USDA Unveils Rural Veterinary Action Plan to Tackle Shortage

We’ve heard this before: there’s a shortage of large animal veterinarians in rural America. A lot of effort and a lot of dollars have gone into fixing it over the years, and now USDA is rolling out the latest plan to try and make a difference.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins just announced the Rural Veterinary Action Plan. The goal is to get more vets to rural America where they’re needed most, and here’s how USDA says they’ll do it:

1. Enhance and Streamline Veterinary Grant Programs.

2. Analyze Rural Veterinary Shortages to Better Understand the Need.

3. Recruit and Retain USDA Veterinarians.

4. Catalog Federal Resources Available to Veterinarians for Starting a Practice.

5. Work with and Listen to Stakeholders.

Still, the reality is that only a small percentage of veterinary students come from rural areas, and even fewer go into large animal practice. That trend continues to feed the shortage. Whether this new plan makes a lasting impact remains to be seen, but it’s another step in tackling a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon.