CAREGIVER CAMP

By Andrea Dietel, Production Animal Consultation

On a dirt road outside of Benkelman, Nebraska, you will see an irrigated crop field followed by miles of western Nebraska cow pasture filled with yucca, sand bluestem, and buffalo grass. As a signal of the oasis ahead, as you round the last bend, a small pond surrounded by cottonwood trees and rushes shows you the way to your destination: Caregiver Camp, held at the home of Dr. Tom and Diane Noffsinger.

Caregiver Camp is the brainchild of Dr. Tom Noffsinger that came to fruition for the first time in September 2021. The intention was to give cattle handlers (caregivers) the opportunity to leave the feedyard, ranch, or processing crew and have access to uninterrupted time to learn how to better communicate with the animals from their daily life: cattle and horses. When caregivers leave their home environment, the opportunity to relax and have fun gives birth to learning and teambuilding.

The two-day camp is taught by Dr. Tom Noffsinger, Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz, and Ted Howard. Jose Valles and Dr. Jared Borek are also in attendance to provide English as a second language training.

The ideal students for Caregiver Camp are supervisors and team members who have the willingness to learn and then take that knowledge home to share with their teammates. “No matter where caregivers are in their career, they can learn, grow, and teach in the areas of stockmanship, horsemanship, and team building,” says Noffsinger. Dr. Tom also includes himself in those that benefit from time spent with others at the camp. “When caregivers come to camp, I am able to leave case fatality rates, pen conditions, and data at the feedyards and just concentrate on cattle handling with our caregivers.”

Students can expect to learn principles like stimulus and reward training, creating voluntary movement, generating honesty in cattle to increase disease detection, acclimating new cattle, working in partnership with your horse, and how to learn as an individual and as a team.

Travis Pitts with Irsik & Doll Feed Yard sees Caregiver Camp as both an opportunity and reward. Luis Santana, a two-year employee at Irsik & Doll Feed Yard, recently attended the camp. Pitts shared, “I wanted Luis to get out of the feedyard and out of the daily grind. He has the heart for the cattle, but he needed the knowledge to become a caregiver.” Since returning to the feedyard after Caregiver Camp, Pitts has noticed a change. “Dr. Tom has taken Luis to the next level. The animal-human connection that was made is above all of our heads.”

A student of the first session, Tavi Aragon from Imperial Beef, who has been a cattle handler for 5 years, decided to go to Caregiver Camp to improve already well-established skills. “I wanted to see if I could improve my understanding of the dynamics and movements of cattle. I knew it would provide myself and then cattle with a better experience.” Aragon also describes the atmosphere of Caregiver Camp as a friendly and relaxed place to learn. “The main thing I learned, since it was repeatedly demonstrated, was the value of applying and releasing pressure while moving cattle in a feedlot. We are always in a fenced environment and when you learn how to use the fence, you have 90% of the job mastered. I’m ready to go back and do it again.”

To learn more about Caregiver Camp, email andrea.dietel@pacdvms.com, or visit www.pacdvms.com/ caregiver-camp. We’ll see you in Benkelman!