Characterizing the attitudes and motivations of Ontario dairy producers toward udder health

摘要

Considerable research has focused on identifying riskfactors for intramammary infections, yet mastitis remainsa pervasive disease on dairy farms. Increasingly,researchers are appreciating the role of dairy producermindset in determining management style and thusudder health status of the herd. The objective of thisstudy was to explore the attitudes and motivations ofOntario dairy farmers toward udder health in herdswith varying bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC). InDecember 2011, 5 focus groups were conducted acrossOntario, Canada, with independent groups of dairyproducers representing low, medium, and high BMSCCherds. Groups were established based on producer’sweighted BMSCC levels as recorded over the summerof 2011. A semi-structured interview guide was followedto discuss topics relating to udder health. Thematicanalysis was performed on the interview transcripts.Generally, producers noted management techniques(specifically culling infected cows and monitoring BMSCC),a perceived wealth of information on mastitiscontrol, and a proactive whole-herd management approachengender the perception of control over mastitis.Producers in the low BMSCC group were confidentin their level of knowledge and control of mastitis intheir herds, whereas high BMSCC producers generallyfelt lower levels of control. Several areas were identifiedby producers that counteract this perception, contributingto perceived low levels of control over mastitis.Participants identified that at certain times they do notunderstand the cause of BMSCC on their farm. Thisattitude was especially prominent in the high BMSCCgroup. Other times, producers cited improper samplehandling, seasonal issues, perceived milk culture shortcomings,and low herd size as factors that limited theircontrol over mastitis in their herds. Though producersgenerally have high levels of self-efficacy beliefs whenit comes to udder health management, the perceptionstill exists that, under certain situations, mastitis is uncontrollable.This highlights the fact that educationaland extension efforts need to focus on ensuring thatproducers employ proven mastitis diagnostic, prevention,and treatment practices in a systematic manner,with realistic expectations.