2024 September Board Book

Protection, Restoration, and Enhancement of Tricolored Blackbird Habitat*

BENEFITS: • Generates laboratory-tested data for various simulated scenarios to serve as a foundation for acidifying milk. • Prepares for live animal field trials evaluating the use of free-access acidified milk under farm conditions in California. • Addresses major challenges in maintaining animal health and feed availability under group/pair housing systems. • Builds on previous studies demonstrating improved health, body weight gain, and structural growth in pre-weaning calves fed free-access acidified milk replacer. • Provides practical data for dairy farmers to feed calves in a group or pair housing facility, potentially reducing costs and losses. PROJECT LEADS: Dr. Vinod Narayanan, UC Davis Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC), and Dr. Cassandra Tucker, UC Davis TIMELINE: 2021 - 2025 OBJECTIVES: 1. Develop a novel control algorithm for the fans and sprayers used to cool cows at commercial California dairies. 2. Test additional features, including integration of weather forecasts to predict cooling needs and optimize system operation. BENEFITS: • Provides resource and economics savings associated with cow cooling. • Optimizes water use through improved sprinkler cycling schedules. • Optimizes fan energy use by adjusting fan speed settings. • Maintains a comfortable core temperature for dairy cows. *CDRF is a minority funder of this project. The California Energy Commission is the majority funding source. Agreement #: EPC-20-043. Agreement term: 6/30/21 3/31/25. Optimized Controls for Cooling California Dairy Cows*

PROJECT LEADS: Audubon California, California Farm Bureau, Dairy Cares, Western United Dairies, and others TIMELINE: 2020 - 2024 OBJECTIVES: 1. Support research that explores ways to draw Tricolored Blackbirds to non-dairy habitats or otherwise minimize financial losses to dairy farms. 2. Evaluate the ability of directed wetland and upland management approaches to encourage Tricolored Blackbirds to nest away from dairies/forage fields. 3. Record and analyze data to guide future actions. 4. Evaluate economic feasibility of innovative partnerships to conserve the Tricolored Blackbird population that nest on dairy land. BENEFITS: • Fosters successful creation of Tricolored Blackbird habitat, leading to colonization by the birds on non dairy lands. • Demonstrates an opportunity for collaboration among dairy farmers, private wetland owners, and conservationists to lead the creation of Tricolored Blackbird habitat. • Supports research to enhance program which provides economic compensation for dairy farmers with Tricolored Blackbird colonization in croplands. *Audubon California has partnered with dairy organizations, conservation groups, and several farmer-funded groups, to support dairy farmers as they protect the threatened Tricolored Blackbird species. Evaluation of Protocols for Acidifying Milk Fed to Calves in California RESEARCHER: Dr. Richard Pereira, UC Davis TIMELINE: 2024 - 2025 OBJECTIVES: 1. Evaluate protocols for acidifying milk fed to calves (e.g., saleable, or unsaleable waste milk) to ensure sufficient feed availability in a group housing system. 2. Conduct laboratory simulations of normal and extreme environmental conditions in California to assess the impacts of acidified milk. 3. Generate core data necessary for developing a feasible approach to acidifying milk under California environmental conditions. 4. Support methods for the safe feeding and consumption of acidified milk by pre-weaned calves in group housing.

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