Enhancing gut health in dairy cows and economic and environmental sustainability of Manitoba dairy

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In order to meet their high production potential, Canadian dairy cows need to receive high-grain diets. However, feeding these diets jeopardizes gut-health by disturbing the composition of digesta and the microbial "communities" in the digestive tract. Estimates of the prevalence of poor gut health have range from 13.7 to 33 % (Plaizier et al., 2012). The symptoms of this type of poor gut health are not caused by a particular microbe, but by altered proportions of various normal constituents or altered behaviors of the normal constituents under conditions of high-grain feeding. Poor gut health also results in gut barrier dysfunction, which causes a range of health disorders, and affects welfare and longevity of dairy cows, and reduces the economic and environmental sustainabilities of milk production, and the healthfulness of the milk (Plaizier et al., 2008; Plaizier et al., 2012). It is, therefore, critical to find efficient solutions that optimize/maximize milk production without compromising gut health. The development of these solutions was held back by an incomplete understanding of how feed supplements, such as yeast culture products, prevent poor gut-health. These methodologies (i.e. metagenomics and metatranscriptomics) are now available at the "Gut Microbiome and Large Animal Biosecurity Laboratories" at the Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, and will be applied in the proposed research to understand the mode of action of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast fermentation products (SCFP), and, thereby, how these products can optimize the functional role of gut microorganisms. The results of this project will enhance the gut-health and welfare of high yielding dairy cows, improve milk production efficiency, while reducing the environmental impacts of dairy production across Canada.Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM) is a producer-based organization that assists farmers with the marketing of their milk. This organization also represents their interests, promotes, advertises, organizes nutritional and educations programs, as well as driving innovation in the Manitoba dairy industry through milk quality and animal welfare programs, and by coordinating and supporting research.