Ben Schmidt grew up on a beef and cropping farm near Delmar, IA. He attended undergraduate and veterinary school at Iowa State during which time he completed a preceptorship with Valley Vets in his final year. After graduation he joined a small mixed animal clinic in northeast Iowa working with predominantly dairy and beef clients but also dogs, cats, horses, chickens, pigs, goats, and as well as some rabbits.
From there he and his wife and fellow veterinarian, Erica, decided to have an adventure together. They ended up in southwest Victoria, Australia where Ben worked mainly with dairy cattle while Erica did mixed animal work. The list of animals worked on then grew adding koalas, penguins and even a kangaroo. Dairy work in Australia was very different from dairy work in Iowa or the central valley as all the herds are managed in grazing systems. This led Ben to develop a keen interest in dairy cattle lameness treatment and prevention.
Their daughter, Adeline, was born in September and prompted the move back to the valley to be near family (Erica is an Atwater, CA native). The whole family is excited to be here and look forward to getting to know everyone in the area!