Career Spotlight – Dr. Steph Warwick Livestock Production Advisor

1. What is your current role, and what does a typical day or week look like for you?

I currently work part time in a livestock consultancy role as part of Elders livestock production team. This means providing health, nutritional and management advice to farmers over quite a wide geographical area. 

2. How did you find your way into this role — was it a goal from the start or something you discovered along the way?

After working in mixed practice I wanted to spend more time working on livestock at a herd health level. I also wanted a better work life balance. I did extra nutrition study and found my way into this atypical vet role. 

3. What is the highlight of your job that keeps you passionate and excited to get out of bed?

Working with farmers to make real research-based decisions that improve animal welfare, production and their bottom line, as well as the sustainability of the ag industry as a whole. Being out in fresh air on farm is pretty good too. 

4. What were the key steps, opportunities, qualifications, or experiences that helped you get where you are today?

Mixed practice, with leadership experience

CVE Ruminant Nutrition course 

Decades of developing relationships across the agricultural industry 

“Your qualifications alone are highly valued and respected by (most of) society. If you are unhappy in a role there is a lot of ways you to can use your degree, including some less typical roles like mine!“

Dr Steph Warwick

5. What was the biggest challenge in getting into this field, or what is something you wish you had known about earlier?

Creating a financially sound business can be a challenge for a consultant, when largely charging for advice. Working for Elders alleviates this for me. You also need real world experience before you can expect clients to listen!

6. What does someone interested in this career need to know before they pursue it?

It doesn’t happen overnight, and isn’t a clear cut pathway out of university. Start with getting good clinical large animal experience and pair it with continued education or research opportunities, and build those industry contacts.

7. Who do you work most closely with, and why is that collaboration important to your role?

The rest of my team (who are animal scientists, rather than vets), industry, technical and research veterinarians as well. It’s critical to keep learning, generate discussion and highlights focus areas the industry needs to work on

8. What’s something about your job that would surprise other vets and nurses?

I don’t dispense drugs! I provide advice, perform diagnostics, develop rations but do not work out of a ‘clinic’ as such.

9. What’s the coolest, strangest, or most memorable experience you’ve had in this role?

Having a wide geographical reach and relationships with Elders client bases I get to see a lot of disease issues before a typical clinic. So I see lots of interesting things, the photo library on my phone is testament to that!

10. What’s your number one piece of advice for a vet or nurse?

Your qualifications alone are highly valued and respected by (most of) society. If you are unhappy in a role there is a lot of ways you to can use your degree, including some less typical roles like mine!