Veterinary - General

The Only Other Humans You See All Day: Why Producer-Veterinarian Relationships Matter

Thu, 14 May 2026 19:19:24 GMT

A production animal veterinarian finishes a farm call, climbs back into the truck and starts driving to the next stop. Depending on the day, the producer they just spoke with may have been the first real conversation they’ve had in hours — or the interaction that shapes the tone of the rest of the day.

That isolation is one of the unique realities of production animal medicine. Unlike many clinic settings, there often is no team gathered in a treatment area and no coworkers nearby between appointments. Much of the work happens alone, moving from farm to farm. As Andi Davison, positive change agent at Flourish Veterinary Consulting , put it, production medicine is often “just them, and the only other human that they talk to all day long is the producer.”

During Mental Health Awareness Month, conversations around veterinary well-being often focus on burnout, long hours, compassion fatigue or staffing shortages. Those issues are important, but another factor may deserve more attention: The quality of the everyday interactions veterinarians have with the people around them.

In production medicine, that frequently means producers.

More Than People Skills

Most veterinarians are not trying to become polished communicators or extroverts. They simply want smoother conversations, less tension, better collaboration and the feeling that everyone is working toward the same goal. Those interactions can carry more emotional weight than many people realize.

A productive relationship with a producer can make difficult herd health conversations easier, improve follow-through on recommendations and create a stronger sense of teamwork. A strained relationship can do the opposite — increasing frustration, emotional exhaustion and the feeling that recommendations are going nowhere.

As Davison explains: “We can make all the recommendations all day long, but if we don’t feel like we’re working together as a team, it doesn’t matter.”

Most veterinarians recognize the difference immediately. There are days when you leave a farm feeling productive and respected, and days when you replay the conversation all the way to the next call.

That emotional carryover can leave an impact.

Why Positive Interactions Matter

Research in psychology and workplace well-being has shown even brief positive interactions with other people can influence how individuals experience their work. These high-quality connections are associated with greater trust, collaboration, engagement and a stronger sense of purpose.

Importantly, those interactions do not have to be dramatic or deeply personal to matter. Even short, repeated moments of positive communication can influence workplace relationships and resilience over time. For veterinarians, that sense of connection is often tied directly to the reason they entered the profession in the first place.

At the core of those conversations is a shared goal: We all want to do better for the animals.

That shared purpose may be one of the biggest strengths in veterinary medicine and agriculture. Even when producers and veterinarians disagree on management decisions, timing or finances, there is usually still a common goal underneath the conversation — healthier animals and stronger operations.

“When we are able to cultivate productive communication between the humans of veterinary medicine, we are building trust, motivation and self-efficacy, which then supports the animals of our industry to receive the quality care they deserve. In other words, when we know we matter and the work that we are doing matters, we are much more motivated to do that work well,” Davison says.

Keeping that shared goal in mind can help shift conversations from adversarial to collaborative.

Small Changes That Build Trust

Of course, knowing communication matters and feeling naturally comfortable with it are two very different things.

Many veterinary professionals describe themselves as introverted or socially drained, especially after long days and emotionally difficult cases. Building stronger relationships does not always come naturally, and small talk can feel forced or awkward.

But communication is not necessarily about charisma. Often, small intentional shifts can noticeably change the tone of an interaction over time.

Communication Tips for Veterinary Professionals

Not quite sure where to get started on improving your interactions with producers? Try these small things out during your next farm visit.

Use names and eye contact

Small signals of recognition can help interactions feel more personal and collaborative.

Ask broader questions

Instead of: “How was your weekend?”

Try: “What’s something good that happened this weekend?”

Questions like that give people something real to respond to instead of an automatic one-word answer.

Get curious

Ask open-ended questions about challenges, goals or concerns on the farm before jumping straight to solutions.

Share appropriately

Small personal details can make conversations feel more human and less transactional.

Listen for understanding

Focus less on preparing the next response and more on understanding the producer’s perspective.

Reinforce strengths

Point out what is going well, not just what needs to improve.

None of those things require a dramatic personality change. But over time, they can help build trust — and trust is often what turns difficult conversations into productive ones.

The Human Side of Production Animal Medicine

Better communication will not solve every challenge facing veterinary medicine. It will not eliminate stress, staffing shortages, financial pressures or difficult cases. But when you spend much of the day working alone, stronger human connections can make difficult work feel less isolating and more purposeful.

In a profession built around problem-solving and animal care, feeling connected to the people involved in that work may shape well-being more than many veterinarians realize. The other humans you see during your day may matter more than you think.

WOAH Report Highlights Growing Disease Pressure and Veterinary System Gaps

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:46:47 GMT

A perfect storm may be gathering over the global food system.

As unprecedented outbreaks of bird flu, African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and New World screwworm spread across regions, the financial systems meant to prevent and contain these threats are shrinking.

That is the central warning from the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (WOAH) newly released 2026 State of the World’s Animal Health report , which argues that global investment in prevention is failing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding biological risk profile.

According to the report, more than 20% of global animal production is lost to preventable disease every year, yet animal health receives less than 0.6% of total global health spending. At the same time, approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases in humans originate in animals.

For food-animal veterinarians in North America, many of the report’s themes already feel familiar. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle, growing antimicrobial stewardship pressure, increasing biosecurity demands, workforce shortages and concern around emerging and transboundary diseases all feature prominently in WOAH’s assessment of global animal health trends.

“Animal health systems are the first lines of defense against the next pandemic,” said WOAH director general Emmanuelle Soubeyran during a panel discussion accompanying the report release.

Global Animal Health Funding Declines as Disease Risks Increase

One of the report’s strongest warnings centers on what WOAH describes as a rapidly contracting financing landscape. Despite the growing importance of animal health systems, they remain chronically underfunded globally.

Official Development Assistance, government-funded international aid intended to support the economic development and welfare of lower- and middle-income countries, fell to $174.3 billion in 2025 — a 23% decline that WOAH says represents the largest annual contraction on record and effectively erases a decade of growth in global development aid.

Meanwhile, less than $1 billion annually reaches veterinary services and zoonotic disease prevention worldwide. According to WOAH, that amounts to less than 2.5% of an already shrinking global health aid budget.

WOAH estimates bringing veterinary services worldwide up to international standards would cost approximately $2.3 billion annually — a figure the organization contrasts against the trillions of dollars in economic losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The choice before governments, funders, partners and private sectors is not between spending and saving,” Soubeyran says. “It is between planned investment in animal health systems and protecting our health and minimizing losses.”

Veterinary services are prevention infrastructure, not simply regulatory oversight. That framing has increasing relevance for North American food-animal veterinarians, whose responsibilities now often extend well beyond traditional clinical work to include biosecurity planning, disease surveillance, movement documentation, antimicrobial stewardship, emergency preparedness and producer communication.

HPAI, African Swine Fever and Emerging Diseases Continue Expanding

The report paints a picture of disease systems becoming increasingly interconnected as climate change, globalization, wildlife movement and changing production systems alter how diseases emerge and spread.

The human and economic cost of this underinvestment is already visible:

Avian Influenza: Between 2025 and early 2026, over 2,100 outbreaks were recorded in 64 countries, resulting in the loss of 140 million poultry.
The Cattle Shift: HPAI is now recognized as an emerging disease in bovines, requiring international reporting as it jumps species barriers.
Parasitic Spread: New World screwworm is moving northward through Central America with tens of thousands of cases, while Lumpy Skin Disease has reached Western Europe for the first time.
Regional Crises: Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has recently caused unprecedented outbreaks in Southern Africa.

Outbreaks no longer remain localized events. In an increasingly interconnected livestock and trade system, delayed detection in one region can rapidly create wider food system, trade and public health consequences.

Veterinary Preparedness and Biosecurity Deliver Economic Returns

A major theme running throughout the report is that governments and industries continue spending far more responding to disease crises than preventing them.

One highlighted example compares the United Kingdom’s response to FMD outbreaks:

In 2001, an underprepared response cost the UK an estimated £8 billion and resulted in the culling of more than 6 million animals.
In 2007, after improved preparedness investments, another outbreak was contained in just 58 days at a cost of approximately £47 million.

These examples demonstrate the measurable economic return of surveillance systems, preparedness planning, laboratory capacity, vaccination programs and coordinated veterinary services.

“Preparedness begins before the crisis,” says Paolo Tizzani, veterinarian and epidemiologist with WOAH.

WOAH Warns Veterinary Staffing Shortages Could Delay Outbreak Detection

The report also identifies veterinary workforce capacity as a growing vulnerability globally.

According to WOAH data:

18% of countries assessed showed declining veterinary capacity,
22% showed declining paraprofessional capacity.

During the panel discussion, WOAH officials specifically referenced declining rural veterinary presence as an emerging concern.

“When animal health systems are under-resourced, diseases can be detected late,” Tizzani says. “They have the possibility to spread more widely.”

Workforce shortages are no longer simply a labor issue, but increasingly a biosecurity and preparedness concern. Without sufficient veterinary staffing, laboratory support, surveillance infrastructure and field-level reporting capacity, outbreaks become harder to identify and contain early.

Prevention and Vaccination are Key

WOAH warns AMR could contribute to more than 39 million human deaths globally by 2050 while also creating major economic losses in animal production systems. The organization strongly positions prevention-oriented herd-health approaches — including vaccination, surveillance, biosecurity and improved disease management — as critical tools for reducing antimicrobial use.

This discussion aligns closely with ongoing stewardship initiatives across dairy, beef and pork sectors, including increased focus on veterinary oversight, preventive medicine and judicious antimicrobial use.

Only a small proportion of AMR-related research funding currently goes toward animal vaccines, despite their role in reducing antimicrobial demand. Still, the report points to examples where prevention-focused systems have dramatically reduced antibiotic use. Norway, for example, was able to reduce antibiotic use in its salmon industry by 99% through sustained investment in vaccination and preventive health programs.

Animal Health as Critical Infrastructure

WOAH consistently frames animal health systems as critical infrastructure tied directly to economic resilience, food security, public health and trade stability. They also push back against oversimplified narratives that place disease emergence solely on livestock production itself. Instead, WOAH officials emphasize the growing complexity of interactions between wildlife, livestock, humans, ecosystems, climate pressures and global trade systems.

“One Health will remain an aspiration until animal health systems are genuinely built into how we plan and invest,” Soubeyran says.

Animal health systems can no longer be treated as background infrastructure that only becomes visible during emergencies. For food-animal veterinarians in North America, that transition is already well underway.

Whether through HPAI surveillance in dairy cattle, African swine fever preparedness planning, antimicrobial stewardship, movement documentation or producer biosecurity support, food-animal veterinarians are increasingly functioning as frontline public-health and food-system infrastructure.

“Animal health must be financed as a global public good,” the report concludes. “The benefits generated cross every border, and the risks of underinvestment are shared by all.”

Beef-on-Dairy Calves May Scour Less than Holsteins, New Research Shows

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:44:38 GMT

Beef-on-dairy calves have long been a solid income stream on many dairies, turning into a steady payout when they leave the farm and move into beef systems. More recently, farmers have also started to notice these calves often require fewer individual health treatments than their purebred counterparts, adding to their overall profitability.

Researchers like Melinda Kovacs, a master’s student at the University of Guelph, have started to take a closer look at how these calves perform early in life, when most health challenges tend to show up. One pattern that keeps surfacing is that crossbred calves tend to have fewer digestive issues than Holsteins, especially scours.

In her work, Kovacs found beef-on-dairy crossbred calves have lower diarrhea rates, fewer days with scours and fewer repeat treatments than Holsteins during the rearing phase.

“Producers were finding that the health of these crossbred calves was improved,” Kovacs explained during a recent “The Dairy Health Blackbelt Podcast” episode. “They were finding less health challenges, or these animals were able to recover from disease a little bit better than the purebred calves.”

Fewer Scours Cases Stand Out

The study followed approximately 640 calves housed at a single calf-rearing facility over about 18 months. Kovacs analyzed records from 446 Holstein calves and 194 beef-on-dairy crossbred calves.

Using twice-daily health scoring, Kovacs and her team monitored diarrhea and respiratory disease while also collecting weekly body weights, milk intake and starter feed intake data.

When she compared the two groups at the conclusion of the study, one health challenge stood out immediately.

“We found that the Holstein calves had a higher incidence of diarrhea compared to the crossbred calves,” Kovacs says. “We also found that translated to fewer days with diarrhea.”

Beef-on-dairy calves_Suanne Blackwell

(Suanne Blackwell)

The same trend appeared when she evaluated severe diarrhea cases.

“This is what we were expecting based on kind of our communication with producers,” Kovacs says. “That the crossbred calves would have less diarrhea in the preweaning or the rearing phase.”

For dairy farmers and calf raisers, fewer scours cases can influence nearly every part of calf performance. Diarrhea remains one of the most expensive calfhood diseases on dairies due to treatment costs, lost growth, labor demands and long-term health setbacks.

Crossbred Calves Needed Fewer Repeat Treatments

Kovacs also examined therapeutic interventions and found another difference between the groups.

“We did find that the Holstein calves had a higher hazard of being treated multiple times for both diarrhea and respiratory disease,” she says.

Respiratory disease rates themselves were similar between breeds, but the need for repeated treatment was higher in Holsteins. That finding could become more important as dairy and calf-rearing operations focus on reducing antibiotic use while still keeping calves healthy and performing well.

“Perhaps there’s a greater ability of these crossbred calves to recover from diseases compared to Holstein calves,” Kovacs adds.

Why Are Beef-on-Dairy Calves More Resilient?

(Farm Journal)

The study wasn’t designed to pin down exactly why the differences are showing up, but Kovacs thinks genetics likely play a role.

“In the dairy industry, we see a lot of inbreeding depression with the Holstein animals,” she says. “And I think perhaps we have some heterosis or hybrid vigor in these crossbred animals.”

Selection pressure may also contribute to the performance gap. Dairy genetics have focused on milk production traits, while beef genetics have emphasized growth and muscling.

“In the dairy industry, we’ve been genetically selecting for obviously higher milk production, whereas in the beef industry, we’ve been selecting for more growth traits,” Kovacs says. “So perhaps these crossbred calves are benefiting from the growth traits compared to the Holstein calves.”

She also found crossbred calves gained weight faster during the rearing phase.

“The crossbred calves did have higher growth rates, so higher average daily gains,” Kovacs says. “They were about [15 lb.] heavier than the Holstein calves when they were finished this rearing phase.”

Differences Continued Through Harvest

Kovacs and her team later expanded the project to follow some calves from birth through harvest at approximately 13 months of age. She wanted to better understand how calfhood health and management influence later feedlot and carcass performance.

Beef_carcasses

“Right now, there’s kind of a big disconnect between all of the different components of the industry, between the dairy farm of origin, the rearing, the feedlot and the abattoir,” Kovacs says.

The performance differences continued beyond the early rearing phase.

“The crossbred calves, I believe, were about [120 to 124 lb.] more in body weight compared to the Holsteins,” Kovacs says. “Which does have significant implications in terms of the cost benefit of these animals.”

She also identified differences in ribeye area and carcass composition, suggesting the advantages weren’t limited to early growth but carried through to how the animals finished at harvest.

More Research Still Needed

Even with the encouraging results, Kovacs says dairy producers should not assume crossbred calves require less attention or lower-quality care.

“With my findings, we see that they’re maybe more resilient or robust,” she says. “But I think those producers still need to be offering the best care to those calves to ensure their success.”

Kovacs adds that much of the existing calf research has historically focused on purebred Holsteins, leaving major knowledge gaps around nutrition and management requirements for beef-on-dairy calves.

“A lot of research that’s been done in the past has focused on purebred Holstein calves,” Kovacs says. “So, we don’t really know if the requirements of these crossbred calves for both maintenance and growth are the same as for a purebred Holstein calf.”

As beef-on-dairy programs continue to expand across the dairy industry, producers are paying closer attention to which calves stay healthier and perform better from start to finish. This research suggests fewer scours cases early in life may be part of the advantage, adding to the overall profitability of beef-on-dairy calves.

For more on beef-on-dairy, read:

Waiting for the Vet: How to Manage Udder Vein Lacerations on Farm

Mon, 11 May 2026 13:56:01 GMT

Few situations on a dairy are more alarming than finding a cow actively bleeding from an udder vein laceration. Blood loss can happen quickly, and in severe cases, the situation can become life-threatening before a veterinarian arrives.

The first priority is staying calm enough to control the bleeding and stabilize the animal.

While udder vein injuries are among the more dramatic bleeding emergencies producers may encounter, many of the same principles apply to other significant lacerations on farm. Rapid bleeding control, minimizing movement and protecting the injured area can all improve outcomes while waiting for veterinary care.

Udder veins are particularly vulnerable because of their size. High-producing dairy cows require significant blood flow to support milk production, which means damage to those vessels can result in substantial blood loss in a short amount of time.

According to Dr. Erika Nagorske, these cases are memorable because of how quickly they escalate.

“Their udder vein goes from their udder up toward their chest right on their belly line,” Nagroske says. “It is garden hose-huge because dairy cows milk so much and need a lot of blood flow.”

Control the Cow First

As with many emergencies, the first step is containment.

Move the cow into a safe, confined area where she is less likely to panic, move excessively or injure herself further. A chute or small pen is ideal if available. Limiting movement helps reduce additional trauma and makes it easier to assess the source of the bleeding.

This same principle applies to many lacerations, particularly those involving limbs or areas where movement can repeatedly reopen the wound.

If the cow is already weak or beginning to wobble, minimizing stress becomes even more important. Heavy blood loss can cause animals to deteriorate quickly.

(Erika Nagorske)

Apply Pressure Immediately

Direct pressure is the most important first response.

Use clean towels, cloths or any absorbent material available and apply firm pressure directly over the source of bleeding. Even temporary clotting can slow blood loss enough to buy valuable time before veterinary care arrives.

For smaller lacerations elsewhere on the body, pressure alone is often enough to reduce bleeding until the veterinarian arrives. In more severe injuries, especially those involving larger vessels, additional intervention may be needed.

“If you have hemostats or true vet tools on hand, great. Otherwise, vise grips,” Nagorske says. “And it sounds very archaic, right? But it’s either we’re looking at either a dead cow or not a dead cow.”

If trained and comfortable doing so, producers may be able to carefully clamp above and below the damaged portion of the vein to slow bleeding until the veterinarian arrives.

Avoid Unnecessary Movement

Once bleeding is somewhat controlled, keep the cow as quiet and still as possible.

Walking the animal unnecessarily or repeatedly moving her between locations can worsen blood loss or disrupt clot formation. The goal is stabilization, not treatment.

Nagorske notes these situations can become especially difficult if the cow goes down before bleeding is controlled.

“That’s what’s hard about those bad bleeders,” she says. “They lay down, then you can’t get to the source of bleeding.”

What Not to Do

In high-stress bleeding emergencies, well-intentioned actions can sometimes make the situation worse.

Do not leave the cow uncontained
Do not repeatedly remove pressure to check the wound
Do not force the animal to walk long distances
Do not delay calling the veterinarian
Do not assume bleeding has stopped completely just because it has slowed

Keeping the animal calm, controlling bleeding and minimizing additional trauma can make a substantial difference in the outcome.

Be Prepared

Udder vein lacerations are not everyday events, but preparation matters.

Having towels, clean cloths and basic restraint or clamping tools accessible on the farm can make the initial response more effective while waiting for veterinary care. Reviewing emergency protocols with employees ahead of time can also help reduce panic during high-stress situations.

Most importantly, call the veterinarian immediately. Rapid intervention gives the cow the best chance of recovery and can prevent a serious situation from becoming fatal.

From Defense to Damage: Cattle Bunching on Dairy Farms

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:28:10 GMT

As temperatures rise and fly pressure builds, cattle bunching becomes a familiar sight. Often dismissed as a seasonal nuisance, it is actually a vital signal to interpret. What begins as a defense against stable flies quickly triggers a cascade of production and welfare challenges.

The economic impact is significant. Research indicates milk production declines by 0.6 kg per cow daily for every stable fly per leg. Furthermore, the presence of bunching itself is associated with a 0.45 kg daily loss. By the time this behavior is visible, production losses are already well underway.

Bunching is a predictable response to environmental stressors. While fly pressure is the primary trigger, factors like heat load, airflow and pen design determine the behavior’s intensity. Once a threshold is exceeded, bunching appears quickly and can spread across an entire pen.

Ultimately, bunching is not the problem; it is clinical evidence the system and the herd are already under immense pressure.

Why Do Cows Bunch?

Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) are blood-feeding insects that target the lower legs, delivering repeated, painful bites. Cows respond with a sequence of defensive behaviors: stomping, tail flicking and eventually, clustering.

This clustering is not random; it’s strategic.

By grouping tightly, cows reduce the number of flies landing on any one individual — a dilution effect. Animals compete for positions toward the center of the group, where exposure is lowest, creating the characteristic movement often observed in bunched pens.

Behavioral changes begin early. Around five flies per leg, cattle reach what is commonly considered an economic injury level, with measurable impacts on both behavior and production. More recent work suggests the threshold for behavioral change may be even lower under field conditions.

This is a coordinated response to discomfort, and in modern dairy systems, that response comes with trade-offs.

How Cattle Bunching Impacts Health and Performance

What begins as protection can quickly become part of the problem.

As cows bunch, they create localized conditions that amplify other stressors:

Airflow between animals is reduced, limiting the effectiveness of ventilation and cooling systems.
Heat builds within the group, increasing the risk of heat stress even when barn-level conditions appear acceptable.
Feeding behavior is disrupted. Cows are less willing to leave the group, and competition at the bunk increases. Reduced dry matter intake can occur before any visible drop in milk production.
Resting behavior is reduced. Increased fly pressure raises standing time, and bunching compounds this effect. Reduced lying time leads to less rumination and contributes to increased lameness risk over time.
Hygiene deteriorates. Clustering often occurs in areas with higher manure accumulation, increasing exposure to mastitis pathogens.

A behavior intended to reduce fly bites ends up amplifying heat stress, disrupting intake and compromising welfare.

Why Bunching Varies Between Pens

One of the more telling aspects of bunching is how uneven it can be. Within the same barn, under the same management, one pen may bunch consistently while another remains relatively unaffected. Bunching is strongly influenced by microenvironmental conditions that can differ across short distances.

Differences in airflow can create pockets where flies accumulate. Manure buildup increases local breeding pressure. Variations in shade, moisture or surrounding environment can further influence where flies — and therefore cows — concentrate.

Over time, these small differences become consistent patterns. The same pens bunch, often in the same locations, day after day. Cows are responding to environmental gradients that are easy to overlook but highly relevant to their comfort.

How to Diagnose the Cause of Cattle Bunching

When bunching behavior appears, a structured evaluation can help identify the underlying cause:

1. Fly pressure

Assess leg counts or trap counts where possible. Even relatively low counts can be meaningful, and increases beyond five flies per leg indicate significant impact.

2. Heat load

Review temperature-humidity trends and observe when bunching occurs. Heat amplifies both fly activity and cow response.

3. Airflow

Look for uneven ventilation or dead zones within the pen. These often correspond directly with bunching locations.

4. Stocking density

Overcrowding increases competition and accelerates clustering once cows begin to group.

5. Pen-level variation

Compare affected pens with those that remain stable. Differences in surroundings or management often explain the pattern.

This approach reframes bunching from a nuisance behavior into a diagnostic entry point.

When to Act on Cattle Bunching

One of the most useful aspects of bunching is how early it appears. Cows respond to environmental stressors faster than most monitoring systems detect them. As a result, bunching often appears before changes are obvious in bulk tank data or performance metrics. That creates an opportunity to act sooner.

When bunching emerges at consistent times or in specific areas, it provides a reliable signal that conditions have shifted. Adjusting fly control, improving airflow or modifying cooling strategies at that point can prevent escalation and limit cumulative losses.

Cattle bunching is a visible signal the system is under pressure. The goal is not to stop cows from bunching, but to understand why they are doing it and respond before defense turns into damage.

"Tell Us Something Good" Focuses on What’s Going Right in Veterinary Medicine

Fri, 01 May 2026 14:52:05 GMT

As Mental Health Awareness Month begins, a new veterinary initiative is asking a simple question: What’s going right in practice?

Nonprofit Project Sticker has launched the “ Tell Us Something Good ” campaign, inviting veterinary professionals to share small, meaningful moments from their work. The effort is part of a broader push to support veterinary teams earlier, with a focus on connection, accessibility and day-to-day well-being.

What the Campaign Is

The concept is straightforward: Veterinary professionals share one positive moment from their day, whether clinical, client-related or team-based.

That simplicity is intentional. The campaign is designed to fit into the existing rhythm of practice, not sit alongside it. It also aligns with Project Sticker’s wider work to make mental health support more visible and easier to access across the profession.

Rather than positioning itself as a solution to burnout, the initiative offers a small, repeatable action that can complement broader support systems.

Why This Approach, Why Now

The campaign draws on principles from Positive Psychology, particularly the idea that reflecting on meaningful experiences can help reinforce resilience and purpose.

That framing comes at a time when many veterinary professionals report ongoing stress, anxiety or uncertainty about staying in the field. Project Sticker’s approach doesn’t attempt to counter those realities — it adds something that is often less visible: shared, everyday evidence of meaning in the work.

In practice, those moments are easy to overlook. A case that improves, a client who expresses gratitude, a team that works seamlessly under pressure — these events happen regularly, but rarely get named.

The campaign centers on making them visible.

Why This Matters in Practice

For clinics, the appeal is practical. The approach requires little time or structure and can be incorporated without adding to workload.

Examples include:

Opening rounds with a quick “something good”
Brief team check-ins during demanding weeks
Informal recognition of patient or client wins

These small shifts align with a broader move toward earlier, proactive support, rather than waiting until stress escalates.

They also reinforce factors tied to retention, including team connection, recognition and sense of purpose.

A Broader Goal: Keeping People in the Profession

The campaign connects to a larger objective: helping veterinary professionals stay in practice.

Project Sticker’s work focuses on reducing mental health crisis rates and improving retention by making support more accessible and easier to engage with in everyday settings.

Within that framework, “Tell Us Something Good” serves as a low-barrier entry point — one that emphasizes consistency over complexity. This initiative reflects a shift in how veterinary mental health is being approached: not just reducing strain, but reinforcing what sustains people in the work.

It’s simple — and that’s likely the point.

The Veterinarian Who Wants Everyone at the Table

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:57:11 GMT

The air in the farm office is thick with the scent of antiseptic and damp earth. Outside on a folding plastic table, slippery, pink reproductive tracts are laid out like a strange anatomy lesson.

This isn’t the sterile, hurried vet visit most expect. There is no rush to finish, no ticking clock. Instead, a crowd gathers. Workers, owners and managers lean in, drawn by a curiosity that usually gets buried under the weight of a daily chore list.

Michelle Schack doesn’t start by lecturing; she starts by inviting.

“We did a little in-the-office training where we talked about why what we were doing was important, and then we went outside. I had repro tracts and their AI guns, and they practiced,” Schack recalls. “I had three repro tracts, and I cut one open for us to look at. I explained to them the structure of the cervix.”

In moments like this, the hierarchy of the farm dissolves. Schack isn’t positioned as the untouchable expert at the center of the room. She is a facilitator, a guide and — crucially — a student.

“They were so excited to do this, and they had a lot of questions, really good questions,” Schack says. “We were all talking together. We were sharing things. I learned things. The breeders learned things. The owner learned things. We all were learning together.”

(Photos provided by Michelle Schack)

The Silicon Valley Roots of a Cow Vet

Schack’s journey to the dairy barn began in an unlikely place: the Bay Area of California. Growing up in the Silicon Valley, her world was surrounded by tech companies and not a lot of agriculture.

Her first connection to animals wasn’t through livestock but rather through a suburban 4-H group where she raised nine guide dog puppies for the blind. It was here, starting in the second grade, that she inadvertently began training for her future career — not just in animal care but also in the art of public advocacy.

When she reached the University of California, Davis, for her undergraduate degree, she assumed being a small animal vet was the only path. But after shadowing a practitioner, she realized she felt restricted by the 15-minute appointment model and the sterile walls of a clinic. She began to look for something that allowed for more space, more complexity and a deeper connection to the food system.

“I started exploring — asking, ‘Well, what else is there?’ I realized that there were all different kinds of vets, and I could do all different kinds of things,” she recalls. “I really just kept coming back to the cows. The cows were my favorite the whole time.”

By her third year of veterinary school, her choice was clear, though she was in the extreme minority. Out of her graduating class of 140, there were four students who tracked food animal medicine.

The High Cost of the Telephone Game

This instinct to pull people toward the table comes from seeing what happens when communication breaks down. In the dairy industry, the real problem is often a lack of communication — a high-stakes game of telephone that breaks down as the message gets passed further along the line.

“I think very often we speak to the farmers and then the farmers speak to their employees. But along the way, some of the messages are lost, especially as our farms get bigger,” Schack explains.

She doesn’t see this as a lack of effort but rather as a reality of the grueling environment.

“The employee on the farm has a very challenging job. Typically it’s very repetitive, very physical, in all weather, and it’s very common for them to just get stuck in a routine,” Schack says.

When employees are stuck in a routine without understanding the biological “why” behind their tasks , the animals are the ones who pay the price. Her response is simple: Change how the message is shared. It has become one of the most rewarding parts of her work.

“When I get to work with the people and the owner and the manager, and I can see them all connect, that’s a day that I’m very excited for. That’s my favorite part of my job,” Schack explains.

(Photos provided by Michelle Schack)

The Missed Piece: Collaborative Medicine

This experience shaped a simple belief: A veterinarian who only talks to cows is only doing half the job. In Schack’s view, the vet is just one piece of a massive, integrated team.

“It is common for cattle veterinarians to show up, check cows and go home. When you don’t make the time for the rest of the team, then you’re going to get left out of certain conversations,” she notes. “Producers are working with a whole team of people. When we all work together, we can do so much more.”

She defines that team broadly, including the nutritionist, the slaughterhouse, the semen sales rep and even the person who installed the fans and misters. This teamwork requires a specific kind of humility: the ability to recognize that the person delivering 40 calves a day might know more than the person with the medical degree.

“There are maternity workers that have been working in maternity for 40 years, and all they do all day is deliver calves. They are experts, and to pretend that they aren’t or to overpower them is not smart. They know a lot, and we should be listening to what they have to say,” Schack says.

Starting Earlier: Bridging the ‘Milk Gap’

Schack’s passion for education eventually led her to look even further back in the chain of understanding: to the children in her own community. After visiting her children’s kindergarten class to talk about her job, she was struck by a profound realization.

“None of them knew how milk gets from the cow to the grocery store. They don’t understand that there’s processing,” she says. “I think most people think cows come in to get milked, it goes in a bottle and then goes to the grocery store. But there are so many steps in between, and I don’t think it’s shared very well.”

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A post shared by Dairy Vet Dr. Michelle (@dairy.doc)

She saw the same disconnect reflected in posts and comments on her social media, where she shares about dairy farming as the “ Dairy Doc .” Concerned that others were filling that knowledge gap with information that may not reflect reality, Schack decided to take action.

“I wrote a children’s book,” Schack says. “Kids are sponges, and they want to know the right answer. So, I wrote a book that’s specifically geared at their level that explains milk processing in a simple way so they can actually see what happens.”

The book, “Milk From Cow to Carton,” is set to release in June. She hopes to get it into the hands of teachers so they have a factual, accessible resource for their classrooms.

(Photos provided by Michelle Schack)

Building Something That Scales

When training demands began to outpace her schedule, Schack and her partners at her veterinary practice looked for a way to scale and maintain that connection.

“We started creating videos for our clients, and they were so well received that pretty soon we had the whole co-op interested in using our training,” she says.

These training videos eventually grew into DairyKind , a national training platform that fills the gaps in on-farm education. The platform offers modules on everything from special needs cow care to calf weaning, ensuring that the “why” is never lost in the shuffle of farm growth.

This work has clarified her own identity. For years, Schack thought her value was her knowledge of the animal. Now, she realizes her value is her ability to connect the people who care for them.

“I thought that I was an animal person. Over the years I’ve learned that I’m not really an animal person, I’m a people person,” she reflects. “My nature is to work with other people and that makes me happy.”

At the end of the day, the work still looks like that first moment in the farm office: a group of people gathered around a table. Schack is there, not just to provide the answers but also to ensure that everyone — from the veteran maternity worker to the kindergarten student — is part of the conversation.

She knows that if you want to improve outcomes for cows, you have to start with the people.

While Waiting for the Vet: Managing Uterine and Rectal Prolapses on Farm

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:49:27 GMT

Finding a cow with a prolapse is the kind of situation that raises urgency immediately. You call your veterinarian, but they may be 30 to 60 minutes away. What you do during that window can influence how straightforward the case will be once they arrive.

The goal is not to fix the prolapse yourself but rather to stabilize the situation and prevent it from getting worse. Erika Nagorske, a large-animal veterinarian with 4 Star Veterinary Service, shares the following advice for producers while they wait for their vet to arrive and address a prolapse.

Control Movement First

The most important first step is containment. A prolapse becomes more difficult to manage when the animal is moving, circling or slipping. Movement increases contamination, swelling and the risk of further damage.

“Every situation’s different, but if her entire uterus is prolapsed after she’s calved, there are really big blood vessels attached to that,” Nagorske says. “If she’s running around like crazy and not confined, those blood vessels can tear.”

Keeping the animal calm and contained is the most effective way to protect both the tissue and the outcome.

Nagorske recommends, without working the animal too much, getting it in a small space or in the chute. Even a tight alley can work. The goal is to limit the animal’s ability to turn quickly or move excessively.

Good footing is also important, as slipping can worsen the situation quickly.

(Provided Photo)

Uterine Prolapse: Protect the Tissue

With a uterine prolapse, the focus is on protecting exposed tissue until the veterinarian arrives.

Keep the uterus as clean as possible and avoid unnecessary handling. If feasible, try to keep it off the ground using clean towels, plastic or bedding. Even small efforts to reduce contamination can make a difference.

Avoid repeatedly trying to reposition or push the uterus back in. That can increase irritation and swelling, making the veterinarian’s job more difficult.

Think of this stage as preservation; the less trauma and contamination, the better the chances of a smooth replacement.

Rectal Prolapse: Reduce Swelling Early

Rectal prolapses present a slightly different challenge. Swelling can increase quickly, which makes replacement more difficult over time.

“Throw table sugar on it to help it shrink up so by the time I get there, it’s not twice the size it was when you first called,” Nagorske says.

Applying granulated sugar directly to the prolapsed tissue helps draw out fluid and reduce swelling. This is a simple, safe step that can improve the likelihood of a successful correction.

As with uterine prolapses, avoid aggressive handling or repeated attempts to push the tissue back in.

What Not to Do

In both situations, a few common missteps can make things worse:

Do not let the animal roam freely.
Do not repeatedly handle or push the tissue.
Do not delay calling the veterinarian.

Stabilize, Then Step Back

The time before the veterinarian arrives is about control, not correction. Keeping the animal contained, protecting exposed tissue and taking simple, targeted steps can make a significant difference in how the case progresses.

A calm, controlled approach sets the veterinarian up for success and gives the animal the best chance for a positive outcome.

Train for the Why: How Understanding Reduces Treatment Errors on Dairy Farms

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:37:19 GMT

Most dairy farms are training their teams.

They’re holding sessions, reviewing protocols and preparing for audits. On paper, the boxes are checked. On the ground, the same issues persist: missed steps, inconsistent execution, repeated corrective actions.

The problem isn’t a lack of training. It’s a lack of understanding.

“When timing is tight, which it usually is on a dairy farm, training becomes about getting through the steps of the job, not building understanding, and it often happens too late or too far apart to really stick,” says Michelle Schack , dairy cow veterinarian and founder of DairyKind , a training resource for dairies.

Across many operations, training is built around urgency. The audit is coming. The team needs a refresher. Protocols are reviewed quickly, often in a single session, with a focus on what to do and what not to do.

This approach creates a necessary foundation but also leaves a critical gap. Employees may know the steps, but they don’t always know why they’re being asked to perform them.

From Compliance to Understanding

“Dip the navel.”
“Don’t stress cows.”
“Give the shot here.”

These instructions are clear, repeatable and easy to audit. But without context, they are also easy to forget, misapply or ignore under pressure.

Training that focuses only on protocols asks employees to memorize. Training that includes the “why” asks them to understand.

“This isn’t a motivation problem. People generally want to do the right thing for the animals they are caring for. This is an understanding problem. We often assume knowledge that was never actually taught,” Schack explains.

When employees understand the biological or physiological reason behind a task, compliance becomes more consistent. Decision-making improves in situations that fall outside strict protocols. The work itself becomes more purposeful. Without that understanding, the same issues repeat.

The result is a cycle many veterinarians and producers recognize: retraining without resolution.

Where Training Breaks Down — and How to Fix It

The gap between protocol and understanding shows up in everyday tasks on dairy farms. In each case, the issue is not the protocol itself. It is what is missing behind it.

Here are some examples of everyday tasks performed on the farm, how they’re trained and improvements that could be made to the training to increase worker understanding and engagement.

Navel Dipping in Calves

Standard training: Dip the navel.
What’s missing: The umbilicus is a direct pathway into the calf’s body. Without proper disinfection, bacteria can enter and lead to systemic infection.
What changes when the “why” is explained: Employees recognize the procedure as a disease prevention step rather than a routine task and consistency improves.

If she happens to be performing a necropsy, Schack will show workers the internal structures to help them better understand why navels need to be dipped.

“You can tell someone to dip navels to prevent infection, but when they see for themselves that the navel connects directly to the liver, it changes how seriously they take that step,” she explains.

Broken Tails in Dairy Cattle

Standard training: Don’t pull tails.
What’s missing: The tail is an extension of the spine, made up of bones and joints. Excessive force can cause permanent injury.
Key issue: Many employees are unaware tails can be broken. Broken tails cannot be corrected after the fact. Prevention depends on handling practices.

“I’ve had conversations with employees that were using a calf’s tail to move the calf who were genuinely surprised to learn that tails can be broken. That moment of realization shifts how they handle calves and cows moving forward,” Schack says.

What changes when the “why” is explained: Handling behavior shifts because the risk becomes concrete rather than abstract.

Stockmanship and Milk Letdown

Standard training: Don’t stress the cows.
What’s missing: Stress activates physiological pathways that inhibit milk letdown. This slows milking and reduces parlor efficiency.
What changes when the “why” is explained: Calm handling becomes directly tied to workflow, time and performance in the parlor.

“Employees recognize that a cow that balks slows down the workflow, but they don’t always connect that to stress. When you make that link, animal well-being stops being abstract and starts being something that not only helps the cows but also makes their job easier,” Schack explains.

Injection Technique (SQ vs IM)

Standard training: Give the shot here.
What’s missing: Route of administration affects drug absorption, tissue damage and treatment effectiveness.
Key issue: Employees may not understand the difference between subcutaneous and intramuscular injections.
What changes when the “why” is explained: Accuracy improves, particularly in fast-paced situations where shortcuts are more likely.

“In a fast-paced environment, people default to what’s easiest, unless they understand why it matters. That’s what keeps accuracy from slipping,” Schack explains.

The Veterinarian’s Role in Making Training Stick

Veterinarians are positioned to translate biology into practical, actionable knowledge. Even short explanations can shift how employees approach routine tasks. However, training is not always viewed as part of the veterinary role. Time is limited. Priorities compete.

Producers also influence how training is delivered.

When farms involve veterinarians in training conversations, not just for protocols but for explanation, the information is more likely to be applied. The reasoning carries weight when it is grounded in biology and delivered by a trusted source.

For producers, that may mean asking a simple question during the next visit: Can you help explain the “why” behind this protocol to our team?

Even brief moments of explanation from a veterinarian during a routine visit can have lasting impact. When the biology is clear, the protocol becomes logical rather than arbitrary.

From One-Time Training to Continuous Learning

That shared effort between veterinarians and producers also requires rethinking when and how training happens. Training is often treated as a one-time event. In practice, it functions as an ongoing system.

One-time, in-person sessions cannot reach every employee.

“Between turnover, schedules and time constraints, there is no way one training reaches everyone, so it has to be something people can come back and build on,” Schack says.

No single format is sufficient on its own. In-person training creates engagement. Digital tools provide accessibility. Language accessibility ensures the message is understood. Repetition reinforces it over time.

Every training instance should include:
● What to do and what not to do (addressing common shortcuts/mistakes)
● Why it matters (biological/physiological context)
● What happens if it’s done incorrectly
● Instilling pride in the importance of this task or their job

“When training is consistent and covers why the work matters and the impact of getting it right or wrong, the work becomes something they take pride in, not just something they complete.” Schack says.

Training will always be part of dairy operations. If the goal is lasting change, it cannot stop at protocols.

Protocols create consistency. Understanding creates ownership.

How to Be the Best Veterinary Mentor

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:03:08 GMT

Mentorship in veterinary medicine is often treated as something informal. A student rides along, watches a few cases, asks a few questions and moves on.

In reality, those early experiences shape how new veterinarians think, work and handle pressure. The difference between a student who leaves confident and one who leaves overwhelmed often comes down to how intentional that mentorship was.

These mentorships can be just as beneficial for the mentor veterinarian. Dr. Erika Nagorske, bovine veterinarian with Four Star Veterinary Service, regularly takes on mentees as a mutually beneficial scenario.

“It’s like the refresher of the medicine and the science, because they ask so many good questions. And that’s what I want it to be. I want it to be very open and fluid,” Nagorske says.

Good mentorship does not require a complete overhaul of the day. It requires a shift in mindset. When a student is with you, the goal is no longer efficiency, but education.

1. Prepare for the Day to Take Longer

The simplest adjustment is also the most important: expect the day to slow down.

“Just mentally prepare yourself. Things are going to take longer. And that’s okay,” Nagorske says.

Explaining decisions, answering questions and creating space for hands-on learning all take time. Trying to maintain a full-speed schedule while mentoring often leads to frustration for both the veterinarian and the student.

Planning ahead can help. That might mean building extra time into certain calls or accepting that the day will not run as tightly as usual. When that expectation is set early, the experience improves for everyone involved.

2. Let Them do the Work

Observation alone is not enough to prepare students for practice. They need the opportunity to participate.

“Even if it’s just letting them close one layer of an incision. That’s not going to ruin your day, but it’s going to make their day really, really good,” Nagorske says.

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Hands-on experience builds confidence in a way that observation cannot. Even small tasks can help students feel engaged and capable, rather than passive.

Those opportunities also make the transition into practice less abrupt. When students have already performed parts of a procedure or worked through a case, they are better prepared for the moment when they are the one making decisions.

“The next time they see it, they might be the doctor. So let them do it, let them ask all the questions and walk them through everything,” Nagorske encourages.

3. Create a Safe Space to Fail

One of the most valuable things a mentor can provide is a controlled environment where mistakes are allowed.

“You need a safe place to fail, because the last thing you want is your failure to totally ruin you,” Nagorske says.

Students often come into clinical settings with high expectations of themselves. When something goes wrong, it can feel disproportionately significant. A strong mentor helps reframe those moments.

That does not mean ignoring risk. Patient safety comes first. It does mean allowing students to work through situations when appropriate, stepping in when necessary and using those moments as teaching opportunities rather than failures.

4. Take Care of the Basics

Mentorship is not only about medicine. It is also about recognizing the student is navigating a new, and often uncomfortable, environment.

“That sounds so silly, but I remember many situations where I was like, ‘I think I might pee my pants, and I feel so bad asking to stop,’” Nagorske says.

Students are often hesitant to speak up about basic needs. They do not want to interrupt the flow of the day or create inconvenience. That hesitation can turn what should be a positive experience into a stressful one.

Taking a moment to check in about food, breaks and expectations for the day creates a more supportive environment and allows the student to focus on learning.

5. Take Photos of Them

Some of the most impactful parts of mentorship are also the easiest to overlook.

“They love it. I’m always just like their personal paparazzi, taking pictures while they’re doing stuff,” Nagorske says.

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With permission from both the student and the producer, capturing those moments can be meaningful. It gives students something tangible to take away from the experience and reinforces that they were an active participant, not just an observer.

6. Be Intentional About the Experience

Not every veterinarian enjoys teaching, and that is worth acknowledging. Mentorship takes time, patience and effort.

When a student is present, the experience should be purposeful. That does not mean every moment needs to be structured, but it does mean making an effort to include them, challenge them and support them.

Mentorship does not need to be perfect to be effective, but in a profession where the transition into practice can be difficult, intentional mentorship can make a lasting difference.

Fatty Liver in Dairy Cows: The Export Problem You’re Overlooking

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:29:48 GMT

The transition cow is often discussed as having an energy problem. Cows eat less, demand ramps up and they fall into negative energy balance. While true, this is only part of the story. The bigger issue is a logistical bottleneck: What happens to the fat that gets mobilized? If the cow cannot move that fat out of the liver efficiently, metabolic problems stack up quickly.

Why the Liver Gets Overwhelmed

Around calving, a cow’s dry matter intake drops by 30% to 35%, while energy demand increases sharply. To fill this gap, the cow mobilizes body fat and sends it to the liver. Once there, the fat follows three main paths:

Complete Oxidation: It is burned for fuel to generate ATP (energy).
Ketogenesis: It is converted into ketones.
Export: It is packaged and sent back into circulation to be used for milk synthesis.

When the volume of fat exceeds the liver’s capacity to process it, the system breaks down.

“Lipolysis happens, that adipose tissue is breaking down. Part is going to be used for milk synthesis, part is going to go for complete oxidation and generate ATP and part goes to ketogenesis. The third thing that happens is that triglycerides accumulate, and when the liver cannot keep up, fat builds up in the liver and we start to see metabolic problems in cows,” says Fabio Lima, assistant professor at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Choline as the Liver’s “Shipping Crate”

The fundamental struggle for the modern dairy cow is her low capacity to export triglycerides from the liver as very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Choline is the key ingredient needed to build the VLDL “package” that carries fat out of the liver cells.

“What we know about our modern dairy cows is that they have a low capacity to export triglycerides from the liver as VLDL. That inability to increase fatty acid oxidation or export is what leads our cows to develop fatty liver. Choline has been shown to be a key ingredient to reverse that,” Lima says.

By supporting the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, a specific fat-transporting molecule, choline ensures the liver can keep up with the surge of fat mobilization.

“The modern dairy cow has been selected for high production. That creates a demand that makes nutrients like choline strategically important. It helps support that level of production,” Lima explains. “Choline is critical for VLDL assembly and hepatic fat export. And it’s critical to reduce fatty liver risk and minimize its impact. Phosphatidylcholine seems to depend on adequate choline, especially during the transition period.”

Why Rumen-Protection is Non-Negotiable

While choline is present in common feed ingredients like soybean meal, canola meal and forages, it is almost entirely degraded by rumen microbes before the cow can use it. Because natural feed sources rarely provide enough absorbable choline to meet the high demands of early lactation, rumen-protected choline is added to ensure the nutrient reaches the small intestine for absorption.

Despite the clear biological mechanism, the dairy industry is still refining exactly how much choline a cow needs. Because rumen dynamics are complex and every cow mobilizes fat differently, providing a one-size-fits-all dose remains a challenge.

“There has been 40 years of research, and we think, ‘Well, 40 years is a lot of research, we’re probably going to get some clear guidance.’ But we’re still not sure. There’s still the rumen dynamics and how much is metabolized, where it goes. All those things that make it difficult,” Lima says.

Rethink Transition Management

Success in the transition period requires looking beyond the feed bunk. The critical question is no longer just “Is she eating enough?” but rather: Is the transition cow able to handle the fat she is mobilizing?

Instead of focusing only on energy intake, it is equally important to consider how effectively the cow can process and move that energy. Supporting liver health through fat export is one of the most direct ways to reduce metabolic disorders and improve performance in the modern dairy cow.

Hidden Pneumonia in Calves: Why More Dairies Use Ultrasound to Catch Respiratory Disease Early

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:06:17 GMT

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains one of the most common and costly health challenges in preweaned dairy calves. The challenge is that many cases develop long before calves show visible symptoms.

“By the time calves show obvious clinical signs of respiratory disease, lung damage may already be present,” says Aerica Bjurstrom, regional dairy educator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “That’s why tools that help us detect pneumonia earlier can make a big difference in calf health and long-term performance.”

Traditional diagnosis relies on symptoms such as coughing, nasal discharge, or elevated temperature. But these signs often appear late in the disease process. In many cases, calves may look completely healthy while still carrying lung infections.

This form of illness, known as subclinical pneumonia, can reduce growth, feed efficiency and even future milk production.

“The lungs can really act as an indicator organ,” Bjurstrom explains. “Respiratory disease often reflects larger management challenges, such as poor colostrum intake, nutrition issues, or environmental stress.”

The Hidden Pneumonia Problem

Research has shown that pneumonia often develops days before visible symptoms appear.

“Ultrasound allows us to see what’s happening inside the lung tissue, even when the calf looks normal from the outside,” Bjurstrom says. “In many cases, pneumonia can be present for days before any clinical signs appear.”

Studies suggest that 50% to 80% of pneumonia cases may remain subclinical for 7 to 14 days before producers notice symptoms. That delay can allow lung damage to progress before treatment begins.

“Sometimes calves with severe pneumonia don’t show obvious symptoms,” Bjurstrom says. “But an ultrasound exam can reveal lung lesions that tell us the disease is already present.”

How Lung Ultrasound Works

Lung ultrasonography allows veterinarians to examine calf lungs in real time using portable ultrasound equipment.

A normal lung appears air-filled on the scan and produces horizontal white lines that move with each breath. These lines indicate healthy lung tissue.

Changes in the image can reveal early disease.

“Comet tails are bright vertical lines that extend down from the lung surface,” Bjurstrom says. “A few may be normal, but severe or diffuse comet tailing can suggest interstitial disease caused by fluid or inflammation within the lung.”

More advanced disease appears as lung consolidation, where portions of the lung fill with inflammatory material instead of air. On ultrasound, these areas appear as solid gray regions.

Veterinarians often use a 0 to 5 lung scoring system to evaluate severity.

“This scoring system helps identify disease before calves begin coughing or showing nasal discharge,” Bjurstrom says. “Early detection allows for earlier treatment and better outcomes.”

Dr. Ollivett demonstrates positioning for thoracic ultrasound scanning on a calf’s right lung.

(Denise Garlow, University of Wisconsin)

Why Early Detection Matters

Even when calves show no visible symptoms, lung damage can affect their long-term performance.

In one study of more than 600 Holstein heifers, calves with lung consolidation detected at weaning were less likely to become pregnant and more likely to leave the herd before first calving.

Another study found calves with significant lung lesions in the first eight weeks of life produced 1,155 pounds less milk during their first lactation.

“These findings highlight why early detection matters,” Bjurstrom says. “Subclinical disease can still influence growth, reproduction, and milk production later in life.”

Improving Treatment Outcomes

Early detection can also make treatment more effective.

“When pneumonia is caught earlier, treatment tends to work better,” Bjurstrom explains. “We’re able to intervene before the disease becomes severe and causes permanent lung damage.”

Ultrasound can also help veterinarians monitor recovery.

“That monitoring aspect is important,” she says. “It helps ensure calves are improving and reduces unnecessary retreatment.”

A Management Tool for Farms

Beyond diagnosis, lung ultrasound is increasingly used as a herd management tool.

“Ultrasound gives producers objective information about lung health,” Bjurstrom says. “That can help guide decisions about treatment, culling, or adjusting weaning timing for calves that may need more time to recover.”

Regular scanning can also reveal herd-level trends tied to management practices.

“When used consistently, ultrasound becomes a benchmarking tool,” Bjurstrom says. “It can help farms evaluate colostrum programs, ventilation, sanitation, and other factors that influence calf health.”

A Growing Tool in Calf Health Programs

Portable ultrasound units have become more accessible and easier to use, making them more common in calf health programs. With proper training, scanning a calf’s lungs typically takes less than a minute.

“The equipment requires an initial investment, but the information it provides can be incredibly valuable,” Bjurstrom says. “Earlier detection can lead to better management decisions, improved calf growth, and fewer losses.”

As dairy farms continue adopting more data-driven management practices, lung ultrasound is giving producers a new way to detect disease sooner and protect the long-term potential of their calves.

“Lung ultrasound helps us move beyond waiting for visible symptoms,” Bjurstrom says. “It allows producers and veterinarians to identify problems earlier and take action before long-term damage occurs.”

More Than Medicine: How Relationships Fuel Dr. Erika Nagorske's Career

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:13:08 GMT

Dr. Erika Nagorske’s third baby was born with a head of very curly hair — a surprise, given that none of her other children had a single curl. To a stranger, it is a quirk of genetics. To one of her favorite clients, a producer named Keith, it is a badge of shared history.

When Nagorske was eight months pregnant, she and Keith were backing up a side-by-side in his barn. In the hustle of the day’s work, neither realized the garage door behind them was closed until they hit it with a significant, metal-jarring jolt. Keith was mortified, terrified for the pregnant veterinarian. Nagorske, however, just laughed it off.

“To this day, he’s like, ‘It’s my fault he has curly hair because I jostled him so bad when you were pregnant. I’ll never forgive myself’. We just laugh really, really hard about that,” Nagorske shares.

(Photos provided by Dr. Erika Nagorske)

It is these unplanned, profoundly human moments that keep Nagorske coming back to large animal veterinary medicine day after day. While the medicine is the technical engine of her career, the fuel is the people. In a field often defined by its physical demands and technical complexities, Nagorske has found the most vital tool in her kit isn’t a stethoscope or a thermometer — it’s the long-term trust built through repetition. For her, that depth of relationship is now central to how she defines her work.

“The part of that that I’ve surprisingly come to really love and enjoy is the relationships. Large animal is very different — you see these people every other week or sometimes every week, depending on the operation. So you really get to know them,” Nagorske says. “They know my kids’ names. I know their birthdays. I know when they have their 50^th wedding anniversary. I’m invited to the granddaughter’s wedding who was 10 when I started.”

That kind of connection doesn’t happen overnight. It is built slowly through repeated visits, routine herd work, and moments of urgency when things go wrong. Over time, familiarity turns into trust, and professional interactions begin to take on a more personal dimension.

From City Roots to Cattle Country

This deep connection was not always the expectation. Nagorske grew up in Madison, Wis., far from the day-to-day realities of production agriculture. Raised by a single mother alongside her older brother, her understanding of the world was suburban and city-centered. Like many veterinarians, she knew as early as six years old that she wanted to work with animals, but her understanding of the profession was shaped by what she could see around her.

“My understanding of a veterinarian was very much small animal focused,” Nagorske explains. “We had dogs, cats — she let me get all the hamsters and pocket pets, but I really just wanted a horse and a goat.”

Her early exposure to animals came through these pets and horseback riding camps, not through farms or livestock operations. There was no built-in familiarity with cattle and no lived experience with the systems that define production agriculture. In a world of large animal medicine where many practitioners are born into the lifestyle, this absence of background could have been a barrier. Instead, it became a starting point.

The turning point came not in a classroom, but in a clinic setting that exposed her to a different side of veterinary medicine. While shadowing at a local small animal clinic, she was encouraged to visit a mixed animal practice outside of Madison. There, Nagorske encountered veterinarians whose work extended far beyond the clinic walls. Their day did not revolve around scheduled appointments in exam rooms, but around responding to the needs of farms and producers in real time. This was her first exposure to cattle medicine.

“There were two veterinarians there that did mostly cattle work. And every time they walked in the door to grab supplies, I was like, ‘Where are you going?’ What are you doing?’ Because it just seemed so cool to get your stuff, go out on farm, help the animal and help the producer in an uncontrolled setting,” Nagorske explains.

That experience reframed what veterinary medicine could look like. The work was less predictable, more hands-on and closely tied to the realities of production systems. It introduced a level of complexity and independence that she found compelling.

(Photos provided by Dr. Erika Nagorske)

Learn by Doing

This initial interest quickly translated into action. During a winter break in college, Nagorske took a job on a dairy farm outside Madison. The work was physical, repetitive and unfamiliar. It required learning basic tasks from the ground up while adapting to the pace and expectations of a working operation.

“I started milking cows and feeding calves at a farm outside of Madison and absolutely fell in love with it. And then from there, it really just spiraled into any cattle thing I could get my hands on,” she says.

What began as a temporary job became a defining experience. It gave her the confidence to pursue more opportunities in cattle medicine and reinforced that this was not just an interest, but a viable career path. She eventually pursued the Veterinary Food Animal Scholars Track (VetFAST) at the University of Minnesota, an early-admit program designed to address the shortage of food animal veterinarians.

Entering the field without an agricultural background came with a learning curve that extended beyond technical skills. It involved a psychological hurdle: The fear of being seen as an outsider.

“When I first started, I was so scared to tell people that because I felt like it would just ruin any street cred I had (which was already nothing as a new grad). But now I love to shout that story from the rooftops. If there’s anyone out there that’s wondering if they could do it too, you totally can. You just need the right mentors,” Nagorske says.

Over time, that initial hesitation shifted into a different perspective. Instead of viewing her background as a limitation, she began to see the advantages it offered. Approaching operations without preconceived assumptions allowed her to evaluate problems based on what was in front of her, rather than how things had always been done.

“I think my background almost makes me more flexible. I don’t have any bad habits or preconceived bias to how things should be done, so I’m really able to look at something and decide what actually makes sense,” Nagorske says.

The Realities of Veterinary Practice

As she transitioned into practice — eventually moving to southwest Minnesota with her crop-farmer husband — Nagorske encountered challenges that extended beyond clinical decision-making. In a field that has historically been male-dominated, she often had to navigate the perceptions of those less accustomed to seeing women in large animal roles.

“I had comments about my fingernails being painted, what my husband thinks of my job. Just things that you would never get asked if you’re a man,” she says.

She recalls a moment at a chute when an older male veterinarian questioned if she could handle a thermometer with painted nails. These moments reflected broader perceptions within the field. While frustrating, they became part of the environment she learned to navigate.

“You’ve got to let it roll off your back, because regardless of sexist comments or not, there’s always going to be someone to say something about what you’re doing. Just keep doing your job,” Nagorske advises.

Consistency, competence and reliability ultimately shaped how she was perceived. Over time, those qualities carried more weight than initial assumptions. When she was physically struggling with pregnancy, the producers she served didn’t see her as a liability; they saw her as a partner. She recalls a moment when she was struggling to fix a prolapse while heavily pregnant, and a producer went into his house to bring out a pillow to slide under her belly to help her stay comfortable in the dirt. These acts of kindness proved she was no longer just ‘the vet’; she was an integrated part of their operation’s support network.

(Photos provided by Dr. Erika Nagorske)

Where the Work Becomes Personal

Large animal veterinary practice is built on repetition. Nagorske now spends much of her time consulting on dairy-beef crosses — calves she calls “little pipsqueaks” when they arrive at 250 lb. — and seeing them through until they are finished a year later.

That repetition creates familiarity, and familiarity builds trust. As relationships develop, interactions extend beyond individual cases. Conversations shift from strictly clinical to more personal, reflecting a shared investment in the long-term success of the operation. Nagorske’s role becomes integrated into that system. She is not only responding to problems as they arise, but contributing to ongoing management decisions.

In that context, the veterinarian becomes more than a service provider. These shared experiences, both routine and unexpected, contribute to the sense of connection that defines the role. They highlight a dynamic that is difficult to replicate in more transactional forms of practice.

Pass it Forward

That same emphasis on connection carries into how Nagorske approaches mentorship. She regularly brings veterinary students along on calls, acting as their personal paparazzi to capture photos of them getting bloody to send home to their families.

“I love having students ride with me,” she says. “They ask so many good questions … They’ll ask ‘Why did you do that?’ Instead of saying ‘Well, that’s how I’ve always done it’, it makes you walk back through your decision making and get down to the nitty gritty of the science and the medicine and explain it.”

Working with students reinforces the importance of staying engaged with both the practical and conceptual aspects of the job. One of her biggest priorities is helping students find what a professor at Minnesota called a “safe place to fail.” In a profession of Type A perfectionists, she believes having a support system that allows for mistakes is vital for mental health and growth.

Nagorske has also fostered a large social media presence , using her platform to teach both vet students and producers about the common and unique cases she comes across in the field.

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A Career You Build Yourself

Nagorske’s path into large animal medicine developed through a series of experiences that gradually shaped her interests and priorities. It is a career built one relationship at a time.

“Veterinary medicine is so incredible because it totally is what you make it. There are so many opportunities out there,” she says. “If you just feel like something isn’t right, just change. You’re not a tree — you’re not stuck.”

That perspective reflects a broader understanding of the profession. Veterinary medicine offers a range of paths, and individual experiences can vary widely depending on the choices made along the way. In large animal practice, those choices often extend beyond clinical focus to include the type of relationships a veterinarian builds with the people they serve.

For Nagorske, those relationships are not secondary to the work. They are the work.

Why Getting Cows Bred Earlier Pays Off More Than You Think

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:06:25 GMT

Timing is one of the most powerful and underleveraged tools in cow-calf production. While genetics, nutrition and health protocols often take center stage, both research and field experience point to a simpler truth: When cows get bred matters just as much as whether they get bred at all.

In a recent conversation, Jacques Fuselier, manager of cattle technical services at Merck Animal Health, reinforced what many veterinarians and producers have observed for years: Cows that calve earlier in the season consistently outperform their later-calving herdmates. They wean heavier calves, rebreed more efficiently and generate greater returns per head. But the real story starts earlier in the cycle.

Calving Timing Starts With Breeding Timing

The advantage of early calving is well established. Earlier-born calves have more days to grow before weaning, often align better with peak forage availability and enter the market at a weight advantage. Their dams also have more time postpartum to resume cyclicity and conceive again.

As we know, calving timing is not random; it reflects when cows conceive during the breeding season.

As Fuselier explains, “The goal is to get as many cows pregnant as you can in the first 21 days.”

The more cows that conceive early, the more calves that are born early, and the more consistent and productive the system becomes.

Uniformity Is the Economic Engine

The biological advantages of early calving translate directly into economic returns.

“When calves are sold, they are sold by the pound, so pounds matter,” Fuselier says. “If you could come up with a way to not do a lot more to your herd — but whatever you do make it better to where you have more calves born early in a calving season — you’ll end up with a heavier, more uniform calf crop and weaning, therefore being more profitable.”

Uniformity is one of the most important drivers of value in a calf crop. Calves that are similar in age and weight are easier to manage, easier to market and often command stronger prices. A tighter calving window produces a more consistent group, improving both operational efficiency and sale outcomes.

The Hidden Cost of a Long Breeding Season

“When the breeding season is strung out, the calving season gets strung out. So, the uniformity of your herd goes down,” Fuselier says. “Plus, the time for those cows, after calving, for their uterus to repair, to start cycling again and to be able to get bred again is important. If there’s an overlap of when bulls go out and when those cows are recovering from calving, you just perpetuate that cycle.”

Late-calving cows have less time to recover before the next breeding season, making them more likely to breed late again or fall open. Over time, this creates a persistent tail of late-calving animals that erodes herd performance and profitability.

Small Timing Shifts, Big System Changes

Even modest improvements in early breeding can create meaningful downstream effects.

“By shortening the number of days that cows are calving, it allows you to focus your labor force better and for a shorter period of time, instead of having to split duties over multiple months,” Fuselier says.

This improved labor efficiency complements the biology and economics of a tighter calving window. In an environment where labor is increasingly limited, concentrating calving into a shorter, more predictable period can significantly reduce management strain.

A Tool to Move the Herd in the Right Direction

Long-term strategies like genetic selection and heifer development remain essential, but there are also practical tools that can help shift breeding timing more immediately.

One example is the use of prostaglandin-based synchronization products, including the cloprostenol injection Estrumate , at or shortly after bull turnout. This product induces luteolysis in cycling cows, encouraging more animals to return to estrus early in the breeding season and increasing the proportion bred in that critical first 21-day window.

“With very little effort, just the addition of another injection, you can start moving that calf crop up and tightening the calving window by having more born earlier in the calving season than later in the calving season. You end up increasing the uniformity of your calf crop,” Fuselier explains.

In natural service systems, where synchronization options are often more limited than in artificial insemination-based programs, this type of approach offers a relatively simple way to influence breeding distribution without significantly increasing labor or complexity.

The Compounding Effect Across Generations

The impact of early breeding extends beyond a single season.

“Heifers born to cows in the first part of that calving season will end up reaching puberty earlier and breeding earlier. You try to build the herd with cows that have their biological clocks that way. So, generation after generation after generation, you’re seeing it,” Fuselier says.

This creates a powerful compounding effect. Early-born heifers are more likely to become early-breeding cows, gradually shifting the entire herd toward improved reproductive efficiency over time. Few management decisions influence both short-term performance and long-term herd development so directly.

Early calving gets the attention, but early breeding is the lever that makes it happen.

Earned Trust in the Feedlot: How One Veterinarian Is Building a Career in Cattle Consulting

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:15:30 GMT

A uterine prolapse is one of the more physically demanding emergencies a cattle veterinarian can face. The organ is heavy and awkward to handle, and replacing it often requires both strength and patience.

Paige Schmidt, DVM, MS, had to reschedule our chat in favor of an emergency call from a client due to a prolapsed uterus. The producer and another rancher had already tried to push the prolapsed uterus back into place themselves, but it wasn’t working.

Instead of trying to wrestle the organ back into place alone, Schmidt used a strategy she had learned from other veterinarians.

“You take a giant garbage bag and tie it to one side of the fence,” she says. “Then I put it underneath the uterus and have the producer hold it on the other side. So they’re holding the heavy uterus, and I’m pushing it in.”

The setup makes the job easier in more ways than one.

“One, it saves me from holding it and pushing at the same time,” Schmidt says. “And two, it makes them realize how heavy it is because they’re the one holding it. Sometimes, that changes their perspective a little.”

When the procedure was finished, the rancher was surprised by how quickly it had gone.

“He told me, ‘You did that so fast. Me and my buddy were trying earlier and we couldn’t,’” Schmidt recalls. “I told him you’ve got to work smarter, not harder.”

Moments like that can shift how producers see a veterinarian.

(Photos Provided By Dr. Paige Schmidt)

The Quiet Tests

That kind of credibility is not always automatic for new veterinarians entering the cattle industry. Schmidt, a 2024 grad, is often challenged for perceived youth.

“Usually the first question I get is, ‘How old are you?’” Schmidt says.

It is rarely meant as an insult, but it signals producers and feedlot crews are paying close attention to her knowledge and abilities. Schmidt says she frequently experiences small tests before her clients choose to follow her guidelines. They want to know she knows how to do what she’s telling them to do.

One simple test Schmidt has experienced is identifying and pulling a sick animal from a pen while cowboys watch from horseback or along the fence line. Once she proves she can handle the work herself, the dynamic often changes quickly.

“Once they see that you can do it, they gain respect for you pretty quickly,” she says. “After that, they’ll listen to what you have to say.”

Ranch Roots & Veterinary Medicine

Long before she was earning the trust of feedlot crews, Schmidt was learning about cattle health on her family’s ranch in south-central North Dakota. Her family operates a commercial cow-calf and backgrounding operation where she developed an early curiosity about animal health.

“I wanted to know why we treated something a certain way or why a disease occurred,” she says. “The veterinarian coming to our ranch was always a big day and an important day. Looking back now, that probably had a bigger influence on me than I realized at the time.”

Even so, veterinary medicine was not always the obvious next step.

During college, Schmidt played basketball while completing her undergraduate degree. Balancing athletics and academics meant long days and late nights. As graduation approached, she was unsure whether she wanted to commit to four more years of school.

It took a nudge from the person who knew her potential best — her family’s herd veterinarian — to tip the scales.

“He really pushed me toward vet school,” Schmidt recalls. “I needed that push.”

That carried her to Kansas State University, where the academic rigors of veterinary medicine didn’t just challenge her — they fueled her. But it was a concurrent master’s degree that truly shifted her horizon. Diving into respiratory disease research, Schmidt stepped out of the familiar world of her youth and into the high-stakes environment of the feedyard.

“That experience helped immerse me into a part of the industry I hadn’t been in before,” she says. “I got to see how feedyards operate day to day and how that sector connects to cow-calf production.”

It wasn’t just about the science anymore; it was about bridging the gap between research and the field, turning complex data into tools producers could actually use.

(Photos Provided By Dr. Paige Schmidt)

Teaching the Feedlot

Today, Schmidt is building a consulting-focused veterinary career in Kansas, working with feedlots and cow-calf operations while also assisting a local veterinarian with ambulatory work. A central part of that work involves collaborating with the people responsible for daily cattle care and helping them implement effective health protocols.

“I can leave all the recommendations in the world, but it has to happen on the days I’m not there,” Schmidt says. “If I can teach them how to do it correctly when I’m gone, that’s a win for both of us.”

Often, that means explaining the reasoning behind common management practices.

“Sometimes people have worked in the industry their entire lives and no one has ever explained why something is done a certain way,” she says. “I love seeing the light bulb go off when someone realizes why something works the way it does. It can give them a new sense of purpose.”

Building a Career — and a Life

For Schmidt, the ultimate “dream job” isn’t a destination — it’s a rhythm. She is focused on scaling her consulting practice, moving toward a model built on consistency and long-term client relationships. That being said, as she expands her footprint in the beef industry, she remains protective of her time.

“I want to build a career where I take care of my clients, but also have time for family and personal things,” she explains.

It’s a practical approach to a demanding profession. Just as she managed that prolapse call with efficiency and precision, she’s applying that same logic to her career trajectory. Success, she’s realized, doesn’t come from burnout; it comes from the cattleman’s oldest rule: Work smarter, not harder.

Spring Pasture Growth Raises Grass Tetany Risk in Beef Herds

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:07:12 GMT

As spring moisture and fluctuating temperatures drive a surge in forage growth, conditions are aligning for an increase in grass tetany risk across many beef operations. The same environmental shifts that are jumpstarting wheat pasture and other small grains can also create the mineral imbalances that trigger sudden losses in lactating cows.

With rapid pasture growth underway in many areas, grass tetany risk is rising in susceptible herds, according to Paul Beck, Extension specialist for beef nutrition with Oklahoma State University. High-quality forage is often directed toward cows with the greatest nutritional demands, placing early-lactation animals directly into higher-risk environments.

Fertility and Forage Growth Driving the Issue

Cool-season annuals are a valuable resource, particularly when they reduce reliance on hay and supplemental feed. But as pasture quality improves, mineral balance can shift in ways that are not immediately visible.

“Our best managed cool-season annual pastures have had adequate fertilizer high in nitrogen and potassium, both of which are necessary for grass growth. But high nitrogen and high potassium interacts with the marginal magnesium level in these forages and create issues with beef cows as they begin lactating,” Beck says.

Nitrogen and potassium fertilization support aggressive forage growth, particularly during periods of favorable moisture. At the same time, they can interfere with magnesium uptake, leaving cows vulnerable even when forage appears nutritionally rich.

Magnesium absorption occurs primarily in the rumen and can be impaired by high potassium levels, which reduce transport across the rumen epithelium. This is why fertilized, rapidly growing forages create a consistent risk pattern.

Periods of rain followed by rapid pasture growth can further amplify the risk, especially when cattle are transitioned quickly onto highly digestible forage.

Early Signs Easy to Miss as Cases Develop Quickly

Grass tetany remains a neurologic condition driven by low blood magnesium, and clinical signs can escalate rapidly once levels fall.

“Cows will start shaking and have uncontrolled muscle movements. They will lose their balance. That will be one of the first signs you see,” Beck says.

In the early stages, affected cattle may appear nervous or uncoordinated. As the condition advances, animals can go down and become unable to rise, with death occurring shortly after if intervention is not successful.

Because of this rapid progression, cases are often first recognized only after severe signs appear.

Early treatment with intravenous or subcutaneous calcium-magnesium solutions can be effective, particularly before animals become recumbent. Relapses are possible, and animals should be monitored closely following initial treatment.

Grass tetany should be differentiated from other causes of neurologic signs and sudden death, including hypocalcemia, polioencephalomalacia, and lead toxicity. History, pasture conditions and response to magnesium therapy can help support a presumptive diagnosis in the field.

Prevention Hinges on Timing, Not Reaction

Despite the speed at which grass tetany can develop, the risk itself is highly predictable. That makes prevention the most effective strategy, particularly during periods of rapid pasture growth.

“The best way to counter the problem is to act before we get to it,” Beck says.

That means preparing ahead of turnout, not reacting after symptoms appear. In practical terms, that looks like identifying high-risk pastures and production stages in advance, then ensuring supplementation is in place before cattle enter those environments.

This is especially important during spring transitions, when forage conditions can change quickly over a short period of time.

Mineral Intake Remains the Weak Link

While most producers are aware of the need for high-magnesium mineral, consistent intake remains the primary challenge.

“Magnesium oxide does decrease the palatability of mineral mixes, making it important to manage the feeding of these minerals,” Beck says.

Magnesium oxide is widely used due to its availability and cost-effectiveness, but reduced palatability can limit voluntary intake. Without active management, even well-designed mineral programs may fall short.

Management Focus as Risk Window Opens

With pasture conditions improving and turnout underway or imminent in many areas, attention is shifting toward practical prevention.

Risk mitigation should focus on:

Ensuring high-magnesium mineral is available before and during turnout.
Monitoring intake closely, rather than assuming consumption.
Placing feeders in high-traffic areas to encourage consistent use.

A Seasonal Risk That Follows Predictable Patterns

Grass tetany tends to emerge when rapidly growing forage, high-producing cows and inadequate magnesium intake intersect. Spring conditions consistently bring those factors together, making this a predictable — yet preventable — challenge.

Outbreaks often affect multiple animals within a short timeframe, particularly when herd-level mineral intake is inconsistent. This makes grass tetany both an individual animal emergency and a herd management issue.

Timely supplementation and close management of intake can help you stay ahead of the problem before clinical cases begin to appear.

A Veterinarian Finds Her Place: From Burnout to Starting Her Own Practice

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 19:07:48 GMT

By the time Rachel Loppe, DVM, realized something had to change, the problem was no longer confined to the clinic. Even on days she made it home at a reasonable hour, she found she had nothing left to give, and the exhaustion followed her into the quieter parts of the day.

“I remember feeling like I couldn’t even do normal household chores,” Loppe says. “I couldn’t make dinner. I felt so mentally exhausted.”

At first, she tried to explain it away as a lack of motivation.

“I kept telling myself I was just being lazy,” she says.

But the feeling persisted, and when she brought it up with her therapist, the response reframed what she was experiencing.

“My therapist said, ‘It’s not that you’re lazy. Your nervous system is shot. You’re in burnout.’”

Even then, accepting that reality was difficult.

“When my therapist first suggested medical leave I thought, ‘Absolutely not, I can’t do that,’” Loppe says. “But about a month later, I realized she was right.”

Stepping away from practice gave Loppe the space to confront something many veterinarians eventually encounter: the realization that the way they are practicing may not be sustainable.

A Pivot to Veterinary Medicine

Long before she was navigating burnout, Loppe was trying to figure out what kind of career would fit her in the first place.

She entered university thinking law might be her calling, but early science courses began to change that perspective. She also realized that she couldn’t see herself sitting behind a desk all day. The shift in thinking eventually led her toward veterinary medicine.

“I was talking with a friend at university, and she mentioned offhand that she was trying to get into vet school,” Loppe says. “I thought about it, and realized I could actually see myself really liking that. So, I started volunteering in clinics and working more with animals, and I was like, ‘Yep, this is what I want to do.’”

This set Loppe on a new trajectory.

But reaching veterinary school — and eventually building her own practice — would require persistence, resilience and a willingness to rethink what a sustainable veterinary career can look like.

(Photos Provided By Rachel Loppe, DVM)

Admissions Challenges

The next step proved to be one of the first major tests of that persistence. Veterinary school admissions are highly competitive, and at the time Loppe was applying, the number of available seats for applicants from British Columbia was limited and she was unable to secure an interview.

Rather than abandoning the goal after an initial setback, she felt strongly enough and chose to adapt. She relocated to Alberta, where she worked while establishing residency and prepared to apply to the University of Calgary, which had much larger class sizes.

“I worked for a year, applied, didn’t get in, kept working, applied the second year, and finally got in,” Loppe says.

Although the delay was frustrating at the time, Loppe now sees those years as an important part of her professional development.

“Looking back now, I would never trade those two years before vet school,” she said. “Working and living on my own helped me feel a little more grounded when I started the program.”

That grounding proved valuable once veterinary school began. Having already spent time working and living independently, Loppe entered the program with a clearer sense of purpose and a stronger understanding of why she wanted to pursue the profession.

(Photos Provided By Rachel Loppe, DVM)

Finding Her Niche

While Loppe entered veterinary school with a broad interest in animal health, exposure to cattle work gradually shaped the direction her career would take.

Large animal medicine appealed to her for several reasons. The work was hands-on and varied, often requiring quick thinking in unpredictable situations. It also offered opportunities to work closely with producers and contribute directly to the health and productivity of their herds.

By the time Loppe graduated from veterinary school, she knew cattle practice would play a central role in her career.

What Early Career Veterinary Practice Really Looks Like

Like many new graduates entering practice, Loppe quickly discovered the transition from veterinary school to the field can be abrupt. Responsibility arrives quickly, and the learning curve can be steep.

“Looking back, I have a lot of respect for that environment, but I definitely got thrown into it” she says of her early work experience. “I was a new grad and on call within the first couple of weeks. There was another veterinarian as backup, but a lot of the time I was figuring things out on my own.”

Situations like that are not uncommon for veterinarians entering rural or mixed animal practice, where staffing limitations can require new graduates to take on significant responsibility early in their careers. While the experience can be stressful, it can also accelerate professional growth.

“When you’re in that situation, sometimes you haven’t done something before by yourself,” Loppe says. “But you know the basic principles. You know tissue handling, you know the textbook information and you figure it out.”

Those early months forced her to rely heavily on the foundational skills she had developed during training.

Over time, however, the demands of practice began to accumulate.

(Photos Provided By Rachel Loppe, DVM)

The Signs of Veterinary Burnout

For a while, the workload felt manageable. Then it didn’t. The demands of practice began to show up outside of work, gradually affecting Loppe’s ability to recharge.

“Work was just taking all the energy from me,” she says. “Even if I got home at a reasonable time, I couldn’t do anything else.”

What she was experiencing was not a lack of motivation, but a signal that something needed to change. Burnout developed gradually, building until it became impossible to ignore, and stepping away from practice ultimately gave her the opportunity to reassess both her workload and her direction.

A Veterinary Practice That Supports Long-Term Career Sustainability

The time away from practice gave Loppe the opportunity to figure out what she wanted from veterinary medicine. Rather than leaving the profession entirely, she began thinking about how she could shape a work environment that aligned with the parts of the job she valued most.

Starting her own practice offered the chance to do exactly that. Practice ownership allowed Loppe to build a professional environment that reflected her priorities while continuing to focus on the cattle work she enjoyed.

But the confidence to take that step did not appear overnight. Instead, it grew from the experiences she accumulated earlier in her career. Reflecting on those years, Loppe says they ultimately helped her trust her own abilities as a veterinarian.

“It did give me a lot of confidence in myself,” she says. “I realized I was able to do these things, even when I hadn’t done them before. You know the basic principles, and you figure it out.”

For Loppe, starting her own practice became a way to reconnect with the aspects of veterinary medicine that first drew her to the profession: hands-on work, problem solving and meaningful relationships with the producers and animals she serves.

Lessons for Veterinarians: Find a Sustainable Path in the Profession

Loppe’s journey reflects a reality many veterinarians encounter during their careers. The path into the profession is often clear and well defined, but the path through it can be far less predictable. From navigating competitive admissions to managing the realities of early practice, her career was shaped by persistence, with burnout ultimately serving as a turning point rather than an endpoint.

Stepping away from practice gave Loppe the space to determine what she needed from her career and how she wanted to practice medicine moving forward. Instead of leaving the profession entirely, she chose to reshape her role within it.

Support from the individuals in her life also played an important role in that process. As Loppe reflects on that period, she emphasizes the importance of surrounding herself with a strong community.

“It really helps having a support system,” she said. “Even one or two people makes a big difference.”

Today, her practice reflects the lessons learned along the way. The road that led there was not linear, but it reinforced something many veterinarians eventually discover: finding a place in the profession sometimes means redefining what success looks like.

For Loppe, that process ultimately led to the place she had been searching for all along — a veterinary practice built to support both the animals she treats and the veterinarian behind the work.

The Top Three Biggest Mistakes When Using Crowd Gates

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:47:51 GMT

Crowd gates are often one of the most used tools on a dairy. Not only do they save significant time for employees, but they also help reduce the stress associated with moving cows.

However, just like any tool, crowd gates can be used incorrectly and can sometimes negatively impact cow comfort and welfare. Carolina Pinzon, a Dairy Outreach Specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, highlights the three most common mistakes she sees in crowd gate usage and provides practical strategies to avoid them.

Overcrowding the Holding Area

Occasionally, overcrowding the holding area happens, but Pinzon warns that prolonged overcrowding can negatively impact cow health, production, and welfare. This is especially concerning during summer when cows generate extra body heat and require sufficient airflow.

“Signs of an overcrowded holding pen include cows with their heads up, unable to plant their four feet on the ground, and looking restless and uncomfortable,” Pinzon says. “Short-term overcrowding can also result from misuse of the crowd gate, by employees pushing it too far forward and smashing the cows.”

To prevent overcrowding, Pinzon recommends balancing parlor and pen sizes, so cows spend no more than one hour away from their pens during each milking. Holding areas should allow at least 20 square feet per cow.

“If needed, a large pen can be divided into smaller groups,” Pinzon suggests. “While this means more trips to the parlor for workers, it significantly reduces the time cows spend in the holding pen. Additionally, short-term overcrowding can be alleviated by moving the crowd gate backward to provide more space for the cows.”

Being Careless

While dairy cows are typically gentle giants, they can be stubborn and slow to move. This, however, doesn’t justify using force. Moving crowd gates too quickly or applying electricity can cause unnecessary stress and fear for the animals.
Instead, Pinzon emphasizes the importance of calm and gentle handling. She advises guiding cows to the parlor without pressure or haste.

“Once the cows on one side of the parlor have exited, the crowd gate can be moved forward,” Pinzon says. “This regular adjustment is crucial to accommodate the changing number of animals and available space in the holding area. Automating crowd gates to move forward every time exit gates are open/lift can help reduce misuse.”

Pinzon recommends keeping crowd gates at least three feet from the cows to avoid pressing against their backs. She suggests using sound cues, like bells or ringing, to train cows to move forward, rather than relying solely on gate movement. If the gate gets too close, pull it back to give the cows more space before resuming forward movement. These practices promote a stress-free and productive environment for both cows and workers.

Workers Entering the Holding Area

Crowd gates are valuable tools for safely and efficiently moving cows toward the parlor entrance. However, when employees enter the holding pen to push cows, it can create unnecessary stress for the animals and put workers at risk of injury.

Pinzon highlights the importance of regularly training employees on proper cow handling and the correct use of crowd gates. She stresses avoiding the practice of entering the holding area to chase cows and instead maintaining a calm and consistent environment for the animals.

“Except for when loading the last cows of a pen and fresh cows, the door from the parlor pit to the holding area should remain closed during most of the milking process,” she adds. “This physical reminder is to discourage workers from entering the holding area. In addition, regular maintenance of crowd gates, prompt reporting of issues, and swift resolution of problems by management are crucial for proper gate function.”

Spotting these three common mistakes in crowd gate use and taking proactive steps to address them can significantly improve cow welfare, employee safety, and your herd’s operational efficiency. Regular maintenance, clear protocols, and proper training go a long way in preventing overcrowding and keeping things calm and stress-free for both cows and workers.

Never Say Never: A Veterinarian’s Career Beyond the Clinic

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:45:51 GMT

When Dr. Julia Herman speaks with veterinary students, she often begins with a phrase that has become something of a personal mantra.

“I always tell the vet students ‘never say never’,” she says.

It is advice that reflects the path her own career has taken. Herman has worked in wildlife research, cattle practice, veterinary teaching and now industry leadership. Today she serves as beef cattle specialist veterinarian with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) , where her work centers on preventive medicine, biosecurity and producer and veterinary education across the beef industry.

Rather than focusing on individual animals, Herman now works at the level of the entire production system.

“The cattle industry is my client, so that adjusts how I work with folks,” she says.

(Photo: Jared Kennedy)

Her days might involve lecturing veterinary students, collaborating with researchers on biosecurity plans or coordinating with state and federal agencies involved in animal health. Much of the work revolves around Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs and broader preventive medicine efforts designed to strengthen animal welfare, food safety and industry sustainability.

“The BQA is essentially preventive medicine,” Herman says. “We’re trying to teach all these preventive medicine topics.”

It is a role that operates far beyond the exam chute or treatment pen. But it is also not the career Herman originally envisioned when she first decided to become a veterinarian.

The Zoo Vet Dream

Herman grew up in a small town in eastern Colorado, where agriculture was present but not necessarily the center of her early career ambitions. As a kid, she raised rabbits and pigs for 4-H and FFA projects, but her imagination was often focused somewhere else entirely.

“Initially, I wanted to be a zoo vet,” she says.

Her fascination with animals started early, fueled in part by the books she devoured growing up.

“My parents had this entire collection of National Geographic books that I just read all the time,” she says. “I went to the Denver Zoo for my birthday parties and learned as much as I could about a variety of animal species.”

Those interests led her to pursue a zoology degree at Colorado State University, where she focused heavily on wildlife management and genetics with her undergraduate research. One of the most memorable experiences during that time was a research internship at the Smithsonian National Zoo studying cheetah reproductive biology.

“Which sounds cool,” Herman says, “but mostly I just pounded poop and extracted hormones out of said poop to evaluate cyclicity.”

The experience was still meaningful, but it also helped clarify something about the direction she wanted her career to take.

“I realized that I didn’t want to just do research and knew that veterinary school needed to be the next step.”

Like many of the turning points in her career, it was a moment where plans shifted slightly rather than dramatically.

(Photo Provided By Julia Herman)

When Wildlife Met Livestock

Herman’s graduate research would bring her closer to livestock agriculture in an unexpected way. Her master’s project focused on genetic resistance to brucellosis in Yellowstone National Park bison, a topic that bridged wildlife conservation and cattle health.

“It incorporated my wildlife genetics interest, that I had already been working in the lab with, and conservation biology,” she says. “But it also put me back into the livestock realm because brucellosis is a regulated disease.”

The project highlighted how closely connected different areas of animal health can be. Wildlife disease, livestock production and public health were not separate fields, but overlapping systems that influence one another.

That systems-level, One Health perspective would eventually become central to Herman’s career.

Her Way Into Agriculture

Herman’s path into food animal medicine did not follow the traditional script. She describes herself as a first-generation student navigating much of the veterinary pipeline independently.

“I’m a first generation student,” she says. “There’s a lot that I feel like I had to learn on my own.”

Without established connections in the profession, she relied heavily on persistence. She emailed dozens of professors looking for research opportunities and contacted veterinary clinics across northern Colorado in search of experience. Those efforts eventually led her to work for several years at a small-town veterinary clinic while applying to veterinary school.

Once enrolled in the DVM program at Colorado State University, Herman intentionally sought out as many different experiences as possible.

“I really tried to have this huge breadth of experience,” she says.

During veterinary school, she pursued opportunities ranging from a public health internship in Chile to dairy medicine training at Cornell University and feedlot health work at Feedlot Health Management Services by TELUS Agriculture Canada. The goal was not to specialize early, but to learn broadly.

She holds the position that making students choose a track in veterinary school might be short-sighted.

“I think everybody should have to learn about all species because you don’t know where your path is going to go,” Herman says.

The Realities of Practice

After graduating, Herman accepted a mixed animal practice job in Stockton, Kan. But even then, she was deliberate about making sure the position would provide meaningful experience with cattle.

“A lot of times when mixed animal practice jobs are posted, they say mixed animal practice, but it’s mostly small animal plus or minus a little bit of horses,” she says.

The Kansas clinic delivered exactly what she had hoped for. Located in one of the state’s leading cow-calf counties, the practice provided extensive hands-on cattle work and strong mentorship from veterinarians with different backgrounds and levels of experience.

“Practicing in Kansas was a memorable start to my career,” she says. “The people were fantastic. I had a really great team to work with and learn from.”

Still, life outside the clinic soon influenced the next step in her career. When her husband’s job brought the couple back to Colorado, Herman once again found herself looking for new opportunities.

The Pivot She Never Expected

Her next move came through a familiar strategy: sending emails to professional contacts asking if anyone knew of openings in the area. One of her former professors came back with a suggestion she had not anticipated. He was leaving his position and asked if Herman wanted to take his place.

“I never thought I would be in academia,” Herman says. “It was an opportunity that fell into my lap.”

She accepted the role and became a clinical instructor in livestock ambulatory medicine at Colorado State University. The position allowed her to continue working with cattle while also mentoring veterinary students.

Teaching quickly became one of the most rewarding aspects of the job.

“The veterinary and graduate students are so excited to just learn and try new things,” she says. “And being a part of setting that foundation of what they’re going to do in the rest of their career — I love that piece.”

Looking back, Herman now sees teaching as one of the threads that has run through every stage of her career:

“If anything has been consistent, other than preventive medicine and public health themes, it’s the teaching piece.”

A Career Turning Point to a Job that Didn’t Exist

Eventually, several factors pushed Herman toward another career transition. Team dynamics within the department changed, and she was managing tendinitis in both hands — a repetitive strain injury common in physically demanding veterinary work.

“I realized that I couldn’t be doing physical work for the rest of my veterinary career,” she says.

At the same time, she noticed her interests shifting toward larger-scale challenges within animal health systems.

“Figuring out how I could impact veterinary medicine and the cattle industry beyond clinical practice was an interesting step,” she says.

That desire prompted her to begin searching for roles that would allow her to work at that broader level.

(Photo: Jared Kennedy)

Eventually Herman came across a job posting for a newly created position with NCBA that would reshape her career entirely.

“I’m the first veterinarian in this position, which was exciting and has been a learning curve,” she says.

As NCBA’s beef cattle specialist veterinarian, Herman was given broad flexibility to shape the position. She quickly focused on preventive medicine, animal welfare, biosecurity, and producer and veterinary education across the cattle industry.

Her work often involves helping producers recognize how everyday management decisions influence disease risk and how veterinarians can better collaborate with those producers.

During a training program in Uganda focused on foot-and-mouth disease response, Herman visited farms managing outbreaks in endemic areas. One example from that trip now appears frequently in her presentations.

They overviewed a situation involving three farms.

“Farm A has sick cattle. So farm C and B are like, well, we’re going to come help you because that’s what we do as cattle producers,” Herman explains. “Then they end up taking foot-and-mouth disease back to their herd.”

Without biosecurity measures, their good intentions spread the disease.

“I give that example,” Herman says. “And then I ask the audience: how many of your neighbors did you invite over for the branding?”

Then comes the follow-up question that reframes the situation: “And did you ask them to wear clean clothes, clean boots and to clean out the hooves of their horses so that they’re not bringing anything to your operation?”

More Paths than Students Realize

Herman spends a significant amount of time speaking with veterinary students about the many directions their careers can take. Too often, she says, students believe the profession offers only a narrow set of options.

“I don’t think the veterinary industry does a good job at showing all those different avenues of what veterinarians can do,” she says.

Veterinary medicine today includes roles in research, industry, public health, education and policy, many of which operate far beyond the clinic setting.

“You can do whatever the heck you want in veterinary medicine,” Herman says. “There are all these career paths where you don’t have to stay in a particular lane. There are so many ways you can impact the veterinary industry and animal health.”

Her own career serves as a reminder that those paths are rarely predictable. What began with childhood dreams of zoo medicine eventually evolved into work shaping preventive health strategies for an entire industry.

And that, Herman says, is exactly why she tells students the same thing every time.

Never say never.

Is Bovine Leukemia Virus Hiding on Your Dairy?

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:07:52 GMT

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is present in most U.S. dairy herds, but many producers do not know it. Because infected animals often appear healthy, the virus can circulate quietly for years before its impact becomes visible.

“BLV is often present long before it becomes an issue. So, if you’re not looking for it on the farm, chances are it’s there, but if you’re not looking, you don’t know or you don’t see it,” Tasia Kendrick, associate professor at Michigan State University, says on a recent episode of “The Dairy Health Blackbelt Podcast.”

Kendrick studies BLV epidemiology and control strategies in dairy herds.

That quiet presence can make BLV difficult to recognize. On many farms, the infection only becomes visible after production or health problems begin to accumulate.

“I’ve talked to quite a few producers, and it’s not a problem until it is. And then, all of a sudden, the animals dying are condemned at slaughter. It’s too late to do anything about when we get to that point,” Kendrick says.

BLV at a Glance:

Present in 80% to 90% of U.S. dairy herds
Up to 40% to 50% of animals infected within affected herds
Impacts immune function, longevity and production
Spreads primarily through blood-to-blood transfer

Subclinical Production and Immune Effects of BLV

Part of the challenge with BLV is that infected animals often appear normal during daily observation. However, research increasingly shows the virus can affect multiple aspects of herd performance.

“Those animals may appear to be normal, but you may be treating them for other ailments through their entire life, and then they leave the herd early, which leads to profit loss for that producer,” Kendrick says.

The economic impact often comes from small performance losses that accumulate across the herd. Reduced milk production, shorter productive lifespans and additional health treatments can all contribute to lower overall profitability.

The virus affects the immune system directly, which can influence both disease resistance and vaccine response.

“The way the virus works is it lays latent in the immune system. It targets B cells, one of your immune cells, and it can lay latent and dormant until it doesn’t,” Kendrick says.

Because BLV infects immune cells, affected animals may be more susceptible to secondary diseases or respond less efficiently to vaccination programs. Over time, those subtle effects can reduce both longevity and productivity.

How BLV Spreads on Farms

Understanding transmission is central to controlling the virus. BLV spreads primarily through the transfer of infected blood between animals.

“The virus itself targets B cells, which are just cells of the immune system that are in the blood system. So it’s a blood-to-blood transfer that moves it from animal to animal,” Kendrick says.

Routine management procedures can inadvertently contribute to transmission if proper precautions are not taken. Shared needles, contaminated equipment or procedures that transfer even very small amounts of blood between animals can spread the virus.

Vertical transmission is also possible.

“The virus is small enough that it can go through the placenta wall, so there is some dam-to-calf transfer as well as colostrum,” Kendrick says. “If raw colostrum or milk is fed, there’s potential for live virus to infect the animal that way.”

These pathways mean infections can occur both in the milking herd and during early life stages.

Practical Management of BLV

Because dairy operations differ widely in their management practices, BLV control strategies often need to be tailored to individual farms.

“It’s not one solution for every farm because every farm is managing their animals differently from colostrum all the way up to the milking herd,” Kendrick says.

Still, several practical steps can help reduce transmission risk.

“It’s really thinking about management strategies of what you can do to reduce blood-to-blood transfer, whether that’s single-use needles, single-use sleeves, fly control, anything that’s going to decrease the chances of blood transfer,” Kendrick says.

Key Strategies to Reduce BLV Transmission

1. Reduce blood transfer.

Use single-use needles.
Use new palpation sleeves for each cow.
Maintain strict hygiene during procedures.

2. Manage colostrum carefully.

Avoid feeding raw pooled colostrum.
Freeze or pasteurize colostrum when possible.

3. Control biting flies.

4. Establish herd status through targeted testing.

Testing every animal may not be necessary to understand the scope of infection.

“If you test 40 specific animals across the lactation in your herd, you get a pretty good picture of the prevalence, so you have a starting point and you don’t have to test every animal in your herd,” Kendrick says.

The Michigan State University BLV website recommends testing the 10 most recently calved cows that are greater than three days in milk from each lactation group (first, second, third and fourth-plus).

Looking More Closely

BLV has circulated in the dairy industry for decades, often without drawing much attention, but growing evidence of its effects on immunity, productivity and longevity is prompting veterinarians and producers to take a closer look.

For many herds, the first step is simply recognizing the virus may already be present.

A Wisconsin DVM’s Path: Injury, Motherhood and an Evolving Field

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:49:09 GMT

“Watch out, little girl.” The first time someone hollered that across a dairy alley, she wasn’t entirely sure how to take it.

Valerie Baumgart, large-animal veterinarian with United Veterinary Service in Wisconsin, was still a student then, following her mentor through herd checks, trying to stay out of the way while cows shifted and shuffled past. At 5' 2" and blond, she was easy to spot. Easy to underestimate, too.

“Initially I was offended,” Baumgart says. “Then I kind of thought it was funny, and then I was like, ‘Watch out, little boy.’”

The farmer who said it, Scott, is still one of her favorites. Years later, he wasn’t just telling her to move. He was calling her first. Running management decisions past her. Asking for her perspective. That shift — from the little girl who needed to step aside to the trusted veterinarian — has become one of the defining arcs of her career.

In many ways, though, she was headed here long before that alleyway.

The Rabbit That Started It All

Apparently, her mother saw it coming first. When Baumgart’s childhood pet rabbit died, her mom braced for tears and heartbreak. Instead, her daughter looked up and asked, “Can I take its fur off and see what’s underneath?” Her mother likes to joke that she realized then her child would either become a serial killer or a veterinarian — and strongly encouraged the veterinary route.

“I’ve wanted to do this forever and ever,” Baumgart says.

She grew up in Wisconsin agriculture, surrounded by beef cows, show pigs, lambs and long days at her grandparents’ and aunt and uncle’s dairy farm. She and her cousin once begged to take over the tie-stall barn someday. Her uncle refused.

“He, with 100% of his soul, said, ‘I will never let you do that. I don’t wish that upon anyone.’”

At the time, she was devastated. Dairy farming felt like destiny. Now, she sees it differently.

“The industry is just, it’s brutal,” Baumgart says. “And these dairymen and women that I work with are extraordinarily talented.”

She’s grateful she wasn’t handed 60 cows and a tie-stall barn to manage. Instead, she gets to support the families who are making those enormous, life-shaping business decisions.

Leaving, Learning and Coming Back Home

At the University of Minnesota, where she completed her undergraduate studies, Baumgart joined the livestock judging team and traveled widely, seeing production systems across the U.S. She spent a semester in Montana doing beef nutrition research with USDA and was struck by how dramatically cattle production differs region to region. The differences in mentality, management style and medicine fascinated her.

She recalls her vet school experience at the University of Wisconsin consisting of caffeine and chaos.

“A lot of coffee, a lot of late-night studying,” she says. “Vet school is a blur.”

At one point, she swore she would never return to her hometown. Today, she lives about 30 miles from where she grew up and has been with United Veterinary Service since graduation. The place she once dismissed became the place she built her career.

A First — and the Will to Prove the Critics Wrong

Baumgart was the first woman the practice hired. To her, it felt less like a headline and more about showing up to do a job and do it well.

“It doesn’t really matter who you are and where you’re from, as long as you’re gritty, determined, motivated and not willing to put up with anybody’s baloney,” she says.

There were comments early on, being the “short blond girl” sent for physically demanding calvings. She isn’t sure whether it was about her height, her gender or because she was a rookie. Most criticism, she’s careful to point out, had little to do with being female at all.

“To be really honest with you, the criticism just made me want to do more, just do better, work harder, prove them wrong,” Baumgart says.

Today, the clinic is split evenly between men and women. She sees the broader shift in veterinary medicine — classes heavily female — as a strength.

“It’s a true blessing to be able to have different personalities, different skills and different ways to approach clients and challenges,” she says.

Diversity isn’t a talking point to her. It’s a practical advantage.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Baumgart’s height does come up frequently, usually in good humor. In displaced abomasum surgeries, her incision placement is lower than most.

“My surgical incision is really low because my arm is really short,” she explains. “I have to reach all the way over to the other side, so I just give myself an advantage by starting lower.”

Producers tease her about it. She teases back. What she learned early on is that large-animal medicine isn’t about brute strength.

“It’s not about gusto strength,” she says. “Oftentimes I just have to position things a little differently … just working smarter instead of harder and asking for help.”

In the beginning, Baumgart felt she had something to prove; her size and inexperience loomed larger in her mind than in reality. Over time, wins built confidence.

“Once you get a couple of wins under your belt, people really just start to trust you and rely on you,” she says.

And once trust is established, the work becomes collaborative rather than performative.

The Day the Alley Went Quiet

(Photos Provided By Valerie Baumgart)

In August 2024, everything came to a halt. Baumgart was sorting heifers before a herd check. The alleyways were slick. A heifer slipped, caught her leg and fell over it. Baumgart’s foot stopped against the scraper.

“My foot stopped, but my leg kept going,” she says.

Both bones in her lower leg snapped.

“I grabbed my thigh and picked up my leg, and I saw my lower leg flop the opposite direction,” she recalls.

The herdsman looked pale enough to faint. The dairyman dragged her to safety. The heifer stood up and ran off. She didn’t.

Baumgart was off work for four months. Healing was physical and emotional.

Even now, scrambling heifers make her step aside faster. But what lingered most was perspective.

“Tomorrow’s not guaranteed,” she says. “I’m going to do the best that I can do for the time that I’m helping them, and then I’m going to go be a mom and a wife.”

On her broken-bone anniversary, she brings doughnuts into work — small celebrations marking survival and gratitude.

Priortizing Faith, Family and Farming

For someone who once declared she didn’t want children, motherhood has reshaped everything. Baumgart and her husband have two daughters, ages 5 and 3.

“Being their mom is what God made me to be,” she says without hesitation.

About a year ago, her oldest faced serious challenges that forced her to recalibrate priorities. Baumgart doesn’t elaborate, but she doesn’t need to.

“Family is No. 1. Faith, family and then farming,” she says.

Agriculture, she says, is the best possible classroom for raising children: “Agriculture teaches so much about empathy and perseverance.”

Her daughters sometimes accompany her on calls, though they’re quick to inform her that she smells like cows when she gets home.

“It’s OK,” she tells them. “We love cows, cows are really cool and we can take a shower.”

Barn alleys and cookie decorating happen in the same afternoon. Baumgart will assist with a calving in bitter weather while her daughter sits safely in a farmhouse kitchen watching old Westerns. Both worlds matter; neither cancels the other out.

(Valerie Baumgart)

From ‘Little Girl’ to Trusted Resource

Years after that first “watch out,” the same producer began calling Baumgart directly for input.

“It was just really cool to go from the little girl that needed to get out of the way to his first phone call and his resource for decision-making,” she says.

That transformation, more than anything, is the story. Not being the first woman hired. Not enduring criticism. Not even surviving a broken leg. It’s about earning trust through consistency, humility and hard work.

“We will become the veterinarians that our clients want us to be,” she says. “If our clients trust us … we will grow and we will evolve and we will learn.”

Advice for the Next Generation of Veterinarians

Baumgart’s advice to young women entering veterinary medicine is direct and unsentimental.

“Follow your passion and know that it’s not going to be sunshine and daisies all the time,” she says. “You’re going to fail, and you’re going to learn from it. Keep your nose to the grindstone. Figure out what really matters. Don’t make it complicated, and stay humble.”

In her world, simple systems, smart positioning and steady humility go a long way.

Assessing the Off-Feed Dairy Cow

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:00:17 GMT

The Consultant diagnostic support system for veterinary medicine lists 363 differentials for the off-feed cow. That number is a reminder that appetite loss is common and rarely simple.

Jessica McArt, professor and department chair at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, recommends using a disciplined approach to determine the reason why a cow isn’t eating.

In many herds, rumination data provides the first clue. As McArt describes, “You can see this cow has been ruminating anywhere from 500-550 minutes a day, and then over the last 24 hours has dropped pretty dramatically down to 100 minutes. That’s a sure sign that something’s wrong with her rumen.”

This drop tells you that something has changed, but it doesn’t tell you why.

Perform a Thorough Physical Exam

Before treating the rumen, determine whether the rumen is the primary problem. This involves performing a complete physical examination.

“Our goal with this exam is to determine if being off feed is your primary sign,” McArt says. “So, she may otherwise look OK, but the rumen is not moving well. Or is it secondary to a different issue?”

A displaced abomasum, metritis, mastitis, lameness or systemic disease can all reduce intake. Appetite loss is often the consequence, not the cause. A physical exam is non-negotiable. Only once secondary causes are ruled out should you narrow your focus to primary gastrointestinal dysfunction.

Listen to the Rumen

When the rumen is the likely source of issue, spend time with it. McArt advises listening to rumen sounds for a whole minute.

“We want to hear somewhere between one to three contractions,” she says. “These rumens can be hypomotile, or they can be hypermotile where you kind of hear this rumbling the whole time, but they’re not good and strong rumen contractions.”

Hypomotile rumens lack strength and frequency, while hypermotile rumens may produce continuous low rumbling without effective mixing. Neither pattern supports efficient fermentation.

Palpate rumen fill and assess fiber mat integrity. On a rectal exam, look for diarrhea or undigested fiber that suggests fermentation breakdown. These findings will help confirm whether you’re dealing with primary rumen dysfunction.

Consider Stage of Production

“You need to check the stage of lactation and how much milk she’s making,” McArt says. “If you see a cow and she’s 450 days in milk and she’s been making 30-35 lb., you would be like, ‘Well, that seems about right in that pattern.’”

Contrast that with a fresh cow scenario: “If the cow is 13 days in milk and she was making a lot of milk a couple days before, something is obviously wrong with her,” McArt says.

The severity and urgency change with physiology. Earlier lactation cows have less margin for error.

Assess Hydration

Not every off-feed cow is dehydrated, but many are mildly so.

“These cows, some of them are going to be dehydrated, some of them are not. So, we can see variations in skin tent. They may have sunken eyes; they may not,” McArt says.

Skin tent, globe position and mucous membrane moisture can provide clues. Mild dehydration may respond to oral fluids, but more marked dehydration requires more aggressive correction.

Support the Rumen

It would be great to have an ideal drench formula, but McArt comes with bad news: “I will tell you, I did a lot of research, I read a lot of papers. And the answer is nobody knows.”

This doesn’t mean that composition is irrelevant. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium all support rumen function. Pairing these minerals with an energy source, such as calcium propionate, can be beneficial to the cow. Notably, phosphorus is often absent from commercial products, but is very important for energy metabolism and rumen fermentation.

The temperature of the oral drench is also critical.

“If you take cold water out of your house and you pump it into that rumen, those bacteria are not going to be happy, and you’re probably going to make the situation worse until she heats that back up,” McArt notes.

Rumen microbes function within a narrow temperature range. Warm water protects fermentation.

Consider Transfaunation

When fermentation has stalled, transfaunation, the therapeutic transfer of rumen fluid, may help.

“It’s been shown that transfaunation can be effective when giving as little as one liter into a cow,” McArt says.

Small volumes can improve rumen function compared with water alone. For farms with an accessible donor cow, transfaunation is a practical adjunct.

Offer Hay

Do not overlook simple mechanical stimulation.

“Studies have shown that if you offer cows that have indigestion some sort of long-fiber hay, they prefer to eat it and recover quicker,” McArt says.

High-quality long-stem hay can help reestablish rumen mixing and stimulate cud chewing. For some cows, this is enough to restart the system.

Be Mindful of a Larger Issue

If off-feed cows start appearing frequently, the conversation needs to widen beyond individual treatment protocols. Recurrent rumen dysfunction may signal ration inconsistency, bunk management problems, feed sorting or mycotoxin pressure .

“If you see this a lot, this is a great place where we can get engaged on the herd level in addition to the cow level,” McArt advises.

The off-feed cow may be an early warning signal for a larger management issue.

Building Influence on a Farm As a Veterinarian

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:11:20 GMT

Veterinarians are trained to diagnose quickly and recommend confidently. Producers, however, are not wired to accept change simply because it is correct. According to Dr. Mark Hilton, beef cow-calf consulting veterinarian, influence on a farm is rarely about having the best answer. It is about how you guide someone to it.

Buy-in does not begin with the recommendation. It begins with the conversation.

Start With Questions, Not Solutions

Hilton admits the instinct to fix is strong.

“When I have a producer ask me a question, the chances that he or she has given me enough information to answer that question adequately are almost zero,” he says. “The key is to ask more open-ended questions.”

That restraint does not come naturally to most veterinarians. The training pushes toward efficiency: identify the problem, choose the protocol and move on. But Hilton has learned speed can undermine influence.

Instead of reacting immediately, he deliberately slows the interaction with open-ended prompts:

Tell me about the health program.
Tell me about the nutrition.
Tell me about the records.

He listens longer than feels comfortable. He allows silence and resists the urge to interrupt.

Why? Because, as he explains: “When you ask an open-ended question, generally, people lead with the stuff that’s the most important to them.”

That first answer often reveals the true issue — or at least the producer’s perception of it. Their perception is important. If a veterinarian addresses a problem the producer does not believe exists, the recommendation will stall.

The goal of the first phase of conversation is not correction. It is clarity.

Get 3 “Yes” Answers

Once the problem is better defined, Hilton begins building agreement. He poses three questions. For example:

Is this frustrating?
Has this been costing you money?
Would you like to see it improve?

“All those questions, the owner is going to answer with the word ‘yes.’ When somebody answers two or three questions in a row with the answer ‘yes,’ research shows that person’s brain is more open to a new idea,” Hilton says.

He does not frame this as manipulation. He frames it as sequencing.

If a veterinarian walks onto a farm and says: “You need to change this,” the producer’s reflex may be to defend the current system. Pride, habit and sunk cost all push toward resistance.

But if the conversation starts with alignment, by the third yes, the producer is no longer protecting the status quo. They are acknowledging dissatisfaction and the emotional tone shifts from defense to possibility.

Only then does Hilton advise to introduce an alternative so the change feels connected to a goal they already agreed upon.

Make It Feel Like Theirs

Hilton’s most direct observation may also be his most practical:

“If it’s your idea, it’s not a great idea. But if it’s their idea, it’s a really good idea.”

Producers operate in environments where independence matters. Many have built systems over decades, and recommendations that sound like criticism can quickly harden into resistance.

To help illustrate this, Hilton described a situation he experienced with a feedlot client.

The producer routinely purchased high-risk calves from multiple sources at local sale barns. The first year Hilton worked with the operation, the 350-calf group required repeated treatment for bovine respiratory disease.

Hilton could have focused on adjusting drug protocols or metaphylaxis timing. Instead, he steered the discussion upstream.

Was the treatment volume frustrating? Yes.
Was it expensive? Yes.
Did the producer want a different outcome? Yes.

After building that agreement, Hilton made his position clear. He would stay involved only if the producer purchased preconditioned calves from a single source.

The next year, the producer bought 350 preconditioned calves from one ranch.

How many required treatment for pneumonia? Two.

The medical tools had not changed dramatically. What changed was alignment around the source of risk.

The producer paid more up front, but he made more money in the end. That shift happened because the idea felt like the logical extension of a problem he already acknowledged.

Rather than declaring: “Your purchasing strategy is creating disease pressure,” Hilton constructed a trail of questions allowing the producer to see the insight as their own.

A solution that feels discovered is far more likely to be implemented than one that feels assigned. From the outside, it can look tactical. In reality, it is conversational discipline.

Influence Is Built on Trust

Structured questions and sequential agreement can sound calculated. Hilton does not deny the strategy, but he is clear about the motivation behind it.

“I want to do everything I can to build that trust between myself and the owner so that I can help the animal,” he says.

The communication style is rooted in respect. It protects the producer’s dignity and invites participation rather than compliance.

“At the end of the day, that’s my goal. Help the animal, help the herd, help the financial. Whatever. I want to be a helper,” Hilton says.

That clarity shapes how he speaks. The veterinarian is not trying to win a debate, they’re trying to move an operation forward.

Influence Happens Before the Recommendation

Technical knowledge earns a seat at the table, but communication determines whether anyone listens. The veterinarian who jumps straight to the answer may be correct, but ignored. The veterinarian who slows down, asks better questions and builds agreement step by step is far more likely to see meaningful change.

Buy-in does not happen in a single bold directive. It builds through curiosity, affirmation and shared goals.

Three “yes” responses. A reframed problem. An idea that feels like theirs.

The smartest recommendation fails without buy-in.

Mycotoxin Risk Holds Steady in 2025

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:49:09 GMT

According to the dsm-firmenich World Mycotoxin Survey , which assessed the global mycotoxin threat, 86% of North American samples tested above the recommended threshold for at least one mycotoxin. While mycotoxin levels haven’t necessarily escalated from 2024 to 2025, there was a shift in the distribution, which has some implications for cattle and swine operations.

“The 2025 results show a continued mycotoxin challenge, with contamination rates rising for both aflatoxins and zearalenone and average levels increasing across all major mycotoxins,” said Ursula Hofstetter, head of mycotoxin risk management at dsm-firmenich, in a press release.

The Major Players

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by fungi, most commonly Fusarium, Aspergillus and Claviceps species. They develop in the field and can persist through harvest and storage. Weather stress, hybrid selection and storage management all influence which toxins dominate in a given year.

The primary mycotoxins shaping North American livestock risk in 2025 were:

Deoxynivalenol (DON)
A Type B trichothecene produced by Fusarium species. Commonly found in corn and wheat. Often referred to as ‘vomitoxin’.
Zearalenone (ZEN)
Also a Fusarium toxin. Structurally estrogenic and frequently present alongside DON in corn and small grains.
Fumonisins (FUM)
Produced by Fusarium verticillioides and related species. Predominantly found in corn.
Aflatoxins (AFLA)
Produced by Aspergillus species. More common in drought- or heat-stressed corn.
Ergot alkaloids (ERGOT)
Produced by Claviceps species. Typically associated with small grains.

These toxins rarely occur in isolation. Co-contamination often shapes the reality producers see on the farm.

What Changed from 2024 to 2025

The 2025 North American mycotoxin prevalence in raw materials compared to 2024 shows the following shifts:

DON: 74% → 76%
ZEN: 73% → 78%
FUM: 46% → 55%
AFLA: 15% → 17%
ERGOT: 44% → 9%

Trichothecenes remain deeply entrenched, with DON prevalence increasing slightly. Most of this increase is a result of an increase in wheat (73% → 93%). Meanwhile, fumonisins rose meaningfully and ergots dropped sharply.

Cattle: Rumen Function, Immune Resilience and Production Losses

Cattle historically are considered somewhat more resilient to mycotoxins than monogastrics, owing to partial ruminal detoxification. However, evidence increasingly shows persistent exposure to Fusarium toxins like DON, ZEN and FUM, especially in combination, can exert significant effects on digestion, immunity and metabolic health.

When looking at global finished feed samples for ruminants:

DON was prevalent in 69% of samples and above the risk threshold in 53% of samples.
ZEN was prevalent in 73% of samples and above the risk threshold in 33% of samples.
AFLA was present in 34% of samples and above the risk threshold in 29% of samples.

Studies have demonstrated short-term exposure to Fusarium toxins, including ZEN and FUM, affects fermentation patterns and the microbial community, which in turn can reduce fiber breakdown and volatile fatty acid production — key drivers of energy supply in cattle. Even modest disruptions to the rumen microbiota can reduce feed efficiency and gain over time.

The immune system is also affected by mycotoxins. The immunosuppressive effects of common mycotoxins in ruminants have been documented , including alterations in cytokine gene expression, immunoglobulin production and macrophage function.

Further, individual toxins like AFLA have well-established effects on liver function and general metabolism in cattle. Chronic AFLA exposure has been linked to reduced appetite, lower weight gains and elevated liver enzymes, indicating compromised hepatic function that can impact production and health resilience.

These findings indicate how cattle performance and disease resistance can be eroded by the mycotoxin patterns reported in the 2025 data. Persistent DON and ZEN exposure, combined with higher FUM presence, places additional load on rumen fermentation and immune competence, potentially contributing to subclinical production drift.

Swine: Immune Disruption, Gut Barrier Injury and Performance Drag

In swine, elevated prevalence of DON, ZEN and FUM can exert systemic effects on immune function, gut integrity and reproductive physiology at both clinical and subclinical levels.

When looking at global finished feed samples for swine:

DON was present in 85% of samples and above the risk threshold in 41% of samples.
ZEN was present in 79% of samples and above the risk threshold in 19% of samples.
FUM was present in 44% of samples and above the risk threshold in 8% of samples.

Research has shown DON and FUM alter the gut epithelial barrier, impair immune defenses and increase bacterial translocation from the gut, making pigs more susceptible to infections even when properly vaccinated. In the immune tissues themselves, DON exposure has been linked to changes in the gene expression of key antimicrobial and inflammatory regulators, implying a weakened ability to respond to disease challenge at the cellular level.

ZEN adds another layer of complexity. Beyond its well-known estrogenic effects (i.e., swelling of reproductive tissues and altered estrous cycles), ZEN has been shown to suppress antibody production in porcine immune cells, reducing levels of IgM, IgG and IgA. These immunoglobulins are important for protective vaccine responses. This explains why farms employing what should be effective vaccination programs still report breakthrough disease.

Collectively, these mechanisms mean widespread DON and ZEN exposure is a disease vulnerability issue. When the gut barrier is compromised and immune cell function is suppressed, pigs are less able to defend against respiratory pathogens, enteric bacteria and systemic infections alike, and their response to vaccination may be diminished.

Mycotoxin Co-Contamination Defines 2025

The defining feature of mycotoxins in 2025 is not a single toxin spike, but co-contamination. Feeds routinely contain multiple mycotoxins at once and their effects overlap, creating steady biological pressure.

The result is rarely dramatic toxicosis, but production drift is reflected in reduced gains, narrower reproductive margins, lowered health resilience and increased performance variability.

With persistent DON, rising ZEN and higher FUM prevalence in North America, ingredient-level vigilance and close monitoring of performance trends are important. The mycotoxin burden did not spike, but it did rearrange.

The Power of 'I Don't Know' As A Veterinarian

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:24:11 GMT

There is a particular pause that follows a producer’s question when you do not immediately have the answer.

It might happen at the chute during processing, in the middle of a herd check or on the phone during a respiratory outbreak when performance is slipping and no one can afford guesswork. In that moment, the pressure is unmistakable: You are the veterinarian. You are supposed to know.

This was a common theme at the 2026 AABP Recent Grad conference. For early-career veterinarians especially, hesitation can feel like exposure — like proof you are not as prepared as everyone assumes.

But veterinary medicine, particularly production medicine, is built on probability, not certainty. Complex herd systems rarely offer immediate clarity. And sometimes, the most professional response is not a rapid explanation, but a measured one:

“I don’t know.”

Used thoughtfully, those words do not weaken authority. They strengthen it.

Uncertainty Is Not a Failure

Even experienced practitioners encounter cases that do not fit neatly into expectations. Diseases evolve. Presentations vary. Environmental and management factors intersect in ways that defy simple explanations.

In herd medicine, nutrition, environment, genetics, management and timing overlap constantly. The first explanation that comes to mind is not always the most complete one. The discipline lies in pausing long enough to gather more information before committing to a conclusion.

Admitting uncertainty in those moments is not incompetence. It is intellectual honesty.

Saying “I don’t know” does not signal that you lack expertise. It signals that you respect the complexity in front of you.

“You should never be afraid to say ‘I don’t know’, but you shouldn’t stop there,” says Dr. Riley Jones, beef chair for the conference.

The real truth is what you’re likely saying is: “I don’t know yet”.

And that ‘yet’ is very important. It communicates that, at present, you need more information — not that you are incapable. It implies investigation, follow through, and that the work is not finished.

You Do Not Practice Alone

Importantly, you don’t have to have the answer immediately accessible. You have access to a network of knowledge including:

Practice partners
Mentors
Extension specialists
Nutritionists
Diagnostic laboratories
Continuing education
Colleagues across the country willing to take you call

“Collaborate with others,” says Dr. Tera Barnhardt, large animal veterinarian in Kansas and keynote speaker at the conference. “Collaborate across the country. Collaborate with people who work on a totally different species than you.”

Jones explains how reaching out for help shows her clients how much she cares.

“I love saying ‘Hey, I don’t know this, but I know a classmate or a professor who is an expert in this field. Can I contact them to get more information?’ A lot of clients really value that. They don’t expect you to always be an expert, but they really want to know that you’re trying,” she says.

A willingness to consult the right sources represents stewardship. Using the resources available to you shows you are responsible in your practice. A producer doesn’t need you to know everything instantly, they need to know you will pursue the right answer.

Why Uncertainty Builds Trust

There is a persistent fear admitting uncertainty erodes credibility. But misplaced certainty damages trust far faster than honest restraint.

Producers operate within uncertainty every day. Weather shifts. Feed quality varies. Markets fluctuate. They understand biology does not always follow a script.

When a veterinarian says, “I don’t know yet,” and follows it with a plan, it communicates several things:

I respect the complexity of your operation.
I am not guessing to protect my ego.
I will gather more information.
I will follow up.

Trust in bovine practice is not built on always being right. It is built on being reliable.

Producers remember whether you closed the loop. They remember whether you called back. They remember whether you were transparent about what you knew — and what you were still investigating.

In that context, “I don’t know yet” can be profoundly trust-building.

Early-Career Discomfort Is Not Disqualification

For early-career veterinarians, the internal pressure can be intense.

“You will not know everything. You will see things that you didn’t study. You will face scale and crisis that you weren’t prepared for,” Barnhardt says.

You may be advising producers who have managed cattle for decades. You may feel like every case is a test. The physiological response — racing heart, tight chest, narrowed thinking — can make uncertainty feel dangerous.

But discomfort is often the marker of growth.

Not knowing immediately does not mean you do not belong in that conversation. It means you are practicing in real conditions, where variables exceed textbooks.

The goal is not to eliminate uncertainty. It is to learn how to navigate it with integrity.

Adding “yet” reframes the moment for yourself as much as for the client. It reminds you that learning is active, ongoing and collaborative.

Authority, Reframed

Authority in modern bovine practice is not about omniscience. It is about judgment, process and follow-through.

Judgment recognizes when information is incomplete.
Process identifies the next steps.
Follow-through closes the loop.

“I don’t know yet” holds all three.

It signals you will not offer an answer you do not believe in. It signals you will do the work. It signals you are accountable for the outcome of your advice.

Over time, that posture strengthens credibility more than reflexive certainty ever could.

You will not know everything. No one does. But you have training. You have experience. You have colleagues. You have resources.

That being said, using resources does not remove responsibility.

“At the end of the day, you can have all of these resources and do everything that you can to gather information, but it’s your decision,” Jones says.

The goal is not to outsource judgement, but to inform it.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can say in the moment is not a diagnosis. It is a commitment.

“I don’t know yet. Let’s find out.”

Before it Begins: The Next Major Shift in Mastitis Management

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:33:12 GMT

The next major shift in mastitis management will not come from faster treatment or better cure rates but from detecting mastitis risk earlier — before symptoms become clinically apparent, before somatic cell counts rise and before irreversible damage to the mammary tissue occurs. This is encompassed by a shift from confirmation to prediction and from reaction to prevention.

Mastitis Detection is Shifting from Reactive to Predictive

When asked what his ideal mastitis detection situation would be, Dr. Justin Hess of Clinton Veterinary Services was quick to bring up prevention first. While it would be nice to have an automated system flagging mastitic cows at infection onset, he believes the real future is stopping it before it begins.

“Cure is a lot harder than prevention. It’s always easier to keep a cow from getting mastitis than to fix it later,” Hess says. “[Even if] a system is better at detecting mastitis, you’re always going to be behind the 8-ball in the first place, where the goal is to prevent it altogether.”

Traditional mastitis detection has been largely retrospective. Abnormal milk, elevated conductivity, increased somatic cell count or visible inflammation signal disease is already established. The emerging goal of mastitis detection systems is to identify subtle deviations — such as minute changes in rest time, rumination or quarter-level yields — early enough to intervene before disease fully develops.

(Amanda Story, Rose Memories Photography LLC)

Can Technology Identify the Bacteria Causing Mastitis?

Alongside earlier detection, there is growing interest in providing more information about what type of mastitis may be developing. Current animal health detection systems are strong at identifying abnormality, but weak at characterization. Looking at the future of automatic health monitoring systems, Dr. Alon Arazi, chief veterinarian at Afimilk, sees two areas of opportunity.

“I think the two main things that will probably change in the future are, one, we are lagging in the ability to detect subclinical mastitis. The other thing is to not just diagnose mastitis, but also to give some information about the cause,” Arazi says.

One of the things he is hoping they will soon be able to do is determine the type of bacteria causing mastitis.

“I believe that soon we will be able to give some information on if it’s Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria and then help the farmer make a decision about treatment,” Arazi says.

With this information, more targeted antibiotics could be chosen without having to wait for milk culture results. This supports antimicrobial stewardship, allowing farmers to potentially avoid unnecessary antibiotic use in cases that may self-resolve or require a different course of action.

The Power of the Data-Driven Team

The preventive impact of these systems extends beyond individual cows; it changes how the farm staff and consultants interact.

“The system is working on the cow level as well as the group level and the herd level. We try to look at all aspects of the farm,” Arazi says.

When looking through a broader scope, early deviations may indicate upstream management issues — such as bedding consistency or parlor hygiene — that elevate mastitis risk across multiple animals simultaneously. In that sense, future detection systems are as much about identifying system-level vulnerability as they are about flagging individual cows.

This is where the team-based aspect becomes critical. Once an operation has established the characteristic norms of their herd, the data becomes a shared language between the producer, the parlor staff and the veterinarian.

“Once you have the data, you can analyze it looking backward. Not just what is happening now, but what was the situation in the past? How did things progress? It can help you understand where you should put your money,” Arazi says.

As mastitis detection becomes more predictive and informative, the role of veterinarians evolves rather than diminishes. Interpretation, prioritization and integration remain essential. Technology may identify risk, but the team — the farmer and the vet — determines the response by balancing biology, economics, welfare and practicality. The future of mastitis detection is not automation replacing expertise, but better information supporting a unified team in earlier, smarter intervention.

Ultimately, success will be measured not by how quickly mastitis is treated, but by how often it is prevented from occurring at all.

Having spent their careers at the intersection of veterinary medicine and dairy technology, Hess and Arazi share a common passion for evolving how we look at herd health. On the first episode of “ The Bovine Vet Podcast ”, they join host Andrea Bedford to discuss why mastitis is much more than a simple infection.

Does Bird Flu Have an Effect on Cow Fertility?

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:52:18 GMT

When highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) first hit U.S. dairies, it threw the industry into unfamiliar territory. With so many unknowns, the immediate focus was on slowing the spread and caring for the cows that were affected.

Now, with more of the puzzle pieces coming together, researchers are beginning to step back and look at the bigger picture, examining how the virus affects cows not only in the days and weeks after infection, but what it may mean for their health and performance long after.

On a recent episode of “The Dairy Podcast Show”, Jennifer Spencer and Juan Pinedo, Extension dairy specialists with Texas A&M, came together to better understand what this virus is doing to reproduction — and if infected cows will be paying the price for years.

What Does HPAI Mean for Cow Fertility?

Spencer and Pinedo are just starting to study HPAI’s long-term effects, and their work is one of the first to measure how it may impact reproduction in U.S. dairy herds. Early signs point to a real effect on reproductive performance, particularly in younger animals, though the science is still evolving.

“We really want to know if it does impact reproduction,” Spencer says. “We want to let the producers know so they can understand if they might have to cull heavier to make sure that they’re managing this and replacing the cows in a timely manner — for sustainability of the herd and also to help maintain or improve their profitability.”

Like all major health events, HPAI is predicted to have an impact on cow fertility or pregnancy loss. But for Spencer and Pinedo, they are trying to figure out to what degree.

“We know that when cows get sick, they shift their energy toward fighting an infection rather than reproducing,” Spencer explains. “If these cattle that are infected with HPAI are having reduced milk production, feed intake and rumination, then there’s a high probability it’s impacting reproductive efficiency and their performance.”

Pinedo adds this pattern isn’t unique to HPAI, but still worth studying.

“Just like with any other systemic disease, having a detrimental effect in repro performance is something that we will expect,” Pinedo explains.

Dig Into Herd Data

In March 2025, Spencer’s team received rapid-response funding from USDA APHIS to study how HPAI affects reproduction in dairy herds. They designed a retrospective observational study, analyzing on-farm records from January 2021 through each herd’s HPAI outbreak and beyond.

“We’re looking at data from January 2021 until they had an HPAI outbreak,” Spencer says. “How we’re determining that is based not just on what the producer says, but by also analyzing the records and looking for that drastic drop in milk production, because that’s kind of the overall sign when they had an HPAI outbreak.”

To give the team a wide view of how HPAI is affecting herds in different settings, the project spans across three dairy regions with five to 10 dairies per region. These areas include the:

South Central
Western U.S.
Pacific Northwest

“We want to get information from different environments to have a better idea of the geographical differences, and what they deal with heat-stress-wise, or the feed availability,” Spencer says. “This will give us a 30,000' view of what is happening.”

A Hit on Heifers

While the full analysis is still in progress, the team has already taken a close look at one South Central dairy, and the early patterns are raising important questions in heifers. The study found conception rates dropped during the outbreak year but appeared to rebound the following year.

“For heifers, they actually had about a 5% decrease in their conception rates during 2024 from March until December, but that appears to go back up in 2025,” Spencer reports.

Pinedo added specific figures to put the changes into perspective.

“There was a 52% conception rate, and they dropped during the outbreak to 45%. The year after, they came back to 50%,” he notes.

These numbers show that while conception rates began to recover after the outbreak, they didn’t fully return to pre-HPAI levels. Spencer notes heifers needed more services per conception, suggesting the virus may have lingering effects on reproductive efficiency.

“For heifers, we saw an increase in services per conception, but they’ve remained higher. They went from about a 1.5 up to like 2, 2.2 number of times bred for their heifers, and it’s continuing into 2025,” she adds.

Spencer admits that wasn’t what they expected.

“We didn’t think that heifers would be impacted,” she says.

Complicating things further, some of the heifers in question were born to cows infected late in gestation.

“Some of those heifers were actually from cows that were in their third trimester of their pregnancy, so that may be a contributing factor,” Spencer adds. “There’s so many moving parts in it.”

How Are Cows Being Impacted?

For cows, the pattern is more complex. Unlike heifers, which showed a relatively clear dip and rebound in conception rates, mature cows showed more varied responses to HPAI. Some herds experienced noticeable declines during the outbreak, while others were less affected.

“We did see conception rates appeared to decrease in all of the lactations,” Spencer notes. “But for the first and third and greater lactations, they seem to be going back up, whereas the second lactation seems to be kind of having a harder time rebounding.”

Those second-lactation cows are noteworthy because many were first-lactation animals during the outbreak itself.

“It seems as if perhaps a first-lactation animal, which you might think would be more resilient to recover, maybe, is having more longer-term effects on at least reproduction, as opposed to older cattle,” Pinedo adds.

These unexpected patterns have the researchers taking a closer look at the number to try and determine why younger animals are taking a bigger reproductive hit.

How Much Should We Read Into Early HPAI Data?

While the data is eye-opening, both researchers are quick to point out that the findings are still early, and there’s a lot they don’t yet know.

“This is research that is at the very early stages, and it’s a retrospective observational study,” Pinedo emphasizes. “You really want to control confounders; it’s nothing that we could jump into conclusions [about] right now.”

He lists the kinds of changes every producer lives with year to year:

“You have bull genetics that will have changed, repro program that will have changed, feed that will have changed, heat abatement technologies, so many confounders that affect repro that have to be controlled,” he says.

Spencer sees the same complexity in the field of research.

“What if they changed a breeder? Or what if they started using precision technologies on their heifers, so their heat detection rate went up? These are things we have to take into consideration,” she says.

For now, the research is still in its early stages, but the data suggest HPAI does have reproductive effects worth paying attention to, especially in younger animals. As the team continues to analyze records and track herd performance, these early insights can help producers keep a closer eye on animals who were impacted by the virus and make more informed decisions for the long-term health and fertility of their herds.