USDA Announces Commitment to Expand Rural Food Animal Veterinarians
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rawlins made a significant announcement last week in Mississippi regarding the shortage of rural food animal veterinarians across the United States. Recognizing the critical role veterinarians play in supporting rural America’s farmers and ranchers, the USDA is launching initiatives to expand the veterinary workforce in rural communities.
“We have a real challenge, a significant problem with our number of veterinarians. And you can’t have a thriving rural America and our farmers and ranchers, certainly with the food animals, without a really robust veterinarian,” said Secretary Rawlins in an interview with Supertalk Mississippi.
The USDA’s plan includes enhancing and streamlining veterinary grant programs, thoroughly analyzing rural veterinary shortages to better understand needs, and improving recruitment and retention efforts for USDA veterinarians. In addition, the department aims to catalog federal resources available to veterinarians for starting their own practice and collaborate closely with stakeholders — including veterinary schools — to identify barriers to entry.
Secretary Rawlins emphasized the long-term decline in veterinary professionals serving rural food animal operations, noting the urgency of reversing this trend.
“And it has been on the decline for a long, long time for a lot of reasons. So today, this morning at the incredible DVM school at Mississippi State, we announced a new program through USDA, some funding, some incentives, et cetera, some recruitment efforts to get more people excited, to make it more cost efficient, and to really help people find this path as their career. It is a problem that not many people know about, but it is, like I mentioned, it’s pretty significant.”
Partnering with veterinary schools such as Mississippi State University — represented by Dr. Frank and Dr. Keenum — is a key component of this strategy. The Secretary expressed optimism about the program’s potential to reverse the shortage and ensure a strong future for rural veterinary services.
“But with just some funding, some focus, some partnerships with the states, partnerships with some of our veterinary schools like the great Mississippi State with Dr. Frank and Dr. Keenum, the president there, I think we’re going to see a real turnaround in the coming years.”
This commitment by USDA signals a proactive approach to supporting rural farmers, improving animal health, and strengthening America’s agricultural backbone.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.