State/Territory
North Carolina
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Buncombe (660 sq mi) and Haywood (555 sq mi) Counties in NC
Shortage Location - May Serve
Madison (451 sq mi) and Yancy (313 sq mi) Counties in NC
Location Center
Asheville, NC 28715
VSGP Status
Open
VMLRP Status
(Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program)
Open
Priority of shortage
Moderate
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
Other May Serve
Equine
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Michael P. Martin
Nominator Title
State Veterinarian
Nominator Org
NCDA&CS
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
(919)-218-5143
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
This four county area (total of 1,979 sq mi) is dense in livestock including beef cattle, dairy cattle, and small ruminants. There was approximately 35,470 head of cattle recorded in 2022 by USDA, NASS in this region and Haywood county is one of the top 10 dairy counties in the state. There are also an exceedingly high numbers of small ruminants (NASS data does not collect this data on a county level). Given the numbers of livestock, there is a legitimate need in these counties for veterinarians to provide services to the small cow/calf operators and small ruminant farms. Further, equine and specialty market swine and poultry operations are serviced in this area. Given the number of food animals in the area, there is reported very few practices/veterinarians that work on these species from communications from local farmers and our NCDA&CS field staff. The opportunity for loan repayment, if the counties are designated a veterinary shortage, will provide incentives for new or recent graduates create, join, and/or remain in practices in this area. It is not anticipated that all counties would be covered by the applicant, but that the applicant could serve multiple counties in this geographic region.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
This nomination will support an individual willing to locate within this rural area and provide mixed animal veterinary services. A new practice might be established in any of the counties or a veterinarian might be employed by existing practices within the area to expand large animal services. The individual could provide comprehensive services for all species, with at least 30% dedicated to food animal. As in most under-served areas, the ability to financially support a 100% food animal practice would be difficult, thus the Type II nomination. The activities of a dedicated mixed animal practitioner in this area would greatly assist the preservation and expansion of a vibrant and varied food animal industry in a relatively remote area of North Carolina. Expectations are that the recipient would not cover the entirety of the region, but could service the majority by providing routine health care, herd health evaluations, disease surveillance, and serve to be the front line for determining the risk of foreign animal diseases. Interactions and engagement with our NCDA&CS field staff/VMO's for determination of foreign animal diseases, sampling, and state communications would be essential. The activities could include service to 4H/FFA and county/state fairs to provide educational opportunities regarding food animal veterinary medicine.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
Direct information on specific efforts to recruit to this area is not readily available. The intent of this nomination is focused primarily on providing the opportunity for veterinarian to locate to the area and establish himself/herself within a small community as a professional resource and contributor to the agricultural and social infrastructure of the area.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
As with many of these under-served areas, the lack of food animal veterinarians could have a negative impact on the state's and the nation's animal disease surveillance (hampering appropriate/timely disease response), on the food supply, and/or on public health preparedness. This area is no different than hundreds of similar areas throughout the country. The provision of food animal veterinary services is critical to foreign and endemic animal disease surveillance. It is also well documented that food supply veterinarians serve a key role in public health preparedness/response, as 75% of emerging human diseases are of animal origin and, in these small communities, veterinarians often serve on local public health boards and commissions. The lack of food supply veterinarian availability directly impacts animal welfare, as many producers resort to providing veterinary medical care to their own animals, frequently beyond the scope of their ability, which results in less than desirable outcomes and subsequent environmental impact through improper disposal of deceased livestock. The use of antimicrobials without veterinary oversight increases the rate of residue violations in the food supply. Should this nomination not be accepted, the area will continue to be under-served, allowing for the continued erosion of critical food supply veterinary infrastructure in one of the largest food animal producing states in the country.
Community Aspects
There are many things to do in the region including downtown Asheville (with a diversity of restaurants, breweries and great outdoor activities), the Biltmore house and winery, and the NC Mountain State Fairgrounds. This region contains an airport that is rated as one of the best connected regional airports in the country. Even with the growth in the are, the cost of living is less than the national average. It has the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with fantastic hiking and tremendous views.