Tom Breunig Madison, Wisconsin General Manager SCR Dairy, Inc.

What education are you bringing with you to this position?
The best education I have received is from the dairy producers and industry leaders I have worked closely with through the years. I have had a number of great mentors working with cattle and in agribusiness.

My academic background includes a bachelor degree in dairy science from the University of Wisconsin -- Madison and I am a graduate of the Leadership Wisconsin program.

Please describe your background in the dairy industry.
I have a life-long background in all aspects of the dairy business. I grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm working closely with cattle and showing at local, state and national shows.

Working with cattle over the years gave me a real appreciation for the time it takes to run a successful AI program and to notice when animals are not feeling well -- and the impact timing and early intervention have on a successful program.

What are your new responsibilities?
My responsibilities include overall leadership and strategic direction for the U.S. SCR business. This includes development and implementation of programs to efficiently provide innovative products and solutions to U.S. dairy producers -- especially as it relates to reproductive efficiency and cow health.

SCR technology includes heat detection, health/rumination monitoring and milking solutions.

What previous positions have you held?
They are varied, but pretty steep in the dairy livestock business. I started out providing mating and management expertise to dairy producers. I have been in district sales management, GMS and global dairy product management, and North American sales director for a leading AI company.

In between those duties, I was on my own for eight years as The Thomas Group LLC, providing consulting and product/marketing expertise in the animal identification, animal health, specialty feed, genetics and reproduction areas.

What excites you most about working in your new role?
SCR gives immediate benefits to dairy producers. SCR’s technology is like strapping the best cow person on your dairy, to each cow -- 24 hours a day. Producers have up-to-date information at their fingertips for decision-making. You get the benefit of learning, and seeing things, about your cows you couldn’t track before.

How will your activities in your new role benefit dairy producers?
Producers adapting SCR technology report a significant reduction in hormone use, fewer days open, more pregnant cows, better use of semen dollars and earlier detection of sick cows.

SCR’s proprietary rumination/health monitoring allows for early intervention of metabolic issues and more peace of mind for the dairy producer.

Why did you choose this company?
I started hearing great things about SCR technology in the U.S. more than a year ago. As I did more research, I kept hearing that SCR is a global leader when it comes to advanced technology in milking solutions, heat detection and rumination.

SCR’s tag reached the accuracy and reliability to make it a sought after management tool, instead of a nice-to-have gadget. More than 1.3 million cows on more than 15,000 farms worldwide are monitored using SCR's collar tags, while SCR technology (including milking equipment) touches more than 10 million cows worldwide.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
We would like to establish a strong presence -- as in some markets, more than 20 percent of the cows are already using SCR Heatime. We’ll strive to provide excellent customer service.

We will continue to invent and release new technology that is easy to use, has a high return on investment and benefits dairy producers and dairy cattle health and well-being.

I also want SCR to be a place talented dairy industry people want to work -- and where dairy producers, veterinarians, nutritionists, AI people and industry professionals look to for innovative solutions. PD