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Shortage Region CO246

State/Territory
Colorado
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Morgan, Logan, E. Weld Counties
Shortage Location - May Serve
Washington County
Location Center
Brush, Colorado
VSGP Status
Not Awarded
VMLRP Status
(Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program)
Awarded
Priority of shortage
Critical
Fiscal year
Percent FTE
(Full Time Equivalent, based on a 40hr work week.)
80
Type of Shortage
(Veterinary Practice Area / Discipline / Specialty)
Type I Shortage: Private Practice Food Animal Medicine
Must serve
Beef Cattle
Dairy Cattle
Other Must Serve
May serve
Swine
Small Ruminant
Other May Serve
Equine
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Maggie Baldwin, DVM
Nominator Title
State Veterinarian
Nominator Org
Colorado Department of Agriculture
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
303-869-9130
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
This two full county and one partial county area covers approximately 4,478 miles. The area is predominantly beef (450,000 head) and dairy cattle (50,000 head), with some swine and small ruminant presence as well. Veterinarians not only manage the health of livestock but aid state and federal agencies in tracking livestock movement as well as mitigate disease outbreaks which can decimate not only livestock but also local economies making the veterinarian a linchpin for the community. Our objective is to find veterinarians that will provide access to animal health services for livestock to help in the early detection of foreign animal and zoonotic diseases affecting livestock and small animals; the seamless integration of animal and human health awareness and response throughout the community; and effective local and regional disease surveillance and reporting to support state and national disease monitoring efforts. Meeting this objective will improve food safety, animal health and public health, and will help Colorado maintain resiliency to outbreaks of foreign animal and zoonotic diseases. Current veterinarians are near or partially retired already, which will leave the area in even more dire need in the very near future. Most of the current veterinarians also do not provide mobile/farm call care, making it difficult for large producers to receive quality and timely care for their livestock. A potential livestock disease outbreak would decimate these local economies and have widespread effects on Colorado agriculture as a whole. Additionally, this nomination area has a large sale barn that needs served. The sale barn operates year round and sells a significant number of cattle yearly.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
A predominately food animal the practitioner in this rural shortage area would need to be proficient in: -Routine herd management and overall health and nutrition assessments, -Reproduction management including pregnancy diagnosis, semen and trichomoniasis testing, -Routine vaccination, deworming, castration and dehorning, -Emergency services including trauma, obstetrical emergencies or dystocia, illness etc. -Completion of certificates of veterinary inspection and necessary diagnostics for travel and shipping, -Disease surveillance and diagnostics for state and federal program diseases and for foreign animal diseases are also necessary, -Educational outreach to youth programs such as 4-H and FFA including working at the county fairs and rodeo -Animal welfare calls and assessments to assist law enforcement with cases of livestock cruelty and neglect -Responders to natural disasters that affect livestock such as blizzards, fires, tornadoes and flooding are needed as this area is prone to multiple natural disasters -Attend sales at the sale barn to ensure the sale barn maintains compliance by having a veterinarian present to perform pre-sale inspections for health and identification, as well as post-sale testing and movement documents
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
In 2019, the area had a VMLRP recipient. She has since focused her practice further west and south of this area. Due to a large percentage of this area being very rural, recruiting is difficult at best. The veterinarians themselves as well as the Colorado Department of Agriculture have reached out to producers and practicing veterinarians to assess needs as well as to educate veterinarians about opportunities. Helping veterinarians with student debt is one way to strengthen our professional infrastructure in this region. It is hard to attract veterinarians to this rural location of the state. Financial incentives through the VMLRP have sparked interest in a couple of recent graduates and the possibility of loan repayment may potentially be the assistance they need to establish their careers in these rural communities.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
The risks associated with a lack of available veterinary services within a reasonable proximity of a producer's location in this area could include: -A greater prevalence of disease, which increases the morbidity and mortality of food animals, -Lack of emergency coverage can result in significant challenges and mortality for producers during certain times of the year (calving/lambing/kidding season), -Reproductive losses, such as recurrence of trichomoniasis due to lack of testing, would result in a monetary loss for the producer and the community, -The potential for the establishment and spread of a foreign animal disease due to the lack of timely surveillance and participation in Colorado emergency management activities, -The potential for the establishment and spread of a program or zoonotic disease due to the lack of timely surveillance and diagnostics, -A lack of the facilitation of interstate movement of animals through the issuance of a certificate of veterinary inspection or commuter agreements, -Adulteration of food products due to the producer's lack of knowledge on the proper use of pharmaceuticals and veterinary biologic products, -Increased production costs resulting from a lack of consultation on nutrition, proper herd management, -The inability to fulfill the requirements of the FDA Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) would likely result in the lack of administration of medically important antibiotics to the livestock in the area and routine disease control All of these factors could contribute to economic hardships for these rural communities which makes having food animals veterinarians in close proximity a critical need.
Community Aspects
Brush, Colorado is a rural, small town that is embedded in the center of a multi-county area known for its abundance of agriculture. Livestock, dairy, and crop production are the focus of the region, but the loyal people in the surrounding communities are the heart of keeping the agricultural way of life alive. Many neighboring towns provide a great foundation to raise a family with several suitable lifestyle options available. The cost of living is a strength of the region with a diverse selection of housing, church and religious organizations, schools, and employment opportunities within the area. Organizations such as 4-H and FFA have a strong presence locally and offer availability for a veterinarian to mentor youth and become involved in local, county, state, and national livestock shows in Colorado. Brush is conveniently located two hours from the big city life of Denver and Cheyenne with all of the amenities the Front Range can provide in-between. However, this driving distance from the Front Range acts as a buffer from the "hustle and bustle," and lends towards the quiet lifestyle northeastern Colorado is known for. Hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors are available regardless of being on the plains surrounding Brush, or up in the mountains just a few hours away. Skiing and other very popular mountain vacation destinations are easily accessible for a weekend getaway. From a business standpoint, there are opportunities for a veterinarian to partner or purchase a practice as several veterinarians in the area are approaching retirement. Numerous veterinary supply stores and retail resources are available in the surrounding towns to support the local veterinarian and their clients. The livestock producers in the area are known for being very loyal to their selected veterinarian for any herd health and emergency needs. Being a veterinarian is a highly regarded profession to the people of northeastern Colorado.

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