Farm Sanctuary in Oxford accredited by global organization

Arlo the bull was born with neurological damage. He can walk, but he needs help.

Faith is a cow who was born into the meat industry. She suffered from frostbite so severe that it caused her to lose a rear hoof. Her disability made it unsafe for her to live with other cows, so she was turned over to a neighboring farm in western Iowa, where she was destined to be slaughtered.

She met Arlo there, and they formed a bond.

Arlo was rescued by the Iowa Farm Sanctuary. The Oxford-based nonprofit negotiated to take Faith as well, so they could keep their friendship intact.

They now live on 40 acres of land, sharing the open space with chickens, pigs, sheep, barn cats, ducks, turkeys, one well-known miniature zebu and plenty of goats — including one particularly chatty newborn named Fawn.

On a recent weekday, sheep wandered across a field shared by cows and goats. Some cows curled up inside the barn, where a cat walked across the loft above them. Other animals, like the pigs, enjoyed some enclosed land just for them.

The efforts of IFS, which stand out in the heart of farm country, recently resulted in international recognition.

Iowa Farm Sanctuary is the first in the state to be accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. The organization received the designation Feb. 1.

There are more than 150 GFAS-accredited and -verified sanctuaries, rescues and rehabilitation centers worldwide.

"It's a huge accomplishment, and there's so much buildup to it. We were confident that we are accreditation-worthy, but it was just all the work that we put into it," Katie Valentine, assistant director of operations at the Iowa Farm Sanctuary, told the Press-Citizen.

Accreditation signifies 'what caliber of organization' people are

working with

The Iowa Farm Sanctuary was founded by Shawn and Jered Camp in 2016. The nonprofit focuses on helping animals with special needs like Ellie, a cow who was born blind.

Not all residents at the farm sanctuary have special needs. Many come from dangerous situations like Kathy the goat, who was rescued from a hoarder in Pennsylvania. She's also Fawn's mom.

Fawn is a fitting name for the young goat whose tan and white coloring resembles a young deer. Fawn kept the barn at IFS noisy with her many "baas," comfortably trotting up to a reporter and waiting with other goats nearby.

Valentine said that the application process for accreditation was "rigorous." The farm sanctuary began the process just over a year ago, she said.

"It was a big deal for us. It instills confidence in our donors, so they know their money is going to a reputable organization, where we do everything we can to take care of these animals," Valentine said.

GFAS offers verification and accreditation. The Iowa Farm Sanctuary was in a position to skip verification and go straight to accreditation based upon the work it was already doing.

"GFAS is really the only global sanctuary accreditation program, and part of what sets us apart is that we visit every single sanctuary that we accredit in person," Jessica Harris, program director of farmed animals at GFAS, told the Press-Citizen.

Accreditation from GFAS vouches for organizations with stakeholders, whether that's donors or a foundation.

"Anybody who has any interest in knowing whether a sanctuary is reputable and operating ethically can see the GFAS seal right there on their website and understand at a glance what caliber of organization they're engaging with," Harris said.

At minimum, the accreditation process takes several months, but it's usually dependent on how prepared an organization is to take on this process.

It involves a written application and providing numerous documents like insurance, financial documents, policies on animal care and so on.

Iowa Farm Sanctuary reported $282,000 in revenue on its 2018 tax form, the most recent available. It had five employees and 25 volunteers that year, none of whom drew a salary from the nonprofit. It earned a gold rating for transparency from the nonprofit watchdog group GuideStar.

An organization must meet the GFAS Standards of Excellence to be accredited. The standards are specified to each order of animals, like testudines, the order that turtles and tortoises fall under, or canids, which includes foxes or wolves.

The standards contain guidelines for housing, veterinary care, well-being and handling, financial stability and more. Standards of Excellence also extend to the operational side of an organization.

The standards are continually updated and revised but were originally put together by an array of experts in various species, animal protection advocates, sanctuary managers and more.

"In Iowa, which is a state known for having a lot of animal agriculture, Iowa Farm Sanctuary really stands out, because unlike (in animal agriculture) they are providing individualized care to their residents," Harris said.

Animal care, operations among what GFAS looks for in accreditation process

Harris said Iowa Farm Sanctuary's focus on taking on special-needs animals stood out to GFAS, complimenting the farm's ability to come up with "creative and caring" solutions for animals that might not otherwise have a home.

"Animal care is of utmost importance," she said. "But on the other side, you have to have some of those other operational and financial and organizational pieces to make sure that the sanctuary is sustainable."

The federation looks to see that organizations are treating animals as "individuals" and providing them with high-quality veterinary care.

Iowa Farm Sanctuary conducts a general health check for all residents every two weeks with a local veterinarian, Valentine said.

Under well-being and handling, GFAS looks to see what organizations do to enrich an animal's life beyond having a safe, long-term home. This can include food puzzles, things to climb on, interactions with volunteers, anything that can make an animal's life happy, Harris said.

As part of the accreditation process, GFAS will conduct an on-site visit. It's a "many- pages-long checklist" at the on-site visit, Harris said.

Questions can include:

Is there infrastructure like safe housing that is also predator-proof from wildlife?

If the sanctuary has ducks or geese, is there a big enough swimming area for them?

Do records show the sanctuary is routinely providing medical care?

"It could be many hours that we're there documenting everything and talking (to staff at the sanctuary)," she said.

Part of the accreditation process includes areas the federation identifies as improvements within one year, and when the sanctuary is up for reaccreditation in three years.

The Iowa Farm Sanctuary's three-year goals, as recommended by GFAS, include:

Require visitors to sign a waiver for liability purposes.

Recommend bringing power to the duck house to allow for temperature mitigation year-round.

In the 'epicenter of animal agriculture,' Iowa Farm Sanctuary is in a 'powerful position'

The Iowa Farm Sanctuary receives its residents from organizations that reach out, often when an animal is born with a disability or is ill, according to Valentine.

The sanctuary's capacity for care fluctuates depending on the number of volunteers and staff, Valentine said. It serves 111 animals currently, compared to the 70 cared for when it moved to this location from Marengo almost two years ago.

When an animal comes to the farm sanctuary — not needing urgent medical care — they are put into a designated quarantine space for 30 days.

They are assessed, vaccinated and will slowly be introduced to a herd of other animal residents.

From there, the animals live out their lives at the sanctuary cared for, like the miniature zebu named Angel, who lounges outside on the grass wrapped in a blue polka dot blanket to protect her against the chill. Angel's back legs don't work, so she'll get strapped into a rear wheelchair to get around. She can also be carried, thanks to her smaller size.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that red meat production in 2020 was 55.8 billion pounds. Commercial cattle slaughter in America in 2020 was 32.8 million head, and commercial hog slaughter was 132 million.

Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas accounted for 49% of America's commercial red meat production in 2020, according to the USDA. In Iowa,more than 40 million commercial hogs were slaughtered.

"I think a huge, very important piece that I touched on, but really want to point out is their location, which they themselves say is sort of the epicenter of animal agriculture, and it really is," Harris said.

"So it is a very powerful position that they hold to be able to make change for farm animals and change some hearts in that region. Because it is a very different perspective of what a farm animal — and we use the term farmed animal, it's something that's being done to them — of what a farmed animal really is and who they are."

Want to meet Arlo, Faith, Kathy and Fawn? Here's how

The Iowa Farm Sanctuary's Sanctuary Strolls return every Sunday from May 16 through Oct. 10.

People are invited to come out and take a walk around the sanctuary, meet the many residents and learn more about their stories and the sanctuary's work from volunteers.

Sanctuary Strolls are a $12 donation for adults and kids over age 10, and $6 for kids 10 and under.

Visit the Iowa Farm Sanctuary's website to purchase tickets in advance.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach her at [email protected] or (319) 519-9731. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.