Ngowama-2018, iYunivesithi yaseTexas Tech yaseka iKholeji yeUgqirha wezilwanyanaAmayeza okunceda uluntu lwasemaphandleni nolwengingqi eTexas naseNew Mexico ngeenkonzo zonyango lwezilwanyana ezingafumani nkonzo ingako.
Ngale Cawa, abafundi abangama-61 bonyaka wokuqala baza kufumana izidanga zokuqala zobuGqirha kwiNyango yeZilwanyana ezikhe zanikwa yiTexas Tech University, kwaye ama-95 ekhulwini abo aza kuqhubeka nokugqiba izifundo zabo ukuze azalise loo mfuno. Enyanisweni, phantse isiqingatha sabaphumeleleyo baye basebenza ngokuzalisa ukunqongophala kwezonyango lwezilwanyana entshona ye-Interstate 35.
“Kubaluleke kakhulu ukuba aba bafundi basebenze kwindawo apho kukho imfuneko yexesha elide yamayeza ezilwanyana,” utshilo uGqr. Britt Conklin, isekela-dean kwiinkqubo zeklinikhi. “Oko kuyanelisa ngaphezu kwabafundi abavelisa ngobuninzi kumgca wokuhlanganisa. Sibeka aba baphumeleleyo kwiindawo apho bafuneka khona.”
UConklin ukhokele iqela lokuphuhlisa unyaka wezonyango owahlukileyo kwisibhedlele sokufundisa esiqhelekileyo esisetyenziswa zezinye izikolo zezilwanyana. Ukususela ngoMeyi 2024, abafundi baza kugqiba uqeqesho lweeveki ezine ezili-10 phakathi kwamaqabane oqeqesho angaphezu kwe-125 kulo lonke elaseTexas naseNew Mexico.
Ngenxa yoko, phantse ama-70% abafundi abaphumeleleyo baqeshwa ngamaqabane abo okusebenza kwaye baxoxisana ngomvuzo ophezulu ngosuku lwabo lokuqala lomsebenzi.
“Baza kongeza ixabiso ngokukhawuleza, ngoko ke ndonwabile kakhulu ukubona ukuba baphathwa kakuhle kakhulu kwinkqubo yokuqesha nokunyuselwa,” utshilo uConklin. “Izakhono zonxibelelwano kunye nobungcali zabo bonke abafundi zidlule kakhulu kulindelo. Amaqabane ethu oqeqesho ayefuna iintlobo ezahlukeneyo zeemveliso, kwaye yiloo nto kanye esiyinikezelayo - ngakumbi kwiindawo zasemaphandleni nezengingqi. Impendulo yabo ibinomdla kakhulu, kwaye banethemba lokubona ezinye iimveliso ezifana nale njengoko siqhubeka siqhubela phambili.”
U-Elizabeth Peterson uza kusebenza kwiKliniki yeZilwanyana yaseHereford, awayichaza njengendawo “efanelekileyo” kwabo bafuna ukusebenza kwizonyango zezilwanyana zasefama.
“Injongo yam njengogqirha wezilwanyana kukubonisa onke amacandelo oshishino indlela esinokusebenzisana ngayo kuba sonke sinenjongo enye,” utshilo. “KwiTexas Panhandle, umhlambi weenkomo ungaphezulu kwenani labantu, kwaye ndinethemba lokusebenzisa amava am angaphambili kwishishini lokupakisha inyama yenkomo ukunceda ukuvala umsantsa phakathi koogqirha bezilwanyana, abathengisi beenkomo kunye nabanini beendawo zokutya njengoko ndichitha ixesha elingakumbi apha.”
UPeterson uceba ukubandakanyeka kuphando kangangoko kunokwenzeka kwaye asebenzisane neTexas Livestock Feeders Association kunye neAnimal Health Commission. Uza kusebenza njengomcebisi kubafundi bezilwanyana kunye neqabane lomsebenzi.
Ungomnye wabafundi abaninzi abakunyaka wesine abanethuba lokusebenzisa iZiko loBugcisa bokufundisa leSibhedlele seZilwanyana saseHereford. Eli ziko lenzelwe ukubonelela abafundi bezilwanyana abakunyaka wesine ngemizekelo yokwenyani yezilwanyana ezityiwayo ngelixa besajongwa ngabafundisi. Ithuba lokufundisa abafundi abanjengoGqr. Peterson liza kuba ngamava avuzayo kuye.
“Into yokuba iTexas Tech yayibeka phambili abafundi ababeza kubuyisela kuluntu yayinkulu kakhulu,” utshilo. “Bakhethe abafundi abafana nam ababezimisele kwiinjongo zabo nakwizibophelelo zabo.”
UDylan Bostic uza kuba ngumncedisi wezilwanyana kwiBeard Navasota Veterinary Hospital eNavasota, eTexas, kwaye uza kuqhuba indawo yonyango lwezilwanyana oluxutyiweyo. Isiqingatha sezigulane zakhe yayiziinja neekati, kwaye esinye isiqingatha yayiziinkomo, iigusha, iibhokhwe kunye neehagu.
“Kukho ukunqongophala koogqirha bezilwanyana kwiindawo zasemaphandleni nakwiindawo ezisemantla eHouston abanokuphatha izilwanyana zasefama,” utshilo. “EBeard Navasota, siphuma rhoqo siye kwiifama kangangeyure enesiqingatha ukuya kubonelela ngonyango lwezilwanyana kwimfuyo kuba akukho gqirha bezilwanyana kufutshane abagxile kwezo ntlobo zezilwanyana. Ndinethemba lokuqhubeka nokuxhasa ezi ndawo.”
Ngexesha lomsebenzi wakhe weklinikhi kwiSibhedlele iBeard Navasota, uBostic wafumanisa ukuba umsebenzi wakhe owuthandayo yayikukuhamba kwiifama ukuze ancede iinkomo. Akapheleli nje ekwakheni unxibelelwano kuluntu, kodwa ukwanceda abafuyi ukuba babe ngabacingi abanobuchule nabanobuchule.
“Ukukhulisa iinkomo, nokuba yindawo yokutya, ukujonga imvelaphi yazo, okanye utyando lweenkomo, asingomsebenzi umhle kakhulu,” watsho ehleka. “Nangona kunjalo, ngumsebenzi onomvuzo kakhulu okunika ithuba lokuba yinxalenye yeshishini apho unokwakha khona ubudlelwane kunye nobuhlobo obuya kuhlala ubomi bakho bonke.”
Ukuze azalisekise iphupha lakhe lobuntwana, uVal Trevino wafumana umsebenzi kwiBorgfield Animal Hospital, ikliniki encinci yezilwanyana eSan Antonio. Ngexesha lonyaka wakhe wokusebenza kwezonyango, wafumana amava amaninzi awabeka isiseko sokunyamekela kwakhe izilwanyana zasekhaya kwixesha elizayo kwanezilwanyana ezinqabileyo.
“EGonzales, eTexas, ndinceda ekulawuleni inani leekati ezilahlekileyo ngokuzihluza nokuzisusa emqolo ndize ndizikhulule ziye kwiindawo zazo zasekuhlaleni,” utshilo. “Ngoko ke loo nto ibe ngamava amnandi kakhulu.”
Ngethuba eseGonzales, uTrevino wayekhuthele kuluntu, esiya kwiintlanganiso zeLions Club nakwezinye iziganeko. Oku kwamnika ithuba lokubona ngokwakhe impembelelo awayenethemba lokuyenza emva kokugqiba izifundo zakhe.
“Naphi na apho siya khona noogqirha bezilwanyana, umntu uza kuthi aze asibalisele amabali ngezilwanyana abazincedileyo kunye nendima ebalulekileyo abayidlalayo kuluntu — kungekuphela nje kunyango lwezilwanyana, kodwa nakwezinye iindawo ezininzi,” utshilo. “Ngoko ke ndinethemba lokuba ndiza kuba yinxalenye yaloo nto ngenye imini.”
UPatrick Guerrero uza kwandisa ulwazi lwakhe kunye nezakhono zakhe zehashe ngokusebenzisa uqeqesho olujikelezayo lonyaka wonke eSignature Equine eStephenville, eTexas. Emva koko uceba ukubuyisela amava kwidolophu yakowabo yaseCanutillo, eTexas, aze avule ikliniki ehambayo.
“Ngelixa ndandikwisikolo sezilwanyana, ndaba nomdla kakhulu kunyango lweenqwelo-mafutha, ingakumbi unyango lwezemidlalo/ulawulo lokukhubazeka,” ucacisa. “Ndaba ngumqhubi wenqanawa osebenza kummandla waseAmarillo kwaye ndaqhubeka nokuphuhlisa izakhono zam ngokuthatha uqeqesho oluninzi lwezilwanyana ngexesha lam lokuphumla ngexesha lasehlotyeni phakathi kweesemesters.”
UGuerrero ukhumbula ukuba xa wayesengumntwana, ugqirha wezilwanyana ezikhulu okufutshane wayekwiLas Cruces, eNew Mexico, malunga nemizuzu engama-40 ukusuka apho. Ubandakanyeka kwinkqubo yeenkunzi zorhwebo zeFuture Farmers of America (FFA) kwaye wathi izilwanyana ezinkulu zinobunzima bokufika kugqirha wezilwanyana, kwaye akukho ndawo zokuthutha ezimiselweyo zokukhulula iinkomo okanye amahashe.
“Ndathi ndakuyiqonda loo nto, ndacinga, ‘Uluntu lwam lufuna uncedo ngale nto, ngoko ke ukuba ndingaya kwisikolo sezonyango lwezilwanyana, ndingathatha oko ndikufundileyo ndize ndikubuyisele kuluntu lwam nakubantu balapho,’” ukhumbula. “Loo nto yaba yinjongo yam yokuqala, kwaye ngoku ndisondele ekuyifezekiseni.”
Cofa apha ukuze ufunde okungakumbi ngabafundi abangama-61 abaza kufumana izidanga zabo ze-DVM kwiYunivesithi yaseTexas Tech, isithathu sabo ngabafundi besizukulwana sokuqala.
Baza kwenza imbali njengabaphumelele okokuqala kwisikolo sesibini sezilwanyana saseTexas, esasekwa kwiminyaka engaphezu kwekhulu eyadlulayo kwaye singenye yeenkqubo ezingama-35 zonyango lwezilwanyana eMelika.
Umsitho wokugqiba izifundo uza kubanjwa ngeCawa, umhla we-18 kuCanzibe, ngentsimbi ye-11:30 kusasa kwiGumbi leNkomfa le-Amarillo Civic Center. Abahlobo kunye nosapho baza kube bekho ukuza kumamela izithethi ezimenyiweyo, kuquka uDean Guy Loneragan weKholeji yezonyango lwezilwanyana, uMongameli weYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji yaseTexas uLawrence Schovanec, iNgqonyela yeNkqubo yeYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji yaseTexas uTedd L. Mitchell, uMongameli weNkqubo yeYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji yaseTexas oGqibeleleyo uRobert Duncan, kunye neRhuluneli yaseTexas uGreg Abbott. Abanye abenzi bomthetho bakarhulumente nabo baza kube bekho.
“Sonke silindele umsitho wokuqala wokugqiba izifundo,” utshilo uConklin. “Kuza kuba sisiphelo sokuphinda sikwenze kwakhona, size emva koko sizame kwakhona.”
Ixesha leposi: Meyi-26-2025