Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405.
Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405.
J Dairy Sci. 2021 Jul;104(7):8326-8337. doi: 10.3168/jds.2020-19832. Epub 2021 Apr 15.
We conducted a descriptive observational study to quantify the frequency and diversity of winter housing and bedding types used by organic dairy farmers in Vermont. This report describes the survey methods, results, successes, limitations, and lessons learned from administering the survey. Beginning in December 2018, a short questionnaire was administered by web, mail, and telephone to a source population defined as all producers of organic dairy cow milk in Vermont (n = 177) listed in the United States Department of Agriculture Organic Integrity database. Our approach yielded an 82% (n = 145) response from certified organic farms producing cow milk in Vermont at the time of the survey. The 3 most common housing and bedding material combinations used by respondents were tiestall housing with wood (sawdust or shavings) bedding materials (45%), freestall housing with wood bedding materials (14%), and freestall housing with sand bedding (12%). Fifteen percent of respondents reported using more than one type of facility for winter housing of lactating cattle. The median number of lactating cows on farms among respondents was 59.5 (range: 2-400), and the odds of using more than one type of facility to house lactating cows increased positively with the number of lactating cows reported for a herd. Breed distribution was similar across the housing and bedding type categories. An association between frequency of individual cow milk somatic cell count testing and housing type was identified; respondents using freestall sand facilities tested less frequently than respondents using tiestalls with wood bedding. Although the questionnaire length limited the amount of information gathered, the response proportion was exceptional, and overall our survey results provide valuable insight on Vermont organic dairy housing and bedding practices that should inform future extension and outreach efforts for this sector of the dairy industry.
我们进行了一项描述性观察研究，以量化佛蒙特州有机奶牛场主在冬季使用的畜舍和卧床类型的频率和多样性。本报告介绍了调查方法、结果、成功之处、局限性和从调查中吸取的经验教训。从 2018 年 12 月开始，通过网络、邮件和电话向美国农业部有机诚信数据库中列出的佛蒙特州所有有机奶牛牛奶生产者（n=177）的源人群发放了一份简短问卷。我们的方法使当时在佛蒙特州生产奶牛牛奶的认证有机农场的回应率达到 82%（n=145）。受访者使用的最常见的畜舍和卧床材料组合有三种：蹄铁式畜舍搭配木屑或刨花等木质卧床材料（45%）、无卧床式畜舍搭配木质卧床材料（14%）和无卧床式畜舍搭配沙质卧床（12%）。15%的受访者报告说，他们在冬季为泌乳牛使用了不止一种类型的设施。受访者中，每头泌乳牛农场的中位数为 59.5（范围：2-400），用于饲养泌乳牛的设施数量越多，使用多种设施的可能性就越大。畜舍和卧床类型类别中，牛的品种分布相似。还确定了个体奶牛牛奶体细胞计数检测频率与畜舍类型之间的关联；使用无卧床沙设施的受访者的检测频率低于使用带木质卧床的蹄铁式畜舍的受访者。尽管问卷长度限制了收集的信息量，但回应比例非常出色，总体而言，我们的调查结果提供了有关佛蒙特州有机奶牛畜舍和卧床实践的有价值的见解，这应该为该行业的这一领域的未来推广和外展工作提供信息。
