Animal Health
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Program Emphasizes Animal AgricultureBy Linda Breazeale MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Some veterinary students are going the extra mile academically and experientially to prepare themselves for careers improving food animal production. Dr. Fred Lehman of Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine is overseeing the five-year program allowing students to earn their doctorate of veterinary medicine and a master's degree at the same time. The master's degree is in veterinary science with emphasis in production medicine. Production medicine includes education in areas such as agricultural economics, statistics, agricultural engineering, immunology or animal science. "The program allows students to develop expertise in a shorter period of time than in traditional training," Lehman said. "Graduates will have a significantly broader understanding of the animal industry, including the economic impact of health recommendations. Students are not only focused on sick animals." Lehman said he believes many professions are heading in a direction that combines veterinary and industry training. An added strength is that a portion of the program involves students taking part in externships for six to 10 months in their field specialty. Mississippi has five major categories of food production animals: beef cattle, dairy cattle, poultry, swine and aquaculture (which is more than catfish). Butch Cargile, a 1998 doctor of veterinary medicine graduate, is specializing in dairy cattle. He was a sophomore at MSU the first time he set foot on a dairy farm. "It is becoming more common for people who weren't raised on farms to go into production animal medicine," Cargile said. "The experience we've gotten in school not only helped us choose the field we want to focus on, but also should have prepared us better for questions we will encounter after graduation." Cargile said he believes other schools will look into developing similar dual degree programs in the future as the demand for expertise continues. Dr. Dwight Mercer, dean of MSU's veterinary college, said the shortage of production animal veterinarians influenced the establishment of the dual degree program. "As the production of food from animal sources has become more sophisticated and complicated, it has become evident that colleges would have to educate a more specialized veterinarian," Mercer said. "This program allows students to track their careers specifically into a major food production area and become specialists who are recognized for their expertise that far exceeds the normal veterinary degree requirements." Released:
Aug. 10, 1998 |
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