Should your operation have an animal care agreement?
Did you know that the average dairy person works 60+ hours per week? If you are a producer, I’m sure you’re sitting there giggling knowing it's actually more than that, but if you’re not, that number is probably pretty mind blowing.
The amount of time and attention it takes to be a quality dairy farmer is astounding, and a true commitment that can only be found through passion. A passion that drives you to wake up before the sun each and every day to do your best at being the best dairy farmer you can be. We have so many responsibilities, it can be hard to wear all of the hats even when they are all so important.
So the first time we went camping in a new to us pop-up camper (many, many moons ago) we were so excited! We were headed about two hours away, to a concert with some of our friends. We chattered the whole way about the bands we would watch, so thankful that we had a little camper that we could come back to, to escape the late July summer heat. It was going to be THE BEST WEEKEND EVER.
We got to the park that was hosting the weekend-long concert, found the perfect spot to park, and got out to unhook and begin setting up our perfect retreat. As we were cranking on it, to pop up the top of the camper, it came time to unlock the door so that we could unlatch it and get everything connected properly, at that moment we looked at each other and realized neither one of us had grabbed the keys.
Talk about instant deflation, y’all… Here we were in late July with temperatures touching three digits, two hours from home, and what we thought was no way to access our little abode.
Thankfully we finally realized that we could get inside, all we had to do was crawl over the side then reattach the liners. Inconvenient as it was, and as funny as we looked, success was ours!
There are many things in life, that try as you may, you will never be fully prepared for like:
Paying bills on your own for the first time
Having your first baby
Death of a family member
Catastrophic weather events
That first buck off a horse
And so many more than can be mentioned
Doing your best to be prepared for something you have never experienced can only get you so far, there are just some things you will never know until you have been there and done that.
That’s where having things on file to protect your operation such as Animal Care Agreements come into play.
An Animal Care Agreement is made between an operation and their employees, or outsourced management companies like heifer producers, that states that we all agree to hold a certain standard of ethics when it comes to providing for and caring for the animals that we are all so passionate about.
What good does it do for your operation if the people who are helping you care for your animals don't have the same respect for them as you have? None.
But can an Animal Care Agreement actually protect me?
Well, that’s kind of a tough answer, yes and no.
An Animal Care Agreement is a public declaration between you and the second party that you both agree to treat the animals in a humane and kind way. If the second party violates this your reserve the right to prosecute them as the responsible party for the misdoings. So yes, it does protect you, and gives you the ability to press charges should someone violate the agreement in a fashion that is detrimental to your business.
But, no, it does not protect you.
Because most of the time, when situations arise it is because someone from outside of your organization has come in undercover, posing as an employee, with the purpose to create undesirable situations that can be documented and sensationalized.
On many known occasions, these activists have been caught (in their own recordings mind you) goading the employees to do something they otherwise would not have done, or projecting something in an unflattering light that is a typical event in a farm atmosphere (i.e. euthanasia, dead disposals, etc.). But I know you all don’t need me to go into details about those events.
Typically, by the time these criminal recordings are exposed, they are nearly impossible to real back in.
BUT, what you can have on your side to help you, if this were to happen, and explain to the public this is not how your farm operates on a standard basis are things like
Your operations preventative management documents (i.e. Animal Care Agreements etc.)
Your state agriculture agencies and associations
Your dairy coops
Having the proper training documented, and contractual agreements is your best way to make sure that everyone who works with and for you is on the same page and held to a certain level of accountability. Just like you have to do routine preventative maintenance on the physical side of your operation, you also have to do it on the reputation management side of things.
When should I do these things?
Every new hire should go through formal animal care training that is documented and signed by them, you should also have the animal care agreements as a part of your new hire documents, right alongside the W2 and insurance paperwork. It should be second nature in your company as a part of the culture. Then a suggestion of once a year having a refresher course for every employee on animal care.
Even when you try to be fully prepared, there will always be something that you forget or weren’t aware of. That is where experience becomes your friend. The whole goal in life is to become a little bit better every time you do something and let me tell you, to date, we have never forgotten our camper keys again.
If you don’t have Animal Care Agreements on hand, you can find one for free here that has been legally vetted along with many great training materials on the topic in both Spanish and English CLICK HERE.
Share this article with all of your fellow producers to help them learn more about what taking these simple precautions can mean for their operations.
Cheers,
TJ & Aly McClure
