Grumpy old vets
The 1960's practice hits the 21st century
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol1998no32.1p58-62Keywords:
dairy farming, dairy farms, farm management, farmers, large animal practice, profitability, veterinarians, veterinary practice, veterinary profession, veterinary servicesAbstract
The dairy industry of the upper Midwest is being restructured. The perceived long-term value of a 50-cow tie-stall barn with a vertical silo is low. If the owner is fifty-five years old, the plan is to ride the depreciation out to an unsaleable dairy. If the owner is forty years old, the question is whether to expand substantially or get out now. Paralleling the uncertainty of dairy operators is the palpable uncertainty of upper Midwestern dairy practitioners. The daily activities of a typical Midwestern dairy practice are changed very little from the
practice style that developed thirty years ago. However, that mix of sick cow exams, scheduled reproductive exams, the displaced abomasum surgery, and emergency services are not well accepted in the expanded dairy herds of several hundred cows. The 1960's dairy practice has arrived on the 21st-century dairy farm and while
the cows look familiar, everything else has changed! This paper will explore some issues, problems, and possible solutions for adapting veterinary services for dairies in the next decade.
