Dr Ilyse Jennens - Branch Manager BVSc (Dist) MANZCVS Medicine of Dairy Cattle

07 868 9030 | ijennens@fvs.co.nz

I graduated at the end of 2010 and work as a farm, mostly dairy vet and branch manager at Franklin Vets, Waitakaruru. I am an InCalf and accredited mastitis advisor and accredited BCS assessor. I am also a committee member of the cattle chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and chair of a community dairy farming group focused on increasing the wealth, sustainability and satisfaction of dairy farmers in the local region.

Within my veterinary role, my passion lies in preventative herd health and working collaboratively with farmers to achieve their goals. For many farms, their goals include increasing production by improving pasture utilisation and animal health. What I find exciting, is to see the success of the changes made the previous season (such as in improved reproductive performance or reduced somatic cell counts) and then the flow on benefits of these to production gains, improvements in cow welfare and farm staff efficiency and satisfaction. The availability of welfare monitoring and benchmarking tools such as WelFarm and technology such as wearable tags and collars to measure live cow data has greatly assisted our ability to provide true measurements and proactive rather than reactive advice.

I have a growing interest in the sustainable and regenerative farming space. Having recently completed the Vet Sustain Veterinary Approach to Sustainable Food and Farming course and while continuing to grow my knowledge in this space, I will seek opportunities to incorporate into my work with farmers. I feel a sense of responsibility for the role I can play in contributing to Franklin Vets' commitment to becoming more sustainable.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, exploring the outdoors and music.