Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Animals: bovine, poultry, goats, swine, sheep
- Animal Products: dairy
Practices
- Animal Production: herbal medicines, homeopathy, preventive practices
- Education and Training: demonstration, networking, workshop
- Production Systems: organic agriculture
Proposal abstract:
This project delivers educational programming to veterinarians, Extension educators, and other professionals who routinely work with organic livestock herds and flocks. These professionals face difficulty navigating the NOP standards when treating an animal being raised organically. The challenges make it very difficult for those that try, discourages others from developing this expertise, and thus limits their ability to serve organic livestock operations in the North Central SARE region. The organic livestock system relies on preventive health practices to reduce the risk of common diseases and to ensure best animal welfare and productivity. The project goal is to increase the knowledge and skills of veterinarians regarding the NOP livestock standards and best herd health practices for organic animals, and to give them greater confidence in treating certified organic livestock. Making very conservative estimates, if we can train 50 vets, this has the potential to positively impact that health care of at least 25,000 animals spread across 500 farms. Longer-term, this will improve the adoption of herd health practices in organic (and other) herds, and reduce the incidents of treatments or inputs being used in violation of NOP standards. In turn, this benefits the farm families who depend on the health and continuing organic status of their animals as important factors in their own economic sustainability and contributes to the environmental sustainability of the region. Activities include webinars and workshops on preventive management, health practices, and treatments for organic livestock, and the formation of an active network of organic livestock health professionals.
Project objectives from proposal:
Short-term outcomes will include an increased level of knowledge and skills of 150 veterinarians, Extension personnel, and other consultants regarding the NOP livestock standards and best herd health practices for organic animals, and greater confidence in treating certified organic livestock. These professionals will gain understanding of the certification process, certification livestock standards, and allowed inputs and treatments. If each of 50 veterinarians provide service to even 10 farms, each of which in turn houses 50 animals, the health care provided to 25,000 animals would be positively impacted. This not only contributes to the environmental sustainability of the region, it benefits the farm families who depend on the health and continuing organic status of their animals as important factors in their own economic sustainability
Intermediate-term outcomes include establishing a functional educational network designed to enhance the flow of knowledge and practices related to organic animal health, improve the adoption of herd health practices in organic herds, and reduce the incidents of treatments or inputs being used in violation of NOP standards. By including veterinarians, nutritionists, Extension educators, consultants, organic certification staff, and organic farmers, this network may also serve to define current and future research and educational needs. We hope to start the network with 15 participating professionals and by the end of the project to more than triple this number.
The long-term outcomes include adoption of best preventive management and health practices, increased environmental sustainability and economic viability of farmers in the NCR through implementation of learned practices.