State/Territory
New York
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Tioga, Potter PA; Steuben, Allegany NY
Location Center
Knoxville, PA 16928
VSGP Status
Not Awarded
VMLRP Status
(Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program)
Not Awarded
Priority of shortage
High
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
(minimum 50% of time)
Beef Cattle
Dairy Cattle
Small Ruminant
Nominator Name
Erin Luley
Nominator Title
Assistant State Veterinarian
Nominator Org
PA Dept. of Agriculture
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
717-525-3660
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
This rural, 4 county area in northern PA and southern NY is characterized by rolling hills and valleys, with abundant small to medium sized farms. The region's geography makes large scale farming challenging as the terrain limits large contiguous tracts of farmable land. However, the small to medium sized farms that this region supports provide economic stability and resiliency to these communities. Many farms may be supplemental income for families in addition to a primary job outside of agriculture. In Tioga and Potter counties, agriculture accounted for 5.2% and 7.0% of employment, respectively, compared to the PA average of 2.6% (Center for Rural Pennsylvania, 2021 data). Tioga and Potter counties have seen an increase in amount of farm land between 2007 to 2017 unlike many other parts of PA (Center for Rural Pennsylvania). There are a moderate number of dairy farms in these four counties, which range from 40 head to one farm with over 1000 head. Potter County has 37 dairies and there are 128 in Tioga County (2017 data from PA). There are 58 dairies in Allegany County and 119 in Steuben County (New York State Dairy Statistics 2020 Annual Summary). The majority of dairies are approximately 150-200 head. The area has a milk processing cooperative. There is a growing population of small ruminant herds; this trend was enhanced by the Covid-19 pandemic as individuals in these rural communities sought more ways to diversity their sources of income and food. There are a moderate number of beef herds (cow-calf). There are 4 county fairs in this region. There is one livestock market (Bath, NY). Veterinary care is needed in this region to support animal health, public health, and economic stability in this rural area.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
A veterinarian serving this shortage area must be able to provide preventive routine and emergency care to dairy herds, cow-calf operations, and small ruminants in this four county region. At least 50% of the service commitment must be to the Must Serve species. This includes, but is not limited to, pregnancy diagnosis (including with ultrasound), individual animal diagnosis and treatment, management of reproductive and other emergencies, preventive medicine including vaccinations, biosecurity plan development and implementation, management of parasites especially in small ruminants, and protocol development for farms. Providing services to the agricultural animal exhibition community is an essential service and includes providing health certification, vaccination, and meeting other animal requirements of the exhibit. The veterinarian serving this area should be an active member of the community, participating in 4H and other youth outreach events to promote agriculture to future generations. The veterinarian in this area must be able to provide report confirmed or suspected regulatory diseases, contributing to both state's surveillance system to protect the collective industries. When on farm diagnosis is not achievable, the veterinarian should be able to utilize state diagnostic laboratories to provide additional diagnostic support and identification of novel or emerging diseases. Additionally, with plain sect communities making up a substantial portion of the region's population, being able to provide basic equine care (including vaccinations, health certificates, emergency services, dental work, lameness treatment, and radiography) would be beneficial as these animals supports agriculture by providing transportation and farm labor.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
Veterinary coverage in this area for agricultural animals has been sparse in recent years. A mixed practice in Potter County no longer provides ambulatory services and currently only offers limited haul-in services for large animals. A solo ambulatory practitioner in Potter County has switched to companion animal only practice. A mixed practice in Bradford County (adjacent to this region) had a veterinarian recently retire and this practice has since limited their large animal service. A practitioner based in southern NY (Chemung County, who provides some coverage to this area) is approaching retirement. An ambulatory solo practitioner in the area left clinical practice several years ago. Around that time, a 2018 graduate returned to her hometown to start a solo ambulatory practice. In addition to this individual, a 2013 graduate provides similar services primarily in Tioga County. These two individuals provide the majority of veterinary services for farm animals in the area.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
Without a veterinarian, producers in this region will suffer from lost productivity and being unable to treat sick or injured animals. This will be detrimental to the local economy in an area which relies on agriculture as a significant source of income, and this puts human and animal health at risk without early disease detection and intervention. Exporting animals across state lines or exhibiting animals which require health certification, vaccinations, and/or testing by a veterinarian will be limited. Prior to the 2018 graduate starting her own practice, many large animal owners struggled to find any veterinary coverage. Without veterinary support of animal exhibitions and other youth events, decreased engagement of youth with agriculture will be hurt local agriculture in future generations. Recently, one veterinarian diagnosed a case of arsenic toxicity in a beef herd in collaboration with the state diagnostic lab system. Without a veterinarian, this case may have gone unrecognized and endangered human health had this product ~ entered the food supply. In current conditions, new and sometimes existing clients face long wait times to be seen by a veterinarian or may be turned down. The ability to provide emergency coverage for this area with the number of vets seeing emergencies is challenging. Adequate veterinary services that protect animal and human health and improve animal productivity are essential for the rural communities in this four county area that rely on agriculture for local economic stability. This area is designated as a high priority given the number of farms and currently available veterinarians to serve this area. The impact will extend beyond the local communities as the agricultural commodities produced in this area support the broader state economies. Loss of any of the current veterinarians would be devastating to these communities.
Community Aspects
This is a scenic rural area with low cost of living. The region features the PA Wilds and Western NY Wilds, 2 areas with abundant outdoor recreation including fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, and more. Cherry Springs State Park (Potter County) is a designated Dark Sky site with some of the best stargazing opportunities on the east coast. In addition to agriculture, other economic drivers and employment opportunities in the region include the natural gas industry, construction, and the Corning Glass factory (Steuben County; which also features a museum). The area also is one of the top maple syrup producing regions of PA.
Page last updated: September 24, 2026