layout: true background-image: url(../../images/slide_background.jpg) background-size: cover class: middle --- # The good thing about farmers ### Long Quotes --- ### Quote 1 --- ### “Occasionally, … you’ll deal with very difficult situations - animals that are dying and people are very upset and it can be tricky. I suppose one advantage I definitely feel of working with livestock and farmers is that the farmers understand death and understand that things sometimes go wrong. *(cont. ...)* --- ### So, their emotional pressure of dealing with severely sick animals in farming I don’t think is as serious as in small animals. I was still doing a bit of out of hours for small animals and I did have some tricky situations at times.” --- ### Quote 2 --- ### “…one thing that made me feel good was a sense of humour. For example, some farmers had a very good sense of humour, some others not so much. There were one or two in particular who were known as being somewhat grumpy and after I created, not a very close relationship but a working relationship – I knew them, and they knew me. *(cont. ...)* --- ### I would have a small target that every time I visited their farm I would make them smile at least once. And I did. They didn’t need to laugh out loud, but they would smile about something silly or something I would say and that made me feel good.” --- ### Quote 3 --- ### “I’m definitely better at dealing with difficult farmers than I am with difficult small animal clients. Which is why in the long term I want to go into pure farm because when you have a difficult farmer, you’re not under any time pressure to deal with that person – which is much more pressured on the small animal side. When you’re with a difficult farmer you can just drive away – you have got that element of control. *(cont. ...)* --- ### Whereas with small animals, you’re in a consult room, you’re going to charge them immediately for whatever you’re doing. With farmers, you do get unreasonable ones but I think that’s the exception – I think that most farmers apart from the ones who you know to be difficult, accept what you say and if they don’t, then they are doing that on their own back and acknowledge that it’s their responsibility whereas with small animals if something goes wrong because they haven’t followed your advice, it is somehow your fault. *(cont. ...)* --- ### Whereas even the most difficult of farmers, if they don’t give the vaccine you recommended, and all their calves get pneumonia, they will take it on the chin. They do take responsibility for their own decisions, as long as you are presenting them with the options, then even the difficult ones will take responsibility if they make a wrong decision when you present it to them. *(cont. ...)* --- ### Again, I think that ties back in to why I’ve learnt not to take it personally because at the end of the day, it’s their business and they are allowed to run it however they want as long as it doesn’t impact welfare. So, for me it’s easier to have a sense of detachment than when it’s like, an old lady whose only friend is her dog.”