On the Front Lines of Herd Health with Dr. Laura Rath Brown
Dr. Laura Rath Brown, DVM always knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. She just didn’t know where that path would lead her.
Growing up, she watched her dad build close relationships with the dairy farmers he served as a large animal vet. “From a small child, I saw the way that he interacted with the community and his farms,” she says. “I wanted to emulate that.” So, she did. She followed in his footsteps, carrying the same passion into her own career.
Laura studied at Juniata College in Pennsylvania and went on to vet school at Cornell, where she found the curriculum equally rewarding as it was challenging. The plan was always to return home and join her father’s practice. But life had other plans and she met her dairy farmer husband. Sixteen years later, she’s still in Central New York, now a veterinarian with Midstate Veterinary Services.
Most mornings, you’ll find her on a farm before the sun is fully up, checking cows, treating emergencies, and working closely with farm teams to keep herds healthy. “There’s no day that’s really predictable,” she says. “Every day gets buggered up with emergencies in the wrong area of the world. It’s just inevitably how it goes.”
The pace may be unpredictable, but one thing never changes: the people. “Farmers—they’re like members of the family. You feel like you’re part of the team.” That team includes nutritionists, agronomists, consultants, and other veterinarians, all working toward the shared goal of better herd health.
At Midstate Veterinary Services, Laura and her colleagues place a big emphasis on teamwork within their practice. They hold monthly doctor meetings, enjoy food truck lunches, and even play laser tag at the clinic. “We want people to want to work for us and we want them to stay,” Laura says. “The only way that that's going to happen is if they're happy with what they're doing and they feel supported.”
That same philosophy extends beyond her own team. Laura believes in supporting other veterinary practices too. She’s proud of how local clinics collaborate instead of compete. They share supplies, equipment, and advice when someone’s in a bind. She’s hopeful that the days of competing practices being enemies are over.
Laura also sees how much the dairy industry has evolved since she started. From advanced genetics to precision feeding and cow comfort innovations, she’s watched farms grow more efficient, more collaborative, and more tech-savvy. “These are well-oiled machines,” she says. “The progression that's occurred in the last 15 years, it's just been incredible. And it’s super fun to be part of it.”
Dr. Laura Rath Brown may not have followed her original plan, but the heart of her work hasn’t changed. Like her father, she’s built her career around connection, care, and community. And through every early morning visit, emergency call, and herd health meeting, she’s helping make New York Dairy stronger one farm at a time.
