Education necessity for veterinary-producer relationship creation and sustainability: a mixed method study

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Agricultural Economics
• Animal Science

Background:

• Small and medium livestock operations and rural veterinary practices face economic and sustainability challenges.
• Effective veterinarian-producer partnerships are crucial for addressing these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify barriers hindering veterinarian-producer partnerships.
• To propose collaborative applied education as a strategy to improve economic efficiency and sustainability in livestock operations and veterinary practices.

Main Methods:

• A participatory needs assessment was conducted with Texas producers and veterinarians.
• Quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews) data were collected and analyzed using SPSS and HyperResearch.

Main Results:

• Five key barriers were identified: time, financial challenges, communication, competing perspectives, and respect.
• Producers showed greater willingness to partner than veterinarians.
• Both groups recognized a need for enhanced animal health education, with producers expressing high interest in continuing education.

Conclusions:

• Veterinarians and producers share similar partnership barriers.
• Collaborative, in-person educational opportunities are preferred and can foster formal partnerships.
• Such initiatives can enhance the economic efficiency and sustainability of livestock operations and rural veterinary practices.