There are no other words to describe the 2025 beef calving rotation than a complete success! This years beef rotation took place the last three weeks of March.
When asking Dr. Rebecca Cornell to inform me what the beef calving rotation was all about, she was more than enthusiastic to share.
“There are three main reasons I started this rotation,” Cornell said.
“One, I enjoyed teaching and at my previous clinic in Southwestern Ontario I mentored many future and current veterinarians/students and new graduate veterinarians (both Rianna and Antonia are examples). Two, veterinarian students get very little real world farm experience. So being able to attend Cornell Farms during calving season is unlike any other experience they can get. Three, showcase Northwestern Ontario to young professionals.”
“None of the students this year had ever been to this part of the province, so it is a great way to expose them to the region,” Cornell continued.
“One of the reasons this rotation is so well attended is there is limited exposure to real world cow-calf operations and to difficult calving and C-sections in their veterinary studies. When they are riding with other large animal vets it is the luck of the draw on whether they get to attend those types of calls. So being able to come to Cornell Farms and being immersed in everything to do with calving season is a real attraction to them. We can also create an environment where the learning is hands-on. Here, they get to do everything, versus watching a vet do it on a clients farm.
“It was a wonderful experience hosting the final year vet student’s this year. They were all wrapping up their final year studies and this rotation was one of the last experiences they had before final exams and starting work as veterinarians. They all have jobs as livestock veterinarians across Ontario mostly working with dairy, beef and swine specialities,” Cornell said.
“It was a real pleasure working with this group. They all clearly had a passion for bovine veterinary medicine and had obviously expanded their resumes and skill sets before they attended this rotation. I hope we were able to expose them to a real world cow-calf operation and all the animal husbandry and tasks that we complete here to keep our cows and calves healthy. They were also able to visit various other local farms for veterinary calls and helped with a multitude of procedures; including C-sections, calf diarrhea outbreaks, herd health, calf surgeries, castrations, post-mortems and bull breeding and soundness exams. Some of the students also spent some time at the local abattoir in Emo and we were able to use some cull cow uteri to practice suturing a uterus closed during a C-section.”
Dr. Stacey Angus of Kingsford Vet Services is also instrumental in making this rotation possible. She created an artificial cow uterus to practice procedures on and scheduled unique procedures for the students to do while they were here. Cornell Farms and Kingsford Vet services are so pleased to be able to partner to give the students the best experience possible.
One of the highlights were the local billet families that hosted the students. A special thank you to Deb Cornell and Bill Darby, Tracey and Shawn Hyatt and Robin McCormick. Darby shared that the experience hosting the students while they were in the district was a fun and gratifying experience, sentiments echoed by the other billet families.
“The students we had were a source of refreshing enthusiasm,” Darby said.
“They were very respectful and had a great sense of humour, which often resulted in lots of laughter around the dinner table. They were all well mannered and appreciative. They had a willing, positive attitude toward their work placement. At the same time they took a self-disciplined professional approach to their work. They were uncomplaining, and their interest in learning more about veterinary care of cattle reflected on their open minds. In general they were fun to be with.”
Not only has this year been a success, but Cornell shared that she already has four vet students signed up and eagerly awaiting next year’s rotation, proof that the well-organized and educating program is a win-win for all involved.
Some of the vet students shared their experiences during rotation calving, plus many other inspiring sources of knowledge.
Abby Peca
For secondary students thinking about a career in veterinary medicine are there specific courses you should plan to take in high school, and what’s the most useful undergrad degree prior to entering vet school?
I had many friends in school that had different academic careers leading them to veterinary school. I did a bachelor of science in animal biology at the University of Guelph but also had many friends that did a bachelor of agriculture in animal science. Both these degrees set you up well to get your required courses as to be able to apply to vet school. You can take many different under-graduate degrees as long as you have your prerequisite courses. I will say that being at the University of Guelph made the transition to the Ontario vet college a lot easier as I had already been at the school for four years prior making it easier to access resources and get application information. For secondary students I recommend ensuring that you take all your academic sciences to prepare you for your undergraduate degree. I also recommend starting with looking into which undergraduate degrees you hope to take and then reviewing that degree prerequisite courses as well as the grade average you need to maintain to make sure you are able to apply!
Did Rebecca and Stacey empower you? Knowing two females that are incredibly smart running their own businesses?
Both Stacey and Rebecca are inspiring as two large animal veterinarians running their own businesses. I hope to become a partner at a clinic or start my own business one day and these women show great examples of what is possible. Rebecca, Kelsey and the Cornell family running a very successful farming operation up north shows resilience and expertise. Rebecca is a great vet with extensive knowledge when it comes to cattle. We all learned a lot from her. That knowledge in combination with her family’s business that has grown and continues to raise healthy and all around good cattle is inspiring. Stacey being a solo large animal vet practitioner in the North (prior to Rebecca) is no easy job with long days and short nights. Most vet practices down south have from 4-10+ vets, sharing the workload and on call schedule. What Stacey has built is not for the faint of heart. It was great to see the care and dedication she provided her clients!
Riley Bauman
What prompted your decision to enter the vet field… love of animals…love of science…family history in this line of work?
It has always been important to me that I pursue a career that betters my community. Growing up on a farm, I fell in love with the adventure of working with large animals and the art of production medicine. However, the potential to improve food safety and security while developing strong personal relationships is what keeps me motivated?
How did you decide on primary area of practice, large animals or small?
While my primary interests are in cattle, sheep and goats, I like the variety of all species and intend to practice mixed animal medicine in Temiskaming, Ontario, after graduation.
Jordyn Macko
Lots have misconceptions about the North (that we are frozen all the time etc). Was there anything that you were surprised about or did you hear other students that were here mention any surprises?
I feel like you always hear the misconceptions about the north being in the ‘middle of nowhere’ and ‘there’s not much up there.’ But after spending the week up there I really feel that is not the case. The land up there was beautiful everywhere you looked. The people we met during our time were the nicest and genuinely cared to learn more about us and the rotation we were on. You could see that everyone knew everyone there and you could really feel a good sense of community in the short time there. This really made me enjoy our time even more. I am from a small town in Southwest Ontario and hearing about the common involvement that everyone was a part of made me feel really at home and definitely not ‘not in the middle of nowhere’.
Do you think that having part of the vet program run at Lakehead University will help keep vets in the north?
I think the idea of Lakehead University having a vet program is a great idea! You hear about the shortage of vets up north bur I didn’t really realize to-extent of it until we attended the rotation and got talking to Dr. Angus, Dr. Cornell and their client about experiences. The part that might make it challenging is if students attending would be from the north or not. I can see students that grew up here would to stay but potentially students that didn’t grow up here would be less likely to stay and more likely to go practice back home. As well, the talk about Lakehead students attending their last phases at the University of Guelph campus might also decrease some of the chances of students returning to the North if they are to practice in and around Guelph. But I do hope that this will really help the shortage of the vets up north.
Antonia DeGroot
Completing veterinary studies is said to be very rigorous, did you ever consider going into human medicine practice instead?
I never seriously considered going into human medicine. I chose veterinary medicine because I wanted to be involved in the agricultural community. I grew up on a hog farm and have always had a passion for animal husbandry, so I knew I wanted to incorporate/animal agriculture into my career. At the same time, being a people person,I felt that if I pursued farming alongside my parents and brother, I wouldn’t get to work with enough people to satisfy my extroverted side.
Veterinary medicine is actually a very people-oriented profession-something a lot of people don’t realize! Behind every animal we care for is a pet owner or producer, and you need to communicate and collaborate with them to provide the best care and welfare for that animal.
If you chose to practice in a more remote area like the Rainy River District, would there be more challenges? ie. less colleagues to consult with, longer hours, more travel, etc.?
As a newly graduated veterinarian, working in a remote area can be challenging because you might not have the same level of mentorship available as you would in more populated regions. For example, when Stacey came here, she was the only large animal veterinarian she had experience on her side. Starting out in her shoes as a new grad would be difficult, because early in your career, you really rely on guidance from more seasoned veterinarians. What you learn in vet school doesn’t always match real life situations, and having someone to coach you through those moments is crucial. That/ said working in a remote area like the Rainy River District would also be incredibly rewarding. Even in just one short week here, I’v noticed and appreciated the strong sense of community and friendship, everyone seems to share. This is a close-knit group of extremely hardworking producers, and it would be a joy to work alongside them in a community like this.
Rianna Scott
Are your options to work within an established practice or is it feasible to set up your own in a small partnership, avoiding building expenses and staff overhead, etc.?
In food animal medicine, especially in a place like Southwestern, Ontario it is much more feasible to join an existing practice. This provides an adequate mentorship as a new grad and colleagues to consult with throughout your career. Almost all clinics are still owned by veterinarians and thus there could be an opportunity to buy into an existing partnership at one of the clinics.
Is work/life balance an issue as you plan your future practice?
I am confident in the clinic I have chosen to work at that I will be able to achieve my ideal work/life balance. I am joining a large practice so the on-call will be shared between 10+ vets. I look forward to spending my evenings with friends and family, and taking multiple weeks of vacation per year!
Natalia Savor
What would a typical work day look like?
Our days at the calving rotation came with variety. The morning would typically start with chores and calving watch at Cornell Farms. We processed newborn calves, pulled cows into the close up group to keep a closer eye. Oh, and checked on the cow and calves in the yard to make sure everyone was healthy. We would break for lunch, which was kindly provided by Cornell Farms. Afternoons were sometimes spent on some farm calls, with Kingsford Veterinary Services, for example doing castrations and looking at sick animals on farms in the area. Some afternoons we spent doing more cattle management at Cornell Farms. After a long day outdoors, our billets kindly provided a hearty meal as we chatted about the day. There were two nights we went to after hours calls as well, and the goat C-section we did was a definite highlight! All in all, it was a great week in the North!
What gives you the most satisfaction in a typical work day or week?
It is great to see success in your patients. There was a bull calf that had a patent urachus at Cornell Farms while we were there. This means the calf was peeing out of both the umbilical cord area, as well as its penis. We spent a few lunches chatting about our plan for the surgery, which included resecting the tip of the bladder. On the last day of our rotations, we did surgery on the calf, and it went very well. A few days after we left, we got photos and videos that the calf was doing amazing and zooming around the yard with the others. Those stories are the ones that fill your cup and remind you of your love of medicine.
