Form NAHMS 260 NAHMS 260 Small-Scale Livestock Operations Questionnaire

National Animal Health Monitoring System

2150 Centre Ave Bldg B

Fort Collins, CO 80526

Form Approved

OMB Number xxxx

Expiration date: xxxx

Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service

Veterinary Services

Small-Scale Livestock Operations

Questionnaire

Please help us by completing this questionnaire and mailing it in the accompanying business-reply envelope within 1 week of receiving.

Your responses are confidential and voluntary; however, we need your information to understand important agriculture issues and to make regional and national estimates as accurate as possible. Thank you for your help!

Section A—Livestock Inventory

Important: In this survey, the word livestock is meant to include cattle, poultry, goats, sheep, swine, horses, other equine, aquaculture and other farm animals raised for home use or sale.

If checked, what was the
highest number of
head you had at any
1. Were any of the following livestock on your one time in the
operation during the past 12 months? (Check all that apply.) past 12 months?

a. Beef cattle  __________ head

b. Dairy cattle  __________ head

c. Swine  __________ head

d. Sheep  __________ head

e. Goats  __________ head

f. Chickens and other poultry  __________ head

g. Horses and other equine  __________ head

h. Other livestock species:
(specify: ________________________________)  __________ head

i. Other livestock species:
(specify: ________________________________)  __________ head

I

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-XXXX The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average .33 hours 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.

NAHMS-260

Oct 2010

f you did not have livestock residing on this operation in the past 12 months, go to Section J.

2. Of the animals checked in Item 1, which one do you consider the
primary livestock raised on your operation?
(Enter letter A through I from first page) __________ letter

The remaining questions in this Section refer to the primary livestock indicated in Item 2.

3. During the past 12 months, were any new livestock (of the
PRIMARY livestock species from item 2) brought onto your operation? Yes No

4. During the past 12 months, were any livestock (of the PRIMARY
livestock species from item 2) moved off and returned to your operation
(e.g., taken to fair or bred elsewhere)? Yes No

If both Items 3 and 4 = No, skip to Section B.

For the next two questions, “isolate” means to prevent nose-to-nose contact and to prevent the sharing of feed, drinking water, and equipment with other animals of the same species already present.

5. During the past 12 months, did you rarely, sometimes, or always isolate,
for a set period of time, the new or returning livestock?

 Rarely  Sometimes  Always

If Item 5 = Always, skip to Section B.

6. Which of the following are reasons you sometimes or rarely isolate
incoming or returning animals? (Check all that apply.)

 I do not have a separate enclosure or extra equipment for isolating animals

 I trust the source of the new animals, or the place from which the animals are returning

 I have inadequate labor or time to implement isolation

 I don’t believe isolation is beneficial or prevents disease

 Other reasons (specify: ________________________)

Section B—Crop Inventory

1. Were any of the following crops grown on your operation
during the past 12 months? (Check all that apply.)

a. Wheat 

b. Corn, barley, oats, or rye 

c. Hay 

d. Cotton and/or cotton seed 

e. Tobacco 

f. Soybeans 

g. Oil-bearing crops and/or oilseeds 

h. Vegetables and/or melons 

i Fruits, berries, and/or tree nuts 

j. Other crops (specify: __________________) 

k. Other crops (specify: __________________) 

2. Of the crops checked in Item 1, which one do you consider the primary crop
on your operation? (Enter letter A through K from above) __________ letter

3. What is the total acreage of your operation? __________ acres

4. How many acres are used for crops? __________ acres

Section C—Marketing

1. Which of the following best describes the total dollar value of agricultural
products sold from this operation in 2010? (Check one only.)

 Less than $10,000
 $10,000 to $49,999
 $50,000 to $99,999
 $100,000 to $249,999
 $250,000 to $499,999
 $500,000 or more

2. Do you market any of your products using the following statements or labels?

a. Naturally raised livestock Yes No N/A

b. No animal by-products fed Yes No N/A

c. USDA certified organic Yes No N/A

d. Organic, but not certified Yes No N/A

e. Grass-fed livestock (finished on grass not feedlot) Yes No N/A

f. Pasture-raised livestock (access to pastures) Yes No N/A
If yes, please list specific assurances offered to customers:
_______________________________________________

g. Cage-free egg layers Yes No N/A

h Certified humane (e.g., American Humane Association, Humane
Farm Animal Care program, Animal Welfare Institute) Yes No N/A

i. Promoting conservation (land preservation, eco-friendly) Yes No N/A

3. In your opinion, do the following farm characteristics Healthier Healthier
lead to healthier farm animals? To healthier consumers? animals? consumers?

a. Livestock raised without hormones,
antibiotics, additives, and/or preservatives Yes No Yes No

b. USDA certified organic Yes No Yes No

c. Organic, not certified Yes No Yes No

d. Grass-fed livestock (finished on grass not feedlot) Yes No Yes No

e. Pasture-raised livestock Yes No Yes No

f. Cage-free egg layers Yes No Yes No

g. Small-scale farms (under $250,000 in gross
sales of agricultural products per year) Yes No Yes No

4. In the past 12 months, what percentage of this operation’s animals % Animals and/or
or animal products were marketed through the following channels? Animal Products

a. Auction or sales barn _________%

b. Direct to private individual or consumer (e.g., farmer’s market,
Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA), private sales) _________%

c. Broker / wholesaler / distributor _________%

d. Direct to health food / specialty food stores
(e.g., Whole Foods, co-op store) _________%

e. Direct to restaurants / institutions (farm to school) _________%

f. As a member of a cooperative distribution channel (farmer-owned) _________%

g. Other (specify_________________________) _________%

h. Total (add items a-g, must equal 100%) 100%

5. Of the marketing channels listed in Item 4, which one do you consider
to be the most profitable? (Enter letter A through G from above) __________ letter

6. Do you use the internet to market any of your products? Yes No

If yes, which of the following do you use to market products? (Check all that apply.)

 Website for farm business
 Email messages
 On-line farm directory (a list of local farms on a website)
 Facebook
 On-line message board (e.g., Craigslist)
 Other (specify: ______________________)

Section D—Reasons for Farming

1. Please rate the importance to you of the following How Important?
reasons for farming: Not Somewhat Very

a. Family tradition / heritage   

b. Maintain farm for future generations   

c. Source of income   

d. Tax benefits   

e. Products for personal consumption   

f. Lifestyle   

g. Concerns about the environment or food quality   

h. Learning experience for children, clubs such as 4H,
or as a hobby   

i. Other reasons for farming (specify: _______________)   

2. Do you expect to continue farming for the next 5 years? Yes No

a. If no, which of the following best describes your plans after leaving farming?
(Check one only)

 Retirement

 Change to a different job/career

 Other (specify_____________________________)

3. The following question asks about factors you might consider when deciding whether
or not to continue farming.

How important is each of the following factors in your decision to continue or to leave
farming in the next 5 years?

How Important?
Not Somewhat Very

a. Cost of farm expenses   

b. Prices you get for your products   

c. Stability of prices you get for your products   

d. Access to markets   

e. Interest rates on debt   

f. Access to operating loans   

g. Lack of interest from future generations
(no farm successor)   

h. Opportunity to sell land for non-farm purpose
(e.g., urban development, preservation project)   

i. Difficulty finding off-farm employment to
supplement income   

j. Burden of government regulations   

k. Other factors? (specify_______________)   

4. Please tell us if there are other barriers affecting your farm’s survival:

__________________________________________________________________________

Section E—Distance to Resources

1. Do you use any of the following for slaughtering livestock?

a. Mobile slaughter facility that comes to your operation? Yes No N/A

b. Live animals transported to the slaughter facility? Yes No N/A

If yes, what is the farthest one-way distance to the slaughter facility? _______ miles

2. Do you transport your animals or products to sell them?
(e.g., meat, wool, crops, animals) Yes No

If yes, what is farthest one-way distance you travel? _______ miles

3. Do you use any of the following to obtain feed for your livestock?

a. Home-grown feed? Yes No

b. Feed transported / shipped by supplier? Yes No

If yes, what is the farthest one-way distance feed is transported? _______ miles

c. Transport feed to operation myself Yes No

If yes, what is the farthest one-way distance you travel? _______ miles

4. Does anyone in your household, including yourself, earn
income from an off-farm job? Yes No

If Item 4 = No, skip to section F

5. What industry(s) do they or you work in? (Check all that apply.)

 Management  Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media  Office & administrative support

 Business & financial operations  Healthcare practitioners & technical  Farming, fishing, and forestry

 Computer & Mathematical  Healthcare support  Construction & extraction

 Architecture & engineering  Protective service  Installation, maintenance, & repair

 Life, physical, & social science  Food preparation & serving related  Production

 Community & social services  Building & grounds cleaning & maintenance  Transportation & material moving

 Legal  Personal care & service  Military specific

 Education, training, & library  Sales & related occupations  Other: _____________________

6. What is the farthest one-way distance anyone travels to their off-farm job? _______ miles

Section F— Use of Veterinarians

1. How many miles away is the nearest veterinarian that works with your type(s) of livestock?
(Check one only.)

 29 miles or less

 30 - 99 miles

 100 - 299 miles

 300 miles or more

 No veterinarian available for my type of livestock

2. Did you use a veterinarian for your livestock in the past 12 months? Yes No

If Item 2 = Yes, skip to Section G.

3. If you did not use a veterinarian, what were the reasons for not using a veterinarian?
(Check all that apply.)

 Too expensive

 No veterinarian available in my area, or veterinarian too far away

 I provide my own health care for my animals

 No disease or other need for veterinarian

 Other reasons (specify:_______________________________)

Section G—General Management

1. In the past 12 months, have you used non-traditional health services
for your livestock, such as holistic, natural or homeopathic treatments? Yes No

If yes, specify: __________________________________

2. In the past 12 months, did your livestock or poultry ever share
a pasture with livestock or poultry from other operations? Yes No N/A

3. Do you have a fence around the entire perimeter of your
livestock area that keeps out livestock from other operations? Yes No

If Item 3 = No, skip to Item 5.

4. Is there anywhere along this perimeter that your livestock has nose-to-nose
contact with the same-species of livestock from other operations? Yes No

5. If you had livestock on your operation you suspected of having
a foreign animal disease (a disease not known to be present
in the United States, such as foot-and-mouth disease), how
likely are you to directly contact the following resources? Extremely Extremely
Unlikely Likely

a. Extension agent/university 1 2 3 4 5

b. State Veterinarian’s office 1 2 3 4 5

c. U.S. Department of Agriculture 1 2 3 4 5

d. Private veterinarian 1 2 3 4 5

e. Other (specify: _____________________) 1 2 3 4 5

Section H—Federal Livestock Compensation

Both USDA and State Veterinarians are responsible for controlling a specific set of regulated diseases, such as tuberculosis. If a herd becomes infected and is removed and euthanized to prevent disease spread, Federal law provides compensation (indemnity) to the producer based upon “fair-market value” of the animals lost.

1. Have you previously heard of Federal compensation (indemnity)
as described above? Yes No

The remaining questions in this section ask for your opinion about how the Federal government should compensate farmers for animals removed or euthanized to prevent disease spread.

2. In your opinion, which of the following should be used to determine the fair-market value for
a production animal removed or euthanized to prevent the spread of a regulated disease?
(Check one only.)

 The market price of healthy young breeding replacement stock.

 The market price of healthy animals of similar age, weight, and
purpose on a similar farm.

 The current market price of the diseased animals.

For the next question, biosecurity is defined as “Management practices that reduce the chance that infectious disease will be carried onto the farm by animals or people.” Examples of these practices include: limiting new animal sources; isolating new animals for a period of time; testing new animals for disease; controlling fence-line contact with outside animals; and monitoring and controlling human and vehicle traffic on the farm.

3. Which of the following statements do you agree with more? (Check one only.)

 The government should take into account a livestock owner’s biosecurity practices
when determining compensation.

 The government should pay full compensation regardless of a livestock owner’s
biosecurity practices.

Section I—About you

1. Would it help your farm business if you had more information or training in the following areas?

a. Biosecurity Yes No D/K

b. Marketing of products Yes No D/K

c. Managing the business Yes No D/K

d. Hiring and managing labor Yes No D/K

e. Tax-related issues Yes No D/K

f. Animal health/diseases Yes No D/K

g. Government programs and regulations Yes No D/K

h. Rules governing interstate or international movement
of animals or products Yes No D/K

i. How to transfer the farm to the next generation Yes No D/K

j. Other areas (specify_________________________________) Yes No D/K

2. How would you prefer to receive training or additional information? (Check all that apply.)

 Through local extension office
 Presentation by expert
 Written publication
 Internet
 Other (specify: ____________________)

3. Please estimate how many hours per month you spend to comply
with local, State, or Federal health and environmental regulations? ________hrs/mo.

4. Which of the following best describes this farm? (Check one only -
These farm categories were developed by the USDA.)

 Limited resource farm (Farm sales less than $100,000 and household
income below the poverty level)

 Retirement farm (the principal operator is retired)

 Residential / lifestyle farm (the principal operator’s primary occupation
is something OTHER than farming)

 Farming occupation (farming is the principal operator’s primary
occupation)

 Other (Specify: _____________________________________)

5. Which of the following describes the age of the primary operator who is involved
with this operation’s day-to-day decisions?

 Less than 25 years old  45 to 64 years

 25 to 44 years  65 years old or more

a. Is this person male or female? Male Female

6. If another person is involved with the operation’s day-to-day decisions
which of the following describes the person’s age? (Leave blank if not applicable)

 Less than 25 years old  45 to 64 years

 25 to 44 years  65 years old or more

a. Is this person male or female? Male Female

Section J—Conclusion

Thank you for your time. Please write in today’s date and the time it took you to complete this survey. Return this Questionnaire in the enclosed envelope.

Date:________________ Time to Complete: _______________In minutes

OFFICE USE ONLY

Response		Respondent		Mode		Enum.	Eval.	Office Use for POID
1-Comp 2-R 3-Inac 4-Office Hold 5-R – Est 6-Inac – Est 7-Off Hold – Est 8-Known Zero	9901	1-Op/Mgr 2-Sp 3-Acct/Bkpr 4-Partner 9-Oth	9902	1-Mail 2-Tel 3-Face-to-Face 4-CATI 5-Web 6-e-mail 7-Fax 8-CAPI 19-Other	9903	098	100	789 __ __ __ - __ __ __ - __ __ __
								Optional Use
								407		408
S/E Name

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