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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
LOUISVILLE, KY, June 22, 2007: Three state legislators have urged a Kentucky Farm Bureau committee to develop ideas for addressing a critical shortage of large animal veterinarians in Kentucky.
House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Harry Moberly Jr., House Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom McKee and Rep. Don Pasley (who is a member of both committees) attended the initial meeting of a special committee appointed by Farm Bureau President Marshall Coyle. They expressed concern about the problem and predicted that the General Assembly would be receptive to solutions.
Pasley, a Democrat from Winchester who raises cattle, described the large animal vet shortage as "a crisis that can only get worse."
Mobley, a Richmond Democrat and veteran chairman of the powerful A&R Committee, said state lawmakers "want to look at whether we should have some type of specialty program" to entice vets.
The move by veterinarians away from large animal practice such as cattle and horses toward specializing in pet care has been a troubling trend on the state and national levels. The American Veterinary Medical Association reports a 25 percent decline since 1990 in the number of vets who focus on large animals, with less than 10 percent currently focusing on that type of practice.
Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association President Aaron Goodpaster told the Farm Bureau panel that 25 Kentucky counties currently do not have a large animal vet.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture anticipates a chronic shortage in regulatory practitioners for farm animals in the years ahead, said State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Stout.
Kentucky does not have a veterinary college but participates in a 50-year-old program that provides a subsidy for Kentucky students to attend Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Under the program, administered through Kentucky's Council on Postsecondary Education, selected Kentucky students pay only the in-state tuition rate at Auburn, which is $20,400, and the state pays the remaining $22,000 to cover the school's full tuition for non-residents of Alabama.
Dr. Timothy Boosinger, Dean of Auburn's vet school, participated in the Farm Bureau meeting via teleconference. He expressed interest in expanding the annual number of Kentucky enrollees from 34 to 40.
Several members of the committee, which is comprised of livestock producers, commodity organization leaders and state veterinary officials, cited economics as the root of the problem. Small animal practices are more financially lucrative, more manageable and more enticing to young people, particularly women, they said.
"We've been talking about the educational issue," remarked Dr. Stout, "but the economic issue may be even more important. We have to look at the practitioner; they have to make a living."
Another committee member, Debbie Reed, said she closed her vet practice in Jackson County last year when she took a position with the Breathitt Veterinary Lab in Hopkinsville. No other veterinarian wanted to buy the business, she said.
Kelly Thurman, a McLean County dairyman, says the nearest dairy specialist to his area is located about 70 miles away in Russellville.
"If we have an emergency on our farm we're pretty much on our own."
According to Auburn's records, less than a third of the Kentuckians who graduated from its vet school in the past five years took a position in a large animal practice.
McKee, a Democrat from Cynthiana, said he felt the legislature should approve funds for expanding the number of students at Auburn plus look at providing incentives such as grants and low-interest loans to vets starting up a large animal practice.
Committee Chairman John Hendricks, a Clark County farmer who is Second Vice President of Kentucky Farm Bureau, said the group needs to meet with some veterinarians to get ideas on financial incentives.
"We must look at all the options to deliver this service to (livestock) producers," Hendricks said.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT TERRI BRADSHAW
Office 502-495-5191
Cellular 502-718-1164 |
