05/09/07 Vet shortage on the farm/ranch?

There's soon going to be a shortage of veterinarians who work with farm animals. That is going to be a problem, says Ron DeHaven who is the head of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. DeHaven says the shortage is reflected in the men and women who are now in school, training to become tomorrow vets. DEHAVEN "73 percent of the new veterinary students being female and 80 percent of them intending to go into companion animal or small animal practice." And those numbers are reflective in what's happening with 44 Idaho students now enrolled in the Washington State University veterinary program. The Idaho Veterinary Medicine Association is trying to get funding approval to add four more students per year to the WSU program. Doctor DeHaven says the vet shortage on the farm comes at a time when disease pressure is increasing with problems like West Nile and BSE. DEHAVEN "When societal need for food supply of veterinary medicine is the greatest we're facing this reducing entrance of veterinary students into food animal medicine. There are programs to encourage new vets to work in rural areas with large animals. One problem; the incentive program doesn't have any money. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott