Doc's Blog

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part column by Dr. Don Sanders about his trip as a dairy production consultant – his seventh  pf nine consulting tours there since 2005. In Part I, in the July edition of Ohio’s Country Journal, Doc shared his observations about Chinese agriculture. Here, in Part II, he shares his perspective on Chinese culture.

I am fascinated – and in some cases, puzzled – by the customs and culture of China. Here’s just a sample for you. I warn you: Some are not appetizing.

 One local celebration of summer solstice on June 21 features dog meat, processed for the occasion. Last year 20,000 dogs, let’s say, “contributed” to the festivities.

AN AMERICAN IN CHINA - PART I

These stories were published in regional farm publications such as The Ohio Country Journal to add information and often some levity to agricultural science and current ag topics. This is the combined version of a two-part column about an early dairy production consulting trip to China – his seventh since 2005. Doc shares his observations about agriculture at that time one of the world’s fastest growing economy, which at the same time was trying to catch up to modern agricultural efficiency and technology. Doc Sanders shared his perspective on Chinese culture, including his adventures with Chinese security.

Doc’s books, especially Milk Them for All Their Worth, helped get his foot in the door as a dairy production and herd health consultant in 13 countries. His books were translated into four languages. In addition, he had a Russian website, a Chinese website, a Korean ag summary tech book, and a dairy nutrition paper published in Russia’s Feed and Dairy periodical.

In addition to China, his consulting work took him to Japan, Russia, South Korea, Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua, British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario Canada, and Puerto Rico—which, despite being a U.S. territory, was like a hybrid foreign country to him as an Ohio native.

In his consulting visits to China and other countries he taught veterinarians, dairy farm workers, and farm managers how to maintain healthy cows and achieve high milk production.

And along the way he developed new friendships and learned a lot – primarily about the state and practice of agriculture in the host countries – and their culture in general. He presented 34 hours of seminars in four areas of China. Class size initially was 150 attendees but eventually was limited to 50, as his sponsors learned that the effectiveness of training tends to diminish for groups larger than that.

This story I wrote was published in regional farm publications such as The Ohio Country Journal to add information and often some levity to agricultural science and current ag topics.

This story is one of my favorite reminiscences of my days in practice when I was only running farm calls. It is true story but only the name of the client has been changed. Many of my clients would arrange to deworm their heifers while moving them from one facility to another. This was the case with Dave. He wanted to get his heifers dewormed through the cattle chute as they came off the trailer. It was a sunny January day, and the ice on the roads was turning to slush, making driving hazardous. I was to be at Dave’s at 1:00 P.M., but was delayed with a calving that needed tending at 12:30. My wife, Judy, had packed my lunch, and I was gulping it down as I drove. Judy had packed some rhubarb stew. It was delicious, and I was having trouble eating it and keeping the truck on the road. I finished just as I got to Dave’s.

This story I wrote was published in regional farm publications such as The Ohio Country Journal to add information and often some levity to agricultural science and current ag topics.

What do camels and hens have in common? Not much, other than being the subjects of two research studies I recently came across.

The purposes of these studies are as dissimilar as the animals themselves. One study holds promise for human health. The other one just challenges my preconceived notion regarding the character of hens. Who’d have thought hens were so down-to-business?

But before I get further into that, I present the camel research.

This story I wrote was published in regional farm publications such as The Ohio Country Journal to add information and often some levity to agricultural science and current ag topics.

Many of you may know that I am a field service veterinarian who trains fourth-year veterinary students at Ohio State’s field services satellite clinic in Marysville. I am one of five veterinarians on staff. We work with a graduate veterinary intern, who is in advanced training, and eight to 10 fourth-year Ohio State veterinary students. All Ohio State vet students are required to spend at least two weeks training with us as we visit farms, where we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease in farm animals. While training with us, most of the students live in an apartment OSU provides in our clinic. At night, the students answer phones, perform custodial duties, do laundry and prepare packs for the next day’s surgical cases. Sleep for the students is at a premium.

I am proud to say that the students get meaningful hands-on veterinary experience every day. And I mean every day. Our clinic operates 24-7, even on Christmas.

Those students interested in large animal practice can repeat our two-week rotation up to four times. I am pleasantly surprised by the increased interest in large animal practice demonstrated by vet students, many of whom did not grow up with large animals but have become excited by our work and our clients, who are the salt of the earth.

Rarely do I write about details of my family, but I believe this incident deserves special mention. This story involves my son David, daughter-in-law Mindy and granddaughters Sydney, 7, and Carly, 5. All of them are quite avid animal lovers. Their menagerie an Angus cow herd, dogs, cats, and the latest addition, two tiny kid goats.

TODAY’S SPECIAL: FOOD STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

MYSTERY MEAT FROM CHINA

Most readers know that we live in a global economy. What happens in Brazil, Argentina or China ultimately impacts prices and supplies here. The supermarket where you shop may sell produce and meat from Chile, France, China, Argentina or any number of other countries.

China is the wild card in the mix now, having the world’s number two economy behind the U.S. China orders shiploads of soybeans and corn from us and floods our markets with clothing, cheap vitamins and seafood products.

When I was in elementary school most of my classmates complained that the cafeteria food was very similar in flavor and texture to the cardboard boxes the canned fruit arrived in. The macaroni was so dry you could pick up the homogenous lump with one stab of your fork. And if you were really good, you could stuff it in your mouth like a chipmunk and swallow it before you gagged.

Miss Wiebe (that was her real name), our third grade teacher, made you try everything on your plate. There were children starving in Africa, so we couldn’t let our food go to waste, she’d tell us.

Saving the world from nuclear power, elephant poaching and devastation of the rain forest are just a few examples of popular causes. The newest celebrity cause is to oppose commercial agriculture in favor of returning to “all-natural” food.

The problem is that proponents of all-natural food differ on the definition of all-natural. Some believe all-natural means banning genetically modified organisms (GMO) – that is, crops in which DNA has been manipulated to improve performance or resistance to diseases or insects. Others believe all-natural means using no chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Still others believe the key factor is eliminating mega-farms.

If you don’t already know about him, allow me to introduce you to Dr. Mark Morris. He was a veterinarian known for his extraordinary work in developing diets to manage dog and cat diseases. He graduated from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1926.

In the late 1920s he built one of the first veterinary hospitals for dogs and cats, in Edison, New Jersey. His clinic focused only on dogs and cats. Something unheard of in those days. Then, veterinarians usually focused their practices on farm animals.

Dr. Morris was a pioneer in researching, diagnosing and developing treatment protocols for dogs and cats. Working with Rutgers University, his groundbreaking achievement was developing a nutritional program to manage dogs with kidney disease. He named his nutritional formula K/D, which many of you may recognize if you have had a dog with kidney disease.