Abstract
Reproductive efficiency is a major driver of profitability in cow-calf herds, yet many beef producers do not hire veterinarians to perform services intended to improve reproductive efficiency such as bull breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) or pregnancy diagnosis. The objective of this study was to determine reasons Mississippi cow-calf producers do or do not hire veterinarians to perform these services. Anonymous surveys were mailed to 1,500 randomly selected members of the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test respondent characteristics for association with outcome variables (e.g., respondents hire a veterinarian for BSEs and/or pregnancy diagnosis). Of 414 returned surveys, 397 (96%) qualified for analysis for an overall response rate of 26%. Of respondents that answered the respective questions, 155/386 (40%) hire a veterinarian for BSEs, and 103/392 (26%) hire a veterinarian for pregnancy diagnosis. Of 396 respondents, 229 (58%) indicated they had some form of a defined breeding season. The most common reasons for not hiring a veterinarian were lack of time/help (82/202, 41%) for BSEs and cost (91/248, 37%) for pregnancy diagnosis. On inferential analysis, the factors positively associated with hiring a veterinarian for BSEs were having a defined breeding season (OR = 6.8, 95% C.I. = 4.1-11.1) and raising seedstock cattle (OR = 1.7, 95%C.I. = 1.0-13.3). The only factor positively associated with hiring a veterinarian for pregnancy diagnosis was having a defined breeding season (OR = 4.2, 95%C.I. = 2.5-7.3). Management style and operation type influenced producers hiring a veterinarian for BSEs and pregnancy diagnosis.
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