WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) sent a letter to Missouri’s chief Animal Health Official today asking for special consideration to Southern Missouri counties when making nominations to the federal Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program.  Veterinarians working in the counties accepted for the program would be eligible for partial repayment of their educational costs, and Emerson strongly feels young veterinarians should have the opportunity to serve rural counties where small and medium-sized livestock operations are the norm.

“In the southern part of the state, veterinarians are responsible for serving many family-owned ranches – they aren’t the biggest operations in our state, but there are lots more of them and they combine to raise just as many animals.  It is a completely different challenge than serving large, concentrated animal operations in other parts of Missouri,” Emerson said. “It is more than fitting that young veterinarians just starting out and saddled with debt would be able to take part in a program that encourages them to care for large animals which end up in our food supply.  Our producers do an exceptional job of raising livestock for the state, the nation and the world.  We need to be sure veterinarians have the same incentives to serve counties with many small producers as they do to serve counties with a few large operations.”

Emerson noted one other important trend in veterinary services in Southern Missouri:

“Many of our veterinarians are at the point in their careers where they would like to wind down their work life in order to make time for family.  Yet we have a real shortage of young veterinarians choosing to work with large animals in the rural areas where our nation’s ranchers really need their services.  I hope that changes in the future, and one way to help is to ensure that our Southern Missouri veterinarians are able to take a leadership role so they can raise the profile of the small producers who they work with every day,” Emerson said.

A copy of the text of Emerson’s letter is attached:

Dr. Taylor Woods
State Veterinarian and
Director or Animal Health Division
1616 Missouri Blvd.
Jefferson City, MO  65109


Dear Dr. Woods,

    As you are well aware, many counties across southern Missouri face a serious shortage of food animal veterinarians.  This is a critical situation as many of these counties depend on the small, family operated farms and ranches as the backbone of their local economy.

    In order to address the shortfall of food animal veterinarians Congress has funded, and the Administration is implementing, the Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program.  As the chief Animal Health Official for Missouri, you have the authority to nominate, by March 8th, counties which you believe suffer from a shortage of veterinarians.  I would request that as you work to meet this rapidly approaching deadline, you look closely at the situation on the ground in these counties. 

    The counties across southern Missouri have a long tradition of smaller, family-operated livestock operations.  The producers in these counties may not be as vertically integrated or manage as many animals as operations in other parts of the state.  However, these family producers deserve access to veterinary services and the safety net this access ensures for their life’s work.  As I travel across southern Missouri, I have heard concerns from producers about the lack of access.  Even more concerning, I have heard from veterinarians about their concern that no young veterinarian is coming along to serve the next generation of producers; and they cite an increasing workload even as they desire to shrink their workload and enjoy a slower pace of life.

    As you consider the counties to nominate, I hope, instead of relying strictly on the numbers of veterinarians per animal in a county or region, you would also consider the number of farms and ranches which would be served and the ability of veterinarians to travel to these operations.  Many farm and ranch operations in counties across southern Missouri are located on isolated roads which receive little maintenance.  The farms and ranches in these areas contain fewer animals, but there are more animals, requiring veterinarians to travel more and reducing the number of operations they can effectively serve.  Yet access to this service is essential for the economic wellbeing of entire counties.


    As I continue to work through my service on the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee to fund this program, I look forward to seeing the benefits reach the producers on the ground.  I appreciate the critical role you, as Missouri’s chief Animal Health Official, play in making the shortage determination and I appreciate your consideration of this request.