Bison 2014: highlights from the National Animal Health Monitoring System's first national study of health and management practices on U.S. ranched-bison operations

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) conducted Bison 2014, the first national study of health and management practices used on U.S. operations with ranched... [ view full abstract ]

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) conducted Bison 2014, the first national study of health and management practices used on U.S. operations with ranched American bison (Bison bison). The study was conducted to acquire baseline information in response to industry concerns about Mycoplasma bovis in ranched-bison herds. Input from bison industry members and other stakeholders was used to develop the following study objectives: 1) Provide a baseline description of the U.S. bison industry, including operation characteristics such as inventory, size, and type; 2) Describe bison industry production practices and challenges, including identification, confinement and handling, animal care, and disease testing; 3) Describe health management and biosecurity practices important for the productivity and health of ranched bison; and 4) Describe producer-reported occurrence of specific health problems and evaluate potentially associated risk factors. These objectives were used to develop the study questionnaire, which consisted of seven sections focusing on inventory, additions, removals, and death loss; operation management; biosecurity; reproduction; diseases, parasites, and health management; disease testing practices; and outreach. All producers who reported having bison during the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) 2012 Census of Agriculture were eligible to participate in the study. In September 2014, NASS mailed the questionnaire to 2,886 operations across all 50 states and, about 3 weeks later, mailed a second questionnaire to recipients who had not yet responded. Completed questionnaires were accepted until spring 2015; 632 recipients returned completed questionnaires and 222 recipients reported that they had no bison. The response rate for this mail-only questionnaire was 29.6%. This poster presents some of the descriptive study’s highlights, including operation demographics, producers’ reasons for raising bison, general production practices, and disease testing for bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.