2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year talks farmer-vet advisory relationships

Katrina Roberts explores the power of trust and communication in farmer-vet relationships, drawing from her leadership journey and rural research.

Waikato herd health veterinarian and farm consultant Katrina Roberts is a hard woman to pin down. On any given day, she’ll be out visiting multiple farms, assisting farmers and staff with all manner of animal healthcare issues.

Katrina is renowned for her expertise and has been instrumental in driving positive change within the dairy sector. Over her career, she has been involved in the redevelopment of numerous DairyNZ programmes aimed at improving farm efficiency and animal welfare standards, including InCalf, FeedRight, and body condition score accreditation.

She is also an active member of her community, volunteering for Cambridge Riding for the Disabled and Matamata Pony Club, sitting on the board of the Walton School Board of Trustees, and coaching netball and hockey. Her enthusiasm and dedication to community and the dairy industry were recognised at last year’s Dairy Women’s Network 2024 Conference when she was named Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.

Katrina has worked closely with many Co-op farmers over the years and has a close relationship with Farm Source’s On-Farm Excellence team, who describe her as a “tireless advocate for farmers, holding our industry to high, evidence- based standards and offering practical solutions that deliver real value on-farm.”

As part of the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year, Katrina received a scholarship to be part of the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme.

“The experience was inspiring. I gained so much knowledge and had some incredible conversations with other rural leaders from across the industry. Phase one of the programme, held at Lincoln University, covered some amazing topics. We started with a broad look at the different rural sectors and then brought it back to us as leaders, looking at who we are and what we can do for the industry. Sharing ideas and learnings across the sector was a key message,” she says.

The next component of the programme saw Katrina research the relationships between dairy farmers and female veterinary advisors in New Zealand, identifying key attributes that lead to flourishing partnerships.

She interviewed a range of dairy farmers, veterinary advisors, and the owners and senior managers of veterinary businesses for her research to understand the positive components of a thriving and flourishing farmer-veterinarian relationship. All agreed that a personal connection was crucial to a successful relationship – one created over time by mutual trust and respect, honoured by open and honest communication between the veterinary advisor and farmer, with a genuine understanding of the farmer and their business by the veterinarian.

“My aim is for farmers and vets to have stronger, more meaningful relationships as I truly believe there is reward for both parties – enjoyment and job satisfaction for vets, and farmers getting the best wrap-around support from their vet with their business. I love my work and the relationships with my farmers, and want others to have the same enjoyment,” she says.

“Relationships have always been important, and with technology being more widely adopted across the rural sector, there is some concern that people will become less important. But I believe people are more important than ever, and building strong relationships with rural professionals who will support farmers in their business and life goals is key to their success.”