U of G OVC Student Veterinarians Share Experiences Working With Animals in Local Clinics - Externship

Diagnostics, clinical skills, problem solving, and working with clients are all critical pieces in a student veterinarian’s education. This summer, five student veterinarians have been blogging during their practical experience (externship) at veterinary practices.

Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs (OMAF and MRA), students must complete an eight-week Externship Course between third and fourth year in a rural (companion and food animal or companion and equine) practice.

This week student-veterinarian Lindsay talked about the broad knowledge required by dairy veterinarians. Check out www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/externship for the latest blog and click on each student's photo to access all of their blogs.

Many factors contribute to dairy herd health

After completing three years of veterinary school I feel like I have been taught a lot of information! However, going into a career of dairy medicine requires knowledge about so much more than just dairy medicine.

One important component of dairy farming that is important for vets to know about is nutrition. Nutrition affects production and transition cow health and therefore is very important for a vet to know about. There are several vets at Heartland Veterinary Services that are very interested in nutrition and I have learned a lot talking with them and walking crop fields to know when they are ready to be harvested.

One aspect of dairy farming that I am very interested in is barn design. Many farmers ask veterinarians about their opinion when building a new barn so it is something I would like to learn more about. There are five key things that need to be assessed when building a new barn: cattle resting space, cattle walking space/flooring, water sources, feeding space and ventilation. Within each of these categories are many aspects of barn design to think about. Now when I go into a barn with a veterinarian I try to remember to assess the barn for these five things.

Another thing key to being a good dairy veterinarian is being able to assess production traits. Many dairy farmers use a milk recording service called CanWest DHI. This company collects production data on farms to be used for management purposes. Things that are recorded include: herd average milk production, fat and protein production, individual cow measurements, somatic cell measurements, average age at first calving, longevity, etc. These values are used to assess how the dairy farm is doing and how it can be improved. The veterinarian plays an integral part in this!

Growing up on a dairy farm I was lucky enough to be exposed to many of these components of dairy farming, but I still have lots to learn!

Next Post >

Comments are closed for this blog post

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

SaskOilseeds October Newsletter

Closing out the 2026 growing season With harvest nearing completion across Saskatchewan, canola and flax acres are among those still coming off the field. As of October 19, canola harvest was 96 per cent complete provincially, while flax was 88 per cent complete. Provincial yield estimates currently sit at 40 bu./ac. for canola and 26 bu./ac. for flax. Rain and snow slowed harvest and fall field work in many areas earlier this month, but the added moisture was beneficial for harvested acres heading into winter. Post-Harvest Storage & Agronomy Protect Your Harvest: Oilseed Storage A lot of work goes into getting a crop from the field to the bin, and every season looks a little different. These resources can help maintain quality in storage: Conditioning Tips for Stored Canola Factors that Increase Canola Storage Risk Tips for Drying Damp and Tough Canola Flax Harvest Preparing for Next Season Canola Disease Testing: Submit canola stem samples by October 30. Blackleg and verticilliu

Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health celebrates milestone 40th anniversary

The Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health (CCRAH) began more than four decades ago for a simple reason: to support the health and safety of rural and agricultural people in Saskatchewan. “Saskatchewan is the breadbasket of Canada. Agriculture and rural are what make Saskatchewan,” said Dr. Shelley Kirychuk (PhD), the current director of CCRAH. “We are rural, we represent agriculture, and we support the people that bring food to the world.” Where it started In the 1970s and ’80s, a phenomenon was noticed by Dr. James Dosman (MD), the eventual founding director of CCRAH. People who worked in grain elevators were reporting lung health issues due to grain dust exposure. These findings led to an International Symposium on Grain Dust and Health in the late ’70s, which eventually led to the development of a national grain dust medical surveillance program for Canada. From there, USask and the Saskatchewan Lung Association established the Centre for Agricultural Medicine in Ja

USask soil science class partners with Wanuskewin on restoration project

That was Jessica Gunn’s mantra when she put on waders and climbed chest-deep into the cool water of the opimihaw Creek at Wanuskewin Heritage Park in mid-September. Gunn was there with a group of University of Saskatchewan (USask) students who were engaging in a unique learning experience: constructing a beaver dam analog (BDA) in the creek. “A big part of why I wanted to do this course is because it’s so hands-on,” said Gunn, a third-year renewable resource management student who enrolled in SLSC 450.3: Practical and Applied Restoration, a soil science course taught by Dr. Katherine Stewart (PhD), an associate professor in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources. For Gunn, the day at Wanuskewin was unlike any other school day she had experienced. “We had a great time as a class,” she said. “I feel like we learned so much.” The students were invited to Wanuskewin to help the park build a BDA — essentially a “starter” dam that beavers can take over and use to construct their

U.S. Canola Use Forecast to Jump 16% in 2026-27

U.S. canola use is forecast to climb sharply in the 2026-27 marketing year, supported by record domestic production, expanding crush capacity and rising demand for canola oil in biofuel manufacturing. According to the USDA's latest Oil Crops Outlook, total U.S. canola usage is projected to increase 16% from 2025-26, while domestic crushing is expected to rise 11% to 2.4 million tonnes. The stronger crush outlook reflects growing domestic demand for canola oil and meal, which has supported processing margins. A new crushing facility is also expected to be completed during 2026-27, adding to U.S. processing capacity. Meanwhile, U.S. canola oil use in biofuel production is forecast to surge to 2.54 million tonnes, up from 1.68 million tonnes last year, an increase of more than 50%. The USDA attributed the growth partly to stronger renewable fuel mandates for 2026 and 2027, along with new eligibility for the 45Z clean fuel production tax credit for biomass-based diesel made from No

Protect Grain Quality During Wet Harvests

Wet harvest conditions can increase the risk of OTA development in stored grains. Proper drying, cooling, cleaning, and monitoring help protect crop quality and value.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service