DAIRY APHIN - AN INFORMATION-SERVICE FOR THE DAIRY-INDUSTRY IN PRINCE-EDWARD-ISLAND, CANADA

A computerized health and production information network (APHIN: Animal Productivity and Health Information Network) was developed in Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) to serve the livestock industries. The dairy portion of the network is designed primarily to aid in the reduction of the unit cost of production in dairy herds through the routine monitoring of key parameters. The network also supports the distribution of detailed data for more intensive investigation of specific problems. The network consists of microcomputers in various locations in the province plus a central database housed at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of P.E.I. Computerized data from three sources are shipped to the central database on a monthly basis, analyzed and summarized. This summarized information is then distributed to veterinarians and dairy extension specialists who convert it into graphs of performance for presentation to dairy producers.