Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Watching my family of farmers work together vaccinating and worming 

cattle with  our veterinarian  is one of my favorite spring

 time pictures down on the dairy farm. 

These periodic checkups and vaccinations work to prevent illness 

and insure high-quality milk from healthy cows.

After receiving vaccinations, the calves are sorted and moved to new pastures.

When moving calves to new pastures it is not uncommon for

 them to find the hole in the fence that the farmer missed seeing.

I'm very  thankful for the great neighbors that live around us.

They not only call to let us know we have cattle out but offer help 

in rounding them up so we can haul them home until the fence is repaired.

                                                     
                                            There's no doubt, dairy farmers are on call 24/7.

Dairy Q&A

Question:

How do I know which milk or dairy product is antibiotic free?

                                                   
                                                                      Answer:
           All milk is tested for antibiotics when it leaves the farm
                                   and before it is pasteurized.

                                                In fact,
 it is illegal for a dairy farmer to sell milk that contains antibiotics. 

Healthy animals are the foundation of a safe and abundant food supply. We use antibiotics under  the advice of our veterinarian  to treat a cow that is sick.  The milk from a cow being treated with antibiotics is separated to ensure it does not go into the milk supply.
You can find  more detailed information about antibiotic use on the farm at Dairy Makes Sense. 

Dairy Cow Check-ups

Thank goodness we don't have to load up all the dairy cows and haul them to the doctor's office for their routine check-ups! Cow check-ups happen once a month  when Dr. Gary France, our cow family's veterinarian, comes to the farm for what we call  "herd health" day.
As I watched the cows approach for check-ups
this morning, it was obvious that they were aware of a change in the daily routine!

On the way to the feed barn after being milked, the cows took a detour to the doctor's farm office known as the health management area. This area is a simply designed place for the cows to stand comfortably for examination and treatment when needed. After being examined for pregnancy or any health issue, the cows return to their normal everyday schedule of walking to the feed barn to enjoy their balanced diet before going back to the pasture to rest.

My job during cow check-ups is to provide information to the doctor about each cow and record all the health information from the veterinarian. Information from today's herd health exams will be entered into our computer records and used to manage the health care of each cow. Cow check-ups are an important part of our commitment to providing high-quality milk by taking good care of our cows.

                                       I'm thankful veterinarians still make dairy farm calls!