In the pursuit of peak performance

Farmers are cultivators of land, caretakers of animals and producers of food for our communities. We take great pride in the legacy that has led us to where we are today. The foundation our ancestors laid has helped to build a dairy industry that is now the most efficient globally. We continue that tradition by constantly striving for improvement — continuing to learn new skills, develop new ideas and disseminate new information in the industry. The complex culmination of all our focus, effort and knowledge always returns to the basic theme of the dairy farm: cows need to eat, milk, socialize and be comfortable.

At first glance, most would consider a cow a simple mammal. Even though less than 2% of the U.S. population is involved in dairy and ranch operations, “cow” is commonly one of the first nouns taught to children, along with cat, dog, horse, and sheep. However, our dairy legacy has also passed down the knowledge that cows are more than just simple farm animals — rather we akin cows to professional athletes. Metabolically and physically, what cows can do is more along the lines of Jim Thorpe, Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Keeping them performing at an elite level is an area of immense interest and investment, which we are constantly pursuing.

For any athlete, nutrition is critical to performance and success. Dialing in nutrition down to the individual essential amino acid, fatty acid and micronutrient profile is more than what the majority of Americans do for their health. Like human professional athletes, millions are invested in facilities that maintain the optimal climate year-round for maximum performance, production, health and comfort.

In addition, an entirely new sector of the dairy industry has emerged to take the basics our ancestors taught us to new heights. Data-driven dairy decisions are emerging as a pivotal point for the industry. Dairy technology is enabling us to ask questions and learn information that we previously were unable to do. Cows are now monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by things such as individual sensors on collars, ear tags or internal boluses, and also cameras that utilize advanced technology like facial recognition in our facilities. We can now monitor and quantify with data a large volume of very specific aspects of feed intake, reproduction, production, socialization, body condition, health and locomotion. When these major sectors of the dairy are dialed in and operating at peak performance, we are now further using data to explore questions about advanced limits to the performance of our bovine athletes.

Being a dairy veterinarian and dairy farmer is a physically demanding job. I’m sure many of us can recall veterinarians who have sore shoulders, knees and backs. Be it from overuse, repetition — such as the repetition of pregnancy checking or syringe squeezing, a run-in with a wild bovine or a freak accident, we veterinarians also need some maintenance to perform at optimal levels.

In Megan’s case, it’s regular visits to the chiropractor. Throughout her years as a veterinarian, chiropractic care has not only kept her working but also alleviated and healed any injuries that have occurred.

It was the combination of our personal experience of chiropractic, our bovine athletic performance mindset, and on-farm data collection that encouraged Megan to attend Options for Animals: College of Animal Chiropractic to learn about applying chiropractic therapy for our dairy cows. Chiropractic care has emerged as a common critical component of care for elite human athletes. Sports teams such as the Minnesota Twins and Vikings even have chiropractors on staff to support athletes. Chiropractic care in the dairy industry has been increasing in the last decade, and, as with any new skill, we are now exploring how to apply it within our specific dairy. In our next article, we will share more about the chiropractic care of our cows and how we’re using it to maintain our cow athletes, maximize their performance and continue our family’s dairy legacy in this new era.

Megan Schrupp and Ellen Stenger are sisters and co-owners of both NexGen Dairy and NexGen Market in Eden Valley, Minnesota. They can be reached at [email protected].