Producer Perspectives on Calf Diarrhea & Pain Control | J.P. Brouwer by ACER Consulting | Understand. Inform. Influence.

Hi everyone, welcome to a new short podcast series we’re calling, Dairy Digest - the Science and Practice Behind Dairy Cattle Health and Welfare. This series is brought to you by Alberta Milk and a series of industry partners, who are keen on helping showcase dairy farming stories, industry updates, and the latest science, advice and perspectives on different health and welfare topics relevant to Canadian dairy farmers.

My name is Steven Roche and I’ll be the host of this series. I’m an epidemiologist and own an agricultural research consulting company called ACER Consulting. I have a passion for working with dairy producers and their advisors to improve dairy cattle health and welfare.

You’ll find our first series of episodes features perspectives from farmers, veterinarians, and researchers on two key topics: calf health (managing diarrhea specifically), and pain management. Our goal is to provide farmers and their advisors with useful information that can be applied back home on the farm.

Our next discussion takes place with JP Brouwer, a dairy producer farming near Ponoka, Alberta with his family at Sunalta Dairy. With an extensive background in dairy operations, JP is also very active in industry, acting as a board member with Alberta Milk, and serving on a variety of committees relating to research and extension. I sat down with him to discuss his practices when it comes to managing calf diarrhea, his approach to pain management in his herd, and his perspectives on where the industry is headed as it relates to these topics.