Justin Addy, professional hoof trimmer of Sartell, Minn., has impacted the comfort of 100,000 cows on 500 dairy farms. About 95 percent of his clients are Holsteins, but he trims all dairy breeds and beef cows when requested.Being young and muscular like Addy, who is 6 feet 2 inches tall and 250 pounds, is an asset in this physical occupation. Addy deals with yearlings on up to 1,800 pound Holsteins. Getting their “toes clipped” isn’t always a favorite occasion. Once the cow is in the hoof trimming chute and turned on its side so each hoof is readily accessible, the muscle work is mostly over.
At age 37, Addy has been trimming for 12 years, and serves as a marketing representative for the National Hoof Trimming Association. Addy started out managing a dairy after studying dairy farm management at Ridgewater College, Hutchinson, Minn.
“I managed a dairy for about five years but didn’t see that going anyplace,” he said. “But in the process of those five years working a dairy farm, I was always seeing the need for hoof care. I didn’t know anyone doing that work. I finally convinced the dairy farmer I worked for to get a hoof trimmer.
“We got a hoof trimmer who actually trained people in the business. That triggered some interest in me. I ran with him for about three months and then I went on my own.”
Addy continued his education at the Dairyland Hoof Care Institute in Baraboo, Wis. Addy completed both the technical and advanced courses twice to become proficient. Founded by instructor Karl Burgi, Addy said that the training programs also help build motivation.
“You always want to keep improving your education because these dairy farms keep changing; even the cows are changing as part of the genetic and sire selection process. We now provide foot history on every animal we trim,” he said.
Professional hoof trimmers build a database on each animal. Every time Addy revisits a dairy farm — about every seven weeks with many herds — he punches new or different abnormalities on each hoof into his database. He uses the Hoof Supervisor software to keep track of the cows he trims. After each farm visit, Addy leaves a printout of the hoof information for each cow on the farm.
“Usually before I start trimming on these repeats, I post up each cow to quickly review her hoof condition from my previous visit,” he said. “It’s sort of like your doctor looking at your health charts when you’re back for a health check.”
By Dick Hagen, Staff Writer for The Land
Source: The Land