Veterinarian Mel Hoffer knows that being on call during the spring calving season means there will be plenty of calls from cattle producers.
He operates a veterinary clinic in the southwestern Saskatchewan community of Maple Creek, Sask., and was assisted on this day by fellow veterinarian Lawrence Heinrich.
When Hoffer began practicing in the early1970s, ranchers viewed his services as a luxury they had managed without in the past. Today large animal practices are part of cattle production.
“We provide a lot of free advice to producers over the phone today, beyond the visits to the clinic or to their farms,” says Hoffer. “They have come to see us as being just as important as every other part of their business.”
