** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** DAIRY IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC DRIVERS OF PUERTO RICO'S (PR) AGRICULTURE. WHILE DAIRY FARMS ARE DOCUMENTED TO BE RESERVOIRS FOR ANTIMICROBIAL-RESISTANT (AMR) MICROORGANISMS IN OTHER GLOBAL STUDIES, THERE HAS BEEN NO SYSTEMATIC EFFORT TO ANALYZE THE ISSUE ON THE ISLAND. ANECDOTALLY, FARMERS IN PUERTO RICO COMMONLY SELF-ADMINISTER ANTIBIOTICS TO THEIR ANIMALS TO TREAT DISEASES SUCH AS MASTITIS AND OFTEN ARE NOT RECEIVING ADVICE FROM VETERINARIANS OR COUNTY EXTENSION AGENTS CONCERNING BEST PRACTICES. IN THIS PROPOSAL, WE WILL QUANTIFY THE PREVALENCE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AND STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS, THE BACTERIA MOST COMMONLY CAUSING MASTITIS IN DAIRY COWS, ON 20 FARMS ACROSS PR. WE WILL ALSO COLLECT DATA THAT ARE MARKERS OF MILK QUALITY AND HYGIENE. WE WILL INCORPORATE 16 UNDERGRADUATES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO ARICEBO INTO THIS RESEARCH, AND DELIVER CAREER SEMINARS THAT WE ANTICIPATE WILL LIFT UP FUTURE LEADERS IN THE AMR FIELD. DATA COLLECTED WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP EXTENSION SEMINARS TO COMMUNICATE TO PR DAIRY FARMERS THE RISK OF AMR, AND LOW COST, LOW BARRIER SOLUTIONS THEY CAN IMPLEMENT THAT WILL ADDITIONALLY IMPROVE MILK QUALITY.