Unfortunately, those of us who have dedicated our lives to the dairy industry really don’t even have one day in the sun, one day of the year when the nation stops to recognise the value of our industry and the importance of milk.

Milk products that help feed our nation; provide a source of safe, quality food to the world; and add more than a billion dollars to our economy.

Instead, consumers are led down the supermarket aisles by cheap milk, our hard work and toil leveraged to increase the sales of convenience foods and other junk which contribute nothing to our wellbeing, but plenty to the supermarket coffers.

As a veterinarian, I am regularly told of how tight the margins are on dairy farms, and I can see every day the hidden costs of underinvestment made on dairy farms in maintenance, staff training and preventative animal health.

The dairy industry pays millions in producer levies, and generates millions more in revenues and supports thousands of Australian jobs. Maybe we deserve a “dairy day” that stops the nation for three minutes just to acknowledge the great work that we do.

Your vet has an important role to play in advising on all aspects of preventative animal health programs.

Because of our training, and the fact that we are generally able to provide independent advice, your vet is well positioned to do more than just provide a fire engine service, hosing down the occasional disasters that occur.

Last month, I talked about the importance of making a diagnosis, and I would again like to reiterate that comment. 

The failure to look for a problem will always mean that you do not find the solution.

Animal disease in production medicine is all about some breakdown in the system. You must ask yourself: What has occurred to change the balance in this particular animal or herd that has caused the disease to occur?

There is a balance between the animal, its environment, its management and the pathogens present that is somehow out of whack. 

Knowing what the actual disease is will be the first and most important step in treating and preventing disease or production loss.

Lameness is a classic example of a common problem with literally dozens of possible causes and hence treatment and prevention strategies. 

Lameness is, in my opinion, one of the most significant welfare and production concerns in dairy practice. 

It can be caused by a number of factors, including primary infection, mechanical damage, wear and tear and trauma.

Understanding what the exact lesion is will allow us to not only treat it correctly, but also to put in place strategies to prevent the disease. 

I know that I personally am pretty hopeless at recording these things, but I would suggest that all farmers keep accurate records of not only the treatments given, but also the exact diagnosis made for lameness cases and all other problems on the farm.

It is a case of do as I say, not as I do!

This will allow you to collect, over time, a good picture of what is happening, what it is being treated with and whether those treatments are actually working.

By examining that data, you can determine whether there are management changes that can or should be made to prevent future problems.

For advice on what information to collect, contact your local dairy vet for independent, unbiased advice.

Rob Bonanno is president of the Australian Cattle Veterinarians Association and a director of the Shepparton Veterinary Clinic.