Why the dairy industry does not make greater use of veterinarians

Interviews with 32 large-scale dairy operators in Tulare County, Calif, indicated that as large-scale dairies have replaced smaller dairies, the operator's reliance on the veterinarian as a primary source of advice about a wide range of dairy health management issues has declined. Large dairies require an integrated approach to herd management, ie, herd health, herd management, and production. Dairy operators do not look to veterinarians to provide this integrated approach, instead relying on feed representatives, nutritionists, accountants, and staff of dairy cooperatives. Operators perceive veterinarians as primary providers of clinical services only. As veterinarians have little conflict of interest or vested interest in giving advice about nutrition, proper facility design, and other general management issues, this perception of the veterinarian as a clinician only deprives the dairy operator of an objective appraisal of herd health, management, and production. Changing this perception will require a restructuring of many veterinary medical school curricula, with an emphasis on courses in epidemiology, preventive medicine, herd management, nutrition, and similar courses.