Louis Lab Secures Two CFAH Grants to Support Dairy Research
June 2, 2025
By Luis Garcia Covarrubias, PhD
We’re pleased to announce that our Louis Lab has been awarded funding from the Center for Food Animal Health (CFAH) from UC Davis. The two research projects are in alignment with CFAH’s mission to address emerging animal health issues and to support resilient and sustainable food systems in California.
The first project, “Assessing the Economic Impact of Avian Flu in Dairy Cattle”, addresses the growing threat of H5N1 avian influenza in U.S. dairy herds. This study seeks to quantify the economic losses incurred by dairy farmers due to this illness, including losses in productivity and added cost to treat infected cows.
The second project, “Economic Strategies for California Dairy Farm Resilience through Sustainable Agricultural Practices, Diversification, and Automation”, addresses the broader challenges facing California dairies and the strategies adopted by farmers to overcome these adversities including the adoption of sustainable practices, crossbreeding dairy cows with beef cattle, and automated technologies.
Both initiatives are led by Dr. Luis Peña-Lévano, in collaboration with our Louis Lab partners: Dr. Richard Pereira (UC Davis), Dr. Allan F. Pinto (Cornell University), Dr. Shaheer Burney (University of Wisconsin–River Falls), and Dr. Noelia Silva del Rio (UC Davis). Likewise, Dr. Garcia- Covarrubias (Postdoctoral Scholar), Dr. Karl-Friedrich Boy (Research Fellow) and Victor Queirolo (Creative Project Manager) will contribute to the research design, data analysis, and development of project outputs.
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