By Jerad Jaborek
In previous MSU Extension news articles, we highlighted the importance of maintaining a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) and discussed the supply and demand for cattle veterinarians in Michigan. Additionally, we shared a survey asking for feedback on your experiences and thoughts for potential solutions to make large animal veterinarians more readily available throughout the state for Michigan cattle producers. Below is a summary of the responses received.
The Michigan Cattle Veterinarian Survey received 89 unique responses. Survey respondents represented 34 different counties in Michigan with the largest contribution being from residents of Osceola (10%) and Midland (7%) counties.
The majority of respondents (53%) reported owning between 10 and 50 head of cattle, 26% owning between 50 and 100 head, 14% owning less than 10 head of cattle, and 4% owning greater than 200 head. The vast majority (92%) were beef cow/calf producers, followed by feedlot producers (13%), while 22% of respondents were involved with forage finishing beef. The backgrounding, stocker, and dairy sectors were less represented (<10%) and 4 responses were received from industry stakeholders and veterinarians.
Source : msu.edu