The MacVet Podcast
By Dr Fiona MacGillivray MRCVS
In each episode, we speak to people who live and breathe at least one of these topics. Sometimes all three!
Listen in to learn about their experiences, insights and advice.
The MacVet PodcastFeb 29, 2024
Galvanize
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!
Communication, curiosity and complexities
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
Just do it!
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/
A juggling act
Rural geographer David Christian Rose recognises that farming can feel like a juggling act. In his role as Elizabeth Creak Chair in Sustainable Agri-Food Systems at Harper Adams University, David leads the 'Change in Agriculture' research group, whose objective is to help farmers and farming stakeholders navigate the changes being asked of them.
David has considerable experience communicating his views and research findings across many and varied platforms, including the mainstream media, farming press and as part of the debating team at Oxford University discussing the benefits of eating a balanced diet that includes meat and dairy.
In this episode, we discuss:
how the behaviour of people has an impact on our environment,
the importance of producing tangible outputs from research: make it meaningful and make it matter,
finding out what can help motivate people to change.
Listen in to hear David's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Empowering people
Kristen Reyher enjoys working with animals but ultimately became a veterinarian to help the people who’s lives depend on their animals. In her role as Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Population Health at Bristol Vet School, Kristen enjoys teaching the next generation of vet students and supporting her research team achieve success.
Kristen has a passion for data, describing herself as a 'mathlete'. She is also fascinated by human behaviour: what motivates people in their use of antimicrobials, and how vets can communicate more effectively about motivating change to manage endemic diseases such as mastitis and lameness.
In this episode, we discuss:
- supporting others to achieve their goals and change the world with their ideas,
- the importance of time management when working with large teams,
- how Motivational Interviewing (MI) can help vets explore farmer motivations and then give advice in a more appropriate way.
Listen in to discover Kristen's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
A little bit of attitude
In each episode of the podcast, I like to ask my guests about their favourite cow breed. On this occasion, I wanted to speak to someone who could tell me more about my own favourite dairy breed, the Ayrshire. My guest in this episode is Duncan Hunter, someone who has vast experience and understanding of this beautiful breed.
Over generations, Duncan and his family built up their prize-winning herd, the Haresfoot Ayrshires, which were in the top 1% in the UK for production for many years and won numerous awards with their high-quality milk and management standards. Duncan also held the role of breed manager for the Ayrshire Cattle Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
He now provides consultancy services in the dairy sector, and recently returned to provide support to the Ayrshire Cattle Society. This involves working across a wide range of activities, which include promoting the breed through novel communication channels.
In this episode, we discuss:
breed and personality traits of Ayrshire cows,
the benefits of introducing Ayrshires into dairy herds to improve sustainability,
embracing technology to enhance communication for internal and external audiences,
International Ayrshire Cow Day.
Listen in to hear Duncan’s thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this episode:
Duncan's consultancy website https://hunterdairyconsulting.com/
Ayrshire Cattle Society of Great Britian and Ireland https://www.ayrshirescs.org/ayrshires-cattle-society/
Ayrshire YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@AyrshireCattleSocietyOFFICIAL
The art and science of being a vet
Veterinarian Ryane Englar is a leading light in the field of communication skills development, helping veterinary students become the vet they want to be.
She is Associate Professor and Executive Director of veterinary clinical and professional skills at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, USA. Ryane is also a researcher, with a particular interest in clinical communications and relationship-centred care. She has authored multiple books for veterinarians.
In this episode, we discuss: relationship-centred care in veterinary practice: what it is and how it can improve our interactions with clients, our interpretation of situations compared with the facts – are we making inaccurate assumptions of others intentions, thoughts and feelings? changing the way we talk about grief to support our clients and ourselves. Listen in to hear Ryane's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee! Links from this episode: Resources and empathy cards available at www.intheirpaws.com Abbreviations: CE = continuing education
Choose life!
Chris Moon is a motivational speaker. He talks about his own experience of facing challenging situations, that many people would have struggled to cope with. This includes being blown up whilst supervising mine-clearance in Mozambique, barely surviving and ending up minus an arm and a leg.
He became the world’s first amputee ultra-distance runner; he’s experienced being in dark places and finding a way out of them. A key principle that Chris speaks about is that we should all challenge the concept of limitations we face through life.
In this episode, we discuss:
his background in farming and the army, which helped shape his approach to resilience,
the importance of connecting with others and avoiding isolation,
how humour provides such a vital role as a coping mechanism,
the benefits of making people feel valued and listened to through our communication.
Listen in to hear Chris’s thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Links from the show: www.chrismoon.co.uk
Turning 21
In this Christmas catch up with Rachael Porter, we chat about highlights from the year and plans for 2024.
Cow Management magazine reaches a milestone next year and Rachael shares some of the exciting plans in store for its readers.
Listen to the full episode with Rachael Porter 'Fascinated by farming' in season 1.
People power
In this short Christmas catch up with farm vet Sarah Tomlinson, we find out how important it is to gather people together so they can share their experiences.
Sarah explains why she feels the recent conference on TB control in England was so well received.
You can hear Sarah's full length interview in episode 2 of the podcast 'Never turn down a cuppa!'.
What's it all about?
Wondering what to expect from this podcast?
Listen in to this brief introduction from creator Fiona MacGillivray.
La dolce vita
Giovanni Gnemmi is a world-renowned expert in bovine ultrasonography, sharing the knowledge he has acquired over 30 years with veterinarians and farm workers around the globe.
He is professor of bovine reproduction at the University of Valencia, Spain, where he is also an active researcher in this field.
Giovanni clearly has a passion for what he does; from a young age he was determined to become a veterinarian and work with cows, despite not coming from a farming background. Indeed, this affinity for cattle and desire to help others learn the benefits of ultrasonography is so strong that retirement is not something he is contemplating any time soon!
In this episode, Giovanni talks about:
how his work has opened up a vast range of opportunities,
helping vets appreciate the broad application of scanning in herd health,
an exciting new venture to help students develop their scanning skills!
Listen in to hear Giovanni's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this episode:
https://www.bovinevet.com/en/
Reach out
Alison Blackler is an international mind coach with first-hand experience of the importance of achieving self-confidence and self-awareness; prior to becoming a coach, her severe lack of confidence impacted her life every day, affecting her work and relationships.
Today, she helps others to understand themselves, sharing useful tools to develop their own confidence and guiding them to positive change. Alison is also a public speaker, podcaster and has authored two books.
In this episode, Alison talks about:
- imposter syndrome - what it is and how to recognise the signs
- not being afraid to reach out to others for help
- when it feels appropriate to drink coffee!
Listen in to hear Alison's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this episode:
Alison's website https://2-minds.co.uk/
The Mental Wealth Podcast https://mental-wealth.captivate.fm/listen
Learning together
Nikki Yoxall is passionate about helping bring about change in farming practices through understanding and partnership. She has a background in education, training and horses, and was excited when the opportunity arose to add farming to her daily life, setting up Grampian Graziers with her husband James in Aberdeenshire, UK.
Nikki’s work is focused on agroecological transitions, understanding farmers’ cultural identities and social practices to enable mixed farming futures. In this episode, Nikki talks about: the importance of using the 'right' language for mutual understanding, embracing the opportunities within new roles, showing curiosity and interest through asking questions. Listen in to hear Nikki's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee! Links from this episode: https://www.pastureforlife.org/ https://www.grampiangraziers.co.uk/ https://www.ccri.ac.uk/about-us/people/postgraduate-students/nikki-yoxall/ https://www.nffn.org.uk/
Circuitously into communications
Taking a rather circuitous route through different companies and roles in communications led Patrick Donohoe to his current role as director of communications and corporate affairs with Lakeland Dairies, a dairy processing co-operative based in Ireland, with customers in 70 countries across the world. One of his recent roles was working as an advisor to the Irish minister for agriculture, food and the marine. Having such a broad range of experience puts Patrick in a fantastic position to talk about the importance of using communication to shape the implementation of policy, to keep company employees updated and engaged, and conveying key messages about the business to customers.
In this episode, Patrick talks about:
- making sure communications are two-way
- taking a sabbatical to experience the world of politics
- his least favourite breed of cow!
Listen in to hear Patrick's thoughts about communication, cows and coffee! Links from this show: www.lakeland.ie
The wall of words
Understanding people and what motivates them is a key skill that Karen Halton possesses. One of the ways she has demonstrated this is to create the 'wall of words' with her farm team. Everyone was asked to come up with one word that summed up how they feel about the industry or working on the farm. Those words were then printed and posted on the milking parlour wall, acting as a powerful reminder of the team's purpose.
Alongside her passion for cows, Karen believes in investing in the team of people she works with.
In this episode, Karen talks about:
- encouraging younger people into the dairy industry
- motivating through involvement
- cream cake Friday
Listen in to hear Karen's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this show:
www.haltonfarms.com
For the love of cows
In this episode, Karen talks about:
not shying away from 'difficult' questions
how diversifying helps reach more of the public to hear about dairy
prioritising a strong team
Listen in to hear Karen's thoughts about communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this show:
www.haltonfarms.com
Constantly curious
In this episode, Joe talks about:
the difference between children and adults in their observational skills and the reasons behind this,
how nonverbal behaviours can be used to calm down an angry person,
discovering how playful cows are!
Listen in to discover Joe’s thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this episode:
www.jnforensics.com
I see what you're saying
Former FBI special agent Joe Navarro interviewed a wide range of people during his career - including bank robbers, kidnappers and spies – which provided a special opportunity to observe people and study their body language. Since retiring after 25 years in the FBI, he has shared those observations in his best-selling books, through public speaking and delivering training courses.
In this episode, Joe talks about:
body language and nonverbal communication – is there a difference?
observing nonverbal communication in scientific and non-scientific settings,
the relevance of nonverbal communication in daily life.
Listen in to discover Joe’s thoughts on communication!
Links from this episode:
www.jnforensics.com
A different way of thinking
Temple Grandin has worked in the livestock industry for over 50 years and has been instrumental in improving animal welfare around the world, through her work in cattle handling design and as an animal behaviourist and academic. She is professor of animal science at Colorado State University, USA and has authored more than 400 articles in scientific journals and livestock publications on animal handling and welfare.
Temple is also a prominent author and speaker on autism, sharing her insights about ‘differently-abled brains’. In her book, Visual Thinking, she describes being an object visualiser, which also allows her to understand the sensory-based world of animals and explains her intuitive knack for design and problem solving.
In this episode, Temple talks about:
understanding how animals see the world,
how observational skills can suffer as verbal skills improve,
the shadow (or spider) monster,
Listen in to discover Temple’s thoughts on communication and cows!
Links from this show:
Farmer in training
Sophie shares her experiences through her popular social media accounts @farmer_in_training and @sophieaplin, to help people understand what goes into making a pint of milk and explaining what a dry cow is.
In this episode, Sophie talks about:
raising awareness of farming as a career choice
the importance of having a purpose in life
adapting her accounting skills to farming
Listen in to discover Sophie's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Links from this show:
www.dairyfutures.org.uk
www.justfarmers.org
www.britishgrassland.com
www.arlafoods.co.uk
Creatively speaking
During his career, retired veterinarian Derek Armstrong worked to improve the control of endemic diseases in cattle and pigs. He grew up on a small farm in Ireland, with initial interests in engineering and agriculture superseded by a degree in veterinary.
Moving from roles in clinical practice and research, Derek became lead veterinary science expert with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the UK's statutory levy board. In this role, he was responsible for delivering a number of programmes designed to support farmers.
Derek's energy and passion to see a coordinated approach to tackle one important cattle disease, BVD, lead to the launch of the national campaign BVDFree England in 2016. His unique approach to engage with key industry stakeholders included a mixture of technical details alongside references to popular songs and poems.
In this episode, Derek talk's about:
the challenges of communicating with larger groups,
the importance of asking the right questions,
how our routines and habits lead to positive or negative outcomes.
Listen in to hear Derek's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Putting things into perspective
Udder health specialist and prolific author Theo Lam is manager of Research and Development at GD Animal Health in the Netherlands. He is also part-time professor at Utrecht University.
Theo worked in veterinary practice for 10 years but it wasn’t until he moved out of clinical work, and into research, that he started to appreciate the significance of communication for vets working with farmers to improve udder health.
In this episode, Theo talks about:
- discovering a new perspective on how vets can work more effectively
- how to change mindsets through social influence
- a rare and beautiful breed of cattle I bet you haven’t heard of yet!
Listen in to discover Theo’s thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Bones, brains and exercise
Marcelle Malan is an accredited exercise physiologist, working in Melbourne, Australia - the coffee capital of the world. She has a special interest in female physiology and menopause, promoting a better understanding of the female body in and through exercise science and medicine. Sharing her expertise in this area, Marcelle runs novel educational trainings for health and fitness professionals from all over the world.
In this episode, Marcelle talks about:
· how professionals need to be able to convey their knowledge to clients in a meaningful way
· achieving better engagement and involvement by avoiding PowerPoint
· how exercise can be used to mitigate the effects of menopause and control the ageing process
Listen in to discover Marcelle’s thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
*please be aware that the audio quality was affected due to poor internet connectivity*
Fascinated by farming
Journalist Rachael Porter decided that writing for and about dairy farmers was something that would make a difference. She has been the editor Cow Management (a technical magazine for progressive dairy farmers) for 20 years. As someone who relishes new challenges, she was excited to recently take on the additional responsibility for publishing the magazine with her business partner.
In this episode, Rachael talks about:
developing your own style as a journalist
how technology has transformed both journalism and farming
the importance of making information and advice relevant for the person expected to use it.
Listen in to discover Rachael's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Coaching success
Tom Hartley is coaching team lead with the independent charity UK Coaching, an organisation that supports coaches across a broad range of different sports. Having worked around the world in different coaching roles for over 20 years, Tom believes that communication and the relationships lie at the heart of successful coaching. As coaching is a skill also relevant to many different roles outside sport, we explore principles and concepts that can be applied to support the creation of successful management or development plans.
In this episode, Tom talk's about:
recognising the challenges that coaches face,
building rapport and the benefits of showing vulnerability,
using Motivational Interviewing (MI) to create an environment for effective communication.
Listen in to hear Tom's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Follow the leader
Owen Atkinson spends his time making lives better for cows and the people who care for them. After many years working in veterinary practice, he set up his consultancy to provide strategic health advice and tailor-made training to ruminant and dairy agri-businesses. Central to his work is learning how best to communicate with farmers and get positive herd health results from people taking action and embracing change.
In this episode, Owen talks about:
- evolving his approach to sharing knowledge and advice,
- Buttercup the Jersey house cow,
- the challenges and rewards of running a solo business.
Listen in to discover Owen's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Fertile ground
Dairy farmer Phil Latham will always have a passion for his cows, but now spends more time supporting the development of a strong and growing team of people, by fostering effective communication.
Not one to shy away from taking on responsibility for both successes and failures, Phil has also been keen to voice his concerns and opinions on behalf of the farming community.
In this episode, Phil talks about:
embracing new challenges - both in farming and diversification
creating an oasis from scratch that's now teeming with wildlife (a zoologist's dream!)
succumbing to coffee-snobbery
Listen in to discover Phil's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Gotta get this message to you
In this episode, Jude talks about:
being fascinated about what makes us behave the way we do,
the power of 'we' when discussing change as an industry,
'pointy headed syndrome' and its impact on communication.
Listen in to discover Jude's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Balanced conversations, better understanding
Stuart Russell is a dairy vet with a passion for making data meaningful. He recognises that the way we communicate about data and information has a huge impact on engagement and interpretation. If some decisions in farming feel like a bit of a gamble, using data can improve the odds.
In this episode, Stuart talks about: recognising that something that makes sense to you might not make sense to other people, the benefits of being sceptical and the perils of cynicism, when coffee snobbery goes bad!
Listen in to discover Stuart's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Mr Blue Sky
James Robinson farms in sunny Cumbria, sharing images of his beautiful herd of Shorthorn cattle on social media and explaining 'what farming actually is' for his avid followers, who range from fellow farmers to people who have never stepped onto a farm in their life.
In this episode, James talks about:
sharing farm life through social media
winning the prestigious Silver Lapwing award in 2022 which recognises outstanding efforts to promote good habitat and environmental management
plans to celebrate 150 years of Robinson family farming
Listen in to discover James's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Time to take stock?
In this episode, Amy talks about:
creating better connections with the public
reducing reliance on education alone
listening to understand how people form opinions
Listen in to discover Amy's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
A curious mind
In this episode, Tommy talks about:
the importance of having a support network
technology and ecosystems
the future of farming
Listen in to discover Tommy's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Sustainability, sustenance and salt
Alasdair Moffett (Moff) is a farm animal veterinarian with 'a bit of a running problem' - he won Snowdonia 50 in 2016, an ultra-running event in the beautiful Welsh National Park. Having completed a MSc in International Animal Health whilst still in practice, he has now taken on the role of Landscape Recovery Manager of the Upper Axe Landscape Recovery Project. In this role, Moff is working with 23 farmers and landowners to reconnect the Axe River and its floodplain upstream of a Special Area of Conservation.
In this episode, Moff talks about:
- sustainability and the role of farm vets
- the use of goggles during fertility examination
- developing a new caffeine and chocolate bar
Listen in to discover Moff's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
@upperaxelandscaperecovery
Ethos, pathos, logos
Hannah Lloyd is a director of Pinstone, an award-winning agri-food rural communications agency. Having grown up on a farm then marrying a farmer, she lives and breathes the agricultural industry and is motivated to help the sector overcome the PR challenges it is so often faced with.
In this episode, Hannah talks about:
- the benefits of media training
- how to get your message across effectively
- the importance of being inquisitive to grow and develop
Listen in to discover Hannah's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
https://www.pinstone.co.uk
May the farm be with you
Despite being advised that 'farming was not a good career choice for a girl', she signed up for agricultural college and hasn't looked back since.
In this episode, Abi talks about
how her involvement in a rural leadership course led to setting up a roadshow, complete with a life sized fibreglass farm
how important it is to surround yourself with good people.
Listen in and discover Abi's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Cruising the airwaves
In 2015, he decided to sell his house and move aboard a narrowboat, documenting his experiences of cruising and DIY along the way.
He is considered by many of his viewers as 'YouTube royalty', with his channel Cruising The Cut currently boasting over 230k subscribers. Which for a fairly niche subject is pretty impressive.
In this episode, David talks about:
how to be an effective and engaging communicator,
dealing with unkindly critical comments from YouTube viewers,
his love of radio and how Pop Idol prompted a big change.
Listen in to discover David's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
www.youtube.com/CruisingTheCutUK
www.youtube.com/Vandemonium
Never turn down a cuppa!
Sarah Tomlinson is a farm vet and technical director of the TB Advisory Service (TBAS).
She's passionate about understanding what makes people tick and how communication style can influence the responses of others.
In this episode, Sarah talks candidly about:
- work-life balance
- the importance of having a sense of control over the infectious disease TB
- how surprised she is about how her career has evolved over the last 20 years
Listen in to discover Sarah's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!
Communication tips from Master Trainer Matt
Matt Gleed is a Master Trainer and education specialist in the world of fitness.
He trains the trainers who use the global fitness brands TRX, Matrix Fitness and Power Plate.
Having worked in the industry for over 20 years, he strongly believes that becoming an effective communicator comes from hard work: striving to improve your skills and having self-awareness.
In this episode, we discuss:
- the benefits of adopting a growth mindset
- the importance of self-reflection
- how to develop skills and not worry about making mistakes along the way
Matt prepared for our conversation by learning an interesting cow fact, which he shares along with details of his caffeine habits.
Welcome to The MacVet Podcast
This introductory episode gives a brief explanation about what to expect from our podcast.
We'd love you to join us as we interview the most interesting people in the world of communication, cows and coffee.