During the last few years of my career at a large electric utility, I worked closely with a manager responsible for leading emergency preparedness. As a consultant, I have developed Emergency Response Plans and trained members of rural water systems. At the request of A Greener World, I contributed an article on emergency response planning to their magazine, Sustainable Farming (https://agreenerworld.org/resources/sustainablefarmingmagazine/)
Every farm and ranch should have a straightforward Emergency Response Plan that details how to respond to emergencies—such as extreme weather, natural disasters, power outages, or disease outbreaks. Regardless of the situation, the sequence of actions is generally as follows:
1. Protect life first. Take the steps needed to keep livestock and people safe: escape routes for livestock from a barn fire, moving animals to high ground during a flood, or providing shade and water in extreme heat.
2. Notify the team. Work from a current phone contact list for everyone on the farm, prioritizing those closest to the site.
3. Notify public officials if required: fire, police and other emergency services. Keep the current numbers with the plan. Review contact details annually.
4. Notify suppliers as needed: your veterinarian, electricity, fuel and feed contacts you would have to reach if services were cut off or machinery failed.
5. Plan the recovery. Convene whoever is available to agree who leads, what is needed to keep animals fed, watered and cared for, and how the farm gets back to normal.
A plan is only effective if it is kept up to date and clearly understood by everyone involved. Specific responses will always depend on the situation; in my experience, the most common failure isn't a flawed plan—it's a good plan that no one has trained on or reviewed, left forgotten in a drawer.
As an AGW-Certified Animal Welfare Approved operation, we are required to have an ERP that is complex enough to cover all types of emergencies but simple enough for any member to carry out the plan.
-Leo
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On Thursday, we discovered that our baby donkey was suffering from Ballerina Syndrome in his front legs, a condition where the tendons are so tight that he walks on the tips of his toes. With our regular vet on maternity leave, we reached out to Dr. Chelsea Williams of Pleasant Valley Veterinary Services in Coyle, Oklahoma. For years, her mother had purchased hay from us and informed us when Chelsea launched her mobile large-animal veterinary practice. In addition to scheduled appointments, Dr. Williams responds to emergency calls. Something few veterinarians do today, and a vital one since animal emergencies rarely happen during regular business hours.
After a thorough examination, Dr. Williams developed a treatment plan that involved placing splints on the donkey's front legs. The splints would remain for 24 hours before being removed, after which we would perform physical therapy on the affected joints. Once the splints were applied, the foal immediately began walking better. We removed them yesterday evening, completed the physical therapy, and sent Dr. Williams a video to show his progress. He was noticeably improved. Following the second physical therapy session today, we sent Dr. Williams another video and photos. She was very pleased with his progress, noting that his heels now touch the ground. We'll continue PT treatments for a few more days to ensure a full recovery.
We highly recommend Dr. Williams because of her expertise and responsiveness. She can be reached at (405) 590-5409.
-Leo
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Update on how our Nofence virtual fence system is working with our sheep. #NofenceMoments
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Yesterday, Julie and I brought home three female donkeys (called Jennies) that we plan to use as guard animals for our sheep. All three are pregnant, and as we were loading them, one of the helpers joked that I should hurry home before one of them gave birth in the trailer. When I checked them at 6:30 this morning, it was obvious that one was about to foal.
Around 9:00 am, the foal was born and greeted by our dark brown donkey’s excited braying, as if she was announcing the news across the farm. Within minutes, the newborn stood up and began to nurse. As expected, the mother is very protective, so we still don’t know if the foal is a Jenny or a Jack.
Over the next few days, we’ll put halters on the donkeys and move them into a paddock with an electric fence. Our goal is to have them out with the sheep before the flock grazes the field at the back of the farm.
-Leo
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