By Tracey Erickson
The Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance program is a joint effort by the SD Beef Industry Council, the SD Extension, SD Dairy Producers, Mid-west Dairy Association, SD Department of Agriculture, and the SD Dairy Industry. Presently dairy beef makes up 25-33% of the beef products produced and consumed by the public.
The program intent is to focus on the "day to day" management practices that influence safety, quality, and wholesomeness of beef and dairy products. It will simultaneously address target issues such as animal well-being and handling practices, management of animal health products to prevent residues, maximization of carcass values by addressing bruising, injection site lesions & abscesses, appropriate record keeping, and on-farm biosecurity.
The target audience is all of South Dakota's 268 dairy producers, initially targeting 20% of the dairy cow's in South Dakota in the first year. In order to reach our target audience we will need to offer the program on-farm staggering the sessions to allow for employees in different shifts to participate, as dairies often run up to 2-3 milking shifts/day. Materials are paid for through SD Beef Industry Council Funds, coordinated by Tracey Walsh, SD BIC & Quality Assurance Coordinator. Sponsorships for on-farm training to help pay for the expense of food and travel of trainers is being sought by Walsh, Erickson (Renelt), and Carroll.
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