6.4 Avenues for Veterinary Influence on Organic and Alternative Farms

Use the following examples to learn more about O/A farming, livestock, and care. Understanding the industry and its people can help veterinarians see where they can contribute to the health and success of those and the animals involved.

• Health Strategies for Organic Dairy Farms (AABP)
• The Livestock Project
• Rodale Institute
• USDA Farmers.gov—Blog Posts
• California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
• Marbleseed
• Practical Farmers of Iowa
• Real Organic
• ATTRA

Why add organic and alternative farms and ranches to a veterinarian’s practice? Is investing the time, effort, and resources beneficial to the practice? Including O/A farm services in a veterinary practice can be a fruitful business endeavor. It can lead to practice expansion, financial gain, increased diversity and inclusion, more relationships, etc. This section expands on some economic benefits of adding O/A services to a veterinary practice, which can be a key driver in practice management (Richardson & Osborne, 2006).