What can a Livestock Showman learn from a veterinary clinic?

The screeching of an alarm at 7:00 AM during the summer is never a pleasant sound. Another tiring work day has just begun as I get ready to feed my livestock projects. For 30 minutes at the barn, I restock hay troughs, prepare feed, and give all my goats fresh water. After getting ready for the day, I arrive at Shannon Veterinary Services to complete almost nine hours of work as a Kennel Technician. 

My duties consist of: feeding animals, walking dogs, cleaning cages and litter boxes, scrubbing surgical instruments, washing and distributing towels and animal bedding, filling prescriptions, assisting with surgeries, handling animals during check-ups, drawing blood/giving injections, and daily cleaning tasks. Even though a part-time job in a veterinary clinic may not seem to be beneficial to Agriculture, I take the skills I have learned and apply them to my show animals and our family-owned beef cattle farm. Because of my employment, I am more experienced when giving medicine and caring for my animals. 

Through my experience as a livestock showman, it is difficult to find a local large animal veterinarian to treat my animals. Since large animal vets are a crucial part of raising healthy livestock, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found the percentage of unemployed large animal veterinarians fell from 1% in 2013 to 0.3% in 2019. Even though there is a greater need for veterinarians to care for livestock, the interest in this field is too low. 

The American Veterinary Medical Association stated in 2019 that only about 10% of all practicing vets work with large animals. The assistant dean of college affairs at Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Jim Weisman, states, “The average debt for a student graduating from the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine in 2021 was $186,000.” Many students interested in veterinary medicine turn away from the industry because of the cost. To help lower student loan debt, the Georgia Veterinary Education Loan Repayment Program (GVELRP) provides financial assistance to practicing veterinarians and final-year vet students in rural areas. 

With great programs like these, many young agriculturists, like me, have been encouraged to achieve their dreams of becoming large animal veterinarians. As a future veterinarian for a rural community, I will be able to assist in the production of Georgia’s livestock industry. 

Emma Storey 

Jackson County, Georgia