2019 Goat Study Launch Sheet CSU

United States Department of Agriculture

September 2018

NAHMS Goat 2019
Study Launch

From July through December 2019, the USDA’s
National Animal Health Monitoring System
(NAHMS), in collaboration with the National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), will conduct
its second national study focusing on the health and
management of the U.S. goat population. The
NAHMS Goat 2019 study is designed to take an indepth look at U.S. goat operations and provide new
and valuable information regarding goat health and
management practices in the U.S.

"Data collection, management practices, research
direction and marketing strategies are all vital for the well
being of our goat industry. This NAHMS study is a critical
part of the future development and advancement of our
industry. Please take the time to accurately complete the
study which will provide each participant specific
information about the health of their flock as well as
providing a quantum leap forward for our entire industry."
Tom Boyer
Producer and Past President of the American Goat Federation

The NAHMS Goat 2019 study will:

Background
NAHMS is a voluntary, non-regulatory program
within the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection
Services (APHIS) Veterinary Services that collects
scientifically accurate data for livestock, poultry and
aquaculture industries periodically on a rotating
basis.
Priority issues to be addressed by the study were
identified from 1,272 responses received on a
needs-assessment questionnaire and input from
meetings held with representatives from various
segments of the goat industry, stakeholders, and
government agencies.

Study Objectives
NAHMS Goat 2019 is designed to provide
individual participants and stakeholders with
valuable information on the U.S. goat industry.

Describe changes in animal health, nutrition, and
management practices in the U.S. goat industry
from 2009 to 2019.
Describe practices producers use to control internal
parasites and reduce anthelmintic resistance.
Describe antimicrobial stewardship on goat
operations and estimate the prevalence of enteric
pathogens and antimicrobial resistance patterns.
Describe management practices associated with,
and producer-reported occurrence of economically
important goat diseases.
Provide a serologic bank for future research.

Figure 1. States participating in the NAHMS
Goat 2019 study

"The 2019 Goat Study is an opportunity for U.S. goat
producers to have your voices heard: What are the issues
that matter most to you? How can Cooperative Extension
services, especially from Extension veterinarians, help you
with these issues? The information provided from the
results of this study will guide the priorities for future goat
research and program opportunities."
Dr. Patty Scharko

American Association of Extension Veterinarians President
United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Safeguarding American Agriculture

Study Activities
Approximately 4,700 goat operations with an
inventory of at least 5 adult goats in 25 of the major
goat-producing States (see Fig. 1 map on previous
page) will be asked to participate. These States
represent 77.9 percent of U.S. goat operations and
82.7 percent of U.S. goats on operations with 5+
goats. Operations that choose to complete phase
one and phase two questionnaires will be offered
biologic testing.
Phase 1: In July 2019, NASS representatives
will contact randomly selected goat operations.
Consenting producers will be administered a
goat production management questionnaire
and asked if they would like to continue to
Phase 2.
Phase 2: Beginning September 2019, goat
producers who agreed to continue will be
contacted by APHIS or State veterinary health
professionals to schedule an in-person
interview and collect biologic samples.
Data collection will end in December 2019.

Benefits to Participating
By fully participating in the NAHMS Goat 2019
study, producers will receive:
Gastrointestinal parasite fecal egg count test
results
Scrapie resistant genotype results
Fecal culture results for Salmonella , E coli , and
Campylobacter
Information from this study will provide producers
with a benchmark for their operation, and the goat
industry with a national snapshot of management
practices and the health of goats in the U.S.
". . . Through studies such as this one, we can evaluate
the needs of our goat populations. We can be proactive
and progressive in addressing the pressing needs we
face using the most current data to support innovative
ideas in improving the ways we care for our goats.”
Dr. Susan Myers

“…in addition to providing useful feedback to participants
about the health status of their goats the information from
this study will play a critical role in prioritizing [goat]
research needs and justifying research dollars…”
Dr. Joan Dean Rowe

American Dairy Goat Association member and breeder

Scientific Approach
NAHMS collects and reports accurate and useful
information on animal health and management in the
United States. Since 1990, NAHMS has developed
national estimates on disease prevalence and other
factors related to the health of U.S. beef cattle,
sheep, goat, dairy cattle, swine, equine, poultry, and
catfish populations.
The science-based results produced by NAHMS
have proven to be of considerable value to the U.S.
livestock, poultry, and aquaculture industries as well
as to other animal health stakeholders.
NAHMS studies are:
National in scope, Science based, Statistically valid,
Collaborative, Voluntary, and Confidential

Confidentiality
Because NAHMS relies on voluntary participation,
the privacy of every participant is protected. Only
those collecting the data know the identity of
respondents. No name or contact information will
be associated with individual data, and no data will
be reported in a way that could reveal the identity of
a participant. Data are presented only in an
aggregate manner.

For More Information

USDA–APHIS–VS–CEAH NRRC Building B,
M.S. 2E7 2150 Centre Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117 Phone: 866.907.8190
Email: NAHMS@aphis.usda.gov
Or visit NAHMS at: http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov
#XXXXX

AASRP President

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United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Safeguarding American Agriculture