Abstract
About 20 years after graduating from veterinary school, and after a career in clinical practice, teaching, dairy management, and consulting work, I became managing partner of a dairy farm in Michigan in December 1998. There have been many challenges, but it has on the whole been an interesting and rewarding experience. The experience has intensified some insights into the role of veterinarians on large dairy farms that had slowly been emerging from my previous work as a consultant and dairy manager for the family enterprises of my partners.
 The dairy industry is consolidating. Co-ops and processors continue to merge and get bigger. Traditional farms, where family members provided most of the labor, are going out of business as larger producers continue to expand. While the traditional smaller dairy farms will be with us for many years to come, more and more of the nation's milk will be provided by large producers who must use hired labor.
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