Goat 2019 Study - Respondents

Animal and Plant

Health Inspection

Service

National Agricultural Statistics Service

June 1, 2019

Dear Sir or Madam,

I’m writing to encourage you to participate in an important new study being conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In July 2019, the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) in conjunction with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), will launch the Goat 2019 study, its second national study of the U.S. goat industry.

NAHMS conducts surveys of the U.S. goat industry once every 10 years. You are one of the few goat producers in your State that were selected to participate in this study; therefore, your answers will represent many of other goat producers in your State.

The information collected in this survey will help researchers better understand diseases affecting goats, obtain more funding to study goats and guide research needs, and help the U.S. goat industry to better know their producers.

Your participation in the study is voluntary and we are required by law to keep your answers confidential. Your responses on the questionnaires will be used only in combination with other responses, for example at the regional level or at the overall U.S. level.

Enclosed is information that describes this study in more detail. If you decide to participate in the study, a NASS representative will visit you to complete the Phase I questionnaire. NASS visits will be scheduled from July 1 through August 9, 2019. Producers that choose to continue in the study will be visited by representatives from USDA’s Veterinary Services (VS) to complete Phase II of the study.

Operations that complete both questionnaires will be eligible to have the following free biologic testing: Pre- and post-deworming fecal egg count reduction tests, genetic testing for resistance to scrapie, Mycoplasma ovipneumonia, and fecal pathogens (Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Enterococcus).

If you are interested in the pre- and post- deworming fecal egg count reduction tests please do not deworm your goats until after your visit with the Veterinary Services representative.

If you have not received a phone call by July 20, 2019 and are interested in participating in the study, please call __XXX-XXX-XXXX (NASS)________________.

Your voluntary participation is essential to the success of this important study. By participating, you will help provide valuable information on goat health and management practices. Thank you in advance for your participation and for all of your contributions to the success of the U.S. goat industry.

Sincerely,

Amy Delgado, MS DVM PhD

Director, Monitoring and Modeling

USDA:APHIS:VS: Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health

Phone Number (970) 494-7000

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0579-0354. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information