What do farmers find most important in a calf rearing system? Using adaptive conjoint analysis to quantify Dutch dairy farmers’ preferences

Abstract

Increasing attention for farm animal welfare in dairy farming has led to the development of cow-calf contact systems. In these systems, calves and cows are kept together for extended periods of time after birth. There are only a handful of farmers, both in the Netherlands and worldwide, currently using such a system, but stakeholders involved in the Dutch livestock industry want to develop more knowledge and experience on cow-calf contact systems to implement it on more dairy farms in the future. However, it is currently unclear what conventional dairy farmers, i.e. farmers separating cow and calf early after birth, find most important in a calf rearing system. This information can be used to help conventional dairy farmers in their assessment of and transition towards cow-calf contact systems. In order to investigate these preferences, adaptive conjoint analysis (ACA) was used in this study. Differences between conventional and cow-calf contact systems formed the basis for the attributes and levels of the ACA. Additional socio-demographic and management questions allowed for analysis of the effects that these factors have on farmers’ preferences. It was found that calf mortality and costs and revenues were the most important attributes of a calf management system. Disease spread and natural behaviour came third and fourth, with acceptation and labour type being least important. For the four least preferred attributes, clear differences between conventional and cow-calf contact system could be found in literature. Unclear differences between cow-calf contact systems and conventional systems on calf mortality and costs and revenues should be investigated further, in order to support conventional dairy farmers in their assessment and consideration of these systems.