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Boots and Gloves Required:
Adherence to bio-security measures bring peace of mind to DFA member farm in Wisconsin
 "Wearing gloves is just a part of the operation and it's worth the extra expense." -Sue Langer |
Visitors to Langer Dairy in DeForest, Wisconsin, are greeted with a friendly reminder to cover their shoes with plastic boots. Everyone, from the milk hauler to the veterinarian, and even preschoolers who tour the farm, are required to pull on the protective shoe wear or sanitize their rubber boots as they enter the farm.
The dairy’s owners, Sue and Randy Langer, strongly believe in protecting their cows, employees and farm, which is why they take numerous bio-security precautions.
“Our main concern is preventing infectious diseases from being transferred to our farm,” Sue says. “Visitors often have to be reminded of our rules and to put on the plastic boots, but our efforts have paid off. We haven’t had to deal with any contamination issues on our dairy for the last seven years.”
Sue explains that some diseases are spread by clothing and boots or carried on a person’s body. Diseases also can be spread by animals other than cattle; and this is why the Langers monitor who is on their farm and the use of their equipment — to prevent both accidental and intentional contamination.
Preventing contamination
Bright mySecurity signs provided by Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. indicate restricted access areas and are strategically posted on entrances to the Langers’ milking parlor and barns advising visitors to contact a farm manager. It is important visitors check in before touring a farm because it allows the farm manager to keep track of who is on the farm at all times and prevents visitors from inadvertently going into restricted areas without plastic boots or sanitizing
their shoes.
In addition to posting the signs, the Langers also display DFA’s Guide to Farm Bio-security wall chart on their farm so that all employees have easy access to basic information on how to keep the food supply safe.
“We encourage all of our members to take advantage of the bio-security materials provided by DFA,” says Jim Carroll, DFA vice president, quality assurance and regulatory affairs. “I commend the Langers for their efforts in preventing the spread of disease. In addition to limiting infectious diseases, these practices aid in the production of high
quality milk.”
Besides insisting visitors wear protective footware, the Langers also have their employees wear rubber gloves during milking and when conducting milk tests. Boxes of rubber gloves are strategically placed in the parlor, and wearing them is enforced.
“We always wear rubber gloves,” Sue explains, “especially when milking. We are very fussy about how we prep our cows for milking. We do not want to transfer contaminants from cow to cow or to our milking equipment. We also wear gloves when conducting milk tests; this decreases the chances that something on our hands will affect the test. Wearing gloves is just a part of the operation and it’s worth the extra expense.”