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 pretty excited about milk. They love milk and I love that it's an easy and affordable way to provide them with the nutrition they need. Since they sometimes tag along with me on visits to my dairy clients, they also see the behind-the-scenes work that goes into their favorite drink. They take some pride in knowing where their milk comes from. Wh

Dramatic emergencies certainly make for the best veterinary tales — it seems to be the only thing Dr. Pol ever does — yet chasing emergencies is not what fills most of my days as a livestock veterinarian. While being available to clients in times of crisis is certainly an important part of my practice, my job is truly about helping farmers manage their herds to maximize health and minimize emergencies. Whether I am with a new farmer or one that I work with on a weekly basis,

With the Virginia dairy industry in a decline for several years now, the conversation during herd check regularly turns to how the farm can continue care for their herd and produce high-quality milk with a steadily declining milk check. We routinely discuss ways to increase revenue or streamline expenses to allow the farm to stay in business. Dairy farming is a labor of love. The physical and mental demands are extreme and constant. All those involved in the industry feel hea

Alvis Dairy is one of two remaining dairy farms in Goochland County, Virginia. Erin Henley, part of the fourth generation currently working on this family-owned and -operated farm, oversees the health and welfare of their 850 lactating cows, as well as growing calves and dry (non-lactating) cows. Erin works six to seven days a week from dawn till dusk (and in the middle of the night at times) to ensure that her animals are healthy, comfortable and producing a wholesome produc

Pasteurizing milk before it is fed to calves reduces pathogens in milk by heating at a fixed temperature for a set length of time. It does not sterilize the milk, but typically kills 99% of pathogens, including the organisms that cause Mycoplasma and Johnes disease.When handled properly, pasteurization virtually eliminates the risks of feeding raw milk to calves. The Benefits With pasteurized whole milk, you can expect: ▪ A significantly higher rate of gain ▪ Increased pro

Preventive health is one of the most important elements of maintaining a healthy, productive herd of cattle. It is much more effective to prevent illness than to treat it. While no vaccine can compensate for poor management, proper vaccination of healthy cattle can minimize the effects of disease in your herd and maximize growth, fertility, and production. While the majority of my clients have a regular herd vaccine protocol in place, often in conjunction with herd health vis

Meet #313 of J Team Dairy. She is identified by a number and she spends most of her time during lactation living in a barn. Factory farm? I think not. Meet Jim, co-owner along with his wife Terri, of J Team Dairy. Jim wakes up at 3 AM every morning to milk his cows. His daughter, Molly, milks every day at noon. They have two employees who milk in the evening. They rotate weekends to cover milking and feeding of cows and calves. Here are Molly’s nieces helping feed calves. Mol

Calf scours can be a major headache on both beef and dairy operations. In either situation, the underlying cause is typically inadequate colostrum intake or a dirty environment. Scours is often a bigger problem in spring calves because severe weather can lead to stressed animals in a muddy, cold environment. Prevention is the best way to control scours. Because the infectious agents involved in scours are typically viral or protozoal (coccidia, cryptosporidium), treatment cen

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. In spite of the multitude of meetings, newsletters and discussions that have been held regarding this subject, very few farms have obtained a signed VFD to be in compliance with the new rules. The answers to most frequently asked producer questions are listed below: The VFD applies only to medically important antibiotics in feed. In Virginia,

Dry cow treatment is an important part of udder health on most dairies. With increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use in food-producing animals, many universities are studying selective dry cow treatment as an alternative to blanket treatment. Selective dry cow treatment has been used effectively in other countries, and some U.S. herds have begun to implement such a program. The biggest challenge is identifying which cows require dry treatment. A relatively high cutoff is

Dehorning is performed routinely in dairy cattle for the safety of the animals and farmers working with them. When performed at an early age with appropriate pain management, dehorning is a very low-stress practice. The majority of beef breeds of cattle are polled, meaning they naturally lack horns, and therefore do not require dehorning. The FARM program encourages dehorning as young as possible. It also encourages the use of local anesthesia and anti-inflammatories. Dehor

Vaccines are an important part of herd health management. It is a relatively inexpensive way to invest in the health of your herd by preventing or reducing the severity of respiratory, reproductive and other disease. Core Vaccines All cattle in Virginia should receive the following vaccines annually: Clostridial 7-way: Commonly called “blackleg”, this is a vaccine that is critical in calves and should be boostered annually in animals one year and older. Calves should recei

Cows twin at a rate of one to seven percent, with dairy breeds twinning two to three times as frequently as beef cows. Most would prefer this number to be zero due to several negative consequences of twinning, including: Increased risk of calving difficulty, retained placenta and metritis. This often leads to delayed return to fertility. Dairy cows calving with twins are more prone to transition issues such as ketosis and DAs. Twins more than double the risk of abortion and i