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Washington Evening Journal
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Carson Rubey hopes to pursue career as large animal vet tech
FAIRFIELD – Carson Rubey said southeast Iowa is sorely in need of large animal veterinarians, and he wants to address the shortage by becoming one himself.
Carson is a recent graduate of Fairfield High School, and this fall he will enroll Black Hawk College in Galva, Illinois, to study animal production technology. He said he’s going to study topics such as artificial insemination and breeding, and eventually become a veterinary technician.
“A vet tech does everything a vet can do except major surgeries,” Carson explained. “They’re getting hard to find. Fairfield used to have someone who did cows and horses, but now they just do cats and dogs. The only one around here that does large animals is in Keosauqua, or the one down by Houghton.”
Carson said he believes there is a market for a large animal vet in the area because people like him and his family, who raise cattle, have to travel a long way to have their cattle seen by a vet.
Carson is the son of Jeff and Keeli Rubey, and is the older of their two sons, with his little brother Parker about to finish sixth grade. They both show cattle at the Greater Jefferson County Fair, though Carson said he prefers to show “clubby” cross-bred cattle, while his brother is more into farm-raised. Carson explained that certain mixes of cattle breeds are good for showing at the fair because of their appearance, though they’re not necessarily the most sought-after animals for their meat.
The Rubeys raise mostly Simental and Maine-Anjoy breeds, and they’ve got a herd of 15. Carson said he gets up every morning between 4:30-5 a.m. so he can feed and wash his cattle before school, then he feeds them again just before dark.
For this year’s county fair, Carson is taking a steer, a farm-raised heifer and “possibly” a couple of cow-calf pairs. He said “possibly” because he’d like to take them but is unsure if he can haul that many cattle.
“Cow-calves are a lot of work, getting both the mom and baby ready,” he said.
Carson said he appreciates the opportunities he’s had in 4-H and FFA. When he was a young boy in the program, he learned a lot from the older members, and today he enjoys passing on that same wisdom to the club’s young members.
“I like seeing all my friends and sharing my skills with younger members,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot of stuff from other members, too, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
