March 27, 2023

US dairy sector's NCDHIP boasts a century of herd data collection

The US dairy industry has been operating a comprehensive data collection programme for the past 100 years called the National Cooperative Dairy Herd Improvement Programme (NCDHIP), which records herd production information from farmers nationwide, Phys.org reported.

The programme has been instrumental in providing crucial input for cattle breeding and genetics. Its cooperative structure ensures benefits for producers and scientists. A new study from the University of Illinois has explored the history of the programme and highlighted its relevance for modern agriculture and digital data collection.

Jared Hutchins, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois and lead author of the study, said the NCDHIP is an interesting case study that illustrates how data collection can benefit all dairy producers, and how it can serve as inspiration for other agricultural sectors.

The data collection programme was initiated in response to a new innovation in the dairy market - the Babcock test, introduced in 1890, which provided a way to measure the butterfat composition of milk. With the collection of herd production data, it became possible to evaluate which bulls sired the highest-producing cows, information that could only be obtained by aggregate results across farms. USDA scientists began using the data to publish bull evaluation lists, which dairy farmers could consult for breeding decisions.

The NCDHIP facilitates nationwide data collection through local Dairy Herd Improvement Associations (DHIAs). The programme employs universal data standards that allow data across platforms to work with each other, ensuring data interoperability. The cooperative data governance model gives producers control over how their data are used and processed, making it unique and successful in the agricultural sector.

Hutchins said that even with the proliferation of large farms in recent years, the NCDHIP  programme continues to be popular with producers. There are three key aspects that make the NCDHIP so successful - private benefits to producers, data interoperability, and a cooperative data governance model.

He said they wanted to show the dairy sector was able to leverage their data revolution in a way that benefited all dairy farmers.

-      Phys.org