The MacVet Podcast Dr Fiona MacGillivray MRCVS

Elise Sutton had not planned on forging a career in farming, yet when she failed her A levels, she started on a path that would lead her to work with the majestic English Longhorn breed. Elise manages the herd of Longhorn cattle at Cherry Lodge Farm in Wiltshire, South West England, a role she holds through Natural England.

In this episode, we discuss:
Longhorn breed characteristics and traits: including their gentle nature, calving ease and longevity,
how to communicate more effectively with farmers when coming from a non-farming background and the importance of being relatable,
building a strong support network within the farming community and not being afraid to ask for help when you don't know something!

Listen in to discover Elise's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

Links from this episode:
Longhorn Cattle Society https://www.longhorncattlesociety.com/


Nature Friendly Farming Network https://www.nffn.org.uk/
Pasture for Life https://www.pastureforlife.org/

Accompanying his father on visits as a child, Den saw first-hand the special relationship that farm vets can have with their farming clients. Recognising that, unlike his three veterinary brothers, he would feel better suited to farm
vet practice, Den began his career at his father’s practice.



After several years he decided that perhaps farm vetting could be done differently, so together with good friend and colleague Charlie Lambert, they set up a practice in
Cheshire. This soon grew into Lambert, Leonard and May, a practice that would go on to disrupt the status quo of farm vetting.



But it was the business side of practice life that really became Den’s passion. Being introduced to the concept of setting a vision and values, then integrating them into everything the practice does, unlocked a realisation of
the power of what some may call soft skills: communication, understanding what motivates people, and how to build a strong team of workers and clients.



Although no longer in veterinary practice, Den recently took up a role that brings him back to working with the farmers he has always felt comfortable talking with and helping.



In this episode, we discuss:

The challenges and rewards of developing a novel veterinary business model,

Reflecting on the influence our communication can have on others, how we can become more aware of this and communicate in a more constructive manner,

Stepping into the public arena to support his farmers in
their challenge to control TB and the consequences associated with this.



Listen in to discover Den’s thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

Veterinarian Gwen Rees found herself reassessing her options as she realised she needed to move away from clinical work. Finding an opportunity to study what influences farmer decisions in their use of medicines gave her the chance to explore human behaviour, adding novel insights into the world of improved veterinary and farmer communication.

Gwen now lectures at Aberystwyth University in Wales and is the president of the British Veterinary Association Wales Branch. She also leads the Veterinary Prescribing Champions (VPCs) network, part of the Arwain DGC project that looks at ways to reduce the use of antimicrobials in cattle, sheep and horses.

In this episode, we discuss:


how her PhD project helped recognise that vets often make assumptions about how medicines are used on farm,


the question 'what does a farmer want from their vet?' with regards to understanding how to use prescribed medicines,


the success of the Veterinary Prescribing Champions network in Wales and how this was achieved.

Listen in to discover Gwen's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

Links from the show:
Arwain DGC https://menterabusnes.cymru/arwaindgc/home-2/

Farmer and veterinarian Kat Hart believes you shouldn't let a lack of experience hold you back from trying something new. If it's something you are passionate about doing, then make a start and you can learn the skills along the way.



Kat is part of a team of farm vets working in England, where she specialises in young stock, having developed this role from scratch within the practice she's worked in since graduating in 2011.



In this episode, we discuss:

practical tips for vets worried about feeling confident when going onto a new farm,

looking for opportunities to build your unique offering to clients,

building and promoting the family beef and sheep farming business.



Listen in to discover Kat's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

David Main is a vet and professor of production animal health and welfare at the Royal Agricultural University, England.

His research interests lie in welfare education, the science and practice of knowledge exchange, animal welfare assessment and improvement strategies.

Like many, he began his veterinary career expecting to improve animal health and welfare by sharing his technical knowledge and expertise with clients. Soon recognising that this was not the most effective approach to take, he became increasingly interested in learning more about communication style in medical and veterinary interactions.



In this episode, we discuss:

how communication style will influence the uptake of veterinary advice,

using a 'what would a friend say?' approach in conversations dealing with difficult topics, such as terminal illness, to better connect with clients,

how use of positive language in programmes that aim to improve animal welfare, such as Health Feet, achieves better engagement with farmers.



Listen in to hear David's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!



Links from the episode:

BMJ article 'Communication in difficult situations: what would a friend say?' https://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5037.full

Healthy Feet Programme https://ahdb.org.uk/healthy-feet

Heather Wildman loves helping people and businesses understand how they can get the most out of themselves. Using her own experiences working in different agribusinesses, she knows the importance of management style to build motivated and positive teams, and what happens when bad behaviour and poor attitudes are tolerated within a team.



Another facet of Heather's work is helping businesses and farming families with their succession planning, ensuring that businesses can continue to run smoothly once key people retire, move to another job or have died.



In this episode, we discuss:

facing up to the implications of Heather's recent accident, when she broke her back in two places,

how a desire to be more effective at knowledge transfer turned into a fascinating Nuffield scholarship project,

possible reasons for not discussing what happens after death within families, but the benefits of being honest and sharing what could happen to the farm and business in the future.



Listen in to hear Heather's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!



Links from the show:

http://www.saviourassociates.co.uk/

https://www.nuffieldscholar.org/