We want to keep you informed of the outcomes and are seeking participants!
Below is a form in which you can register your interest in being kept up to date on the research findings and/or register your potential interest in participating in the study.
Here is a brief summary of eligibility and compensation for those interested in participating in the study. Participation in the study is not required in order to receive research updates.
Eligibility for study inclusion: A USDA certified organic dairy farm milking more than 20 animals through the year and selling milk. Note that registering your interest in participating does not guarantee inclusion in the study.
Compensation: Farms selected for inclusion in the study will receive several forms of compensation. For each of the farm visits (2 visits over a four year period) they will receive $100 for their time and extra effort on the day of the visit. Additionally, they will receive a confidential bench-marking report that allows them to compare their farm’s assessment to those of other anonymous organic farms in their region and nationally. Finally they will receive training on identification of lameness as well as free enrollment (travel to and from seminar and housing while at the seminar would be at the cost of the farmer) in a multi-day Organic Master Hoof Care workshop that will be conducted in their region. Withdrawal from the study prior to the completion will resulted in pro-rated compensation.
Estimated time requirements for participation in study: Time to complete the study will vary somewhat based on the size of the operation. We anticipate that the online portion of the survey will take 30-45 minutes of time, twice over the course of the four year study. Farm visits will occur twice over the four year study and will take 3-8 hours depending on the size of the operation. During the farm visits the owners/managers can either accompany the researcher while on farm or can provide a layout and overview of the farm and allow the researcher to collect the data on their own. Between farm visits the operators will be asked to keep some minor records regarding their lameness treatments and cows. It is anticipated that this record keeping burden would not exceed 15 minutes per week. Participation in the Organic Master Hoofcare seminar and wetlab are anticipated to take 2 days.
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