herd testing in the us and the role of qc– sievert 2010 steven j. sievert technical director,...

HERD TESTING IN THE US AND THE ROLE OF QC– SIEVERT 2010

Herd Testing in United States and the Role of Quality Certification

Steven J. SievertTechnical Director, National DHIA/DHIA Services

Manager, Quality Certification Services Inc.

HERD TESTING IN THE US AND THE ROLE OF QC– SIEVERT 2010 2

Overview of Herd Testing in the U.S.

Meter Center

Field Service

Provider

Dairy Farm AIPLDRPC

Laboratory

Consultants, Vets & Nutritionists

AI Organizations

BreedAssociations

Interbull

HERD TESTING IN THE US AND THE ROLE OF QC– SIEVERT 2010Sievert, 2008 ICAR, DHI Manager’s Session, 11

Quality Certification in the United States Program is user-driven

Guidelines developed by service providers Review and recommendation by Audit Review

Committee Approval by Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (Records

Providers, Breed Associations and A.I. Organizations)

Administered by Quality Certification Services, Inc. Specific auditors for each service area Serve as compliance auditor and educational resource


Quality Certification in the United States Two views on the certification process…

Certification is a business requirement Certification is an asset to our business The difference is subtle and rooted in leadership and/or

management at the provider level

Our Mission

Provide a reliable source of information to people interested in the U.S. dairy records industry


Scope of QCS 27 Field Service affiliates working with:

3,007 Field Technicians (including 284 Dependent Service Providers)

47 Meter Centers and 89 Meter Technicians103,165 Certified Portable Meters

66,127 Certified Electronic Meters

47 Laboratories analyzing an average of 4.73 million milk samples monthly

4 Dairy Records Processing Centers processing cow data QCS interaction with CDCB, ARC, FSAC, LAC, ICAR, AIPL, NAAB, PDCA, USAHA, and industry partners.


Assuring Data Accuracy is the Role of QCS

Meter Center

Field Service

Provider

Dairy Farm AIPLDRPC

Laboratory

Consultants, Vets & Nutritionists

AI Organizations

BreedAssociations

Interbull


Is There a Difference between Certified Providers? No….

All certified providers meet the minimum standards or guidelines for their service area

Assurance of the accuracy of data throughout the system

And Yes… Providers operate in a competitive marketplace Invest in employees Offer service-driven programs and services Exceed the minimum standards in each compliance area Market their people and organization effectively


Who are the Field Service Providers?


Wide range of ownership or management• Private testing businesses• Federated associations• Vertically integrated organizations• Non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses

Working with 3,007 Field Technicians• Employee Field Technicians• Employees of County Testing Organizations• Independent Milk Testers/Testing Organizations

27 Field Service Providers serving the U.S.


Certified Field Service Affiliates


Snapshot of the U.S. Milk Recording Providers

All DHI Providers

Working with… 4.4 million cows in 23,005 herds

10,412 to 784,214 cows

8 to 4,425 herds

3,007 field technicians

103,165 portable meters

66,127 electronic meters

Top Quartile (n=7)

Working with… Herds of all sizes/all geographic locations

110,000 to 559,685 cows

145 to 4,425 herds

15 to 196 technicians

930 to 10,814 portable meters

72 to 3,987 electronic meters


Certification of Field Service Providers Guidelines developed by DHI Managers Certification program administered by QCS

Annual Certification – alternating on- and off-site Education resource for all providers

Annual Certification

Initial Training of Field Techs

Continuing Education

Of Field Technicians

Calibration of

Portable Meters

Calibration of Electronic

Meters

Calibration of

Scales

Comparison of Test Day andMilk Shipped

Data

Verification of Member Service

Agreements


QC – It starts at the dairy Member Service Agreements

• Education of dairymen with respect to Code of Ethics, Release and Use of Records, and Uniform Operating Procedures

• Includes Herd Code, Owner, Date and Signatures from Dairy and Field Service Affiliate

• Every dairy needs to have one on file to submit data to the GEP (AIPL) – receive young sire incentives, animal PTA’s, breed recognition programs


QC – It starts at the dairy Monitoring Test Day/Milk Shipped

Deviations

◦ Average test day weight is 103% of bulk tank

◦ Investigate if <96% or >110%◦ Common sources of variation

include Hospital milk not in bulk tank Large calf milk usage Irregular milk pickups by plant Two herds (herd codes) in one bulk tank

◦ Sales and Service Opportunity?Yes!

90 95 100 105 110 115


QC – It starts at the dairy Performance of Electronic Milk Meters

◦Must be ICAR approved model (i.e. Boumatic Perfection)

◦Annual evaluation by: Water Calibration Test Parlor Performance Report

EMMR from PC Dart Parlor Report from Dairy Comp 305 Metatron Report from DairyPlan (GEA)

◦Need to identify the make, model & number


QC – Electronic Meter Monitoring

<< PRE CALIBRATION

POST >> CALIBRATION


Is There is Difference? Electronic Meter CalibrationThe Minimum Standard…

Annual calibration or statistical review of each electronic meter

The Goal…

Ensure that accurate data is being sent to the dairy records processing center from dairies using daily meters

The Top Quartile…

Calibration of meters one to twelve (monthly) times per year

Going the extra mile…

Meters are periodically out of spec

Sales and service opportunity for provider

Maximizing the performance of the dairy’s investment


QC – The Field Technician’s Role Annual Continuing Education Requirement

Calibrate your Portable Meters Annually

Proper Sample Collection and Handling

Support for Field Service Affiliate◦ Conduit from the dairy to field service affiliate◦ Collection of MSA, EMM, BT documentation◦ Ensure dairy gets value from records


Is There is Difference? Field Technician TrainingThe Minimum Standard…

On-farm training with 3 herds

The Goal…

Provide new technicians with hands-on training of meters, sampling and data entry/handling

The Top Quartile…

On-farm training with 7-20 herds


Technicians are ‘farm-ready’ and exposed to a variety of milking systems and designs

Meet the expectations of today’s dairies


Is There is Difference? Field Technician TrainingThe Minimum Standard…

Annual continuing education meeting for all technicians

The Goal…

Educational forum for updates to policies, procedures, and technology changes

The Top Quartile…

Field technician training 2x to 12x per year


Employees are part of team and provided with tools for success

Balanced approach of training, support, and marketing

The field force is the ‘front line’ of sales


Complaints from Dairyman Field Technician does not show up on time Field Technician appearance/behavior is not professional Meters do not operate properly Meters are dirty Meters are old (or appear to be old) Field Technician is not mixing samples properly Sample ID accuracy Data entry errors/handling Data turn-around time

Bottom Line – the little things matter…


What are the Meter Centers?


QCS - the Meter Center role

Calibrates the portable meters used in the field using approved procedures

Maintenance and repair of meters

Continued training of meter technicians

Timely reporting of calibration results to Field Service Affiliate


Calibration of Meters a Priority45 Certified Meter Centers in the U.S.A.89 Certified Meter TechniciansMeters must be calibrated every 12 months (not 14)Uniform Calibration and Performance Guidelines

Meter Center Audits• Every 2 Years• Portable & Stationary

Calibration Centers

Meter Technician Audits• Every 2 Years• Maintenance/Calibration

Meter Technician Training• Required Every 5 Years• Manufacturer Supported


Certified Meter Centers


Is There is Difference? Portable Meter CalibrationThe Minimum Standard…

Calibrate each portable meter annually at a certified meter center

The Goal…

Ensure that each meter is calibrated and providing accurate estimate of milk production

The Top Quartile…

Calibration of meters one to four times each year


Meters are ‘in-service’ 300 to 400 hours per month

Identified the need to inspect/repair/calibrate these meters more frequent basis

The ‘oil change’ theory


The Responsibility of Laboratories


47 DHI Laboratories in the U.S. and Mexico

Varying business structuresCounty DHI laboratoriesPrivately held laboratoriesLabs operating as part of integrated field service provider

Offering varying servicesDHI component testing onlyAnalysis of DHI and payment samplesMUN testing (31 labs)ELISA testing of milk samples (11 labs)PCR and/or Microbiology services


47 DHI Laboratories in the U.S. and Mexico

Sample analysis includes4.73 million milk samples monthly (2-year mean)Smallest lab analyzes 8,000 samples per monthLargest lab analyzes 464,000 samples per month

Two Components of Certification

Biennial On-Site Audit

Monthly SamplesUnknown Analysis


Certified Laboratories


Samples Unknown LabCertification Report

Lab within Guidelines


Samples Unknown LabCertification Report

Lab out of Compliance


Samples Unknown LabComparison Report

Allows a lab to compare their lab with other program participants Only know their identity – do not know who the other labs are Identify trends, see all the instruments at once Marketing tool?


ELISA Proficiency – Certification Report


Shows performance of all participating laboratories Only know your performance -

ELISA Proficiency – Comparison Report

TEXASDHIA


Dairy Records Processing Centers (DRPC)


Four Records Processing Centers in the U.S.Process monthly DHI data for herds on both Official and Management ProgramsProvide technical training for field service providers and field technicians

Two Components

of Certification

Annual Off-Site Audit

Monthly Test Herd

Processing

Handling the Data


Dairy Records Processing Centers


The difference is the management team– not the program

The QC program is the fundamental basis Independent (3rd party) audit of compliance Provides the (part of the) framework for the field service

activities of recording providers Resource for the recording provider

The management team … Recognizes the importance of compliance areas Integrates QC into day-to-day service activities Invests time and capital in people and programs Markets and positions their organization


QC – Everyone’s responsibility

Accuracy and reliability of data

Levels the playing field for all providers

Independent of size, structure or geographic location

Dairies, Studs, Breed Associations, etc. all trust us to do the job

right

Quality data at the dairy level to make educated management

decisions


A simple, yet vital mission….

Providing a reliable source of information to people interested in the U.S. dairy records industry.

Quality Certification Services Inc.

•Performance & Quality Standards

•Compliance Auditing of Providers

•Education, Training, & Development

herd testing in the us and the role of qc– sievert 2010 steven j. sievert technical director,...

Documents

role of qc sievert

field service providers

overview of herd testing

dairy records industry

educational resource

field service affiliates

service providers review

dependent service providers