UTIA Study: Rural Veterinary Services

Despite shifting changes in the state’s demographics and population centers, agriculture remains among the largest of Tennessee’s economic sectors. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture reports in its 2006 annual report and statistical summary that the state has some 84,000 farms that generated more than $2.5 billion in annual cash receipts. Animal-based agriculture represented fully half – 50.7 percent – of that revenue.

Tennessee’s cattle and calves industry represented the largest of the state’s livestock commodity groups, accounting for more than $500 million in cash receipts and numbering more than 2.2 million head. This industry ranks ninth in the nation in terms of herd size. Cattle producers operate in every county in the state.

The state’s poultry industries (eggs and broilers) contributed a combined $466 million to producers’ coffers. The bulk of this output came from broiler production (nearly 197 million birds worth an estimated $431 million).

Other notable livestock commodities included dairy products, which rendered cash receipts totaling nearly $176 million in 2005, and hogs, which were valued at nearly $53 million. Tennessee ranks number two in the nation in the production of meat goats with a population measuring more than 103,000 animals. Also, the state’s equine industry, which emphasizes companion animals and includes horses, donkeys and mules, ranks number two in the nation. The equine population in Tennessee measures some 210,000 animals valued at $565 million.

Clearly, the health and welfare of Tennessee’s animal-based agricultural industries is vital to the state’s economy. The availability of adequate veterinary care to the state’s food animals is essential to maintaining the safety and wholesomeness of food-animal products and minimizing the public’s risk of contracting food borne illness. Access to veterinary care is also key to monitoring potential zoonotic disease outbreaks that can affect the health of animals and humans alike. In addition, rural community practitioners play an important role maintaining the health status of companion animals.

Reason for the Study

Study Components