Survey of the cattle health and production record-keeping methods and opinions of cow-calf producers in Mississippi

Authors

  • W. Isaac Jumper Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, MS 39762
  • Carla L. Huston Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, MS 39762
  • Robert W. Wills Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, MS 39762
  • David R. Smith Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, MS 39762

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol55no1p26-36

Keywords:

technology, data, demographics, smartphone, records, cow-calf, cattle

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify characteristics of Mississippi cow-calf producers associated with their use of cattle health record-keeping systems. Anonymous surveys were mailed to 1,275 cow-calf members of the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association. Multivariable logistic regression using manual forward variable selection was used to test factors for association with cattle health and production record-keeping outcomes. Significance was defined at alpha=0.05. Three-hundred eight surveys (24%) were returned. Of these, 292 (95%) were actively involved in cow-calf production, with 221 (75.7%), 29 (9.9%), and 42 (14.4%) being commercial, seedstock, or both, respectively. Two-hundred nineteen of 290 (75.5%) owned <100 head, and 207 of 292 (70.9%) were >55 years old. Two-hundred forty-five of 289 (84.8%) used individual animal identification. Two-hundred fifteen (73.6%) and 76 (26%) of 292 used hand-written and electronic records, respectively. Using electronic cattle records was associated with computer access (OR=7.6, 95%CI=2.3 to 25.8), smartphone ownership (OR=6.9, 95%CI=2.0 to 23.6), and Bachelor’s degree or higher (OR=2.0, 95%CI=1.1 to 3.7). Producer interest in using a smartphone-based cattle record-keeping system was associated with smartphone ownership (OR=6.0, 95%CI=2.1 to 16.6), and being ≤55 years old (OR=2.9, 95%CI=1.5 to 5.4). Access to technology and producer demographics influence the record-keeping practices of Mississippi cow-calf producers.

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Published

2021-02-01

How to Cite

Jumper, W. I., Huston, C. L., Wills, R. W., & Smith, D. R. (2021). Survey of the cattle health and production record-keeping methods and opinions of cow-calf producers in Mississippi. The Bovine Practitioner, 55(1), 26–36. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol55no1p26-36

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