Dairy Production Veterinarian
Location: Morris, Minnesota
Role: The role of the Dairy Production Veterinarian is to improve Riverview's health and production systems of the dairy and heifer herds. This will be successfully accomplished through continuous training, teamwork, monitoring of current stats and creating a vision of what needs to be done to outperform industry norms.
Responsibilities:- Implement standardized training programs which focus on basic animal husbandry
- Aid in reviewing and updating treatment and vaccination protocols
- Lead improvements in animal welfare and performance
- Evaluate new and current animal health products and technologies. Develop plans for which ones to implement
- Troubleshoot herd health problems and teach others how to do the same
- Ensure compliance with all state and federal regulatory requirements
- Maximize revenue corrected milk and minimize medical costs per hundredweight
- Teach what you know - develop employees
Requirements:- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, licensed in the United States
- Passionate about teaching
- Willingness to learn Spanish
- Fact-based decision making
- Persistent: Demonstrates willingness to get something done
- Organized: Plans, organizes and prioritizes in efficient manner
- Flexible: Adjusts quickly to changing priorities and conditions
- High standards for personal and team performance
Animal Environment
Locations: Arizona, Minnesota, New Mexico, South Dakota
The environment for our cattle focuses on health, safety and care. Our strict BE KIND standards ensure all livestock are treated well and we have zero tolerance for mistreatment. Training is required for all team members to ensure they understand and have the tools necessary to work cattle calmly and quietly.
Keeping areas clean and fresh on the farm is essential to healthy livestock. Cattle pens are cleaned and new bedding is put down daily in our free-stall pens where the cows eat, drink and rest. Efforts to keep the pens as clean as possible daily reduces illness and provides a quality environment for the cows. Waterers are cleaned periodically throughout the week, as well, to provide clean drinking water.
Cleaning includes daily power-washing of the nursery, pen and free-stall cleaning and parlor cleanliness and sanitization. Food safety starts in the parlor. Cleaning the milking parlor thoroughly happens every twelve hours, however, cleanliness is an ongoing process throughout each day. Schedules throughout the shift include cleaning different areas of the milking parlor to prolong the life of the parlor, to ensure high milk quality, a good working environment and cow comfort.X Slider Background SettingsAnimal Health
Locations: Arizona, Minnesota, New Mexico, South Dakota
Proactive health care is our focus on all of our dairy farms. Vaccinations are provided to all of our cattle upon birth and on a schedule following the birth date. The calves, heifers and cows are monitored daily to ensure their health is a priority. Measures we have in place to care for the livestock include cleaning pens often, focusing on nutrition and maintaining a quality environment with strong animal care standards. Caring for animals includes moving the cattle to the mastitis milking pen where cows are milked in a separate parlor until the mastitis subsides. If calves and heifers become ill we will treat them as needed according to label instructions. The health of our livestock is a priority on our dairy farms.X Slider Background SettingsCalf Feeder
Locations: Arizona, New Mexico
Calves are cared for at our calf sites and the focus is on quality health care and nutrition for the future of our beef and dairy herd. Calf site teams feed calves in hutch rows, as well as group housing for larger calves. Calves are provided fresh water and feed daily. Cleanliness is key when preparing milk bottles and extra care is taken to be sure all calves are getting the proper nutrition. Health care is an important part of the calf sites, ensuring that each calf is individually cared for and its needs are met. Efficiencies and scale help our team members be timely and consistent in caring for our calves.X Slider Background SettingsMaintenance/Operations
Locations: Minnesota, South DakotaPreventative Maintenance is a mind set. Our team performs preventative work to keep equipment in peak operating condition. We utilize a computer program to schedule maintenance on all equipment in all areas of the farm. The end goal is to keep everything up and running and to prevent unnecessary down time on equipment.
Attention to detail, task oriented, ability to work in a safe and efficient manner, are all skills of this position.Maternity
Location: Arizona, Minnesota, New Mexico, South Dakota
The future growth of our herd depends on our breeding teams on each farm. The team will monitor heat cycles of the cows daily by applying tail paint and using visual cues for each individual cow. When the cattle are in heat they are sorted into a separate area within the free-stall pen where they are inseminated. Digital record keeping and proper semen storage and handling are important to the process. This technique is a skill that can be learned through experience and training.
The future of our dairy herd starts in the nursery. Veterinarians, and other team members, care for the newly born calves by monitoring them to assure they receive the proper nutrition after birth in a clean and warm environment. The calving area is monitored every half hour to identify cows close to giving birth. Once moved into a birthing pen the nursery team will assist in if necessary and monitor cow health after calving.X Slider Background Settings