For many dairies, flies aren’t just a nuisance. They impact cow comfort, health, and overall profitability. Steenstra Dairy knows this challenge firsthand.
Steenstra Dairy has been in the dairy business since 1959, and when Eric Steenstra took over the business in 1991, he got more than a herd of cows—he got a lot of irritating fly problems as well. Eric had tried different methods to control these flies and keep the cows comfortable. He used classic sticky strips, aerosol cans, and even hired a company to spray the premises of the operation. These old ways of fly control weren’t cutting it for Steenstra Dairy. That is until Eric started using ClariFly® Larvicide.
The pressure of keeping the cows comfortable was rising and began taking time out of the normal schedule to fix. And it wasn’t just the cows’ comfort, but the employees’ comfort as well. The working environment was irritable, and everyday chores were becoming a hassle. Cows bothered by flies tend to kick and, in the process, kick the milking machines off as well.
Since using ClariFly® Larvicide, the Steentras have claimed, “the cows aren't kicking the machines off like crazy, we don’t deal with flies, and they aren’t buzzing in my ears or in my face when I’m milking.” The comfort that ClariFly® Larvicide has brought to the employees alone has made Steenstra Dairy more productive. Eric stated that “the ClariFly program has been a big improvement, and I’m very happy with it.”
Cattle comfort has improved drastically for Steenstra Dairy, which has allowed for the cattle to do what they do best: “eat and sleep.” Eric says, “the flies are minimal, animals are comfortable, people are comfortable,” which is everything a dairy operation like Steenstra Dairy should be experiencing.
ClariFly® Larvicide has been the go-to solution for Steenstra Dairy for five years, and when asked about it, Eric replied, “It almost gets to a point where you don’t realize how good you have it.” Reducing larvae growth is a crucial step in offering comfort to your dairy and is a “game changer” according to Eric. “We've been using ClariFly at least 5 years, and we plan to keep on using it.”
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