Disease outbreaks are devastating farms and livestock across the country. Over the past few years, bird flu has infected more than 1000 herds across 17 states, resulting in more than 168 million birds culled to try to combat the spread. And even crops lost to pathogens end up totaling roughly 21 billion dollars in lost revenue per year.
It is so important to sanitize your equipment to keep your animals healthy and your operations running smoothly. But that’s easier said than done, not all common soaps and chemicals disinfect your vehicles and equipment.
The USDA has increased its sanitation assessments to prevent further outbreaks. They are even covering up to 75% of the cost for these higher-risk biosecurity improvements.
In this blog, you’ll learn why traditional sanitation methods could fail and how a product like Fleet Quat can help you take control and protect your crops and livestock without complicating the process.
How Your Dirty Equipment is Currently Spreading Disease
Common bacteria like HPAI and ASF are invisible threats to your livestock. Then, it’s too late, and the damage is done. When your tractors and sprayers move from barn to field to storage and when feed trucks drive on-site from other facilities, they're picking up threats.
A potential 50% of diseases from animals have come from agricultural practices that lack proper cleaning.
Areas like undercarriages, wheel wells, and hard-to-reach spots are the perfect places for a pathogen to hide. Without sanitizing, these bacteria can reproduce, eventually contacting your animals. Then it’s too late, and the deadly infection has spread.
Traditional Sanitation Method Failures
If you’ve been relying on traditional sanitation, some of these challenges likely ring a bell:
- Blind Spots with manual application: Standard cleans miss critical areas like the undercarriage.
- Equipment cleans take too long: When it takes you almost an hour to clean your equipment, you end up losing valuable working hours.
- Inconsistent Cleaning: It’s important to thoroughly clean every area of your farm equipment. Every spot you miss potentially aids the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses.
Here’s How Quat and other Sanitizers Protect Farms
Hydro-Chem Systems has been a leader in biosecurity and farm equipment sanitizers for years. But our new Fleet Quat sanitizer and classic Pure Guard products are designed for the most stringent biosecurity measures.
That means less worry about diseases hitting your crops and livestock.
Fleet Quat and Pure Guard are made up of compounds that disinfect your heavy machinery far more effectively than common chemicals. That’s because they attack pathogens instead of dirt and grime.
When combined with touchless 2-step truck soap, Fleet Quat can be a powerful tool for protecting your vehicles, livestock, and entire operation from an outbreak or spread.
How to Clean Your Farm Equipment Correctly and Quickly
There are two main ways to clean your fleet and prep it for a sanitizer like Fleet Quat — cleaning by hand or using an automated system.
Cleaning by hand:
- Requires trained staff to spray all truck parts
- Critical spots could be missed
- Timing is approximately 45–60 minutes to clean (unless you use the 2-step method)
- Results depend on the worker's abilities
Automated cleans:
- All parts of the vehicle's surface, underbody, and crevices are sprayed
- Completed process in under 3 minutes
- Consistent coverage regardless of who is operating
- Reduced labor needs
7 Bonus Tips to Take Charge of Your Sanitation
You can never do a perfect job when the risk of disease is high because there might be other factors that you can’t control. These tips are simple ways for you to reduce risk where you can and protect your crops and livestock.
- Create clean zones: Plan your facilities layout intentionally.
- Make a checklist: Set expectations and training around a checklist that everyone involved in the sanitation process uses every time.
- Train your team: the more people who know how to get the job done right, the less room for error.
- Maintenance and records: Check your cleaning equipment regularly for any damage. Also, keep close records of each purchase and cleaning.
- Wash first: Wash the vehicle with soap and remove any caked-on debris to make sure the sanitizer is applied directly to the vehicle surface
- Proper Mixing: Make sure your fleet quat follows dilution and dwell time directions.
- Look for better ways: Always try to improve your process and look for better ways to keep things clean.
Why Sanitizing Your Equipment Saves You Time & Money in the Long Run
Preventing disease is always cheaper than dealing with the consequences of an outbreak. With risks including having to cull your entire flock or herd, the potential financial stress can not be taken lightly.
With diligence and a reasonable investment in biosecurity measures, like using Fleet Quat, you’ll be at the forefront of disease prevention. And you’ll sleep better knowing you’ve done what you can to reduce your farm’s exposure to pathogens.
Don’t wait for a breach to take sanitizing seriously. Check out our simple biosecurity guide to find out how recent outbreaks have changed requirements. And see how an automated system can save you time and money in the long run.
