Animal Welfare

Best in Class Animal Welfare Practices

Threemile’s milk quality surpasses industry standards and keeps Oregon as one of the nation’s leaders in milk quality. There’s a reason for this, and it comes down to using the expertise of our team to sustain an ideal environment for how we care for our cows that prioritizes comfort, routine, and access to food and water at all times. Our partnership with the Tillamook County Creamy Association, providing them with ”extraordinary dairy,” has been a vital part of their uniquely Oregon success story.

We ensure a superior quality of life for each animal under our care as evidenced by the high marks given to our three-pronged Animal Welfare Program:

  1. Our Animal Welfare Committee is made up of team members who meet monthly to advance knowledge about animal welfare and share information broadly with others.
  2. Monthly visits by our Northwest university-based Animal Advocate Veterinarian for inspections, team member education, and the newest research and data insights helps us continuously improve our practices.
  3. Validus, an internationally recognized outside and independent animal welfare auditor, makes an annual visit to conduct a thorough inspection and present us with a report card. Threemile consistently achieves scores above 96% and was the first to receive a 100% on an independent animal welfare audit.
Employee-driven animal welfare team takes responsibility for knowledge and best practices of animal welfare. They then train their fellow team members to ensure the health, care, and comfort of every member of our herd.

Healthy Happy Cows: Getting it right from the start

We keep detailed records on every calf to monitor health, feeding regimens, and animal welfare. Our farm takes a proactive approach to keeping our calves healthy by anticipating and heading off problems. 

We take measures throughout the milking operation to reduce stress and anxiety for animals. For example, in the milking parlor, noise levels – particularly those created by humans – are kept at a minimal level, and human contact is minimized.

Herd Management

We use the latest animal identification technology, including electronic identification (EID) scanners and handheld computers. The use of the EID system allows our team to continuously improve record accuracy on each individual animal.

Our herd is born and raised right here on the farm. We raise our next generation of milking cows, and our animals never leave the farm. This controlled environment helps us ensure strong biosecurity, preventing the introduction of disease from the outside world and keeping our herd healthy.