Taking a ‘One Welfare’ approach to dairy farmer well-being: a qualitative exploration of dairy farmer well-being within the context of animal care and technology

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorLe Heiget, Arielle
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeKinley, Jolene (Clinical Health Psychology)
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteePlaizier, Kees (Animal Science)
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeJones, Andria (Animal Science)
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeHagen, Briana (Animal Science)
dc.contributor.supervisorKing, Meagan
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-16T19:54:53Z
dc.date.available2025-04-16T19:54:53Z
dc.date.issued2025-03-26
dc.date.submitted2025-03-27T00:44:03Zen_US
dc.degree.disciplineAnimal Science
dc.degree.levelMaster of Science (M.Sc.)
dc.description.abstractFarmers from all commodity groups encounter different stressors; livestock farmers especially grapple with choices that muddle ethical, emotional, and economical boundaries. Canadian farmers experience higher levels of anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and are at an elevated risk of burnout in comparison to the general population, and animal-care related occupations also experience higher levels of psychological distress. Agriculture is rooted in culture and tradition, and being a ‘good farmer’ is frequently part of one’s identity (Burton, 2004). In animal agriculture, on-farm technology is promoted to enhance farmer well-being, animal welfare, and/or environmental sustainability. As such, technology has advantages but the fundamental changes it brings to the farmer-cow dynamic cannot be ignored. The objective of this study was to explore dairy farmer well-being in the context of (1) animal health and welfare, and (2) on-farm technology. I conducted semi-structured interviews to address these objectives and conducted a thematic analysis for each. I found that the emotional and physical act of caring for livestock, as well as the connection to their animals, may play a role in dairy farmer well-being, serving as both a risk and reward. It was evident that technology can be of benefit when used as a tool, if appropriate for the farmer and the specific on-farm context. In both research chapters of the thesis, external pressures were an added source of stress for farmers which underscores that many stressors are out of their control, particularly when it comes to feed sovereignty and weather, uncertainty, economic volatility and labour shortages, and structural inequity.
dc.description.noteMay 2025
dc.description.sponsorshipDairy Farmers of Ontario http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100015754
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1993/39029
dc.language.isoeng
dc.subjectAgriculture
dc.subjectAnimal Science
dc.subjectDairy
dc.subjectFarmer well-being
dc.subjectAnimal care
dc.subjectTechnology
dc.subjectQualitative
dc.titleTaking a ‘One Welfare’ approach to dairy farmer well-being: a qualitative exploration of dairy farmer well-being within the context of animal care and technology
local.subject.manitobayes
oaire.awardTitleMitacs Accelerate
oaire.awardURIhttps://www.mitacs.ca/our-programs/accelerate-core-students-postdocs/
project.funder.identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004489
project.funder.nameMitacs
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Le Heiget_Arielle_2025_MSc Thesis.pdf
Size:
1.11 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
770 B
Format:
Item-specific license agreed to upon submission
Description:
Download
Collections
FGS - Electronic Theses and Practica
Manitoba Heritage Theses