It is difficult to believe, after the drought last summer and fall, that we are faced with a muddy, wet winter for the second year runnin...

The Longhorn tick was first identified in Virginia in 2017. Unfortunately, it has brought with it a challenging new disease affecting cat...

Fair time is here! This is a busy time of year as area youth prepare animals for fairs and shows. Here are a few tips to help make your s...

Fescue is the predominant forage across at least one million acres of pastureland in Virginia. This hardy grass is well-adapted to Virginia

Spring calving is underway and lambing/kidding season is not far behind. While we hope for an uneventful season with minimal assisted bir...

The new year has kicked off with plenty of moisture on the heels of the second wettest year in recorded history. Rain, snow, mud and fluc...

Fluctuating temperatures and wet weather have brought some devastating respiratory outbreaks to our area. While bovine respiratory diseas...

Fall calving is wrapping up and we are already looking towards preparing for the next breeding season. Many cow-calf operators use import...

A photo is worth a thousand words. Yet, I sometimes struggle to take great photos of my children. On the other hand, they're usually pret...

Dramatic emergencies certainly make for the best veterinary tales — it seems to be the only thing Dr. Pol ever does — yet chasing emergen...

With milk prices in free fall, the conversation during herd check regularly turns to how the farm can continue care for their herd and pr...

For me, Christmas begins with cookies. Many of my Christmas memories involve baking cookies. In my family, the baking usually started the...

Thanksgiving is a season of gratitude. As we enter the holiday season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on just a few of the many thi...

From late summer to fall, one of the most common causes for down cows or sudden death in central Virginia cattle is Anaplasmosis. This di...

Alvis Dairy is one of two remaining dairy farms in Goochland County, Virginia. Erin Henley, part of the fourth generation currently worki...

The ideal time to band bull calves is at birth. At this time, banding causes very minimal discomfort and carries almost no risk of tetanu...

Calf scours can be a major headache on both beef and dairy operations. In either situation, the underlying cause is typically inadequate ...

As we enter 2017, it is critical that all herds be in compliance with the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) rules that are now in effect. I...

Dehorning is performed routinely in dairy cattle for the safety of the animals and farmers working with them. When performed at an early ...

Vaccines are an important part of herd health management. It is a relatively inexpensive way to invest in the health of your herd by prev...