This study focused on assessing the language needs of English-speaking animal professionals in their interactions with Hispanic/Spanish-speaking animal caretakers. A survey was administered to a target audience of non-Spanish speaking and bilingual animal professionals to identify communication gaps while interacting with Hispanic/Spanish-speaking animal caretakers. The data was analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics, including ordinal regression analyses to examine the impact of demographic variables on respondents’ answer choices. The results showed that English-speaking professionals struggled with written and oral communication, which differed compared to bilingual professionals (p < 0.05). Additionally, responses of female professionals varied regarding the aspects of Spanish necessary for interacting with Hispanic/Spanish-speaking animal caretakers, as well as the topics likely to be addressed when agriculture professionals communicate with animal caretakers (p < 0.05). Communication difficulties in the oral medium for both oral receptive skills (listening) and oral productive skills (speaking) were reported as the major barriers that animal professionals need to overcome in their attempt to communicate with the Hispanic/Spanish-speaking workforce in farm settings. This emphasizes the need to address oral communication barriers, and to a lesser degree, the development of reading and writing skills. The topics: typical clinical signs of illness, euthanasia, treatment—drugs, and identification of sick or injured animals were identified as the most likely to be addressed during on-farm interactions. These findings indicate that there are gaps in communication that need to be overcome to improve communication with on-farm Hispanic/Spanish-speaking animal caretakers and consequently contribute to enhancing animal health, welfare, and production.

This study addresses the integration of Spanish for Specific Purposes in Agriculture (SSPA) into the curricula of English-speaking veterinary and animal sciences students at three collaborating universities (Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, and Tarleton State University), to bridge communication gaps in agricultural settings. We designed and implemented three SSPA courses focused on key areas such as animal health, welfare, and food safety, using insights from industry professionals. The courses incorporated contextualized language instruction, including vocabulary, grammar, and practical communication scenarios relevant to the field. Teaching materials including interactive resources and metacognitive strategies were developed to enhance learning and engagement. The results showed that while the courses improved students’ communication skills, challenges such as technical issues and balancing academic commitments required adjustments to course delivery. Significant differences in performance were observed between institutions, with a considerable impact on the course completion rates and final test scores. The study concludes that SSPA courses significantly enhance the ability of veterinary and animal sciences students to effectively communicate with the Hispanic workforce, providing a model for similar language integration efforts in specialized fields.

This study evaluates the impact that Spanish for Specific Purposes in Agriculture (SSPA) courses taken by animal science and veterinary medicine students have on animal welfare knowledge among Spanish-speaking livestock workers in Texas. The paper describes an internship experience in which animal science and veterinary students delivered animal welfare presentations in Spanish to Spanish-speaking livestock workers while gaining practical skills with a particular animal species. Guided by a One Welfare and Intercultural Communicative Competence framework and comparing survey data collected before and after the student’s intervention, this investigation aimed to identify workers’ improvements in understanding animal welfare issues, assess the effectiveness of communication efforts in the Spanish language, and understand livestock workers’ attitudes towards the welfare training program. The results were examined using a mixed-method approach, integrating quantitative assessments of knowledge with qualitative insights into farmworkers’ perceptions, showing that Spanish competence developed by students through the SSPA curriculum had a positive impact on the self-perceived knowledge of animal welfare practices among Spanish-speaking livestock workers. The most impacted animal welfare areas were acts of abuse and transport.

Background/Objectives: Environmental enrichment (EE) devices are required in various countries and markets to promote animal welfare, with dual-purpose devices more likely to encourage adoption. We developed an EE device that allows pigs to self-administer liquids, designed to align with natural and play behaviors, and utilized a maternal pheromone (MP) to attract pigs to the device. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of this device in delivering vaccines for Erysipelas, Ileitis, Mycoplasma, and Influenza to growing pigs. Methods: Pigs were assigned to three treatments groups: Control (unvaccinated), Hand-Vaccinated (via oral gavage or intramuscular injection), and Self-Vaccinated using the EE device. Baseline samples were collected to determine initial antibody status, and serum and oral fluids’ IgG and IgA levels were measured post-vaccination to assess immune response. Four studies were conducted with 36 pigs (12 per treatment) over a 49-day period. Results: Self-vaccination pigs receiving the avirulent live Erysipelas vaccine developed oral and serum antibodies comparable to Hand-Vaccinated pigs. Pigs self-administering the avirulent live Lawsonia intracelluaris vaccine developed oral fluid antibodies. In contrast, pigs who received Mycoplasma or Influenza vaccines through self-vaccination exhibited significantly lower antibody levels compared to the Hand-Vaccinated group. Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that self-vaccination using EE devices for the oral administration of avirulent live vaccines offers benefits such as reduced labor and improved animal welfare. However, killed vaccines did not elicit sufficient antibody responses, suggesting the need for modified vaccine formulations or administration strategies to improve self-vaccination efficacy.