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on livestock than other states do, Oedekoven said.
• "We may not actually have a shortage of veterinarians," he told the Legislature's Government Operations and Audit Committee, who had asked for a report on the topic.
• Oedekoven said South Dakota has 765 licensed veterinarians -- 381 live in South Dakota and many of the rest live in nearby states, he said.
• He said the livestock industry has markedly changed from decades ago, when most farms had a mix of animals and needed a veterinarian nearby. Many livestock operations, particularly hogs and turkeys, now raise hundreds or thousands of animals in confinement facilities, he said. Those operations send veterinarians in other areas samples for testing, and those veterinarians prescribe treatments, he said.
• Oedekoven said the American Veterinary Medical Association has identified some South Dakota counties with lots of livestock and few veterinarians, but veterinarians in the state typically are willing to travel to nearby counties. North-central (Continued on page 36)
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