State/Territory
Maine
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Strafford and Rockingham Counties, NH
Shortage Location - May Serve
Belknap and Carroll Counties, NH and York County, ME
Location Center
intersection of Main St & Church St, Milton Mills, NH 03852
VSGP Status
Open
VMLRP Status
(Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program)
Open
Priority of shortage
High
Fiscal year
Percent FTE
(Full Time Equivalent, based on a 40hr work week.)
30
Type of Shortage
(Veterinary Practice Area / Discipline / Specialty)
Type II Shortage: Private Practice – Rural Area Food Animal Medicine
Must serve
Small Ruminant
Other Must Serve
May serve
Beef Cattle
Dairy Cattle
Swine
Poultry
Other May Serve
equine
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Stephen Crawford
Nominator Title
NH state veterinarian
Nominator Org
NH Dept of Agriculture, Markets, & Food
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
603.271.2404
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
The practitioner who handled most of the food animal work in this area recently left private practice, making this a high priority area. The number of farms in NH has grown >22% from 2002 to 2017, USDA Census. A 2004 USDA backyard poultry survey showed there are likely more than 1.67M poultry in over 34,000 backyard flocks in NH. NH remains near the top of the nation in direct to consumer sales from farms. Most food animal owners in NH have little to no background in husbandry or disease control, and there is no extension veterinarian position in NH. Currently, many food animal owners have minimal access to veterinary care or state support at a time when food safety, disease risks (local, foreign, wildlife), VFD and other antimicrobial regulations, etc. require more veterinary access not less. Combined, these issues - rising animal/farm numbers, under-trained owners, direct sales, limited private vet care options, lack of state resources - raise the risk of disease introduction, zoonotic or not, and transmission before diagnosis. Recruiting new and/or retaining current food animal veterinarians in the region of NH nearest the human population centers is critical to public health, animal health, emergency response, food safety, and animal welfare. This area is home to thousands of food animals on hundreds of sites, some under veterinary care and more that are not. The practice that recently wound down had >170 regular food animal clients (and many others who called for intermittent services), most new enough to animal ownership to need consistent access to veterinary care since they cannot provide any on their own. Backyard swine, small ruminants, and poultry dominate the clientele; beef & dairy operations exist too.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
This veterinarian will engage in typical mixed, food animal practice in an area with a growing population of livestock and livestock owners. There is a significant client base, and potential for much more, in just 2 counties - Rockingham & Strafford. Geographic distance is usually less than 50 miles, but travel times in rural NH are often lengthy. Regular practice will include routine and emergency care of livestock, as well as opportunity for advanced services in small ruminant reproduction and all-species client education regarding disease, husbandry, welfare, zoonoses, & AMR. Recruiting another veterinarian here will re-establish timeliness of detection of unusual disease occurrences and any necessary regulatory response; oversight of animal health problems that impact public health and food safety; and management of animal welfare by continuing to provide immediate care in an otherwise unserved area of growing food animal populations. Approximately half of the practice area is in an under-served area of Maine which will substantially expand the practice opportunities.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
For many years, the state of NH had a program that covered the out-of-state cost of attending veterinary college for NH residents. On several occasions the NH Legislature has also considered a tuition reimbursement program for veterinarians who choose livestock practice in under-served parts of the state. Unfortunately, no recent state budgets have included funds to re-establish these programs. The primary practice in this area has a growing client base and is challenged to keep up with client needs.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
Though often overlooked for its food animal populations, NH is among the top states for total direct to consumer sales. This is an expanding area and opportunity in NH agriculture, and this practice area is close to the human population centers driving the direct-to-consumer markets. The number, though not necessarily the average size, of livestock farms in NH has grown 22% from 2002 to 2017. The UK offers an example of what can happen to a similar agriculture model when a disease emergency occurs (i.e. in 2001 FMD caused a reported loss of more than 25% of farms in the UK and the loss of many of those lands for future use as farm lands). Effective emergency response, animal health management, on-farm food safety control, and animal welfare are directly related not only to the number of animals impacted but to the number of locations where animals are housed. Growth in farm numbers without the supporting veterinary infrastructure and service presents a risk to not only local communities, but to the state and the nation depending on the type of event that may occur. Providing veterinary support to such farms also supports local economies by keeping farmland in use rather than converting it to housing; providing income opportunities to livestock owners; and mitigating animal-origin human health risks on the farm.
Community Aspects
This area is a gateway to the Lakes Region, the White Mountains, and the Seacoasts of NH and ME. Rochester, NH, known as the Lilac City, is minutes away. It is the largest city in the seacoast region and the fourth-largest city in the state. Rochester enjoys many of the conveniences of a prospering city combined with the delights of small-town New England traditions. Portland, ME is an hour away and offers all you could want from a city. Entertain yourself on the iconic New England seacoast from Portland, ME to Portsmouth, NH, all less than an hour away. You can find all you want to do, and more, close to home.