Functional Quality Management Systems for Livestock Producers

Farm management and market access requirements are increasingly complex and livestock farmers often lack skills to develop and implement a management system that addresses these diverse needs. Three management tools were developed and delivered as part of this project. 1) Discussions with niche market pork producers and their supply chain partners indicated challenges in predicting supply. A pigflow spreadsheet that projects and tracks pig numbers from conception to slaughter was developed to provide better management planning for farmers and supply planning for their marketing partners. 2) A comprehensive quality management system (QMS) was developed and delivered to a group of 41 producers that must meet particular label claims for the pork they produce. 3) A simplified QMS tool was prepared and presented at Extension Field Specialists training with the expectation that they will use and train farmers to use it.

We are relatively early in the delivery process and feedback from farmers is limited. The QMS in #2 was delivered to a beta group of six farmers that recommended to the board that all 41 members participate. In #3, Dairy Field Specialists have developed a formal farm consultation format built on the simplified QMS and existing assessment tools. Farmers often are so busy with day-to-day production issues that they fail to plan and document management practices to improve returns and assure market access. The tools developed in this project provide farmers a way to grow into a proven systematic management system.

Contacts:
John Lawrence
468 Heady Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA, 50011-1070
jdlaw@iastate.edu
515-294-6290

John Mabry
109 Kildee Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA, 50011-3150
jmabry@iastate.edu
515-294-4103

Ray Hansen
ISU Value Added Agriculture Extension
1111C NSRIC
Ames, IA 50011
hansenr@iastate.edu
515-294-0648