Progress 09/01/21 to 11/06/24
Outputs
Target Audience:During the finalyear of this project, the grant continued to support provision ofveterinary service to the target audience of livestock producers in 26 counties in central and eastern Virginia, including shortage area VA215. 115 farms were newly serviced in this period, in addition to Old Dominion Veterinary Services (ODVS) pre-existing food animal clientele. The total number of farms newly serviced during the grant period is 579. Outreach also targeted area cattlemen organizations, including Central Virginia Cattlemens Association (CVCA) and Eastern Virginia Cattlemens Association (EVCA); Virginia Cooperative Extension in 26 counties; and 4H groups in 26 counties. The ODVS doctorand support staff led, participated, or attended Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom board/Committee meetings (8), CVCA/EVCA meetings (1); Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners board meeting (2); Virginia Veterinary Medical Association Board meeting (4); 4H coaching/judging/meetings (8). We organized or spoke at multiple producer meetings including 1 Virginia Farm Bureau meeting addressing rural veterinary shortageand extension-led beef producer meetings (2). The majority of beef producer attendees were from shortage area VA 215. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The professional development funded by this grant in the final year was directed toward training for our hoof trimming technician. The quality of education received was top-notched and it elevated the level of care provided to a more efficient and professional service offering. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We continue to reach out to our target audience through meetings and our newsletter as described above. We estimate that we reach 500 farmers quarterly through our newsletter. Our website, including our educational blog, has on average over 4000 visits each month. We estimate that we have reached several hundred producers in over 20 counties through the meetings that we have hosted and attended. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Old Dominion Veterinary Services (ODVS) sought to meet the need for increased food animal veterinary services over a large area of Central and Eastern Virginia, including veterinary shortage area VA-215, through producer outreach, enhancement of portable equipment, and provision of new technical services. Veterinary services for food-producing animals are critical for the protection of our food supply, protection of human health, surveillance for novel and foreign animal diseases, as well as animal welfare. The final year of the project required some redundant expenditure due to staffing changes. A new lay hoof-trimmer was trained and promotion of hoof-trimming services, which had slowed due to staffing in the second year of the project, wasresumed. This coincided well with another lay hoof-trimmer in the surrounding region retiring creating increased need for bovine hoof-trimming services in the area.The number of farms served increased by 115. Producer outreach and support were accomplished by hosting, attending, and leading many meetings targeting beef, dairy, and small ruminant (sheep and goat) producers. Some were hosted by Old Dominion Veterinary Services and others were led in conjunction with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Central and Eastern Virginia Cattlemen Associations. We have also been active in supporting agricultural youth by coaching cattle working and dairy quiz bowl teams, lecturing at 4H meetings in multiple counties, and assisting at fairs to check in livestock. Dr. Harris sits on the board of Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom (Vice Chair), the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, and the Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners, which allows us to advocate for agriculture in Virginia. She also participated in a committee formed to address veterinary shortages in rural Virginia. We mail out a newsletter with relevant health topics quarterly to approximately 500 clients and update our website with educational blogs monthly. Grant funds in the final year of the project were mostly spent on staff education, as well as to offset personnel costs associated with training and the provision of enhanced services to keep the cost of these services affordable for producers as we continue to improve our ability to provide these services. Grant funds continue to improve both the quantity and quality of services available to food-producing species in this area. We are the only practice in the area providing veterinary care to these species. Over the course of this project, there has been a significantincrease in the number of farms and animals with regular access to veterinary care and education.
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:During the second year of this project, the grant provided veterinary service to the target audience of livestock producers in 26counties in central and eastern Virginia, including shortage area VA215. 235farms were newly serviced in this period, in addition to Old Dominion Veterinary Services (ODVS) pre-existing food animal clientele and 229 farms added during the first year of the project. Outreach also targeted area cattlemen organizations, including Central Virginia Cattlemens Association (CVCA) and Eastern Virginia Cattlemens Association (EVCA); Virginia Cooperative Extension in 26counties; and 4H groups in 26counties. The ODVS doctors and support staff led, participated, or attended Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom board/Committee meetings (6), CVCA/EVCA meetings (3); Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners board meeting (2); Virginia Veterinary Medical Association Board meeting (6); 4H coaching/judging/meetings (4). We organized a large beef producer field day, a dairy producer meeting, as well as 4 additional educational meetings for beef producers. Three of our producer meetings were organized in conjunction with Virginia Cooperative Extension.The majority ofbeef producerattendees werefrom shortage area VA 215. Changes/Problems:There were major problems in the second year of this project. They were the potential challenges described in the initial application, namely the negative impact that staffing changes would have on completing project goals. Halfway through the second year, the primary cattle health technician in whom we had invested significant training took a full-time job elsewhere. He is continuing to provide artificial insemination and cattle working services to our clientele in the shortage area as much as possible. His bovine hoof trimming skills were not adequately developed to continue offering this service once he was no longer employed full-time by Old Dominion Veterinary Services. This was a significant blow to the practice as the demand for hoof trimming had grown tremendously and we had just recently written blogs and newsletter articles about the importance and value of hoof trimming. Since his departure, we have trained two additional staff members in hoof trimming. This has allowed us to continue offering this service. However, neither individual has developed adequate skill or confidence to offer this service independently. This means a veterinarian is tied up during this process, significantly reducing efficiency. Towards the end of the second year, the associate veterinarian at Old Dominion also chose to move out of state. Although this has been a challenge, the remaining veterinarian and support staff have worked hard to continue providing the necessary services to the shortage situation, as well as the rest of the area served by the practice. As the departure of the associate veterinarian is relatively recent, the full impact on the project will not be evident until the third and final year. It is unlikely that an associate can be hired within the next year, but the ultrasound is being held in anticipation of doing so. The practice is currently aggressively seeking a cattle health technician with aspirations for long-term commitment to the practice and area. We are also more loosely seeking an associate veterinarian, primarily through remaining very active in the VVMA and with the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. As described in previous sections, the practice has been very successful in meeting project goals.We anticipate no change in ourability to meet all program goals in spite of staffing challenges. Delivery of services willbe less efficient than otherwise hoped, but grant funds are offsetting the cost of this decreased efficiency. Indeed, staffing is one of the greatest challenges across most industries currently, but especially in agriculture, as well as veterinary medicine. We are taking these challenges in stride and making adjustments as needed to continue meeting our goals. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The professional development funded by this grant in the second year was directed toward training for twoadditional technicians in hoof trimming and two additional technicians in bovine artificial insemination (AI). This increased our options for efficiently providing these services in a large geographic area. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We continue to reach out to our target audience through meetings and our newsletter as described above. We estimate that we reach 500 farmers quarterly through our newsletter. Our website, including our educational blog, has on average over 4000 visits each month. We estimate that we have reached several hundred producers in over 20 counties through the meetings that we have hosted and attended. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue our efforts at outreach through producer meetings, newsletters, and website. We will fine-tune the best way to deliver bovine technicianand hoof trimming services to our widespread clientele as geography and lack of redundant support staff remain a challenge. We will continue to expand the provision of veterinary and technical services in the shortage area. We have reserved some funds for equipment repair and upgrade, as well as continuing to subsidize payroll costs of technician services. With any remaining funds, we plan to purchase our last few remaining items in the budget, such as a dart gun.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Old Dominion Veterinary Services (ODVS) sought to meet the need for increased food animal veterinary services over a large area of Central and Eastern Virginia, including veterinary shortage area VA-215, through producer outreach, enhancement of portable equipment, and provision of new technical services. Veterinary services for food-producing animals are critical for the protection of our food supply, protection of human health, surveillance for novel and foreign animal diseases, as well as animal welfare. The second year of the project was primarily focused on increasing reach to producers in the underserved area and further enhancing new services offered. The number of farms served increased by 235. Producer outreach and support were accomplished by hosting, attending, and leading many meetings targeting beef, dairy, and small ruminant (sheep and goat) producers. Some were hosted by Old Dominion Veterinary Services and others were led in conjunction with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Central and Eastern Virginia Cattlemen Associations. We have also been active in supporting agricultural youth by coaching cattle working and dairy quiz bowlteams, lecturing at 4H meetings in multiple counties, and assisting at fairs to check in livestock. Dr. Harris sits on the board of Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom,the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, and the Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners, which allows us to advocate for agriculture in Virginia. We mail out a newsletter with relevant health topics quarterly to approximately 500 clients and update our website with educational blogs monthly. Bovine hoof trimming has been a work in progress. There is great demand for this service, but providing it in a timely manner in such a large geographic area has been a challenge. We are still fine-tuning the best way to efficiently deliver service to meet these needs. Bovine artificial insemination services increased by 120% in the second year of the project. This area has been a great success and there is ongoing demand for the service. The majority of grant funds were spent in the first year to initiate new services offered. Funds in the second year were used primarily to enhance the services added in the first year. They were used for continued education and training. Grant funds alsoallowed us to offset personnel costs associated with training and the provision of enhanced services to keep the cost of these services affordable for producers as we continue to improve our ability to provide these services. Grant funds continue to improve both the quantity and quality of services available to food-producing species in this area. We are the only practice in the area providing veterinary care to these species. It is anticipated that during the final year of the project, outreach will continue to expand with a greater number of food animals in our area receiving regular care from a veterinarian.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:During the first year of this project, the grant provided veterinary service to the target audience oflivestock producers in 30 counties in central and eastern Virginia, including shortage area VA215. 229 farms were newly serviced in this period, in addition to Old Dominion Veterinary Services (ODVS) pre-existing food animal clientele. Outreach also targeted area cattlemen organizations, including Central Virginia Cattlemens Association (CVCA) and Eastern Virginia Cattlemens Association (EVCA); Virginia Cooperative Extension in 30 counties; and 4H groups in 30 counties. The ODVS doctors and support staffled, participated, or attended Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom board/Committee meetings (6), CVCA meetings (3); ECVA meeting (1); Virginia Acadamey of Food Animal Practitioners board meeting (1); Virginia Veterinary Medical Association Board meeting (2); 4H coaching/judging/meetings (8); Virginia Cooperative Extension meetings (2). Additionally, we hosted two meetings specifically for beef producers that were well attended by producers from shortage area VA 215. Changes/Problems:The biggest change to our budget is that we requested and received approval to purchase a used vehicle for our technician. Prior to this budget change, we were relying on his personal vehicle, which created several issues, including wear and tear on his vehicle and limits to availability. We are making good use of this vehicle. The only project goal that has failed to take off in the first yearhas been our plan for using our technician as support for beef herds needing assistance with cattle handling, as well as our proposed fixed-price cattle herd health package. We have found that most of our clientele prefer to have a veterinarian available for consulting. Therefore the demand for technician-only appointmentshas been low. We have recently written an article for our newsletter and blog describing the services offered and hope to have an increased demand for these services in our second year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The professional development funded by this grant primarily focused on artificial insemination (AI) and hoof trimming training for our veterinary assistant. The assistant already had experience with AI, but time was spent with an AI technician to confirm and refresh his skills. He also traveled to hoof trimmers in three different states and we paid to have one hoof trimmer visit our practice, providing him with in-depth, one-on-one training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We continue to reach out to our target audience through meetings and our newsletter as described above. We estimate that we reach 500 farmers quarterly through our newsletter. Our website, including our educational blog,has between 1500 and 2000 visits each month. We estimate that we have reached several hundred producers in 30 counties through the meetings that we have hosted and attended. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue our efforts at outreach through producer meetings, newsletters, and website. We will continue to promote and support the hoof trimming and AI activities of our technician. We plan for 1 to 2 more weeks of educational training for our hoof trimmer, as well as attendance at a hoof trimming conference. Our main focus in year two will be to build on the solid foundation laid during the first year to determine how much we are able to continue expanding services. We are reserving some funds for year three to prepare for the possibility that demand for technician services increases to the point that our equipment needs an upgrade. With any remaining funds, we plan to purchase our last few remaining items in the budget, such as a dart gun.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Old Dominion Veterinary Services (ODVS) sought to meet the need for increased food animal veterinary services over a large area of Central and Eastern Virginia, including veterinary shortage area VA-215,through producer outreach, enhancement of portable equipment, and provision of new technical services. Veterinary services for food-producing animals are critical for the protection of our food supply, protection of human health, surveillance fornovel and foreign animal diseases, as well as animal welfare. ODVS had great success in increasing the number of farms served during the first year of the project. The number of farms served increased by 229. Producer outreach and support were accomplished by hosting, attending, and leading many meetings targeting beef, dairy, and small ruminant (sheep and goat) producers. Some were hosted by Old Dominion Veterinary Services and others were led in conjunction with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Central and Eastern Virginia CattlemenAssociations. Some organizations are still not having regular meetings due to COVID-19, but the frequency of events and attendance at events has steadily increased over the past year. We have also been active in supporting agricultural youth by coaching cattle working and dairy judging teams, lecturing at 4H meetings in multiple counties, and assisting at fairs to check in livestock. Additionally, Dr. Harris sits on the board of Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom. Finally, we remain active in the veterinary community through Dr. Harris' active presence on the boards of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association and Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners, which allows us to advocate for agriculture in the context of veterinary medicine. We mail out a newsletter with relevant health topics quarterly to approximately 500 clients and update our website with educational blogs monthly. Hoof trimming has also been a great success. A used hydraulic layover hoof trimming chute was purchased. A vehicle was also purchased dedicated to our assistant to allow him to tow both the hoof trimming chute and travel to artificial insemination (AI) appointments. We were able to fund our veterinary assistant while receiving instruction from experienced hoof trimmers over the past year. We were also able to subsidize his pay and provide discounted hoof trimming service to one farm, allowing him to build up confidence and experience through frequent hoof trimming visits. We now receive weekly inquiries from new clients seeking hoof trimming services. He is also able to deal with some lameness issues previously handled by veterinarians, which allows increased veterinarian availability for other medical and surgical cases. AI has beenslower to take off, although this may be due to seasonal variation. It is difficult to offer these services at a competitive rate when covering 30 counties, but the grant funds significantly lower our costs. We expect this service to increase over the next year. Our assistant is currently spending 1/4 to 1/3 of his time on technical services. We purchased a portable squeeze chute for cattle handling, which has expanded the number of farms that we are able to safely service. We also purchased a second ultrasound unit, which has been extremely helpful in allowing two veterinarians to be available simultaneously in vastly different areas. This allows us to provide timely reproductive and other diagnostic services to clients to help guide management. At this time, we opted not to purchase diagnostic bloodwork equipment. While researching this equipment, we found a very convenient and inexpensive service that allows us to promptly process bloodwork. With this service, we have still significantly increased the amount of diagnostic bloodwork performed, enhancing the quality of medicine provided to food animals in our area. Overall, in 12 short months, the grant funds have allowed ODVS to improve both the quantity and quality of services available to food-producing species in this area. We are the only practice in the area providing veterinary care to these species. The importance of this is underscored by the fact that we were involved last month in a caseof highly pathogenic avian influenza, which was confirmed in our shortage area. We were able to connect the farmer with state veterinarians after hours allowing rapid diagnosis and implementation of control measures. It is anticipated that during the remaining two years of the project, our outreach will continue to expand with a greater number of food animals in our area receiving regular care from a veterinarian.
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