The integration of dairy production, health and food safety information

A study was conducted in P.E.I. to determine the feasibility of establishing a network of communication to monitor basic herd level animal health, productivity and food safety on dairy farms. A basic herd level system (HERD) which collected only herd level data and collected all data directly from the farm, was compared to an animal level system (ANIMAL) that collected animal and herd level data from various sources. A random sample of 12 dairy farms participated from September 1, 1991 to August 31, 1992.

Predictive models were developed that used dairy farm facilities and sanitation scores, as scored by the P.E.I. Department of Agriculture inspectors, for the prediction of bulk-tank somatic cell counts and high bulk-tank bacterial counts. Models were developed using data from 1989 to 1991 then validated by applying the models to 1992 data. Sanitation levels of dairy barns and equipment were significant predictors of average bulk-tank SCC. The model performed as well predicting bulk-tank SCC with new data as it did with the original data. The sanitation of equipment was the only significant predictor of high bulk-tank bacterial counts. Although the annual inspection scores were statistically significant predictors, they did not make good predictors of annual average bulk-tank SCC or high bacterial counts. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).