The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

DFC first contracted Holstein Canada in October 2016, and since then, Holstein Canada has been providing excellent cattle assessment services via their professional team of Assessors and Classifiers.

Cattle assessments are an important proAction requirement, involving an evaluation of a sample of cattle on every farm for body condition, hock, knee, neck and mobility scores. The resulting reports indicate where a farm is scoring well and where a farm may have an opportunity for improvement. The reports enable farms to track their progress and strive for excellence over time.

Highlights:

• Prices for standard cattle assessments will remain the same, at $125 herd visit fee and $7/animal assessed.
• Other specialty services include service in 6-months, 4-months or 30-days (with an applicable service fee).
• HC and DFC have made other improvements to the contract in areas such as assessor consistency and streamlining processes.

Cattle assessments provide important indicators of cow comfort, while also offering assurance to consumers and customers that farmers prioritize animal care. Every step farmers take under proAction is a step towards dairy excellence. Canadian dairy farmers produce some of the best milk in the world and our stringent standards are reflected in the consumer-facing Blue Cow logo. Partnering with DFC for cattle assessment services helps us maintain trust and transparency, and we look forward to continuing to work together.

For more information and resources on cattle assessments, as well as preventive and corrective action ideas, please click here.