Iowa livestock farmers are committed to providing quality care for their animals, and that commitment is evident by the small number and type of calls that have been made to a first-in-the-nation animal care helpline and website launched in early 2013, says Denny Harding, executive director for the Iowa Farm Animal Care Coalition (IFAC).

So far, IFAC has received fewer than 20 calls since its start in January 2013, Harding said, mainly for horses. "The low volume of calls shows that, generally speaking, things...