WESTLOCK—Cow health management and vaccine effectiveness were hot topics at a local dairy clinic in January.
The Westlock Veterinary Centre (WVC) hosted its dairy clinic from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the Westlock and District Community Hall. The educational event aimed to connect local dairy producers with each other and WVC staff— with the goal of increasing awareness of best practices in the dairy farming industry.
The event was hosted by Boehringer Ingelheim, a research-driven, biopharmaceutical company offering separate solutions for both humans and animals.
Twenty-one people were in attendance on Wednesday. Dr. Collin Lawrence and Dr. Tulloch— WVC’s two veterinarians that specialize in dairy farming—were both present, though Lawrence took on the presentation for the meeting. Dr. Tim Nickel, technical service veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim, also presented. Nickel’s talk focused on addressing some of the challenges of drying off dairy cows, reviews of calf scours new and old, as well as tips for farmers to get the most out of vaccines.
Dr. Lawrence’s presentation provided attendees with a plethora of information on the best practices and products to ensure the healthiest cattle and highest production rates. Lawrence said, “It’s important to keep the producers up to date on what’s new at the zoo”. He said WVC hosts events like this every two years and features a different topic each time. This was his first presentation geared towards dairy producers.
Amy Miller, Media and Marketing Manager for WVC since 2016, said there are about 15 dairy farms in the area that the centre covers— providing in-person visits on a monthly basis to provide veterinary support the producers may need.
Lawrence said this was a pretty good turnout despite the snowy conditions present. “We’re not a huge dairy practice out here,” he said, adding the 21 attendees represent just over half of the dairy farming industry in the area. “The event went really well considering the interactions from the producers. They had good questions and were very engaged,” said Lawrence.
The talk was intentionally timed mid-day, in between scheduled milking times for farmers in order to ensure the highest turnout.
Chad Crest, dairy farmer with local dairy farm, Skycrest Holsteins, says the event “was very educational regarding new products out there.” He shared that staying on top of upcoming trends is key to benefitting the farm and making oneself a better dairy farmer.
Casey Morey is a dairy farmer who co-owns Unique Valley Stream Genetics with sister-in-law, Melissa and brother, Lee Morey. All three attended the event on Wednesday.
“Overall, it was really positive,” said Casey. “It was great to get to interact with the staff at the clinic and fellow producers in the area,” she said, adding how valuable it was to, “learn from one another and see how the clinic recommends that we continue to improve our practices.”
Nickel was proud to be a part of the event. Nickel, specializing in cattle, covers all western Canada for his organization and travels to various locations at the request of local vets. “We provide educational information on general health topics for cattle, said Nickel, adding it was his first time presenting at this location. “We also cover specifics about our products and how those might relate to those health conditions.”
There was a question and answer period at the end of the meeting.
Miller adds the WVC did give producers who attended a small gift as a token of appreciation. "We used a few local businesses and put together a hot chocolate basket," she said. "Lakeside Dairy sent cheese, beef jerky and cream from their farm store to gift."
