Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.
Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.
J Econ Entomol. 2019 May 22;112(3):1476-1484. doi: 10.1093/jee/toz013.
Horn flies (Haematobia irritans (L.)) have long posed animal health and welfare concerns. Economic losses to the cattle and dairy industries from their blood-feeding behavior include decreased weight gain, loss in milk productivity, and transmission of bacteria causing mastitis in cattle. Horn fly management strategies are labor intensive and can become ineffective due to the horn fly's ability to develop insecticide resistance. Research indicates that for some cattle herds, genetically similar animals consistently have fewer flies suggesting those animals are horn fly resistant (HFR) and that the trait is heritable; however, it is currently unknown if cattle producers value this trait. Tennessee and Texas cow-calf producers were surveyed to estimate their willingness to pay for HFR bulls and to identify the factors affecting their decision to adopt a HFR bull in their herds. Results indicate that Tennessee and Texas cow-calf producers were willing to pay a premium of 51% and 59% above the base price, respectively, for a HFR bull with the intent to control horn flies within their herd. Producer perceptions of horn fly intensities and the HFR trait, along with their pest management practices, were factors that affected Tennessee and Texas producer willingness to adopt a HFR bull. In Texas, demographics of the producers and their farms also had a role. Knowing producers are willing to pay a premium for the HFR bull indicates that producers value the HFR trait and warrants additional research on the development, implementation, and assessment of the trait.
角蝇（Haematobia irritans（L.））长期以来一直对动物的健康和福利构成关注。它们通过吸血的行为给牛和奶制品行业带来的经济损失包括牛体重增加减少、产奶量下降，以及传播导致牛乳腺炎的细菌。角蝇的管理策略劳动强度大，并且由于角蝇具有产生抗药性的能力而变得无效。研究表明，对于一些牛群，具有遗传相似性的动物始终有较少的苍蝇，这表明这些动物对角蝇具有抗性（HFR），并且该特性是可遗传的；然而，目前尚不清楚牛的生产者是否重视这一特性。对田纳西州和德克萨斯州的奶牛养殖户进行了调查，以估算他们对角蝇抗性公牛的支付意愿，并确定影响他们在牛群中采用角蝇抗性公牛的因素。结果表明，田纳西州和德克萨斯州的奶牛养殖户愿意分别为 HFR 公牛支付比基本价格高出 51%和 59%的溢价，以控制其牛群中的角蝇。生产者对角蝇强度和 HFR 特性的看法，以及他们的虫害管理实践，是影响田纳西州和德克萨斯州生产者采用 HFR 公牛的因素。在德克萨斯州，生产者及其农场的人口统计学特征也起到了一定的作用。生产者愿意为 HFR 公牛支付溢价表明他们重视 HFR 特性，这值得进一步研究该特性的开发、实施和评估。
