Remember Charlie?

Occasionally my work as a dairy magazine editor takes me to places that are exotic, like the photo in the blog header from a trade mission to Dubai, or bumps me into famous people, like the interview I completed today.

Dr. Peter Ostrum is currently a veterinarian in a mixed animal practice in New York's Black River Valley. You will recognize Dr. Ostrum as Charlie, the main child character from the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder (1971).

Dr. Ostrum is back on screen again. This time he's participating in a reality web TV series called VetsOnCall. That's why I bumped into him. Dr. Ostrum's vet practice consults with 26,000 dairy cows in New York.

The new series follows several food animal veterinarians during their client calls and explains some of the everyday practices they do to care for these animals. It's an interesting series. Dr. Ostrum says two of the webisodes he's filmed are on YouTube. Two more that are already filmed will follow later. Depending on the success of the webisodes, more may be filmed.

"People are so far removed from where food is produced," he told me during the interview. "I thought this would be an excellent way for people to see what happens on large and small dairy farms – to see where milk comes from."

Dr. Ostrum says that as a child he enjoyed working with horses, even more than he liked acting. His passion for animals led to a career as a veterinarian. When I asked if he has found more fulfillment in his current career than as a movie actor, he said: "Absolutely. I've never looked back."

View Dr. Ostrum's webisodes here:

To operate or not to operate?

Pregnancy testing in cows

Thanks, "Charlie," for the interview.

UPDATE: Here's the story I wrote for Progressive Dairyman and that was published in our e-newsletter.