Last week, we hosted the CEO of a restaurant chain who wanted to come out and learn more about how things work on a modern dairy farm. His eyes were opened to how much goes into making the milk and cheese that his business uses. One question that’s often on the minds of visitors is animal care. Now more than ever, people want to know that the animals who are the source of their food are treated well. 
At Majestic Crossing Dairy, I am ultimately responsible for the well-being of all the animals in our care. I’m also responsible for my employees’ safety. That means that every single month, I sit down with employees and discuss issues around safety and animal care. It never gets old, and it’s important to revisit these topics regularly. For example, we talk about how to safely approach an animal. Cows are large, but they can only see so far. It’s important to approach an animal in a certain way so as not to startle them, which keeps employees safe, too.
I’m not the only one making sure that my employees have all the knowledge they need to give our animals excellent care. We work closely with our nutritionists and veterinarians and also a third-party verification program, Validus, who help us ensure that our animal care procedures meet their high standards. We were a leader in that respect, and have been working with Validus for seven years now. There’s always more to learn, and ways to improve, and we keep at it because we know that giving our animals the best possible care is the right thing to do.
