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This is a book about the forty-four years my father has spent as a veterinarian. The book begins with his life growing up on a Nebraska farm and describes how he decided to become a veterinarian. I detail some of the most memorable times in his life, such as serving as a veterinarian in the Air Force and starting out in private practice. Readers will be introduced to some of the characters he has met along the way -- both human and animal -- and to controversies in the ever-changing world of veterinary medicine.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This thesis describes a number of experiments undertaken to assess the nutritional requirements of pregnant and lactating fallow does with the aim of enhancing production and Quality Assurance in the Australian Deer Industry.Areas of study include determination of metabolisable energy intake of farmed fallow deer does of two genotypes throughout pregnancy and lactation, metabolisable energy intake of fallow deer fawns from 12 to 20 weeks of age and the effects of restricted maternal nutrition on foetal and placental development at different stages of gestation.In conjunction with nutritional adequacy, a body condition scoring system based on ante-mortem and post-mortem descriptors was developed for fallow deer. The results of this research make possible the precise strategic feeding of fallow deer breeding stock, which should lead to more consistent reproductive performance and higher quality slaughter animals. Furthermore, use of strategic feeding in conjunction with BCS systems will lead to better resource management and profitability, as farmers consistently produce animals to specification / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This research contributes to the discussion surrounding New Zealand’s entrepreneurial environment and Innovation Framework and addresses the research problem of whether the New Zealand government should seek to support entrepreneurship and innovation through the various knowledge-based or regulatory organisations it owns or funds, and if so, how it should go about accomplishing this. The approach taken was to use qualitative methods to examine how the government’s support for entrepreneurship and innovation was delivered to an emerging cluster of entrepreneurs from the point of view of those entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs were involved in the innovative industry of land-based aquaculture and fieldwork was carried out in the Gisborne Region, on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. This study began by reviewing relevant literature from academic, industry and government sources to identify relevant sub-themes and create a framework for analysis. Fieldwork was undertaken using ethnographic methods to explore how the entrepreneurs experienced the New Zealand entrepreneurial environment and innovation framework in their interactions with knowledge-based and regulatory organisations. Data was gathered primarily by participant observation and semi-structured interviews and transcripts were coded and analysed using NVivo® software. An ethnographic narrative was produced and the interview transcripts analysed for relevance to the sub-themes from literature and to identify patterns that emerged from the data. This research reports that four of the entrepreneurs failed in their ventures due to a combination of factors both within their operations and within the entrepreneurial environment. These factors included technical difficulties maintaining livestock health and growth within an artificial marine environment, an inability to obtain assistance from knowledge-based organisations, problems in dealing with regulatory organisations, difficulty retaining trained staff, uncertainty about the market, and high energy costs. The Māori training organisation, Turanga Ararau, formed the Gisborne Aquaculture Society in an effort to establish a Gisborne aquaculture cluster however, this initiative proved unsuccessful primarily because the society failed to attract the 12 involvement of key stakeholders. This research contributes to the policy and practice of cluster facilitation by examining the extent to which best practice was followed in this attempt to establish a cluster and presents conclusions as to how the process of establishing the cluster could have been improved. This study also reports that the entrepreneurs were cut off from access to knowledge and research resources and received little advice or support from the knowledge based organisations that might have played a role in the development of their cluster. It examines how and why New Zealand’s Innovation Framework might be failing to recognise and support the vital role of entrepreneurs in economic development and suggests how this might be improved. The methodology chapters of this thesis contribute to literature regarding the use of ethnographic methods in entrepreneurship research and a further by-product of this thesis is an ethnographic account of the participant observation and semi structured interviews with the entrepreneurs. This research also provides an insight into the obstacles and challenges faced by entrepreneurs in New Zealand, in particular those involved in the emerging recirculating aquaculture industry.

My thesis document is contextualised as a three year study of my practice as a facilitator of experiential learning with pastoralist farmers in my role as an agricultural extension officer. In the study I used an action research methodology to provide change and understanding in situations in which it was too difficult to control variables. In my use of the methodology, action provided change and research provided understanding. The action research methodology also provided rigour through the spiral of its cyclic process. Within the agricultural extension context, my learning outcomes about my role in working participatively and collaboratively with pastoralists, prompted significant change in my practice of facilitation. The change enabled us as an experiential learning group facilitated by an agricultural extension officer, to provide for pastoralist participants to increasingly direct their own learning. From reflection on the project observations that led to my working more collaboratively and participatively, I theorise that improved facilitation practice can derive from personal and collaborative reflection as a part of action researching. My reflection, during the process of thesis writing allowed me to use action science to demonstrate that my improved facilitiation practice came about from enhanced congruency of theories of action of participation and collaboration. Personally, I developed a more congruent practice of participation and collaboration through action researching my practice of facilitating experiential learning with pastoralists, and by reflecting on the emergent outcomes for me as the facilitator. This thesis concludes with my consideration of whether or not my specific learning outcomes may provide a foundation for some cautious expansion of the emergent outcomes of the action research such that they may be of interest to others in extension. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The purpose of this study was to identify a new group of customers of agricultural machinery manufacturers and these customers’ needs and suggestions. The study also sought to offer suggestions to the John Deere Company for dealership education and development programs for John Deere dealerships. The following objectives were used to guide the study: 1) To describe demographics of “large property owners,” 2) To describe “large property owners’” needs and wants for the farm equipment dealership, and 3) To generate suggestions for dealership development to suit the needs of “large property owners.” The need for the study was identified by the John Deere Company to learn more about a new growing market and to prepare the dealerships for adoption of the change. The sampling frame consisted of “large property owners” whose names were randomly selected from county tax rolls of six selected counties in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area. A mailed instrument was sent to a sample of 1,000 potential participants. Respondents totaled 205, with 174 instruments usable as they were complete or nearly complete. The study revealed important facts about “large property owners,” which were considered while creating a list of recommendations for the John Deere Company. Before “large property owners’” needs could be examined, the John Deere dealerships had to be considered. Two kinds of dealerships can present agricultural equipment of different powers at two different locations: agricultural equipment dealerships and Commercial and Consumer Equipment (C&CE) dealerships. Presenting equipment in two different locations may not suit small farmers’ needs or their desire for convenience. “Large property owners’” needs in a wider range of equipment at one dealership location, more convenient locations, and other characteristics were examined.

Thesis (MScAgric)--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- Lincoln University, 2009. / Also available via the World Wide Web.

Inaug.-diss.--Halle-Wittenberg. / Lebenslauf. "Literatur-verzeichnis": p. [62].