For nearly 25 years, a small company based in California has been steadily transforming hoof health management on dairies across the Western U.S. Today, Specialty Sales LLC, makers of HoofStrong automated hoof baths, provides comprehensive service to 30% of the U.S. dairy herd operating on some of the largest and most advanced facilities in the country. And they’ve done it by making a unique investment in their customers.
“We have made significant strides in hoof bath design and management from where it began 40 years ago,” says Matt Nelson, CEO of Specialty Sales and a former herd manager. “But we realize our customers are at the mercy of the milk market, so instead of charging them – we invest in them.”
For most customers, this investment consists of a hoof bath makeover upgrading them to a fully automated system that becomes completely hands-off for the dairy and it’s employees. No more chemical handling or bath cleaning, the Specialty Sales team does it all. With increasing demand for their automated service, the company has steadily moved their business across the U.S., opening facilities in Idaho, Texas and Wisconsin.
“What we hear from customers is that hoof baths are often forgotten, but everyone agrees that they are an effective solution for improving lameness,” adds Nelson. “Traditional systems are just cumbersome to monitor, clean and refill. It’s easy for other tasks on the dairy to take priority.”
About six years ago, Caprock Dairy - a family-owned, large herd operation across two locations in Texas installed its first HoofStrong system. The operation ripped out the old concrete bath and chose a fully customized system that was installed and maintained by Specialty Sales, LLC.
“The most appealing thing about the system was the lack of labor required by our team,” says Cody Kirby, managing partner. “The old hoof baths required us moving chemicals like formaldehyde and copper sulfate from a barrel to a tote to the bath,” he explains. “There’s always the risk of the chemicals getting into the crew’s eyes or them breathing fumes. You had to get training, then wear PPE — goggles, masks and aprons. It just wasn’t something I wanted the guys to deal with on the dairy when they could be focused on the cows.”
The HoofStrong system adds the right amount of chemical automatically and can easily switch between solutions for specific hoof treatment programs. When it’s time to switch solutions, Specialty Sales provides on-site, OSHA-compliant handling of chemicals. The HoofStrong system worked so well that another was installed at the dairy’s second location.
“We don’t even touch it.” Kirby says. “We just call the company if we, say, get a rain spell and want to run the bath an extra day. The system was able to make my crew’s day go easier, and no one had to come into contact with chemicals.”
Maintenance made easy
Hoof baths must be constructed to allow cows to step in the bath twice with each hoof. The bath solution should be monitored to ensure a depth of at least four inches. The concentration must be correctly mixed. Plus, the solution needs to be regularly changed.
“Automation can solve these small tasks that can actually lead to big lameness issues if not correctly managed,” Nelson explains. “We’ve heard from customers that were able to bring their digital dermatitis cases down to zero in just a few months after installing our automated hoof bath system. That’s how big of a difference it can make.”
Unlike other systems, Specialty Sales hoof baths rely on hoof submersion at the correct depth, which is the tried-and-true method for ensuring the solution reaches all areas of the hoof. Then, the proprietary system ensures fresh, strong solution automatically recharges the bath for optimum hoof hygiene.
Return time, reduce lameness
Every Specialty Sales automated foot system is fully customized, installed and maintained. The company works with each operation to select the best location, remove old hoof baths, then install the automated system and refill tanks. Solutions can be adjusted with a quick call to the Specialty Sales representative or through a phone app.
For busy dairy producers, that means the time employees typically spend managing hoof baths is eliminated. Any ongoing maintenance is performed by a dedicated Specialty Sales service technician.
“We remove nearly every aspect of hoof bath management and maintenance,” Nelson says. “Customers tell us they don’t even think about it anymore. We help them free up labor for other chores and reduce their lameness rates. It’s a huge win on both challenges.”
