Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Monday, June 09, 2008

On the Job: Hoof trimmer -- Special tools, sense of humor important

By Amber Dulek | Lee Newspapers

PLAINVIEW, Minn. — Wayne Wendt gives pedicures to cows.

But it’s no day at the spa for the 38-year-old hoof trimmer from Plainview, Minn. Cows queue up to enter a hydraulic trimming chute where Wendt takes a six-blade angle grinder to chip a thin layer off each cleft claw.

Hoof trimming takes precision, back muscle, reputation and a sense of humor, Wendt said.

It’s like going to the dentist. (The cows) know it’s good, but they don’t want to do it.

I service 45 farms in the area ... It’s mainly farms that use free stalls. Pasture cows all wear their hooves off naturally in the dirt, but concrete is always wet and dirty in there.

Pastures have become a thing of the past and free stalls are taking over. A lot of dairies have gotten larger and more confined … I used to have 100 clients when I first started and now I have 45, but I trim more cows.

We carry gates with us, enough to make a corral. (The chute) is all hydraulic and it runs on an electric motor that secures the cow inside and elevates it so we don’t have to bend down. We’ve had a 2,400 pound bull in there before.

There are other trailers where they lay the cow on the side and it looks brutal. (The hydraulic trimming chute) seems a lot more humane.

A lever manually locks and clamps onto the cow’s leg and lifts it up. The design is to put the hoof in position so the hoof is balanced.

The hoof knife cleans the claw off and gets them ready. Rocks are hard on the chipper blade, so it removes them and it also lets you check for sores.

I use an angle grinder that most welders use. It has an aluminum disk with a carbide insert with six slots. It runs at 11,000 (revolutions per minute). It shaves off the excess.

Even with glasses and the shield, the clippings will get in my eyes. It stings.

No two cows are the same. I worked with a trimmer from South Africa and he taught me hoof trimming is a science and an art. Very few trimmers have both.

The science comes down to the angle of the hoof … When a cow hoof grows it has a hump in the center and you want to trim it at a 45-degree angle.

I’m also checking for ulcers or abscesses. You can tell by the way a cow walks. They’ll be cracks in the hooves.

If there is an infection in the toe, you clean it out and you want all the loose hoof gone. It’s almost like water that’ll drain out of it … We glue a wooden hoof block on the other cleft, which allows them to put their weight on the good claw and heal up the other claw faster.

The reason it affects their milk production is they come out of a parlor and lie down and don’t eat. You want them to eat right away.

When I started 13 years ago, hairy (heel) warts were just getting started in this area and it developed my business. Trimming provides maintenance and helps treat and ward off infections.

Every cow should be trimmed twice a year and older cows more.

Everything depends on how you work and how good a reputation you have … We have the first cow in the trailer around 9 (a.m.) and we don’t stop until 3 (p.m.) … We go really fast.

We average probably 50 cows a day and we have done 200.

One time I had a dairy farmer call me several times to work over there and I had never trimmed there before. The farmer wanted me to do a hundred cows in all and they had really bad feet like a trimmer hadn’t been to them in 2½ years. The worst is a farmer who doesn’t take care of his cows.

The hours vary. We normally start between 8 and 9 a.m., five to six days a week. Typically, we’re usually back at the shop between 3 and 4 p.m. and there’s another hour of cleaning and maintenance in the shop. We sharpen all our own tools.

You need to have personal skills to work with all kinds of farmers … We only have so much time (to do the job) in between what the farmers are doing.

Pay depends on how dedicated you are and where you live. I would say trimmers can make $15,000 to $70,000 a year … Tools and equipment mean a lot. We have a big investment in it.

There are schools that you can go to. Eight days in the classroom and two days on the farm and they give you a certificate. I would recommend on-the-job training strongly.

The number one thing is cow handling. If you can’t chase a cow, you can’t do this job. You can’t outsmart a cow either.

You’ve got to have a sense of humor with this and it’s a lot easier with another guy beside you. Most people say it’s not fair we have so much fun on the job. Cows don’t care what you say.

This is physical and you can’t be afraid to get dirty. You’ll probably eat some dirt and get kicked.

This story is part of a weekly series called “On the Job,” where area residents talk about their careers. Contact reporter Amber Dulek at (507) 453-3513 or amber.dulek@lee.net.