A retired Saskatchewan Veterinarian and Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of fame inductee says the highlight of his career has been the opportunity to work with livestock producers.
The Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame has revealed the names of the six individuals who will be officially inducted into the hall this coming April.
Among them is Dr. Neil Shantz, a champion of the Saskatchewan pork industry’s collective efforts to enhance on-farm food safety, animal welfare and biosecurity.
Dr. Shantz, who began working as a rural veterinarian in 1982, says what he has appreciated most is the relationships that he has developed with his clients.
Clip-Dr. Neil Shantz-Retired Saskatchewan Veterinarian:
The highlights of my work were working with producers.
I felt it was such a privilege because at the end of the day they were the people that did the hard work of implementing some of the concepts and ideas that we came up with and really I valued the relationships with the producers.
When I looked at other sectors of the economy and the struggles they went through as they dealt with their clients I felt very privileged to work with livestock producers, especially here in western Canada.
I've had a chance to mentor quite a number of veterinarians over the years and I think the thing I'd really like them to understand is that, as they go into working in the preventive services related to livestock production, the more that they can understand and care for their client the better they are going to feel about the services that they render to that client.
And so it's our relationship and the communication skills that we have with the owners and staff that really make those livestock units productive.
Dr. Shantz says when he received word that he was being inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame he felt humbled and honored and he realized how much he values and cherishes his relationship with agriculture in Saskatchewan.
Source : farmscape