Devoted to Cattle Well-being
We are passionate about animals and their well-being. The Science of Healthier Animals™ is the foundation of who we are as a company. That’s why we partnered with experts in the cattle industry to develop a range of programs and solutions that support the well-being of these animals.
Dairy Care365™
Each day, producers promote a culture of dairy care. In order to create helpful resources and tools for producers, we gathered input from veterinarians, university experts and dairy farmers to develop the Dairy Care365 program. Dairy Care365 provides a wealth of tools to complement what is already being done on the farm to enhance animal well-being.
“We have always placed a high priority on animal care, and I knew I wanted to use this program as soon as I heard about it,” said Patrick Christian, a producer who has implemented Dairy Care365 on his family’s 1,580-cow dairy in Mayville, Wisconsin. “It is a great initiative that encompasses all aspects of animal care.”
Dairy Care365 provides detailed instruction on all aspects of care, ranging from everyday activities like transporting cattle to the milk parlor, to how staff should respond to unexpected emergencies. The program includes tools for training and managing these standards and other practical resources.
“The Dairy Care tools are easy to use, of the right length and different enough to catch employees’ attention,” said Christian. “They are also great conversation starters and make you think about things that might otherwise be overlooked.”
CreatingConnections
Calm, trusting, cattle are easier to examine, diagnose, treat and move. To help handlers minimize herd stress and improve herd health, the CreatingConnections program shares real-world examples of cattle-handling techniques that are proven to help cattle remain calm, acclimate more quickly to new surroundings, and make them easier to handle. The program helps handlers recognize visual cues from their cattle and communicate with them through confident, effective movements, which results in a more positive experience for the cattle and builds trust.
The program features advice and strategies from well-known experts known for their work in low-stress cattle handling. Videos and education models demonstrate a variety of techniques that demonstrate how handlers can effectively move, load and transport cattle in a way that aligns with their natural behaviors and instincts.
Responsible Beef
Producing safe, responsible beef is a priority for cattle producers. The Responsible Beef website supports this priority by providing best practices on critical areas, such as animal handling, feed yard management, herd health and reproductive health. Through feature stories, producers share what they are doing to improve animal well-being in their own operations.
For example, Anne Burkholder, former owner of Will Feed, Inc., in Cozad, Nebraska, created a low-stress environment in her feed yard and sought out partnerships with others who shared her standards. “I was looking for people who cared about their animals and how their animals performed, so we could work as a team to get better,” Burkholder said. “I looked for high quality calves in terms of genetics, but I also looked for calves that had high quality care.”
Our Continued Commitment
Our commitment is unwavering, and we will continue to apply every ounce of our experience, resources and pioneering spirit towards improving the health and well-being of cattle.