Identifying opportunities to enhance value for beef clients

Abstract

With respect to the interaction between veterinarians and cattle producers that occurs today, it is generally driven by producers and occurs on an "as needed" basis or as required for regulatory compliance. For the average producer, this arrangement generally results in a focus on trying to obtain specific services at the lowest cost and providing "added value" is not really part of the discussion. However, the future of animal agriculture should continue to provide many opportunities for veterinarians to become engaged with producers and provide enhanced value to them. Progressive veterinarians should be able to capitalize on these opportunities by focusing on the creation of tangible value for commercial producers with measurable returns on investment and the creation of appropriate business alignment to support and foster "win-win" relationships between veterinarians and producers. To be successful, veterinarians will need to "do better things", not just "do things better", think outside the "animal health management box" to identify innovative ways to bring value to customers, and embrace technology where it is cost-effective to do so. Providing enhanced value to producers is a journey, not a destination. It involves making continuous progress over time, with adaptation and evolution being the keys to success.