We're just over 6 weeks into a new semester and this week, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my summer with Merck. My fellow interns had the chance to see what my summer entailed, but I thought I'd take a moment to review some of the research that I worked on.
As with anything I do, there were some learning moments involved, and I have to make an analogy to illustrate my point. So, let's head to the cattle lot and go round up some calves with Gus, my cowdog.
Gus LOVES to work. In fact, he loves to work so much that he overworks, and we must have a little chat. But he can work cattle and sheep and he covers a lot more territory than what I can. He abides by four basic commands: away, walkup, comebye and there.
Now, I have a much different view of him from atop my horse or on the next hill over. I may not be able to see him at all times, but I can see how and where the cattle are moving, and I know darn well that he's right behind them, making big laps to keep them all in line. I have a bigger view, or picture than what Gus does.
In order to get Gus moving, we have to give him a command. The pen we are in determines the command we use to start the process of moving cattle or sheep. More than likely, we use a “comebye” or an “away.” An “away” signals Gus to make a counterclockwise circle around the cattle, bringing them in towards me, the handler. A “comeby” sends him in a clockwise circle around the livestock. A “walkup” tells him to put more pressure on the livestock, even nipping at them sometimes. A firm “there” will make him stop and sit down.
When I came to Merck at the start of the summer, I was off and running (much like Gus) and I immediately had to start looking at things with a bigger mindset and challenging the “what if?” question. Dr. Baysinger started me in on some research projects, learning about mass depopulation methods in swine (which, for this beef gal, was a shock to the system). From there, I read some case studies, attended an aquaculture conference where I learned that fish were kept in these large “PENS” and that up in the fjords of Norway, they transport fish either on a truck with a big water tank on the back OR they flush fish down this 2 km pipe. Personally, I would like to know what the reactions of people were when whoever developed that concept started sharing with people the “new” industry standard of flushing fish.
Anyway – each of these projects Dr. Baysinger had me start in on continued to show me that she, as well as many other people at Merck, are concerned about the big picture and are working to combat issues that will impact animal agriculture environmentally, politically, and most importantly, economically in future generations.
I spent the majority of my summer working in welfare and sustainability, attending meetings in swine facilities learning about tracking animal health through technology. I spent a day sorting pigs in north central Iowa. For a gal who was around pigs until she was five, this was a major learning curve. As you can probably imagine, pigs are not like cattle. If one goes through the gate, the next will not follow like a group of cows would. My patience was tested – but it was a good learning curve.
Another project Dr. Baysinger started me in on was researching corporate responsibilities of companies across the food chain. As I started getting deeper into my research, I was intrigued at the information that was provided, and my capstone project was born. At this point, if I were Gus, I’d be on a walk-up command. This command indicates to Gus that he needs to walk up to the cattle, and he may even nip at them to get them moving. Dr. Baysinger had given me the “walk up” command to investigate on this project, and it had a good effect because I got more interested in it.
During my research, I found several key ideas and goals that were shared across the 60+ companies.
Environment: Water preservation, reduce electricity use intensity, reduce natural gas intensity, zero waste-to-landfill policies
Animal Welfare: Participation in third-party audits, BQA certification, BQA Transportation certification, PQA+ certification, nutrition, conscious antibiotic use
Food Claims: Build a quality food safety culture and programs, meet and ensure all analysis results show levels well below limits set by the Food Safety Administration, be a trusted company by meeting expectations of our customers and consumers, employing a quality assurance team
Calving season is my favorite time of year at Mosher Angus. I love to come home on weekends and check cows, taking care of newborns, and when May rolls around, helping at the working chute when we start vaccinating calves and sending them to grass. As beef producers, we give vaccinations because we care about the welfare of the animal – we are preventing pinkeye, blackleg, and coccidiosis, which in turn helps the welfare of the animal and saves us resources, making these practices sustainable, too.
In the midst of my research, I spent several days in Kansas becoming a certified feedlot welfare auditor. I learned about new industry standards and how they may affect producers that feed out 50 head or 50,000 head. Of course, regulations came up in conversations, and I was reminded that every vaccine is standard, but the individual who picks it up won't use it in a standardized way. Sustainability doesn't mean the same thing to everyone and a standardized way of thinking about it isn't going to be the solution.
So let’s go back to Gus for a minute. At this point, we’ve given him an “AWAY” command and he’s gone around the cattle. We’ve also given him a walk-up, making some cattle or sheep moving faster than others, but overall keeping the cattle moving forward. Now, he’s missed a few in the corner of the pen. We may give him a “COMEBYE” or even an “OUT” to move the cattle in a bigger pattern around the livestock. So let’s take our thinking to a different level.
We’ve had the discussion several times over the dinner table whether we are beef producers first or cattle producers first. A cow/calf guy is concerned about making good cattle, while a feedyard is concerned about making a good quality steak. As I’ve continued my journey with Merck, I’ve come to realize that Merck is focused on both the beef producer and the cattle producer.
Beef Producer: Merck takes a front on national and global issues. They have a seat at multiple tables and are fighting the fight to make changes in the ag industry that is fair for producers.
Cattle Producer: Merck is also the cattle producer. They’ve set a unique product portfolio that contains quality products and work with producers and customers to ensure their animals are in top health.
Whether you’re on the beef or cattle producer side, we’re all rooting for sustainability and welfare. And we’ve got a job to do to share that we’re being sustainable and focused on welfare.
Now, I can stand here and give you the whole pep talk about “sharing your story” and tell you that being part of a percentage of people making food isn’t going to ever get any easier. And you may ask “how are we going to continue to do what we love?” I can give you the general answer of “be an advocate” or “post on social media.” We are fighting a battle of trust and the question then becomes “how do we gain that in an ever-evolving world?” But that gets us into the weeds, and that’s not the point today.
As I was writing this presentation this summer, I thought the issue was trust. My advice to you was going to come straight from an article in Psychology Today that said in order to gain trust, we have to say what we mean and mean what we say, be vulnerable, remember the role of respect in a conversation, and to take a risk by expressing your emotions. But as I sat there while jotting down all my thoughts, I remembered the theme of the entire summer and I had to say to myself, “LAUREN, LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE.”
The last big command we use with working dogs is a strong “THERE.” This tells the dog to stop and sit down. From there, you can give him a “THAT’LL DO” and he’ll go to the truck, or he will be waiting for another command.
At this point in my Merck experience, I’m at a “THERE” command. Spending a summer with Merck has helped me continue to expand my knowledge of production agriculture and reminded me to look at the bigger picture. I hope that I’ve benefitted Merck by providing an idea of what’s happening on the sustainability and welfare front in regard to competition and other food animal companies across the food chain.
I’d like to circle back to Gus one more time. Although Gus is out there happily bringing bulls or sheep to me, he needs direction from someone who can see the bigger picture.
As I mentioned earlier, every vaccine is standard – but the individual who picks it up won’t use it in a standardized way. Sustainability doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone and a standardized way of thinking about it isn’t going to be the solution. Every move we make in production agriculture will, in some way, affect the welfare and sustainability of the world that we live in. Just like producers are focused on passing the farm or ranch to the next generation, Merck is concerned about the future of welfare and creating a sustainable world to live in. What we do today, impacts generations to come. Look at the bigger picture.
ALWAYS REMEMBER TO EAT BEEF.
Lauren