Klopatek S C, Cantwell A M, Roche L, Stackhouse-Lawson K, Oltjen J W
Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Institute for Research in the Social Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Transl Anim Sci. 2022 Aug 1;6(3):txac094. doi: 10.1093/tas/txac094. eCollection 2022 Jul.
Till date, with over 137,000 certified members, the most successful rancher educational program has been the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. The BQA program was established in the mid-1990's to improve animal health and welfare with a primary objective to reduce the incidence of injection site lesions by instructing producers to administer injections in the neck only. The present study investigated the drivers of this success to inform future rancher education programs around agricultural sustainability. An online multistate survey was administered to cattle ranchers in collaboration with state cattlemen's associations to better understand rancher motivations for adopting new practices and to gain insight on current involvement in BQA. In total, the survey consisted of 45 questions and was divided into 3 sections: (1) rancher demographics, (2) BQA participation and current best management practice (BMP) application, and (3) willingness to join new rancher educational programs. Data from 842 respondents are including in this study. Of the survey participants, 70% were currently BQA certified or had been BQA certified at one time, and 30% had never been certified. Ranchers who were BQA certified at any time were less likely to administer injections in areas other than the neck compared to ranchers who were not certified ( 0.05), demonstrating the effectiveness of the BQA program. More than 80% of survey respondents who joined the BQA program stated they believed the BQA program improved animal health and welfare on their operation ( = 617). Among those who had not joined the BQA program, 40% believed BQA practices did not align with their ranching operation, while 38% had not heard of the BQA program ( = 256). The survey indicated that male ranchers, those with more years ranching, those with a larger percent of income coming from ranching, and ranches with larger total acres grazed were more likely to be BQA certified at any time ( 0.05). Finally, ranchers who were BQA certified at any time were more likely to state that joining a rancher sustainability program would be beneficial to their operation. In conclusion, not only did the survey provide valuable insight into BQA program adoption but highlighted how BQA pedagogy and program structure may be a suitable framework for creating future rancher sustainability programs.
截至目前，拥有超过137,000名认证成员的最成功的牧场主教育项目是牛肉质量保证（BQA）项目。BQA项目于20世纪90年代中期设立，旨在改善动物健康和福利，其主要目标是通过指导生产者仅在颈部进行注射来减少注射部位病变的发生率。本研究调查了这一成功的驱动因素，以为未来围绕农业可持续性的牧场主教育项目提供参考。与州养牛者协会合作，对养牛牧场主进行了一项在线多州调查，以更好地了解牧场主采用新做法的动机，并深入了解他们目前参与BQA的情况。该调查总共包含45个问题，分为三个部分：（1）牧场主人口统计学信息，（2）BQA参与情况及当前最佳管理实践（BMP）应用情况，（3）加入新的牧场主教育项目的意愿。本研究纳入了842名受访者的数据。在参与调查的人中，70%目前已获得BQA认证或曾获得过BQA认证，30%从未获得过认证。与未获得认证的牧场主相比，任何时候获得BQA认证的牧场主在颈部以外部位进行注射的可能性更小（P<0.05），这表明了BQA项目的有效性。加入BQA项目的受访者中，超过80%表示他们认为BQA项目改善了其养殖场的动物健康和福利（n = 617）。在未加入BQA项目的人中，40%认为BQA做法与其牧场经营不符，而38%从未听说过BQA项目（n = 256）。调查表明，男性牧场主、从事牧场经营年限更长的人、收入中来自牧场经营的比例更高的人以及放牧总面积更大的牧场，在任何时候获得BQA认证的可能性更大（P<0.05）。最后，任何时候获得BQA认证的牧场主更有可能表示加入牧场主可持续性项目对其经营有益。总之，该调查不仅为BQA项目的采用提供了有价值的见解，还突出了BQA教学法和项目结构如何可能成为创建未来牧场主可持续性项目的合适框架。
