"We were approached eight years ago by a group of farmers who said, 'there is a large herd conference, but where is the small herd conference?" These farmers went on to form SMASH (Smaller Milk and Supply Herds), a support community through which small herd farmers can share their knowledge and keep up with the increasing demands of the industry.
In addition, in infected herds, farmers reported retrospectively a lower prolificacy during the vector season, suggesting a potential impact of acute SBV infection during mating and early stages of gestation.
Data are stem data on herd identification, farmers' and veterinarians' name and addresses, type and size of herds, location with GIS coordinates (Geographical Information System) and movement of swine, cattle, goats and sheep etc.
Seven percent of the herds used the calf's 'body weight' as criterion; in those herds the farmers aimed at a median weight at weaning of 70 kg (CR: 60 97).
Because they can't join the milking herds, dairy farmers have no use for them and so they are essentially a waste product.
To obstruct the entry of pastoralists' herds, some farmers take the risk of storing the harvested cotton crop on the field as long as possible.
For a more detailed analysis, the farms were categorised by herd size, farmers' reported incidence of diarrhoea and respiratory tract disease (within 1 year).
Committed to the long-term improvement of their herd, these farmers are assumed to have better farming practices and thus be more prone to reporting abortions than other farmers.
To avoid herds where farmers unrealistically recorded the same CE score for most or all contemporary groups of calvings, the standard deviation of CE score within herd-year was calculated.
HHM professionals aim at making a difference in the dairy setting in terms of a) improvement of production and b) improvement of life quality for cows, herds, and farmers.
