The U.S. Census Bureau anticipates a national shortage of 15,000 veterinarians by 2025, with the bulk of it impacting rural livestock operations.
HerdWhistle is a new technology that aims to help the growing shortage of veterinarians in feedlots. It is the first line of defense when it comes to the health of feedlot cattle. It collects data on subclinical symptoms and catches disease in its early stages.
What is causing such a shortage? Simply put, the retirement rate is exceeding the rate of new veterinarians entering the industry. There are not enough new graduates coming through the system, and the majority of those that do have little interest in the rural livestock market.
Veterinarians in the beef or dairy industry work long, gruelling hours during peak season. They can work for days on end with emergency calls all hours of the night. Although it is a necessary profession, the difficulty of the job is not as appealing as the inner city vet jobs with higher salaries and more flexible schedules.
This shortage has been recognized as a global problem. Canadian and US farms are having difficulty recruiting veterinarians from other countries. Places like Europe had a 1% unemployment rate for veterinarians in 2018. With a global shortage, international recruits are more likely to take one of the readily available vet jobs in their home country instead of traveling abroad.
The shortage has potential to create many issues in the beef industry. Without veterinarians, sick and infected animals will increasingly go untested and untreated. Feedlot operations will then be more susceptible to disease outbreaks.
As the employment shortage shows no signs of slowing, HerdWhistle can assist the existing veterinarians working on beef feedlots. The system collects subclinical data that a feedlot operator or veterinarian simply cannot see, like changes to feeding and drinking behaviour. The vet can use the extra information to make more rapid and informed decisions and treatments.
The key to stopping devastating outbreaks in a herd is to catch the disease early on. Feeding behaviours are among the earliest signs of disease in cattle. HerdWhistle analyzes all of the feeding behaviours to predict an animal that might be infected. The animals can then be pulled and treated more rapidly, preventing an outbreak to an entire pen of cattle. Vets no longer need to administer antibiotics to every animal; only the infected ones. Vets can then focus on giving more attention to a handful of animals, rather than dealing with the aftermath of an outbreak.
HerdWhistle aims to work alongside veterinary professionals. It gives them more detailed behavioural information on the cattle and helps them isolate the individuals that need treatment. Both HerdWhistle and veterinarians can work towards the common goal of a healthier herd.
