State/Territory
New York
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Chautauqua County and Western Half of Cattaraugus County
Shortage Location - May Serve
Eastern Cattaraugus County
Location Center
Sinclairville, NY
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.)
40
Type of Shortage
(Veterinary Practice Area / Discipline / Specialty)
Type II Shortage: Private Practice – Rural Area Food Animal Medicine
Must serve
Beef Cattle
Dairy Cattle
Other Must Serve
May serve
Swine
Poultry
Small Ruminant
Other May Serve
Captive Cervid
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Joy Bennett, DVM MPH DACPVM
Nominator Title
Director, Division of Animal Industry
Nominator Org
Department of Agriculture and Markets
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
518-457-3502
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
Chautauqua County and Cattaraugus County are two of the westernmost counties in New York State. Both counties sit on the northern Pennsylvania border, and Chautauqua County at its westernmost point is less than an hour from eastern Ohio. Chautauqua County's entire northern border is Lake Erie. This area is largely rural with agribusinesses throughout the countryside, but there are also large towns and cities just a short drive away. According to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture Data, Chautauqua County is the home of 1228 farms, of which livestock, poultry, and products generate $87,710,000 of sales per year (13th ranking for sales in the state). Of that, $74,993,000 comes from milk from dairy cows. As of 2017 there were 43,922 cattle and calves, 2,566 goats and sheep, 9,776 poultry, 1947 horses and ponies, and 526 hogs and pigs in Chautauqua County. According to the same census report, Cattaraugus County has 956 farms, with sales of livestock, poultry and their products totaling $73,525,000 (15th ranking for sales in the state). Of this, $55,636,000 comes from milk from dairy cows. In terms of animal populations in Cattaraugus County, in 2017 there were a total of 36,651 cattle and calves, 2355 sheep and goats, 5540 misc. poultry, 1569 horses and ponies, and 502 pigs. The need for veterinarians here is high. Cattaraugus County currently has approximately 0.5 full time equivalent (FTE) accredited veterinarians practicing large animal medicine and living in the county. Chautauqua County has more veterinarians, but most are retirement age or nearing retirement age. The younger generation totals about 2.5 FTE in terms of large animal coverage, some in mixed animal practice to facilitate paying off vet school debt. Other vets travel from out of state or northern counties, sometimes from very far away, in attempt to fulfill the need. It's a common occurrence that a farmer has an emergency or is in need of veterinary service and cannot find a veterinarian to come.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
A veterinarian serving this area must be willing to provide services to both beef and dairy clients. There is a large population of dairy cattle in this area, with farms ranging in size from small tie stall herds to 1000-1500 cow dairies. Beef production has been on the increase in the past several years, with clientele ranging from 1-2 backyard beef cows to approximately 150 head operations. There is also an extensive Amish population, with a variety of livestock. A veterinarian serving this area would need to provide routine services such as herd health and reproductive evaluations, sick cow work, vaccination program development, diagnostic tests, and emergency work such as dystocias for both beef and dairy clients. It would be extremely helpful for the veterinarian to be accredited so that regularly duties could be performed, such as interstate and intrastate health certificates, due to the location of both counties on the Pennsylvania border, as well as active county fairs and shows. The schools in this area often have active FFA and 4H programs, which would offer opportunities for participation by the veterinarian, who could in turn promote their business. Client and producer education meetings would also be helpful and desired by the community. The New York Beef Producers group in this area is very active, and the Cornell Cooperative Extension groups provide support to producers. There would be room for a veterinarian to team up with these groups for educational meetings, trainings, and to promote their services. The veterinarian would also have the option to count work on sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, and captive cervids toward their VMLRP service hours. There is certainly a need for veterinarians to work on these species as well. This flexibility will assist a veterinarian to meet their hour requirements if work in the required species (cattle) is slow during certain seasons of the year.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
There has been difficulty retaining a veterinarian in this area. Area clinics have hired veterinarians but had difficulty retaining them for a variety of reasons such as management differences. The location of the county, bordered on one entire side by Lake Erie, has potentially presented challenges for veterinarians located in central and Chautauqua County unless they obtain licenses in multiple states. Veterinarians nearing retirement have had difficulty attracting veterinarians to purchase and take over their practices, perhaps due in part to the high debt load faced by recent graduates and the challenges that scenario presents in terms of purchasing an established business. This scenario has been discouraging to retirement-aged practitioners, at times leading to discontinuation of recruitment efforts after years of trying.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
This area is already at risk, particularly Chautauqua County where there is less than one full time equivalent of a veterinarian currently practicing. With the proximity to Pennsylvania and Ohio, animals undergoing movement may need to cross state lines, and without a veterinarian to provide regulatory services such as health certificates, unqualified movements may be taking place. Accredited veterinarians are critical in an area with high numbers of livestock, for the purposes of screening for and reporting symptoms consistent with foreign animal diseases. A lack of boots on the ground to do this vital work puts the health of the livestock as well as the local, state, and federal economy at risk. Additionally, when animals have an emergency or become sick and care is not available, animal welfare issues arise. Similarly, with the increased population of hobby farms and livestock owners that are new to owning animals, missed educational opportunities and consultations on vaccination, nutrition and biosecurity by a veterinarian can lead to both animal welfare and animal disease issues. The inability to get a vet in a desperate time of need generates stress and frustration for farmers, who already have faced challenges in recent years in other aspects of dairy farming. Without a Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR), a farmer may not be able to ship milk, threatening the food supply as well as that family's livelihood.
Community Aspects
The proximity of Chautauqua County to Lake Erie presents many opportunities for outdoor activities such as boating, fishing and camping. Chautauqua and Findley Lakes, located within the county, offer both scenic drives and extracurricular activities. There are snowmobile trails, golf courses, an equine trail system, wineries and a wine trail, breweries and distilleries all within the county, for numerous recreational and agritourism opportunities. In terms of the arts, there are three colleges within the county, the Little Theater, the National Comedy Center, the home of Lucille Ball (the Lucy-Desi Museum), as well as close proximity to nearby cities such as Buffalo. The Chautauqua Institution is a historical community on Chautauqua Lake that has museums, libraries, concerts and events during the summer months and is a popular destination. Regarding Cattaraugus County, recreational areas and activities include Allegany State Park, Kinzua Park, two ski resorts, snowmobile trails, breweries and wineries, whitewater rafting and kayaking, bike trails, Sky High Adventure Park, Hunting, Camping, and more. This county is in close proximity to the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, as well as Pennsylvania. In this area, a veterinarian could choose to live in a city, in a town, or in the countryside, and regardless have easy access to a different type of setting just a short drive away. The cost of living is relatively low for the state and it is a great place to have a hobby farm, if that is appealing to the candidate.