Creating a productive relationship with smallscale farmers

The American public has experienced a renewed interest in where their food comes from in recent years. This has led to a resurgence in small-scale farming – especially in the face of the Covid pandemic – which presents several unique challenges to veterinarians, including client knowledge of animal husbandry and financial limitations. There may also be a disconnect be­tween veterinarians, who have high standards for animal hus­bandry and welfare, and producers, who may be unaware of those standards or view them (and the attached bills) as exces­sive or unwarranted. The following are some insights from my time as a solo, mixed animal practitioner in southern Califor­nia’s Inland Empire where 99% of my livestock clientele were farms with less than 20 animals. Not every suggestion will work in every situation and some practitioners may find this com­pletely useless. All I can do is share the knowledge that allowed me 4 very happy and productive years as a veterinarian to the hobby farmers and homesteaders of southern California.