Connecting Modern Agriculture and Innovation

Clint Lewis, Executive Vice President and President, International Operations at Zoetis, shares his insights on the critical role that animal health plays in creating a safe and abundant food supply for a growing global population.

Faced with a growing world population that increasingly depends on animal protein, farmers need the most advanced solutions at their fingertips to protect their herds and maximize the productivity of the animals in their care.  

Solution Driven

Animal health is critical to addressing the productivity imperative for agriculture to promote a safe and abundant food supply -- and Zoetis has an important role to play. In a world where herd sizes can vary from 40 cows or less in the EU to a minimum of 5,000 on the other side of the ocean, farmers’ needs can vary significantly. This is why Zoetis is committed to supporting farmers, producers and cooperatives with targeted solutions based on their unique needs and challenges, while remaining on the forefront of innovation.

With already limited natural resources, emerging diseases and other constraints may challenge producer and animal productivity even more. Given these parameters, Zoetis works to support farmers in addressing the productivity imperative delivering tangible outcomes through a range of solutions – from medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medicated feed additives to partnering with producers to improve production practices (e.g., biovigilance, administration of medicines and vaccines, other healthcare practices, herd management, and precision management).

Focused Outcomes

By using genetic prediction tools, digital services or husbandry programs, Zoetis is able to help improve herd health management and provide solutions that yield a tangible impact in both clinical and economic outcomes. Some examples of solutions include:

• The SwineDialog app developed at our U.K. based Center for Digital Innovation (CDI) together with a consortium of experts, to help farmers gather valuable information about their pigs using sensor technology that can then be analyzed by their veterinarians to pinpoint potential health issues.
• The Bovine Respiratory Disease calculator helps farmers assess the potential economic losses in their herds due to disease. This tool helps with using medicines responsibly, treating the right animals at the right time with the right dose.
• The Individual Pig Care program, a Zoetis solution that follows the evolution of performance in pigs through pen observation, data recording and processing. 

Farmers are learning the value of these innovations as they begin to see the impact on their business through the use of these tools and programs. They also realize that animal health is a precondition to animal welfare and good herd management.

We all have an important role in the ongoing sustainability of the agricultural sector. There are numerous opportunities for new forms of collaborations with farmers around (digital) services, and beyond traditional collaborations (products). We will continue to listen and have conversations with our customers to better understand their needs.

Clint’s editorial is based on his recent address, “Making Agriculture a Success” presented at the 37th North American – European Union Agricultural Policy Congress in Belfast. His full bio can be found here.