold in 2 auction markets in Québec during 4 sale days in the summer 2019 and in the winter 2020 were recorded. The recorded price of each surplus calf was transformed as percentile for each breed and day of sale. Farmers managing the surplus calves were contacted and interviewed on farm management practices. The data from farmer's interviews were analyzed as potential variables associated with the median percentile of calves' selling price per farm (farm-level dependent variable) in a multivariable linear regression model. A total of 509 farmers were contacted, of which 433 farmers agreed to participate, and 409 interviews were retained for statistical analysis. The farms enrolled in the study had sold a median of 2 calves (range 1–19 calves) during the sale days considered. The main breed of surplus calves sold were Holstein (82%) and Angus crossbred calves (9%). The results from the multivariable model showed that median percentile of calves' selling price was positively associated with farms with an average milk production per cow superior to 11,000 L/yr (β 0.13, 95% CI: 0.045, 0.221) and farms with 3 or more workers available to take care of surplus calves (β 0.08, 95% CI: 0.005, 0.167). Those results indicate that farms having an average milk production per cow superior to 11,000 L/yr increase the calves' selling price by 13 percentiles (i.e., from 50th to 63rd) and that farms having at least 3 caretakers increase their median percentile calves' selling price by 8 percentiles (i.e., from 50th to 58th). Median percentile of calves' selling price was negatively associated with farms that vaccinated cows for neonatal calf diarrhea (β −0.06, 95% CI: −0.127, −0.011), that do not disinfect the navel of newborn calves (β −0.07, 95% CI: −0.133, −0.012), that allow transporters to enter the farm's building (β −0.07, 95% CI: −0.130, −0.015) and that used wood shaving as bedding for surplus calves (β −0.08, 95% CI: −0.156, −0.021). Sensitivity analyses performed on farms that have sold 2 or more surplus calves did not show significant changes in the associations found. Despite the fact that the study was based on self-reported questionnaire answers and a small number of calves per farm, it provides insight on farm management practices associated with median percentile of surplus calf selling price at the auction markets. Taking these results in consideration, farmers could potentially improve the market value of their animals.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030224012153veal calvessustainabilitydairy calf welfaremale calvesbobby calves |
| spellingShingle | Salvatore Ferraro Marianne Villettaz-Robichaud Anne-Sophie Perrault Julie Arsenault Younes Chorfi Marcio Costa Jocelyn Dubuc David Francoz Marjolaine Rousseau Gilles Fecteau Sébastien Buczinski Dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada—A cross-sectional study Journal of Dairy Science veal calves sustainability dairy calf welfare male calves bobby calves |
| title | Dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada—A cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada—A cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada—A cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada—A cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada—A cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | dairy farm management factors associated with auction sale price of young dairy calves sold at auction markets in quebec canada a cross sectional study |
| topic | veal calves sustainability dairy calf welfare male calves bobby calves |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030224012153 |
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