California's Veterinarians & Dairy Producers Working Together

California's Veterinarians & Dairy Producers Working Together

Healthy Dairy Cows for Healthy Families

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- You may get mixed media messages on the contents of a healthy diet, but doctors agree: milk is a good source of calcium. A recent American Academy of Pediatrics report confirms that consuming the right amount of calcium is a family issue and should be encouraged for all family members. So, where does your milk come from? California, of course.

California produces more milk than any other state. The state's more than 2,000 dairies produce 23 percent of the nation's milk supply. Each milk cow in California produces about 19,825 pounds of milk each year! Dairy analysts attribute California's high rate of production to its temperate climate and geographic location, but the superior quality of veterinary-managed health care for more than 1.7 million cows cannot be overlooked.

Veterinarians at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, Veterinary Medicine Extension, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture work together with dairy producers to ensure the state has healthy animals that produce healthy milk.

Caring for California's dairy cows isn't easy. Veterinarians diagnose and treat cows to prevent diseases, test for antibiotic residue, and guard against mastitis, an infection of the udder. Veterinarians help dairy owners manage nutrition, and they oversee calf health and well-being. Dairy producers, in turn, participate in applied studies concerning animal health, productivity, environmental health, and animal well-being and help alert the veterinary profession to health trends.

"Caring for dairy cows to ensure the quality of milk and milk products is a team effort among veterinarians, diary producers, and state agriculture officials," says CVMA president Eric Weigand, DVM, president of the California Veterinary Medical Association. "The role of veterinarians in food safety often is unrecognized, but healthy dairy animals are critical to the production of milk, the major source of calcium in the United States."

For media interviews with a California veterinarian regarding this issue, please contact Melissa Stallings at the CVMA: 916-649-0599. To access past CVMA press releases, visit the CVMA Media Center in the News Room at www.cvma.net.

The California Veterinary Medical Association is the largest state veterinary medical association in the United States, with more than 5,400 members. Founded in 1888, its mission is to serve its membership and community through innovative leadership and to improve animal and human health in an ethically and socially responsible manner.

Source: California Veterinary Medical Association

CONTACT: Melissa Stallings of California Veterinary Medical Association,
+1-916-649-0599

Web site: http://www.cvma.net/

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