Both of our Animal Welfare Experts continue to evaluate our existing training programs, our on-boarding process for hiring new employees and the continuous education of employees.
Dr. Enid Mendoza, one of our two experts, is now in charge of the on-boarding of all employees, formal continuing education and on-the-job training focusing on animal welfare. She has enhanced these processes with more audio and visual materials to make them more robust. She has also already held one-on-one meetings with every employee to discuss animal welfare protocols, training enhancements, formal continuing education and job satisfaction. During those visits she had conversations with all employees to renew and resign their agreements of understanding our Animal Welfare Policies and also to pledge and sign our See It, Stop It agreements. These agreements state that if they witness or suspect animal abuse that they will call an anonymous reporting call-in number immediately. In addition to all of the above duties, Dr. Mendoza will randomly engage on a daily basis with employees working with animals to do informal, on-the-job training.
Enid will also work with Dr. Brandon Treichler, Select Milk Producers’ Animal Welfare and Quality Control Veterinarian, on both second and third-party audits on the farm.
In Enid’s words, “I grew up on a 180 cow dairy farm where my family still farms. It was there that I realized that I had a passion to take care of these beautiful animals and so dedicated myself to becoming a veterinarian specializing in dairy cattle. It is my calling to share my passion and I am very excited to be the Animal Welfare Expert here.”
Dr. Walt Guterbock is a renowned dairy veterinarian who has over 30 years of experience as a veterinarian. He has worked in private practice, taught at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and partnered in and managed dairy farms in Michigan and Oregon. Walt also served as Chairman of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.
