Stationed on Green Meadow Farms, one of the largest dairy operations in the state, the Michigan State University Training Center for Dairy Professionals offers DVM students at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine an in-depth experience with cow healthcare, animal welfare, production medicine, and the dairy industry.

“It is very important for the College to train well-qualified veterinarians to meet the needs of the growing Michigan dairy industry,” says Dan Grooms, chair for the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the College. “The Training Center for Dairy Professionals is working to support this effort through an important partnership between higher education and industry.”

GreenStone Farm Credit Services, one of the largest rural lenders in the United States, witnessed the continued need for well-trained dairy cow veterinarians through the experiences of their producer clients. This service need motivated GreenStone to partner with MSU and Green Meadow Farms.

“At the time—and still today—we were seeing an increasing need for veterinarians interested in working with large food production animals,” says Dave Armstrong, president and CEO for GreenStone Farm Credit Services. “Having a hands-on training center on a working dairy farm gives aspiring veterinarians a practical educational experience that ultimately benefits our producers across the region. We believe the Center has met this goal quite handily, while also helping the students understand more about today’s modern farming practices.”

Veterinary students at the Training Center for Dairy Professionals work with MSU faculty to diagnose, treat, and prevent health issues in the dairy herd. Additionally, they learn the ins and outs of the Michigan dairy industry and how a large-scale dairy production farm functions. This high-quality, specialized educational experience showcases the importance of GreenStone’s involvement as a donor for the College. Land O’Lakes Purina Feeds, LLC also became a financial partner for the Center by becoming the inaugural sponsor.

“As a College, we’re fortunate to have donors—both private and corporate—who understand our mission and the needs of industry and the public,” says Tim Stedman, senior director of Development for the College. “By supporting the MSU Training Center for Dairy Professionals, our donors are supporting human and animal health and food safety.”

Armstrong agrees, and says these benefits align with GreenStone’s philosophy. As a major figure in the US dairy industry, the success of producers is of equal importance to them.

“Our partnership with all the organizations associated with the Training Center has been positive and powerful,” says Armstrong. “Any time you can bring together like-minded individuals and organizations for a common cause, good things happen. This has been the case at the Training Center and we feel fortunate to be a part of the important work being done to better equip the vet students for their professional careers.”

To learn how you can support MSU veterinary medical students, contact Tim Stedman at stedman@cvm.msu.edu.