**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** DAIRY COWS ARE BRED APPROXIMATELY ONCE PER YEAR TO INITIATE LACTATION FOR MILK PRODUCTION. NEARLY ALL CALVES ARE SUBSEQUENTLY REMOVED FROM THE COW WITHIN HOURS OF BIRTH AND ARTIFICIALLY REARED ON DAIRY FARMS. CALF REMOVAL AT BIRTH ALLOWS PRODUCERS TO COLLECT AND SELL THE MILK PRODUCED BY COWS. EARLY SEPARATION OF COW-CALF PAIRS HAS ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF NEWBORN CALVES. DESPITE COW-CALF SEPARATION BEING A STANDARD INDUSTRY PRACTICE, IT MAY HAVE NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS FOR ANIMAL WELFARE. CONSUMERS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY AWARE OF COW-CALF SEPARATION AND PUBLIC PRESSURE IS MOUNTING TO HOUSE COW-CALF PAIRS TOGETHER FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME (I.E., WEEKS TO MONTHS). THERE IS LIMITED INFORMATION AVAILABLE REGARDING THE IMPACT OF EXTENDED COW-CALF CONTACT ON COW AND CALF WELFARE. WITHOUT A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF EXTENDED COW-CALF CONTACT ON COWS AND NEWBORN CALVES, IT IS DIFFICULT TO MAKE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS THAT OPTIMIZE LONG-TERM DAIRY COW AND CALF WELFARE. OURPROJECT GOALS ARE TWOFOLD, WE AIM TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF VARIOUS EXTENDED COW-CALF CONTACT PRACTICES FROM THE ANIMAL AND PRODUCER PERSPECTIVE. UNDERSTANDING DAIRY PRODUCERS' PERCEPTION OF COW-CALF CONTACT IS CRITICAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADOPTION OF NEW PRACTICES. DAIRY PRODUCERS NEED TO BE ENGAGED IN THE CONVERSATION ABOUT EXTENDED COW-CALF CONTACT TO RETAIN THEIR SOCIAL LICENSE TO PRODUCE AND BE INVOLVED IN FUTURE DECISION-MAKING ABOUT COW-CALF CONTACT PRACTICES. IF DAIRY PRODUCERS ARE NOT ENGAGED WITH COW-CALF CONTACT RESEARCH, THERE IS A RISK THAT SOLUTIONS PROVIDED BY SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS MAY BE REJECTED BY THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. ENGAGING DAIRY PRODUCERS DURING INITIAL RESEARCH INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF ACCEPTANCE OF NEW PRACTICES BY IDENTIFYING MOTIVATORS AND BARRIERS TO ADOPTION. THUS, OBJECTIVE 1 WILL INVESTIGATE IF VARIOUS PRACTICES OF EXTENDED COW-CALF CONTACT (I.E., IMMEDIATE SEPARATION, A FEW DAYS OF CONTACT, WEEKS TO MONTHS OF CONTACT, AND HOUSING CALVES WITH NURSE COWS) AFFECT ANIMAL AND RESOURCE-BASED MEASURES OF COW AND CALF WELFARE. OBJECTIVE 2 WILL USE DATA COLLECTED IN OBJECTIVE 1 TO ASSESS HERD-LEVEL RISK FACTORS OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FOR DAIRY COWS AND CALVES, SPECIFICALLY REGARDING THE AMOUNT OF COW-CALF CONTACT. OBJECTIVE 3 WILL DESCRIBE DAIRY PRODUCER ATTITUDES TOWARD COW-CALF CONTACT USING INTERVIEWS DURING FARM VISITS AND A MIXED-METHODS QUESTIONNAIRE SENT TO A LARGER GROUP OF PRODUCERS. RESULTS FROM THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT COW-CALF CONTACT AND PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE COW AND CALF WELFARE DURING THE CRITICAL WEEKS TO MONTHS AFTER CALVING. BY INVESTIGATING EXTENDED COW-CALF CONTACT, THE DAIRY INDUSTRY WILL BE TAKING A PROACTIVE STEP TOWARD REDUCING SOCIAL CONCERN OVER THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF ANIMALS IN THEIR CARE.