Get to Know Chris Van Anne, Dairy Quality Center’s New Director

Recently we had a chance to sit down and talk with Chris Van Anne, the new Director for DQC (Dairy Quality Center). Here’s your chance to learn more about him.

My name is Chris Van Anne, and I grew up on a farm, ranch, and dairy in western Nebraska. Agriculture has always been my passion – equally divided between agronomy and animal science. I’m a strong people person, and I enjoy building strong relationships based on mutual trust and respect. My wife and I have been married for 40 years and have five children and one grandchild, who is the center of my universe. We love to travel, and our goal is to renew our wedding vows in all seven continents – four down, three to go!

I’m the new Director for Dairy Quality Center, overseeing all aspects of the DQC business. Working closely with Pam Clancy, DQC’s Program Coordinator, my goal is to be a resource for all of our DQC business partners and customers. DQC is a Cargill-owned business, and I will continue to manage it with the same unbiased, independent perspective that DQC has always had, with firewalls in place as is business appropriate.

In my role as Director, I will help DQC continue to focus on five primary areas:

• Animal Health & Welfare
• Employee Training
• Environmental Sustainability
• Prudent Usage of Antibiotics
• Pathogen Mitigation

Ultimately my role as DQC Director is to help facilitate management practices on farm that help ensure optimal care and quality of animals. Ultimately, this helps to provide consumers with safe, high-quality milk and beef from healthy animals that have been raised humanely.

I love that I can help the dairy farmers prove to consumers that their animals are well cared for, and their dairy products are produced in a safe and sustainable way. I also love that the dairy can receive premiums for showing they are doing things the right way. I really enjoy my interactions with the dairies and their veterinarians.

As I start in this role, my top priorities include learning about the 50+ year history of DQC and Agri-Ed. I want to better understand the services we have provided in the past and use them as a foundation for future growth. Additionally, I want to listen and learn from our current business partners and customers, while strengthening relationships, solidifying our base, and continuing to create and deliver value. Finally, I want to help develop a business strategy that allows for sustainable growth.

DQC works closely with our 150+ veterinarians who are certified to conduct VPP (Verified Premium Plus) audits. Doing right by the animal is our goal, and I love how the veterinarian/client relationship in dairy operations allows for effective change and continuous improvement. Our VPP audit is renewed annually, and there is no one more qualified or better trained than the farm’s respective consulting veterinarian. The VPP audit truly allows for excellent conversations to take place, and tangible goals to be set and measured against. This allows for timely intervention when needed and positive proactive change that helps maintain optimal care and well-being of an animal.

DQC has been fortunate to build multiple strong partnerships over the years. We will continue to work with them and take the time to better understand how we show up for them and how we can help create/deliver value. There will also be a strong focus on strengthening and building new relationships. I feel like we are in a relationship business, and businesses that succeed are based on mutual trust and respect.

My goal is for DQC to be considered a world-class business partner that is setting the standard for on-farm audits. No one has a crystal ball on what products and services may look like in five years. I strongly speculate our industry will continue to consolidate, and those providing the services will have professional relationships in place based on the way you show up in the marketplace and value you can deliver.