Waukesha, Wisconsin. It’s probably not the first city that comes to mind when thinking about state-of-the-art laboratory and technical services that benefit animal agriculture.

But every day, the work being done in this Milwaukee suburb is taking the guesswork out of dairy, beef, swine and poultry production. It’s an integral part of the dedicated investment that ARM & HAMMER™ continues to make each year to develop exceptional Targeted Microbial Solutions™ to help improve the health and performance of animals and ensure the safety of animal-based food products.

What does this state-of-the-art microbiology lab offer and how does it go about making a tangible difference for all who benefit from it?

Assessing the uniqueness of production environments.

One of the lab’s key roles is to utilize ARM & HAMMER’s Microbial Terroir™ platform to provide unique insights on pathogenic challenges to tailor its CERTILLUS™ brand microbial solutions. Microbial Terroir is the embodiment of the local environment (animals, housing, feed, water, weather and more) and its influence on the microbiota that influence the health and performance of the animal. By relying on insights from an operation’s unique Microbial Terroir assessment, the ARM & HAMMER team can identify beneficial, proprietary strains of Bacillus to craft CERTILLUS products formulated to combat those challenges.

The lab’s specific work involves testing fecal and feed samples collected in on-farm evaluations to uncover what’s going on and how best to address it. Working closely with technical services teams to maintain a pulse on production-level challenges, microbiologists develop customized solutions, integrating strains as needed as populations or challenges shift.

Using microbiology as both a responsive and predictive tool.

Since scientists in Waukesha can access more than 30,000 Bacillus strains, they can choose the “best of the best” for each environment, closing the gap on what’s happening at the production level.

The Waukesha team routinely evaluates the efficacy of our Bacillus strains against customers’ most pressing pathogenic challenges. If strains in a current product offering no longer adequately protect against an evolving challenge, they set out to locate a Bacillus strain better suited to effectively combat it. This advanced, cutting-edge approach to innovation leads to the availability of even more tools for our customers.

Experts with expert tools.

To explain the change he witnessed in nature, a philosopher once said, “You never step into the same river twice.” What that ancient Greek couldn’t have known is the extent to which changing environments would one day be understood by microbiologists armed with the latest, greatest tools.

Whether it’s using robotics to improve turnaround times or advanced humidity chambers and genome sequencers, the Waukesha lab has the tools and resources it takes to understand microbiological issues at the deepest possible level.

But these molecular tools aren’t the lab’s only competitive advantage. Every day, our Waukesha staff’s advanced degrees and hands-on expertise turn those tools into valuable insights. And it’s not just an innovative microbiology for its own sake. By taking an integrated approach that combines what’s being developed in the lab with what’s happening in actual production environments, we’re able to provide solutions that are anything but one-size-fits-all.

Assessments are just the beginning.

Why guess at the products you need to avoid issues and get positive results? Why not tap a leading-edge research and analysis lab for intelligence that’s relevant, actionable and ultimately profitable? ARM & HAMMER’s lab in Waukesha, Wisconsin—and the experts working in it—are ready, willing and eager to serve as an extension of our customers’ businesses and their business objectives. Contact your ARM & HAMMER representative to learn how all that expertise can benefit you.