State/Territory
Utah
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Washington County (East of Apple Valley) in UT and Mohave County (North of Grand Canyon National Park) in AZ
Shortage Location - May Serve
Kane County in UT
Location Center
Colorado City, AZ 86021
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
Beef Cattle
Other Must Serve
May serve
Dairy Cattle
Swine
Poultry
Small Ruminant
Other May Serve
Equine
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
David Byerly DVM
Nominator Title
Assistant State Veterinarian
Nominator Org
AZ Dept. of Agriculture
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
602-708-0932
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
The majority of the cow-calf industry of Arizona is located in this region which also contains the Kaibab, Fort Mojave, and Hualapai Indian Reservations. Of 314 farms in Mohave County, 141 are beef cattle ranches averaging 2,351 acres with $8.5M cash receipts based on 2017 estimates . However, there are currently no Category II accredited veterinarians based in north Mohave or adjacent Arizona counties. The closest food animal veterinarian may travel 100 miles one-way for an emergency or herd health consultation, making it difficult for a practitioner to cover the direct costs of travel and time much less a salary that allows for student loan repayment. In addition producers in the area struggle to pay for preventive care and herd health management. The few large animal vets operating in this region are of retirement age and struggling to keep up with demands required to cover the volume of livestock needs in rural areas and tribal lands. Washington and Kane counties in Utah, which border Arizona, have 21,500 cattle, 2,400 sheep and goats, and 3,600 horses. The Arizona "Strip" is a region of Mojave County north of the Colorado River that is geographically isolated from the rest of the state and is served by Utah veterinarians. In 2020 and 2021 there were two Utah trichomoniasis outbreaks tied to herds that grazed in the Arizona strip, affecting 27 bulls and five herds. A veterinarian in this region will provide disease surveillance for diseases such as trichomoniasis, brucellosis, tuberculosis, vesicular stomatitis, and rabbit hemorrhagic disease.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
Applicants should be aware of the regional diseases and plant toxicities impacting livestock and poultry and familiar with international importation risks of these species. Mohave County contains parts of Grand Canyon National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The successful applicant will be offered training and equipment to become a member of the Arizona Livestock Incident Response Team (ALIRT) to respond to local disasters involving livestock. Range beef cattle operations follow seasonal spring calving with subsequent demands for pregnancy testing and dystocia assistance; herd health management and parasite control consultations, bull fertility exams including Trichomonas testing, applying regulatory immunizations and official ID, and issuing health certificates for interstate movements. Ancillary activities could also include outreach to local producers and youth organizations (4-H, FFA, County Fair, etc.) along with telemedicine, sale barns, and community events. Commercial and hobbyist swine, poultry, small ruminant, and feed lot operations in the region may request live animal exams to meet movement requirements and make management decisions, as well as antemortem and postmortem diagnostics.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
Nominations for this shortage area have been submitted in previous years by both Arizona and Utah without success. Hopefully this nomination will make this geographically remote location more appealing to newer graduates.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
This under-served region faces increasing animal health service shortages as local practitioners retire, forcing producers to forgo veterinary assistance or seek services a greater distance from home. Mohave is the fifth largest county in the US. The few food animal veterinarians in the region are tasked with covering 10,000 square miles with few roads and fewer services. Without access to preventive and interventional veterinary care, producers are less able to compete in national markets and cattle populations are at risk of increased disease burden and inhumane treatment. This area services clients from several tribal reservations allowing the veterinarians to observe and treat diseases that may be circulating on premises that are not under the purview of the state.
Community Aspects
Outdoor enthusiasts will be attracted to the proximity of National Forest lands and National Parks including the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell and Escalante National Monument. St. George, Utah, is a large community near the shortage area, offering the benefits of a city and a university near this very rural area.