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Threemile Canyon Farms has been producing high quality milk products for more than 20 years. While much about our operation has changed during that time, one principle has remained a steadfast priority: animal welfare.

We are working just as hard today as we did two decades ago to find new and innovative ways to manage our herd, and it all comes down to a culture of animal advocacy among the people who work at Threemile and manage the cows each day.

Dedicated, educated team members are at the core of every aspect of animal care on the farm. In 2018, those efforts took a step up when we established the Threemile Canyon Farms Animal Welfare Committee to empower, inform and teach our team about safe and responsible animal management practices while also creating a space to ask peers questions.

The committee gathers monthly for discussions, joined by Dr. Mike Paros, our independent animal welfare advocate, and on-staff vets who share their knowledge with other committee members.

Managers from each department select two team members to attend these meetings to gain information and share with other team members in their areas. On average, 25 team members attend these monthly meetings.

Along with monthly meetings, each department holds short weekly meetings to ask questions, share successes and discuss areas for improvement.

“We can always do better; we are learning new things but there is always room to improve,” said Jeff Wendler, Director of Livestock Operations. “We had a good animal welfare program years ago, but it is now even better.”

Members of the Animal Welfare Committee are asked to commit for a year, but oftentimes they stay on longer. Committee membership is a point of pride for our team members and the monthly meetings are highly anticipated learning opportunities.  

Rain, sleet or shine, our team members are giving the greatest level of care to our cows. We are thankful for their dedication and commitment to working together every day to be the best animal caregivers they can be.