Management of Herd Health Programs in Midwestern Dairies

Symposium on Herd Health Management-Dairy Cow

Management of Herd Health Programs in Midwestern Dairies Darrell E. Johnson, D.V.M. * I have reflected often, in recent years, that the introduction of the power lawn mower in our rural and suburban areas did not result in less time devoted to mowing the lawn. Instead, the lawns became larger and the time delegated to the task remained the same or became greater as less physical energy' was expended. This crude analogy might typify what is happening to the production of meat and milk in the 1980s as modern technology is being applied. One of the most perplexing problems for the conscientious practitioner serving and servicing the food animal industry is to winnow the wheat from the chaff in this explosion of technology and the narrowing time frame in which to implement new ideas. The number of available publications and seminars from which we draw our resource information and keep up-to-date seems adequate. One more manuscript adds not so much to our store of knowledge in dairy herd managment as to the task of winnowing. Thus, a new book or manuscript should make a distinctive contribution. What might that be? As simple as it may seem, the selling of preventive or predictive medicine at the local, grass roots level and the motivational methods and attitudes that seek and inspire goals for both practitioner and dairyman are not often broached in today's literature. Goethe said it best: "Everything has been thought of before, the difficulty is to think of it again." Within this context I would like to express some views garnered through 20-plus years of servicing the Wisconsin dairyman and the evolution of herd health management. The admonitions of our early settlers to "root hog or die," which applied to both man and beast, have given way to the realization that knowledge and attention to detail in mechanized agriculture and confinement production of meat and milk is as important as "getting the chores done." This article will not dwell on veterinary skills as much as on a style of practice · that allows an effective flow of information through the practitioner to the dairy operation. We, as veterinarians, are the logical ones to bridge the technological gap in herd health management between information and techniques available and the ability of the dairyman to assimilate and *Private Practitioner, Weyauwega, Wisconsin Veterinary Clinics of North America: Large Animal Practice-Vol. 3, No.2, November 1981

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winnow that which could apply to his individual dairy operation. Each dairy farm is an individual management system that might be construed as a microcosm of this country. Its fencelines are its boundaries. The owner is the President and, with the myriad of responsibilities and the decisions to be considered, the owner must surround himself with advisers, who could be referred to as "the Cabinet." The County Agent might be the Secretary of Agriculture; the local banker might be the Secretary of Finance. The veterinarian might be the Secretary of Health and Welfare of his meat and milk-producing animals, and so on. How the dairyman chooses and uses these people around him determines in large measure how successful he will be. Within this context we can establish our professional relationship with the client and purvey a service with an emphasis on both wellness and disease. Perhaps now the scientific information available about disease and disease processes is equal to the task of maintaining animal health in individual herds. As practitioners we then develop an understanding of individual clients and their management situations so that we can select the best procedures to reduce disease problems and incorporate them into a health program that is most profitable for a particular herd. University extension, magazines, and corporations involved in food animal production emphasize preventive medicine and create exposure to the various elements of it, but the success of such publicizing depends on the efforts of individual practitioners coordinating these principles on individual farms. Put another waythe boom of the cannon doesn't make the flowers grow. The main commodity we offer in herd health services is advice; the physical work performed is done mostly to derive information on which that advice is based. What we are paid for is advice, and the justification for our involvement in programmed herd health services is that it is directed at increased profit for the farmer. If we can't make him more money, there is no justification for the service. One of the keys, then, to practitioner success in preventive herd health services has to be the realization that the ability to work with and communicate with all kinds of people is as important as the abilities to handle animals and equipment or to diagnose and treat specific diseases. Those of us servicing the smaller herds in the upper Midwest need to give considerable attention to "individual management units" because we have so many of them. Consider, for instance, that in Wisconsin, an average herd has 50 to 60 cows. A practitioner with 3000 cows under his care in herd health management programs would be working with 50 to 60 individual management units. A practitioner in the Southwest and West would be dealing with three to ten individual farms . Needless to say, the style of practice will vary considerably in attempting to establish goals and provide motivation for upgrading or maintaining herd productivity. Perhaps our future as a profession in food animal medicine hinges directly upon our ability to sell preventive-predictive herd health management to these management units. I use the word "sell" rather loosely. This concept will be easily sold as the successful dairyman of the 1980s is looking to buy it. The

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question is, from whom? Agribusiness is developing in such a way that we could easily become technicians-doing the work prescribed by the planning of remote agribusiness-related consultants. Our profession is going to have to be as progressive and innovative as agriculture itself. Herd health management is really simply an extension of veterinary science and medicine that is principally influenced by attitun.e. It is essential to have an interest in people and their animal health problems; the rest falls into place as we practice the art as well as the science of food animal medicine. This is not to take away from those whose primary interest is the technical aspects of medicine and science. We would be lost without them as they are among those oriented and dedicated to research and development of the drugs and techniques that we apply in the field . These scientists relate effectively to society in a different way. However, let's be aware of the unique relationship between veterinarian and client in food animal practice and its curious blend of sentiment and economics, as we can make it work to the benefit of both. Since it becomes largely a "people game" then, one of the basic tenets is to understand the dairyman in order to stimulate an interest in altering the way he may be doing some things, as some change is inherent in any gain in productivity whether it is in levels of subclinical disease, housing, genetics, nutrition, or sanitation. It is interesting and, I think, important to observe that most farmers don't ask questions-they make statements such as, ''I've had four or five cows get mastitis a few days after I dry them off," or "That's four retained placentas I've had in the past three months," or ''I've got three cows I haven't seen in heat for two months and two cows that are in heat every day." These statements may come to us as we are working on a cow with dystocia or other type of emergency, and we need to realize that though these statements obviously end with a period and not with a question mark, they are indeed a request for help and some positive response from us. If we are always hurried or harried, we never effectively relate to this producer. Preferably modern dairy practice should dictate that we tool up our practice expertise and resources to relate to this client on a continuing basis as problems and questions arise. Soon the client has a train of thought to follow in preventive-predictive medicine. He does start asking questions, and a profitable and rewarding relationship for both parties may result. Often just an extra 10 to 15 minutes on a call in response to a seemingly innocuous statement by a farmer will give us a broader perspective of his problems and allow us to evaluate his problems with individual cows on a herd basis. An important insight for the young practitioner entering a midwestern dairy practice is that there is not a "forest" of small dairy farms out there eagerly awaiting your herd management services, through which you bulldoze a swath. That forest is made up of individual trees (farmers) and you cut one tree at a time. We concentrate on the ones we think are ready and on which way they should go, for example, nutritional counseling, mastitis control, reproductive

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programming, or combinations. Regardless of how grand our intentions, what spells success or failure in the end in developing a broad base of herd work is how we conduct ourselves day to day on the individual client's farm, relating to him personally on problems directly at hand. To simply make these services available and assume the client has the competence to know what services to ask for or what benefits to expect would be naive or perhaps an indication that an air of professional egoism precludes any real desire to be of service to the meat and milk producer. The excuse then becomes "We offer the services, but there doesn't seem to be much interest in this area" or "We had a couple of educational meetings and got some dairymen started, but they didn't stay with it." The process of developing an expertise in herd health management is best described as evolutionary, not revolutionary. We evolve into a consulting role through a genuine involvement of living and practicing the herd perspective on a day-to-day basis. In herd health management on small midwestern farms we need to be aware that our clients are a mixture of management expertise and capability. Let me paraphrase and say that at any given time we will have clients in "grade school," "high school," and "college," as befits their experience and insight into what constitutes a top dairy operation. Some of our clients will develop from "grade school student" to "college graduate" over the years under a continuing herd management scheme, and soon our duties in the herd become predominantly consultative as sound management puts all the stresses in line and the farmer becomes a top herdsman. What separates us from our contemporaries (the inseminator, feed company' fieldmen, county agents, vo-ag instructors, milking machine dealers) dealing directly with the farmer? All of us will respond with opinions when a problem arises. There is no aura that surrounds us when we receive that diploma that endows us with the power to stand in the barn alley and be more effective than others who stand there and expound. However, if we do the physical work of gathering all the information we can on which to base our advice, then and only then do we stand taller, using our academic background and technical skills. Building this perspective into routine herd health management procedures, we can assume some real responsibility in certain areas and let the client know that if things do not seem to be going right he can look to us to make the adjustments. By the same token, we'll take him to task if too many shortcuts are evident. I believe the key to establishing a good working relationship that will result in mutual benefits is to provide a base for communication on a regular continuing basis . I know of no better way in dairy practice than monthly reproductive examinations of a preventive and diagnostic nature. When we establish this service properly, all else can fall in place as our relationship develops and our conversations carry us month after month. The need for regular examinations of reproductive organs never ceases, and the client easily relates to the benefits accruing from the service. This then provides the base for initiating and supervising mastitis and nutritional efforts or whatever is re-

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quired as we key into the dairy operation. There seems to be a tendency to call pregnancy checking on a regular basis a "herd health program" when, in fact, one is assuming such a small level of responsibility in the dairy operation that it can hardly qualify as such. To actually assume responsibility for a client's reproductive herd health, we should perhaps include complete records of all aspects of the reproductive process from calving through postpartum examination, breeding programs, pregnancy diagnosis and dry cow prepartum considerations. These records should be readily accessible to the veterinarian in a system that allows evaluation of trends. I never try to talk a client into a herd health service. However, seldom is the opportunity missed to explain the service that is available if a lead is presented by a client with whom I think I could work to his advantage. From that point he must indicate that he would like to get involved. Too often, if we talk the client into a preventive and/or diagnostic service he will be inclined to subconsciously sit back with the feeling that he has hired "Doc" to take care of it. Almost without fail this type of relationship will be unproductive. One cannot push a chain of many links, and we are just one important link; the dairyman must be in front to pull it. Much better results accrue if the farmer recognizes a problem and conveys the attitude (not likely a direct question) that he wants to know what he can do about it. We present an approach on which he can act, and it is hoped that we have the practice resources that allow us to relate to him about the problems on a continuing basis. Allow him to understand that veterinary service, when properly applied, is a profitable investment, not an expense. We can apply the three Ms of sales and merchandising; be there as the Man, at the Moment the farmer is experiencing a potential herd problem, with the Method for dealing with the problem on a continuing basis. I think it is important for veterinarians working with family dairies in the upper Midwest to keep in perspective what the dairyman contends with day to day in order to understand him and work with him. I had a client who told me more than once that "money can't buy happiness, but it sure lets you pick your own kind of grief." In observing how many ways the dairy farmer has to stretch himself every day, I think I understand what he means. I believe there is no one in agriculture today who keeps as busy and preoccupied 12 months a year as a successful dairyman on a family farm, and does so with little or no formal management background. In addition to the details inherent in maintaining high production and herd management by means of the daily "chores," there is management of crops, soil, machinery, and housing, plus insect and parasite control on crops and cattle. We need to remain cognizant of the fact that the successful dairyman on the family farm today is a "special breed." Obviously he needs people with specialized knowledge to advise him with the diversity of responsibility he has. He needs people who can analyze his problems on a broad basis in each area of responsibility and provide some answers and leadership. In meat and milk production, he needs Dr. Herd Health. Also we realize from this profile of Mr.

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Successful Dairyman that we are just part of the team that makes this food-producing unit go. When we shake our heads occasionally at some of the details that go unattended we need to remember that he is a farm manager first and a milk producer second. One of the first things I observed when just out of college was that the quest for knowledge and understanding that is part of the academic community just wasn't there in our rural practice. Our meat and milk producers get comfortable in a certain pattern of activity, and they tend to remain at that level unless someone takes the initiative to reorient their management upward. I suppose that is the technologic gap we referred to earlier. This situation has changed rather rapidly in the past few years, and we can look for more rapid change in the dairyman's attitude in the 1980s. Our farmers are now actively seeking out new technology as never before, causing many of the practitioners to scramble to stay up-to-date. Our role of winnowing out the chaff as alluded to earlier then becomes an important service to the dairyman, replacing our earlier efforts to motivate the dairyman. In approaching a client we many often find him discouraged about his disease problems, suspicious of veterinary services, and sick of hearing about leukocytes, calving intervals, forage quality, and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, mainly because he hasn't been able to sort it out and apply the information to his own operation. I've mentioned practice resources a few times ... Just what are we talking about? Mostly I mean not only having an effective service organized but also being able to provide time to implement it. We must be able to make appointments and keep them. This is almost saying you need at least a two-veterinarian practice. We will never escape emergency calls and someone has to cover for us or we face much frustration, which is soon reflected in our work and attitudes. Perhaps about 70 per cent of the calls that come in daily should be serviced that particular day. If that many aren't actually crucial, they are so in the mind of the farmer and he is the person that picks up the phone and writes out the check. If we are going to be attentive to scheduled herd services and not adequately respond to his vital concerns for sick animals, we may lose his confidence. The term "practice resources" also means expert and efficient diagnostic service, which includes the kind of office help that can assist with record keeping and can handle specimens for testing and shipping to diagnostic centers. It also means adequate space for records, recording data, scheduling appointments, and handling materials for testing and analyses . From this point, let's briefly examine the problems facing us in the next decade. In the upper Midwest, most of the herds comprise 35 to 100 cows, and most of them are stanchion barns and family farms. The logistics involved in my job in herd health management is different from the logistics of those of you who serve farms of the same size but which are mostly free stall operations. The dairies of 200 to 500 cows present yet another set of problems. I think we are all familiar with the advantages of working with the 35 to 100 cow family farm in this area, but they are going to get fewer and larger, so what are

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the problems we might face in the future? There will be increased animal density, reliance on hired labor, more purchased herd additions from multiple sources, and inadequate facilities. I need not itemize the problems inherent in these situations. Also, managers will be employed to see that work is done, and these may not be knowledgeable in supervising labor. Communication between various levels of management and labor becomes important. Individual animals do not get the attention we would like. Untrained people are expected to observe signs of disease. Treatment facilities are usually inadequate. Record keeping must be more elaborate when reliance is placed on hired help to observe heats, breeding dates, abnormalities, and treatments. As members of the team, we are very aware that labor and management are the biggest single cause of increased disease loss in large dairy herds, and we can become unpopular when we point the finger at responsible parties. The operations often learn the hard way that excessive reliance on vaccines, antibiotics, and other drugs to solve disease problems usually leads to disappointment, disillusionment, and discouragement. Our role then is to hold fast to what I call my five basic rules to good dairying in order to keep my own perspective and to instill some perspective and insight into management, sometimes an alternative to pointing the finger. Calving Interval. I could say reproductive efficiency, but calving interval can be explained better in terms of heat detection and recording estrus, and that is what it boils down to for the herdsman. We will have a list of stress areas that affect this goal; we want these stresses in line. If something isn't going just right in our reproductive programming, we go through this list of possible stresses so we have a point of reference in which to keep our herd perspective. I don't have such a list written down and in the farmer's hands. The stresses seem to lose value that way. I merely go through them when necessary. It acts as my "ace in the hole." Soon when he recognizes a problem, then thinks of me, he no longer expects an answer in the form of a bottle, bag, or syringe. He knows I may be looking around the problem as much as I am looking at it, and so his own insight is developed. What do I mean by "stresses in line"? Basically I'm referring to the interrelationship of the various factors that result in a successful reproductive program in this instance. The list of stresses that I would w"ant "in line" would include the following; (1) observation of estrus during interval to first service, (2) timing of insemination during es trus, (3) handling of semen, (4) technique of insemination, (5) proper calving facilities and postcalving environment, (6) routine diagnosis of pregnancy at 30 to 45 days after breeding, (7) routine palpation of re productive organs postpartum, and (8) records reflecting abnormalities at all stages of the reproductive cycle, including conformati on, that may influence fertility and conception rate. Nutrition. The client must develop insight into the importance of providing the calories in a ration to do the work of producing milk; the varying nutritional requirements at various stages of production; the importance of quality forage and soil fertility and the importance of having a plan for controlling feed inventory so that we can get at the

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feed we want when we want it; and the importance of keeping DHIA records and production records. Again, we can have a list of stress areas that might include the following: (1) feeding levels attainable in relation to housing system used, (2) average age of herd, (3) ratios of forage to grain fed, (4) levels of fiber, fecal pH, and butterfat in relation to incidence of metabolic disease and production efficiency, (5) feed cost per 100 lb of milk produced, (6) mineral balance, (7) quality of water, (8) overall ration balance consistent with NRC recommendations, and (9) ability to make adjustments in ration when forage changes occur. Mastitis. The client must develop an insight into the losses inherent in subclinical mastitis in the herd. The components of mastitis control include the following: (1) monitoring milking practices as personnel changes influence attitudes, (2) milking hygiene, udder preparation, and teat dipping, (3) treatment practices in both the lactating and dry cows, (4) milking equipment maintenance and design, (5) potential for new infection and reinfection between milkings, (6) culling practices, and (7) monitoring methods for somatic cells counts. Sanitation. Besides the connotation of general cleanliness, I want the dairyman to understand my definition of clean manure and dirty manure. Clean manure is manure that is allowed to accumulate less than 36 to 48 hours anywhere in the living confines of the herd. Dirty manure is manure that is allowed to accumulate for a longer period. What necessarily follows with dirty manure are the following: (1) fly propagation and accompanying animal stress and transmission of disease, (2) parasite propagation via dissemination of infective larvae, and (3) incubation of bacteria especially coliforms. This perspective of clean manure and dirty manure has helped me often in getting a response in general clean up, but there is frequently much left to be desired. Housing. It is imperative that we teach dairymen to think about seasonal extremes when they build in this north country and to think about creature comfort-not only for the cows but for them and us as well. Anyone involved in herd health management should have a copy of the latest edition of the Midwest Plan Service Structures and Environment Handbook, which is available to you by writing to the agricultural extension engineer of any state university in the Midwest. If you want actual dairy barn plans, write to Midwest Plan Service, 122 Davidson Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011. Twenty-five years ago the average dairy practitioner dealt mostly with problems in individual cows and rarely concerned himself with herd problems other than testing programs for tuberculosis and area Brucellosis and shipping fever outbreaks. Now young practitioners soon become involved in a fertility control program early in their careers. There should be an inevitable spin-off from there to further involvement with mastitis, nutritional work, and replacement animals. Unfortunately too often it stops with the fertility program. By using and developing one's powers of observation in a herd perspective, one should soon be familiar with the milking equipment used by the producer, his average count using the Wisconsin Mastitis Test (WMT),

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his forage feeding program, and his handling of replacement animals.

If young practitioners can't answer these questions, we have reason to wonder how they can assist in herd health management. Expertise will come with experience in these areas. How soon it develops depends on how soon they begin taking time to question, differentiate, and use available resources to compare the management level with what is optimal. If they don't know how the replacement animals are being handled, they apparently aren't evaluating potential loss from internal and external parasites, faulty nutrition, or breeding efficiency. If they don't know the forage feeding programs, they will not be able to evaluate the concentrates fed. If they don't know the WMT or other somatic cell trends and the type of milking equipment installation, they are probably not concerning themselves with subclinical mastitis, the incidence of acute mastitis, and the milking procedures . It is difficult to envision a productive future in dairy practice without involvement in herd health management, so it becomes important to develop good habits of observation early. Those of us with several years in practice might also think about the p roduction systems of some of our better clients: How much can we hring to mind about their overall livestock operations that will reflect our serious involvement in their productivity? Structuring a practice toward preventive/predictive herd health management can involve the same problem-solving approach that we advocate for herd management. A few years ago I chaired a committee appointed by the state veterinary medical association to address ourselves to some of the basic tenets of herd health management. F rom this series of meetings we evolved the following criteria to define the era into which we were either leading or being led ... I'm not sure which. We defined the subject as follows: A herd health service is any prearranged schedule to provide goods and services for a fee in the broad area of preventive veterinary medicine. The service to the producer (meat and milk) was to include use of some or all of the fo llowing general procedures, depending on species involved and scope of services required: 1. Introducing the client to the benefits of herd health services and providing a program of enrichment as part of the service 2. Balancing intake of nutrients for optimal production of milk or rate of gain 3. Periodic examination of individual animals for disease conditions or potential disease problems 4. Periodic examination of individual animals for pregnancy diagnoses or reproductive problems 5. Herd prophylactic or diagnostic procedure for various contagious or endemic diseases at appropriate intervals through the year 6. Controlling environmental factors that contribute to disease problems or affecting production 7. Treatment of diseases in a manner that will facilitate the earliest return to production or profitable rate of gain.

Professional considerations basic to developing this type of service might be as follows: (1) ethical modes of client education and d evelopment of effective techniques, (2) need for formal training in some phases of herd health management, (3) development of a fee

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structure for herd health services, and (4) establishing an effective working relationship with other agribusiness personne l serving the producer. In entering into a d iscussion of actual involvement in various herd health procedures perhaps we should preface it with Dr. Dave Morrow's excellent resource piece listing some program criteria and goals: Herd Health Management Program Criteria and Goals* I. Replacements A. Mortality 1 Birth = calves dead at birth · calves born 2. 0- 30 days calves died 0-30 days calves born 3 0 24 th calves died one-24 mos. · nemon s = calves born 4 Total ·

calves died birth to 24 mos. calves born

=

B. Breeding 1. Age = interval birth to first service total heifers 2. Weight = total weight at first service total heIfers C. Calving 1. Age = interval birth to parturition total heifers 2. Weight = total weight at parturition total heifers

Nos.

%

Goals 5% 5% 2% 10%

15 mo. 750 Ibs.

24 mo. 1200 Ibs.

II . Reproductive Efficiency A I t I t fi t t calving to first estrus · n erva 0 rs es rus = total cows B. Interva l to first service

=

~a:ving to first service o a cows

C. Days open = days to calving to conception total cows D . Calving interval = ~~Yl calving to calving o a cows . . services in all cows E. ServIces per conceptIOn = total conceptions

45 days

60 days 100 days 380 days 2.0

III. Peri parturient Conditions A. Milk Fever

cows milk fever total parturItIons B. Ketosis = cows ketosis. total partUrItIOns C D' I dAb _ cows displacements · ISP ace omasum, - total parturitions D Mastitis ·

=

=

cows mastitis total cows

3% 3% 3% 10%

IV. Culling Rate A. Involunta

numbe r culled total cows B. Volunta = number cull ed ry total cows C Total = total culled · total cows =

ry

15% 10% 25%

* Morrow, D.A.: In Agway Bovine Nutrition and Health Symposium for Veterinarians. Syracuse, New York, 1976.

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These criteria and goals will allow us to better determine what the management goals of the individual producer might be as we discuss the major points, even with established clients. The producer's goals may be e rroneously aimed at a particular production process to the exclusion of e fficiency, long-range effects, and adequate economic considerations. A prime e xample is the client who comes to us with a desire to increase milk p roduction dramatically and wants us to work up a ration and feeding program to achieve it. Conscientiously we must evaluate where he is now in terms of subclinical mastitis, reproductive efficiency, feed inventory, genetic base, parasite control, and so forth, and it may be some time before we are able to say to him, "Okay, now we are ready to safely formulate and feed your herd for m aximal production in an efficient manner, for the long term." I should stress h e re that the plan must fit the needs and objectives of the individual producer. It must conform to his ability and willingness to assume risk and responsibility . That risk will hinge on the role and size of the production unit. For e xample, is it a sideline to cash cropping or is it the primary enterprise?

A more in-depth look at the mechanics of the major areas of herd he alth services as provided by most midwestern dairy practitioners follows. Reproduction The benefits to the dairyman from reproductive programs has b e en well established by means of the farm press, veterinary extension, and the veterinary profession, so I won't dwell on the selling of this service other than to say the economic implications are primarily lifetime milk production per cow, profit for labor, size of calf crop, and availability of replacement animals. The dairyman often needs incentive to focus attention on the reproduction of his herd and make that attention part of the everyday routine. So part of our armamentarium in our responsibility here is being able to present some economic realities. The losses from reproductive inefficiency are so subtle that they can easily be ignored in the day-to-day hustle on the farm. The mechanics of implementing a fertility control program are we ll known as regards which cows should be palpated and at what intervals. I referred earlier to an important differential between simply providing routine pregnancy diagnosis and actually assuming some responsibility for the reproductive program on the individual farm . I believe the following points are essential in demonstrating this responsibility: Appointments. Making appointments for herd work is an important public relations area; do it yourself unless the office person is considered competent in this area of public relations. Many times the dairyman is totally preoccupied at the time of the call, and resentment can build if he is mishandled regarding appointments. We can de te rmine soon enough which clients need the more personal touch. On the other hand, the situation should not be allowed to develop in which the dairyman advises the veterinarian when he is ready for a h e rd check. Punctuality. Time is as valuable to a successful modern dairyman as it is to us. We respect their time and they will usually respect ours.

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Also, many herds must be confined away from the fee ding area awaiting examination, and the client may become impatient with the prolonge d delay, which affects production. Efficiency. Have your system operating in such a manner that you have reproductive data for the month readily at hand. Do your palpating and treating and postexamination recording in an efficient and routine manner that does not leave the farmer standing around. Have him doing something with you or for you throughout your time on the farm. Concern about Problem Cows. Make a point to recheck certain cows between herd stops as indicated. Review of Records When Necessary and As Indicated. If the client expresses concern in an area of reproduction (such as number of cows with cystic ovaries, calving intervals, services per conception), go through the record and give him actual data and make suggestions. Often we must redirect a client's attention back to the herd during seasonal peaks of field work. We assume some responsibility for these psychological ploys along with the physiologic details of his reproductive program. Mastitis The National Mastitis Council recognizes two forms of mastitis control: etiologic (to stop new infection from occurring) and symptomatic (to stop existing infection from causing further damage). From this perspective, then, the practitioner involved in the control of mastitis may best be described as the one who puts it all together in the indi vidual dairyman's operation. It is always nice to list all the steps in milking management that spell success but, unfortunately, we humans and our foibles tend to alter the plan. Dealt with on a broad basis in a practice, mastitis control involves the art of veterinary medicine in a very real sense. The art medium we work with (the dairyman) will vary from farm to farm. We have to mold and bend his habits, hangups, and idiosyncrasies into a functional routine that will be successful and that the farmer can readily interpret as success. It should be a routine that will sustain effective control for years, not weeks or months. Of the three broad control areas of reproduction, nutrition, and mastitis, mastitis is easily the most challenging and frustrating. The many facets of mastitis control and the intangibles of management leave us with seemingly an infinite number of variables to control simultaneously. We simply must take the time to communicate because the subtleties of control and prevention of clinical and subclinical mastitis are beyond the casual insight and observation of the average dairyman. The veterinarian becomes involved as a result of a problem that manifests itself via high somatic cell counts, high bacterial counts, an increased number of resistant mastitis cases, or an increase in the incidence of mastitis. Other problems of a mechanical or sanitary nature mayor may not lead to our doorstep initially. In any case, once approached we have the opportunity to be of inestimable

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value if we apply the basic tenets of herd health management as espoused previously and attempt to apply the necessary components of a herd mastitis control program. How far we are able to proceed depends on what an overview of the situation dictates. In addition, the intelligence, initiative, and insight of the dairyman to implement corrective procedures must be considered. Sometimes you can talk him into a $20,000 renovation, but he won't give up his udder wash rag. Earlier in this article I listed the necessary components to be considered in control of mastitis and will not elaborate here. Initially I would begin doing the physical work of gathering information on which to base my advice: from the milk house and the milk records. Records are going to be an important part of any scheme of herd health management so we need to keep keenly aware that the dairyman's point of reference initially will be his own records. These are the ones we need to go over with the dairyman first. Find out what he has for records, help him find out what they are telling him, and from that point determine what additional records may be of value from the standpoint of monitoring. Review of somatic cell counts, bacterial counts, and lactating therapy and dry cow treatment practices should be initiated and bulk tank milk samples taken. In lieu of a bulk tank sample the situation may require individual cow milk samples for microbiologic identification of the predominant organism involved. An overview of the milking procedure and equipment design may allow for some immediate recommendations for improvement and/or repair. This may entail a call to the dealer of the milking equipment or a revisit by the veterinarian at milking time for additional testing and/or observation. Once the predominant organism is identified, control measures can then be further delineated as we intertwine the various components of mastitis control, emphasizing where required in the individual situation. For instance, a decision will be needed whether to "blitz" or dry treat if a problem with Streptococcus agalactiae exists. Either way, the dairyman must understand and commit. His level of consciousness must be raised in all the critical areas dealing with teat dipping, udder preparation, handling the milking equipment, new infections, and reinfections, treatment practices, and housing, regardless of the predominant organism. Only the areas of emphasis will vary. The veterinarian in mastitis control must be well versed in the pharmacokinetic characteristics of various antibiotics in milk, mammary tissue, and crossing blood/milk membranes. A part of mastitis control is communicating this information to the producer to assure efficacious treatment with consideration to both choice of antibiotic and route of administration in lactating and dry cow therapy. The judicious use of vaccines in mastitis control is occasionally required until management problems can be corrected, but to date I see no justification for general use of anything in a bottle, bag, or syringe for control of mastitis other than teat dips, sanitizers, and dry cow udder infusion. Many resources are available to the dairy practitioner to assist in providing a comprehensive approach to mastitis control: (1)

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client educational aids via the National Mastitis Council and Veterinary Extension Services, (2) milk quality and milking equipment information via AABP seminars and milking equipment companies and university short courses, (3) microbiology of milk via state and university diagnostic centers, (4) pharmacokinetics and mastitis therapy via pharmaceutical companies and university research, and (5) drug residues in milk via FDA publications and university extension. What remains for the practitioner to assume leadership in mastitis control is to place some priority on tooling up the practice to provide an ongoing service with a herd perspective in dealing with mastitis problems, not treatment of individual cows on an emergency call basis. Nutrition Nutrition is the capstone of any herd management system. It is possibly the most intriguing and enjoyable area of herd health management. Surely, if any part of herd service could lend itself to becoming a hobby or avocation as well as a professional responsibility, nutritional counseling would be it. Again, we are dealing with the midwestern family farm and a dairyman who, by the very nature of his operation, takes a fragmented approach to the various aspects of management. We again become the coordinator. Basic insights for the producer should include the following: (1) Energy is an important aspect of the total ration for providing the calories for doing the work of producing milk. Make the dairyman aware of the energy expended by the cow in producing that 80 to 120 lb of milk and that she doesn't have to grunt or sweat to do it, just placidly chew her cud; (2) The cow is afactory not a mine, and what goes in as raw material governs what comes out; (3) The quality (protein and butterfat) of milk produced by the individual cow and its influence on her health and longevity are as important as the number of pounds of milk produced. Some cows are actually parasitized by their udders and unless properly fed the body is put into a state of starvation. We frequently get called in for these tragic creatures and observe the remains of a potentially fine cow; (4) inventory control must be raised by a higher level of consciousness among our midwestern dairymen with their numerous tower silos. If I were to assume responsibility for some or all of the nutritional program of a herd, I would insist on certain things. The dairyman must be on DHIA testing as we'll refer to it, often to give us a perspective of what is happening in terms of production and perhaps metabolic diseases. From this point we can determine possible nutritional relationships and what we may do about it. Average age of the herd is a significant factor in establishing goals that bring out the relationship of nutrition to the other herd management services through DHIA records. A goal of between 4 years and 5 months and about 5 years and 2 months would seem efficient for a closed herd not in expansion. If the stresses are in line with good nutrition, we should be able to maintain a high level of production and sell cattle for dairy purposes as well. In effect, we are achieving

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culling efficiency. So we might say: "Mr. Jones, if 50 cows freshen in your herd, you'll have 25 heifer calves a year and we'll allow 10 percent loss for still born calves through 30 days of age. In a 50 cow herd you should need to cull only 10 to 12 cows a years, and that should leave you with several extra heifers to raise for side income or to sell as replacement heifer calves." "Shucks, Doc," he may respond, "I lose probably five or six heifer calves a year, and I've got cows going out of herd with bad feet, chronic mastitis, shy breeders, a couple downers every year, and I've got two empty stalls right now and nothing to put in them for six weeks." The average age of this farmer's herd is probably about 3 years and 4 to 6 months. If we motivate him enough and he is of sufficient intelligence, we can work with this dairyman, delineate the stresses at work, and alter these stresses one by one and create an insight in the dairyman and an environment for the livestock that will allow this dairyman to not just make a living but make some money also. Analyses of forage, properly submitted, are, of course, a necessity in balancing the ration. Drill-mounted p'robes are used for sampling baled hay. Grab samples from wagons of freshly chopped forage taken at appropriate intervals are used for haylage, cornlage, and oatlage going into tower silos. Analyses of bunk mixtures of cured silages provide additional data during the feeding period and may include ADF protein analyses ifheat damage is evident and significant protein loss is suspected. If we are assuming a comprehensive role in nutritional supervision of a herd, the farmer should be on a monthly schedule of client contact, which usually involves a reproductive control effort. We need this kind of regular client contact for nutritional work to effectively monitor forage changes, individual client hang-ups, problems with individual cows and to buffer the onslaught of sales people in the feed industry. Mineral metabolism has become important in my perspective of total herd health and top production. I usually get a complete elemental analysis of my principal forages and high-moisture corn, if used. For some time I puzzled over my inability to get two similar herd situations to perform similarly. Dealing with subclinical mastitis solved some of it production wise, but regarding metabolic diseases, reproduction, arthritis, and other problems, I remained mystified until I took a step farther back and looked at soil management and crop management. There I found many of my answers, and elemental analyses of feeds frequently told the story. Now I can more often match up the performance of these herds with all the stresses in line to a similar degree. One farmer can do it through excellent forages and routine supplementation, and the other requires a prescription form of supplementation to compensate for poor crop and soil management or perhaps poor soil type. There appears to be nutritional safety in low production just as there is in slow growth. When we get into top Production and approach genetic potential, the presence and availability of micronutrients to run the cellular enzyme systems seems to require a little more finesse.

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Certainly in nutritional work there are so many variables that on a scale of 1 to 10 we would probably be at about 2 or 3 as regards the individual cow. But for each step we take in controlling these variables, we see that modicum of improvement in production and overall herd performance that justifies the effort, again provided that the stresses are in line. We can get involved in nutritional counseling to varying degrees from just suggesting an adjustment in a feeding level or altering protein levels to computerized printouts. Our university extension personnel and major feed companies have put at our disposal many resources for assisting the dairyman in developing a sound nutritional program. The AABP seminars also are excellent, or we can use the private consultation services of nutritionists. There may be three or four feed mills servicing the practice area in which we would apply our nutritional effOlts. Maintaining a congenial working relationship with all can be a problem. We need to stop in and "touch base" with owners and supervisors from time to time and discuss with them certain products or supplements we would like in stock as we will be creating a demand. Computer programs will soon have a profound and beneficial effect in ration formulating at the local level. Reformulating for changes in feed costs, forage quality, moisture levels, and feeding levels will be calculated specifically and quickly. I will leave nutritional counseling with the above generalizations. It is a subject of such intriguing complexity that a working relationship with a dedicated dairy nutritionist is an absolute must, but the entire spectrum of herd services provided by the veterinarian creates the ideal circumstance for nutritional involvement. It is hoped that the dairy practitioner will accept the challenge of this nontraditional role. There are several auxiliary herd services that are an integral part of management and should be automatically encompassed as we closely observe the husbandry applied to a dairy enterprise. Parasite control falls into this category. The producer needs to understand that following analyses indicating a significant burden of internal parasites and judicious timing of anthelminthic treatment are the keys to control and that with certain classes of cattle the environment becomes the patient in effecting a good control program. Hoof care of dairy cows has become a very important and often troublesome problem in our modern confinement systems. Soft hoof sole and wall that tends to become overgrown due to lack of wear in confinement housing results in large scale hoof trimming efforts; coincidental with this are heel and sole lesions that require professional care and treatment. Vaccination programs to provide prophylaxis against endemic diseases will vary from area to area in the Midwest, depending on the number of cattle moving through the area, that is, a mixture of dairy and feeder cattle operations or not many closed dairy herds. There is a tendency for a few practitioners to stress hyperimmunization of client herds against every conceivable disease in the area for which a

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vaccine is available. This effort is passed of as a herd health program m uch as a fertility control program would be in and of itself. In the Midwest w e concern ourselves with leptospirosis, brucellosis, IBR, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), and pasteurellosis as diseases for which routi ne immunization practices are recommended both to protect the fe tus and to prevent systemic disease. Vaccination against diseases such as mastitis, clostridial infections, Johne' s disease and anaplasmosis may be required in certain situations. By following a reasonable app roach to an economically feasible, research-documented immunization program, the producer has an undeniable right to expect from us a vaccine delivery system that ensures a viable product and an effective dose, properly administered. The producer should be made aware that these are proper items of concern and reason enough to deal exclusively with his veterinarian in this area. Calf care and the rearing of replacement animals is a priority con sideration in auxiliary herd services. I'm puzzled by how often cl ients will fail to inform us of problems with calves when they readily share other problems with us. It is very frustrating to have a client info rm us in the spring, "By golly, Doc, I lost six calves last winter." The se circumstances remind us that on routine herd stops we should look over the young stock and simply ask if things are going well with the newborn. Vaccination against brucellosis gives us an opportunity to routinely check on the condition of those two to six months of age, e xamine for external parasites, monitor worming procedures, and supe rvise immunization programs for IBR, BVD, Hemophilus, and oth ers as may be required in a particular area or herd. In conclusion, Mark Twain once said, "Deep feelings on a subject are a good thing-as long as we don't confuse it with thinking. " As a practitioner perhaps there is more audacity than substance to my fee ling that our profession can and will assume a leadership role in meat and milk production. I am concerned that in dairy practice, particularly, we are in a very labor-intensive position. The physical demands involved in gathering information and providing treatment often override our best intentions for client interaction on a herd basis. This needs to be considered when one is staffing a group practice. The license to practice is not a franchise . There is no pedestal for use in agribusiness, and some of the involvement we now consider our traditional area of expertise may have to stand the test of time and veterinary initiative to determine if it remains in our hands or belongs in another phase of agribusiness. This has obviously been a dissertation by a "dyed in the wool" practitioner, with none of the probing, statistical approach that typifies the work of a research scientist or an academician. We attempt to carry what science and technology gives us to the producer and relate it to his livestock enterprise. This is ultimately what the entire process of research and development is about and we are proud to be a part of it. If at times it sounds complicated and too involved, remember the proce ss is evolutionary not revolutionary. Or as a wise professor once said, "When you hear hoofbeats, don't look for zebras!"

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The following are points to ponder in providing a sustained influence on herd health management: 1. Pick Your Clients. The program is only as successful as the client is cooperative. 2. Communicate. Given a cooperative client, most programs are as good as our ability to communicate provided that practice resources are developed. 3. Fees. Whether we charge for our time or by the unit becomes irrelevant provided that we show by thought, word, and deed that we are vitally interested in the economic return per unit these animals are producing. If we are not conveying this, our services will likely be viewed with a corresponding degree of indifference. 4. Scheduling. When work of a diagnostic or preventive nature is due, schedule it. Don't wait indefinitely for the farmer to let you know when he is ready or has time. 5. Milking Time Stops. We have the herdsman and cattle together and can observe many things. 6. Records. Use them; they show where we've been, where we are, and where we are going. 7. Dairy Farm Economics. Be aware of equipment costs and general farm expenses. They must often influence your judgment in individual situations. 8. Soil and Water. We need to be concerned about soil sampling and soil fertility, also water analyses. Many persistent subclinical problems may be related to water quality and soil fertility. 9. Sell Preventive Medicine. Service what we sell. 10. Generate Optimism. If we don't have confidence in ourselves, no one else will.

Finally, a successful venture into herd management may be profiled as follows: (1) We will have the respect and confidence of the agricultural community we serve; (2) Our decisions will be made on sound scientific, medical, and financial judgment; (3) We will have the skills of communication that will ensure that we can successfully convey our intentions and service and provide motivation; (4) We will occasionally find ourselves the only professional in a very competitive management situation. We will be sure of our facts-defend our position-but be professional; (5) We will remember our moral obligation to the public at large and our ethical obligations to our colleagues. P.O. Box 207 Weyauwega, Wisconsin 54983