Dairy farmer advising in relation to the development of standard operating procedures

Abstract

Standard operating procedures (SOP) are increasingly required on farms participating in animal welfare assurance programs, such as the Dairy Farmers of Canada's proAction initiative and the National Dairy FARM Program in the United States. However, little is known about the use of SOP on farms and who is involved in their development. Literature from other industries shows the importance of including advisors when developing SOP. Despite veterinarians being viewed by many farmers as trusted sources of information, little is known about their involvement in SOP development. The aim of this study was to better understand: (1) what advice from researchers and veterinarians is considered when developing an SOP and (2) what factors affect advice adherence. Participants in this study were farmers (n = 9) from 6 dairy farms in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada and their herd veterinarians (n = 5). Structured and semi-structured interviews and participant observation were undertaken from April to December 2018, and the resulting data were analyzed using thematic analysis. In relation to the first aim, we identified 3 main themes: (1) the purpose of the SOP, (2) developing an SOP, and (3) accountability and tracking of procedures. For the second aim, 5 themes emerged: (1) feasibility of the advice, (2) resources required, (3) priority of the advice, (4) other actors involved, and (5) the importance of data. Collectively, these findings suggest that a farm-specific SOP that actively tracks procedures is most beneficial, and that advice adherence is context dependent.

Key Performance Indicators Used by Dairy Consultants During the Evaluation of Reproductive Performance in a First Visit

“…Nevertheless, the maximum median of the parameter importance in this section was 8, at the lowest value within the category of highly important KPI ( 9 – 11 ), reinforcing the notion that these indicators may not be critical to assessing reproductive performance on the first visit in a dairy farm. The highlighted parameters in this section may be useful in finding out if in the past there were problems affecting reproductive performance, but nothing more.…”

“…Advising on reproduction in dairy farms requires considering many aspects beyond those strictly about reproduction (4). Briefly, the most relevant factors include nutrition (5), the farming system and reproductive management (6)(7)(8), climate conditions (9), type of farm (10,11), and periparturient and metabolic and infectious diseases (12)(13)(14)(15), among others. Reproduction consultants must then set goals and monitor their accomplishments using key parameters or key performance indicators (KPI) that can be regularly and frequently measured on a farm and should ultimately help to improve the profitability of the herd.…”

“…Typically, advising a dairy farm has two distinct stages: (1) a first visit: where the professional relationship with the farmer begins and a first evaluation of the herd's reproductive performance must be conducted, and (2) continued and routine visits: where the consultant evaluates the changes implemented, suggests improvements, sets goals and identifies and attempts to solve immediate reproductive problems ( 11 ). There is a myriad of parameters that can be used as KPI in a dairy farm to assess and monitor reproductive performance.…”

A survey of dairy cattle farmers' management practices for cull cows in Ontario, Canada

“…Due to the financial importance of individual dairy cows to herd performance, it was expected most final decisions on when a cow is transported off farm were made by herd owners. Most research conducted investigating on farm management decisions have operated under the assumptions that decisions were being primarily made by single farmers, which has been the farm owner conventionally ( 29 , 30 ). Quota management was the reason for culling the largest proportion of cows according to respondents, which may be a result of the unforeseen fluctuations in demand for some dairy products during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic ( 31 , 32 ).…”

The Topic of the Ideal Dairy Farm Can Inspire How to Assess Knowledge about Dairy Production Processes: A Case Study with Students and Their Contributions

“…The index of technical standards fulfillment (ITSF) proposed by [66] is an example of a practical approach to assessing the differences between current housing conditions created by barn facilities and some standards. Another example relating to the standards are standard operating procedures (SOP), required on farms participating in animal welfare assurance programs [67].…”