Recipient Organization
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
S. AND 16TH ELWOOD
AMES,IA 50011
Performing Department
VETERINARY ADMINISTRATION - CVM
Non Technical Summary
Dairy goats are the fastest growing commercial livestock sector in the US. Current data demonstrate the unique nature of dairy goat production, where agricultural intensification may be balanced with diversification and sustainability. The impressive ability of goats to remain productive in arid regions of the world demonstrates their potential resilience in the face of changing climates. These attributes provide an opportunity to strengthen rural community agricultural systems through value-added circular economies, as well as promote gender and ethnic diversification of farmers, both current priorities of USDA. The goal of our research, education, and extension efforts in this project is to improve and assure the sustainability of dairy goat production systems in the US. Reaching this goal would allow for environmentally-sustainable intensification of dairy goat production while assuring continued access to value-added markets that support a diverse population of farmers and small rural farming communities. The system under study for this project takes a strategically broad view of US commercial dairy goat production. Anticipated outcomes of this project include (1) a computerized anaylsis tool that allows dairy goat producers to identify strategies to decrease their carbon footprint and water usage, (2) improved health tools for dairy goats, (3) stronger rural economy infrastructure with diversified goat producers, and (4) integrated education and extension efforts to support these outcomes and sustainable systems.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goal of our research, education, and extension efforts is to improve and assure the sustainability of dairy goat production. In our view, reaching this goal would allow for environmentally-sustainable intensification of dairy goat production while assuring continued access to value-added markets (e.g. on farm cheese, soap or lotion processing and marketing) that support a diverse population of farmers and small rural farming communities. The system under study for this project takes a strategically broad view of US commercial dairy goat production including: (1) the milking herd, (2) offspring of the milking herd, (3) replacement does, (4) meat bucks derived from the milking herd, (5) farm assets, (6) land/environment, (7) any on-farm value-added efforts, (8) any on-farm marketing and, (9) the local social and environmental impacts of this system. Due to the significant differences in how meat and fiber goats are raised compared to dairy goats (ie. dairy goats more intensive and fed harvested feedstuffs versus meat goats being more pastured; similar to how dairy cattle production is unique and very different to beef cattle production) it is not appropriate to include them in this study and they are not part of the system of study. The five objectives of our project, detailed below, are based on extensive input from stakeholder advisory panels from other USDA-funded dairy goat focused grants, and the experience of the PD as a consultant for the industry for the past two decades.Specific ObjectivesDevelop a dynamic farm system mode and LCA for dairy goat production.Address high-priority health challenges to dairy goat production while improving antimicrobial stewardship. Support rural community development and broaden the farm workforce by evaluating the ability of dairy goat production's relatively low land requirement, low capital investment, and high potential for local value-added sales to promote new farm development and gender and racial diversity. Develop novel educational programs for dairy goat producers and veterinarians that emphasize sustainability and antimicrobial stewardship principles (Obj. 2) while building effective science communication skills for veterinarians tasked with working with dairy goat producers. Integrate extension outreach focused on dairy goat production and sustainability.
Project Methods
We will use the following methods to accomplish the goals of this project.Develop a dynamic farm system mode and LCA for dairy goat production. We will develop a dynamic farm system computational simulation model linked with LCA, similar to those used for beef and dairy, that will consider the entire system including crop and pasture production, harvested feeds, feed storage, grazing, nutrient management, and animal production. This model will predict long-term performance, carbon footprint, and economics of production systems. Once created, this tool can improve sustainability by providing strategies to increase productivity, profitability, and climate adaptability, as well as decrease environmental impact of production systems.Address high-priority health challenges to dairy goat production while improving antimicrobial stewardship. Based on stakeholder input we have identified management of mastitis and respiratory disease as key issues to dairy goat sustainability, especially in light of rising antimicrobial resistance. We will conduct critically needed research on these topics with a focus on identifying approaches that improve antimicrobial stewardship. The long-term goal of this objective is to improve animal health, welfare and productivity by providing educational and extension materials advising the implementation of new treatment methods while improving antimicrobial stewardship.Support rural community development and broaden the farm workforce by evaluating the ability of dairy goat production's relatively low land requirement, low capital investment, and high potential for local value-added sales to promote new farm development and gender and racial diversity. The short-term goal of this objective is to conduct formative social science research focused on potential or actual under-represented farmers to determine how they can conceptualize goats as part of their entrepreneurial efforts. This information, integrated with the economic modeling developed in the first objective will support the long-term goal of providing education and extension efforts that assist these under-represented farmers with business planning and implementation.Develop novel educational programs for dairy goat producers and veterinarians that emphasize sustainability and antimicrobial stewardship principles (Obj. 2) while building effective science communication skills for veterinarians tasked with working with dairy goat producers. The short-term goal of this objective is to develop two module-based training programs to educate veterinary students and dairy goat professionals in antimicrobial stewardship and science communication. The long-term goal is to improve veterinary understanding and application of antimicrobial stewardship and science communication (including marketing) in the dairy goat industry.Integrate extension outreach focused on dairy goat production and sustainability. For this objective, we will build on current extension efforts to effectively disseminate the outcomes of the above research, encourage the use of economics and the dynamic farm system model (Obj. 1) to make better decisions, train producers of dairy goats in sustainable practices and antimicrobial stewardship (Obj. 2 and 4), develop new smartphone technology solutions to encourage better nutritional, economic, and social decision making (this objective), and train producers in business continuity programs (Obj. 4). We also anticipate outreach programs designed to encourage under-represented producers and rural community integration and involvement in dairy goat production and marketing.