PTD post: November 2013

Our November issue traditionally highlights women in dairy. Which dairywomen do you look up to? What qualities do you admire?  

I look up to all dairy women.  A lot of them work right alongside their husbands, and they also have to take care of the home and kids and sometimes even have a job in town, too.  Then there are some dairy women who do all that AND travel to the shows for their family to exhibit the best of their herds.  Some of them hold important positions on committees or are state officers in dairy organizations.  I admire women who can do it all.  I admire women who can work until they are worn out and then work some more anyway, get up the next morning on time, and do it all again day after day.  God bless dairy women!

Don't be jealous of my awesome nurse cows

I am really blessed with two REALLY awesome nurse cows.

The first one is Ayan.  She's my gianormous Brown Swiss that my breeder picked up for me at  the Heart of America sale in November of 2011.  She had freshened that June and she's been milking for two solid years as of this month.  I used her as a nurse cow for Fara and Prim and a whole bunch of orphaned beef calves for the auction.  Finally we sent her to the dairy to visit a bull because we couldn't get her to settle with any of the semen we used on her.  FINALLY she got bred...by a.i.  Then she ripped a teat with her dew claw when she stood up one day, and so we brought her home to take care of her and dry her up.

I got Carmelita last year.  She's been my middle of the road Jersey, but she got bred right off (with Cupcake), and then all of a sudden things came together, and she won the county show and got to go to the premium sale.  Then she calved Cupcake and was immediately mother of the year to her and to a little Brangus heifer named Tornado.

Well, Posey calved the other day, and we pulled Cupcake out to wean her, and we brought Perriwinkle over to put in her place on Carmelita.  Perri had nursed on Posey right before we loaded Posey up on the trailer to get her to the dairy and get her milked out.  So Perri had eaten just two or three hours before.  When we got her into the pen and took the rope halter off her, she walked away from us and straight up to Carmelita and latched on.  No exaggeration.  Carmelita is awesome - and Perri is smart.

Juicy FINALLY did it!

Meet Godbless Lebron JL Apple.  He was born the night we came home from Tulsa State Fair.

Juicy has been at MawMaw and GrandDad's, but we were afraid for Juicy to stay there during calving with us at Tulsa.  She was due the day before we left.  Luckily the dairy owner let us drop her off early, so we took her when we took all of the cows back after the OK State Fair.

This was REALLY lucky for us, because Juicy had big problems.  JL only stuck one hoof out.  He had to be pushed back in, his other foot found and pulled forward.  By this time Juicy was worn out.  She couldn't push any more, so they had to pull him out.  Then she was too tired to stand, so they got her up and standing, and she started to clean him off.

He's a big one, and he's super sweet and oh so CUTE!!!  I'm selling him to some friends.  If Juicy's udder comes in good, they are even going to keep him to use as a sire later on.

Juicy had LOTS of edema.  She was swollen up as much as Faith was.  We have to wait for that swelling to go down before we can make decisions.  If she looks good, we will enter her (at the very last minute...probably AT the show) for the SNBSS next week.  I kind of doubt that her swelling goes down that well that fast, but we will see.  Who knows, maybe next year!

I'm bummed that her first calf was a bull, but at least we know her plumbing all works!  We'll try to breed her back using sexed semen and see how that goes.

Yea! LIZA!

I am so proud of LIZA VAN DER LAAN!!!   (That's pronounced "Leeza", by the way.)
She is the National Milking Shorthorn Queen!!!  We like Liza and the Van der Laan family. They have an awesome dairy down in Frederick, Oklahoma.  One day we're going to go tour it.  I think it is the second largest family owned dairy in Oklahoma behind Braum's (the ice cream and dairy store chain.)  The Van der Laans are some of the sweetest and hardest working people you'll ever meet.  Liza is a perfect example of what a dairy queen should be.  I'm glad to know her.

OK State Fair 2013

Big changes happened this year at the OK State Fair.
They brought back the cow classes, but we had to milk in a portable parlor.

They added AOB classes.  They added group classes.  This means I got to show a LOT more!!!
I only took Posey, Prim, Stopnstare, and Cupcake.

Here are my results:

OPEN SHOW

Ayrshire Class 4 - 1st place 

Ayrshire Sr. 3 yr. old cow - 2nd place 

Ayrshire Daughter/Dam - 1st place

Ayrshire Produce of Dam - 1st place

Jersey Class 1 - 3rd place

AOB  Class 4 - 4th place

AOB Daughter/Dam - 1st place

AOB Produce - 1st place 

JUNIOR SHOW

Ayrshire Class 4 - 1st place 

Ayrshire Sr. 3 yr. old cow - 2nd place 

Ayrshire Bred & Owned - 3rd place

Jersey Bred & Owned - 2nd place

Jersey Class 1 - 3rd place

AOB  Class 4 - 3rd place

SHOWMANSHIP (11-12) 1st place  and 

RESERVE CHAMPION SHOWMAN overall (9-19)!!!

Stopnstare was in heat and acting crazy, but I STILL did great in showmanship!!!

Tattooed Ladies

After the Jersey Field Day was over, we had to tear everything down, load it up, haul it away, and unload it where it belonged...but the day was not over for me.

Next we had to do chores at Windy Hill.  While we were there, Alan needed help catching and loading up three Milking Shorthorn heifers.  Then we had to catch up my little heifers so he could give them their tattoos.

It's pretty fast.  Doesn't take much longer to tattoo a calf's ear than it does to pierce a person's ears.
Love my girls!  I want to make sure they can be identified wherever they go.  Wouldn't want to lose one!

Another calf for Carmelita?

Carmelita got a.i.ed the other day.  We used Hired Gun sexed semen on her.  Can't wait to see if it took!

Check out my competition...and ME!

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PTD post: May 2013: Important Life Lessons

May 2013:

What would you say has been the most important thing you've learned from raising your own dairy animals?  (If you can't pick just one, feel free to do a "Top 5".) 

Top 5 helpful facts I’ve learned:

1. Dairy animals can even kick to the SIDE.

2. Rain isn’t just kind of important.

3. Water trough floats are a genius invention.

4. No matter how much work you do, there is always more to be done.

5. Moving slowly can actually get some things done faster.

Top 5 inspirational things I’ve learned:

1. For each loudly ugly-mean person, there are several quiet, supportive people that make everything better with the wisdom they offer. 

2. God even watches over expectant heifers and baby calves.

3. Nothing feels better than a job well done.

4. Even when something is flawed, God can make it perfect.

5. There is a lesson to be learned in everything. 

Top 5 WEIRD things I’ve learned:

1. No matter how full a first-calf heifer’s udder appears, it can get bigger...and bigger and bigger before it ever calves.

2. Psycho dams apparently pass the gene along to their offspring.

3. You can have your favorite animal picked out ahead of time to use for showmanship, but on the day of the contest she will turn out to be the one that comes into heat and starts acting crazy.

4. Calves can be sweet and friendly and lovey-dovey to you every day...until you put a halter on them to start their training.

5. You can work your butt off all day long and accomplish a million things, but if you sit down for five minutes, that’s when an adult will see you.

Healthy Living Fair 2013

Monday, March 25th we go back to school from Spring Break.  That is also the day of the 3rd Annual Healthy Living Fair at my school.  I have had a dairy nutrition booth there every year.  Today one of my jobs will be to take inventory of my dairy promotion items.  Then I will pack up what I need to get me through the day.  I will see about 700 people between the hours of 8 and 2.

Drink Milk - Sleep Well!

Countdown to CUPCAKE

My Jersey, Carmelita, is due to calve around April 11th.  Her udder is starting to BLOOM.  Her baby will be CUPCAKE...unless I change my mind again.  I'm hoping that little Cupcake will be as big of a blessing as her mother.

I bought Carmelita with some of my premium sale money from last year.  I was not in the market for a Jersey.  I thought I was going to buy a Brown Swiss or a Milking Shorthorn.  Instead, I bought TWO Jerseys.  The little one got Reserve Breed Champion at the Oklahoma State Fair, and Carmelita got Grand Champion at our county show.  Grand Champion is the only dairy heifer allowed in the premium sale.  She brought $5100 plus some booster club money plus some add-on money I also don't know the amount of.

OH! I almost forgot!  When I bought Carmelita, he A.I.ed her, too, but he used conventional semen because it was a freebie, and we're getting a heifer out of her anyway!  So it's like I bought one, and got one free!

So I think it's around two weeks from now that little Cupcake will make her debut.  We are praying for protection, an easy delivery with no complications, and great strength and health for daughter and dam.

Godbless Shebull Cupcake!

Getting close to CUPCAKE time!

SUNDAY, APRIL 7TH, 2013

Can't go check on Carmelita until I get back from my appointment in the city Monday evening.  She's not due until Thursday, but every day for the last week, we've been just SURE she would be in labor.  Every day we go check on her and do chores, and every day she looks the same.  Her vulva is GIANORMOUS.  A couple of days ago it was sticking out further than her udder in the back!  Let's put it this way, it was so big that Christy took a picture of it and sent to Alan!  Christy says that at this rate, Cupcake will be able to WALK out.  We've been praying for a quick, easy calving with no complications.  We've been praying for strength for daughter and dam with no sickness.

The weather has been beautiful the last few days.  Tomorrow and Wednesday it is supposed to storm.  Hail, wind, rain, possible tornados, too.  This does NOT make me happy.  I just want my girls to be safe.

******Monday Update
Mom was sick at home all day.  She said that she had the nagging feeling that today was going to be Cupcake day.  She said it was the same kind of feeling she had the night we helped deliver Prim.

After school when we went to do chores, we ran into Christy.  She wanted to know if Carmelita was standing when we came.  She wasn't.  Christy said that she was on her way to the barn to get carriers for the petting zoo chicks, and she could have sworn that she saw hooves sticking out, but she said that by the time she turned around and came back, Carmelita had stood up, so they sucked back in.  She said that she wouldn't be surprised to see us again before morning.  So we went home and waited on a phone call.


*******Tuesday Update
The weather was good all night.  At 6:50 we got a phone call!  Christy said that there were legs sticking out, so we could head on over!
Then, at 7:01, she called back and said Cupcake was on the ground and Carmelita was cleaning her up.
The weather was GREAT!  Nice and warm.  We got to Windy Hill and Carmelita was still cleaning her.  We wiped her off some, too.  We gave her some Novartis and used Vetericyn umbilical, navel, and udder spray on both of them. Before we went to school, Cupcake stood up and we made sure she sucked.

Welcome to the world GODBLESS SHEBULL CUPCAKE!

She's up!

We checked on them at lunchtime, and Cupcake was up and following Carmelita around.

By the time I got out of school, Cupcake was totally dry and fluffy.  She had a full belly and was sleepy after her long ordeal.  While we were there, she started nodding off to sleep, but was fighting it.  It was so cute!

She's beautiful.  The only thing that would make her better is if she would have any white.  Carmelita has some.  Shebull's last offspring was a bull, but he had LOTS of white from a plain dam.

Cupcake is strong and energetic and FRIENDLY.  She's so sweet.

Thank you, Lord, for the sweetest little Cupcake ever!  I have high hopes for her!

PTD: April 2013 Post

THE BEST ADVICE

April 2013:  What's the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you when it comes to showing cows?  

The best piece of advice was being told to remember that “YOU are responsible.” This has come from every direction since the beginning. 

I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING.  I have to make sure that:

*The cattle are fed right and taken care of from the moment I take possession of them.

*They have good living conditions.

*They are handled properly and trained.

*They maintain good health.

*I have all the supplies I need to take care of them.

*I am prepared.

*If I mess up, I admit it, and I fix it or find out how to get it fixed.

*I don’t look sour when I’m not happy.  Practice a “pleasant” look.  Fake it ‘til you make it.

*I do things on time or in time.

*I pay attention.  I listen.  I watch.

*I’m reasonably quiet.  (Don’t want to agitate animals or people.  Don’t call negative attention to yourself.)

*I’m dressed appropriately.  (Detailed show dress, appropriate work clothes-nothing hoochie, represent well.)

*I’m a fast worker.  Do a good job and finish it quickly.

*I take care of my stuff and respect other people’s, too.

*I double-check everything.  Better safe than sorry.

*I jump in and help when someone needs it - not waiting until they ask me.

I know there are a million other things that I’m responsible for at shows and every other day of the year, but there’s only so much room on this blog.

What makes this advice so valuable?  

Well, I guess it’s valuable because it’s simple and easy to remember.  My family and my mentors and I talk about different stuff like this, and we’ve talked about how that’s the way LIFE is, not just in showing or raising cattle.  That’s the way it is in families.  That’s the way all people are supposed to be in the world.  Everything in life should come down to the idea that “YOU are responsible.”  

It irritates me when people are clueless and unhelpful and rely on everyone else to do everything for them, and then sometimes even get in the way. I am not the world’s best worker.  There are kids that can work circles around me, but there are a lot of kids and even adults that I can work circles around.  That’s sad.  There are a lot of people in the world that don’t act like they are responsible for anything.  People need to learn that “YOU are responsible.”

Have you passed along that advice to anyone else? 

I’m working on it.  I’m not around a whole bunch of showmen that are younger than me.  A couple have parents that are by their sides constantly.  One is getting out of showing this year.  That leaves one brand new showman.  She won her heifer with an essay.  She is pretty much all by herself.  She’s SO sweet and asks lots of questions.  She’s just nine (and looks like she’s six).  I try not to overwhelm her, but I stick by her and show her all of the things we are responsible for.  I didn’t consciously decide to make this my mission.  It just seemed to happen naturally because I know I’m responsible to jump in and help people before they have to ask.  

At county, I was responsible for washing all five of my heifers by myself (Mom walked them to and from the wash rack for me) and then I also washed my little buddy’s heifer with her.  I told her what to do and how to do it, and she did it, but she couldn’t see what she was missing, so I washed what she didn’t.  She kept asking, “Is this good?”  She was trying to be responsible for the quality of her work.  She watched and listened and worked.  I taught and I helped.    

I’m trying to teach her how things should go.  I don’t want her to be helpless.  I feel responsible to do it.  I tell her when it’s time to feed or water.  We take our heifers out of the barn and “play stock show” outside on the grass.  I show  her when our heifers need more hay.  I tell her when it’s time to change into our whites.  We are still working on how to tie up properly.  She must like me okay because she brought me candy.  

I guess I’m trying to teach her by example.  I show her what I’m responsible for, and those are the things she’s responsible for for herself.  She’s only been to two shows, so later on in the fall, I’m going to ask HER questions and let her be responsible for figuring out the answers.  I’m proud of her.  She didn’t win her showmanship class, but she did beat out two showmen that have been showing for two years longer than she has!  Apparently she’s been paying attention.  It was great to see her being successful.  It makes me happy to think that maybe I am responsible in some small way for what she’s learned.  :)

Share to feed kids and promote dairy

Click THIS LINK to view this very clever video

6 days from fresh to fridge

Happy National Agriculture Day!!!

I have two milk cows at dairies, plus one I sold to a dairy.  Every so often, I even raise some beef calves that I sell at auction.  I guess you can say I am officially contributing to the food supply here in my state!  I am proud to be part of AGRICULTURE!

PTD post: March 6, 2013

I have made a LOT of connections in the dairy industry and other industries that support it.  I am extremely blessed to know a lot of smart, hard working, generous, kind people.  I know I’ll leave someone out, but that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for them.  

At Cross Country Genetics, Mr. Kim Harsh, Dr. Steven Clifton, and herd manager Mr. John Curtis have helped me out with preg checks and ultrasounds to help in my breeding program.  They even let me get hands-on with palpation!  

Mr. Gene Hall, Jr. of Hall’s Ayrshires in Cushing, OK and Mr. Gary Hawk of Hawk’s Dairy in Lacey/Hennessey, OK have helped me with boarding, milking, and breeding.    

Mrs.Trish Cobb of Cobblestone Dairy in Perkins, OK has always been very supportive and a great cheerleader for me when she hears I’ve had something published.  

The Van der Laan family of the Van der Laan Dairy/Sunshine Dairy in Frederick, OK has always been so kind and helpful and supportive and good examples of hard work and sportsmanship for me.  They make me smile.  

Mr. Rodney Wegener of COBA/Select Sires, formerly of Wegener Dairy in Minco, OK, made me a purchase agreement on my first Holstein and got me started with the breed.  

Miss Kaylynn Million of the Million Dairy of Talequah, OK, who now works at the Oklahoma State University Dairy, first showed me what a sweet, hard working, helpful State Dairy Princess should be like.  

Mrs. Susan Allen of Dairy MAX allowed me to help promote dairy foods as a part of a nutritious diet at many state events.

Ms. Kara Eschbach of the Tulsa State Fair Livestock show gave me the opportunity to blog for the show, and then Ms. Emily Caldwell gave me the opportunity to blog monthly for Proud To Dairy and sometimes even gives me a mention in Progressive Dairyman! 

Then there is the Jennings family of Stillwater and Crescent, OK.  Ms. Christy Jennings is my 4-H leader, Ag teacher, and she will be my FFA advisor as of next year when I’m in 8th grade Ag.  Most of all, she is my mentor.  She got me interested in dairy when I went to my first FFA petting zoo as a toddler.  She helped get me my first Ayrshire.  She invited me to do peewee showmanship at every dairy show she and the big kids would be at.  She continues to teach me how to judge dairy.  She taught me how to milk out a cow.  She’s taught me how to give injections.  She’s taught me about diet and dairy health.  She’s tried to teach me everything, really.  She tries to teach me all of the whys and whens and hows.  I can safely say that I would not be involved with dairy today if it hadn’t been for Ms. Jennings, and I sure wouldn’t be successful without her.  Not only has she got me involved with dairy, but also speeches, power point presentations, display booths, impressive dress, talent contest, food showdown, style show, shooting sports, indoor exhibits, news articles, chapter officers, cattle grading, CDEs, orphan calves for profit, you name it.  She's taught me how to work hard and fast.  She also teaches and models good character.  She is very wise.  We need more people like her in the world.     

Her brother, Mr. Alan Jennings of Brightside Farm, is another one of my mentors.  My mom says he is like the “Rainman of Dairy”.  He remembers placings. He remembers genetics.  He remembers bloodlines.  He remembers everything!  He  made sure I got started with Ayrshires. He helps me pick out animals to buy.  I never would have bought Jerseys without his encouragement.  He picked out some Brown Swiss for me to buy.  He tells me which sires would be best to use on my heifers.  He does almost all of my A.I.ing.  Just like his sister, he explains everything.  He tells me what I should do, what I should improve, and how to make all kinds of things better.  He helps me make connections with the right people, too.  

Their parents, Roger and Mary Kay, are also great.  They are very encouraging.  The whole family is involved in running all of the dairy judging contests at all of the dairy field days in the state.  They are all involved in the PDCA and the Sooner State Dairy Show.  They assist with different shows, too.  They are on a mission to increase the dairy programs in the state of Oklahoma.  They are really good at making good things happen.

These are just some of the people that I can think of off the top of my head.  The thing about these great people is that they don’t just do this stuff for me.  They do these things for ALL the kids that are interested.   They do everything they can to help.

     

They are truly BLESSINGS, and I don’t even know if they realize it.  They are part of the reason that I register under the name of GodBless Dairy Enterprises.  God blessed me by putting all of these people in my life.  I can hardly wait to see who else will come my way in the future!

OK State Fair 2012 - Part 3

OOPS!  Look what we found in the DRAFTS box!

When I go to the OK State Fair, I know that the TULSA STATE FAIR is just around the corner!

At 10 A.M. Sunday morning, we met with our show team at the Ag Farm to load up the trailers to go to the fair at OKC.

Since they don't allow COWS at the OK State Fair as of this year, we were able to get supplies in one trailer and heifers in another.

We headed to the city and pulled into the livestock gate, but when we gave them our exhibitor tickets, they wouldn't let us in.  They sent us the wrong tickets.  (Good only for Monday.)  So our poor advisor had to leave the truck and trailer holding up the line and go pick up the correct tickets to get us in.  I'm sure all the people behind us were mad.

We got unloaded.  It was my first time to see the new barn facilites.  Sometime after the fair last year, they tore down the beef and dairy barn and rebuilt.  Things are a lot different.  It used to be dark and dirty.  There were wood and pipe panels to tie your animals to.  This time we had to bring our own stock panels in order to have something to tie them to.

They tore out the milking parlor.  Even when Southwest Dairy Museum offered them $250,000 to build a new one, they would not.  So now we cannot bring cows.  We cannot even bring DRY cows.  This has become a heifer-only show.

******

Sunday night we unloaded and set up, ate, fed, and went to bed.

Monday evening was the Purdiest Cow Contest.  I brought Cleopatra with me.  (I dressed up Stopnstare.)  I was Julius Caesar.  We got first place and Grand Champion.

Then we had Showmanship.  I chose to use Stopnstare.  I kept loining her when she didn't need it because I'm so used to doing it with Posey and Juicy.  Stopnstare doesn't need it.  Ooops.  I came in second.  Probably could have come in first if I hadn't done that.

Tuesday was the morning of the show, we got up at 4:20 A.M. so we could be washing the animals by 5:00 A.M. so they could start drying and the first toplines could be started at 7:00 because the show started at 9:00 A.M.

Jr. and Open show happens at the same time.  If you were placed second behind someone in Open that is not a Jr., then you would place second in Open, and first in Jr.  So they hand you both of your placings at the same time.  This is different from Tulsa.  At the Tulsa State Fair they do Purdiest Cow and Showmanship on Friday, Open show on Saturday, and Jr. Show on Sunday.  The judge is different for every event.  It's one more day of hard work, but it makes it interesting.  Different day, animal acts differently (maybe), animal is in a little bit different condition (maybe), you perform differently (maybe), different judge, different results (maybe).  You just have to wait and see.  It's more interesting.

Prize summary:
*Best Dressed Cow Contest - (Cleopatra and Julius Caesar) Grand Champion - Rosette, blue ribbon, medallion
*Showmanship - Stopnstare - 2nd place ribbon, plaque
*Stopnstare - Spring heifer Jersey calf - 1st in Open, 1st in Jr., Reserve Breed Champion Jr., Reserve Breed Champion Open, (two blue ribbons, two rosettes, two banners, and an embroidered garment bag) $5 from Oklahoma Jersey Jr. Assoc.
*Carmelita - Spring yearling Jersey - 1st in Open, 1st in Jr. (two blue ribbons and $5 from OJJA)
*Juicy - Spring yearling Brown Swiss - 2nd in Open, 2nd in Jr. (two red ribbons)

OH . MY. GOODNESS.

From PTD in November

This is a copy of the latest post for Progressive Dairyman's Proud To Dairy site.

Month 4: If you could shadow someone's career in the dairy industry, what would you choose? (Veterinarian, nutritionist, dairy farm owner, etc.) What questions would ask him or her?

Do I have to pick just one? There is A LOT I donʼt know about ALL careers in the dairy industry, but if you make me pick just one, I would choose a veterinarian.

I guess I am choosing a veterinarian because in Ag class I am currently studying for the junior CDE competition in the Vet Med category.  We have over 100 tools and 100 breeds of animals to identify.  Some of the breeds I already know from experience.  Some of the vet tools I already know from experience, too.

My first experience with a vet started out very scary, but the he made everything all right.  We had just lost my first Ayrshire calf about four months before because of a dysfunctional stomach that caused her to bloat, but I had my new Ayrshire calf, Posey with me at the Sooner State Dairy Show in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  We were keeping a close eye on her and realized she was bloating up.  It was just before midnight when we had fed and our chores were done and we had come back, and had seen it and had told the breeder what was wrong.  He decided we should go ahead and call the Oklahoma State University vet hospital.  (Go Pokes!!!)  

We loaded Posey up and ran her there as fast as we could.  The breeder thought she had bloated up even more on the short trailer ride to the vet.  The man on call was really nice.  He was a giant, but he was a gentle giant.  He let us see everything.  He explained everything.  We figured out that Posey’s halter was tied too long which let her get into two other feed pans.  She was taking in too much grain for the amount of hay she was eating.  The doctor also had a student with him.  He taught her how to run a tube down Posey’s throat into her stomach.  We thought the girl would NEVER get it.  She would mess up, and he would demonstrate again.  Then she would try again.  Finally they got the tube in Posey’s throat and he poured mineral oil into her.  They kept her over night.  They said she COULD go with us, but she would have explosive diarrhea all night while the oil did its job and the gas came out.  So we left her there.  :)

Before we got there, I cried.  I didn’t want this calf to die.  The next morning, the breeder brought her back to us from the vet.  I hugged that calf and stroked her hair and petted her like I hadn’t seen her in forever.  If there weren’t a vet on call at a facility so close, I don’t think Posey would have lived.

The next visit to a vet was very interesting and not stressful.  Posey was born with six teats instead of the normal four.  We took her to the vet to get her shots, and her ear tattoos, and her extra teats removed.  I got it all on video.  The vet used a clamp on each teat and then removed the teats with a scalpel.  When he took the clamps off, there was no blood.  He sprayed a thick liquid on them to fight bacteria, and off she went!  She didn’t need stitches or glue or a bandage or anything!  Her scars are not noticeable unless you are looking for them.  As a cow, her udder is beautiful!  

I would think that the work of a vet can be interesting.  I think it can also be stressful working with some animals (and some owners) that are crazy.  I think it would be stressful to do your best to heal an animal and it died anyway.  I think it would be hard to see people not follow directions or not take your advice and not take care of their animals properly.  I can also see it being rewarding seeing the results of your hard work or seeing people that do what they need to to keep their animals in good shape.

I think my favorite vet med area would be reproduction.  That’s what the dairy business is all about, right?  You raise a healthy heifer to the proper breeding age.  You track her heat cycle.  You get her artificially inseminated with a semen that will improve her offspring.  You track her cycle to see that she passes over.  You wait a little bit to get her preg checked, and if it’s really important to you, you wait a little bit and have a fetal sex ultrasound done on her so you can see if she’s carrying a heifer or a bull.  There are several questions I would ask about ultrasounds and stuff.

   

  

How many fetal ultrasounds do you do per month? 

How long does it take to be certified on an ultrasound machine? 

What kind of education do you have to have? 

How much does a portable machine cost?

Where do I go to learn how? 

Same set of questions about learning how to do artificial insemination: 

How many do you do? 

How long for certification? 

Education? Equipment cost (a.i. gun, etc.) 

Where do I go to learn how?

I think veterinarians are a very important part of the dairy industry.  They can perform vaccinations, surgeries, and treat/fix things like hurt hooves.  One time, one of my friend's cows was standing cross legged, and the vet figured out her foot was hurt, so he made a set of blocks for her to walk on to take pressure off that hurt side of her hoof, and she walked normally while it healed up.

Veterinarians can teach owners how to better care for their animals so they don’t have to come to the vet so often.  Veterinarians can help with dairy cattle health in many ways I don’t even know about.  Sometimes, vets can help by doing a necropsy (which is like an autopsy in humans) so the owner can find out why an animal died and hopefully keep it from happening to any more animals.    

In the dairy industry, the animals need to be well.  The animals need to be free of antibiotics in order to sell their milk.  They need to be able to walk to feed and water in order to stay healthy to produce milk.  They need to calve in order to continue produce milk.  They need to have healthy udders. They need  to have as many heifers as possible to have future milkers!  Veterinarians can help in all of these areas.