1.4 Historic Roles and Perspectives

Hardworking, knowledgeable, and passionate about their work and way of life. This description of animal health and O/A livestock producers shows they are more alike than different. No one has all the answers. Farmers are not trained in disease diagnosis. Animal health professionals are usually not well-informed about non-conventional treatments. Nor are they financially responsible for managing the farm. So, mutual respect, trust, and open minds are required for a partnership between farmers and animal health professionals to grow and help each other achieve their common goals—improving and maintaining animal health.

The USDA lays out the active role of veterinarians DVM on O/A livestock farms in the Guide for Organic Livestock Producers (Coffee & Baier, 2012). Despite its age, (2012) the USDA Guide for Organic Producers [PDF] provides timeless written guidance for organic livestock producers, including information on the use of DVM on their farms. Very little has been written about the role of other animal health professionals, such as veterinary technicians or extension specialists, on O/A farms. Both of these animal health roles have obvious and vital contributions to make to organic and alternative animal health.

Veterinary Technicians have many roles, both inside and outside of the clinic. Vet techs often travel to farms and ranches with veterinarians in mixed and large animal rural practices. They provide valuable skills and support to veterinarians and clients. Skillful vet techs offer a second set of eyes for the DVM. The vet tech’s role includes giving drugs and vaccines, collecting samples, assisting in field surgery, and explaining procedures, including disease prevention activities such as cleaning and disinfection (C&D). The skill set vet techs bring to O/A farms and ranches is no different. On O/A farms, vet techs can bring new skills and knowledge to assist DVM and help farmers and ranchers manage and care for their O/A livestock.

Agricultural extension programs provide non-formal education and practical application of science on farms. Extension agents and specialists help farmers and ranchers assess their needs and have resources and programs that farms can use or adapt to fit their needs. Extension provides resources to increase production in addition to safety classes, youth development, nutrition education, and mental health resources. These resources are essential, provide for farmers’ welfare and personal development, and help build future generations of farmers. O/A knowledgeable extension agents can help connect valuable practices and applicable research with farmers and ranchers needing assistance and increase the benefit to those they serve. O/A farming is a prospect for growth for extension programs (Alotaibi et al., 2021).

Perspectives on veterinarians and O/A farmers and ranchers working together

The relationship between O/A farmers and DVM over the years has been complicated.

The veterinary perspective

Generally, DVM have mixed feelings about their ability to meet organic producer needs. Vets believe they lack knowledge of organic guidelines and health treatments (O’Neill & Wells, 2013; Sorge, 2019; Yamashita et al., 2019). These feelings likely mirror other animal health professionals and essential veterinary support staff. In a 2013 survey of Iowa DVM and organic livestock producers, less than 1% of DVM said they received instruction in organic livestock during veterinary school and agreed they needed more information (O’Neill & Wells, 2013). These deficiencies appear universal across veterinary education systems, including veterinary technician and other animal health professional training programs. Finding the time and space to include more courses in the already packed veterinary or similar curriculums is difficult. If they are interested, students usually have to gain knowledge and experience through internships and externships during their senior year, reading up on the subject, and continuing education (CE) courses. When asked about the availability of O/A farming information, DVM said current (2013) information was scarce, that they relied on the Internet for sources of information on organic livestock, and suggested seminars and conferences as training options. Most veterinarians surveyed (72%) said they would attend an educational event (CE) related to organic livestock (O’Neill 2013). These deficiencies and suggestions highlight the need and desire for more educational resources on O/A farming and the role of DVM (O’Neill & Wells, 2013). This extends into veterinary technician and animal health professional training as well. While it’s been 12 years since the O’Neill survey was published, training on O/A livestock principles and practices remains outside the mainstream animal health curriculum.

When looking at specific species, a survey of bovine practitioners in 2019 found that more than half thought organic rules were complex to follow and lacked knowledge of organic regulations. These difficulties inhibit them from including O/A farmers in their practices. Technicians and professionals knowledgeable about organic agriculture could be vital resources for DVM working with organic and alternative farmers. It’s important to note that when these results were stratified by DVM who had organic clients, and those who didn’t. DVM with organic clients were more likely to have positive responses on the ease of use of organic regulation. They were also less likely to agree that organic producers would not use veterinary advice. In this study, experience working with O/A clients provided a more favorable perspective. This indicates that helping vets gain experience with O/A clients is beneficial to both.

The producer’s perspective

Despite USDA recommendations, studies have shown that O/A livestock farmers often do not use veterinary services as often as conventional farms. Instead, they seek animal health advice from other sources or handle problems on their own. (O’Neill & Wells, 2013). These farmers are more likely to rely on experience, other farmers, word of mouth, books, organic workshops, field days, and the Internet when dealing with common problems. (O’Neill & Wells, 2013; Richert et al., 2013). O/A farmers do not see the need to consult a vet or their staff for several reasons. Commonly stated reasons are they

• believe their livestock are healthier than conventional livestock
• perceive a negative mindset of some DVM and other animal health professionals toward organic agriculture
• believe DVM do not have the appropriate knowledge of organic regulations and allowable substances (Sorge et al., 2019)

However, the decreased use of DVM on O/A farms is not clear-cut. One study of 292 organic and conventional dairy farms in New York, Oregon, and Wisconsin found that veterinary usage was more closely related to the intensiveness of livestock management (i.e., pregnancy checking, use of a nutritionist, use of AI for breeding) than whether a farm was classified as organic or conventional. O/A operations are usually smaller and less intensive, so their lack of use of veterinary services is not surprising. The perception is that O/A farmers are averse to using veterinary services. But in fact, it may be that producers don’t need them in the traditional-conventional dairy practitioner sense. This supports the study’s recommendation that DVM should not assume that organic herd managers are unwilling to use their services (Richert et al., 2013). Again, this study related to organic dairy operations and the applicability to other types of operations has not been reported.

These examples support the need for better communication between DVM, technicians, extension, and O/A farmers and ranchers. This includes discussions of where DVM can best contribute—disease diagnosis is an obvious example. New opportunities for DVM include acting as third-party certifiers for O/A certifying organizations in their local practice area (for example, with The American Grassfed Association). Potential opportunities may entail nutritional consulting, consulting on organic and welfare certification, food safety, biosecurity, disease prevention tools and tactics, record keeping, and more. Discussions on consulting will require open minds, a partnership mentality, scientific knowledge, and good communication.

Increasing the role of all animal health professionals on O/A farms will require training and new ways of thinking. The health of our food, farms, and livestock depends on it. Many O/A farmers operate economically viable small farms that could benefit from veterinary, extension, and other animal health involvement. Some of the services needed are outside traditional livestock practice. Increasing your understanding of the service needs and options can strengthen your relationship with O/A ranchers and farmers. Delivering new services can build relationships and build revenue.