Animal Well-Being During Water Conservation

By Rebekah Alford

Kelsey Bruno, animal science graduate student, worked on a research project at the Oklahoma State University Willard Sparks Beef Cattle Research Center which spanned over four years. The research provides a better understanding for how drought conditions affect beef cattle, as well as how to select animals that can best adapt to drought conditions.

“The goal of this project is to provide the first climate change adaptation tools for beef production systems regarding water management and selection of beef cattle that are adaptable to variation in water quantity and quality,” Bruno said. “To do this, we mimic drought conditions by restricting water intake to some extent for 10 weeks.”

In order to regulate and monitor water intake for the cattle in the experiment, Bruno used the Insentec RIC system at the Sparks Center. This allowed her to control water intake for each animal. She also used a video camera system to record and monitor the cattle. The project required a lot of upkeep and maintenance, Bruno said.

“This project has required daily maintenance for the system and daily data collection for roughly four years, taking place at the Willard Sparks Beef Cattle Research Center,” Bruno said. “Overall, we collected baseline intake data for about 70 days, followed by a 28-day step-down period where animals are stepped down in water access, followed by 42 days of 50% of normal water intake.”

This process was repeated for eight groups of approximately 120 animals from 2014 to 2018. Bruno’s research focused on the behavior, health, and well-being of beef cattle.

“This research will provide a better understanding of the effects of long-term water restriction on beef cattle, including effects on behavior, performance, and how to select for more water efficient animals,” Bruno said. “This will better help producers to select more efficient animals.”

Insentec system at Oklahoma State University Willard Sparks Beef Research Center

Photo by Rebekah Alford

About Kelsey Bruno

Bruno has been active in the OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences, including being involved in student organizations, research, and teaching. As a member of the Animal Science Graduate Student Association, she helped organize the Totusek Lectureship. In 2018, she received the Graduate Student Teaching Award at the NACTA Conference.

Bruno will receive her Ph.D. in animal science in May of 2019. Her goal is to become an assistant professor of animal science with a teaching and research appointment.