The SRUC Podcast

Guests:Michael O’Keeffe – Global Intern Manager for Ohio State University’s International Turfgrass Intern ProgramDavid McGregor – Director Of Grounds at Westwood Country ClubSummary: We reach out across the pond to the USA to discuss Mike and David’s passion for the golf industry, the incredible careers that can be found within the game of golf, and the need to raise more awareness of the joys of our ‘hidden industry’. We also explore the importance of relationships in business, the level of recognition golf industry professionals receive abroad, and why we scheduled a podcast recording during the Masters! Join us for an entertaining chat with two highly regarded ambassadors of the golf industry who have made the USA their home.

Guest:Darren McLaughlin – Golf Courses Manager at Trump Turnberry Golf ResortSummary:We cover a range of compelling topics with Darren including his experience working around the world, the benefits and opportunities that R&A scholarships bring, and how data is driving his approach to golf course management. We also talk about what gets the younger generation of greenkeepers excited about their jobs, Darren’s love for working in the industry, and the Florida Keys most famous libation. Join us for a far-ranging chat with a highly experienced and qualified industry professional looking after one of Scotland’s most well-known golf courses.

Guests:Kerr Rowan – Course Manager at Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf ClubDavid Addison – General Manager at Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club, PGA Fellow ManagerSummary:We touch base with Kerr and David about career journeys in the golf industry, the opportunities to see the world that working in the industry offers, and their love for their golf club. We also explore how organisational development has transformed their golf club into a synced-up operation that values employees and collaboration as much as growing the business. Join us for a lively chat with two forward thinking professionals who are ‘nudging’ their big-name neighbours in Troon, Ayrshire.Links From The Podcast: Kilmarnock Barassie Golf Club

We check in with South Africa to talk with Andrew about how he fell in love in with golf, his journey from a professional tour player to creating and leading the African turf academy, and his thoughts on organisational sustainability. The discussion also highlights the amazing golf course conditions in South Africa, some of the current crop of professional players from that part of the world, and of course the amazing wineries in the region. Join us for an entertaining chat with a leading golf industry stakeholder growing the game in South Africa.Links From The Podcast: African Turf Academy McKenna Performance Golf Academy 'The Infinite Game' Book by Simon Sinek

We speak with Simon Olver, Golf Course Manager at Ganton Golf Club, about his passion for the game of golf, his career journey in the industry, and the experience of becoming a head greenkeeper at a very young age. We also dive into the topics of environmental stewardship at his golf course, efforts towards sustainability, and the rich history of Ganton Golf Club. Join us for a fascinating chat with a top industry professional plying his trade in North Yorkshire.Links From The Podcast: Ganton Golf Club Simon's Recent Article 'Golf Course Project Management' In Northern Golfer Magazine

To mark world veterinary day, this episode is dedicated to celebrating the wonderful veterinary professionals who strive to make a difference, with a particular focus on a very special milestone: the esteemed Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons—or RCVS Fellowship. To help us dive a little deeper and truly appreciate what it means to be a RCVS Fellow, we are very honoured to have former RCVS president Dr Kate Richards here with us. Not only is Dr Richards a Fellow of the RCVS herself, but she is also an honorary Fellow of SRUC.Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

This ‘On the Hoof’ Podcast for vets in practice focuses on three livestock parasites, liver fluke, rumen fluke and Haemonchus. Alison Braddock speaks to special guest Philip Skuce who is a Principal Scientist in Parasitology at the Moredun Research Institute. Philip discusses the important issue of wormer resistance and the mantra ‘test don’t guess’ and discusses the increasing interest around veterinary medicines and the environment. Useful links for listeners include SCOPS | Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep and Promoting Sustainable Control of Cattle Parasites - COWS - Promoting Sustainable Control of Cattle Parasites.Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

In this podcast Alison Braddock, Marketing and Business Development Manager speaks to Colin Mason, VIO and Centre Manager, Dumfries, about Schmallenberg virus (SBV). Colin explains about what the Scottish Surveillance system has picked up and what we need to be aware of as we look at calving and lambing in 2025. The virus, which is spread by biting midges, is not a notifiable disease but there has been concern about the impact of this disease across the country. The podcast covers vaccination, diagnosis, and clinical signs. Further details are available in our blogs Veterinary surveillance blogs | SRUCDisclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

This latest On the Hoof episode for vets in practice addresses the issue of bovine respiratory disease. Alison Braddock, Marketing and Business Development Manager speaks to Colin Mason our well known contributor and Centre Manager in Dumfries who gives an update on this multifactorial disease. Further details on sampling are available on our website www.sruc.ac.uk/vets please also visit our Disease Surveillance Blogs Veterinary surveillance blogs | SRUC and tests available SRUC Veterinary Diagnostics | Farm animal diagnostics test and price list.Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

What does embedding sustainability in veterinary practice actually look like? In this episode, we're delighted to have Hayley Potter, Senior Practice Director at the Old Golf House Veterinary Practice along side Adam Masri, Veterinary Lecturer at SRUC to help find out! Earlier this year the Old Golf House Veterinary Practice won the RCVS sustainability award. This first opinion small animal surgery, which serves over ten thousand clients, achieved an ‘outstanding’ ranking in the RCVS’s new environmental accreditation. We hope that Hayley's valuable advice will be instrumental in inspiring us all to make the positive changes needed! Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

In this episode Alison Braddock, SRUC Veterinary Services asks Mike Coffey about the application of genomic selection in livestock in the UK. Mike is an SRUC colleague and well known in the world of genomics, he is Professor in Livestock Informatics and Head of Edinburgh Genetics Evaluation Services (EGENES).Genomic selection is now widespread in UK dairy and is gaining momentum in beef and sheep. It has led to large benefits for dairy and has the potential to revolutionise food production systems. Usually, people think of genomic improvement for productivity, but the process can be almost as equally effective for welfare traits, disease traits, society traits such as methane emissions and resource use traits such as feed efficiency. This podcast follows a webinar on the subject which is available at Webinars Bitesize Programme and if you have any further questions about this subject please email alison.braddock@sruc.ac.uk Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

In this ‘On the Hoof’ podcast for vets in practice, Alison Braddock, Marketing and Business Development Manager chats with SAC Consulting’s Mary Young who is a Ruminant Nutritionist with the livestock team.In this second podcast with Mary, she explains about the Ruminant Subscription Service offered to vets and covers the important seasonal topics of forage budgeting, forage sampling and condition scoring.Further information on body condition scoring suckler cows is available on these videos:The Benefits of Cow Condition Scoring - Part 1The Benefits of Cow Condition Scoring - Part 2There is also a useful document on condition scoring here too.Listen to Part I here.Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.  

In this episode we’ll be talking to Vetlife Trustee and chair of the 2024 Vetlife award winning neurodiversity campaign, Dr Kirstie Pickles, about how neurodiversity can impact veterinary students, how educational institutions and charities such as Vetlife can support neurodivergent individuals, and what the future holds for creating a more inclusive veterinary profession. Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

In this On the Hoof episode of the SRUC podcast, Alison Braddock, Marketing and Business Development Manager, talks to Kate Lamont, Senior Researcher and Chair of SRUC’s Social Science and Ethics Committee. This insightful podcast for vets in practice, looks at how to get the best out of client interactions on farm visits to help address livestock health issues. The podcast offers communication strategies and tips and looks at life from a farmer’s perspective! This follows a vet CPD webinar on the same subject available here https://tinyurl.com/28jx9kmeDisclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.

We couldn’t be more excited to share this heart-warming story about an organisation that is changing lives for the better – both furry and human! In this episode of the SRUC Podcast, Lesley Winton, founder and CEO of the Scottish charity Fostering Compassion, highlights their remarkable work. We also speak to veterinary student Thomas Westley, who sadly, had to flee his home in Ukraine because of the war. Thomas tells us how Fostering Compassion has helped support him in achieving his dream of studying veterinary medicine at the University of Central Lancashire and shares his experiences of being a veterinary student studying in a new vet school. Fostering Compassion  is a ground-breaking humane education project, unique in its approach to addressing the links between animal abuse, child abuse, elder abuse and interpersonal violence. By sharing the stories of rescued animals, the charity encourages caring, compassionate and nurturing behaviour in children. Given that we live in a world that can sometimes seem overwhelming, it is these small acts of kindness that can make a big difference in people’s lives. It is reassuring to know that charities like Fostering Compassion are out there making our world that little bit brighter. Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in SRUC and On the Hoof podcasts are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Scotland’s Rural College. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only, not professional advice. The "Scotland’s Rural College" name and all forms and abbreviations (including but not limited to SRUC, and inclusive of SAC Consulting) are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organisation, product, or service.