36 month funded studentship.
The expected start date for the studentship will be the beginning of October 2023. The student will be registered for a PhD at Harper Adams University and based at Harper Adams University, Edgmond, Shropshire, UK. The studentship will cover the current Home tuition fee rate plus a yearly stipend set at the UKRI figure – currently £17,668 per year (2022/23 academic year) with an expected small increase from September 2023.
International applicants would need to be able to fund the difference between Home and Overseas fees which will be £10,890 for the 2023/24 academic year with the first year’s fee’s being paid in full before Visa documentation can be issued.
Project Description:
This PhD project offers the opportunity to gain expert-level knowledge of dairy cow-calf contact (CCC) systems and to conduct essential research into optimising CCC management practices. Separating neonates from the dam within 24 hours is routine practice on dairy farms in the UK and other parts of the world. However, interest in CCC is increasing, both from the perspective of dairy consumers and farmers [1,2]. Dairy producers already implementing CCC systems tend to view them favourably; in addition to perceived benefits for calf health and welfare, these farmers cite reduced workload and efficient management as key advantages [1,3]. In contrast, conventional farmers often cite feasibility as a barrier to adoption of CCC systems. A lack of knowledge and guidance surrounding optimal management practices represents a potential barrier towards more widespread uptake of dairy CCC systems.
Therefore, the first aim of this PhD project is to better understand cow-calf rearing practices implemented across the UK. The successful applicant will evaluate both the prevalence and efficacy of management decisions related to cow-calf rearing. Other knowledge gaps uncovered in the 2019 systematic reviews of cow-calf systems [4,5] will then be addressed using observational analytic work on the identified CCC farms.
In tandem with optimising on-farm feasibility, social sustainability must also be considered. The successful applicant will survey the UK public to assess the suitability of specific CCC management decisions from a consumer perspective. Social sustainability is one of the three Sustainability Pillars, but has arguably received the least attention [6]. Although public attitudes do not directly affect cattle welfare on farm, these values greatly influence retailers, who have a significant voice in determining which welfare standards are enforced [7]. Further mixed-methods research is needed to understand stakeholder attitudes towards specific management practices. During this PhD project, the successful applicant will gain expertise in on-farm data collection, hone skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, and contribute to the growing body of research on CCC systems.
Continue with Facebook
