NAHMS Nonambulatory Livestock Study
Reports and Information Sheets
- Help America's Livestock Industry: Participate in the National Nonambulatory Livestock Study (brochure, 2/05)
About this Study
The Nonambulatory Livestock study was a collaborative effort among the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) - Veterinary Services (VS), and livestock producers. The study provided the Nation's first statistically reliable estimates concerning the number of nonambulatory cattle, sheep, and goats in the United States. Questions on causes, handling, and management practices for nonambulatory equids were incorporated into the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Equine 2005 study.
In January 2004, NASS collected information at the National level on the number, distribution, and outcome of on-farm nonambulatory cattle and calves for 2003. This National data-collection effort was repeated for 2004 so that 2 years of data are available. Additionally, NASS collected National-level data on the number, distribution, and outcome of nonambulatory sheep and goats for 2004 and 2005.
The National nonambulatory cattle and calf data collected by NASS for 2003 provided vital input to the sampling plan for phase two of the on-farm assessment, which focused on nonambulatory dairy cattle and calves. In April 2005, NASS conducted an hour-long personal interview on a subsample of dairies to address the causes, handling and management practices for these animals. The Dairy On-farm Survey results will be published in peer-reviewed literature.