Keeping cows healthy has been the goal of College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) alum Matt Brady’s career as a veterinarian, but how he accomplishes that involves more than giving medical exams and administering medication. 

His expertise focuses on cows and the environment in which they live. Dairy cattle are typically housed in barns, in part to minimize external stressors. To do this, the buildings need to be well-ventilated to maintain proper temperature and air quality.

When problems arise in these areas, specialists such as Brady, ’15 DVM, are called in to investigate and propose solutions. 

“Healthy, comfortable cows make more milk, and they make better, higher quality milk,” he says. “I wouldn't have a job if dairies weren't extremely concerned with making sure their cows are comfortable and healthy.”

Brady’s first exposure to dairy production came in high school when he took a job on a farm down the road from his home. Seeing veterinary medicine as a means for establishing a career in the industry, he applied to several schools and, ultimately, chose CVM for the strength of its dairy program. 

As a student, he had the opportunity to ride along with a Wisconsin veterinarian who also consulted for an environmental systems solution company, VES-Artex.  

“He took me to a barn, and we talked a lot about ventilation,” Brady recalls. “I thought it was pretty interesting and could be a good value-added thing to give to clients when I'm doing clinical practice.”

The ride-along led to a two-week internship focused on ventilation and then to Brady’s first job out of veterinary school. He spent eight years working for VES-Artex as a professional services veterinarian, traveling across the United States and helping clients solve problems impacting their herds.

Two years ago, Brady joined Purina as a dairy nutritionist, but his experience with his prior employer means he is called in to assist fellow nutrition professionals and consult directly with clients on potential ventilation and other environmental issues. 

It’s a role that requires a lot of detective work. Sometimes problems may present as a ventilation issue, but are really rooted in another aspect of the environment. 

“Sometimes you go talk to clients, and they think they have a ventilation problem. But maybe it's a nutrition problem, maybe it's a management problem,” Brady says, “They say their cows won't lie down because they're hot, but it turns out they won't lie down because their stalls are uncomfortable.”

To help diagnose problems and craft solutions, Brady conducts ventilation audits on barns. This involves making detailed drawings of the structure and gathering data such as velocity measurements, static pressure measurements, and ammonia levels. 

Smoke is then introduced into the barn in very intentional ways, not just to track the overall flow of air in the facility, but to test functions and reveal possible issues, whether that’s observing how new air flows in and mixes with existing air, uncovering gaps where air is entering and shouldn’t, or testing if air is moving properly through the stalls. 

“When I put smoke into a barn, there are very specific questions I’m looking to answer,” Brady adds. 

These specialty skills and knowledge have allowed Brady to carve a niche in his field, and he encourages veterinary students eyeing the dairy industry to consider doing the same. 

“Whether it's milk quality, pharmaceuticals, ventilation, nutrition, or genetics, find one of those specific things and get really good at it,” he says. “Find something you really like to begin with, get good at it, and then see what jobs may be in that area.”