Progress 01/01/21 to 12/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The project focused on fostering collaboration between veterinarians and small- to medium-sized ranchers to enhance economic efficiency and sustainability. The target audiences for this initiative included: 1. Small and Medium-Sized Ranchers These ranchers, particularly those from underrepresented groups such as African American, Latino, and American Indian producers, often face challenges in sustaining their operations. The project aimed to: Identify barriers to maintaining ranching operations, including financial constraints, limited access to veterinary care, and lack of knowledge about USDA programs. Assess their current relationships with veterinarians and their willingness to establish formal partnerships. Provide educational resources to improve their understanding of herd health management, disease prevention, and business sustainability. 2. Rural Veterinarians Veterinarians serving rural communities were a key audience, as they play a crucial role in ensuring livestock health and food safety. The project sought to: Understand the challenges veterinarians face in sustaining their practices, such as financial viability, workload, and client engagement. Explore their perspectives on forming partnerships with ranchers to provide more consistent and preventive care. Offer training on effective communication, business strategies, and the benefits of Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationships (VCPR). 3. Veterinary Students and Early-Career Veterinarians To address the shortage of food animal veterinarians, the project engaged veterinary students and recent graduates by: Introducing them to the benefits and challenges of rural veterinary practice. Providing experiential learning opportunities through workshops and case studies. Encouraging career pathways in food animal medicine by highlighting the economic and professional benefits of working with small- and medium-sized ranchers. 4. Agricultural Extension Agents and Cooperative Organizations These stakeholders were included to facilitate outreach and education efforts. The project collaborated with: West Texas A&M University ExtensionandWaller County Farmers' & Ranchers' Cooperative, which represent hundreds of ranchers. 100 Ranchers, Inc., an organization supporting African American ranchers. Texas Veterinary Medical Association, which helped recruit veterinarians for participation. Key Findings and Impact Survey Participation:58 ranchers and 115 veterinarians provided insights into their challenges and perspectives on partnerships. 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 available at howdypartner.org. Changes/Problems:The Creating Partnership Project aimed to enhance collaboration between veterinarians and small- to medium-sized ranchers to improve economic efficiency and sustainability. While the project made significant progress, several challenges and modifications were necessary to adapt to evolving circumstances. Objective 1: Needs & Project Design Assessment Challenges: Despite multiple training programs in the region, engagement remained inconsistent. Many ranchers cited financial constraints, limited access to veterinary care, and a lack of awareness of USDA programs as key barriers. Veterinarians expressed concerns about the financial viability of rural practice and the difficulty in maintaining long-term client relationships. Changes: The project expanded its survey efforts, reaching58 ranchers and 115 veterinarians, to better understand these challenges. Additional focus was placed onVeterinary-Client-Patient Relationships (VCPR)and telemedicine as potential solutions to accessibility issues. Objective 2: Development of Educational Resources Challenges: Initial lesson plans required revision due to feedback from pilot participants who found the content too generalized. Some extension programs lacked the infrastructure to integrate digital learning materials effectively. Changes: The project developed the"Creating Partnerships" workshop series, covering VCPR, conflict resolution, and telemedicine integration. Objective 3: Experiential Learning through "Partnership Pathways" Workshop Challenges: Scheduling conflicts and logistical issues limited participation in the planned1-day workshop. Some veterinarians were hesitant to commit time without clear financial incentives. Changes: The workshop was restructured intoa modular format, allowing participants to engage in shorter, more flexible sessions. Additional funding was secured to offertravel stipendsfor veterinarians and ranchers to attend. Objective 4: Workforce Pipeline for Rural Food Animal Medicine Challenges: Universities faced difficulties in recruiting students into rural veterinary careers due to concerns about financial stability and workload. Some institutions lacked formalized partnerships with ranching communities. The faculty teaching large animal and food animal medicine at TAMU do not have the bandwidth or staffing capacity (compared to small animal medicine) to integrate the curriculum into their program. There is limited coursework hours in large animal medicine compared to general medicine topics. Changes: Acareer awareness campaignwas launched to highlight the benefits of rural veterinary practice, including loan repayment programs and business development support. Special Reporting Requirements Survey Findings Dissemination:Results were shared viahowdypartner.organd presented at industry conferences. Sustainability Efforts:The project secured commitments from100 Ranchers, Inc.andWaller County Farmers' & Ranchers' Cooperativeto continue educational outreach beyond the project's duration. Manuscript Publication:A research paper detailing project findings was accepted for publication, ensuring broader academic and industry impact. A second paper detailing the training program's impact is in review at the time of this report. Despite these challenges, the project successfully fostered stronger veterinarian-rancher relationships and provided a framework for sustaining small and medium-sized ranching operations. Future efforts will focus on expanding educational resources and strengthening workforce development initiatives. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Creating Partnerships project has provided several opportunities for training and professional development aimed at veterinarians, ranchers, veterinary students, and extension professionals. These opportunities include: 1. "Partnership Pathways" Workshop Series A1-day experiential workshopdesigned for veterinarians and ranchers. Focused onestablishing and maintaining Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationships (VCPR). Coveredconflict resolution strategies, such as theADOBE method(Awareness, Discovery, Opportunities for compassion, Boundaries, Extend the system). Exploredtelemedicine integrationto improve veterinary accessibility in rural areas. Engaged60 underrepresented producers, with11% establishing a VCPRwith a local veterinarian after attending 2. Comprehensive Educational Curriculum Developedthree structured lessonsonSustaining Small & Medium-Sized Ranching Operations. Each lesson included: A learning activity packto engage students and professionals. An assessment packto measure knowledge retention. Resources for ranchersto facilitate productive partnerships with veterinarians. The curriculum was made available onHowdyPartner.organd promoted through national extension networks 3. University Integration and Workforce Pipeline Development Contacted20 universitiesto integrate the curriculum intoDoctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs. Replaced traditionalonsite veterinary visitswithvirtual ranch visits, allowing students to develop strategies for working with ranchers. Collaborated with organizations such asWest Texas A&M University Extension, Waller County Farmers' & Ranchers' Cooperative, and 100 Ranchers, Inc.to expand outreach 4. Online Learning and Resource Sharing Hosted training materials onHowdyPartner.orgforself-paced learning. Shared resources on theextension Foundation websiteto reach a national audience. Providedcase studies, interactive learning activities, and decision-support toolsfor veterinarians and ranchers 5. Professional Development for Veterinarians Training oneffective communication and business strategiesto improve veterinarian-client relationships. Workshops onfinancial sustainability and service expansionfor rural veterinary practices. Encouragedcontinuing education (CE) participation, with veterinarians expressing a strong interest inin-person learning communitiesandhands-on workshops 6. Producer-Focused Training Providededucational sessions for rancherson topics such as: Herd health management Disease prevention and biosecurity Financial planning for sustainable operations Encouragedpeer learning and networkingthrough producer meetings and cooperative extension programs Impact and Future Directions Findings were disseminated throughreports, presentations, and training programsto ensure long-term adoption. Future efforts will focus onexpanding educational resourcesandfacilitating broader adoption of best practicesin veterinary-client partnerships How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?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. 1. Workshops and Training Sessions Hosted"Partnership Pathways"workshops for veterinarians and ranchers, focusing onVeterinary-Client-Patient Relationships (VCPR), conflict resolution, and telemedicine integration. Engaged60 underrepresented producers, with11% establishing a VCPRwith a local veterinarian after attending. Conductedhands-on trainingatWest Texas A&M University Extension, Waller County Farmers' & Ranchers' Cooperative, and 100 Ranchers, Inc.to reach rural communities 1 2 . 2. Online Learning and Resource Sharing Developed acomprehensive curriculumwith three structured lessons onSustaining Small & Medium-Sized Ranching Operations, available onHowdyPartner.org. Shared training materials on theeXtension Foundation website, ensuring national reach. Providedcase studies, interactive learning activities, and decision-support toolsfor veterinarians and ranchers 3 . 3. Academic and Industry Publications Submitted aneeds assessment manuscriptfor publication, detailing the challenges and solutions identified through the project 4 . Findings were presented atstate and national conferences, including theTexas Veterinary Medical Associationandagricultural extension meetings. Published results inThe Journal of Agricultural Education and Extensionto reach academic and professional audiences 5 . 4. Direct Engagement with Universities and Extension Programs Integrated the curriculum into20 veterinary schools, replacing traditionalonsite veterinary visitswithvirtual ranch visitsto train students in rural food animal medicine. Collaborated withTexas AgriLife Extension Servicesto expand outreach and ensure sustainability beyond the project's duration 6 . 5. Community-Based Outreach and Media Engaged withlocal extension offices and rancher cooperativesto distribute findings and training materials. Featured project results inGoTexan Magazine, reaching135,000 readers. Highlighted findings onPrairie View A&M University's weekly radio show, increasing awareness among rural producers 7 . 6. Google Analytics and Digital Engagement Tracked user engagement onHowdyPartner.org, withover 1,200 new usersaccessing educational content. Monitoredonline learning participationthrough theNational Extension Foundation site, ensuring continued impact 8 . 7. Policy and Industry Advocacy Shared findings withUSDA and industry stakeholdersto advocate for policies supporting rural veterinary practices. Provided data-driven recommendations toimprove financial incentives and training programsfor food animal veterinarians 6 . Impact and Future Directions Findings were disseminated throughreports, presentations, and training programsto ensure long-term adoption. Future efforts will focus onexpanding educational resourcesandfacilitating broader adoption of best practicesin veterinary-client partnerships 2 . By leveraging workshops, online platforms, academic publications, and direct community engagement, the Creating Partnerships project has successfully disseminated its results to veterinarians, ranchers, students, and policymakers, ensuring lasting impact on rural veterinary services and livestock health. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Creating Partnerships project was designed to address the challenges faced by small and medium-sized ranchers and rural veterinarians in forming sustainable partnerships. The project had four key objectives: Objective 1: Needs Assessment and Project Design A participatory needs assessment was conducted to understand why previous training programs had not led to significant progress in sustaining small and medium-sized ranches. This assessment: Identified barriers preventing effective partnerships between ranchers and veterinarians. Examined financial, logistical, and communication challenges that hinder collaboration. Collected data from58 ranchers and 115 veterinariansto assess their perspectives on veterinary partnerships. Highlighted the importance ofVeterinary-Client-Patient Relationships (VCPR)in improving animal health and operational sustainability. Objective 2: Development of Educational Resources Based on the findings from the needs assessment, the project developed a comprehensive curriculum to support veterinary and extension programs. This included: Three structured lessonson sustaining small and medium-sized ranching operations. Each lesson contained: A learning activity packto engage students and professionals. An assessment packto measure knowledge retention. Resources for ranchersto facilitate productive partnerships with veterinarians. The curriculum was made available onHowdyPartner.organd promoted through national extension networks. Objective 3: Experiential Learning through Workshops To provide hands-on learning opportunities, the project hosted a 1-day workshop series titled "Partnership Pathways." These workshops: Focused onestablishing and maintaining VCPRsbetween veterinarians and ranchers. Introducedconflict resolution strategies, such as theADOBE method(Awareness, Discovery, Opportunities for compassion, Boundaries, Extend the system). Exploredtelemedicine integrationto improve veterinary accessibility in rural areas. Engaged60 underrepresented producers, with11% establishing a VCPRwith a local veterinarian after attending. Objective 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: Contacting20 universitiesto integrate the curriculum intoDoctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs. Replacing traditionalonsite veterinary visitswithvirtual ranch visits, allowing students to develop strategies for working with ranchers. Collaborating with organizations such asWest Texas A&M University Extension, Waller County Farmers' & Ranchers' Cooperative, and 100 Ranchers, Inc.to expand outreach. Impact and Future Directions The project successfullyilluminated the mutual benefitsof strengthened veterinarian-rancher collaborations. Findings were disseminated throughreports, presentations, and training programsto ensure long-term adoption. Future efforts will focus onexpanding educational resourcesandfacilitating broader adoption of best practicesin veterinary-client partnerships.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Ritter, N.L. Gonzales, M., Mays, G. (2025). Education necessity for veterinary-producer relationship creation and sustainability: a mixed method study. Front. Veterinary Sciences Sec. Veterinary Humanities and Social Sciences. 12 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1521440
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Progress 01/01/23 to 12/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:During this period, the research team drafted findings of needs assessment (objective 1), created lessons (objective 2) and held workshops (objective 3) for producers and veterinarians. To date, 60 producers have completed the lessons and workshops. Seven producers have initiated formal PCVR with their local veterinarian. Changes/Problems:None during this time period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two workshops were held over the summer of 2023, one at Prairie View A&M University in collaboration with Waller County Cooperative, and the second in collaboration with 100 Ranchers Inc. From these workshops 60 underrepresented producers participated. From these workshops, participants demonstrated significant learning gains and demonstrated behavior changes. Of the 60 participants, 11% (n=7) participants established a PCVR with their local veterinarian. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?None to report for this time period. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: Conduct a participatory needs & project design assessment to determine the underlying reasons why, in spite of various organizations having hosted several training programs in the region over several years, there has not been more progress with regard to maintaining and sustaining small and medium sized ranches. The research team will submit a mixed method study to The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension: Competence for Rural Innovation and Transformation. The IRB application will be maintained, and the project will continue to collect data until the end of year 4. Objective 2: Develop a comprehensive set of three lessons focusing on Sustaining Small & Medium-Sized Ranching Operations for use in veterinary programs and extension programs with each lesson to include (a) a learning activity pack, (b) an assessment pack, and (c) resources to share with ranchers to create collaborative, productive partnerships between ranchers and veterinarians. The curriculum development team will promote materials on howdypartner.org and share these resources nationals on eXtension foundation website. Objective 3: Provide experiential opportunities for veterinarians and ranchers in a 1-day workshop titled "Partnership Pathways". Disseminate findings from needs assessment and workshop findings. Objective 4: Assist universities in the creation of a workforce pipeline with the qualifications to pursue careers in rural food animal medicine, and in the creation of partnerships with ranchers to help maintain and sustain small and medium-sized ranches beyond the life of the project. The AgriLife Research team will contact faculty from 20 universities during the spring of 2024 to determine where the topics taught in this curriculum program could be used in current Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programs. The onsite veterinary visit with a rancher will be replaced with an activity that simulates a virtual visit to a ranch and generating a strategy with an avatar rancher.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 2: Develop a comprehensive set of three lessons focusing on Sustaining Small & Medium-Sized Ranching Operations for use in veterinary programs and extension programs with each lesson to include (a) a learning activity pack, (b) an assessment pack, and (c) resources to share with ranchers to create collaborative, productive partnerships between ranchers and veterinarians. The findings from Objective 1 were used to identify topics to teach for the new lessons. The curriculum development team used the findings from the needs assessment to develop resources to share with ranchers and veterinarians based on the identified barriers of creating partnerships between producers and veterinarians. The Texas A&M team developed lessons for producers and veterinarians. These resources are available on howdypartners.org. Objective 3: Provide experiential opportunities for veterinarians and ranchers in a 1-day workshop titled "Partnership Pathways". The results from the needs assessment were used to develop a 1-day workshop for veterinarians and producers. The findings demonstrated that establishing a PCVR was the first (missed) step in creating health partnerships. The workshop focused on establishing a PCVR and provide incentives for veterinarians and producers to complete a PCVR accordingly to guidelines.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
The research team has continued to maintain the projects website over the past year. The URL to the website is: https://www.howdypartner.org. The website informs users about the project and has a landing page for producer and a landing page for veterinarians. As the project completes the curriculum and publishes other products such as publications and conference proceedings, a third landing page for researchers will be created. When producers and veterinarians are recruited for the study, they are directed their own landing page.
The research team has created infographics of the demographics of producers and veterinarians. The results from the needs assessment were presented to the curriculum development subgroup. The PowerPoint and infographics are attached to this report and been shared on the projects website: howdypartners.org.
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Progress 01/01/22 to 12/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:During year one, we have reached both of our target audiences for the project. We have recruited veterinarians serving small and medium size producers and producers of small and medium size livestock operations across Texas. To date, we have received 58 responses to the survey from producers located in 17 counties in Texas. Figure 1 displays the locations where producers reside. All these counties are considered rural counties. To date, 115 large animal and/or mixed animal veterinarians serving rural communities have responded to the survey. Figure 2 displays the 85 counties and 6 states where veterinarians reside. Some of these veterinarians serve producers in their county of residence and surrounding counties. Of the 115 veterinarians who responded, 51% identified as female and 48% identified as male. Of the all the veterinarian respondents, 96% were White, 3% were Hispanic, and 1% were American Indian or Alaska Native. Of the 58 producers who responded, 87% were male and 13% were female. Of all the producer respondents, 65% were Black, 29% were White, 4% were Hispanic, and 2% American Indian. Changes/Problems:PVAMU experienced challenges recruiting participants for the needs assessment study. Texas A&M joined in the recruitment process in January 2022 and made significant progress in recruiting participants. Unfortunately, PVAMU was unable to meet the time commitment of this project in year 2 as originally expected. A modification to the original subaward was made which allowed Texas A&M to complete the write-up of the needs assessment. The modification took 6 months to process and was completed in January 2023. The shift in efforts and timeline to finalizethe needs assessment were needed for Texas A&M to completed the deliverable. Below is a revised timeline based on the progress after year 2. The shift in the timeline to develop the lessons and workshops now fall during the summer months. This will work well with subject matter expert's availability over the summer months. REVISED TIMETABLE Objective 1: Conduct a participatory needs & project design assessment 2021 2022 2023 OUTCOME GOALS SP SU F SP SU F SP SU F Project Initiation x Phase 1: Conduct Needs Assessment x x x x x Phase 2: Develop a Course Content Plan (CCP) x x x Phase 3: Develop a Training Delivery Plan (TDP) x x x Disseminate Findings x x x x Objective 2: Develop comprehensive set of three lessons 2021 2022 2023 OUTCOME GOALS SP SU F SP SU F SP SU F Phase 1: Develop lessons x x x Phase 2: Pilot-test lessons x Phase 2: Local delivery x x Phase 3: Distribute nationally x Disseminate Findings x Objective 3: Provide experiential opportunities for veterinarians and ranchers in a 1-day workshop 2021 2022 2023 OUTCOME GOALS SP SU F SP SU F SP SU F Phase 1: Develop workshop x x x Phase 2: Pilot-test workshop x Phase 2: Local delivery x x Phase 3: Distribute nationally x Objective 4: Assist universities in the creation of a workforce pipeline with the qualifications to pursue careers in rural food animal medicine 2021 2022 2023 OUTCOME GOALS SP SU F SP SU F SP SU F Distribute to CVMs x x Disseminate Findings x x What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: Conduct a participatory needs & project design assessment to determine the underlying reasons why, in spite of various organizations having hosted several training programs in the region over several years, there has not been more progress with regard to maintaining and sustaining small and medium sized ranches. The research team will submit the quantitative study and separate qualitative study to The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension: Competence for Rural Innovation and Transformation. The IRB application will be maintained, and the project will continue to collect data until the end of year 3. Objective 2: Develop a comprehensive set of three lessons focusing on Sustaining Small & Medium-Sized Ranching Operations for use in veterinary programs and extension programs with each lesson to include (a) a learning activity pack, (b) an assessment pack, and (c) resources to share with ranchers to create collaborative, productive partnerships between ranchers and veterinarians. The curriculum development team will complete the creation of the lessons during the spring 2023. Objective 3: Provide experiential opportunities for veterinarians and ranchers in a 1-day workshop titled "Partnership Pathways".
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Conduct a participatory needs & project design assessment to determine the underlying reasons why, in spite of various organizations having hosted several training programs in the region over several years, there has not been more progress with regard to maintaining and sustaining small and medium sized ranches. The PVAMU team had challenges in recruiting participants during year 1. In year 2, the PVAMU team had more success with the assistance from Texas A&M personnel. Fifteen veterinarians were interviewed, and 22 producers were interviewed. To date, 115 large animal or mixed animal veterinarians have completed the survey. Fifty-eight producers have completed the survey. Objective 2: Develop a comprehensive set of three lessons focusing on Sustaining Small & Medium-Sized Ranching Operations for use in veterinary programs and extension programs with each lesson to include (a) a learning activity pack, (b) an assessment pack, and (c) resources to share with ranchers to create collaborative, productive partnerships between ranchers and veterinarians. The findings from Objective 1 were used to identify topics to teach for the new lessons. The curriculum development team used the findings from the needs assessment to develop resources to share with ranchers and veterinarians based on the identified barriers of creating partnerships between producers and veterinarians. Objective 3: Provide experiential opportunities for veterinarians and ranchers in a 1-day workshop titled "Partnership Pathways". The results from the needs assessment were used to develop a 1-day workshop for veterinarians and producers. The findings demonstrated that establishing a PCVR was the first (missed) step in creating health partnerships. The workshop will focus on establishing a PCVR and provide incentives for veterinarians and producers to complete a PCVR accordingly to guidelines.
Publications
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Progress 01/01/21 to 12/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:During year one, we have reached both of our target audiences for the project. We have recruited veterinarians serving small and medium size producers and producers of small and medium size livestock operations across Texas. To date, we have received 8 responses to the survey from producers located in 6 counties in Texas. All these counties are considered rural counties. To date, 145 veterinarians serving rural communities have responded to the survey. Veterinarians who responded reside in85 counties and 6 states. Some of these veterinarians serve producers in their county of residence and surrounding counties. Of the 145 veterinarians who responded, 51% identified as female and 48% identified as male. Of the all the veterinarian respondents, 96% were White, 3% were Hispanic, and 1% were American Indian or Alaska Native. Of the 8 producers who responded, 87% were male and 13% were female. Of all the producer respondents, 62% were Black, 25% were White, and 13% were Hispanic. Changes/Problems:The research team had a slow start to starting the project. During the spring of 2021, Texas A&M and PVAMU experienced hiring freezes and due to the impacts of COVID. Once the hiring freezes were lifted, both institutions were able to hire student researchers. For this reason, the rate of expenditure for year 1 is less than originally proposed. However, now that all students are hired, we expect for those expenditures to be incurred between January 2022 and May 2022 to complete and accomplish objective 1. The delays in hiring have also shifted the originally proposed timeline two semesters.The shift in the timeline to develop the lessons and workshops now fall during the summer months. This will work well with subject matter expert's availability over the summer months. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: Conduct a participatory needs & project design assessment to determine the underlying reasons why, in spite of various organizations having hosted several training programs in the region over several years, there has not been more progress with regard to maintaining and sustaining small and medium sized ranches. Once we reach our response rate goals, the PVAMU research team will write a manuscript of the findings surveys and interviews. The research team including student researchers will present preliminary results at an upcoming conference including the Tuskee Veterinary Symposium in March 2022 and the National Association of African American Studies in Feb 14th through 19th, 2022. The final manuscript/report is expected to be completed May 2022. Objective 2: Develop a comprehensive set of three lessons focusing on Sustaining Small & Medium-Sized Ranching Operations for use in veterinary programs and extension programs with each lesson to include (a) a learning activity pack, (b) an assessment pack, and (c) resources to share with ranchers to create collaborative, productive partnerships between ranchers and veterinarians. The findings from Objective 1 will used to identify topics to teach for the new lessons. We expect to begin creating the lessons between June 2022 and August 2022 with the feedback from our advisory board members who represent veterinarians and producers across Texas. We expect to pilot test the lessons in the fall of 2022. Objective 3: Provide experiential opportunities for veterinarians and ranchers in a 1-day workshop titled "Partnership Pathways". The findings from Objective 1 will used to identify topics to teach during the workshop. We expect to begin creating the lessons between May 2022 and August 2022 with the feedback from our advisory board members who represent veterinarians and producers across Texas. We expect to pilot test the workshop in the fall of 2022. Objective 4: Assist universities in the creation of a workforce pipeline with the qualifications to pursue careers in rural food animal medicine, and in the creation of partnerships with ranchers to help maintain and sustain small and medium-sized ranches beyond the life of the project. The AgriLife Research team will contact faculty from the 20 universities during the summer of 2022 to determine where the topics taught in this curriculum program could be used in current Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programs. The onsite veterinary visit with a rancher will be replaced with an activity that simulates a virtual visit to a ranch and generating a strategy with an avatar rancher.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Conduct a participatory needs & project design assessment to determine the underlying reasons why, in spite of various organizations having hosted several training programs in the region over several years, there has not been more progress with regard to maintaining and sustaining small and medium sized ranches. The PVAMU team has hired all research staff and student researchers. The surveys and interview protocols were created and disseminated. Our goal is to have 100 veterinarians and producers respond to the survey and interview 20 veterinarians and 20 producers. To date, 145 veterinarians have completed the survey and 15 have completed an interview. Eight producers have completed the survey and 2 have complete an interview.
Publications
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