Haliburton County Farmers’ Association (HCFA) president Minna Schleifenbaum said the organization is hoping to make some headway on a permanent solution to the region’s large animal veterinary woes this year.
Farmers, homesteaders and hobbyists have been without a local option for emergency care for their livestock and other animals since March 2022.
Despite the Ontario government announcing a $900,000 three-year investment in 2023 to support vets looking to set up shop in underserviced areas – with MPP Laurie Scott confirming at the time that Haliburton County would be on the approved list – no new permanent practices have been established.
Schleifenbaum, who was confirmed as HCFA president for a third year at a Jan. 16 AGM held at Castle Antiques in Haliburton, said most County residents with large animals have had to find their own solutions in recent years.
She said a vet based in Fraserville, near Peterborough, works with many local horse owners, while a vet from Lindsay assists with other animals. While both have limited availability to visit in-person, they usually make themselves available after hours for video conferencing.
“We would love to see a full-time large animal vet here. We are optimistic that we’re making progress… we’re working with different levels of government to further incentivize vets to move to rural communities,” Schleifenbaum said. “We’ve sat down a good few times in 2024 to look at the next steps. We’ve made some interesting connections.
“It’s not going to be a tomorrow thing, but we are hopeful we will finally get to the bottom of this and have a new vet come to our County,” she added.
Schleifenbaum said there were instances last year where HCFA members contributed to an emergency first aid kit think tank, pooling knowledge from different areas to help diagnose and treat problems a vet can’t get to.
“We’ve been able to get a good few animals to pull through in pretty bad situations,” she said.
While working on a full-time solution, the HCFA president said volunteers are also trying to bring a mobile vet service to the County. “There’s lots of ideas being pingponged back and forth,” Schleifenbaum said.
Membership was up last year, with an increase in the number of people interested in starting hobby farms and homesteads. Schleifenbaum said there’s been a resurgence in young people interested in the lifestyle.
“That’s super exciting,” she said. “You don’t have to sell produce or run a meat production facility to join HCFA. If you have a horse, a couple chickens in your backyard, or just a general interest – anybody is welcome to come and join us.”
Looking ahead to this year, Schleifenbaum noted HCFA is looking to run some large animal first aid clinics, to provide some helpful tips and tricks for diagnosing and addressing minor problems. The group will also be hosting a series of workshops on growing produce in the County.
“Just general advice on how to cultivate your land… we want to host regular activities throughout the warmer months, probably starting towards the end of April and running through the summer,” she said. “We’re also planning to host our Fall Festival again in September.”
