How well are you protecting your live assets—your livestock—from diseases currently not found on your premises?  This assessment will help you find out.  The questions are designed to be answered from a farmer’s perspective.  Although they were written with a dairy farm in mind, almost all of the questions apply across all types of livestock farms.  Select the option that most closely reflects your current farm management practices.  Be honest!  Then use the score card to help assess your farm’s risk.

Animal health, animal additions, commingling with other herds

1. How many of the following practices are part of your herd health program? We follow protocols for:

1. colostrum management,
2. feeding management,
3. forage quality and ration formulation,
4. manure handling (with special attention to avoiding contamination of feed alleys and feeding equipment),
5. stall comfort and cleanliness,
6. air movement (cooling in summer) and ventilation (especially in winter),
7. milk quality monitoring, and
8. routine vaccinations.
9. We monitor compliance with all protocols.
10. We review our protocols with our veterinarian at least annually.
1. All 10.
2. 8 or 9.
3. 6 or 7.
4. 4 or 5.
5. Less than 4.

2. Knowing that stress reduces the ability of animals to resist diseases, how many of the following practices do you enforce?

1. We maintain a regular daily routine (e.g. of feeding and milking).
2. We maintain a consistent ration (e.g., test forage dry matters regularly and after any precipitation).
3. We maintain adequate nutrient levels in rations (e.g., fiber for cows).
4. We minimize switching animals between groups or rations.
5. We minimize stacking of stressful events (e.g., multiple vaccines on same day).
6. We handle all animals calmly and quietly.
1. All 6.
2. 5.
3. 4.
4. 3.
5. 2.

3. How many of the following ration management practices do you use to maximize animal health?

1. We analyze all of our forages.
2. We use a ration balancing program ourselves or through our nutritionist.
3. We regularly monitor lameness, body condition scores, and rumination activity (or have our veterinarian or nutritionist do this).
4. We feed a total mixed ration (TMR) and minimize the potential for ration sorting.
5. We measure forage dry matters regularly and after major precipitation.
1. All 5.
2. 4.
3. 3.
4. Less than 3.

4. How well do you prevent contamination of feed by manure with equipment?

1. The same equipment (dump buckets or shovels) may be used for either feed or manure, but is usually cleaned in between.
2. The same equipment is used for both feed and manure only if cleaned well (after being contaminated by manure).
3. A separate bucket or skid steer is used for pushing feed and scraping manure.  Shovels are dedicated to use with either feed or manure.

5. How well do you prevent contamination of feed by manure with wheel or foot traffic?

1. Feed delivery equipment never crosses routes contaminated by manure.  People working with animals never step in feed mangers with boots contaminated with manure.
2. Feed and manure handling traffic is kept separate as much as possible.  Pass throughs or gates make it easy to avoid stepping in feed if entering or leaving cow pens in a freestall.
3. Feed and manure handling traffic uses the same paths or crosses paths.  People walk through feed mangers to cow alleys and vice versa.

6. How well are instruments for jobs such as hoof trimming and dehorning cleaned and disinfected (sanitized)?

1. Not cleaned or disinfected between animals.
2. Cleaned (but not disinfected) between animals.
3. Cleaned and disinfected between animals.
4. Thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between animals.

7. How many times are the same rectal sleeves and needles used?

1. Sleeves are changed between groups or if blood is seen.  A different needle is used for each vaccine or product.
2. Sleeves and needles are used only once with one animal.
3. One can do all or most of the herd.

8. How are replacement or new animals (including bulls) for your herd acquired?

1. From auctions or sale barns, not tested and not isolated upon arrival.
2. From auctions or sale barns, tested after purchase and briefly isolated (for less than 2 weeks).
3. Only from herds of known health status, with screening tests and less than 30 days of isolation.
4. Only from herds of known health status, with screening tests and a minimum 30-day-isolation-period.
5. No animals are purchased; we maintain a closed herd.

9. How are replacement heifers for your herd raised?

1. Our heifers are sent to another facility for some period of time and commingled with animals from other herds.
2. Our heifers are sent to another facility for some period of time, but are not commingled with animals from other herds.
3. Our heifers, if sent to another facility for some period of time, are isolated from the rest of our herd upon their return.
4. Alternatively, we raise all our own heifers on our own facilities and do not raise heifers born on other farms.
5. Our heifers, whether we raise them on our farm or through a contract raiser, are tested for persistent infection with BVD and vaccinated according to a regular protocol.

10. If you show animals, how many of the following steps do you take to minimize your herd’s health risk?

1. Our show animals have current health certificates.
2. Our herd’s vaccination status is current.
3. We use our own trailer (or one that has been cleaned and disinfected).
4. We use our own equipment for grooming, feeding, and milking.
5. We prevent nose-to-nose contact between our animals and those from other farms.
6. We bring home the same animals we took to the fair (no new ones!).
7. We isolate returning animals.
1. All 7.
2. 5 or 6.
3. 3 or 4.
4. Less than 3.

11. Where do farm visitors (anyone not employed by the farm) park?

1. Wherever they want.
2. In a designated area by the main entrance.
3. In  a designated area by the main entrance, away from livestock, and without driving through manure hauling or feed delivery lanes.
4. Like C, and low-risk visitor parking is set apart from medium- and high-risk visitor parking.

12. Where do farm visitors enter?

1. Wherever they want; multiple entrances may be used.
2. Usually through the main entrance, although it is not marked as the desired entry point.
3. Usually through the main entrance, which is clearly identified, although some visitors (especially medium-and high-risk visitors) enter wherever they want.
4. All visitors enter through a single, clearly marked entrance; we have a visitor log that some visitors sign.
5. All visitors enter through a single, clearly marked entrance; and all sign our visitor log.

13. Do you restrict visitor access based on the risk they present?

1. No, not really.
2. We posted a biosecurity sign a couple years ago and figure that is enough.
3. We turn away visitors who have been outside of North America in the past five days.
4. We know what risk our visitors present and restrict their access to parts of the farm accordingly, e.g. cattle hauler cannot enter barns.

14. What do farm visitors wear?

1. You don’t care as long as it’s not obscene.
2. Boots and outerwear that appear clean.
3. Boots and outerwear that appear clean; they may pass through a boot sanitizer mat or put on booties that are available.
4. Boots and outerwear that appear clean; they must sanitize their boots upon entry or put on plastic boot protectors; plastic booties are disposed of on your premises.
5. Boots and coveralls (or plastic booties) that you provide for use only on your farm.  Boot wash stations, placed throughout the facility at entrances/exits from high-risk areas, are used by high-risk visitors.

15. Whose equipment do visitors use?

1. Their own—potentially used at other livestock operations (halters, nose-leads, clippers, dehorning or hoof trimming equipment, etc.) and not necessarily cleaned and disinfected.
2. Their own—potentially used at other livestock operations, but clean.
3. Their own—cleaned and disinfected prior to use on our farm.
4. Some of their own plus some provided by our farm—all clean.
5. Only equipment provided by our farm.

16. What animals can visitors come in contact with on your farm?

1. Only veterinarians and other animal service providers are allowed contact with any animals.  And they organize their work from clean to dirty, youngest to oldest, healthy to sick, in addition to wearing proper protection (disposable gloves, coveralls, etc.).
2. Only veterinarians and other animal service providers can contact our high-risk animals—young stock, periparturient (around birthing), or sick animals.
3. Most visitors can contact only adult, healthy animals.
4. Most visitors can contact only healthy animals.
5. Any visitor can contact any animal.

17. When you visit other farms, what do you do to ensure the health security of both of your herds?

1. I don’t think twice to drive right over in my farm clothes and boots to borrow a tool or stop in to chat.
2. I wear clean clothes and boots (not your farm work boots) and stay out of feed and manure on the farm I am visiting.
3. I wear clean clothes and boots and stay out of feed and manure on the farm I am visiting.  I clean and disinfect my boots before leaving.

18. How is your feed grain protected from wildlife, birds, dogs, and cats (and the pathogens they may carry)?

1. It is not protected at all.
2. It is has a cover.
3. It is well-covered and we periodically check for spoilage and raccoon, rodent, or other infestation.
4. It is well-covered, we periodically check for spoilage and raccoon, rodent, or other infestation, and we clean it between loads of feed.

19. How are your water sources protected from pathogens?

1. The barn (or pasture) water is drawn from a pond that is not protected from wildlife.
2. Alternatively, our herd has regular access to a pond or stream that is not protected from wildlife.
3. Our herd drinks water from sources that are protected from manure (of livestock or wildlife) as much as possible.
4. Our herd drinks water from sources that are tested semiannually.
5. Our herd drinks water from tested sources (or is treated); water troughs or cups are cleaned out on a regular schedule.

20. How many of the following are part of your animal vector control program?

1. We regularly set traps or bait (using caution for pets),
2. We do not let cats or dogs in the barn or feed storage areas,
3. We clean up piles of wood, old boards, junk, or spoiled feed near barns or feed storage areas,
4. We inspect buildings for rodent entryways and denning places and eliminate them,
5. We use bird detractors (even if the barn was built to minimize resting and roosting places for birds).
1. All 5.
2. 4.
3. 3.
4. Less than 3.

21. What is your biting-insect (flies, lice, mange) control like?

1. We use appropriate insecticides (tags, pour-ons) and premise products (including fly tape) as-needed.  If resistance develops, we change products.
2. We have an integrated pest management program including insecticides, parasitic wasps, bedding and manure management.  We follow practices to prevent the development of insecticide resistance.
3. We’re doing what we’ve always done, but it doesn’t seem to be working so well.
4. What control?