State/Territory
Tennessee
Shortage Location - Must Serve
Morgan, Scott, and Fentress Counties
Shortage Location - May Serve
Pickett, Cumberland, Campbell, Overton, Roane, and Anderson counties
Location Center
Sunbright, TN
VSGP Status
Open
VMLRP Status
(Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program)
Open
Priority of shortage
Critical
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
Other Must Serve
Other May Serve
Employer
Position Title
Other disciplinary area
Carry Over
Nominator Name
Wesley Crabtree
Nominator Title
Staff Veterinarian
Nominator Org
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Nominator Email
Nominator Phone
615-837-5283
Importance/Objectives of Veterinarian
In the Morgan, Scott, and Fentress County region, there is a dire need for a veterinarian who can provide ambulatory services to livestock species in a remote area with geographic isolation of homes and farms. This area is a severely underserved portion of rural Appalachia with no practitioners in Morgan County, one veterinarian in Scott Co willing to see an occasional small ruminant, and two veterinarians in Fentress Co who only see cases in clinic and only one of which takes on new clients. According to adamant requests for veterinary assistance from both the TN Cattlemen's Association and UT Ag Extension representatives, there are no veterinarians performing farm calls in the region with numerous producers consistently needing one. According to 2023 and 2017 NASS data respectively, there is a combined total of 37,100 head of cattle and 2,061 head of small ruminants between the counties. With no available veterinarians, the producers of these animals either must haul animals to the clinics or wait on farm call appointments from veterinarians from adjacent counties if they're available, making livestock emergencies very challenging to address due to the distance from the farm to a clinic. Along with large cattle stockers and small ruminant farmers, there are increasing numbers of backyard hog owners often having limited knowledge of swine husbandry and commercial and backyard poultry flocks (11 NPIP flocks) throughout the region. A private veterinarian available to perform consultations, examinations, and treatment of animals on these farms while providing education to the farmers would be an invaluable asset to help prevent unnecessary disease investigations, act as first line surveillance around one of the primary broiler breeder companies in the world in Morgan County, and encourage further growth of livestock production and the economy.
Veterinarian Medical Activities & Services
In this shortage region, a food animal veterinarian's activities may include the following both in a clinic and/or on farm calls: diagnosing and treating diseased animals along with guiding, evaluating, and implementing preventative measures for herd health, making recommendations of management practices to improve herd reproductive health, and identifying nutritional deficiencies or parasitic problems in herds while providing surveillance for emerging and foreign animal diseases. This veterinarian would also be expected to provide brucellosis and tuberculosis testing, write certificates of veterinary inspections, educate and encourage producers to implement traceability in herds and flocks, provide surveillance for animal disease while working at events where animals are commingled (including markets, exhibitions, fairs, 4-H events, etc), and work in conjunction with TDA and UT Extension to share information with the community about animal health programs and regulations, whether via social media, public news media, or in person. A veterinarian having received a VMLRP award could also promote the profession and the VMLRP to students in 4H and FFA, thereby increasing the exposure and possibly interest in agricultural pursuits, and may be able to provide outreach education using social media outlets in cooperation with UT Extension and TDA.
Historical Efforts of Recruiting/Retaining a Veterinarian
This region has been under-served due to veterinarians retiring, leaving large animal practice, or no longer performing farm calls. It was included as a nomination for the 2023 VMLRP and remains a hard to fill position. In fact, producers have reported being unable to get a farm call even after offering to pay augmented visit charges. The difficulty with recruiting and retaining food animal veterinarians in this area is due in part to the distribution of livestock producers in the area combined with the natural topography and the resultant economics of veterinary practice. The large volume of smaller operations with lower finances for veterinary work and high starting debt of most veterinarians makes it a non-feasible option for many veterinarians to operate in the area. However, TDA would work to connect this position with local producers and extension agents to help recruit business, establish relationships in the community, and possibly make it a more accessible option.
Consequences of Not Securing/Retaining a Veterinarian
At this point in time, the lack of veterinary access in the Scott, Morgan, and Fentress County region creates an unmitigated risk to our economic and physical well-being at all levels due to the potential of becoming an epicenter of contagious disease that could rapidly affect state and national food supplies. Veterinarians are the first line of defense against foreign animal disease, bioterrorism, and zoonotic outbreaks. Along with this, disruptions in the food supply can have major impacts on the economy and public health of the entire nation, as demonstrated by the Covid pandemic. In this shortage region, there are a multitude of cattle stockers that sell their cattle predominantly in Kentucky sale barns that struggle to find a veterinarian to help manage the health of their animals and evaluate them for illness. Most of these weaned beef calves in Tennessee are commingled and sold with many of these animals subsequently transported to feed yards in Iowa, Texas, and Oklahoma. Consequently, an animal from Tennessee exposed to a contagious pathogen that may have been detected sooner with a veterinary presence could instead spread a FAD halfway across the United States and expose a vast number of feeder cattle within a short timeframe.
Additionally, with the threat of African Swine Fever continuing to grow ever-closer and the large number of cull hogs slaughtered and processed in Tennessee, livestock veterinarians are critical as a first line of surveillance for FADs. Feral swine are widespread across Tennessee and create the potential to infect backyard hogs that may be commingled with animals from all over the country and even the world before they are moved (often multiple times after commingling) to slaughter. If unnoticed, untreated, and unreported, these animals could serve as a nidus for future infection with FADs that could have a devastating impact on the animal population along with the local, state, and national economy and exports.
Along with this, an outbreak in the large, vertically integrated poultry facilities as well as backyard poultry flocks could potentially pose a threat to the entire nation's food supply, poultry genetic diversity, and the state's economic stability. Lastly, continued lack of veterinary outreach no doubt is a contributing factor to zoonotic disease spread in communities, such as with salmonellosis in humans from backyard poultry, and creates an increased risk of non-judicious antibiotic use in farm animals.
Community Aspects
The Scott, Morgan, and Fentress county region is a great place to not only visit but to live and raise a family. The area gives the quiet, peaceful, small town feel while still providing easy access to the big city amenities of Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. Known as the Trail Riding Capital of the Southeast, Jamestown in Fentress county and the entire region is a beautiful area of rural Appalachia for outdoor exploration with countless campgrounds (including ones with stables for your horses), cabins, hiking trails, wildlife management areas (for those who like to hunt), and even Brimstone Recreation for those who like to ride ATV trails in Scott County. The region is home to the Big South Fork River and Recreation area known for its hiking and riding trails, whitewater adventures, rock climbing, and educational opportunities for children and adults alike in the form of guided nature tours and historical sites. The area is also known for its low cost of living, low taxes, low crime rate, and low traffic while still providing numerous employment opportunities for spouses and family members. Lastly, this shortage region offers a safe place to raise children with the respected Alvin C. York Institute high school, numerous outdoor activities, and plenty of sports and recreation options.