Herd health and production management visits on Canadian dairy cattle farms: Structure,goals, and topics discussed

Regular veterinary visits to improve herd health and production management (HHPM) are important management components on many dairy cattle farms. These visits provide opportunities for constructive conversations between veterinarians and farmers and for shifting management from a reactionary approach to proactively optimizing health and welfare. However, little is known about the structure of HHPM farm visits and to what extent veterinarians provide assistance beyond purely technical services. Therefore, our aims in this cross-sectional study were to describe HHPM farm visit structure, determine which dairy-specific topics were discussed, and assess whether the focus of the visits aligned with farmers' priorities. Veterinary practitioners (n = 14) were recruited to record audio and video of regularly scheduled HHPM farm visits (n = 70) using an action camera attached to their chest or head. A questionnaire was distributed to farmers containing closed- and open-ended questions to assess their goals and perceptions related to farm management and HHPM farm visits. Descriptive statistics and negative binomial and Poisson regression models were used to study dairy-specific topics initiated by the farmer or veterinarian during various activities. A mean of 51% of the visit duration was dedicated to transrectal pregnancy and fertility diagnostics, and a considerable amount of time (30%) was spent on visit preparation, transitions between tasks, and leaving. A total of 488 discussions were initiated by either the veterinarian (55%) or the farmer (45%). Mean length of discussions was 2 min, and only 17% of the HHPM visit duration was spent discussing dairy-specific topics. Veterinarians initiated 62% of their discussions about herd issues, whereas farmer-initiated discussions revolved around herd health in 39% of the discussions. Discussion topics most frequently raised by participants included fertility, udder health, calf health and management, and transition diseases. Consistently, farmers' answers to a rank question regarding their main HHPM farm visit goals indicated that their priorities were to have transrectal pregnancy and fertility diagnostics performed and to improve herd fertility and general herd health. Answers to an open-ended question revealed that additional aims of many farmers were to receive information, have questions answered, and identify and discuss problems. A farmer's belief that HHPM farm visits were “absolutely” tailored toward his or her goals was positively associated with number of discussions during the visit and their conviction that they “always” voiced their wishes and needs to the veterinarian. Opportunities to broaden the focus of HHPM farm visits and improve communication between farmers and veterinarians should be identified and veterinarians should be trained accordingly, which would increase veterinarians' ability to add value during HHPM farm visits.