The accountant's view of dairy practice

Dairy practice demands fair compensation for services rendered. If practitioners shortchange themselves when setting fees, they will have to shortchange their employees by paying less than adequate wages. Newly graduating practitioners must be told the realities of practice economics so that consequences of unrealistic expectations are not suffered. Employers must attempt to structure practice opportunities for new associates by establishing workable standards for buying into the practice as well as equitable means for retirement from practice.     

Starting or changing a dairy practice

Starting a dairy veterinary practice is a challenging and rewarding experience. A considerable amount of time spent in planning is required before attempting to actually start a new practice. Changing or expanding an existing practice also demands planning and foresight. The natural progression is similar for starting a new practice or for changing an existing one: Record your personal and business goals, inform your clients or prospective clients of the services you plan to offer, and then promote the ways in which these services can benefit clients. In starting a new practice or offering a new service, think both of how to get clients to utilize your services and how to organize your practice into a profitable business. The process of starting a practice or changing one is sometimes slow. Patience and persistence during this process will help develop the practice to meet your goals. The use of new ideas and imagination in combination with a commitment to see these ideas put into action will ensure that you are developing a dairy practice that will be viable for the livestock industry now and in the future.     

Fixed and mobile facilities in dairy practice

The fixed and mobile facilities described in this article have worked well for a mixed (80 per cent dairy, 20 per cent small animal) practice in central Pennsylvania. Fixed facilities can be convenient and encourage a practice to accept more challenging medical and surgical cases. The facility is much less expensive and more functional if it can be practical rather than fancy. The mobile practice must be well enough equipped to handle routine farm calls as well as to project a positive image. The why, what, where, when, and how much expenditure considerations must be decided individually by each practice for either type of facility.     

中国乳业的国际化实践——访中国牧工商集团有限公司总经理薛廷伍

根据计划,中国牧工商集团有限公司(以下简称中牧集团)旗下的新西兰马陶拉乳粉工厂,2019年4月将开始试生产婴幼儿配方奶粉基粉,至此,中牧集团的乳业全产业链战略已经形成完整的闭环,实现了从“牧场”到“餐桌”的安全乳制品供应体系。随着这一年产能5万吨乳粉工厂的投产,中国乳业“国家队”的全球化战略也已浮出水面。日前,中牧集团总经理薛廷伍接受本刊独家专访时说,全球资源配置能力,才是中国乳业的核心竞争力。     

The use of computers in dairy practice

Computers are used by dairy practitioners in two broad categories: one is to help evaluate clients' herd performance; the other is to help the veterinarian manage his own practice. Both aspects are discussed in this article.     

The role of the laboratory in dairy practice

The operation of an in-house laboratory in a dairy practice is rewarding for several reasons. The quality of medicine practiced by members of the clinic improves greatly with the aid of laboratory analysis. Income is generated in proportion to the extensiveness of the laboratory workload. The veterinarian derives great satisfaction from giving high-quality medical care rather than guessing at the diagnosis. In-house laboratory testing has many advantages over mail-out sampling, from the standpoint of immediate results in emergency situations, income generation, client satisfaction, and making the practice more competitive. The whole idea of an in-house laboratory is to give the client rapid and accurate information at a reasonable cost and to provide financial remuneration to the veterinarian.     

Implementation of nutritional consultation within a dairy practice

Expansion of services to include nutritional consulting for client herds is a realistic expectation of most dairy practices. In addition to a client base, a commitment to obtaining the knowledge and an expertise in dairy nutrition is necessary. Once some expertise is gained, the most important requirement becomes regarding nutritional advice as an integral part of the practice and devoting the time to provide the service. Most implementation failures result from imprecise estimates of dry matter intake or a failure to maintain an ongoing presence on the farm and monitor results.     

Personnel management in dairy practice. The professional staff

Group practices have advantages and disadvantages. Effective management of the professional staff makes the most of the benefits and minimizes the drawbacks. Management does not mean controlling people; rather, it allows both the individual doctors and the practice as a whole attain maximum development and satisfaction.     

奶牛胚胎移植实用化的现状与展望

自从1890年首次报道家兔胚胎移植获得成功以来,胚胎移植技术经历了一百多年的研究历史。如今在发达国家已经进入商业化应用阶段。在商业化应用上,牛的胚胎移植技术最成熟、占的比例最大,根据国际胚胎移植协会(IETS)统计,2000年全世界移植牛胚胎总数超过了50万枚,以IETS提供的胚移妊娠率为参考(按平均60％计),全球在该年有30多万头胚移牛出生[1-5]。随着胚胎移植技术商业化程度的提高和体外受精技术的完善,可以肯定,牛的胚胎移植实用化程度可以作为衡量胚移技术水平的一个指标。本文就奶牛胚胎移植实用化的状况作一简述和分析。     

Personnel management in dairy practice. The office staff and technicians

Beginning or expanding the use of nonprofessional personnel in dairy practice can increase practice output. This may occur by freeing professional time or by increasing the services provided by the practice. Careful consideration must be given to recruiting and hiring practices, to ensure that the person most qualified for the position is the one hired. Sound training will get new employees off to a productive start immediately. Delegation, communication, and compensation all help to keep employees motivated and satisfied.     

Tail docking and beliefs about the practice in the Victorian dairy industry

OBJECTIVE: To determine the occurrence of tail docking and beliefs about the practice in the Victorian dairy industry. DESIGN: Survey responses were analysed using chi-square tests and by correlation and regression analyses to determine associations between husbandry practices and beliefs and to identify possible predictive variables in relation to docking. PROCEDURE: A survey of the occurrence of docking and beliefs about the practice was conducted in 1997 using face-to-face interviews of 313 respondents at 234 Victorian dairy farms. RESULTS: On average, 35% of dairy farms routinely docked cattle. The practice varied from 11 to 63% in different regions and 12% of stud farms docked their cows. Rubber rings were used on 75% of farms and the average age of the cow at docking was 18 months. Twenty-two percent of cows were docked at a level above the top of the udder and 54% were docked level with the top of the udder. Respondents that docked believed that milking was finished quicker, the risks of leptospirosis for the operator and mastitis for the cow were reduced, the cows were easier to handle, fly numbers were reduced and milk quality was improved. There was a general belief that intact tails could cause significant discomfort to the operator and that docking resulted in acute but not chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: Docking is an entrenched practice in the Victorian dairy industry. Those farmers who docked generally believed that it was a highly desirable farming practice with particular benefits for the operator.     

Signals for identifying cows at risk of subacute ruminal acidosis in dairy veterinary practice

Controlling rumen disorders is critical to ensure successful dairy herd health management. Lactation diets of dairy cows are commonly rich in concentrates and low in physically effective fibre. Feeding of these diets increases the risk of rumen disorders with far‐reaching consequences for cattle health, welfare and sustainability of dairy production. The term subacute ruminal acidosis or SARA is often used as a synonym for poor rumen health. Being subclinical, SARA lacks of clear symptoms and is therefore difficult to diagnose and to control in the practice. This review article summarises common and identifies new direct and indirect cow signals related to SARA. We have performed a scientific evaluation and interpretation of each of these cow signals by highlighting their advantages and disadvantages from the practitioner's point of view. The gold standard of SARA cow signals still remains direct measurement of ruminal pH. However, continuous pH monitoring is cost‐intensive and often biased by sensor drift. Single‐point ruminal pH measurements by oral stomach tubing or rumenocentesis have strong limitations. Therefore, there is a need for reliable and robust markers of SARA that are easily accessible and inexpensive. Such indirect parameters are the observation of chewing and feeding activities, as well as the monitoring of milk, faecal, urine and blood variables. Also, novel technologies that allow rapid and non‐invasive measurement of the rumen mucosa thickness and ruminal motility patterns might provide advantages in SARA diagnosis. Due to several constraints of these indirect diagnostic tools, such as limited specificity and sensitivity, we strongly recommend using a combination of the signals to reliably identify cows at risk of SARA in a dairy herd.