INTRODUCTION
The Creating Partnerships Between Veterinarians and Small and Medium-Sized Producers project, funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), has successfully concluded. This initiative aimed to enhance economic efficiency and sustainability for small and medium-sized ranchers by fostering stronger collaborations with veterinarians. Researchers identified key barriers to these partnerships throughout the project, developed educational resources, and provided hands-on training to improve veterinary-client relationships.
PROJECT GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The project was designed with four primary objectives:
1. Needs Assessment and Project Design
A comprehensive needs assessment was conducted to understand why previous training programs had not led to significant progress in sustaining small and medium-sized ranches. Key findings included:
- Financial constraints and limited access to veterinary care were significant barriers for ranchers.
- Veterinarians expressed concerns about the financial viability of rural practice and the difficulty in maintaining long-term client relationships.
- A survey of 58 producers and 115 veterinarians provided insights into their challenges and perspectives on veterinary partnerships.
2. Development of Educational Resources
Based on the needs assessment, the project developed a structured curriculum to support extension programs. This included:
- Three comprehensive lessons on the benefits of creating veterinary-patient-client relationships to sustain small and medium-sized livestock operations and rural, food animal veterinary practices.
- Learning activity packs, assessment tools, and resources for producers and veterinarians to facilitate productive partnerships.
- The curriculum was made available on HowdyPartner.org and promoted through the Extension Foundation training website.
3. Experiential Learning through Workshops
The Creating Partnerships: Partnership Pathways workshop series provided hands-on training for veterinarians and ranchers. These workshops:
- Focused on establishing and maintaining Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationships (VCPR).
- Introduced conflict resolution strategies, such as the ADOBE method (Awareness, Discovery, Opportunities for compassion, Boundaries, Extend the system).
- Explored telemedicine integration to improve veterinary accessibility in rural areas.
- Engaged 60 underrepresented producers, with 27% establishing a VCPR with a local veterinarian after attending.
4. Workforce Pipeline Development
To ensure long-term sustainability, the project worked with universities to create a workforce pipeline for rural food animal medicine. This effort included:
- Contacting 20 universities to integrate the curriculum into Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs.
- Replacing traditional onsite veterinary visits with virtual ranch visits, allowing students and veterinarians to develop strategies for working with ranchers.
- Collaborating with organizations such as West Texas A&M University Extension, Waller County Producers’ & Ranchers’ Cooperative, and 100 Ranchers, Inc. to expand outreach.
The Creating Partnerships project has disseminated its results to communities of interest through multiple channels, ensuring broad accessibility and long-term impact. The dissemination efforts have included workshops, online resources, academic publications, and direct engagement with stakeholders.
KEY FINDINGS AND IMPACT
The Creating Partnerships project successfully demonstrated the mutual benefits of strengthened veterinarian-rancher collaborations. Key outcomes include:
- Survey Participation: 58 producers and 115 veterinarians provided valuable insights into their partnership challenges and perspectives.
- Educational Resources: The project developed the Creating Partnerships workshop series, covering topics such as VCPR, conflict resolution, and telemedicine integration.
- Sustainability Efforts: Findings were disseminated through reports, presentations, and training programs to ensure long-term impact.
- Online Engagement: Educational resources were shared on the eXtension Foundation website, reaching a national audience. Approximately 1,200 active users from seven countries engaged with the project website.
CHALLENGES AND ADAPTATIONS
While the project made significant progress, several challenges required adjustments:
- Engagement Issues: Many ranchers cited financial constraints and limited awareness of USDA programs as barriers to participation.
- Scheduling Conflicts: Logistical issues limited participation in the planned 1-day workshop, leading to a modular format for greater flexibility.
- Veterinary Recruitment: Some veterinarians hesitated to commit time without clear financial incentives, prompting the project to secure stipends for participating producers and veterinarians.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
The success of the Creating Partnerships project has laid the groundwork for continued efforts in strengthening veterinarian-producer relationships. Future initiatives will focus on:
- Expanding educational resources and making them more accessible to rural communities.
- Encouraging broader adoption of best practices in veterinary-client partnerships.
- Advocating for policy changes to support rural veterinary practices and financial incentives for veterinarians working with small and medium-sized ranchers.
CONCLUSION
The Creating Partnerships project has made a lasting impact on rural veterinary services and livestock health. By addressing communication barriers, providing structured training, and fostering collaboration, this initiative has helped veterinarians and ranchers build sustainable partnerships that benefit both animal health and economic viability.
For more information and access to educational resources, visit HowdyPartner.org
