Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #238866
Title: USDA/Regional Dairy Quality Management Alliance (RDQM) Project-2008 Report

Author
item SCHYUKKEN, YNTE - Cornell University
item Van Kessel, Jo Ann
item Karns, Jeffrey
item Cray, Paula
item WOLFGANG, DAVID - Pennsylvania State University
item WHITLOCK, ROBERT - University Of Pennsylvania
item SMITH, JULIE - University Of Vermont
item NELEN, KIMBERLY - Pennsylvania State University
item PRADHAN, ABANI - Cornell University

Submitted to: Technical Report
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/5/2008
Publication Date: 6/10/2008
Citation: Schyukken, Y., Van Kessel, J.S., Karns, J.S., Cray, P.J., Wolfgang, D., Whitlock, R., Smith, J., Nelen, K.A., Pradhan, A. 2008. USDA/Regional Dairy Quality Management Alliance (RDQM) Project-2008 Report. Technical Report.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Regional Dairy Quality Management Alliance (RDQMA) research project has been underway for four years. We have so far been able to study best management practices on three dairy farms in the Northeast. ON these farms very precise data are collected with regard to the health status of the animals and the quality of their milk and meat products. Since the beginning of the project, we have collected a wealth of information and are starting to see the benefits of this coordinated effort. Reading further through this news bulletin will provide you with a glimpse of the materials that are becoming available. The RDQMA research project has become a very serious research undertaking. One top of the funding that the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the USDA is providing, several projects have been added as offspring with leverage from the base funding. PhD students are now working in the area of paratuberculosis and listeriosis, while post-docs are working on molecular epidemiology of Escherichia coli infections and mathematical modeling of Salmonella infections and Mycobacterium avium sub sp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Several undergraduate students are working with us to collect data or to perform small projects with the data. However, none of these additional projects would have been possible without the initial project being in place. One of the objectives of the project is to track endemic disease dynamics on Northeast dairy herds with well-characterized animals and herd management practices. The main pathogens of interest are Mycobacterium avium sub sp. paratuberculosis, the causative agent of Johne’s Disease (JD) in cattle, and four foodborne pathogens: Salmonella spp. shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter spp.