By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As Kentucky’s farm economy has turned more toward livestock production, the lack of large animal veterinarians in the state has drawn attention from producers and Farm Bureau.

The latter has established a special committee, appointed by Kentucky Farm Bureau President Marshall Coyle, to examine the problem.

“We’re in the position now in many counties of Kentucky, where livestock producers have little or no access to licensed large animal veterinarians,” Coyle said. “We need to find ways to recruit more vet graduates to the farming areas to ensure the highest level of care.

“We are charging our committee to develop recommendations for meaningful incentives to build up the numbers of farm animal vets. We may need significant financial support, including legislative relief, to bring more of these new vet graduates back to Kentucky farms.”

Coyle, a Bath County cattle producer, also said working with large animals poses challenges for veterinarians, but that their role is critical in ensuring that livestock health and food safety concerns are met.

The blue-ribbon panel will be chaired by Farm Bureau Second Vice President John Hendricks of Winchester, who pointed out the primary goal of the group will be to look at strategies that encourage new veterinary school graduates to set up large animal practices in the state.

“We’ve made incredible progress toward sustainable growth in Kentucky’s livestock sector, but the herd health needs of our producers could be a limiting factor in the future,” Hendricks said.

The American Veterinary Medical Association projects the need for food animal vets across the country will grow faster than the supply of practitioners, by up to 5 percent a year for at least the next decade, according to a recent survey. Vet students, school deans and faculty and practicing veterinarians who responded to the survey cited several keys to keep food animal vets in the industry, including new vet school recruiting and admission strategies.

These would offer special incentives, such as reserved class spots and scholarships for students choosing a food animal career track, and financial strategies that channel funding or possibly forgive portions of student loan indebtedness for vet graduates who locate food animal practices in underserved areas.

Dr. Aaron Goodpaster, president of the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA), will serve on the committee that includes active livestock producers, commodity organization leaders and state-level veterinary officials.

“The KVMA wants to bring to the committee information on the shortage of large animal services and identify those areas where the problem exists,” Goodpaster said. “This isn’t just a situation here, but a nationwide problem. Other states have already looked into ways to ease the shortage, and we hope to bring information to the committee based on what those states have done.”

Goodpaster said one way to help is through incentives such as forgivable educational loans for those getting ready to make the transition from college to the workforce. In exchange, those students would fulfill an agreed-upon amount of time to work in areas where large animal vets are needed.

He also said that food-animal practices – in particular, beef and dairy cows, goats, sheep and poultry – are generally where the greater shortages are right now, which could affect food safety if the situation continues.

“If this problem doesn’t change, it will get harder and harder for producers to obtain vet services. That could create the potential for a health risk,” he said. “If we’re going to solve this issue and get more vets into large animal practices in these underserved areas, there has to be an incentive to bring them there, and we have to be able to keep the ones that are already there.”

Goodpaster noted there has been some movement on the part of the federal government to provide assistance through proposed workforce grants for veterinarian colleges, to help encourage students to enter into large animal medicine.

The shortage, he said, is not only prevalent in frontline veterinarian practices but federal regulatory agencies that help monitor and inspect food animals, as well.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook for large-animal veterinarians is “likely to grow more slowly than that for veterinarians in private practice who care for companion animals. Nevertheless, job prospects may be better for veterinarians who specialize in farm animals than for companion-animal practitioners because of low earnings in the former specialty, and because many veterinarians do not want to work in rural or isolated areas.”

BLS estimates run in 10-year intervals, with current figures covering 2004-14.

While there has been no timetable established for a report by the committee, Coyle said the group will not waste time in working to help resolve the problem.

“There are good folks on the committee and we will not drag our feet on this,” he said. “I feel comfortable they will come up with something as soon as possible. This is a problem we have to address, and we will address. The livestock industry is expanding in this state, and we need trained vets to help ensure the health of the animals and food safety.”

This farm news was published in the May 16, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.