Survey of Beef Quality Assurance on California dairies

Abstract

In October 2011, a mail and online survey of California dairy personnel was conducted to assess producer familiarity with and support of the Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (DACQA) program. The DACQA program addresses cattle of all ages (birth to culling) and standard practices that affect the use of dairy cattle for beef. The survey was mailed to a random sample of 1,071 California dairies (65%) stratified by county, proportional to the number of dairies in each respective county. Data from the 158 responses received (15%) showed that 90% of culled cows on California dairies were sold for beef. However, personnel on more than one-half of California dairies (56%) had no knowledge of how their herd cull cows ranked in terms of beef quality measures (body condition score, US Department of Agriculture carcass grade, and hot carcass weight). Survey results showed that a considerable proportion of California dairy personnel were aware of recommended injection practices including a preference for subcutaneous injections (45%). A drug inventory was maintained on approximately 50% of the state's dairies. Management at these dairies was twice as likely to test for drug residues compared with dairies that did not maintain a drug inventory. More information about the DACQA program was requested by more than half of California dairies.

Epidemiology ofSalmonellasp. in California cull dairy cattle: prevalence of fecal shedding and diagnostic accuracy of pooled enriched broth culture of fecal samples

“…Nevertheless, despite the use of a convenience sample of herds, this study included dairies that reflected the range of typical management practices and facility designs present throughout the valley. In comparison to an earlier survey that found that 50% of California dairies maintained a drug inventory, only 14.3% (1 of 7 herds) of the current study dairies did (Aly et al, 2014). In contrast, a larger proportion of the current study herd managers (100%) were familiar with extralabel drugs compared to the rest of the state (76%) (Aly et al, 2014).…”

“…In comparison to an earlier survey that found that 50% of California dairies maintained a drug inventory, only 14.3% (1 of 7 herds) of the current study dairies did (Aly et al, 2014). In contrast, a larger proportion of the current study herd managers (100%) were familiar with extralabel drugs compared to the rest of the state (76%) (Aly et al, 2014). However, a similar proportion, 71.4% (5 of 7) of the current study dairies reported extralabel drug use compared to 64.4% across the state (Aly et al, 2014).…”

“…In contrast, a larger proportion of the current study herd managers (100%) were familiar with extralabel drugs compared to the rest of the state (76%) (Aly et al, 2014). However, a similar proportion, 71.4% (5 of 7) of the current study dairies reported extralabel drug use compared to 64.4% across the state (Aly et al, 2014). Selection of sampling week within any season could have been random however this was not feasible given the variable culling practices that were affected by test-day milk production reports, market price and, more importantly, the producer’s schedule and willingness to inform and coordinate with our study team prior to culling.…”

Survey on Antimicrobial Drug Use Practices in California Preweaned Dairy Calves

“…The survey response rate of 12% in this study was comparable to the 15% response outcome from a previous mailed survey of the same demographics (37). The mean characteristics of the respondent dairies (herd size, rolling herd average, and breed composition) mirrored the state averages for the year 2016 (38), indicating the respondents were representative sample of the dairy farmers in the area.…”

Factors Associated with Antimicrobial Stewardship Practices on California Dairies: One Year Post Senate Bill 27

“…The current survey respondents reported a greater proportion of mixed-breed herds compared to a previous survey, indicating either a different population of respondents or a shift in the state dairy herd breed make-up [ 21 ]. Earlier surveys also reported higher estimates for the Holstein herd composition (65% in Aly et al [ 22 ]; 77% in Love et al [ 16 ]; and 66% in Ekong et al [ 23 ]) compared to our survey. Such variability may be due to inherent differences in producers responding to such a wide range of surveys (beef quality assurance, bovine respiratory disease, and antimicrobial stewardship), which could be influenced by their interests.…”