Gift from WSU donors keeps regional veterinary ranching program alive

Kelly Kreps has spent decades raising cattle on his family's ranch in White Salmon, Washington, and thanks to a partnership with Washington State University, it has also become a training ground for the next generation of veterinarians committed to supporting ranching communities.

Since 2012, Kreps' ranch has hosted third- and fourth-year veterinary students in WSU's agricultural animal production and theriogenology program, which was spearheaded by veterinarian and bovine specialist Dr. Ramanathan Kasimanickam. Through the program, veterinary students make onsite visits to livestock operations across the Northwest, where they assist ranchers with herd health management, reproductive efficiency, vaccination protocols, disease prevention, and overall herd productivity.

Having seen firsthand how the program supports both students and ranchers, Kreps didn't hesitate to step in when the truck and veterinary equipment it relied upon were totaled in an automobile accident a year ago. He and his family covered the shortfall left by insurance and contributed another $17,500 to ensure the program could continue.

"This program is not only helping to train students and improve productivity at ranches, but it is also helping to get more veterinarians interested in working with large animals, especially in the cattle industry," Kreps said. "To be honest, we're pretty short on veterinarians in that area, which is one of the reasons we are committed to maintaining and keeping this program going."

Known affectionately as Dr. Ram by friends, students, and colleagues, Kasimanickam launched the program with just five participating ranches. The hands-on teaching program has since grown to include more than 30 operations across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. The experience offers invaluable, real-world training that cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom.

"We're not just going out to do the work," Kasimanickam said. "Students gather data, assess production performance, find any deficiencies, write reports and offer recommendations. It's a great learning experience for them, and it's valuable information for the producers."

Many of the participating producers are in remote areas with limited access to veterinary services, and WSU students help fill that gap while also gaining critical experience.

"I feel like it's almost essential if you want to go into that field to get an experience like this, otherwise, you're not really prepared when you graduate," said Lainee Colombik, a fourth-year veterinary student who plans to join a rural mixed-animal practice in eastern Montana after graduation. "These producers recognize they're giving back to the agricultural profession by helping prepare veterinarians. By investing in us, they're also investing in the agricultural industry."

Kreps, a fifth-generation Washington rancher whose family has been ranching in Washington since 1883, has been an advocate for the program since his ranch joined in 2012.

"Dr. Ram showed up and started talking to my brother Keith about artificial insemination," Kreps said. "We are now seeing better efficiency in our operations. It's made us better producers - flat out."

Beyond improving ranch operations, Kreps values the program's role in training the next generation of large animal veterinarians.

"Ram is helping us out, and we're helping the students. And in the long run, we're helping the cattle industry by training future large animal veterinarians," Kreps said.

Kreps' mother, Patricia Kreps Wyers, and aunt, Olga Jane Hecomovich, also donated funding in 2022 for the program's first truck and a veterinary box stocked with medicine and equipment with the goal of providing students with a dedicated field vehicle that would allow them to respond quickly and effectively to on-site emergencies and veterinary needs.

The truck logged more than 65,000 miles across the Northwest before it was totaled in April 2024 during a trip to a ranch in Twisp, Washington. When insurance fell short of covering the replacement costs, Kreps and his aunt were quick to offer help.

"What Dr. Ram is doing is a huge service, not just for the students, but for the producers, too," Kreps said. "He's an invaluable part of our community and we are happy to be able to contribute to his program."