Local veterinarian honoured for cattle contributions

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on January 31, 2025.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Steve Hendrick was recently honoured with the 2025 Veterinarian of the Year Award for his significant contribution to bovine veterinary medicine and the cattle industry by a western Canada association of bovine practitioners.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge veterinarian Steve Hendrick has been honoured by his peers from across Western Canada with a special award.

Hendrick was recently named winner of the 2025 Veterinarian of the Year Award for his significant contribution to bovine veterinary medicine and the cattle industry – notably in the areas of clinical practice, research and mentoring future generations of bovine practitioners, says the Boerhinger Ingelheim Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners.

The award recognizes a veterinarian “for being a leader in advancing bovine health, and for demonstrating a strong commitment to veterinary practice, the cattle industry and the veterinary profession, specifically in western Canada.”

The award was presented to Hendrick, a consulting veterinarian and epidemiologist at Telus Agriculture located in the Broxburn industrial park, in Saskatoon in mid-January.

At Telus Agriculture, Hendrick focuses on medicine involving feedlot, cow-calf and dairy operations.

Before entering private practice the doctor was an associate professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Services at the Services at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. The college operates within the University of Saskatchewan.

According to the association, Hendrick “has spearheaded new practice development programs into nutrition services, data analytics and a greenhouse gas initiative. He was instrumental in the development of herd health and management programs in all three clinical service sectors: feedlot, dairy and cow-calf.

“Dr. Hendrick is an exemplary leader, generously shares his profound knowledge and clinical experience with colleagues, students and veterinarians in cattle practice across western Canada.”

with colleagues, students and veterinarians in cattle practice across Western Canada.”

In a phone interview this week, Hendrick said he was surprised and honoured to have been nominated and be given the award.

“Each year they ask for people to put forward nominations and they have a committee that goes through and scrutinizes the nominations and comes up with a decision on who they award it to,” he said of the association.

“I have to admit I wasn’t quite expecting that. It’s nice to get recognized,” said Hendrick.

He was nominated by a colleague, said Hendrick who has lived in the Lethbridge area for about a decade.

He graduated as a veterinarian from the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph and did graduate studies then worked his way to academics in Saskatoon.

He spent nine years in Saskatoon teaching and doing veterinarian work as well as research.

“You get a lot of opportunity to interact with a lot of different veterinarians from across western Canada that way, whether you’re helping them deal with tough cases and such. And some of the research that I did was always very applied so I think appreciated by some of the practitioners or clinical vets out in practice.”

While teaching and mentoring, he also interacted a lot of veterinarians who are out practising so “all those things combined were some of the things they highlighted,” added Hendrick.