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New Bolton Center Kennett Square, PA
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610-444-5800
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Ryan Hospital Philadelphia, PA
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215-746-8911
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215-746-8387
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By the Numbers: Penn Vet’s agricultural impact

By: Erica Moser Date: Jan 3, 2024
pa-farm-show-kid-sheep
The PA Farm Show provides the opportunity for hands-on interactions with animals, and Penn Vet faculty, students, and staff who volunteered at the 2023 show fielded many questions from young visitors and their families about pursuing a career working with animals.

The only veterinary school in Pennsylvania and one of the top 10 ranked in the world, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has been recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and clinical service for animals across its 139-year history.

The school also makes invaluable contributions to the state’s $132 billion agriculture sector through disease surveillance and diagnostic testing to ensure a safe and abundant food supply, and through visits to farms to provide care for large animals. Researchers ground their work in the One Health philosophy to improve outcomes for animals, people, and the environment. Penn Vet will be showcasing its work and career opportunities at the 2024 PA Farm Show Jan. 6-13 in Harrisburg.

“As Pennsylvania’s only veterinary school, Penn Vet does much more than produce future veterinarians for the state,” says Gary Althouse, associate dean of sustainable agriculture and veterinary practices. “We serve as a key partner in elevating the Commonwealth’s vibrant agriculture industry through our many clinical, diagnostic, and educational outreach services and with timely research that addresses critical challenges facing the industry.”

The school’s diagnostic capabilities back all major subsectors of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry: poultry and egg production; dairy production; pig, sheep, and goat production; and food manufacturing. Since 1991, Penn Vet has worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania State University to operate the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System, providing rapid and accurate diagnostic testing.

In October 2022, Penn Vet launched the Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security, which mobilizes Penn Vet faculty in nearly 20 agriculture-related specialties with faculty across Penn, addressing issues such as soil health and agriculture’s role in carbon capture. Whether treating large animals at New Bolton Center in Kennett Square or small companion animals at Ryan Veterinary Hospital in Philadelphia, Penn Vet provides care in anesthesia, behavior, cardiology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, neurology, surgery, and much more.


22,168

Large animals who received care last fiscal year through New Bolton Center’s Field Service ambulatory practice—including 10,227 horses, 9,928 dairy cows, 1,009 goats, and 854 sheep—which also provides extensive, hands-on training for students

15 million

Birds that benefited from the work of Penn Vet’s Field Investigations poultry team

13,516

Samples tested for Chronic Wasting Disease through Penn Vet’s Wildlife Futures Program in one year

767

Swine farms, housing 2.2 million pigs, in Penn Vet’s disease control monitoring systems

34

Percent increase in Penn Vet’s research expenditures during the past five years

136

Number of students who began their studies in August 2023, a 27 percent increase since 2001


About Penn Vet

Ranked among the top ten veterinary schools worldwide, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) is a global leader in veterinary education, research, and clinical care. Founded in 1884, Penn Vet is the first veterinary school developed in association with a medical school. The school is a proud member of the One Health initiative, linking human, animal, and environmental health.

Penn Vet serves a diverse population of animals at its two campuses, which include extensive diagnostic and research laboratories. Ryan Hospital in Philadelphia provides care for dogs, cats, and other domestic/companion animals, handling more than 34,600 patient visits a year. New Bolton Center, Penn Vet’s large-animal hospital on nearly 700 acres in rural Kennett Square, PA, cares for horses and livestock/farm animals. The hospital handles more than 6,200 patient visits a year, while our Field Services have gone out on more than 5,500 farm service calls, treating some 18,700 patients at local farms. In addition, New Bolton Center’s campus includes a swine center, working dairy, and poultry unit that provide valuable research for the agriculture industry.