Dairy Herdsman

• A dairy herdsman is an employee at a dairy who works with the cows every day to:
  
  • Maintain cow health.
  • Ensure cows get feed and water.
  • Milk the cows (some larger dairies have people who ONLY milk the cows, in those situations a dairy herdsman may not milk)
  • Keep record of the cows’ health.
    • Today our record keeping is aided by technology, like special tags that record when cows go to the feeder or when they go into the robotic milker.
  • Maintain udder health/cleanliness before and after the cows are milked.
• May also: treat minor injuries, give vaccination shots, trim hooves, or help with calving.
• These people work with the cows the most, as they see them every day. It is their job to ensure all the cows are in good health, they don’t have any infections/illnesses that could contaminate the milk and ensure that milk production quotas are met.

Veterinarian

• Doctors for animals
• Responsible for giving the animals regular medical care:
  
  • Treat illnesses.
  • Prescribe medicine.
  • Perform surgery.
  • Provide regular health checks.
  • Work with the herdsmen and dairy owners to create health protocols that include vaccinations and regular deworming.
• These people may work with one farm or many farms within an area. Veterinarians who work with one farm are highly specialized to treat the animals there and recognize signs of discomfort or distress within the animals at that dairy. Many large dairies have veterinarians on staff in case of emergencies and to help maintain animal health at all times.
• They may also specialize in large animals (beef and dairy cows, horses, etc.) or they may work with large and small animals (dogs, cats, etc.)

Nutritionist

• They make different feeding programs for each stage of the dairy cow’s life by working with the herdsmen at the dairy to determine the cows' nutritional needs.
  
  • Point out to students that just like how adults eat differently than they do, adult cattle eat differently than calves.
  • They must know all about different kinds of feed and how different breeds of cattle will respond to those types of feed.
    
    • Point out that we have Holsteins and Jerseys and how each breed has different nutrient requirements due to size, milk production rates, etc.
  • Nutritionists must know how much protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals cows need at different stages of their life. They use this knowledge and the knowledge they have of various types of feed to create feeding plans for the cows.
• They may work for one farm or many, their job is to take information provided by farm owners or herdsmen and create the best possible feed program.
• These people do not have to work as closely with the cows as Veterinarians or Herdsmen. Their primary role is observing how the cows perform when fed the rations they created. Some of this observation may even be done by the herdsmen so the nutritionist doesn’t have to work directly with the cows.

Equipment Service Technician

• It is their job to maintain, upgrade and fix equipment used in the dairy industry. This includes:
  • Cleaning internal parts of machines
  • Repairing milkers
  • Checking to make sure the equipment is running like it should.
  • Helping to install new equipment or upgrade what is already there.
• Rarely do these people work with the cows directly, it is their job to make sure equipment is taken care of, not that the cows are.

Safety Inspector

• Their job is to prevent harm to workers, property, the environment, and the general public who may visit the farm.
  • This may include:
    • Posting signs to warn the public about the dangers of being around livestock.
    • Checking for broken fence lines or gates.
    • Making sure floors aren't slick and/or there aren’t trip hazards.
• Safety inspectors may also make sure the dairy products we consume are safe and healthy to eat.
  
  • They may do this by:
    
    • Checking milk tank storage temperatures.
    • Making sure udders are being cleaned before milking.
    • Ensuring safe handling of milk
• These people do not have to work as closely with the cows as Veterinarians or Herdsmen. Their primary role is ensuring safety protocols are in place around the farm.

Public Relations Manager

• People who work in public relations manage social media accounts (like Facebook or Instagram), work with people who visit the dairy, and sometimes they even help with planning the best ways to sell products.
• Their job is to promote the dairy and encourage people to visit or buy products from the dairy.
• These people don’t work with the cows, instead they work with the people who work with the cows.

Marketing Manager

• A marketing manager may work very closely with a public relations manager, as both of their roles involve the public.
• Their main duties include:
  
  • • Advertising
    • Promote and sell milk to distributors and processing plants.
    • Promote the dairy to the public.
    • If the dairy has a visitor center, they will create advertising and promotional materials for this as well.
• Like the public relations manager, these people don’t work with the cows, they work to bring people to see the cows or to sell the products the cows make.

Accountant

• Like an accountant for any business, accountants at dairies keeps records of business-related financial transactions.
• They record business expenses and calculate the profit earned. They also make sure taxes are being paid and employees receive their pay.
• Some expenses they may track include:
  
  • Feed bills
  • Veterinary/Medication Costs
  • Payroll for employees
  • Equipment maintenance
• Some of their income tracking may include:
  
  • Milk selling contracts.
  • Selling of cows or calves
  • Selling milk products (cheese, ice cream, etc.)
• Without accountants, larger dairies may not be able to keep track of their expenses or remember to pay their employees, so while accounts don’t work with the cows at all they are vital to dairy operations.