Jacinta is a veterinary student who has gained hands-on experience in various livestock industries through the AHEMS program. This document shares her experiences at different farms and what she has learned about animal production, disease prevention, environmental sustainability, and the economic and social aspects of being a veterinarian. These placements have helped her grow her skills and better understand the roles and responsibilities of veterinarians beyond clinical care.

1. By Jacinta Kelly

2. About Me
Hi!
My name is Jacinta.
Becoming a Vet has been a
life-long goal of mine.
Gaining entry into Veterinary
Science has given me the
opportunity to take one
more step towards reaching
my goal.

3. In 2008 I moved to Wagga
Wagga to begin my studies
in Veterinary Science at
Charles Sturt University
Picture sourced from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/CSUWaggaEntrance.jpg/270px-
CSUWaggaEntrance.jpg

4. That’s me

5. Studying vet science for two years has taught me
more then I ever expected.
The role of a vet in practice is greater then just
treating and caring for sick animals. Vets can be
involved in a variety of fields that cover the
whole production system.
My studies include aspects of agriculture as well
as the traditional veterinary science subjects
such as anatomy and physiology. Linking these
together is the AHEMS program.

6. AHEMS gives me the opportunity to
gain hands on experience in a variety
of live-stock industries.
I learn:
To apply knowledge learnt in class
To gain knowledge about the role
vets play in various industries.
To communicate with others in the
community.
 To practice and learn new skills in
animal handling and disease
prevention.
About new innovative techniques
being developed and utilised in
industries.
To recognise the importance of
environmental and economic factors
in agriculture.

7. None ‘tasting’ better then the
fresh salmon I was offered
whilst working at Huon
Aquaculture in Tasmania....
Appropriately nicknamed
“Sammy”

8. HAC farms primarily Atlantic Salmon.
Whilst at HAC I was able to work with the
following teams:
-Health team
- Industry vet
- Research team
-Dive team
-Nutrition team
Each team, although working separately,
are inevitably interconnected. This
ensures an efficient production system
capable of meeting the salmon’s health,
nutritional and welfare needs.

9. I also learnt valuable skills including:
-Monitoring dissolved oxygen levels.
-Monitoring feed dispersals and intake to ensure nutritional
requirements are met. This is important as over feeding leads to net
fouling and increases economic waste.
-Monitoring disease levels and preventing foreign disease entry into
Australia.

10. Fishy Facts:
“Salmon begin life in fresh water as „fry‟ before acclimatising to salt
water by undergoing a physiological change. The brackish water
(mixture of fresh and salt water)of the Huon River is ideal for this.”
“Fully developed Salmon are treated for diseases such as amoebic gill
disease (AGD) by giving them a fresh water bath”

11.  I completed my poultry
AHEMS at one of Red
Lea’s Parent flocks.
 The purpose of a parent
flock is to rear breeders
and supply eggs for
broiler production.
 Broiler’s supply the
market with ‘chicken
meat.’

12.  Red Lea’s Menangle property
is an all-in all-out system.
 This is beneficial for
biosecurity purposes.
 At the end of the production
cycle, all saw dust and the
manure contained within it is
removed from the shed and
recycled as fertiliser.
 Chicken manure is
commonly used to improve
pastures as it is high in
organic carbon, nitrogen and
phosphorus.

13. Chicken facts:
-Egg fertility can be
determined by shinning a
light on top of the egg. Fertile
eggs possess an air sac and
prominent vein system.
Infertile eggs are clear.
- Chicks are vaccinated ‘in
ovo,’ that is, a single needle
punctures the egg shell and
injects the unhatched chick.

14. Clover Hill Dairies consists of two
properties located in Jamberoo, NSW.
Here I was involved in the day to day
running of a dairy including:
• Mixing the ration
• Feeding and tendering to the calves
• Rounding up the cows
• Milking
•Detecting and treating lameness and
mastitis

15. I was also able to attend the ‘Poo
Tour 08’ which visited a selection
of dairies on the South Coast to
review their effluent systems.
Discussions focused on the ease,
cost and effectiveness of
different effluent systems at
cleaning dairies and recycling
the water used.
Clover Hill was featured in the
tour showcasing the array of
sustainable practices they are
involved in. Upgrading
infrastructure, developing stock
and machinery access routes,
fencing off native vegetation and
water ways and replanting
vegetation are part of their long
term plan to reduce the
properties impact on the
environment and improve the
wellbeing of the cattle.

16. Furthermore, I learnt while at Clover
Hill the importance of not only
improving your own system, but also
sharing the knowledge gained with the
wider community to benefit all.

17. Dairy fact
“Individual cows are capable of
producing 80 litres of milk per
day”

19. At Lindsay Park I was able to experience first hand the
processes involved in breeding and training race horses.
I was able to spend time with the farriers, saddler, riders,
stable hand, vet nurses, vets and trainers, enabling me to
acknowledge and appreciate the role each has in ensuring
the safety, health and welfare of the horses.

20. Two of my fondest
memories included:
 watching a barrier trial
held on one of the
properties three tracks
 seeing my first foaling
after four
attempts at night watch!

21. Horse Treadmill Surgery Room Corrective
shoeing
Horse Facts:
 Horses are lead into the surgery before being
anesthetised and knocked down onto purposely
built operating tables.
 Foot and leg abnormalities can be treated at a young
age using corrective shoeing
 Horses can be trained on specially built treadmills

22. ....And I hope I
picked up a few
‘tips’ along the
way!!!!

23. PIC at Grong Grong runs a
nucleus herd of pigs,
producing both genetically
improved sows and boars.
At the time of my prac, trials
were being undertaken to
breed pigs negative to the
recessive halothane gene – a
gene that has been linked to
Porcine stress syndrome.
Presence of this gene results
in multi-factorial economical
losses .

24.  Biosecurity is very important for PIC. The property runs on a shower-in
shower-out routine; clothing and foot wear is provided and contact with
other pigs is prohibited within 72-96 hours of working with PIC stock.
 The importance of biosecurity has been shown by the recent Equine
and Swine influenza out-breaks.
 Water is recycled at the property. All excrement is flushed out of the
sheds and left to settle in large dams, allowing the water to be re-used.
 Carcases and soiled straw are also recycled by a local company who
turns it into soil.

25. I loved spending
time in the
farrowing shed
where the piglets
are born, but boy
do they have a good
set of lungs!

26. Piggy facts:
• Sows have a gestation period of three
months, three weeks and three days!
•Pigs are one of the smartest
domesticated animals.

27. Thugga is a mixed sheep, cattle
and cropping property, owned
and managed by the Pitson
family.
Being a mixed enterprise
makes the business
economically advantageous for
a variety of reasons. Cattle
tend to eat different grasses to
sheep and therefore pasture
availability can be optimised
by rotationally grazing the
different livestock species.
Such diversity also makes the
operation flexible to market
changes.

28.  Recent government grants have
funded projects to fence off the
local creek and plant vegetation
belts. Further work is planned in
the future to increase vegetation
in other areas of the property.
Vegetation is important as it
provides shade, protection from
the wind and lowers the water
table.
 During my time spent with the
Pitson’s, I was able to visit a
Limousin cattle sale and observe
muscle scanning of bulls.
Genetic evaluation and the use
of estimated breeding value’s
(EBV) is common in the beef
industry. This allows farmers to
produce cattle destined for
specific markets.

29. Cattle fact:
•Cows have microbial
populations living in their
stomach that aid in the
digestion of food.

30. As you can see,
Its not all hard
work!

31. Social Implications
 Communication is essential and is an integral
part of my course.
 To be able to talk to producers about their product
aids in identifying potential areas of
improvement and is an efficient means of
identifying problems.
 Communication tutorials have given me the skills
to be able to consult with members of the
community.

32. And a little ‘socialising’ is
always fun, to practice the
skills learnt of course! We even dress like
animals............. ‘J’ is
for Jellyfish!

33. Environmental Implications
 AHEMS has taught me the importance of utilising and
developing sustainable practices as the key for future
success.
 Each of the companies I was fortunate to work with are
continuously working to improve their production system
with respect to the environment.
 This is achieved through continual research, improving
technology, recycling waste and fencing off important parts
of each property.
 Each are an example of how such practices can reduce
costs, minimise impact on the environment and improve
animal welfare.

34. Economic Implications
 The aim of production is to increase profits by optimising the
quality and quantity of the product and decreasing the cost
of production.
 I have learnt how the product can be improved by:
- Upgrading pastures and/or feeding quality concentrate
- Selecting genetically superior livestock for breeding
 I have also learnt how costs can be decreased by:
- Preventing disease and treating illness early
- Refining the production cycle
- Reducing labour cost through efficient system designs
 I have also seen first hand the importance of benchmarking
current performance and setting future goals and objectives.

36. And it’s always
reassuring to
know.....
There is always
someone
looking out to
guide me as I
learn

37. Studying Veterinary Science has given me experiences and has
taught me skills I never thought I’d otherwise have the
opportunity to do.
It has allowed me to meet new people, both at university and on
pracs, who have shown me and broadened my understanding
about the role vets play in livestock production both socially,
environmentally and economically.
I hope that the skills and knowledge I have gained will help me in
the future in advising others about how they can improve their
product.

39. All pictures (excluding slide 3) have been sourced from my
personal collection.
I thank the following properties for the opportunity to
complete my AHEMS with them:
- Huon Aquaculture Company
- Red Lea, Menangle
- Clover Hill Dairies
- Pig Improvement Company
- Lindsay Park Racing
- The Pitson Family

40. PLATINUM GOLD SILVER
BRONZE MEDIA SPONSOR