Addressing the shortage of food animal services in Humboldt County is essential to maintain a safe and secure food supply in California. The successful veterinarian's objective would be to serve the area's beef cattle, dairies where needed, and be a resource for 4-H and FFA youth agriculture projects. This veterinarian would provide consistent and reliable services to the hill cattle operations to the East of Highway 1. This service area has extensive beef agriculture, organic dairies and sheep grazing. There are approximately 70,894 head of cattle and over 7500 head of sheep spread out across the 3,567 square miles of county. A Category II accredited veterinarian practicing in this area is a key component to the early detection system to protect the California livestock industry from emerging and foreign animal diseases (FAD). The Humboldt County area is often economically linked to southwestern Oregon; veterinarians and livestock have historically traversed the state border, as this area is isolated from the wider California agricultural system due to both the Klamath and Coastal Mountain ranges. Additionally, the practitioner will play a vital role in antimicrobial stewardship by developing treatment protocols and educating producers on judicious use.
The veterinarian would perform the typical duties of a food animal practitioner including but not limited to: pregnancy diagnosis, dystocia or obstetrical assistance, FAD surveillance, semen evaluation, trichomoniasis testing and diagnosis, and overall herd health practices (vaccination, castration, and testing requirements for State and federal regulations). The veterinarian should also make routine herd visits to monitor usage of antibiotics and other prescription medications, as well as sick animal calls. They would also be available for emergencies, as one of the current limits is getting help out of hours. The successful candidate should provide veterinary services and outreach to small hobby farms or youth agriculture groups. These operations often require more time and nuanced care, with educational farm visits that rely on veterinarians to teach safe and sustainable animal agriculture practices to maintain good animal welfare standards. The veterinarian may also assist with emergency veterinary needs during wildfire responses or other natural disasters, work at sale barns, teach quality assurance programs, establish Secure Food Supply plans, or work for local county fairs or rodeos in the area. A minimum of 50% service time must be dedicated to beef cattle and small ruminants, the must-serve species. The rest of the veterinarian’s service time can be allocated to agriculturally relevant livestock. Sheep will help supplement seasonality of cattle, as there are over 7,500 head of them, as well as smaller-sized flock owners. The ability to provide herd health guidance, husbandry advice, and other services to small ruminants would be important. Dairy services are not required for a veterinarian to engage, but would be nice-to-have, and may help with breadth and diversity of clients.
Historically, this area had several large animal veterinarians. However, over time, formerly mixed or large animal practices have converted to equine or small animal-focused client bases. Over the past decade, the availability of large animal medical care has declined dramatically in the region. This attrition can be attributed to a largely to retirements. Due to the lack of specialized food animal care, producers have been forced to deal with many veterinary problems themselves. When more advanced veterinary care is needed, they must seek assistance from veterinarians 100 or more miles away in Redding or go across six counties to UC Davis. Humboldt County Farm Bureau has been incredibly engaged with this nomination process, formally submitting a nomination of behalf of its livestock producers. Many of the area’s producers hope this nomination will bring a veterinarian to their community for years to come, as they see the value and need for these services.
Maintaining adequate animal health vigilance in this county is extremely important to the entire State of California. A VMLRP award is an opportunity to encourage the establishment and growth of food animal veterinary services in Humboldt County. Over 11,000 square miles of service area stretch along coastal lands extending from Del Norte and Trinity in the North, and down as far as Covelo, Laytonville, and Fort Bragg to the south. Because of the remoteness of the cattle population and interactions with wildlife, including the native deer and elk populations, a delayed detection of an FAD and the opportunity to become entrenched in the region could be financially devastating to the State. There are currently not enough large or mixed animal veterinarians to serve the needs of the existing farms, with most practices converted to equine or small animal only. It would be a missed opportunity not to incentivize a veterinarian to develop their food animal client base and learn from the existing veterinary practices. Humboldt Auction Yard in Fortuna, CA is the main hub not only for the county, but also
At the northwestern edge of California, Humboldt County is a quiet and remote piece of heaven. Welcoming neighbors and outdoor adventures characterize this agricultural community, who eagerly hope to invest in a food animal veterinarian into the future. A food animal veterinarian in this area can serve a wide variety of different types of farms and a very diverse patient population. The region not only has plenty of commercial farms, but also many small homesteaders who raise livestock. In addition to cattle, sheep and goats, there are opportunities to expand a veterinarian’s passion to include bison, yaks, camelids, backyard poultry of all kinds (from quail to emus!), mini pigs or heritage swine, working teams of oxen, and pet Brahma cattle. Opportunities abound. The Lost Coast Trail is one on the iconic attractions, with remote backpacking and opportunities to wake up with ocean views.