State/Territory
New York
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Yates County, NY
Shortage Location - May Serve
Northern Steuben County, NY and Northern Schuyler County, NY
Location Center
Penn Yan, 14527
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 Cervids
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Joy Bennett, DVM MPH DACVPM
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
Yates County is 376 square miles with a population of 24,000, ranking 60/62 for population of NY counties, but 19/62 for market value of agricultural products sold, and in the top third nationally. Located in the heart of the Fingerlakes region and straddling 3 lakes, it is an area noted for rich agricultural diversity of field crops and livestock. Based on the 2017 USDA Census for Agriculture, 867 farms are located in county, with 114,000 acres in farming, reaping a market value of $114 million dollars annually, with 59% of that from livestock and poultry, and most of the remaining value in field crops. Most farms are small, family-run farms reliant on family labor, farming 50-179 acres; these farms are not "hobby farms", as the average gross is $100K or more. Many farms are turning over to a new generation, with 470 of 867 farms composed of new and beginning farmers. The primary products produced are overwhelmingly milk and cattle/calves, with poultry and eggs a distant third place; county inventories are >30,000 head cattle/calves, and >82,000 layers. A veterinarian serving this area would focus their efforts on dairy and beef cattle, but would also ideally be willing to attend to other food animal production species such as beef, swine, layers, and captive cervids, and provide ambulatory medical care, necropsy, contagious disease testing, and consultation on animal husbandry.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
The vet would need to be able to fulfill a full range of bovine focused services: Ambulatory service for herd health/pregnancy determination, sick cow medicine, surgery, emergency services (calvings, etc), necropsies and infectious disease surveillance and testing, USDA APHIS Category II approval for regulatory work and CVIs to facilitate animal movement between NY-PA border and NY-Canadian border. The ideal applicant would have experience to draw on in order to tackle common dairy herd management issues: herd vaccine protocols, milk quality testing, calf health consultations, metabolic issues in transition cows, nutritional consults, offer routine disease surveillance for BVD, Johnes, Salmonella Dublin, and bulk tank mastitis pathogens. The applicant should be familiar with commercial vaccines/preventive medicine, pain relief, and antimicrobials safe for use in lactating dairy cattle. The applicant should be or become trained in Beef Quality Assurance methods and be able to train producers to follow best practices for reduction of carcass residues and injection site lesions, and to provide general advice to producers on cattle welfare. The vet will need to maintain vet-client-patient-relationships to be compliant with the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program to support cattle welfare.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
There is no longer a veterinary practice in Yates County that serves production animal species; a large group practice began breaking up in 2016, with termination of food animal services in 2021. Non-compete agreements prohibited previous employees from continuing work in the county for a specific period of time, causing experienced associates to leave the region for work elsewhere. New graduates have historically left the region after a short term of practice (generally <2 years), as they were overwhelmed with the volume and level of expectation/experience necessary to work with production animals in this county. There are 1-2 very small vet practices that offer some ambulatory service to the county, but they service a very wide practice area in other counties. A veterinarian received a VMLRP award for this area in FY2022, but the nomination of the shortage area has been repeated due to continued need for vet services in the county.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
There is a huge risk for infectious herd-based disease, leading to a threat of potential depopulations, especially in minor species. Since the start of the 2022 outbreak, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been identified across the state, and most layers are free range and cage-free in Yates County, with access to outdoors in close proximity to migratory waterfowl in the Finger Lakes. There needs to be continued monitoring for African Swine Fever and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the continental US, yet there are no veterinarians in the county willing to work on market hogs or poultry. Additionally, there are animal welfare considerations for lack of basic medical and emergency care in the county; milk quality concerns for human health and sub-par product (high SCC, coliforms or other contagious/zoonotic pathogens); the need for continual monitoring for multi-drug resistant pathogens such as Salmonella Dublin; as well as monitoring for foreign animal diseases such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Foot and Mouth Disease. The county is close to urban centers with increased density of consumers. There are potential economic ramifications of lack of veterinary services given the important role of animal agriculture in county, as well as implications for interstate and international movement. Yates County also recently lost agriculture/extension agents; there was a withdrawal of field service and consultations by Cornell Cooperative Extension Northwest New York (NWNY) Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Team in 2020 due to a lack of ability to fulfill contractual agreements. This is a loss to client education on preventive health issues for dairy and livestock species.
Community Aspects
Yates County is located in the western aspect of the Finger Lakes region of New York. It is the third least populous county in New York, with large swaths of farmland and rural villages. The County Seat is a town called Penn Yan, a historic village with a population of 5,159 located at the north end of Keuka Lake, about an hour northwest of Ithaca, NY and southeast of Rochester, NY. This area is known for breathtaking lake views, rolling hills and farmland, and agritourism. Local attractions within the county include lake recreation such as boating, fishing, and scenic waterfront drives; wineries, breweries, and distilleries; fine dining; farmer's markets and u-pick farms; Fingerlakes Rail Riders, Fingerlakes Museum; The Keuka Arts Festival; the Keuka Lake Outlet trail, and more. This area is desirable to live in due to the beauty of the surroundings, proximity to small cities with plentiful arts, culture and food options, and opportunities in agriculture combined with relatively low cost of living compared to other parts of the state.