USDA to launch new dairy study in 2014 - Cowsmo

USDA to launch new dairy study in 2014

In January 2014, the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) will launch its sixth national dairy study. NAHMS Dairy 2014 study will take an in-depth look at U.S. dairy operations, and provide the industry with new and valuable information regarding trends in the U.S. dairy industry from 1991 to 2014.

To collect the data for the study, representatives from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will visit selected dairy producers in 18 states, beginning in January 2014. NASS representatives will conduct personal interviews with all participating operations with 30 or more cows.

Participating operations with fewer than 30 cows will be asked to complete a brief mail-in questionnaire.

For the study, NAHMS asked dairy producers, industry stakeholders, and government officials to provide input and define the information needs of the dairy industry. During this process, six study objectives were identified:

– Describe trends in dairy cattle health and management practices.

– Describe management practices and production measures related to animal welfare.

– Estimate the prevalence of lameness, and evaluate housing and management factors associated with lameness.

– Evaluate calf health from birth to weaning.

– Describe antibiotic use and residue prevention methods used to ensure milk and meat quality.

– Estimate the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of select foodborne pathogens.

As with previous NAHMS dairy studies, NAHMS Dairy 2014 will be national in scope, collaborative in nature, and voluntary. Data collected during the study will be strictly confidential and used to generate scientifically based and statistically valid national estimates, which will be used for education, research, and policy development. Results from previous NAHMS national dairy studies are available at: http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov/dairy

Source: Dairyherd.com

 

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