In the Fall of 2023, the Adair County Agriculture Advisory Council identified practices to reduce risk as one of their top three priorities for the upcoming plan of work.   Activity monitoring systems for cattle have the ability to detect when animals may be experiencing a health event.   These technologies can alert farmers of health concerns sooner than they may be able to detect them on their own.   In response, the Adair County Cooperative Extension service secured funding through internal grants and local partnerships to purchase and demonstrate activity monitoring systems on a local farm.  

A field day on a cooperating farm was held on July 25th to showcase the activity monitoring system and demonstrate other practices to improve the management of feeder calves.   A total of 51 participants attended the event.  Participants were given a tour of the cooperating farm and an overview of the activity system, cattle confinement facilities, and a low-cost scale kit that had been installed on the farm for the purpose of this study.  The data collected from the activity system thus far was used to demonstrate the effect on behavior from stress on cattle caused by late castration, environmental conditions, and sickness.  

Survey evaluations revealed that gained knowledge in the areas of cattle activity systems (100%), cattle confinement (93%), and low-cost scale kits., (100%).  When asked to list one practice the planned to implement as a result of attending the program; 37.% percent listed low-cost scale kits, 25% listed improvements planned in their cattle confinement spaces, and 20% listed improvement in cattle management to lower stress levels at weaning.  

Activity tags will be placed in a second group of calves in the coming weeks and will remain in the calves for the duration of the feeding period (90-100 days).  Incoming and outgoing individual weights will be collected to further demonstrate relations between cattle behavior and cattle performance.  Additional educational programs regarding this project are planned for the winter of 2025.