It has been 4 years since my last blog entry. Life has been extremely busy, especially the family activities.
A lot has changed over the last 4 years. Depressed farm prices are starting to take their toll on producers. That and the retirement effect are thinning out dairy clients. The interest in farming has declined significantly and there are fewer people from the next generation entering the occupation.
The biggest issue on dairy farms I have noticed over the last ten years is labor. Hispanic's are the predominant labor source. However, it is difficult for my producers to maintain a stable, long-term staff. Turn-over is generally high and the language barrier is always present. Unfortunately, there isn't a solution to "human" labor issues on dairy farms. I believe the future for dairy operations is robotic technology.
VFD's were a major pain for livestock production this year. The online service GVL has helped our clinic tremendously. It saves time with data entry and record storage. I would not be able to operate without it.
I will try to post a little now that it has slowed up for awhile. I will try to include interesting medical cases or herd cases.
One case in particular I ran into yesterday was wart-growth on post-dehorning lesions. These were flat warts about 3-4 inches in diameter. The producer was going to try dehorning paste within the boundaries of the wart.
