State/Territory
Wyoming
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Custer, Fall River, Pennington Counites, SD and Niobrara County, WY
Shortage Location - May Serve
Location Center
Buffalo Gap, SD
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
Small Ruminant
Other Must Serve
May serve
Dairy Cattle
Swine
Poultry
Small Ruminant
Other May Serve
Bison, equine
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Beth S Thompson, JD, DVM
Nominator Title
SAHO
Nominator Org
SD Animal Industry Board
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
605-773-3321
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
A large animal veterinarian in this region will be beneficial to local producers and the state's livestock industry. In previous years, multiple large animal veterinarians have left Custer County and one of the last remaining is moving toward retirement. While Fall River County has 3 veterinary practices, one is planning to close, and Pennington County only has 3 veterinarians offering large animal services. At the same time, the area population has increase 7% with many new residents entering or planning to enter animal agriculture. Information and services provided by a veterinarian will improve herd health, reproductive efficiency and nutritional management, all aspects contributing to producer profitability and overall economic growth to an area heavily reliant on animal agriculture. Availability of a large animal practitioner to properly educate producers concerning biosecurity, disease control, herd health programs, animal welfare and use of veterinary products will minimize possible devastating adverse events for local operations and South Dakota's livestock industry. Additionally, an accredited large animal practitioner in this area will be an intermediary for regulatory officials and producers, communicating and endorsing state and feral animal health regulations, disease programs, animal welfare and interstate livestock movement. Niobrara and Weston counties lie on Wyoming's eastern border, with a total area of 5,028 square miles. The joint county area borders South Dakota to the east and includes a large portion of the Black Hills National Forest area. A large animal veterinarian in this region will benefit local producers and the state's livestock industry. Niobrara County has one large animal veterinarian reducing services and moving toward retirement. The single veterinary clinic in Weston County offers large animal services, but their two veterinarians cannot fill the void for food animal veterinary care. Clinics in surrounding areas have been offer
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
A large animal practitioner will be knowledgeable of/able to provide veterinary services to animal agriculture systems in the area. Livestock operations in this region include beef cattle, bison, horses, goats and sheep. A successful large animal practitioner will develop relationships with producers, outline and develop herd health plans, create and execute treatment protocols and provide diagnostic and surgical procedures in the field and in clinic. The vet would perform herd work for livestock, including but not limited to pregnancy diagnosis, vaccination, fertility testing, and animal processing. They would conduct disease outbreak investigations, providing guidance in managing and/or limiting the effects of such incidents. They will conduct on farm visits for routine herd health programs and provide emergency services. They will be involved in conducting producer education in animal husbandry, welfare, nutrition, handling, disease prevention, biosecurity, and appropriate use of veterinary products. Finally, the veterinarian will maintain his/her federal accreditation allowing them to perform surveillance and diagnostic testing for state and federal programs and endorse livestock for interstate shipment. With influx of residents to the area it is important that the large animal practitioner serve both large and small scale operations and can flex their knowledge/skill in assisting those newer to the industry as well as well established operations.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
In the last 3 years, local clinics have recruited 3 new veterinarians to try to keep up with the demand created by the shortages. Only 2 of these veterinarians remain. Prior to their arrival, the positions remained open for multiple years. Clinics in nearby areas have had similar hiring issues, with applicants citing issues such as too long of working hours, too many emergency/after hour requirements, and low salaries compared to suburban areas. Soon, a few area veterinarians are looking to slow down or retire. With this and the current shortage, it is essential to retain the veterinarians we have to be competitive in recruiting other veterinarians to meet the growing demand to provide the area producers with adequate veterinary care.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
Data from the USDA Consensus of Agriculture from 2017 identified Custer, Fall River and Pennington Counties as having a total population of over 150,000 food animals. The total cattle population for these counties alone is over 135,000. The USDA data also shows over 5,600 horses in these counties. The lack of sufficient veterinary influence and services available to producers for such a large population creates a void. This void becomes filled with misinformation, creates opportunities for disease introduction and perpetuation of existing disease, opens a door for producers to seek lay services providers and non veterinary drug distributors. With the shortfall in availability of professional veterinary medical services, advice and guidance for food animal producers, a vulnerability to the health and welfare of livestock has and will continue to develop. These sparsely populated counties rely heavily on animal agriculture to support their local economies. Veterinary professional services contribute to increase profitability and viability for producers, in turn creating a stimulus to the local economy. As available practitioners become overworked, burnout becomes an even bigger problem, leading practitioners to move away from underserved areas and furthering the void. Food animal veterinary medical professionals are an integral component of livestock industries. Without them, producers, local communities and the people of South Dakota suffer economically and are subject to increased risk of disease incidents. Keeping practitioners in the area would do a lot to keep medical costs for producers down, making them more likely to seek veterinary care. Livestock producers are already decreasing veterinary care and consulting due to costs and the shortage in the area will only exacerbate this problem.
Community Aspects
This area of South Dakota and Wyoming is home to the Black Hills and numerous small rural communities, with access to Rapid City. There are numerous outdoor activities all year, including hiking, biking, and snowmobiling, and hunting and fishing. Access to museums, concerts and other activities is found throughout the area. There are many scheduling equine events, and many youth groups for families.