Dairy Farm Work Experience..Questions??
University course discussion for Veterinary Medicine.
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Re: Dairy Farm Work Experience..Questions??Ask about anything you see happening but don't understand. There are hundreds of things to ask about:
The Milk-
ask about the "milking routine", ask about the parlour (you might not know anything about different types of parlours but you may be asked in interview what style of parlour they had so even knowing the name of a design wil be good. (e.g rotary, herringbone)), price per litre of milk Vs cost of production of 1 litre? is the farmer always paid the same for a litre of milk? why not? (bonuses and penalties for milk quality) how many times a day are the cows milked? Where does the milk go once it leaves the cow? how often is milk collected from the farm by the dairy? Not all milk will go to the bulk tank- why not? (Make sure you know about antibiotics in milk and why they can't go in the bulk tank. Also make sure you understand what colostrum is- you will almost certainly be asked about colostrum at interview if they quiz you on your dairy experience.)
The Herd-
What size is the herd? What breeds of cow are in the herd? How many are producing milk at any one time? Why are some cows in the herd not producing any milk? Do the cows live inside, or outside? if inside, where do they sleep/rest? What are the cows fed? Why are they chewing all the time? is the herd kept all together or are they split and managed in different groups? do the cows give birth to calves all through the year or do they all calve in a short period of time? How long are they pregnant? where do they calve? what happens when they've given birth? (again, understand what COLOSTRUM is!!) Are the cows mated by a bull, or are they artificially inseminated? What is the average age of the herd? How many times will the average cow produce milk (and have a calf) in her lifetime? How much milk does the average cow produce in a day?
Calves-
are the herd replacements home-reared or bought from other farms? What happens when the calf is born, does it feed from the cow, or is it fed by the farmer? (Colostrum!!) are they raised in groups? or single pens? are 50% of the calves male? are 50% female? (female calves are more valuable in the dairy industry, how can you increase the frequency of female calves?) What happens to the male calves?
Diseases/Vet Assistance
Ask about common problems the farmer has with his cows, does he manage these himself? Does he vaccinate his cows against any diseases? For what reason would he call the vet?
The major diseases of dairy cows are: mastitis (how does the farmer reduce the risk of mastitis, and how does he treat it?) lameness (does the farmer regularly trim the cows feet?), Infertility, metabolic diseases (eg milk fever, ketosis, displaced abomasums) calves can suffer from diarrhoea (colostrum is important in preventing this!!) and pneumonia. Do the cows give birth without problems? how does the farmer help if there is a problem? does he phone the vet?
I've tried to be quite thorough with this list, obviously you will not be able to (or expected to) remember everything but if you know a general overview you will be doing fine. example - you will not be expected to know what the diseases above are, you will learn that at vet school! But knowing the names of some common conditions can impress interviewers.
Ask these questions whenever you can (judge whether the farmer is getting annoyed though! but in my experience farmers enjoy talking about their herd and management, and they'll be happy that you're showing an interest rather than just standing like a spare part!) Lunch times would be a good time to ask, and you can maybe scribble some notes then too.Last edited by voodooshaman; 21-06-2012 at 16:05. -
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Re: Dairy Farm Work Experience..Questions??Whilst I was on work experience I found the different ways of impregnating the female cows really interesting, such as AI or using a bull. The cycles are cool and pretty important for the maintanance of a dairy system. Ask about how they do it and if there are any other ways. Also what happens to any surplus calves. Do they raise them or do they send them elsewhere?
I will definitely find out what colostrum is! :P
